15 Crucial Scriptures for Raising Children
Raising children is both a beautiful privilege and a profound responsibility. As mamas, we are called to nurture, disciple, and model Christ to our little ones. None of this can succeed apart from Jesus and His Word.
Here are 15 powerful scriptures to equip you in your parenting journey—ordered to flow from foundation to practice. I’ve included two translations of each verse—the NKJV (New King James Version) and the AMP (Amplified Bible)—for deeper understanding and encouragement.
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Love is the Foundation
Begin with the command to love God wholly and to intentionally embed His Word into your daily family life.
1. Deuteronomy 6:5-9
NKJV:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
AMP:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand (forearm), and they shall be used as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
✨Mama reminder: We are not commanded to love a distant God who may or may not care for us. We are commanded to love the One who is Love—who loved us first (1 John 4:19) and loves our children even more than we do. As we build this foundation, we help our kids understand just how deeply they are loved by Him.
Cherish the Gift
Children are precious gifts from the Lord—empowered for influence and blessing in the world. While we are on a mission to prepare and train them, let us not forget to enjoy them along the way.
2. Psalm 127:3-5
NKJV:
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
AMP:
Behold, children are a heritage and gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.
💡Mama tip: Make it a daily priority to enjoy your kids and create moments of fun together. Parenting isn’t only about discipline, training, and teaching—it’s also about laughter, play, and shared joy. These moments don’t just make happy memories; they shape your children’s understanding of love, connection, and God’s goodness. As Scripture reminds us, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). When we choose joy and bring it into our homes, we are helping raise children who are not only strong in character but also anchored in the strength that comes from the Lord.
3. Psalm 128:3
NKJV:
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table.
AMP:
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within the innermost part of your house; your children will be like olive plants around your table.
✨Mama Note: In John 10:10, Jesus promises life more abundantly. Our children are part of that abundance—living evidence of His blessings. Hallelujah!
Training and Instruction
Children absorb what surrounds them—whether good or bad. It’s up to us, as parents, to fill their minds and hearts with truth and show them the path to eternal life (John 14:6; John 17:3).
4. Proverbs 22:6
NKJV:
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
AMP:
Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it.
5. Proverbs 1:8–9
NKJV:
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck.
AMP:
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not reject the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head, and chains and ornaments [of gold] around your neck.
Obedience is the Path to Blessing
Teaching our kids to honor and obey us isn’t about control—it’s about blessing them. It prepares them to honor and obey God, which leads to the best life they could ever live.
Obedience gets a bad reputation when misused by broken people for selfish purposes. But true, loving guidance—motivated by a parent’s desire for a child’s good—produces pure and life-giving obedience.
6. Exodus 20:12
NKJV:
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
AMP:
Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.
7. Ephesians 6:1-4
NKJV:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
AMP:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord [that is, accept their guidance and discipline as His representatives], for this is right [for obedience teaches wisdom and self-discipline]. Honor [esteem, value as precious] your father and your mother [and be respectful to them]––this is the first commandment with a promise––so that it may be well with you, and that you may have a long life on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
8. Colossians 3:20-21
NKJV:
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
AMP:
Children, obey your parents [as God’s representatives] in all things, for this [attitude of respect and obedience] is well-pleasing to the Lord [and will bring you God’s promised blessings]. Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or exasperate your children [with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by favoritism or indifference; treat them tenderly with lovingkindness], so they will not lose heart and become discouraged or unmotivated [with their spirits broken].
✨Mama Note: Balanced guidance is key—shaping our children’s obedience and respect through a foundation of deep love, tenderness, and encouragement. This reflects the way God teaches and leads us. With His Holy Spirit living within us, we too can guide our children in this same life-giving way.
Discipline and Correction
Discipline can be challenging, yet it is an essential part of truly loving our children and preparing them for a life of success and purpose. When we allow God to guide us in disciplining, teaching, instructing, and leading from a place of love, we give our children the very best foundation. Our perfect Father disciplines and corrects us as His children, not in anger, but out of His deep love and His desire for us to live the abundant life He promises. In the same way, if we genuinely love our children, we will discipline and correct them—not for our convenience, but for their good, so they may grow into all God created them to be.
9. Hebrews 12:6-8
NKJV:
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
AMP:
For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves, and he punishes every son whom He receives and welcomes [to his heart]. You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all].
10. Proverbs 13:24
NKJV:
He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
AMP:
He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].
11. Proverbs 19:18
NKJV:
Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction.
AMP:
Discipline and teach your son while there is hope, and do not [indulge your anger or resentment by imposing inappropriate punishment nor] desire his destruction.
12. Proverbs 22:15
NKJV:
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.
AMP:
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.
13. Proverbs 23:13
NKJV:
Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.
AMP:
Do not withhold discipline from the child; if you swat him with a reed-like rod [applied with godly wisdom], he will not die. You shall swat him with the reed-like rod and rescue his life from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).
14. Proverbs 29:15
NKJV:
The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
AMP:
The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
Look Forward to the Future Harvest
Some parts of parenting—especially discipline and correction—can be challenging and uncomfortable for both you and your children. Yet, in time, these efforts will yield a beautiful harvest in your family’s life. Your children will grow to know how to walk closely with Jesus and experience the abundant life He offers, steering clear of the paths that lead to destruction.
15. Hebrews 12:11
NKJV:
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
AMP:
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].
So, mamas, it is worth the difficulty now, so that we might see God’s amazing plans come to life in and through our children as they grow. You will not be disappointed. You’ve got this, mama! 💛
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