If you’re anything like me, you dream of your son becoming a mighty man of God—a man of integrity, a man of principle, a man who loves Jesus. You dare to hope that when the day of temptation comes, he will stand strong and fight for truth.
That’s the greatest desire of your heart. But I’m guessing you have no idea how to make it happen.
Me neither. Not exactly.
But I do know this: The best parenting in the world cannot make this dream come true. The only way our boys will become men of integrity is for their hearts to be changed …” (Excerpted from Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most).
Men of Integrity
The best equation I’ve found for growing men of integrity is this: Modeling + Heart Change = Integrity, and it’s not an exact science, doesn’t have a guaranteed outcome because we can only control one part of the equation—modeling.
As parents, it’s our responsibility to model a life of integrity for our kids so they know what it looks like. They need to see us make the hard but right decisions. It’s doing right when everyone else is doing wrong. Making choices that might not be easy but are good. Even making decisions that might hurt us, just because they’re right. Those of us who follow Jesus have been given the power to choose. We can do it because God empowers us to live godly lives.
The part that isn’t within our ability to control is heart change. According to Ezekiel 36:26, that’s God’s job, and unfortunately, our boys may not be interested in living a life of integrity that honors God and others until this work of God is done in their hearts. True integrity is a bending of the will to something greater than ourselves. It’s responding to a greater authority than ourselves, choosing to honor God even when no one is looking. It’s giving up the right to have rights … a kind of submission that only comes as our boys give their hearts to Jesus and call Him Lord. And …
If their knees are ever to bend to Jesus as Savior, their hearts must bend first. This is the place a mama’s prayers.
4 Verses to Pray to Help Your Son be a Man of Integrity
1. Lord, may (your son’s name) walk blamelessly, do what is right, and speak truth in his heart.
“O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:1-2).
2. Lord, may (your son’s name) trust in the Lord without wavering.
“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering” (Psalm 26:1).
3. Lord, may (your son’s name) turn away from evil and do good.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:13-14).
4. Lord, turn (your son’s name) heart of stone to a heart of flesh.
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
This week, add these verses to your prayer time each day. In your time alone with the Lord, ask him to show you ways you can improve your own walk of integrity so you model it more effectively to your sons.
SOMETHING TO PRAY
See my post on praying for your sons in the other three categories above: Men of Purpose, Servant Leaders, and Men of God.
Sign up below to receive a FREE 5-day prayer challenge designed just for you! Just enter your name and email below, and then choose Praying for Girls, or Praying for Boys, or BOTH!
This article has really blessed me. Though I have missed out of some opportunities to go out with my teenage son. I have learnt the importance of date. Thank you.
Thank you! This is something I definitely need to do more. I used to be better at scheduling dates when my boys were all very little. Now that they are older (elementary) our dates have fallen off. I want to reclaim that one-on-one time with them again before they get any older. It would make my heart to so happy to know that my boys would still hang out with me when they get to be teenagers and beyond.
Thank you so MUCH from the bottom of my heart for this article. Sharing your stories is an encouragement as well as (another) reminder to me that I only have my son for so long. It brings tears to my eyes and heart just to think that one day my son won’t have time for me should the Lord bless him with a wife and kids. I am scheduling a day date for today as a surprise for when he comes home from the bus stop. My son is 14 (going on 15) and loves cars. I’m thinking of just grabbing his fav at McDonald’s (his fav restaurant of all time haha) and strolling around together with his playlist choice of music. Again, thank you. The scriptures at the end touched my heart. I’ve read Luke more than once and know that verse like the back of my hand. But the Holy Spirit struck a soft spot in my heart this time around. (Luke 6:31 “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”) It ALWAYS feels special when someone does something for me out of their heart and that verse just spoke differently to me this time.
You’re so welcome!