My dear daughter told me recently that the reason she always goes to the kitchen with her mum is because she wanted to learn how to cook. Over the years, I have watched my wife patiently train my young daughters on how to be responsible; she has learned that parenting must be intentional and strategic.

Friend, parenting must be done intentionally. Most of the marital crises people have today are carryover from the lapses in their upbringing. Young girls must be taught how to be good wives (Titus 2:4). It takes the right parenting strategies and skills to raise great husbands and amazing wives.

I wonder why a lady should not know how to cook when she had the opportunity to learn from her mum. Even as guys, my own mum raised us as excellent cooks. Ladies who hardly visit the kitchen when they are still with their parents will often make ineffective wives. Husbands and wives need to have received enough training while they are still single guys and ladies in their parents’ houses.

Dear father, you are the most visible example for your young son (Ephesians 6:4). You determine if he would grow up as a responsible husband in the future or not. You determine the way he would treat his future wife by the way you are treating his mum now. Dear mother, God has given you a sacred responsibility to model womanhood for your daughter. She must leave your house to her husband’s house as an asset, not a liability.

Parenting is both supernatural and strategic. You cannot raise destinies for God if you have not learned to tap into divine grace and wisdom to do so. Children who pass through our hands as Christian parents must be blessed with a rich heritage like Timothy had with his parents (2 Timothy 1:5-7). Our sons and daughters must start life on a note of victory and a strong kingdom flow (Isaiah 8:18).

I must salute Philip and his wife who raised four amazing virgin daughters who also prophesied, despite the crookedness in their days (Acts 21:8-9). Philip’s evangelistic ministry was not an excuse. Pastors and ministers of the gospel cannot afford to do less. God must be able to trust us the way He trusted Abraham (Genesis 18:17-19). Like Eli, if our sons (and daughters) will not become sons of Belial then we must be strategic and intentional about raising them (1 Samuel 2:12). May the Lord help us!

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria