Psalm 78 tells us that we are in a spiritual relay race. You and I are taking the baton, and the type of hand-off we make will determine how the next generation follows Jesus Christ, and our assignment is to teach our children to have faith in Jesus Christ.
When you read about a man’s responsibility to lead his family spiritually, the normal suggestions include organizing family devotions, leading spiritual discussions with children, and helping kids understand a biblical worldview. Those are all crucial, but this list is a bit different! I’ve found that there are many other ways—some less formal—to influence your wife and children spiritually. So here are 25 coaching tips for men who want to step up to spiritual leadership with their families.
Ministering to your wife:
1. Pray daily with your wife.
2. Write a love letter that she’d like to receive.
3. Discover her top three needs and over the next 12 months go all out to meet them.
4. Buy her a rose. Take her in your arms. Hold her face gently. Look into her eyes and say “I’d marry you all over again!”
5. Take her on a weekend getaway.
6. Read the Scriptures to her.
7. Replace the “D-word” with the “C-word”! (D=divorce, C=commitment)
8. Court her.
9. Remain faithful to her.
10. Fulfill your marriage covenant.
Leading your family:
11. Schedule a family time at least one night a week.
12. Use circumstances to teach your children to trust God.
13. Protect your family from evil.
14. Restrain your teenagers’ passion.
15. Set spiritual goals for your children.
16. Take one or two of your children on mission trips.
17. Catch your kids doing something right—and let them know you caught them.
18. Date your daughters.
19. Inspect what you expect.
20. Do a breakfast Bible study with your teens (15 and older), and study the book of Proverbs.
21. Hug and kiss your sons and daughters.
22. Ask your children for forgiveness when you fail them.
23. Pray with them.
24. Call them to a spiritual mission to do what God wants to do with their life.
25. Persevere and don’t quit.
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