The Battle for the Heart Goes Through the Mind

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What is one of the primary goals of every Christian parent? “Reaching your child’s heart now so God can have your child’s heart forever” (Proverbs 22:6).

Yet many parents often miss that the war for the heart is usually won or lost on the battlefield of the mind.

Our enemy realizes this. Our culture realizes this. Christian parents must realize this as well.

There is a real battle going on for the precious hearts and minds of our children, and our enemy has stepped up his game and is playing for keeps.

Worldview Matters

Indoctrination is very real. And the greatest influence that culture has on our children is what it presents to them as normal. Change what’s normal, and over time, you have changed what’s accepted.

“The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones that are being argued, but the ones that are assumed” (C.S. Lewis).

This is why winning the battle for the mind through establishing a biblical worldview in our children is so necessary.

A biblical worldview is about protecting your child’s heart through shaping your child’s mind. Because without it, capturing their heart for the long haul will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. 

Like two sides of the same coin, character, and worldview go hand in hand. They are both happening primarily in the middle seasons of your parenting.

Yet worldview usually follows character’s lead like a younger sibling trailing closely behind in his older brother’s shadow.

By developing godly character at a young age you help prepare the soil of a child’s heart for a biblical worldview to take deep root.

Through character, you’re tapping into their heart. Through worldview, you’re intentionally shaping their mind.

Yet how often do we see young people with good hearts succumbing to the world’s arguments and questions against God and his word? Sadly, far more often than we’d like to admit.

Why is this? Why do good-hearted kids sometimes get sucked into belief systems far from biblical truth that ultimately lead them far from God?

In a variety of ways (through culture, media, technology, etc.) our enemy most often engages in war against our children’s hearts through the battlefield of their minds.

We must intentionally get there first. As parents, we must capitalize on the home-court advantage we’ve been given.

We can do this through simple and practical steps in our home.

Proactive Steps:

  • Consistent family meal times around the dinner table
  • Regular conversations about spiritual things and how to practically live out our faith in daily life
  • Using current events to point to biblical truth
  • Praying with and over our kids daily

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Andrew Linderhttps://godlyparent.com/
Andrew is a husband, the father of four awesome kids, and a children's pastor at a thriving church. He is passionate about intentional parenting and helping other parents and leaders effectively reach the next generation. He blogs about kids and family at https://godlyparent.com/, and provides proven resources for VBS and children's ministry at KidzBlast.com.

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