this neglect has come about and
has been absent in our teaching of our youth because most
of the past generations were not
nearly as hostile as society is to
us now. We need to teach our
children about the evils of society. We need to teach them that
those who don’t believe in Christ
are different than us and they
should expect a good number of
unbelievers to be hostile to our
beliefs. They need to be taught
to always be on guard so when
confronted with hostility they are
prepared to take it and deal with
it. Look at it this way, would you
tell your child if the bathtub water
was real cold or real hot before
they got in so they could prepare
themselves on how, when, or if
to get in? Or would you let them
jump in the tub to be shocked or
injured by the hot or cold water?
I look at society and kids in the
same way. If you prepare them
for what they might encounter
from others, they will be mentally
and spiritually prepared to face
and maybe even triumph over
evil from others.
they get older of what they face
when they walk out of the church
or Christian home and into the
world and are bombarded by
the efforts of Satan to destroy
them. We need to give credit to
our kids that they understand
and comprehend good from evil,
God from Satan. The youth in
this generation are pretty smart
and can pick up on things rather
quickly. They can handle it.
Give them the tools they need
to defend their souls from the
outpouring hatred from society.
This is our responsibility as parents to train our children the way
to go (Proverbs 22:6). We can’t
leave it to Sunday morning’s
only. We can’t leave it up to the
favorite uncle or grandparents
or Christian entertainment. No,
it is the parent’s duty to do so.
We accomplish this by living the
example, not just talk, but actually living what we teach and
living by the way of the Lord so
our children can learn by example. If we show we are resilient to this detestable society
and evils of the world, they will
mimic our behaviors and when
We need to let our children know faced with adversity at school,
what 1 John 5:19 (ESV) says: be better able to stand on both
“We know that we are from God, feet. Let them know they will be
and the whole world lies in the persecuted just as Christ, the
power of the evil one.” They must Apostles, and followers of Jesus
understand we are at war as were in the Bible; it is part of our
stated in Ephesians 6:12 (ESV): lives as followers of Christ.
“For we do not wrestle against
flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places.”
If we begin to teach our children
this at a young age, they will
have a better understanding as
Matthew 10:28 admonishes us to
not fear man but to fear the Lord.
Man cannot destroy our eternal
souls. Man cannot demolish our
relationship with God unless we
allow it. To fear the Lord brings
wisdom and those that don’t fear
God despise Him (Proverbs 1:7)
and if they despise Him, they
despise us and our children
who believe. Be the umbrella
of instruction to your children in
the ways of the Lord. Keep them
involved in the church and in the
company of likeminded peers.
In this way, our children will be
able to stand firm in their faith,
no matter what the world throws
at them, and they will grow to be
warriors for Christ.
John Lysaught is a father of four,
a husband of 18 years, and a
humble servant of the Lord. He
is originally from the Portland
Oregon area and served seven
years as an officer in the US
Army. He resides in El Paso, TX,
and attends Hope City Community Church.