“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

You try so hard to teach your children right from wrong. You take them to church to ensure they know what the Bible says, and yet, as they turn into teenagers, they begin to rebel. They do things that they know are not right such as sneaking out, drinking, smoking and so on. “Why?” you ask them. The response: “because everyone else is doing it. I just want them to like me.” Frustrating, right?
Peer pressure is extremely difficult to handle as a teenager. Adults have a hard time telling their friends no, but for teenagers, it is worse. So much is changing with them and that is awkward. The only thing they want is to be accepted. Unfortunately, that means they do things they know are wrong. Remember that the Bible says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” No one is without sin. You sinned, your parents sinned, and your kids will sin. The important thing is to help them understand what they did was wrong and help them to ask God for forgiveness. Show them that ours is a loving God, who knows our human weaknesses and loved us so much that He made a way for us to escape death and Hell, even before we served Him.

If your teenagers are going through this stage in their lives, pray for them, and help them pray for themselves. Show them in a loving way that what they’re doing is wrong and make sure they understand that you discipline them because you love them and you want to help them. Remind them that their actions will always have consequences good or bad, and you only want the very best for them.

Pray for your child to see the error of his/her ways, and when he/she does, be prepared to pray with him/he for forgiveness. (It’s important to add your child's name where you can, since you are praying a faith prayer over your child.)

Father, I know that what my child did was wrong and I ask your help in showing him/her that. I know that I have to discipline him/her according to your word in Proverbs 13:24. Reach out to my child and show him/her your ways, and help me to be ready to pray with him/her when he/she is ready to receive. Guide me as I go through each day so that I am better prepared to handle the situations that I am faced with concerning my child, in Jesus name. Amen