"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
In fact, as women we are also called to be teachers to younger women! "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live...but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children..." Titus 2:3,4
So HOW do you do it?
First of all, you don't have to have a degree in teaching! You do need several tools though:
Most importantly you need a sensitive spirit to the Holy Spirit. This requires a lot of time in prayer & in His Word! Again, IT'S CAUGHT & IT'S TAUGHT. Your character will lack if you aren't focused on shaping it through prayer or His Word! Any sins unconfessed or lack of time seeking Him will likely prevent your efforts from making any impact on your child or student!
Secondly you need to USE His Word. "And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17. Not only is the Word of God profitable for teaching, correcting, rebuking & for theology, but it is alive & active (Hebrews 4:12)!
Sometimes as a parent, I feel I need to correct, rebuke or teach my child, but really it's God's Word that holds that position! We should instead take the Word of God & merely allow it to do it's job! Get the focus off of your child obeying you & get the focus on them obeying God's Word. When my child is whining, I need to stop myself from saying "Stop whining Leona!" Instead I need to bring the Word of God to oppose her actions. "Leona, Philippians 2:14 says 'do everything without complaining or arguing.' Let's change your attitude." Not only have you taught her God's Word is alive & active, but you have challenged her to obey Him! As a teacher, the idea of using God's Word to correct & teach impacted my classroom greatly! They really began to see God's Word in contrast to their actions & the actions of their peers. Weekly memory verses became more than just a weekly focus. The Word of God became a part of our classroom. It became a tool!
The third tool goes along with the second; You will have to spell it out! You must teach your child what the verse means! Let's go back to quoting Leona Philippians 2:14. "This verse tells us that in everything we do... whether it is eating or drinking (I Corinthians 10:31), playing with a toy, doing a chore, etc... we need to do it all with joy to bring glory to God (another reference to I Corinithians 10:31)." Without teaching your child or student what a verse means or how it is fleshed out, a child may not see what the Word of God is actually saying. This may mean teaching on the spot when they are in the middle of a situation like with Leona. This also means planning a teaching moment with your child or children. The more you teach intentionally, the more bad choices or situations you can often bypass! "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1: 22. They need to know WHAT it says so they can DO what it says!
The last tool is prayer! You need to again bring it back to God! If you have used the other tools I have mentioned, your child has seen that God's Word is alive & active in your life & the life of your family! Now is the time to show them what else Jesus exhibited to us while He was on earth. He not only showed how alive God's Word was in His life & the life of others, but He showed how important prayer was to His spiritual life. "Pray continually...for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:17-18. Your child (children) need to bring their weaknesses before God's throne & ask for His strength, His mind & His wisdom.
In order to remember these tools, I remember these steps:
Quote, Teach & Pray!
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