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Resources
We have made a list of some useful resources that we use in the ministry of Love Hobart to help get you started in Evangelism. EVANGELISM Tract ( booklet) to give out A True Story of Freedom Designed by Love Hobart creative art team with Ark House Press. We are pleased to provide these booklets for those who need a good Australian-grown evangelism product to give to their non-Christian family and friends. They cost us $1.10 each to produce as we ordered 5,000, but we are happy to give them away in small quantities where we can. Please contact us direct through email if you’d like some. If you want larger quantities we may need help towards the actual cost so we can order more when needed. The booklet is A6 size and 44 pages with a picture on each side next to the writing. Check out our creative art page for all the pictures featured in the booklet, along with all the words and an explanation of the meaning of the pictures. . As we have been using these booklets since late February 2020 when the boxes of booklets started arriving, we can say this is the easiest tract we have had to give out. People are really keen to have one. To the top left is a video of the entire booklet with Helen speaking out all the words. Please feel free to share the link with your friends. |
Let's GO - Fearless Evangelism
This book by Helen Devenish tells of Helen's journey into evangelism from being a stay-at-home Mum, homeschooling her 9 children, to the call to obey the Great Commission of Jesus to 'GO!' and share the Gospel with the lost. The book is also filled with stories from the ministry of Love Hobart and shows many practical ways of sharing the Gospel. It is full of training tips in evangelism as well as insights into how to become bold, how to share the Gospel in 1 minute and how to overcome fear. Available from Amazon, Book Depository, Booktopia and Koorong.
To read an article about evangelism by Helen in Devenish in Sight magazine please click here.
To read an article about 'Let's GO! Fearless Evangelism' on the front page of Assist News click here.
To listen to a short radio interview Helen did on evangelism with Neil Johnson from Vision 20Twenty please click here.
To listen to a live 40 mins radio interview Helen did on women as evangelists with Neil Johnson from Vision 20Twenty please click here. Or for a written article based off the interview please read here.
To watch a video of Helen Devenish talking about her book please watch below:
And here’s a 25 mins podcast of Helen being interviewed by Tina Waldrom from Evangelism in Australia.
https://evangelisminaustralia.com/street-ministry-in-hobart/
This book by Helen Devenish tells of Helen's journey into evangelism from being a stay-at-home Mum, homeschooling her 9 children, to the call to obey the Great Commission of Jesus to 'GO!' and share the Gospel with the lost. The book is also filled with stories from the ministry of Love Hobart and shows many practical ways of sharing the Gospel. It is full of training tips in evangelism as well as insights into how to become bold, how to share the Gospel in 1 minute and how to overcome fear. Available from Amazon, Book Depository, Booktopia and Koorong.
To read an article about evangelism by Helen in Devenish in Sight magazine please click here.
To read an article about 'Let's GO! Fearless Evangelism' on the front page of Assist News click here.
To listen to a short radio interview Helen did on evangelism with Neil Johnson from Vision 20Twenty please click here.
To listen to a live 40 mins radio interview Helen did on women as evangelists with Neil Johnson from Vision 20Twenty please click here. Or for a written article based off the interview please read here.
To watch a video of Helen Devenish talking about her book please watch below:
And here’s a 25 mins podcast of Helen being interviewed by Tina Waldrom from Evangelism in Australia.
https://evangelisminaustralia.com/street-ministry-in-hobart/
How to Overcome Porn
Helen Devenish has discipled people through to victory in overcoming porn addiction. An article on how to overcome porn addiction, written by Helen can be viewed here.
Orpah
This book by Joanne Devenish is a fictional story of Naomi's daughter-in-law from the book of Ruth. It is especially suitable for teenage girls as it focuses on faith and choices that are made in life. There are insights as to what goes on in the spirit realm that we don't see, and it shows how there is a real unseen battle between Satan's kingdom and God's Kingdom. Available from eBay.
E3 Resources
This website has loads of excellent resources for sharing your faith. In particular we love using the EvangeCube. The EvangeCube is an excellent tool for sharing the Gospel especially with young people and those who do not have English as their first language. We use the cube all the time, and have had some very good feedback from our use of it.
Creation Ministries
We use many of the resources from Creation Ministries, in particular the '6 days- not billions of years' magazine which is a great resource especially for sharing with young people.
Helen Devenish has discipled people through to victory in overcoming porn addiction. An article on how to overcome porn addiction, written by Helen can be viewed here.
Orpah
This book by Joanne Devenish is a fictional story of Naomi's daughter-in-law from the book of Ruth. It is especially suitable for teenage girls as it focuses on faith and choices that are made in life. There are insights as to what goes on in the spirit realm that we don't see, and it shows how there is a real unseen battle between Satan's kingdom and God's Kingdom. Available from eBay.
E3 Resources
This website has loads of excellent resources for sharing your faith. In particular we love using the EvangeCube. The EvangeCube is an excellent tool for sharing the Gospel especially with young people and those who do not have English as their first language. We use the cube all the time, and have had some very good feedback from our use of it.
Creation Ministries
We use many of the resources from Creation Ministries, in particular the '6 days- not billions of years' magazine which is a great resource especially for sharing with young people.
Street Evangelism
Some tips on homeschooling
Who would have thought even a month ago that most children in Australia would now be homeschooling! It’s amazing how much our world has changed in such a short space of time. Homeschooling is now ‘in’ and that means for me, after 24 years of homeschooling I’m no longer thought of as weird. I have loved homeschooling our 9 children in that time and I have never regretted it, but it hasn’t always been easy. I’d like to share some things I’ve learnt a long the way and I hope they may be helpful to you all.
When I first started homeschooling as a young Mum (of 5 kids at the time), I was scared. It’s ok to feel scared, daunted, inadequate or anxious as it’s a huge change. I only knew one other family homeschooling at the time we started, so this step into the unknown did feel daunting and challenging. On top of that my husband and I had extended family members who were teachers. Was I going to measure up? People used to ask me when they found out that I home schooled if I was a teacher? I would gulp and say no but that I loved my kids and we (David and I) felt it was the best thing to do for our children. Sometimes when people (family and others) would visit they would ask the kids to show them their school work and then quiz them on what they were learning. I found all that quite intimidating. I wondered how I could educate them as well as school could. But something interesting began to happen. Sean, our eldest, who was 10 years old at the time we started homeschooling started to learn things for himself. He enjoyed extra time to be creative and started doing all kinds of things. He was interested in World War 2 so now he had time to pursue his interests. He invented games and made miniature cardboard soldiers and got his younger brothers involved. We realised he was learning history, geography, English comprehension and more. And that is the beauty of natural learning. A part from Maths, just about every other main stream subject is covered in children pursuing what interests them.
Our youngest daughter Shalom (the 9th child in our family) is 13 years old. She has her set ‘school’ books she goes through each day (actually only 4 days a week and she’s still at least a year ahead on most subjects if not more). But she has so many other interest which all add to her learning. She has pen pals she writes to in Canberra and England (whom she’s not met), she’s got into growing veggies and she’s reading up on what to grow, when to grow different things and what to do when leaves get eaten or a plant dies prematurely. She also loves to make cards. She saved up her pocket money and birthday money and bought a sizzix machine so she can cut out all kinds of shapes from paper and then with her inks and stamping she makes beautiful cards. She’s even just received an order from our local Post office for 60 cards. So now she’s learning about profit and loss and up front costs and mark up etc. etc. And this, all while doing what she loves. She watches Youtube ‘how to’ videos for card making as well as all kinds of other creative ideas. She uses her pocket money and money from selling cards to buy more materials and make birthday presents and gifts for people. When we went to KL, Malaysia 18 months ago she studied everything to do with KL before we went (of her own initiative), so when we arrived in KL we had a hand drawn map compliments of Shalom. She also knew where all the sights were and knew all about the exchange rate for money and how far away things were.
So as you see from these two examples my kids do so much more learning outside of their official ‘school’ work. We do follow a curriculum for the basics so we know our kids are progressing at a good rate and learning similar things to others their age but most of our homeschooling is interest based. It works well and makes for very happy kids when they have time to pursue what they are interested in and know they are learning and maturing all at the same time.
There are ‘gaps’ in my kids learning as my kids don’t necessarily know everything that kids who go to school know. But then school kids don’t necessarily know everything my kids know either. It’s just different and that’s ok. Who said we all have to be the same and we all have to know exactly the same things? No one. Diversity is good. Yes, there are weaknesses in homeschooling but I personally think. there’s way more strengths.
How do I keep my kids occupied ALL day? Any of my kids who say they’re bored get jobs: cleaning, tidying up, weeding etc. So guess what? None of my kids have said ‘ I’m bored’ in a very long time. It works well and helps them to find their own creative pursuits.
I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have to have been able to homeschool my kids these last 24 years. I only wish I knew there was such a thing as homeschooling earlier than I did so then we would never have sent our kids to school at all (our older 2 were at school when we changed over to homeschooling). I love hanging out with my kids and all the time together, especially through their teenage years, has cemented some very strong family relationships.
Our eldest is now almost 34 years old and he and his wife are homeschooling their eldest who is 5 years old. It’s been a journey for them too and I’m glad I can now encourage my daughter-in-law with what I have learnt over the years, especially dealing with lack of confidence in the early days, which made it quite stressful for me at times.
So what do our outcomes of homeschooling look like? How did our kids do academically? Of our 9 children, 8 have now finished homeschooling, I’ll just share the outcomes of a couple of them.
Sean, almost 34 yrs, started his accounting degree part-time through Open University at 14 yrs old. He finished his degree at 19 yrs and started almost immediately at an accounting firm and became partner at 22 yrs. He now has his own business developing software for accounting and more. Charity, 18 yrs, was very keen on fashion. At 16 yrs after finishing Year10 we applied for an exemption for her from full time education from the minister of education (Tasmania) so she could work 25+ hours a week at Dome as head barista while putting herself through her certificate and advanced certificate in fashion styling with a course on the mainland which was mostly online (apart from two trips to Melbourne of 5 days and 3 days in which I accompanied her, although not to the actual course, she did that alone). This was all approved and Charity paid for the course herself ($8,500) from working at Dome. Although now she works at a cafe/ coffee roasting business, fashion is still her passion, and she has started her own website. We encourage our kids to be the best they can be at whatever they put their hand to.
How can your kids learn more than you? Some how they just do! I’m still the most illiterate one in the family when it comes to computers. My kids teach me!!!
But more important than academics is their character. Are they kind, thoughtful, loving, generous, compassionate? And more important than their character is their relationship with the Lord. What you prioritise in homeschooling will either make or break your kids. If you’re just concerned about academics they may end up with a degree but at what cost? If they snub others, are judgemental, unkind and thoughtless a degree is not the be all and end all of life or education. There are something’s that are way more important than academics, but if we as parents don’t prioritise those things neither will our kids. It’s a big responsibility to homeschool but then just having kids is a big responsibility. It’s not always going to be easy. But day after day, week after week, month after month, and as the months turn into years, you will one day see the fruit of your homeschooling; for good or for bad.
Enjoy the time with your kids. They grow up so very fast. It’s tiring to homeschool, it’s busy, it’s chaotic at time’s but in the end it’s always worth it. Make sure you take time out to rest, especially if you feel you’re not coping. Mums and Dads need time out too. But also take time to be refreshed in the Lords presence. Half an hour with Him can make the world of difference to your day and help you to be a better reflection of Jesus to your kids.
So back to Australia today and the strange turn of events that has seen Australian families forced to homeschool due to the current health crisis. Hang in there and enjoy the ride of your life with your kids. We are family, we are one!
By Helen Devenish, April 2020
Contact lovehobart@gmail.com
When I first started homeschooling as a young Mum (of 5 kids at the time), I was scared. It’s ok to feel scared, daunted, inadequate or anxious as it’s a huge change. I only knew one other family homeschooling at the time we started, so this step into the unknown did feel daunting and challenging. On top of that my husband and I had extended family members who were teachers. Was I going to measure up? People used to ask me when they found out that I home schooled if I was a teacher? I would gulp and say no but that I loved my kids and we (David and I) felt it was the best thing to do for our children. Sometimes when people (family and others) would visit they would ask the kids to show them their school work and then quiz them on what they were learning. I found all that quite intimidating. I wondered how I could educate them as well as school could. But something interesting began to happen. Sean, our eldest, who was 10 years old at the time we started homeschooling started to learn things for himself. He enjoyed extra time to be creative and started doing all kinds of things. He was interested in World War 2 so now he had time to pursue his interests. He invented games and made miniature cardboard soldiers and got his younger brothers involved. We realised he was learning history, geography, English comprehension and more. And that is the beauty of natural learning. A part from Maths, just about every other main stream subject is covered in children pursuing what interests them.
Our youngest daughter Shalom (the 9th child in our family) is 13 years old. She has her set ‘school’ books she goes through each day (actually only 4 days a week and she’s still at least a year ahead on most subjects if not more). But she has so many other interest which all add to her learning. She has pen pals she writes to in Canberra and England (whom she’s not met), she’s got into growing veggies and she’s reading up on what to grow, when to grow different things and what to do when leaves get eaten or a plant dies prematurely. She also loves to make cards. She saved up her pocket money and birthday money and bought a sizzix machine so she can cut out all kinds of shapes from paper and then with her inks and stamping she makes beautiful cards. She’s even just received an order from our local Post office for 60 cards. So now she’s learning about profit and loss and up front costs and mark up etc. etc. And this, all while doing what she loves. She watches Youtube ‘how to’ videos for card making as well as all kinds of other creative ideas. She uses her pocket money and money from selling cards to buy more materials and make birthday presents and gifts for people. When we went to KL, Malaysia 18 months ago she studied everything to do with KL before we went (of her own initiative), so when we arrived in KL we had a hand drawn map compliments of Shalom. She also knew where all the sights were and knew all about the exchange rate for money and how far away things were.
So as you see from these two examples my kids do so much more learning outside of their official ‘school’ work. We do follow a curriculum for the basics so we know our kids are progressing at a good rate and learning similar things to others their age but most of our homeschooling is interest based. It works well and makes for very happy kids when they have time to pursue what they are interested in and know they are learning and maturing all at the same time.
There are ‘gaps’ in my kids learning as my kids don’t necessarily know everything that kids who go to school know. But then school kids don’t necessarily know everything my kids know either. It’s just different and that’s ok. Who said we all have to be the same and we all have to know exactly the same things? No one. Diversity is good. Yes, there are weaknesses in homeschooling but I personally think. there’s way more strengths.
How do I keep my kids occupied ALL day? Any of my kids who say they’re bored get jobs: cleaning, tidying up, weeding etc. So guess what? None of my kids have said ‘ I’m bored’ in a very long time. It works well and helps them to find their own creative pursuits.
I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have to have been able to homeschool my kids these last 24 years. I only wish I knew there was such a thing as homeschooling earlier than I did so then we would never have sent our kids to school at all (our older 2 were at school when we changed over to homeschooling). I love hanging out with my kids and all the time together, especially through their teenage years, has cemented some very strong family relationships.
Our eldest is now almost 34 years old and he and his wife are homeschooling their eldest who is 5 years old. It’s been a journey for them too and I’m glad I can now encourage my daughter-in-law with what I have learnt over the years, especially dealing with lack of confidence in the early days, which made it quite stressful for me at times.
So what do our outcomes of homeschooling look like? How did our kids do academically? Of our 9 children, 8 have now finished homeschooling, I’ll just share the outcomes of a couple of them.
Sean, almost 34 yrs, started his accounting degree part-time through Open University at 14 yrs old. He finished his degree at 19 yrs and started almost immediately at an accounting firm and became partner at 22 yrs. He now has his own business developing software for accounting and more. Charity, 18 yrs, was very keen on fashion. At 16 yrs after finishing Year10 we applied for an exemption for her from full time education from the minister of education (Tasmania) so she could work 25+ hours a week at Dome as head barista while putting herself through her certificate and advanced certificate in fashion styling with a course on the mainland which was mostly online (apart from two trips to Melbourne of 5 days and 3 days in which I accompanied her, although not to the actual course, she did that alone). This was all approved and Charity paid for the course herself ($8,500) from working at Dome. Although now she works at a cafe/ coffee roasting business, fashion is still her passion, and she has started her own website. We encourage our kids to be the best they can be at whatever they put their hand to.
How can your kids learn more than you? Some how they just do! I’m still the most illiterate one in the family when it comes to computers. My kids teach me!!!
But more important than academics is their character. Are they kind, thoughtful, loving, generous, compassionate? And more important than their character is their relationship with the Lord. What you prioritise in homeschooling will either make or break your kids. If you’re just concerned about academics they may end up with a degree but at what cost? If they snub others, are judgemental, unkind and thoughtless a degree is not the be all and end all of life or education. There are something’s that are way more important than academics, but if we as parents don’t prioritise those things neither will our kids. It’s a big responsibility to homeschool but then just having kids is a big responsibility. It’s not always going to be easy. But day after day, week after week, month after month, and as the months turn into years, you will one day see the fruit of your homeschooling; for good or for bad.
Enjoy the time with your kids. They grow up so very fast. It’s tiring to homeschool, it’s busy, it’s chaotic at time’s but in the end it’s always worth it. Make sure you take time out to rest, especially if you feel you’re not coping. Mums and Dads need time out too. But also take time to be refreshed in the Lords presence. Half an hour with Him can make the world of difference to your day and help you to be a better reflection of Jesus to your kids.
So back to Australia today and the strange turn of events that has seen Australian families forced to homeschool due to the current health crisis. Hang in there and enjoy the ride of your life with your kids. We are family, we are one!
By Helen Devenish, April 2020
Contact lovehobart@gmail.com
Overcoming Pornography addiction
As a pastor I am seeing more and more Christians who have had a secret addiction to porn, sometimes for years. This is a huge problem in our world today, but it is a problem with an answer, for those who are Christ’s. Let’s first look at the problem of porn and then the answer to porn addictions.
Warnings
As Christians we need to be sure we are not being seduced by the worlds standards and thereby compromise what God says is right. What someone does in private (secret) is just as important as what they do in public. Our walk with Jesus is not just about how we look to others but what we do in private, in secret, behind closed doors.
Looking at pornography will affect your relationship with the Lord. God is Holy and pure. There is no evil in Him. You cannot be involved in porn (lust) and still be open and transparent in your relationship with God. Do not be deceived into thinking porn (lust) does not matter to God. Looking at pornography is WRONG. It is evil and it is SIN. Don’t try and justify your sin in this area by telling yourself it doesn’t hurt anyone. Well it’s hurting you whether you realize it or not, and it hurts others; from wives and husbands, to those girls trapped in the sex slave industry where they are forced to perform for the camera for your porn addiction.
Resisting temptation
Resisting the temptation to look at pornography requires self-control. This is easier said than done for many Christians who are already heavily addicted to porn. As porn is so easily accessible through the internet and only a finger-touch away- a press on a phone- at any time of the day or night, it is a difficult addiction to break- but NOT impossible. And today, it’s not just males that have porn addictions, the number of females addicted to porn is also skyrocketing. But for anyone that is compromised (that is, in sin) in this area of their life, they are putting their eternal destiny on the line. If they do not get freedom from porn, it will also affect other areas of their life, and ultimately their relationship with the Lord. The sin of porn ALWAYS opens up to other sins such as sexual perversion, excessive masturbation, deception and lying, to name a few; along with shame, guilt and condemnation. At it’s worse there is adultery and complete breakdown of marriage. The likelihood of falling into the act of sexual sin if you look at pornography increases dramatically. Pornography is the first hook into you but soon that’s not enough. When someone falls into sin in one area of their lives, if they do not repent, it opens up for other sins and ultimately death.
James 1:13-16 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
Consequences of pornography
Just a little look… that won’t hurt, will it? Just some ‘soft’ porn. And that’s often how it starts… just like other addictions, just one little go. But once Satan gets that first hook into your life, you’ve been snared because that ‘little sin’ that ‘little look at porn’ never stays little. Sin is a deadly trap and Satan is never satisfied with us doing one little sin (and neither is our flesh). There is so much warning in the Bible on sin leading to more sin and pornography is no different. Once Satan has succeeded in getting someone to look at porn once, the likelihood of looking again increases dramatically. The flesh wants another look, just another little look. It won’t hurt will it? No one knows about it. It’s not affecting anyone is it?
WRONG!
It’s a slippery slope downhill. Any ‘softening’ or ‘playing down’ of the effect of pornography is compromise to the Word of God.
What does the Word of God say about pornography?
Matthew 6:22-23 says “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Matthew 5:27-28 gives a very severe warning of the eternal consequences when you allow your eyes to cause you to sin. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Lusting at a woman (or man) is as if you’ve committed adultery in your heart, so Jesus said, if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. This is not literal but shows the severity of the consequences of the sin of lust if left unchecked. It is better not to have an eye than end up in Hell. That means, do whatever you have to, to remove yourself from the area of temptation so that you do not fall into sin. Why? Because sin when it is fully conceived it will bring forth death. (Read James 1:13-16 again- see above.)
Jesus is the answer
Freedom from all sin comes from Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Biblically we can see a pattern of how to get free from porn and other addictions and sin generally. James 4:7-8a shows one of those patterns- submit to God first, then you will be able to resist the devil and he will flee. You need to love the Lord so much that you are willing to submit to Him in everything. This comes from knowing Him, really knowing Him intimately, not just knowing about Him. Abide in Him that He might be all sufficient for you.
Repentance
When someone confesses the sin of porn to God, He is faithful to forgive them their sin. Don’t try hiding sin from God. His desire is that you will come to Him for help. Be aware that none are above temptation, but that we all need to be on guard lest we fall (see 1 Cor 10:12). For someone who has fallen into the sin of pornography, genuine repentance will bring forth forgiveness and God will restore. The power of the cross is amazing. Genuine repentance includes turning away from the sin, not just saying sorry and continuing in it. Repentance will include daily bringing your worldly passions and fleshly desires into submission to the Word of God and resisting them.
Deliverance
My experience is that those who have looked at porn have usually opened up for a spirit of lust, often along with other associated spirits. Although I do not believe a Christian can be demon-possessed they can be afflicted or oppressed by a demon. I personally believe deliverance prayer is part of the road to freedom for those Christians who are repentant and sincerely desire to be free from this addiction. A prayer of repentance is followed by commanding a spirit of lust to come off the person- off their thoughts, their eyes and their heart using the authority and power of the Name of Jesus. I have found that those who do not have deliverance generally struggle a lot more to stay free from falling back into porn.
Fasting
We must not only learn Godly disciplines such as prayer and reading the Bible to help us in our walk with the Lord, but we must also learn to discipline our fleshly desires. I have seen those who have had heavy porn addictions find victory through fasting. When you learn to deny your flesh food, it often becomes easier to deny your flesh ungodly lusts. If you don’t want to fall snare of the devil you need to bring your physical body under control as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
If you cannot control what you eat you are very likely going to struggle with other fleshly lusts which can ultimately destroy you. Fasting food is an amazing way to discipline your body by denying it what it wants. Start by fasting breakfast or lunch or coffee or chocolate, something small that you love, and build up to doing longer times of fasting. Fasting is also a time to really draw near to the Lord and seek Him and ask for His help to overcome.
Ongoing victory requires the fruit of self-control
Run away from porn or any other sin you’re struggling with. A young man I know recently left his place of work and his accommodation as the temptations in those two places to various addictive sins was so great. He counted the cost, and understood the severity of the consequences of his sin if he didn’t get free. He did what it took to get away from the greatest areas of temptation where he struggled to stay pure. Some may see this as weakness but I think this young man showed exceptional strength to walk away from the temptations at cost to himself, but the Lord has provided for him.
Don’t look twice!
The first look at porn is usually the temptation, but it’s what you do with that first look that will determine whether you fall into sin or not. If you have a Godly mindset you will not give into temptation and you won’t look again. If you can get the phrase ‘Don’t look twice’ in your thinking and be willing to act on that as soon as you see something that is sin you will do well. For example, when you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed and there is a picture of dubious nature (nudity, sexual, lustful etc.) don’t look twice. Scroll fast forward away from that picture. This is only going to come as you learn to die daily to your fleshly desires and walk holy and uprightly with the Lord in Spirit and truth. As a pastor on the streets of Hobart I have an assortment of Facebook friends so I follow this principle myself as I am all too aware of the temptations out there. I thankfully have never had an issue with porn myself, but I’m still very guarded as to what I look at as I don’t want to fall into a snare in this area at all. None of us are above temptation so we need to be on guard.
When your heart’s desire is to please the Lord more than your flesh you will find the desire to say no to your flesh easier. It will take time, relationship and commitment to the Lord, but with perseverance and desire to flee sin you will walk in victory. Don’t look twice at porn. Turn away.
Just say no
I encourage those who have been addicted to porn after repentance, prayer and deliverance to remember to ‘just say no’. I thought about writing a rap song with the words ‘don’t look twice, just say no, don’t look twice, just say no…’ but I’m not a musician. But it’s worth remembering those phrases so as soon as you’re tempted you remember “don’t look twice” and “just say no” (to the devil and your flesh).
Ongoing discipleship & accountability
If you are struggling in the area of porn or any sin for that matter, don’t leave it in the darkness where it can fester and breed, but find someone you can trust who can pray with you through repentance to breakthrough. Don’t cover up your sin, but bring it into the light. It will be part of the process of setting you free. Proverbs 28:13 says “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” God is so very merciful to those who confess their sin and run from it. So many people respond well to accountability. It can sometimes be the care of a friend or two who you can contact when you’re sensing those first stages of weakness to give into temptation, that have seen many a person resist the temptation to sin. Ask the Lord who you should ask to walk alongside you as you seek to get free. Someone who will be diligent, patient and prayerful.
Daily walk with the Lord
We face temptations of the flesh daily. How do we resist falling into temptation? We need to daily rely upon God. We need to have a living, daily, relationship with the Lord that includes prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, the Lords supper, praise, thanksgiving and worship, so that when temptations come we are in a place to say no to our flesh, no to the devil, and yes to what God says.
Final words
The Lord loves you and so desires that you walk with Him in Spirit and in truth. As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in you to help you to overcome the temptations of the flesh. Listen to Him. Yield to Him. Trust the Lord will strengthen you and help you to resist temptation, as you look unto Him. He died for you so that you can be victorious over sin. Love Him, follow Him, take up your cross daily and daily die to your flesh and you will see what an amazing transformation the Lord will do in your life. As you walk in the fruit of righteousness you will enjoy healthier relationships, God’s blessings on your life in ways that you can’t fathom and spiritual fruit. You won’t be a hypocrite, and you will know it, but rather someone who leads others in the ways of the Lord, by living the Christian walk in all areas of your life.
By Helen Devenish. 2019 If you have found this article helpful or have any questions and would like to contact Helen please check out her ministry website at lovehobart.com or email lovehobart@gmail.com
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Warnings
As Christians we need to be sure we are not being seduced by the worlds standards and thereby compromise what God says is right. What someone does in private (secret) is just as important as what they do in public. Our walk with Jesus is not just about how we look to others but what we do in private, in secret, behind closed doors.
Looking at pornography will affect your relationship with the Lord. God is Holy and pure. There is no evil in Him. You cannot be involved in porn (lust) and still be open and transparent in your relationship with God. Do not be deceived into thinking porn (lust) does not matter to God. Looking at pornography is WRONG. It is evil and it is SIN. Don’t try and justify your sin in this area by telling yourself it doesn’t hurt anyone. Well it’s hurting you whether you realize it or not, and it hurts others; from wives and husbands, to those girls trapped in the sex slave industry where they are forced to perform for the camera for your porn addiction.
Resisting temptation
Resisting the temptation to look at pornography requires self-control. This is easier said than done for many Christians who are already heavily addicted to porn. As porn is so easily accessible through the internet and only a finger-touch away- a press on a phone- at any time of the day or night, it is a difficult addiction to break- but NOT impossible. And today, it’s not just males that have porn addictions, the number of females addicted to porn is also skyrocketing. But for anyone that is compromised (that is, in sin) in this area of their life, they are putting their eternal destiny on the line. If they do not get freedom from porn, it will also affect other areas of their life, and ultimately their relationship with the Lord. The sin of porn ALWAYS opens up to other sins such as sexual perversion, excessive masturbation, deception and lying, to name a few; along with shame, guilt and condemnation. At it’s worse there is adultery and complete breakdown of marriage. The likelihood of falling into the act of sexual sin if you look at pornography increases dramatically. Pornography is the first hook into you but soon that’s not enough. When someone falls into sin in one area of their lives, if they do not repent, it opens up for other sins and ultimately death.
James 1:13-16 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
Consequences of pornography
Just a little look… that won’t hurt, will it? Just some ‘soft’ porn. And that’s often how it starts… just like other addictions, just one little go. But once Satan gets that first hook into your life, you’ve been snared because that ‘little sin’ that ‘little look at porn’ never stays little. Sin is a deadly trap and Satan is never satisfied with us doing one little sin (and neither is our flesh). There is so much warning in the Bible on sin leading to more sin and pornography is no different. Once Satan has succeeded in getting someone to look at porn once, the likelihood of looking again increases dramatically. The flesh wants another look, just another little look. It won’t hurt will it? No one knows about it. It’s not affecting anyone is it?
WRONG!
It’s a slippery slope downhill. Any ‘softening’ or ‘playing down’ of the effect of pornography is compromise to the Word of God.
What does the Word of God say about pornography?
Matthew 6:22-23 says “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Matthew 5:27-28 gives a very severe warning of the eternal consequences when you allow your eyes to cause you to sin. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Lusting at a woman (or man) is as if you’ve committed adultery in your heart, so Jesus said, if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. This is not literal but shows the severity of the consequences of the sin of lust if left unchecked. It is better not to have an eye than end up in Hell. That means, do whatever you have to, to remove yourself from the area of temptation so that you do not fall into sin. Why? Because sin when it is fully conceived it will bring forth death. (Read James 1:13-16 again- see above.)
Jesus is the answer
Freedom from all sin comes from Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Biblically we can see a pattern of how to get free from porn and other addictions and sin generally. James 4:7-8a shows one of those patterns- submit to God first, then you will be able to resist the devil and he will flee. You need to love the Lord so much that you are willing to submit to Him in everything. This comes from knowing Him, really knowing Him intimately, not just knowing about Him. Abide in Him that He might be all sufficient for you.
Repentance
When someone confesses the sin of porn to God, He is faithful to forgive them their sin. Don’t try hiding sin from God. His desire is that you will come to Him for help. Be aware that none are above temptation, but that we all need to be on guard lest we fall (see 1 Cor 10:12). For someone who has fallen into the sin of pornography, genuine repentance will bring forth forgiveness and God will restore. The power of the cross is amazing. Genuine repentance includes turning away from the sin, not just saying sorry and continuing in it. Repentance will include daily bringing your worldly passions and fleshly desires into submission to the Word of God and resisting them.
Deliverance
My experience is that those who have looked at porn have usually opened up for a spirit of lust, often along with other associated spirits. Although I do not believe a Christian can be demon-possessed they can be afflicted or oppressed by a demon. I personally believe deliverance prayer is part of the road to freedom for those Christians who are repentant and sincerely desire to be free from this addiction. A prayer of repentance is followed by commanding a spirit of lust to come off the person- off their thoughts, their eyes and their heart using the authority and power of the Name of Jesus. I have found that those who do not have deliverance generally struggle a lot more to stay free from falling back into porn.
Fasting
We must not only learn Godly disciplines such as prayer and reading the Bible to help us in our walk with the Lord, but we must also learn to discipline our fleshly desires. I have seen those who have had heavy porn addictions find victory through fasting. When you learn to deny your flesh food, it often becomes easier to deny your flesh ungodly lusts. If you don’t want to fall snare of the devil you need to bring your physical body under control as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
If you cannot control what you eat you are very likely going to struggle with other fleshly lusts which can ultimately destroy you. Fasting food is an amazing way to discipline your body by denying it what it wants. Start by fasting breakfast or lunch or coffee or chocolate, something small that you love, and build up to doing longer times of fasting. Fasting is also a time to really draw near to the Lord and seek Him and ask for His help to overcome.
Ongoing victory requires the fruit of self-control
Run away from porn or any other sin you’re struggling with. A young man I know recently left his place of work and his accommodation as the temptations in those two places to various addictive sins was so great. He counted the cost, and understood the severity of the consequences of his sin if he didn’t get free. He did what it took to get away from the greatest areas of temptation where he struggled to stay pure. Some may see this as weakness but I think this young man showed exceptional strength to walk away from the temptations at cost to himself, but the Lord has provided for him.
Don’t look twice!
The first look at porn is usually the temptation, but it’s what you do with that first look that will determine whether you fall into sin or not. If you have a Godly mindset you will not give into temptation and you won’t look again. If you can get the phrase ‘Don’t look twice’ in your thinking and be willing to act on that as soon as you see something that is sin you will do well. For example, when you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed and there is a picture of dubious nature (nudity, sexual, lustful etc.) don’t look twice. Scroll fast forward away from that picture. This is only going to come as you learn to die daily to your fleshly desires and walk holy and uprightly with the Lord in Spirit and truth. As a pastor on the streets of Hobart I have an assortment of Facebook friends so I follow this principle myself as I am all too aware of the temptations out there. I thankfully have never had an issue with porn myself, but I’m still very guarded as to what I look at as I don’t want to fall into a snare in this area at all. None of us are above temptation so we need to be on guard.
When your heart’s desire is to please the Lord more than your flesh you will find the desire to say no to your flesh easier. It will take time, relationship and commitment to the Lord, but with perseverance and desire to flee sin you will walk in victory. Don’t look twice at porn. Turn away.
Just say no
I encourage those who have been addicted to porn after repentance, prayer and deliverance to remember to ‘just say no’. I thought about writing a rap song with the words ‘don’t look twice, just say no, don’t look twice, just say no…’ but I’m not a musician. But it’s worth remembering those phrases so as soon as you’re tempted you remember “don’t look twice” and “just say no” (to the devil and your flesh).
Ongoing discipleship & accountability
If you are struggling in the area of porn or any sin for that matter, don’t leave it in the darkness where it can fester and breed, but find someone you can trust who can pray with you through repentance to breakthrough. Don’t cover up your sin, but bring it into the light. It will be part of the process of setting you free. Proverbs 28:13 says “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” God is so very merciful to those who confess their sin and run from it. So many people respond well to accountability. It can sometimes be the care of a friend or two who you can contact when you’re sensing those first stages of weakness to give into temptation, that have seen many a person resist the temptation to sin. Ask the Lord who you should ask to walk alongside you as you seek to get free. Someone who will be diligent, patient and prayerful.
Daily walk with the Lord
We face temptations of the flesh daily. How do we resist falling into temptation? We need to daily rely upon God. We need to have a living, daily, relationship with the Lord that includes prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, the Lords supper, praise, thanksgiving and worship, so that when temptations come we are in a place to say no to our flesh, no to the devil, and yes to what God says.
Final words
The Lord loves you and so desires that you walk with Him in Spirit and in truth. As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in you to help you to overcome the temptations of the flesh. Listen to Him. Yield to Him. Trust the Lord will strengthen you and help you to resist temptation, as you look unto Him. He died for you so that you can be victorious over sin. Love Him, follow Him, take up your cross daily and daily die to your flesh and you will see what an amazing transformation the Lord will do in your life. As you walk in the fruit of righteousness you will enjoy healthier relationships, God’s blessings on your life in ways that you can’t fathom and spiritual fruit. You won’t be a hypocrite, and you will know it, but rather someone who leads others in the ways of the Lord, by living the Christian walk in all areas of your life.
By Helen Devenish. 2019 If you have found this article helpful or have any questions and would like to contact Helen please check out her ministry website at lovehobart.com or email lovehobart@gmail.com
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Insights into raising a godly family
Proverbs 23:26 “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” NKJV
I never imagined when David and I married that we would end up with 9 children. We lost quite a few others along the way through miscarriage but we are very thankful for our nine. Having a big family is a big responsibility and for us the most important thing was, and is, to train up our children in Gods way. We have seen so many Christian families lose their kids to the world that we really considered how to raise a family with more likelihood of our children desiring to be disciples of Christ.
It is the most amazing blessing to have all nine of our children walking with the Lord. I don’t think that it was just luck or that we were perfect, we aren’t, but there are things we did that I believe have helped our children to walk and maintain their walk with the Lord. Obviously the grace of God is at work for there to be such a good outcome. We will never know how much the Lord has helped us and blessed us. But we have also chosen to do things different to the norm and I do believe this has been an integral part of seeing each child safely through to accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and continuing on in the faith.
One of the most radical things we did was to start homeschooling when our eldest was 10 years old (22 yrs ago). We pulled him and Joanne, out of school and Matthew out of kindy and we began the scary task of homeschooling. It was hard at first, feeling like we were being looked at through a microscope by family and friends and I remember one friend saying, ‘we’ll be watching you’ ( with the tone of voice that suggested she thought we would fail). As we focused on our children’s characters- honesty, integrity, good attitude, helpfulness, Christ-likeness and the like, the academics fell into place too. Our kids started learning more than us! Our eldest started his accounting degree, part-time at 14yrs old by correspondence through Open Universities (attaining his degree at 19yrs). I do believe homeschooling really helped us as parents to keep the hearts of our children, and subsequently see each of them maintain their personal relationship with the Lord.
Then about 18 years ago we chucked out our TV. At the time this was a very radical thing to do as there was no internet, computers or mobile phones. We copped a lot of criticism for doing this, but it has to have been one of the best things we ever did. We had the evenings free. Our older children all taught themselves musical instruments, as being on one income we couldn’t afford lessons. We had more family time and time to pursue other interests. It was also a way to protect our children from porn, but of course today it’s different. We still don’t have a TV but we do have computers, internet and mobile phones. Our children have limited time to play computer games and they watch no more than one (parent approved) movie a week. Our kids don’t get their first phone until they get their first job and then they pay for their phone themselves. Our kids generally don’t get onto social media until 16 years or older, and interestingly none of them have pushed to have this earlier. By this age they are generally more aware of the dangers of social media having talked to them about the easy access to porn and how to avoid it and turn away from it. I say, “never look twice”. Sometimes you can come across things unawares so the principle of not looking again at anything that is dubious is a good lesson to learn, coupled with the fruit of the Spirit; self-control. We regularly check with our kids if they are struggling with any temptation. It’s not easy in our modern world to stay pure but it’s oh so necessary if we are to be holy as Christ is holy. Accountability is beneficial and necessary if we and our children are to stay free from falling into temptation.
I trust we’ve raised our kids to not have the need to be peer-dependant, but rather be willing to be different, unique, and if need be, a solitary voice for the truth. It is a good thing to have a child who is willing to stand out and be different, to be so secure in their relationship with Jesus that they are not ‘needy’ for the accolades of peers. Our kids have not had lots of friends. Some may see this as a problem but considering the warnings in the Bible about bad company corrupting good morals we need to be very careful who our kids hang out with. If parents just want their child/ children to be in the ‘in-crowd’ or the most popular child this could well back fire and breed worldly children. Far better for our children to have good relationship with their parents who can influence them in the right direction. Children need parent time more than being popular with their peers. Our goal has been to win and keep the hearts of our children. Simply put, that’s lots of love, lots of food, time together (especially at night when it’s bed time everyone seems to get more chatty!) and openness about the joys and struggles of life. Enjoy your children. Don’t just palm them off to others so you can have ‘me’ time, let them be part of your life, day in day out- they grow up quick enough. Quantity time is necessary and really the quantity of time does add up to quality time. Do you enjoy hanging out with your children? Do they know it because you actually do it?
Dinner time is family time. No distractions, no mobile phones just good hearty food with wholesome conversation followed by a Bible reading, with some practical applications and prayer. This is an opportunity for the youngest to the eldest to share insights from their daily personal Bible Reading. We take in turns with a different one sharing each day- although Shalom, our youngest, is always very keen to read the Bible and share. David and I also pray every night for all our children. The power of prayer is amazing as we commit each child to the Lord.
At this time we have 6 of our kids living at home, the other 3 are married and we have 2 grandchildren with more on the way. Life has whizzed by. It doesn’t seem that long ago they were all at home and we had our crazy country adventures in Toodyay and Colebrook. All our kids have learnt to work hard and they’ve had no trouble getting jobs. Shalom already has a job waiting her when she is old enough at the cafe where Charity and Joseph work, as they have proved to be reliable, capable and hard workers.
I asked our children why they think everyone of them is walking with the Lord. I asked them individually so they had no idea what any one else said. Here’s their responses:
Sean, 32yrs The closeness of the family. Everything around my parents spiritual experience they shared with us.
Joanne, 30 yrs I think a big part is that Mum and Dad are not hypocrites. They’re not two-faced. They live out their faith in everyday life, not just on Sundays.
Matthew, 27 yrs My parents are very open about their faith, they always shared their struggles and trying times as well as the good things. I appreciate their openness.
Thomas 25 yrs We had a very open and honest family time growing up so we all grew together and you could see everyone was real.
Brodie 22 yrs My parents are real. They’re the same when they’re out at church as they are at home. They’re not fakes.
Emily 18 yrs Mum and Dad are real and not fake. Also being homeschooled we haven’t been influenced by worldly people.
Charity 16yrs Mum and Dad have set a good example for us.
Joseph 14 yrs Mum and Dad are genuine, and they’re very nice.
Shalom 11 yrs I’ve seen God move through the street ministry, the healings and miracles we’ve seen, I just know there’s a God. And I just see Mum and Dad are real. They love Jesus and they love each other.
As parents we need to be sure we are giving the right message to our kids, and that’s not just what you say but what you do. What do you prioritise in life? Work? TV? You? Or do you put God first? Do you spend time aside with the Lord? Are you leading your children by example? You can’t expect them to put God first in their lives if you’re not.
In summary. Be real with your kids. Don’t hide the struggles or the tears. Let them see the real you. Let them be part of the good times, the joy and laughter, but let them share in the hard things in life too. When life has been really hard it’s amazing how much encouragement our kids have been to us. But be warned, if you’re being a hypocrite in any area of your life it will turn your children off Christianity. I always say a teenager can pick a hypocrite a mile away. If you’re prioritising your career, your ‘me’ time and watching things on the internet that you shouldn’t, your kids will know. Be sure to set a good example as you can’t expect your kids to do what you’re not. Get right with the Lord, deal with any sin in your life and seek to be holy as Christ is holy that you might lead your children in truth and righteousness. And then as Paul, the apostle said “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1
By Helen Devenish August 2018
I never imagined when David and I married that we would end up with 9 children. We lost quite a few others along the way through miscarriage but we are very thankful for our nine. Having a big family is a big responsibility and for us the most important thing was, and is, to train up our children in Gods way. We have seen so many Christian families lose their kids to the world that we really considered how to raise a family with more likelihood of our children desiring to be disciples of Christ.
It is the most amazing blessing to have all nine of our children walking with the Lord. I don’t think that it was just luck or that we were perfect, we aren’t, but there are things we did that I believe have helped our children to walk and maintain their walk with the Lord. Obviously the grace of God is at work for there to be such a good outcome. We will never know how much the Lord has helped us and blessed us. But we have also chosen to do things different to the norm and I do believe this has been an integral part of seeing each child safely through to accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and continuing on in the faith.
One of the most radical things we did was to start homeschooling when our eldest was 10 years old (22 yrs ago). We pulled him and Joanne, out of school and Matthew out of kindy and we began the scary task of homeschooling. It was hard at first, feeling like we were being looked at through a microscope by family and friends and I remember one friend saying, ‘we’ll be watching you’ ( with the tone of voice that suggested she thought we would fail). As we focused on our children’s characters- honesty, integrity, good attitude, helpfulness, Christ-likeness and the like, the academics fell into place too. Our kids started learning more than us! Our eldest started his accounting degree, part-time at 14yrs old by correspondence through Open Universities (attaining his degree at 19yrs). I do believe homeschooling really helped us as parents to keep the hearts of our children, and subsequently see each of them maintain their personal relationship with the Lord.
Then about 18 years ago we chucked out our TV. At the time this was a very radical thing to do as there was no internet, computers or mobile phones. We copped a lot of criticism for doing this, but it has to have been one of the best things we ever did. We had the evenings free. Our older children all taught themselves musical instruments, as being on one income we couldn’t afford lessons. We had more family time and time to pursue other interests. It was also a way to protect our children from porn, but of course today it’s different. We still don’t have a TV but we do have computers, internet and mobile phones. Our children have limited time to play computer games and they watch no more than one (parent approved) movie a week. Our kids don’t get their first phone until they get their first job and then they pay for their phone themselves. Our kids generally don’t get onto social media until 16 years or older, and interestingly none of them have pushed to have this earlier. By this age they are generally more aware of the dangers of social media having talked to them about the easy access to porn and how to avoid it and turn away from it. I say, “never look twice”. Sometimes you can come across things unawares so the principle of not looking again at anything that is dubious is a good lesson to learn, coupled with the fruit of the Spirit; self-control. We regularly check with our kids if they are struggling with any temptation. It’s not easy in our modern world to stay pure but it’s oh so necessary if we are to be holy as Christ is holy. Accountability is beneficial and necessary if we and our children are to stay free from falling into temptation.
I trust we’ve raised our kids to not have the need to be peer-dependant, but rather be willing to be different, unique, and if need be, a solitary voice for the truth. It is a good thing to have a child who is willing to stand out and be different, to be so secure in their relationship with Jesus that they are not ‘needy’ for the accolades of peers. Our kids have not had lots of friends. Some may see this as a problem but considering the warnings in the Bible about bad company corrupting good morals we need to be very careful who our kids hang out with. If parents just want their child/ children to be in the ‘in-crowd’ or the most popular child this could well back fire and breed worldly children. Far better for our children to have good relationship with their parents who can influence them in the right direction. Children need parent time more than being popular with their peers. Our goal has been to win and keep the hearts of our children. Simply put, that’s lots of love, lots of food, time together (especially at night when it’s bed time everyone seems to get more chatty!) and openness about the joys and struggles of life. Enjoy your children. Don’t just palm them off to others so you can have ‘me’ time, let them be part of your life, day in day out- they grow up quick enough. Quantity time is necessary and really the quantity of time does add up to quality time. Do you enjoy hanging out with your children? Do they know it because you actually do it?
Dinner time is family time. No distractions, no mobile phones just good hearty food with wholesome conversation followed by a Bible reading, with some practical applications and prayer. This is an opportunity for the youngest to the eldest to share insights from their daily personal Bible Reading. We take in turns with a different one sharing each day- although Shalom, our youngest, is always very keen to read the Bible and share. David and I also pray every night for all our children. The power of prayer is amazing as we commit each child to the Lord.
At this time we have 6 of our kids living at home, the other 3 are married and we have 2 grandchildren with more on the way. Life has whizzed by. It doesn’t seem that long ago they were all at home and we had our crazy country adventures in Toodyay and Colebrook. All our kids have learnt to work hard and they’ve had no trouble getting jobs. Shalom already has a job waiting her when she is old enough at the cafe where Charity and Joseph work, as they have proved to be reliable, capable and hard workers.
I asked our children why they think everyone of them is walking with the Lord. I asked them individually so they had no idea what any one else said. Here’s their responses:
Sean, 32yrs The closeness of the family. Everything around my parents spiritual experience they shared with us.
Joanne, 30 yrs I think a big part is that Mum and Dad are not hypocrites. They’re not two-faced. They live out their faith in everyday life, not just on Sundays.
Matthew, 27 yrs My parents are very open about their faith, they always shared their struggles and trying times as well as the good things. I appreciate their openness.
Thomas 25 yrs We had a very open and honest family time growing up so we all grew together and you could see everyone was real.
Brodie 22 yrs My parents are real. They’re the same when they’re out at church as they are at home. They’re not fakes.
Emily 18 yrs Mum and Dad are real and not fake. Also being homeschooled we haven’t been influenced by worldly people.
Charity 16yrs Mum and Dad have set a good example for us.
Joseph 14 yrs Mum and Dad are genuine, and they’re very nice.
Shalom 11 yrs I’ve seen God move through the street ministry, the healings and miracles we’ve seen, I just know there’s a God. And I just see Mum and Dad are real. They love Jesus and they love each other.
As parents we need to be sure we are giving the right message to our kids, and that’s not just what you say but what you do. What do you prioritise in life? Work? TV? You? Or do you put God first? Do you spend time aside with the Lord? Are you leading your children by example? You can’t expect them to put God first in their lives if you’re not.
In summary. Be real with your kids. Don’t hide the struggles or the tears. Let them see the real you. Let them be part of the good times, the joy and laughter, but let them share in the hard things in life too. When life has been really hard it’s amazing how much encouragement our kids have been to us. But be warned, if you’re being a hypocrite in any area of your life it will turn your children off Christianity. I always say a teenager can pick a hypocrite a mile away. If you’re prioritising your career, your ‘me’ time and watching things on the internet that you shouldn’t, your kids will know. Be sure to set a good example as you can’t expect your kids to do what you’re not. Get right with the Lord, deal with any sin in your life and seek to be holy as Christ is holy that you might lead your children in truth and righteousness. And then as Paul, the apostle said “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1
By Helen Devenish August 2018