October Devotions to Encourage Your Kids – October 22-31

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Kids love towers, At least mine did when they were little. Too bad the imagery is lost when we read this Scripture because we don’t live in walled cities with towers these days. When the righteous ran into a tower as this Scripture implies, it means they ran into the city that the tower is a part of. When our children learn to call upon the Name of the Lord, not only will they find comfort but they will find safety when they live in His Name, in His ways and commandments, all the days of their lives.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

One of my favorite verses for children, this Proverb can still the anxious heart. It puts their trust in something greater than themselves, providing a sense of security and peace.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

With our children, in the evenings, my husband has been reading to them about Christian martyrs of the past. The most amazing thread that we are seeing that ties all of their stories together is the amazing peace that they had, while being killed for the sake of Christ. There truly is a peace to be had when troubles surround us and we need to remind our children of this daily.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

If our children know that by casting their cares on the Lord they will be sustained by Him, then they will learn at an early age to pray, pray, pray. If they let the cares of this world bottle up inside of them, they will break, but as the days go on, if they learn to pray about what is bothering them they will learn to live a quiet and peaceable life.

Psalm 119:114

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your Word.

Daily instilling the Word of God into our children’s hearts will not only provide them comfort and hope in their time of need, but it will protect them. If they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that stealing is wrong, we won’t have to worry about bailing them out of jail as teenagers. If it has been engrained into their minds that they should keep themselves until marriage then we do not need to fear teenage pregnancy. Good kids do not just happen. We must train them now, in faith that God will keep them and protect them.

Psalm 120:1

I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.

One of the most beautiful things that we can teach our child is to trust God, when we are not there. When they are alone, at night lying on their bed afraid, or if they are at grandmother’s house for a weekend away from us. If they can and do call upon the Lord, then they will be alright when the difficult times of life try to get the best of them.

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion for ever.

Kids are always seeking, more. Then, when they get what they were after and realize that what they thought they wanted didn’t satisfy them, they still want more. And more. And more. If we can model in our own lives that God is enough, then they will be able to learn for themselves that when things are tough, material gain will not satisfy but God will.

Habakkuk 3:19

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

What is considered a “high place” for a child? Obeying parents? Treating siblings and peers with respect? Not allowing emotions to get the best of them? Emotions are so vivid and real in a child’s life so much so that it is easy for them to get caught up in them rather than reality. When you yell at them, for example, they might feel as though you don’t love them. Although this is not true, your child might feel that it is. Bring them back to reality by showing them that even when they do something wrong, your love for them is just as strong.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Does your child give up or give in too easily? Or will your child fight to the finish? Encouraging our children to keep on going when life seems hard is integral. There is a limit that your child will reach, in school, chores or in their behavior. They might stop quit at this point and truly believe they cannot go any farther. Remind them that God can give them the strength to go further than they thought. That they can control their temper when their sister makes them angry or they can start a good habit of keeping their shoes organized, with the help of God, they can do more than they realize!

Jeremiah 32:17

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.

When it comes to dealing with sin in a child’s life, it is easy for them to think that they simply cannot change. The heart of the message of salvation is that God can take anyone, in their sin, and change them. Don’t hold on to your child’s past sin. Forgive, forget and teach them they can become a new creation in Christ.