Raising Godly Men, Part 1

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 NIV

From the very first moment I found out that I was pregnant with my first child, I just “knew” that I was going to be a “boy mom.”  I don’t know how or why, but I just knew that God knit me together to raise boys. The exciting, adventurous, rowdy days could be a challenge, but the sense of purpose was like a mission for me.

Twenty-two years old, married less than a year and completely overwhelmed with this next stage in my life, I cried out to the Lord and asked Him into my heart. I had no idea how to be a Christian, how to be a wife, how to be a mom but I sought His direction with every bit of my heart and soul.

As I grew in my own faith walk, my child grew right along with me. I read every single parenting book I could get my hands on. I took pages and pages of notes on what my son was doing, what he was eating and how often he went to the bathroom (yep, I was one of “those” moms). God brought me this child for such a time as this and I intended to do the best that I possibly could.

I started by praying.

I prayed this prayer for my sons…”That my sons would be good godly men who knew, loved and feared the Lord. That they would be the leaders of their families, that they would love their wives and treat them with honor and respect. That they would be the leaders that God created them to be, that they would stand firm in the face of temptations, that they would seek Him first in all they do and that they would do the right thing even if it is the hard thing.”

To this day, I still pray this prayer over them. If you have absolutely no idea where to start in raising godly men, then let me suggest that you always start by covering them in prayer.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 NIV

Now that my boys are knocking on the door of becoming adults, I see the seeds that we planted while they were little have been watered over the years and God has been doing a good work in their lives. It doesn’t happen overnight and it is never too late to get started on raising godly men.

If your boys are in preschool, then get started now by;

• Praying over them,
• Reading an age-appropriate Bible with them,
• Praying with them,
• Attend church where the Kids Ministry is more about ministry than babysitting,
• Talk to them about God

There is so much more to raising godly men, so make sure you come back on January 31^st as we talk about getting started with Elementary, Middle, and High School boys, as well as some practical ideas for raising godly men of all ages.

Father God, you have given us such a precious gift in our children. We want to be moms who raise our kids to passionately pursue you all their lives. Father, as moms of boys we know that we have a special responsibility to raise up godly men who will lead their families with a purpose to serve you. Thank you for this honor Father, we don’t take it lightly and today, Father we commit these young boys to you. In Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.