Train Up A Child God’s Way: Parenting With Purpose

Hey there, Mama! Are you looking to Train Up Your Child God’s Way because you want to be parenting with purpose?

Raising kids is one of the biggest blessings—and challenges—we’ll ever face. In today’s world, there are so many parenting styles and opinions, but as Christian parents, our goal is to build a strong foundation in God’s Word.

When you train up your child God’s way, it isn’t about being PERFECT—it’s about being intentional or rather parenting with purpose. It’s about teaching our kids to love God, make wise choices, and grow into the amazing people He created them to be.

So, how do we do that in a world that constantly pulls them in the opposite direction? Let’s dive into some practical, faith-filled ways to raise our children with purpose and keep God’s truth at the center.

The Foundation: Raising Kids On God’s Word

1. Teach Them The Bible: 

Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 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.

A lot of times parents will take their kids to church and expect the Sunday school teacher to teach their kids the Bible. Let me say there’s nothing wrong with taking your kids to Sunday school or Junior Church to learn stories of the Bible!

But it’s impossible for children to learn all the things they should know just from church alone. 

The “schooling/teaching” starts in the home. We need to be explaining to our children from an early age why we should NOT lie, cheat, steal, and so on.

There are so many biblical ethics (principles/behaviors) that they need to learn from you, sweet friend. Not just your example, even though that should be a given, BUT training them.

The scripture says to teach them God’s ways diligently and talk about it, shall we say, “all the time”. Have regular family devotions but also use moments when they mess up to teach them the principle behind what they did was wrong.

Then, in turn, teach them forgiveness and grace.  

2. Discipline With Love And Wisdom

Let’s face it, this can be a touchy subject because each family has a different parenting style. But, the one thing we can agree on is that discipline is an essential part of parenting.

Proverbs 13:24 reminds us, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.“ 

This means that those who love their children realize that correction and loving guidance will help their children become the adults that they need to be. It will also help them to learn to listen to God when He asks them to do or not to do something.

Discipline also teaches them there are consequences when we sin against God and disobey what he’s asking us to do. God loves us, but there are certainly consequences we will face when we disobey Him. 

So It’s best to help them learn to obey when they are little.  

The one thing to keep in mind, which I’m sure is not ALWAYS easy, is discipline should be rooted in love and wisdom, not anger or frustration. 

Will you be upset they disobeyed? Yes, yes you will! But use this time to teach Biblical ethics. Take this time to train your child in God’s way while parenting with purpose.

• When they lie, show them how it’s wrong. (Ten Commandments Exodus 20 or Colossians 3:9)
• Jealousy of their brother or sister will crop up: teach them what God thinks about jealousy.  (James 3:15)
• There will be times they disobey: teach them what the Bible says about that. (Ten Commandments Exodus 20 Or Colossians 3:20) 
• If they’ve taken something that wasn’t theirs: teach them that’s stealing. (Ten Commandments Exodus 20)

There are so many things you explain Biblically when they mess up or even have the wrong spirit or attitude. Try to instruct them from the time they are little on. 

Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

When they mess up:

• Be consistent: Children learn quickly and thrive on consistency. If rules constantly change they become confused and frustrated and they will not respect you and continue to disobey. They will always try to push the limits if they know the limits are ever-changing.

• Correct with Calmness: It’s easy for some of us to get frustrated quickly and hard to stay calm. Take a deep breath, and respond calmly. James 1:19 reminds us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”  
  • They say confession is good for the soul. Correcting with calmness is something that Jesus is helping me with. He can help each one of us if we ask Him to. He wants us and our children all to make it to Heaven together. (But there are still consequences even if there is calmness)

• Remember to Discipline with Grace: God shows us so much grace, love, and forgiveness. Do we sometimes experience the consequences of our sins? Yes!!! But we can feel His love when we are forgiven. Let’s not forget to show that to our children too. The one thing we do not want to do is push our children away from Jesus because we do not give Grace.

• Pray with Them and For Them: Discipline is an opportunity to turn their hearts toward God. Praying with your child after correction helps them understand that God is their ultimate guide and that you are there to help them grow in Him.
  • I understand you may not always be in a position you can do this. And truly when you have littles, this is not always something you can do. But when you can and it applies, it’s important to do it.

3. Teaching A Servant’s Heart

In a world that often prioritizes self over others, teaching our children to have a servant’s heart is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. 

Jesus Himself set the ultimate example of servanthood, saying in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

A servant’s heart isn’t just about doing chores or helping out—it’s about developing a humble attitude that puts others first. It’s about looking for ways to serve with love, whether it’s helping a sibling, showing kindness to a friend, or looking for ways to bless others without expecting anything in return.

How To Instill A Servant’s Heart

• Lead By Example: Show joy when serving others and don’t grumble about how you don’t really want to be doing what you’re doing.
• Give Opportunities to Serve: Help with chores, write kind notes, assist with siblings, hold a door for others, etc.
• Serve at Home First: Doing chores at home will give good practice when asked to do things outside of the home. Teaching them that helping with chores or helping with siblings with a “happy helper heart” is an act of love and kindness.
• Tie It Back to Scripture: Show them how Jesus humbled Himself to serve others. Read verses like Philippians 2:3-4 (“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”) and discuss what it means in everyday life.
• Praise a Servant’s Heart: When your child serves others, acknowledge it! Let them know that God sees their kindness and that their actions reflect His love.

When we raise children with a heart to serve, we help them grow into compassionate, selfless adults who reflect Christ in everything they do. 

4. Protecting Their Hearts And Minds

In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to guard our children against worldly/negative influences. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

• Be Intentional About Influences: Be careful about what music they are listening to, shows they are watching, friends they hang out with, and what social media platforms, if any, they are on. Each one of these things will shape and mold their thinking, their values, their attitudes, and their perspective on life. Carefully and prayerfully set boundaries that align with Biblical principles. Teach them the potential danger of worldly influences.

• Teach Healthy Friendships: Encourage relationships that uplift and strengthen their faith. Teach them to be kind to everyone but discerning about close friendships.

• Teach Godly Decision-Making: Equip them with wisdom by discussing real-life situations and guide them to pray about God’s direction in ALL they do. 

By setting boundaries and living a good example ourselves, we help our children grow in faith and discernment in these areas.

5. Build Strong Family Bonds

Strong family bonds don’t happen by accident, they are intentionally built. When we PLAY with our kids, PRAY with them, TEACH, LOVE, and ENCOURAGE them, we create a strong family bond.

• Prioritize Family Devotions: This is where they will learn biblical principles the most from you. Not Consumed has great family devotionals for all ages. 
• Stop and Pray Together When Things Get Hard: Watching God answer prayer for the family builds children’s faith. Let them help you pray for the important things. 
• Go to Church Together: Talk to your children about what they learned in church and how it affected them that day. Ask them if Jesus showed them anything or to share anything they may have learned.
• Worship and Praise: Play worship music in your home and sing together. Tell each other the neat things Jesus did for you. When you are open and share your praises with your children, you will find that they will share the things that Jesus is doing for them in return.

• Have Fun Together: Take them to church camps, VBS, lock-ins, church softball games, church “tent camping trips, bonfires, etc. Also, in general, have fun playing games as a family and outdoor activities together. It simply makes you closer to each other.

6. Prepare Them For The Future

Equip your kids with biblical knowledge to face life’s challenges.

• Financial Responsibility: Train them to pray about things financially and how to carefully make good financial decisions. (1Corinthians 4:2)
  • Teach them to give (or tithe) to the church from an early age. When they get older they will thank you!
• Hard Work: Showing and teaching them the value of hard work and how to walk with integrity. Help them to learn that whatever they are doing they are doing it as Unto The Lord.
• God’s Plan For Their Life: Help them to trust God’s plan for their life, knowing He will guide their every step if they stay close to Him and listen to his voice. Once again, as mentioned before, teach them to pray about every decision. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Conclusion

Parenting is a beautiful journey of faith, grace, and prayer! There will be days when you feel like you’re not making any progress—whether they’re still little or deep in the teenage years. But consistency is key!

Stay consistent and train up your child God’s way, always parenting with purpose and grace.

Keep teaching them, sweet Mama. Keep showing up, loving them, and keep speaking truth into their hearts. God is working, even when you don’t see it.

You plant the seed—trust Him to bring the growth!

Resources For Family Devotions

• I highly recommend Not Consumed Ministries for their devotionals for all ages.
• Infant Bible Story Book (infant-toddler)
• Youversion Bible App for kids
• Children’s Bible Story Book (2-6)
• ​Children’s Bible Story Book (4-+)
• Action Story Bible  (6+)
• Devotional Book For Boys (6+)
• NiRV Study Bible (For kids who can read)
• KJV Bible (For kids who can read)
• The Kids Guide To The Full Armour of God (8+)
• ​Bible Study Journals From Not Consumed. (The kid’s devotional bundle is the one we have it’s awesome)

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Has train up a child God’s way: parenting with purpose encouraged you in any way? What are some things you do that may not be listed that may be helpful to other readers? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!