3 tips to prevent children from losing their faith

Christian parents, are you worried your children will lose their faith?

You might be reading this because you have a prodigal child or you are worried that one will fall away from faith. If you’re concerned your children may lose their Christian faith or you're needing ideas to salvage what may look hopeless, here are three tips to help.

1. Pray for your children and speak blessings over them. Too often, we parent in a way that is driven by fear so we tend to nag or criticize, which actually pushes our children away from what we claim to be our source of peace and hope. For example, we worry they will make bad choices in friendships so we criticize their choices or spend time lecturing them about how to choose better friends and all the reasons why it is important. Your children are looking for the kind of faith that draws them into wonder. Is the fruit from your faith irresistible to your children?
2. Work on your relationship with your children so your connection is healthy. If we don't have a good relationship with our children, they will resist what is important to us. Sometimes, this means they will reject your faith in an effort to hurt you and challenge the relationship. Do you focus on a heart to heart relationship with your children that honors them, even in disagreements?
3. Teach them how to build a friendship with God and hear His voice. Nothing can sway the faith of a person who has had an encounter with God because once you've "tasted (experienced) and seen that He is good", you want to know Him more. Train your children to know how to talk with God and develop a close, personal relationship with Him for themselves.