Prayer For Unruly Child
Loving Father, Your Son Jesus was so obedient that He humbled Himself to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). His prayer was, Yet not as I will, but as You will (Matthew 26:39). Jesus was so passionate about obedience that He said, My food . . . is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work (John 4:34). His time on earth provides a real-life example for us to follow.
I desire to be like Jesus, but so often fall short of my goal. Some days I imagine You are up in heaven, thinking, How many times do I have to tell him/her? Please forgive my lack of diligence in following Your directions.
I ask that You will give me a humble, obedient spirit that desires to wholeheartedly obey Your commands. I pray with David, Oh that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees! . . . Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart (Psalm 119:5, 33-34). I pray my children will see in me a passion for doing Your will that inspires them to follow You wholeheartedly.
Your heart is filled with pain over sin, yet You are gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love (Genesis 6:5-6, Exodus 34:6, Psalm 145:8). I find it grievous and frustrating when my children do not obey me. Please fill me with Your Spirit to enable me to provide correction as You would, in a gracious and loving way. After all, it is easier for my children to obey me when I give advice gently and patiently, than when I am in drill sergeant mode. When my children are disobedient, please give me Your wisdom so that I may govern them in a discerning way, distinguishing between right and wrong (1 Kings 3:9). Help me to notice and give them appropriate recognition when they do obey.
I pray for my children, ________ and ________. I don't want them to do the right thing just because they have to. Rather, I ask that You will bless them with obedient hearts that desire to obey You and others in authority. Please help my children to keep their way pure by living according to Your Word. May they be diligent in seeking You with all of their hearts so that they will not stray from Your commands.
I pray that because ________ and ________ have hidden Your Word in their hearts, they will be kept from sinning against You (Psalm 119:9-11). As they grow up, I pray they will guard Your teachings as the apple of their eye. Bind them on their fingers, Lord, and write them on the tablet of their hearts (Proverbs 7:1-3).
We read in 1 John 2:5-6, But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. This is my prayer for our family that we will obey Your Word and walk as Jesus walked, in complete obedience to You. Amen.
I bow humbly before the heavenly Father to intercede for my son/daughter, _______. I bring him/her before You in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank You that You have loved _______ with the love of Calvary. I thank You that You gave him/her to us to love and nurture in Christ. I ask You to forgive us for all of our failures to guide him/her in the way he/she ought to go. I am thankful that You are sovereign and can use even the depths of sin to which he/she is now enslaved to rebound to your glory. I praise You for this great trial that humbles my heart before You.
Accepting my position of being mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, I bring all of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to focus directly against the powers of darkness that blind and bind _______. I pray the victory of our Lord's incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and glorification directly against all of Satan's power in _______'s life. I bind up all powers of darkness set to destroying _______, and I loose him/her from their blinding in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I invite the blessed Holy Spirit to move upon _______'s heart and to convict him/her of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. In my priestly ministry, I confess _______'s sins unto You and plead Your compassionate mercy toward him/her. I confess his/her yielding to all manner of fleshly sins which has given Satan such place in his/her life. I plead the blood of Christ over _______'s wickedness and wait upon the Holy Spirit to bring him/her to repentance, faith, and life in the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith I claim him/her for a life yielded to serve the true and living God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Lord, thank you for the life of my child [Name]. Your word in Proverbs 20:11 says people know a child by his deeds and others know mine for rude behavior. This is causing me shame and disgrace. Show me the cause of his/her rude behavior.
Help [Name] with what they are struggling with and heal their heart. Let his/her heart overflow with good things so that good will come out of his/her mouth. Season my child's speech with grace to only speak kind words to others.
Give me the patience I need as I help him/her become a better child. Grant me an insight into the cause of bad behavior in this child so I will address the right problem. Thank you for your help.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Lord, you are the giver of children. I thank you for the child you gave me and the opportunity to become a parent. Today I bring this child [Name] to you and ask for help with their rebellious behavior.
I did not always teach him/her the godly way to behave and I repent. Show me how to deal with their rebellion which you consider as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).
Give my child an obedient heart and convict them of wrongdoing. Help me understand the root cause of their rebellion so I will know how to pray and deal with it.
Help my child deal with the cause of their anger and frustration without taking it out on other family members and friends.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Lord, you gave this child to our family and we thank you. I know you always watch over the life of our child [Name] and have promised that nothing will harm him/her. [Name] is behaving in an unpleasant way to others at home and in school.
Show us the root cause of his/her bad behavior so we can address it in prayer and have a hearty conversation with him/her. As parents, help us not to be harsh with him/her but to address their behavior with maturity and calmness. Give us the wisdom to train up this child in your ways so he/she will not depart from them (Proverbs 22:6).
Help our child to behave in a godly way and to be a good influence to others.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Lord,
Please help me to be the parent that you designed me to be.
Help me to discipline and raise my child in a way that glorifies you.
I pray that you would wash over him/her with your peace, that you would fill their heart and mind with joy and the desire to be a child that is behaved and respectful.
And Lord, please give me patience and wisdom.
For I pray this in your heavenly name - Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the blessing of parenthood and the joy that comes with having children. We are grateful for growth and learning that comes with Godly discipline and teachings.
Forgive us, Lord, when we are frazzled and feel like giving up from bad behavior in our children. Sometimes we reach the end of our ropes and our anger, and lack of patience rears their ugly heads in sinful ways. Father, when satan tries to rob our relationship with our children through unruly behavior or rebellion, equip us to step in immediately with a firm yet loving hand. Enable and guide us to discipline our children according to your teachings.
I pray that you would help us to look past the behavior and see the reason or cause for it. Reveal to us if there is something that we can improve or do better as their parent.
We trust in you Father to bring about a change in our child and that you would give them a tender and calm spirit. Help them to thrive despite their conduct. Please plant self-control within them that can overcome the temptation to act out.
Please place Godly influences in their lives and allow them to be a Godly influence to those around them as well.
Please bathe our child's heart, body, and mind in your soothing peace. Help them to react and act in a way that is accepting and non-irritating to others around. Forgive them when they do act up and help them to have the strength to resist the urge or desire to disobey or misbehave.
Forgive me, Father, when I give in to the bad behavior to keep things from escalating. I know this only teaches my child that the behavior is ok. Give me the power to handle the situation at the very moment it happens.
I pray for your hand of protection upon my child's heart and mind and that you will bring us closer together as a family. May we grow in our walk with you and glorify you in all that we do.
I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
Father, in the Name of Jesus, I praise You and thank You that You are a good God. Thank You that You love me, and that You love my son/daughter. Father, I thank You for giving me the honor and privilege of being _____'s parent. You knew him/her before he/she was born. You knit my child together in the womb, and You had great plans for his/her life before it had even begun.
Lord, You know the trials that I have faced in watching my child go against Your Word, making poor and damaging choices. I ask today that You heal my heart and renew my strength to stand for my child in Jesus' Name.
Your Word says You will pour out Your Spirit upon my offspring and Your blessing upon my descendants. So, I declare by faith that my child hears the voice of Your Spirit and the voice of strangers my child will not follow.
Father, right now, I repent of any rebellion in my own life, and I ask You to forgive me and show me any areas where rebellion exists, so that I can root it out of my life forever with Your supernatural help.
I know that the spirit of rebellion is a demonic spirit and has no right and no place in my child. So, by the authority You have given me, through Christ Jesus, I command every wrong spirit, including the spirit of rebellion, to leave my child right now in the Name of Jesus'. No weapon formed against ______ will prosper, I send angels to take charge over my child, I plead the blood of Jesus over _____, and I declare Psalm 91 protection over him/her. I break every stronghold right now in Jesus' Name.
Satan, you cannot have my child! I resist you! Now go!
Lord, I know it is Your will for _______ to come into the family of God, to love You, serve You, and find peace, joy and happiness all the days of his/her life. I thank You for lifting the veil from my child's eyes, for convicting __________, that his/her faith will not fail him/her, and bringing him/her to a broad place.
I thank You and praise You that he/she will come home from the distant land of the enemy and return to You.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.