​Supply List For Raising a Godly-Minded Child

            With backpacks, pencils, paper and other school supplies crowding the shelves at local stores, it is apparent that the school year is about to get underway. I remember getting all new school supplies as a kid and how exciting it was to have a new binder or backpack. I also remember getting a few new outfits and a brand new pair of shoes for each school year as well. While it is important that parents equip their children with the necessary materials they need to begin the school year right, the most important supplies that a student needs will most likely not be mentioned in a list or letter from a teacher. Spiritual supplies that will help a student of any age keep their mind focused on Jesus, and help them resist wrongdoing can only be found in the Word of God. Here is a supply list that could be used by parents to help students of all ages succeed in staying obedient to God.

1. Along with making sure that their children learn their lessons from secular school books, parents should also make sure that their children learn daily lessons from The Book! While studying secular subjects such as math, science, reading, English, social studies and so on every day are important, it is more important that parents make sure that their children study the Bible every day as well. While learning secular materials will prepare you for a test here on Earth, learning spiritual lessons will prepare you for an eternity in Heaven! “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15). As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, my husband and I have had a daily Bible devotional where we pray, sing praises unto God, and read from the Scriptures, since the very night of our marriage, and we plan to continue this tradition with our children!

2. Along with new outfits, shoes, backpacks and lunch boxes, parents should make sure their children are also equipped with the armour of God. This is described in Ephesians 6:13-17; “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”.  By giving children the knowledge of the Bible, he or she will be better able to discern right from wrong and make better decisions in their daily lives.
 
3. Finally, parents should also teach their children to live righteously by living righteously themselves. Teachers at school should not be a child’s only moral compasses. Parents should lead their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). A child carries what they see inside the home to the outside world, so it is imperative that parents make sure that they are leading a godly home life for their children. That includes teaching children who are unaccountable the right way to live as a Christian in the hope that they will become a Christian when they are accountable, and teaching those that are at the age of accountability the importance of becoming a faithful Christian.
 
         I hope that during these upcoming school days, and every day, parents are teaching their children to grow up to become faithful servants of God or if they are already Christians, teaching them to maintain faithfulness. Teachers, too, can be a positive influence on their students by living godly lives themselves. Let us all work together to help one another reach the goal of Eternal Life! 

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