Father, It can be a scary to think about releasing my children into the world, knowing that they might be drawn away or influenced in some way. Please help me to:

1. Walk in faith not in fear. (Isaiah 41:10; Deuteronomy 31:6) Help me to remember that my calling is to walk in faith – not in fear, that you are all seeing and all knowing, and that I can have confidence that you will guide me and make me aware of things that might trip up my children.

2. Pray. (1 John 5:14; Colossians 4:2) Help me to remember that the best thing I can do is pray. Please remind me to bring my children before your throne, kneel WITH them before your throne, and posture my heart in a way that I am sitting permanently before your throne of grace.

3. Model a godly lifestyle in my home. (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 5:3) Please enable me to live a life of integrity and that faith would be a reality in my home. Help me to be intentional about living a lifestyle that is pleasing to You, and that I would pass on faith to my children. Remind me that If I don’t thirst for you, and if my life sends them a message of hypocrisy, then that is what I am teaching them. The way in which I obey Your Word should be the same kind of obedience that I long to see from my children.

4. Spend time with my children. (Psalms 39:4-5; James 4:14; Ephesians 5:15-16) Help me to guard against over-scheduling and being too busy, because my children need me to be there for them. Help me to see it as a privilege to be there to listen to them, and help me to know what questions to ask them in order to draw them out. Please enable me to convey to them that I am truly interested in their lives and that I want to come alongside them when they are struggling or facing temptation.

5. Educate myself. (1 Peter 5:8; Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 16:13; Matthew 26:41) Help me to take the time to know what is popular among youth culture and what is going on in the world that my children live in. Please help me to stay informed about the issues that can influence them so that I can have intelligent and informed conversation with them.

6. Help them view Your plan for their life in a positive light.(Jeremiah 29 : 11 Philippians 1:6) I know that I can protect my children for only a small amount of time, and that soon they will begin to look into their future and see all the possibilities that are there. With those possibilities come potential dangers and temptations. Help me help them to see Your plan as a positive thing. I pray that I would live out my own walk and faith in a way that will directly impact them to find joy in their own calling.  I pray that my life will influence the lives of my children and that they will see that it is truly worth it to walk in your ways and serve you.

7. Remember that parenting is a calling and a privilege.( Psalms 127:3-5; Deuteronomy 7:14; Colossians 2:8) Help me to remember that being a parent is a calling and a full-time responsibility. Please help me to study my calling so that I know what is required of me, and to be faithful to this calling even when I’m weary. I know there are no vacations from parenting.

8.  Set grace filled boundaries. Help me to know when and how to set limits, that I will know how to teach them that there are clear boundaries for their behavior, and what the consequences will be if they violate those boundaries, and that I would present and enforce these boundaries with grace. 

I know that you are ultimately the One who draws my children to yourself and does a work in their heart, but I know I must join you in this work and do my part. Help me to know how to guide my children that they might know you, and how to face the many temptations in their world.

In Jesus name, Amen

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