Christian Family and Parenting in Perilous Times: Raising Godly Children

To raise godly children in perilous times, parents must make Jesus Lord of the home, order family life by God’s Word, deliberately train their children in the ways of the Lord, and model what they teach. God values families and generational faith. In difficult times, a home where God is honoured is one of the strongest places a child can grow.

God thinks in generations

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice…”

Genesis 18:19 (NKJV)

God trusted Abraham not only to follow Him, but to lead his family in His ways. The pattern continues in the New Testament: “For the promise is to you and to your children” (Acts 2:39); “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Paul remembered the genuine faith “which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).

Jesus as Lord of the home, not just Saviour

Many families know Jesus as Saviour and Healer but not as Lord. When Jesus is truly Lord, His will directs every part of family life and His Word becomes the law of the home. Without that alignment, families can lack intimacy and direction and become victims of the pressures of the age.

God’s order in the home

Disorder in family roles leads to conflict. To get God’s results, families must follow God’s methods rather than the wisdom of the age. Ephesians 5 gives the pattern:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her… Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Ephesians 5:25, 33 (NKJV)

Husbands are called to love sacrificially as Christ loves the church; wives to submit to and respect their husbands as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22–24). A home where the husband does not love his wife as himself, or where the husband is not respected as head, will experience turmoil. Each partner obeys God in their own role, regardless of the other’s performance.

Children: obey and honour

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:1–4 (NKJV)

No one is too young to be led by God. Samuel heard God’s voice as a boy and grew to be recognised throughout Israel as a prophet (1 Samuel 3). Expect your children to know God for themselves.

The warning of Eli

Eli was a priest of God, yet he neglected to restrain and train his sons, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 2–4). Their disgrace and death, and Eli’s own sudden death, are a sobering reminder. It is heartbreaking when children grow up without knowing God, especially when their parents appear devout. Placing God first in a child’s life is the investment that outweighs all others.

Train up a child

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

What a child does today reflects what was invested in them yesterday. Money, education, food and comfort matter, but training in the way of the Lord matters more. Loving correction is part of that training: “he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Proverbs 13:24). David charged Solomon:

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”

1 Chronicles 28:9 (NKJV)

Malachi 2:15 explains that one reason God makes husband and wife one is that “He seeks godly offspring.” Raising children who know God is not a side issue in marriage; it is part of its purpose.

Model what you teach

Children absorb behaviour and values by watching. You cannot tell your children that smoking and drinking are harmful while doing both all day. If they see that prayer, Bible study, truthfulness and God are not priorities for you, how will they learn to value them? Parenting is not a divided duty; it needs both mother and father fully. If one parent neglects their role, the other must step in. Watch for children who resist any talk of God or are lukewarm in faith; that spiritual frailty deserves attention and prayer.

Raise Davids for this generation

Before David faced Goliath, he had already defeated a lion and a bear while caring for his father’s sheep. Those private victories prepared him for a public one. David did not save Israel by physical strength; he triumphed because he knew God.

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJV)

Practical steps for a godly home

• Keep a regular family altar: short, consistent times of worship, Bible reading and prayer together.
• Let children pray aloud and share what they sense God is saying.
• Talk about God naturally through the day, not only on Sundays.
• Be part of a church where children and youth are taught the Word.
• Model repentance, forgiveness and honesty, including apologising to your children when you are wrong.
• Pray for each child by name, and declare God’s promises over them.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

Isaiah 60:1–3 (NKJV)