Spiritual Journey | African Evangelical Baptist Chruch

Many parents today recognize the fact that it is their responsibility to spiritually “train up a
child.” The spiritual growth of kids, in large part, depends on how they perceive the spiritual
condition of the home and church. One way to begin guiding your kids on their spiritual
journey is through family devotions. The question arises: “How on earth do I do that?”

In this resource, I hope to help guide you in ways to create a home where God’s Word is
the center and offer up some tips to begin a time of family devotion that will be a tool to
help your kids grow closer to God.

Here are a few statistics to think about.

THE FOLLOWING HAVE ALL SHOWNDRAMATIC DECREASES IN THE PAST DECADE:

THOSE IDENTIFYING
AS DEEPLY SPIRITUAL

A BELIEF IN ABSOLUTE MORAL
TRUTH AS DEFINED BY THE BIBLE

THE NUMBER OF
CHURCHED ADULTS

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CLAIM
TO READ THEIR BIBLES FAITHFULLY

While the plight of our moral stance has taken a hit, perhaps the answer lies with us. If we
honestly evaluate what kind of spiritual leadership we have been providing in our homes,
we might cringe . . . I know I do sometimes. The good news is that spiritual leadership doesn’t
have to be difficult. Parents are called to shape and guide their children as they grow, and
spiritual growth is no different from any other growth your kids experience. You navigate
them through growing pains in their everyday lives; we just need to add spiritual emphasis
to the everyday, too!

Here are a few ways to add some spiritual growth into your family’s daily life:

01. Start small. You don’t have to be an ordained minister to pray with your family.
I’m not talking about praying before the meal each night, but beyond that. Start by
beginning a daily prayer time. This can be in the morning before everyone heads
off to school, around the dinner table after dinner, or right before bedtime. Whatever
you do, pray aloud for your family and allow them to pray aloud for you.

02. Read the Bible. If you don’t personally take the time to read your Bible, beginning
that great adventure will give you the confidence to read it with your kids. Along
with your prayer time, begin reading short passages of Scripture (consider reading
a Psalm each time before you pray together just to get started).

03. Model your faith. As a faithful believer, determined to spiritually guide your
family, be the model of faith your kids can follow. As an adult, you understand God’s
desire for faithfulness, and as a parent, your kids watch how you respond to difficult
situations. Understand that we are all humans and fail, but when you do, own it! Be
honest with your kids because they know when you are and when you aren’t.

04. Build biblical knowledge. As you start to develop a pattern of reading God’s
Word and gathering together in prayer, you should open communication lanes for
further discussion about God’s Word. It is OK if you don’t know the answer to a
question your kids might ask. Be the model again and work with your kids
to discover the truth about their questions.

05. Attend corporate worship. One of the greatest ways to develop spiritual truth
is to gather with other believers in worship. A time of corporate worship will feed
not only your soul but that of your kids as well. The time of corporate worship will
also give you another launching point for family discussions as you gather together
and discuss what each person learned from the sermon that week.

06. Have some fun. Here are a few activities that you can incorporate into your
family discussion time to help guide learning. Having fun will allow your kids to learn from you in an enjoyable environment.

Draw a picture. Give each family member a piece of paper and crayons or
markers. Consider the Bible passage and have your family members create a
picture that relates to the Bible story. Once everyone has had a chance to finish,
discuss the pictures along with other family members and make connections to
the biblical story you are studying.

Write a list of God’s blessings. Have paper and pencils or markers available,
and make a list of all of the blessings for which your family can thank God. Allow everyone to contribute, and then allow each person to pray a
short, one-sentence prayer, thanking God for one of the blessings.

Build and tell. Allow family members to use building blocks of some sort to
construct anything that would remind them of a part of the Bible story you read.
After enough time for everyone to build, take turns sharing the creations and
telling how their creation relates to the Bible story.

Play a game. Consider playing a game together as a family that could make
an easy connection to a Bible story. If you are sharing about something that
is hidden, play hide and seek. If your story is about twins in the Bible, play a
matching game. Games are fun for kids, especially when parents play along!

A spiritual journey is just that—a journey. Enjoy the journey with your kids and decide together
to live for Christ.