30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family + FREE Printable

30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family + FREE Printable

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What if the Word of God is powerful that it could change circumstances and situations for your family as you pray?

You’re Made In The Image Of God

When I think about us — God’s creation, His children — we were created in the very image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:26-28)

A child will often model and imitate those who they are around, often becoming a lot like their parents or their peers. You are the product of your environment.

Did you know that God wants to be our environment? He wants His Word to be the lens we look at life through.

God created us in His image and likeness, which means that we don’t live by what we naturally see, but rather by the spirit. Our reality can so easily be formed on the things which we’re experiencing.

Romans 8:5 says,

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family + FREE Printable

The Power of Scripture

God’s Word is powerful. In it, it reveals His heart towards us and how we should live. But, sometimes we don’t see in the natural the things we know by the spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 says,

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Reading the Bible and taking it in does something in our hearts. When we read God’s Word, we are connecting with spiritual matters and God Himself. We are learning more about His character and nature and ours through Him.

What we need to do is allow God’s Word to become a part of who we are and not just words on a page.

Prayer Changes Things

First of all, prayer is not a suggestion in the Bible. Jesus often said, ā€œWhen you pray,ā€ as He was speaking with his disciples. So it wasn’t a matter of not praying, but when you pray.

Prayer is a lifestyle of communion and intimacy with God. We are designed to connect, to speak to and hear from our heavenly Father and it’s done through prayer.

Prayer is not just about saying mere words. That’s repetition – it becomes religious, a law and of no use. When it comes to prayer, it’s about our hearts as we share in the desires of the Lord, a hunger for things to change and a yearning for His will to be done.

Praying Over Your Family

These 30 scriptures below are powerful to pray over your family. We want to agree or confess God’s Word, to make a declaration in accordance with His will, which is His Word.

It’s not God who needs to change; we do. We are not trying to convince God of anything. In fact, we need to convince ourselves of something — we don’t have it right and we aren’t perfect, but God is. His ways are perfect.

So we need to surrender and trust God instead of our own way of thinking. This is why prayer is so important; it changes you and me, not God.

Be sure to grab my 30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family Free Printable below. Consider memorizing them, praying and declaring them or use them for scripture writing.

30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family + FREE Printable

30 Powerful Scriptures To Pray Over Your Family + FREE Printable

I’d love to hear if these scripture challenges have been helpful for you. Feel free to share with me in the comments below!

Anchored in Christ,
Melanie

Are you wondering how to teach your kids to pray? Use this Prayer Bible Study For Kids as a guide to help you teach them to pray.
19 Ways To Make The Bible Fun For Kids

19 Ways To Make The Bible Fun For Kids

*This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclosure policy.*

I’m guilty.Ā At times, I’ve let learning the Bible with my kids slide in our home. But, there are ways to make the Bible fun for kids and to get them excited about God and His Word!

The Word of God should be of utmost importance in our families.

But how often do we take time to intentionally and purposefully be students of the Word? Do we dive into the Bible with our kids? Or make learning about God a real thing?

We are blessed with so many great resources to help our children engage with the Word in a fun and practical way.

Here are 19 ways to make the Bible fun for kids! + FREE Love Bingo for kids printable #christianfamily  #bible  #biblestudy  #biblejournaling  #bibleactivities  #biblegames  #biblefun  #bibleverse  #bibleforkids

Fostering a love for God in our children

God is not just Someone we learn about on Sundays; He wants a relationship with us AND our children every day, all day.

As parents, WE are responsible for cultivating and fostering in our children a love for God.

But, at times, we don’t know what to do to help our children learn about God.

Some of us have had experiences where learning about God is dry and boring. Or we’ve grown up in a religious home where our life is about works and our salvation is constantly on the line. Maybe you’ve just never grown up in a loving Christian home, and have no idea where to start helping your children learn about God.

Whatever your reason is or experience, you have a choice you can make today for the sake of your family. You get to bring light (the Word of God) into your home.

So where do you start?

Below are some ways to make the Bible fun for kids with a variety of engaging tools and resources.

Don’t forget to check out my freebie down below!

Get your kids showing love to others by serving others. + FREE Love Bingo for Kids printable included. #christianfamily  #bible  #biblestudy  #biblejournaling  #bibleactivities  #biblegames  #biblefun  #bibleverse  #bibleforkids

19 Ways to Make the Bible Fun for Kids

1. Bible journaling

2. Watch a Bible story on RightNow Media

3. Read out of an easy-to-read Adventure Bible

4. Bible story discussion prompts

5. Scripture writing

6. Sing Bible songs. Include actions if possible to help retain memory.

7. Narrate the Bible story to a friend

8. Memorize scripture

9.Ā Activities and crafts

10. Games

11. Coloring books

12. Do a daily devotion

13. Bible app for kids

14. Act out the Bible story

15. Rewards/incentives for completing a scripture reading, memory verse, etc.

16.Ā Bible reading plan

17. Pray out loud and/or write in a prayer journal

18. Bible study for kids

19. Object lessons

Get your FREE Love Bingo for Kids Printable

Get your kids showing love to others by serving others. + FREE Love Bingo for Kids printable included. #christianfamily  #bible  #biblestudy  #biblejournaling  #bibleactivities  #biblegames  #biblefun  #bibleverse  #bibleforkids

As parents, we cultivate and foster in our children what we want them to know, love, believe and value about God, family, themselves, church, and the world around them.

Our investment in our children is crucial and a matter of their destiny.

Among these ways to make the Bible fun for kids, which ones will you implement (or have you implemented) in your home? Share with me in the comments below.

Anchored in Jesus,
Melanie

Christmas Bible Story + FREE 30-Day Scripture Printable

Christmas Bible Story + FREE 30-Day Scripture Printable

*This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclosure policy.*

There’s nothing like coming together as a family every night, lighting a few candles, grabbing a hot chocolate or tea and reading a passage that leads up to the birth of Jesus.

Take a journey over 30 days with a Christmas Bible story scripture challenge, from the prophecies of Jesus, to Mary and Joseph’s encounter with the angel, and then finally Jesus’ birth.

Christmas Bible Story + 30-Day Bible Scripture Challenge FREE Printable

Read the Christmas Bible Story in 30 Days

The story of Jesus is significant.

Why? Because without Him we would not have been redeemed and restored living in a new covenant of grace.

Our loving God in His great mercy, having given His created image (people) the ability to make their own choices, made a plan of redemption from the beginning.

Jesus was already prophesied about in Genesis 3:15, which says,

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.ā€

As you continue to look in scripture, Jesus is prophesied about and foreshadowed in the Old Testament. God was set on redeeming His people, and there was an appointed time for Jesus to come.

Christmas Bible Story + 30-Day Bible Scripture Challenge FREE Printable

The Unlikely…Mary, Jesus’ Mother

I love a good story about an underdog.

I think about how Mary must have felt being visited by an angel to say she will carry the One whom God will send to redeem His people AND have a child without being intimate with a man.

To think that God would plan something so unlikely, having a woman become pregnant miraculously, by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her, is beyond my understanding.

Can you relate with Mary in trying to figure this all out? Our mind just can’t fathom this kind of thing.

The angel, Gabriel, actually encourages Mary about God’s miraculous nature by reminding her that Elizabeth was pregnant in her older age.

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.ā€ Luke 1:36-37

And immediately, following Gabriel’s reminder, Mary says the most powerful words of faith.

“Let it be to me according to your word.ā€ Luke 1:38

Get your FREE 30-Day Christmas Bible Story Printable

Christmas Bible Story + 30-Day Bible Scripture Challenge FaREE Printable

How do you celebrate Jesus in this season of Christmas? I’d love to hear what your family does. Feel free to share in the comments below!

Anchored in Jesus,
Melanie

Cultivating a Heart of Thankfulness + 30-Day Thankfulness Scripture Challenge Printable
Trust in the Lord + 30 Day Bible Scripture Trust Challenge FREE Printable
11 Ways to Surrender to God + 30-Day Surrender Challenge FREE Printable
5 Ways to Find Hope + FREE 30-Day Hope Challenge Printable

6 Ways To Disciple Your Kids

6 Ways To Disciple Your Kids

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What are some ways to disciple your kids? Do you need a curriculum or a program to disciple your kids? Just living life is a powerful discipling tool as you take the opportunities with your kids as they present themselves.

What Is Does It Mean To Disciple My Kids

I believe that as parents, we want to see our children make Jesus the Lord of their life, be passionate about serving Him through others and have a deep personal relationship with Him. So when we hear the term “discipleship”, we can think about what we need to do to disciple our kids.

Disciple defined:

When looking up the word “disciple” in the Bible, you will find it used in the New Testament, mostly in the gospels.

When the Bible speaks about disciples, you’ll notice that it’s used to clarify whose disciples they were. As you read the context, you really begin to see that a disciple is a learner (as the definition indicates). In today’s terminology, you could that a disciple is a student.

Disciple applied

Let’s apply this definition to discipling your children.

To disciple your kids, is to help them be a student of the Word (Jesus), following Him. As your kids stay the course, ideally the steps would continue where they would ask Jesus to be the Lord of their lives, become baptized all the while learning to surrender and trust in Jesus growing in their faith.

Learn 6 Ways to Disciple Your Kids

6 Ways To Disciple Your Kids

1. Natural conversations

There’s nothing like a child asking a question or opening up a conversation about something. THIS becomes the greatest opportunity to talk about the Word of God. An inquisitive child is one who is hungry to learn, be taught and looking to apply it to their life.

2. Rhythms at home (prayer or devotions)

Your family’s natural rhythms of devotional or prayer time are good to talk about WHY your family does what they do through. The last thing we all want to do is create a religious tradition doing something out of obligation and routine, rather than relationship.

We have found that this devotional has been great with our daughter who’s 7. She can sense the peace of God through the loving words that are shared. We also expand on those words by applying them to her life, and asking her questions to dig deeper.

3. Bible study

If you’re doing a Bible study at home, verse memorization, scripture copywriting, etc. it’s a great time to expand on what the scripture means and its application in your child’s life.

4. An experience

One of the benefits of homeschooling your kids is the ability to see and sense all the learning challenges as they come up in your kids. These moments are impactful as we get to immediately get to the root of something in their behaviour and attitude and for us as homeschool moms, rely on the Spirit to lead and guide our conversations.

For more on discipling your kids while homeschooling, check out my guest post over at Outmatched Mama here and make sure you sign-up to get the FREE printable I’m offering – available for a limited time!

Another experience is if your child attends a class or sport outside the home and they feel upset about their ability to do what the teacher asked. As their body language begins to show that something is wrong, we can reassure them and value who they are by giving them a Word from God.

These are such divine moments as a parent to engage the fruit of the Spirit and ask for wisdom and guidance from Holy Spirit. He will show you!

5. Church family

A church family is so important. You cannot raise your children on your own; you need the community of like-minded believers to speak life into your children whether it’s by cheering them on or correcting an inappropriate behaviour.

It’s also encouraging for your children to see the body of Christ their age come together where it’s a safe place to ask questions and talk about what’s on their heart as it relates to their faith. It really does take a village to raise a child.

6. Your example

Being led by the Spirit is key to our Christian lifestyle. As you sense the Spirit of God moving through you to do or say something, include your children in this and talk to them about it. God becomes real in your home when your children are exposed to God through Holy Spirit is revealing to you.

Not only that, but the presence of God can be so tangible that your children will experience God in those moments. We just can’t limit God, putting Him in a box of how things will look in our homes.

There are many ways to disciple your kids, and it doesn’t have to be hard. Which way(s) does your family connect with and lean towards? Let me know in the comments below!

Anchored in Jesus,
Melanie

The Ultimate Summer Activities List

The Ultimate Summer Activities List

*This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclosure policy.*

Have you exhausted all the things you know to do this summer? Are you looking for some fresh ideas? Get all the ideas (and probably some you haven’t seen) with theĀ ULTIMATE SUMMER ACTIVITIES LIST!

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