• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Speaking
  • PR/Advertising
  • Contact
  • SHOP
    • Courses To Help You Grow
  • View Cart
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

The Character Corner

Purposeful Parenting. Building Godly Character.

  • The Character Corner
  • Building Godly Character in Your Kids
  • Purposeful Parenting
    • How to Handle Mom Anger
    • Help With a Rebellious Child
    • Encouragement for Mom
      • How to Be a Godly Mother
      • Large Family Living
      • Purposeful Marriage
    • How to Win Your Child’s Heart
    • Bible Verses and Reading Plans
    • Lads & Ladies of Wisdom
    • How to Have a Godly Dating Relationship
    • What the Bible Says About Purity
  • Homeschooling Encouragement
    • 30 Days of the Best Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms
    • 14 Days of Homeschool Encouragement and Inspiration
    • 30 Days of Homeschool Encouragement & Inspiration
text on banner reads EARLY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Parenting Wayward Children In The Spirit Or The Flesh?

October 11, 2015 By Kathie 4 Comments

Short on Time? Read This Later! DOWNLOAD This Post as a PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
Share
Pin106
Tweet
106 Shares

One of the most heart breaking things for a  parent, is having a wayward child. There have been times in my parenting where one of our kids was showing signs of rebellion, or just making wrong choices that were leading them towards walking away from what they knew was right. At that point the child/teen may not have been wayward or prodigal, but yet they were pushing the limits, and heading the wrong way.

It is SO important that we are careful how we respond to conflicts and struggles with our kids, especially when/if they start showing some signs of rebellion. The goal is to keep their heart, so that we can still have a relationship of influence with them, and can point them back towards God and right. 

I will admit that there were times of frustration in these situations where I didn’t respond right! Sometimes I responded with anger, or harshness. I was concerned about them and the choices they were making, and upset that they weren’t listening to what they had been taught.

It’s so hard to know what to do at those times,, and it’s easy to respond in the wrong way, making things even worse. Even if our child isn’t a prodigal, or wayward, it’s easy to respond in our flesh when their behavior upsets us. If we aren’t careful to respond in love and with wisdom, we can push them from us, leading them to become a prodigal.

Recently I came across an excellent post by Cary Schmidt that shares spiritual weapons we can use in our parenting of the wayward child. I love the thoughts that he shares, and feel they really apply anytime our kids/teens may be struggling. I especially love this  practical comparison he gives of weapons of the flesh, versus weapons of the spirit. If we can remember to respond in the Spirit, I think it will make a huge difference in how our kids respond!

Weapons of flesh will react, weapons of the Spirit will respond.

Weapons of flesh will lash out. Weapons of the Spirit will reach out.

Weapons of flesh desire retribution. Weapons of the Spirit desire reconciliation.

Weapons of flesh will seek control. Weapons of the Spirit will seek influence.

Weapons of flesh will make demands. Weapons of the Spirit will make pleas.

Weapons of flesh will accuse. Weapons of the Spirit will accept.

Weapons of flesh will return hurt. Weapons of the Spirit will return grace.

Weapons of flesh will argue. Weapons of the Spirit will reason.

These comparisons of flesh versus spirit responses can be applied to any situation in our parenting, not only when we have a wayward child.

What a GREAT reminder to ask God to fill us with His Spirit, as we raise our children for Him!

Here is the entire post by Cary Schmidt that this list was taken from:  Spiritual Weapons for Wayward Children

(This is a fantastic book by Cary Schmidt, called Passionate Parenting. It’s one of my favorites!)

rp_Training-Heart-with-Scripture.jpg

(Visited 720 times, 10 visits today)

More from my site

  • 4 Keys To Homeschool Success4 Keys To Homeschool Success
  • 3 Simple And Practical Ways To Teach Respect To Your Children3 Simple And Practical Ways To Teach Respect To Your Children
  • Preparing Your Teen For Peer PressurePreparing Your Teen For Peer Pressure
  • Temper Tantrum in the Store!Temper Tantrum in the Store!
  • Overcoming the Multiple Struggle: How to Homeschool a Full QuiverOvercoming the Multiple Struggle: How to Homeschool a Full Quiver
Short on Time? Read This Later! DOWNLOAD This Post as a PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
«
»

4 CommentsFiled Under: Purposeful Parenting

Comments

  1. best hosting says

    August 13, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    This piece of writing will help the internet visitors
    for creating new website or even a weblog from start to end.

  2. adreamoftrains web hosting company says

    August 11, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    Howdy! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone!
    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog
    and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the outstanding work!
    adreamoftrains webhosting

  3. best web hosting 2020 says

    August 10, 2020 at 12:51 am

    Heya are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you need any coding knowledge
    to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!

Trackbacks

  1. judi slot terbaru says:
    June 30, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    judi slot terbaru

    Parenting Wayward Children In The Spirit Or The Flesh? – The Character Corner

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

My name is Kathie, and I am glad you stopped by. I am a stay-at-home mom of 8 wonderful kids, and have been homeschooling for 31 years. I hope that my blog will be a blessing and encouragement to you! Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
website security
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Kathie Morrissey

My name is Kathie, and I am glad you stopped by. I am a stay-at-home mom of 8 wonderful kids, and have been homeschooling for 31 years. I hope that my blog will be a blessing and encouragement to you! Read More…

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Copyright © 2021 · The Character Corner
Privacy Policy | Disclosure Policy