Parenting teens is hard. There are no perfect parents and no perfect teens. Anyone who claims to have a fail-safe way to parent teens to ensure they will follow Jesus and not the world, is simply wrong. As image-bearers with a free will, teens have to choose to follow Jesus for themselves. But we can encourage teens in their faith in God, and that means constantly pointing them to Jesus.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” – Deuteronomy 6:5-7, ESV
ENCOURAGE TEENS IN THEIR FAITH IN GOD IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS
Deuteronomy 6 commands us to teach children to love God, love people, and impress God’s precepts on their minds and hearts in the everyday moments of life.
- In your house
- when you walk
- when you lie down
- when you rise
In other words, this is to be the normal pattern of conversations at the dinner table, in the car, on the sideline, and after the movie. What is described is not a formal curriculum or classroom but an as-you-are-going mindset, just like Jesus did with his disciples.
The best way to do that is to talk openly about faith and how following Jesus applies in the everyday moments of life. Faith should never be a “private thing” that parents keep to themselves, but an “open thing” that we share together. Church and youth group are important, and a vital aspect to encourage teens in their faith in God is to get them connected to a Bible-teaching church and youth ministry. But they need to learn that faith is not just a church or youth group thing, it’s an everyday thing.
ENCOURAGE TEENS IN THEIR FAITH IN GOD BY SHARING YOUR LIFE
Conversations on faith are most effective when teens are not being preached to but are rather in a give-and-take relationship. Jesus asked more questions than He answered, and good questions can be the springboard in engaging and encouraging teens in their faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We were pleased to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own lives,” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Sharing your own life means being transparent about your personal struggles, victories and defeats. Teens need to see that authenticity.
ENCOURAGE TEENS IN THEIR FAITH IN GOD BY LETTING THEM SERVE
Serving is an oft-neglected aspect of discipleship. But serving is vital in following Jesus and learning to be like Him. Teens need to be encouraged to serve so they can experience the joy of serving. Including your teen in areas that you serve can be a natural fit, but providing opportunities to serve in their own way that is unique to them can be even better. Serving goes a long way to encourage teens in their faith in God and helping them to take ownership of their faith in Jesus.
ENCOURAGE TEENS IN THEIR FAITH IN GOD BY CONNECTING THEM
Finally, to encourage teens in their faith in God means getting them up-close with other Jesus influencers who are not their parents. Parents are always the primary influencers in a child’s life, but as they become teens, they need secondary influencers such as youth pastors, coaches, and small group leaders, who can speak into their lives. Sometimes a different voice saying the same thing but in a different way can be a massive encouragement. Influencers who point teens to Jesus and not to themselves can be your greatest allies.
Ultimately every person must decide for themselves to follow Jesus. But if we are diligent and intentional to encourage teens in their faith in God, pointing them to Jesus, that encouragement can make all the difference in their lives.
