5 Ways Kids Can Guard Their Hearts in a Noisy World

Has your child ever said something out of character and realized they got it from a show or song you thought was completely innocent? This happens sometimes in our house and leads to conversation, questions, prayer, and often a change in what they are allowed to watch or listen to.

Notice there are several steps before just prohibiting the media that sparked undesirable behavior.

In Proverbs, we read: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” Proverbs 4:23 NLT.

Simply prohibiting content doesn’t impact my kids’ hearts in ways that will prepare them to make wise choices throughout their lives. We need to teach them to guard their own hearts rather than carry that responsibility ourselves.

Here are 5 ways kids can guard their hearts in a noisy world.

Pray

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you… I’m not asking you to take them out of the world but to keep them safe from the evil one” John17:9, 15 NLT.

On the night before Jesus’s death, he had dinner with his disciples, which was filled with questions and conversation. It was also an evening filled with prayer. As Jesus prepared his disciples to go out without him in life and ministry and to guard their hearts, he prayed.

He recognized that though they would soon have the Holy Spirit with them, he would no longer be walking with them. So he prayed. He didn’t pray “for the world” but for his disciples.

As parents, we can pray for the noisy world out there, but if we want to pray like Jesus, we need to pray for our kids and that God would keep them safe from the evil one.

Through these prayers, God will guide us in recognizing our kids and God’s responsibility.

Build Identity

“[Y]ou are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9 NLT.

We can also help kids guard their hearts by building their identity. When they know who they are in Christ, they will not need to seek it out from the media and the world.

Content that seeks to lie about who they are will feel uncomfortable to your child. The more they know who to look to for their identity, the less they will seek it out elsewhere.

As your child grows to know they are chosen, holy, God’s possession, wonderfully made, and created in His image, the more they will want to protect their heart.

If their heart is just like the world, then it doesn’t need protection from the world, but if it is set apart, then there is more reason to guard it.

Teach Discernment

“Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’ So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good” Job34:3-4 NLT.

Job is an excellent example of discernment in a noisy world. His friends tried to tell him who he was and what he had done wrong, but Job knew that he was innocent. Because Job sought the Lord and relied on him alone, Job did not believe the lies his friends told him.

Job’s friends were not intentionally lying, and some of the things they said about God were even true. This makes discernment hard.

Our kids will hear lies and half-truths, but if they can learn to discern what is right, they will be able to guard their hearts.

God trusted Job to discern well. We sometimes need to trust our kids to discern, too. When they are young, we can start with smaller things that carry less risk so that as they grow and the risks become bigger, they have already practiced their discernment skills.

Point to Truth

“They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your Word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth” John 17:16-19 NLT.

You have probably heard that when bank tellers are learning to recognize counterfeit money, they do not try to identify all the fakes; they study the real dollar bills. That’s because fakes are constantly changing and adapting and getting closer and closer to looking like the real thing. But bank tellers learn the colors, texture, and even smell of the real thing. Then, no matter how good the forgery is, it doesn’t live up to the truth.

The same is true for our kids. We can tell them all the lies the world is going to tell them, but if they don’t know and have the truth to replace those lies, the lies might seem like truth.

If our kids don’t know Jesus personally, it is easier for the world to tell them who He is. Yet, if they are in the Word, with you or alone, then it can be harder for others to tell your kids what the Bible says.

When situations come up, don’t just tell your kids what to do; help them seek answers from God through His Word and prayer. You won’t always be there to share with them what God says in the Bible, so help them have access to it themselves.

Model Failure and Accountability

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing… Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 7:19, 25 NLT!

The last way kids can guard their hearts is by knowing what to do when they mess up. They will learn this best by observing your failures and watching how you seek accountability.

This should be done age-appropriate but authentically. For example, I might share with my kids that I heard about a movie from a friend, so I started to watch it. But, when the movie contained language I wasn’t comfortable with, I turned it off. Next time, I will check some sources about language and content before watching a movie.

Our kids need to know that it is safe to make mistakes and learn from them. We are safe people for them to confess to and ask for help from.

This will set them up for long-term growth without shame and secrets.

The best thing you can do to help your kids guard their hearts is to help them own their faith. Otherwise, you will end up guarding their heart for as long as you can, and they won’t have the skills, practice, or motivation to do it for themselves once they are out of the house.