“Has God really said that?” Every day kids talk to kids who disagree with what they’ve been taught at home. On the playground, at school, in the neighborhood, and even at church, your child will hear, “God isn’t really going to do that!” Other kids will tell them, “That’s just make believe, that’s not a fact.” How will your child respond?
How can you prepare your child to know what is true and what is a lie? Learn from Jesus. When He was asked, “What is truth?” Jesus answered, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me (John 18:37 NIV). The truth of God’s Word responds to our biggest questions. A child who learns to trust God’s Word as truth can identify lies.
Here are six everyday lies and God’s unchanging answer.
Common Lies Kids Believe—and Uncommon Truth They Need
Lie #1: My life is about me.
The Truth Is . . . We cannot really know ourselves or how we should live without knowing the true God. We know ourselves by looking to God. When we try to live for ourselves, it’s like trying to put shoes on our hands. We can’t walk, and our hands can’t work! Shoes are made for feet. We were made for God. He created us to love and enjoy Him. God made all people to be like Him—holy, wise, creative, and loving. God designed us to love Him, live for Him, and to be in relationship with Him forever (Ps. 16:11; Gen. 1:26; 1 Peter 4:10–11; 1 Cor. 2:9).
The world lies and says we will only be truly happy when we do things our way. But we are only truly happy when we give our lives to God. God is in charge, and God is good. Obeying God is good and not a punishment. Jesus came to give His life to us. Now we can give our lives to Him—our hands, feet, eyes, tongue, mind, and heart. Trying to get our own way in life can never make us truly happy. True happiness comes when you give your life to Jesus (Luke 1:38–45).
Lie #2: Jesus is make-believe.
The Truth Is . . . Jesus is not magic or a superhero. No one is like Jesus! He is fully God and fully human (Heb. 3:3; Acts 4:12). The God who made the world came into the world so we could know Him. He was born, He lived, He died, and He rose again—it’s a fact of history (1 Cor. 15:1–15). No one has ever met a comic book superhero. But many people saw Jesus and talked with Him. People touched Him and ate food with Him. Jesus is the real hero of the universe.
Lie #3: God only loves good people.
The Truth Is . . . God loves us, not because of what we do, but because of who Jesus is (1 John 4:10). Sometimes we think that we must earn God’s love. But we could never deserve God’s love by what we do. God’s love is a gift. No one pays for a gift they receive. The one who gives the gift pays. Jesus paid for God’s gift to us with His life when He died on the cross (Eph. 2:8). People may play favorites, but God loves the world—people of every color, nation, and tribe. God adopts everyone who trusts Jesus to save them to be His children (John 1:12; Rom. 9:8; 1 John 3:1–2, 10; Gal. 4:4–5). Ask Him to help you believe the truth that we are His children because of what He has done for us.
Lie #4: Science is more true than the Bible.
The Truth Is . . . The Bible is not a science textbook, yet nothing in it contradicts science. The Bible is not like any other book. God gave us the Bible to tell us why He made the world and why He made us. He gave us the Bible so we can personally know Him, the One who made the world. The truth is, the order and beauty we see in this world show us that He is the Creator and that this is not a world that evolved by chance. All the elements in the chemistry lab cannot be combined to produce a tree or a one-celled amoeba, much less a human being.
Lie #5: If God cared there would not be evil.
The Truth Is . . . God is good and created a perfect world. When Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie, sin broke God’s perfect world (Gen. 3:1–5, 14–15). Now earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods happen. People get sick. People do bad things that cause pain. Wicked men killed Jesus. But through His death on the cross, Jesus rescues us from sin and death. Now we can be God’s children forever. God promises us that He will use every bad thing for His children’s good (Rom. 8:28–32). And at His judgment throne, He will right every wrong (Rom. 2:5–6).
Lie #6: True happiness comes through what we have and do.
The Truth Is . . . Life with God is the only way to true happiness. God made us for himself. Having money, friends, or talents; looking good; and being smart may make us happy for a while. But we will always want to have or do or be a little more. Nothing can ever be enough, because God did not make us to find our joy in things. Jesus came to fill our hearts with His life. He gives us true satisfaction (John 10:10). When we find our joy in Him, we can enjoy every good gift He gives.
When everyone around them is doubting, the truth keeps children safe. God’s Word tells children the truth about God so that they might know and love Him. God’s Word tells them the truth about their sin so they can find freedom from guilt and shame in Christ. God’s Word will guide and make them wise, so that the opinions, biases and lies they hear will not confuse them so greatly. Instead, they may begin to ask bigger questions, like “How can I share this truth with others?” With God’s Word, you can set your children on the path of finding joy in the purpose of their lives—to glorify God!
Join the Discussion