I regularly encourage parents to pray for their children, especially if they rebel and resist the truth. I became a Christian at age 9 but I was not discipled in a meaningful way. Consequently I drifted into a life of compromise. As an athlete at school I associated with the wrong crowd and experienced what Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Bad company corrupts good character.” That’s why I encourage parents to pray that God would bring good friends into the lives of their children, including adults who relate well with youth. I pray this for my married children and their families. Good friends make responsible parenting a lot easier. They become your allies. If your child chooses bad friends or chooses to rebel against God, don’t stop praying for them. My mother was tempted to do that when I drifted from following God as a senior in High School. One night, at the breaking point, she told God, “If this is what I get after praying all these years for my son I give up.” Later she shared that in her despair she got the impression that God wanted her to know, “Your job is to pray. My job is to answer prayer. Don’t worry about my part. Just be faithful in doing your part.” With that, she continued to pray for me through her tears. Less than a month later I came back to God and started growing in my relationship with God. I’m so thankful she kept on praying until she received. Only God knows the number of lives that have been touched for eternity worldwide because of her faithful prayers for me.