his little siblings in prayer that they will always stay keen to
their enemy.
Teach Them To Pray
We know that in order to give our children the best fighting
chance to have solid and unwavering lives in Christ, they
must be growing in their relationship with Him and coming
to Him ‘without ceasing.’ Teaching them to pray has been a
desire for Matt and I from day one. The moment we knew
they were being formed, we began praying.
Harrison has already made Jesus Lord of his life, and we
are excited to see his walk deepening as he goes to his Father
without hesitation; we pray the same for our other children.
While all the kids are at different points in their knowledge,
these are just a few of the ways in which we’ve encouraged
them to talk with their Father.
Anywhere, Anyplace, and Unashamed: There’s been
moments of chaos, illness, bad news, and good news. We
have shown them from day one, there is no place you can’t
talk to God. It doesn’t matter who stares, scoffs, admires, or
questions; it’s always the right time and place if you need to
pray silently for help, aloud for dinner, together in praise, or
alone in peace (see 1 Thes 5:16-18).
In the Dark: Bad dreams happen, especially in the active
minds of imaginative children. We’ve heard our share of
sleep time invasions involving giant penguins, man-eating
spiders, rock throwing brothers, and flooding grocery
stores. In all the sleep interruptions, we go with scared
little kids to our Father. In the dark, little voices recount the
dream, rebuke Satan, ask for peace and strength, and give
praise for God’s protection and love. On some mornings,
Harrison has told us that he was awake during the night
from nightmares but didn’t need to wake us up because he
asked God to help him fight that bad dream away and give
him peace (see Lev 26:6).
Impressed Upon: Teach them sensitivity to the prompt-
ing of the Spirit and to what God may be trying to lay on their
heart. We go on prayer walks and just pray aloud whatever
comes to our hearts. I love hearing the kids pray everything
from safety for the family that lives in the house we are pass-
ing, or simply thanking God for making magnolias so they
can have “cool tree bombs to throw.” Frequently, Harrison
will say, “We need to all stop right now and just pray for…”
And so we do, allowing him to lead. I’m thankful to see his
heart growing in sensitivity to his Father’s (see Rom 8:26).
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Part of Life: We pray aloud together every time we hear
an ambulance, for those involved, and for the safety of the
first responders. If we see someone sad or grouchy in the
store, we will quietly pray for that individual and for wisdom
in how we could help. If one of the kids has a headache, a
stomachache, or any other ache, we take it to God. If we’re
happy or excited about something, we tell God. Every night
before bed we each tell God something from the day that we
really liked and are thankful for. We tell Him often that we
love Him (see Eph 6:18).
Be Still and Know: Sometimes there are no words. I think
the church passes over this critical aspect of communication
with God. Sometimes all you need is just to be still. Sit on the
sand and hear nothing but the surf pound the shore and feel
surrounded in the presence of God. Stand on a mountain
top above sky and earth and hear the praise in your heart.
God speaks in all kinds of ways, but you have to listen (see
Ps 46:10).
Ask: It’s ok to talk to God about what you want, whether
it’s a toy or to grow six inches overnight. God is not a genie
who grants wishes, but He is your Abba, Daddy, who loves
to know exactly what you think is cool. He wants to know
about your dream job, dream house, and dream vacation.
And then He wants you to rest contentedly in Him and
always rejoice in the continuous blessings of serving Him
(see Lk 11:13).
Forgiveness: It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong. It’s
even harder to ask for forgiveness, but that’s exactly what
shapes prideful hearts into masterpieces. After an offense,
we need to get it right with one another and also with God.
We tell Him what happened, we ask for forgiveness, and for
His wisdom and strength in not making that foolish choice
again (see 1 Jn 1:9).
Church, teach your children who their enemy is. Train in
battle, and be on the alert. Recognize one of the Devil’s most
stealthy attacks: distraction. Put down your phones, remote
controls, iPads, and Kindles. Put on the full armor of God,
and teach your children how to fight (see Eph 6:10-18).
Megan Clark is a homeschooling mom to four boys and a
girl, who keep her pediatric nursing skills sharp. She is mar-
ried to Matthew Clark, an attorney with the American Center
for Law and Justice. Living in Washington D.C. has given
their family daily opportunities to explore and learn. Between
hiking, running, baking, making messes, photography, and
blogging, Megan and Matthew keep Christ the head of their
household as they grow alongside their children in becoming
more like Him.