When my oldest was little I can remember my husband and I lying in bed with him at night and having him recite to us the well-known child’s bedtime prayer,

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray to God my soul to take.

May angels watch me through the night,

And wake me with the morning light.

His little voice would repeat this prayer in almost a sing-song manner.  It was a prayer both my husband and I had learned as children.  It was a recited prayer, but it was understood and a great first step for teaching our child to pray.

I know that for children, especially younger children, it may be hard to understand “Why” they should pray, “How” they should pray, “When” they should pray and “Where” they should pray.  However, you’ll be surprised how simple prayer is for children.  They aren’t like us adults who tend to over-complicate things.

Teach Your Child to Pray by Answering These Questions

These are all questions I’m sure many of us have asked ourselves in the past. “Why should I pray?” Well the Bible is very clear that God wants us to communicate with him. He even says that we should, Philippians 4:6 explains, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

We pray because God knows that there are things that we need his guidance, his love and his support on. He does not want us to worry or be anxious and therefore we should pray. I have come to learn that on the days I worry the least are the days I have prayed the most.

We pray because God knows things that we need his guidance, his love and his support on. #TeachingOurChildrentoPray

“How should I pray?” Prayer is not meant to be complicated. Though we aren’t supposed to go to God only with our “wish lists”, we are supposed to come to Him like a trusted friend. We should feel comfortable enough talking to God that we have a conversation with Him, talking but also listening for Him to answer us. Prayer is to be a private conversation between us and God.

It is described in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

“When should I pray?” If you’re familiar with Scripture you may have heard the verse, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Do you literally have to be down on your hands and needs all the time praying to Lord, well of course not. However, God’s desire is for you to be so comfortable talking to him that you can stop and whisper a prayer to Him anytime throughout your day when you feel you need a listening ear. He is always there and is always ready and willing to listen to you.

Finally, “Where should I pray?” An earlier Scripture spoke of praying in secret, yes, we should never pray to draw attention to ourselves or for show, but we can also join together with other believers to pray. We can have prayer partners, prayer meetings, and other times of prayer to assemble together and talk to God, for the Bible says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 God will always come to be with you when you pray, whether alone or with others. The important key is that you PRAY!

Teaching your child the importance of prayer as well as answering any questions that they might have starting with these common questions is the first step in helping your child to understand the need for and how easy it is to pray to our Savior.

I’m linking up at Salt & Light Linkup, Sitting Among Friends, and Coffee for the Heart.

 

I have had some big decisions to make recently.  In all decisions that I make I try to be certain that I look to God’s Word for answers.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  

At the root of every decision, you make remembering God’s will and purpose in your life will make the right decision that much clearer. If your steps are guided by God then everything you do will prosper, it’s when you choose to not allow him in the decision-making process in your life issues arise.

After having shared that, we must first understand what a decision is. A decision is a choice between two or more options. If you only have one alternative, you do not have a decision. Webster’s 9th Dictionary adds some richness to the idea of choice by introducing the idea of uncertainty. It has this to say about the word “decide”, the root of “decision”.

 

“To decide is to arrive at a solution that ends uncertainty or dispute.”

In his classic work, “Think & Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill stated that 98% of people are in the jobs they have through indecision, i.e. because they never made the decision about what they wanted to do in their lives in the first place. Indecision explains why many people feel that they have a life purpose but have no idea what it is.

A decision is the key to transformation. It is one of the key character traits distinguishing high performers from the vast ranks of the mediocre. A decision is, by definition, behind every truly great achievement anyone ever makes. Here is an interesting truth: Most successful people make decisions quickly and change them slowly. They persist with the decisions they have made. However, those who are choosing a mediocre existence are very slow to make any decision at all (most never make any), and they change the ones they have made very rapidly indeed. Which description applies to you?

One of the most memorable quotes I have ever heard was “Your indecision is a decision.” When you allow your life to play out without making any decisions you are taking a passive approach at life. I know that I can say I once made my decisions very slowly, if ever. Yes, I have been there too. What you thought that it was all easy for me. Guess again! However, once I decided to be consistent in achieving my success, I know that decision making had to become a key component in my life.

So how do you arrive at making high-quality valuable decisions? Furthermore, how do you make decisions that are based on Biblical Principles?

I shared this post at Salt & Light Linkup.

Everyone makes decisions differently.  Some people are able to make decisions quickly while others ponder over a decision for days.  I am the someone who has difficulty making decisions, especially big decisions.  I am definitely a ponderer.  My dad is a ponderer and that always got on my nerves because when I’d ask him if I could do something or have something he’d have to “think about it”.  I was always impatient, but as I have gotten older I can understand why.

Over the years I have determined some things that help me to make better decisions.  Ultimately, as a Christian I have learned to make decisions based on faith.

Things To Consider When Making Decisions Based on Faith

Influence – When it comes to making decisions we are often influenced by those around us.  The Bible says “Bad company corrupts good character.”  1 Corinthians 15:33 Those you are closest to in your life will influence your decisions whether positively or negatively.  I attempt to only listen to those in my life who will help me make wise decisions.  When I need to make a decision I talk to those whom I trust.

As I mentioned before, I ponder.  Ponder means to think about carefully, especially before deciding or concluding. Just like my daddy, as an adult I have come to understand the necessity of pondering things when I am attempting to make a decision based on faith.  Pondering gives you time to listen to your heart, your conscience, and your God.

Pray – If there is no other action step that I would recommend the most important one to use in the decision making process is prayer.

Prayer is powerful.

Prayer is our lifeline.

Prayer should be your first step, not your last resort.

Prayer changes things.

The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.”  1 Thessalonians 5:17  It also says that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

Weigh the pros and cons. A useful task in helping you to make decisions is to weight your pros and cons.  The process is simple.  You simply make a list.

Divide a sheet of paper into two columns.

Label one column pros and cons.

Write down the appropriate thoughts under each category.

I have done this more times than I can count to make decisions.  Big decisions, little decisions, not matter what, this simple tasks can shed some light on the situation.