Raising Godly Children by Faith A. Oyedepo

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Some people lay up money, houses, clothes, cars and other possessions as an inheritance for their children. But the greatest inheritance you can leave behind for your children is a good Christian upbringing.
The topic of child training is one of utmost importance, because once a man finds a wife and they are joined in holy wedlock, what adds colour to their union is the blessing of a child.
A child is a gift from God, a blessing to the Family and a unique blend of husband and wife.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psalms 127:3
But a child is like plasticine soft, pliable and mouldable. He must be moulded skilfully and tenderly to become a battle axe in the hands of God.
God's purpose for giving you children is not only for replenishing and filling up the earth, but because He is seeking a godly seed.
And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed...
Malachi 2:15
The best environment therefore to raise a godly seed unto the Lord is the home.
When I discovered this truth some years ago, I made up my mind not to fail God in my responsibility towards my children. From then onward, after every church service, I return home to break into smaller pieces the message preached in church. I asked God to teach me how to break the principles in His Word down to my children's level of understanding. I then began to ensure that hardly a day passes by without time spent sitting down with them, opening up the scriptures and ministering to them.
I have found out that even when the children leave home and are in places where we as parents cannot be physically, the fear of the Lord implanted in their hearts and the knowledge of the Word of God keep them intact.
You must pay very serious attention to your children, as a Christian parent. Often, Christians are more interested in walking in divine health, operating God's principles on prosperity and success; but appear nonchalant about raising their children in the fear of the Lord. But God does not take lightly the issue of child training.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Some parents prefer to shift the responsibility of raising up their children to classroom or Sunday school teachers; but no matter how expensive the school or glorious the church, there is no better person to train your children like you.
Each child has a spiritual need. There is a need to establish a personal relationship with God and grow in his or her knowledge of Him.
Children also have emotional needs. They need to be shown that they are loved and that they matter to their parents. When you meet their emotional needs, they will have no cause to go out to seek for love and attention from strange sources.
As parents, know also that God mandates us to provide for our children's physical needs. Once we learn to order our priorities aright, we will find that the time invested in meeting their spiritual, emotional and physical needs is not in vain. It is the covenant responsibility of both parents (father and mother) to train up their children in the fear of the Lord. Many couples have succeeded, so you too will succeed!
In the Bible, for instance, people like Abraham and Sarah (Genesis. 18:17-19), Jochebed (Moses' mother, Exodus. 6:20), Jonadab (the father of the Rechabites, Jeremiah. 35:2-17), among others, raised up children God could use for His glory. If they could, under the old covenant, you can too, operating under a new covenant based on better promises.
Please don't make a mistake about this: your children are not accidents. No, they are gifts from God to you. When you fulfil your covenant obligations to train them up in the way of the Lord, they operate as signs and wonders upon the earth. Isaiah 8:18 says:
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders...
Therefore, God is counting on you as covenant parents to raise godly seeds unto His praise. You must be awake to your responsibility.
Raising Godly Children is written to deliver to you gems that will help you raise your children up in the fear of the Lord. As you go through it, may you be used in establishing God's plan in the lives of your children, in Jesus' name!