STRATEGIES ON HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO PRAY

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In teaching your child how to pray,you must be conversant with certain qualities children possess which should be a guide for you to teach them on how to pray in the simplest manner.Children are tender,by this i mean that they have really soft emotions and are consequently more responsive when handled otherwise.
Genesis 33:13-14 King James Version (KJV)
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

Understanding this tender nature of your child will help you deal with him/he tenderly.Your life should mirror the loving nature of God,you cannot be all hard and harsh on your child and yet try to teach him how loving God is.To make your child know that God is loving and so he can be approached at all times,be tender and gentle with him/her and be very approachable too.

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Children are trusting and expectant.Your child takes everything you teach him hook, line and sinker.He trusts you more than you can imagine or why else do you think he holds on to your every word and every action?it's a proof that he trusts you completely.You too must express this simple trust in God to be able to teach your child to do same.Your verbal confessions should make a child know that you trust the lord and expect great things and answers him.This way he too will be encouraged to always trust the lord and present his needs to God.

Children are forgiving.As a child grows,he/she observes attitudes and responses of parents to situation and people.If your child senses that you don't forgive offenses committed against you for what ever reason,it unsettles the child because he wants to know for sure that God forgives sins we confess and repent of.When offended,your attitude towards spouse,people around you and your child in particular should be one that shows firmness in dealing with the wrong yet manifesting love and understanding.this will make it easier for the child to understand the forgiving nature of God. By doing this the child will be able to ask God for forgiveness of sin and don't commit that sin again.
Matthew 7vs 11
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

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Children are simple at heart.Your child is free to tell you just anything and to present any need to you if he is sure you won't shout at him or shut him up.for your child to understand that nothing is too trivial to be taken to God in prayer,the way you treat his needs or requests you consider silly,matters a lot.Also don't do all the praying for your child.If he complains of headache,ask him to talk to God about it before telling you.sooner or later the child will understand that if mummy and daddy isn't there to meet his need,Jesus is always there for him to meet his needs.

There is no other place to begin teaching your child to pray than in the home,family devotion is still the best platform to use in teaching your child the act of praying (i can testify to that,it really helped me when i was a child to learn how to pray because we were given opportunity to pray sometimes during the devotions).ideally devotions should be held morning and night it depends on your schedule,every time you teach your child to pray should be fully maximized,for instance if you eat together as a family make your child pray over meals,when you are about to pull your car out of the garage for a journey,no matter how short the journey may be,make him pray for God's protection,when he brings a gift from school or anywhere make him pray over it before he opens the gift,by doing that he will get accustomed to praying.

As much as using the home front to teach your child to pray is necessary,you should also make him understand that prayer should not be limited to the home or the church ,let the child know that he can pray to God anywhere and prayers will be answered. Don't forget the regularity of prayer in the family helps your child see the importance of prayer.If ,for any reason you skip family prayer time ,your child will think that prayer isn't so important and you certainty don't want your child to have that mindset.Guard against this destructive habit that can hinder your child from learning the importance of prayer.

You need to to teach your child to believe that god answers prayers,how do you do this?If he asks for something from you,make him pray for it then he can come and get it from you and tell him God provided it. Every need that is met in answer to his prayer builds his faith in a prayer-answering God,with this you can teach him how to show gratitude to God.

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As your child grows in the knowledge of God's word and can differentiate between good and evil,it is necessary for you to make him understand that only prayer from a heart that is in tune with God can be honoured by him,so with the help of the Holy spirit, minister salvation to him and ensure that he is genuinely saved. This won't be so much of a task because his heart is already fertile enough to receive the gospel of Salvation. The benefits you get from doing this can't be fully exhausted,i suggest you try putting to work all you have read,you will be surprised at what God will do in that child's life and your life as well.

Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead.