Developing a Love of Prayer in Your Kids

I literally just floor of the kitchen floor. I don't think I can do that and I said you know what I need help I need to know that I am not the only one employed full-time and raising two girls serenade felt overwhelmed right truly think that God uses Focus on the Family in the guest to bring hope specially to young moms working mom or even a stay-at-home mom on Jim Daly's working together we can encourage more moms like survey and help them grow in their relationship with the Lord, especially during this pandemic.

When you support Focus on the Family your strengthening marriages, equipping parents and sharing God's good news with those who need it most. Please donate today and when you do your gift will be doubled. Visit Focus on the Family.com/strengthen families to learn more or call 800 the A, and the word family cleared Focus on the Family one of our missions is to help you lead your family well and one of the most important things that you can do is to teach your children to treasure God's word. As we begin today's broadcast. We have some really practical ideas for bringing Scripture reading into your everyday life and your hostess focus president and author Jim Daly John the pandemic, along with other cultural tensions right now have really revealed the spiritual hunger were seeing it here.

Focus people are open to who is God, who in my what is my role as God want me to do and there's no better way than to simply read God's word and that is why we wanted to talk to a couple dear friends who I visited in New York City and they're doing some amazing things to help people there in New York City, not only with their own families but extending that to their business friendships and inviting people to come in and do a public reading of Scripture. It's not as intimidating as people would think it's all prerecorded. Basically just set it up and let it go and I really would encourage if you're interested go to the website.

Contact us will connect you to their website and you can get rolling quickly like him today but if you look at the nation, and what we need. It's of this.

It's an understanding of God's word and so we're glad to have Bill Long and Andy Mills.

With this the both successful businessmen and CEOs in the cofounders of a ministry called the public reading of Scripture and are joining us by phone today for the first segment of this program. Bill and Andy, welcome to Focus on the Family yeah yeah it's great.

I had the great blessing of being with you in New York City. When you did the public reading of Scripture. Let's start there. What is the public reading of Scripture and why is it important for us living in the 21st century well noted that a general level of political literacy among Christian and one of the things world loving is while people want to read my Bible. Everybody put their hand up when you want to remold Bible. It's actually in the lives we live today very hard to do that in our morning devotions are tough for a lot of people in the business world.

For example, the school kids in student and so we move into trying to reach Scripture with great desire and with great motives that we find the practice also becomes very very hard and we become discouraged.

The enemy comes up that the public reading of Scripture is Chilean simply a strategy of reading Scripture, which is the ancient strategy which is alive through the Bible whether Ezra Jones etc. what they did with the Scriptures when they had Scripture they gather people together to read the scripture in public and that's really what we're doing is when gathering people in community able to listen to God's word over a significant period of time, maybe half an hour to an hour's worth of listening to God's will and it's amazing how much you can get through that period of time together what you have that concentration. Somehow the spirit meets is at that time and the depth of understanding we gain from that Scripture that time is really remarkable in the lives being changed and were seeing people desiring to be in God's word is a result of this in a very different kind of white Bill, let me ask you how long ago did you start this public reading of Scripture at your company and what is it look like describe it for the listeners. We don't have a video for them to see it so filling out blank how does it work started about 10 years ago in Manhattan and total about an hour and we would usually have the Bible in front about, but mostly we would listen for about 15 minutes. 50 minutes about half Old Testament have New Testament and then somebody will explain generally what we will be listening because teaching in this case, short teaching is very important and we we pray, but we pray that some so usually will pray Psalm together Old Testament missing about 30 minutes and then 20 minutes or so. Listening to New Testament and and finishing by praying out Psalm and you know as we began doing this about 10 years ago.

What was really shocking to me who always struggled to read and listen to the word Bible that 66 books, listening and reading the whole Bible takes less than hundred dollars so we been doing this for about 10 years so my story you know I really struggle to read the Scripture for first 45 years my Christian life. Now I'm about 55 and last 10 years. By attending these gatherings couple of times a week.

I've been finishing and listening to the entire Bible once a year, which is a miracle.

It's so good and I'm serious guys and what's so amazing being with you in New York City meal in a skyscraper, you probably had 8200 people that came it was a big boardroom serve lunch, but these were people from not only your company, but other companies around that area and they knew that on that day of the week they could come in and grab a quick bite to eat and listen to Scripture together and you're right it's very simple. Nobody's really giving a lot of instruction just saying here's what were going to do and then a quick wrap up and it it you know if anything in our country right now. This is exactly what Christian businesspeople and you know in your home. You can apply the same thing to do.

The whole Bible in a year by following this ingredients that you guys have created so I just think it's a great thing but speak to that that I think the issue right now societally where this is the antidote we need in over the weekend. Last week I was thinking, what's the answer to all these riots and protests and brutality and injustices that are being committed. I mean the only answer I could come up with is Jesus more people need to know Jesus. Exactly right. And I think it nothing else. I think shocked a lot of people in terms of how fragile you are not any license that society isn't things that we bank on jobs and economy institutions are now you know how fragile they ought to a lot of people have the same thought that I did a lot of the times I have is? Who is in charge of the some of the money the show and you know you come back and say yeah you know frail men and women running the show, and many of them would pull philosophies and wrong philosophies and and why why we therefore surprise it was getting deeper and deeper into this range of problems and you know the answer is we need to listen to God and that's really what this Scripture about it. We want to hear God talk and a lot of men talking and now we want to hear God to look and then I think Jesus is the antidote of the Bible is the way the people will learn about now. It's beautiful and I think let let's talk about that for a moment just how we use the center home so translate that for us and you do that once a week as it is a family or did it more than once a week we in our our home in New Jersey.

We do it only once a week with my two daughters. It's a matter of training so by you know, listening to word of God to gather just like eating food Jesus told us God's word develop food. How do we need to mostly together at a set time, but if you exactly so regularly. Sometimes you you skip and I jokingly say to people who say old Bill I will I will not really read the Bible every day. You know it entire Bible every three months.

I said that sort of over eating food so as you said Jim, this should be just part of our lives just eating the food together and sometimes alone, nothing's wrong with reading and listening to the ward alone is a strategy destroying ourselves to serve God and serve this country night so appreciate that. And I think what I'd like to suggest you know so many people write nursing. What can we do that's practical to engage the culture to know what Andy said a moment ago to become less illiterate when it comes to the word of God, my goodness, you know, sometimes it's so simple it's well start reading it and what a great way to begin either in your home or and with your business.

If you're not the owner of the business of the CEO suggested to the owner. See if you can get one day a week where you can get volunteers who want to come and do this during the lunch. Lunch break and start it and I think the fascinating thing is when we lift up God and this is what you guys are all about.

I know when you lift up the word of God and people learn about the word of God, it changes hearts and how desperate we are in this nation for a change of heart thing about family think it's so important. Of course I think a lot of times. Dad in particular feel kind of oppression to be a spiritual leader in the home but not quite sure how to do that often because they are absent from the home a lot and I think you know this public reading using these apps that we have using the drama Bibles and by the way, that really really wonderful to listen to. As you listen to the gym because they every different voices the different you have the music you have the sound of fact so you really listening to a drama if you write and so well with finding it's the kid from all ages on my five and three-year-old grandchildren.

I see them. Listening to this just just independently… That's a very engaging production that children of all ages and adults really love them. So now dad can have something that he can come home with and say to you.

Nonetheless, listen to the Bible for 15 minutes maybe after dinner, but all of a sudden I think dad in particular.

Dad and mom together have something that they can introduce to the kids and we know that when you introduce kids something really meaningful.

That becomes a practice that continues and in my household needs all kinds of very interesting discussions about faith in Jesus. The practice of faith that you will also really commended to families in that way. I so appreciate that. And I think again it is the answer and if we as Christians believe that let's act on its gentlemen, this is been good. Thank you for what you do on Wall Street, representing Christ in that mayhem.

What I'm talking about is just a normal workday. Not all the things that are occurring today. Thank you for this and I hope literally thousands of people will accept your offer to go and start reading the word regularly and to learn the word of God. Thank you both think you'll find informative videos and reading lands from the public reading of rapture when you click the link in the episode will for the rest of our time together today we have some more encouragement for strengthening your family through prayer and helping your child learn how to praying here at Focus on the Family we routinely receive prayer requests from children and they go something like this. One girl wrote us and said dear God, help me have a good education in life because I am only eight so I just started out in life Jen. I love these prayer requests that one of my favorites. And when I speak will often repeat this one was a little nine-year-old boy who wrote prayer request) are welcome center and said please pray for my brother. He wets the bed, which is a great prayer.

Then he added, and also pray for me. I share a bed with my brother as her heartfelt prayers, maybe even some more serious ones like a boy who is eight, asking that God would help his dad stop drinking so he could become healthy again really heartfelt thing. Kids.

Kids are dialed into what they know what's going on. To hear these prayer requests and read them such a life-changing moment will really talking about children and prayer, and this is Focus on the Family, your host is focus president and author Jim Daly and I'm John Fuller in Micro Center and children have such capacity to connect with God in ways that we adults forget know we forget to just be childlike with the Lord and I think the Lord loves the heart of a child and I think even instructs us as adults to have more of that heart in coming to him that same time a child spiritual life has to be nurtured and we as parents have a role to play in that probably the most critical role to help nurture a prayerful attitude toward the Lord and I know many of us struggle with that because our lives are busy. We got a lot on but to stop and actually teach our children how to pray.

I really applaud my wife Jean because she is so good getting the boys to pray over the meal and participate in that way and that were hopeful as parents of two teenagers that that'll continue in their adult life that they will be praying young men. Yet this is an equipping program for us. This is a nuts and bolts, how to do it.

Prayer program and as you said Jim a lot of parents wrestle with this kind of responsibility and we hear from so many moms and dads who want to equip their kids in their spiritual development. But just don't know what start that's true you know from more than 40 years.

Focus is been here trying to do that equip parents today were to talk with Dr. David Ireland is the founder and pastor of Christ Church in large multisite ministry in northern New Jersey. I didn't know there were such a thing in northern New Jersey is getting everybody know that hear from people.

He's the author of over 20 books and he has often written speaks about prayer leadership, racial diversity and that David it's a pleasure to have your Focus on the Family my pleasure Jim, thanks for the opportunity to come and speak to you in the listening audience for this book, raising a child who prays teaching your family the power of prayer that I guess the simple way to start this essay. Why is it so important to you. There's no Junior Holy Spirit and our children the best legacy we can leave them is a legacy what I call a God legacy so we can leave the money we can leave them lands and houses. I don't knock that, but something far more important and more substantive is leaving our children of God legacy leave them an opportunity to have an account with God and to know how to talk with God is so good that you listen with the role of mom and dad. A lot of us think the church will fill this void the church as well, your pastor, and we take the kids Sunday school. They'll teach them how to pray. That's not a good approach to this. It's not to mean the church has the child or the children, maybe about 90 minutes once a week and that's not going to be the greatest influence in the life of the church about how good the churches pastor and I think that the role of a parent is a daunting role and I don't want to add another burden on appearance life because it's already overwhelming when you think about mold and shape this little one and when they become teenagers hotly run away from them how to mold and shape so that they can become not only productive in society but individuals that are expanders of the kingdom of God and Marlin and I have raised two children and their adults now and with thank God we have been successful with the help of the Lord, and sometimes we were successful because we stumbled on accidentally. I think the idea of training children how to pray.

Not in this mechanical academic sense, but in organic kind of lifestyle since is something very sensual and it's so important for us as parents not to give that over to others I know are busy we can make excuses. I think at times I've done that, you know that though get this at school or they'll get that a church but we need to be the primary caretakers of their spiritual development. Absolutely Jim and thing nowadays a lot of parents are abdicating their roles and their their paying companies to teach the children things that that we taught our children, and other generations did like childproof in your home, you can pay 1250 bucks the company and they'll do that or two sessions on how to prevent your child from stop sucking the thumb $4300 if you want to have as parents, and the two week potty training with life instructor $3700.

Okay, that one might be worth imagining life instructor will come and live in for a while and teach your children how to have manners. Yes sir no sir yes ma'am yes no ma'am over to shake hands $85 check was one of all is the manager is running out till the church you all bring my child to you and you train my child out of Paris and you train my child how to be godly, but I'll do whatever I want to do what, that's an interesting phenomenon with what you're describing. There is that in a country where we can now afford to pay others to do the things that traditionally was a parents role were opting for the easy way the comfortable way… Pay then the teacher could not to suck his thumb and and it seems good when we think about it. On the surface level. When you think about it. On a deeper level a substantive level when on his think about what we're doing to our children by abdicating a rule that we need to think about the future of the church and so were creating this church. That is what I would call the cruiseship mentality versus war warship and Christianity is a warship and on a cruise ship and we don't understand that will rate were raising up individuals who are clinical Christians to take over the helm of the church the Lord's church globally will really have a cruiseship mentality now never heard of it that way on the cruiseship.

I'm here to be entertained on a warship. I'm here to fight. I'm fighting us the culture and fighting is the enemy of our soul on a cruise ship. I look at the captain as the entertainment director on a warship. I look at God. The captain is the general of the Army and is a different mindset. The cruiseship docs during wartime the battleship sales during wartime.

And when we abdicate our roles of being able to be parents that can raise up children that can engage the culture and be thriving and vibrant in this were to walk were creating this cruiseship mentality. We can never fulfill the great commission. With that kind of perspective.

David, I really appreciate that. I think that's an incredible insight motivating really to think of it in those terms.

So often I think we as parents who are hopefully more mature spiritually than our children are teenagers, we can expect a lot out of them and we forget this is a process and what were we like it. 1314. As a child with you know, not a fully developed emotional brain yet and they're gonna make mistakes we make mistakes. So how do you settle down and I think sidestep the fear trap that Satan can lay there for a parent who doesn't see all the right behavior and their child or they forget it's a process that they're wanting to see instant gratification and I think that's when I talk about raising a child who prays I talk about the sociological side of child rearing in the process to mentality and I thought a spiritual side and then I have a lot of spirit of prayer activities that engages the child based on their age and so I told the parent parent. Children don't want perfect parents. They want real authentic parents and likewise parents don't want want perfect children. They want real authentic children.

So when a child makes a mistake even when it comes to prayer, don't stumble. And God doesn't stumble in our children's church before the class starts. The teacher would inevitably ask child to pray, or children to pray and I picked some children and I remember one of the teachers told me that than this five-year-old class DLX then asked the little Jimmy to pray and Jimmy prayed any deep in his voice.

We prayed like a baritone voice and is five years old as of how he thinks up redneck requires that and and and then afterwards Sally prayed and when Sally prayed she said God and she spent pray specifically, God bless my mom and meet her needs and then less Elmo and big bird.

She went to sesame characters and I think God has enough wisdom to be able to bifurcate the childishness of children but yet also accepted their prayers. We must not stumble as parents with that when I would add to, especially for parents of younger children not to make fun of that is that can be a tendency I I can say, wait, waiting for it for big bird but be thoughtful about how you handle that. In that moment because you're teaching your children how to have an attitude of prayer and if you tease them at that time, they may kinda go into a shell on it comes to prayer because they don't know how to pray according to your desire and also as parents we are our children's world elemental stages in our valuation of them. It really makes them and shape some of. We affirm them and build them up and to give them the high-fives after their pray Lord just as they're making any baby steps towards ongoing progress. It means a lot to them like a stranger's words words outwards have significant weight and heft in the mind of our child. Let's turn to some of the practical advice for moms and dads you have some great ideas on how to make this really simple for parents who are listening, so let's get to it. You list three ways that children can develop the healthy habit of daily prayer one and having a place to pray. Yes, a time and then take it from there place and time in an agenda side three things to develop a habit of prayer.

Set a place of prayer.

Set a time of prayer and set an agenda for my sister the place of prayer. Your children need a private space. A place where they can call their own, and you may select only kids.

There is no private space, but let's take a play out of the playbook of Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley. She had 19 children have any really stressed out and I know I can count that high when it comes to kids that it is like wall-to-wall children but yet she had every day. She had her own private place to pray. She had an apron that should wear around her waist and she would thought overhead and told her children.

Whenever you see mom and her place of prayer. Never interrupt her so we can teach our children get a place of prayer, private place, it could be part of the closet they just pushed some of the closing away that's there place or could be the favorite chair, or could be a favorite sofa, and they can take that place and that's an pray when they're there.

Then when I say set a time of prayer. I want to be in some formalized way. Whether it may be right before they go to school for five minutes or when they come home before they start homework or boot or some time which a formal meeting with God was an official time with God. The discipline of prayer is so important, so they set that time and so based on their age. Again, I draw from Susanna Wesley when her children were young, she taught them the Lord's prayer.

She taught them to memorize it, and she taught them to then say it twice a day. They had to say it, as they aged, she taught them then how to branch out in prayer in specific things praying for your dad bring for your mom and I think we need to say that than to sit on children. The third thing Jim I would bring out is this in John is to set an agenda of prayer agenda is specific topics that it's important to us. It's important to others when it comes to the agenda for us why coming to practical ways of habits and styles to make prayer engaging based on the age, site of the child. Sometimes I say let's take the tallest person.

Your family have your child pray for the tallest down to the shortest next life. In the shortest of the tallest in a selected outsides and mix it up. That is good and we also talk about the five fingers of where I really think this is helpful. What if we take the thumb, which is the closest to us and was saying who someone close to us.

One of the experiencing of a hurting of the going through tough time prefer that individual. The pointing finger at someone in our life. The brute gives instruction a teacher you'll maybe a coach maybe a Sunday school teacher.

Pray for that individual that middle finger. Someone who takes a leadership role in our life.

Pray for their the weather may be the president of the moms company are dads workplace order.

Pray for the principal of the school lower pray for the pastor of your church and then the ring finger speaks of a family member and then you pray for family member and then the pinky you pray for someone that's close with is a good friend of whether it's your body, whether it's something in your life that you're concerned about when you go through this five finger method they hold their little fingers up and they wiggle them and they make it fun and engaging in, and you make it enjoyable and you go through this maze will that's foolish and silly. It's not our children. We need to engage them in ways that they can understand as they mature as a develop a life of prayer.

We can pull away some of these kinds of methods and going to larger methods where you social media as a way to connect in terms of prayer styles and perhaps as prayer journal THINGS that could lead into that.

It opens their heart up to the practice of prayer David, this is been so good and I have really enjoyed the time has flown by and will let's continue with a few questions for our web extra so folks want to join us at the website can do that and that will have two or three more questions for you, but man, thank you so much for being here talking about the power of teaching our children a prayerful life and the impact that it has on themselves and on the world around them. Thank you, my pleasure Jim my pleasure John, thank you for the often and if I can turn to you the listener.

I hope you'll follow up with us on this topic of prayer Dr. Ireland's book, raising a child who prays is an excellent resource and I recommend that you get a copy of it.

That's how you can learn about what we talked about today if not for you may be for a young family you know of. We can send you a free copy of this book. When you send a financial gift to support the ministry of Focus on the Family.

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