Raising children is the hardest job anyone will ever do. Our goal as parents should be to raise our children to be God-fearing, productive, well-balanced adults. Children start off totally dependent on their parents and it’s our job as loving parents to train, teach and empower them to become adults.

Matthew 18:4 says, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” God compares children to arrows. Arrows start off as rugged sticks, and so do our children. An arrow has to be shaped, chiseled and pointed to be effective. Then it can be launched with precision to hit its target. Likewise, parents must mold and shape their children so they can reach their destiny.

Below are some tips for effective parenting.

Love your children unconditionally because this is your child’s greatest need. If you have more than one child, don’t compare one child to another. Create an atmosphere of approval where you approve of the child even if you don’t always approve of their behavior.

Teach your children all things about life and impart your values in them as they grow up. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” So teach your children the Bible.  Start when they are young with Bible verses and stories. Bring your children to church. We have an awesome LifeKids ministry at Life Renewal Church just for them!

Take advantage of teachable moments. When your child asks a question about life, find a way to relate it to Biblical principles. When your kids become teenagers, you have to be more creative to get them to learn the Bible.

When our children were teenagers, we had a back-to-school incentive plan which varied each summer. They were required to either memorize Bible verses or read a book of the Bible and write a report during the summer. Their incentive was they were promised a certain amount of money for back-to-school shopping if they completed the task. It worked with our teenage kids so feel free to try something similar with yours!