Our children are hearing messages every day from culture, media, friends, entertainment, social media, music, books, and the world around them. Some lies are easy to recognize. Others sound kind, freeing, popular, wise, or even compassionate. So how do we help our kids learn to tell the difference between what sounds good and what is actually true? In this episode of the Training Them Wisely Podcast, we talk about how to help children develop biblical discernment without parenting from fear. The goal is not to make our children suspicious of everything around them, but to help them know God’s Word so well that they can recognize when a message does not line up with truth. We want them to develop a biblical worldview We discuss practical ways parents can help children evaluate what they are watching, reading, hearing, and experiencing by asking questions such as: What is this teaching me? What does this say is good, normal, funny, or desirable? Does this line up with Scripture? What kind of fruit does this produce? Is this influencing me toward wisdom or foolishness? Am I being compassionate without compromising truth? We also talk about the importance of teaching children biblical vocabulary so they have words and categories for understanding concepts like sin, repentance, grace, holiness, wisdom, and more. And because discernment is learned through practice, we look at how parents can model this kind of thinking in everyday life—while also being willing to admit when we need to make a different choice ourselves. In This Episode We talk about: What biblical discernment really means Why discernment begins with truth rather than fear Teaching children to ask, “What is this teaching me?” How culture can redefine words like love, identity, freedom, and truth Using the Fruit of the Spirit as a discernment framework Helping kids think wisely about friendships and influence The difference between compassion and compromise Teaching children to test messages against Scripture Why biblical vocabulary matters Modeling discernment as parents Filling our homes with what is true, good, and beautiful Scriptures Mentioned Hebrews 5:14 Psalm 119:160 John 17:17 1 Corinthians 13:6 Matthew 7:16 Galatians 5:22–23 1 Corinthians 15:33 Proverbs 13:20 John 1:14 Ephesians 4:15 Acts 17 2 Corinthians 10:5 Philippians 4:8 This Week’s Simple Step Choose one thing your child is already watching, reading, listening to, or talking about and have a simple discernment conversation. Ask: What is this teaching us? Does it agree with Scripture? What fruit does it produce? For younger children, you might ask: Is this wise or foolish? Is this true or not true? Does this help us love and obey God? For older children and teens, ask: What worldview is behind this message? What does it say about identity, truth, happiness, or sin? How does God’s Word help us evaluate it? Keep the conversation natural. The goal is not to catch your child enjoying something wrong. The goal is to train them to think biblically. Resources Mentioned Training Them Wisely resources are designed to help families open God’s Word, build biblical vocabulary, and apply truth to everyday life. Resources that connect naturally with this episode include: Who I Am in Christ Big Bible Words Explained for Curious Kids What the Bible Says Love Is Fruit of the Spirit Training Them Wisely Bible Studies Next Episode Next time, we will talk about teaching kids to obey from the heart—moving beyond simply managing behavior and helping children understand obedience as a response to God. Until then, keep opening God’s Word, keep pointing your children to Christ, and keep training them wisely. Quick note from Rene: This episode is coming out a little late. We have had a couple of life changes recently in our family that required dropping a few things to take care of some urgent needs. However, we are back and track and excited to be putting out these episodes every two weeks again! Thanks for your patience! Check out all of our family discipleship resources at https://www.trainingthemwisely.com Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible, copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Intro/outro music: “Indie Pop - Indie Pop Music” by JonasBlakewood. Used under the Pixabay Content License.
