Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart. While it affords some of the most incredible joys, it also unleashes some of the most monumental challenges. Ask any average American mom or dad, and that parent will gladly share a few favorite “war stories” of parenting through potty training, first day of kindergarten — and driver’s education.

My wife, Heather, and I have six children, and we have experienced all of this and more over the past 20 years. But without a doubt, one of the hardest parenting tasks was sending a child off to college. Within a span of three years, our two oldest sons left home for Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

When college comes calling, there is usually a mutual anxiety among students and parents. Students worry about class schedules and professors, navigating the campus environment, and making friends. Parents fret over tuition payments, financial aid, and the choice of a degree program.

But sadly, what is often overlooked in college preparation is maintaining a healthy spiritual life. Statistics reveal that more young people fall away from God, church, and spiritual things during the college years than during any other season of life. Knowing this, what do wise parents need to communicate to their young people before those kids arrive on campus? What matters even more than the location of classrooms, cafeteria, or computer lab?

1.) The heart matters. From the moment your son or daughter entered the world, you provided everything for your child’s life and sustenance: food, housing, clothing, education. In addition, you stimulated his spiritual growth through church attendance, children’s programs, and youth groups.

You consistently exposed him to the gospel message. But with college approaching, young people are now being given the keys to their own spiritual journey. They learned how to drive a car. Now they must learn how to navigate their own heart in spiritual things.

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Proverbs 4:23 advises, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” How can young people protect their heart during college? They need regular Bible study, earnest prayer, and godly friendships for encouragement and accountability. Where the heart goes, life follows.

2.) Church matters. A recent study revealed that on many college campuses in America, more water is used on Sunday morning than at any other time. What could explain this strange phenomenon? On a typical Sunday morning, large numbers of college students are sleeping in, taking long showers, and doing their laundry.

Church just isn’t on the radar. However, young people who want a lifelong relationship with God will realize the incredible importance of church attendance, even at college (Hebrews 10:25). Church consistently delivers the joys of corporate worship, the faithful preaching of God’s word, and the encouragement of fellow believers. While many college students live for Saturday night, those who want a vibrant spiritual life get excited about Sunday morning.

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3.) Purity matters. Saying that college campuses have a problem with sexual promiscuity is like saying the sky is blue. Everyone knows it. A disappointing news story this week confirmed that South Dakota State University is installing condom machines in its dorms, in the hopes of reducing the number of sexually transmitted diseases among students.

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Common sense says this isn’t the answer. If you want your son or daughter to remain pure in the college years, then reaffirm the Bible’s sexual ethic before they arrive (Psalm 119:9). Teach your teen to steer clear of youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22) and to save sex for marriage (Hebrews 13:4). If your college student wants a bright future, challenge him or her to obey God’s wise instructions on sexuality.

4.) Truth matters. Everyone knows the story of Daniel, the biblical prophet who stood bravely in the lion’s den. When Christian students attend a secular college or university, they, too, become a Daniel — surrounded by hungry lions.

Many progressive professors are notorious for flashing their fangs at conservative, Bible-believing Christians. They roar at students with atheism, evolution, secularism. Some secretly hope Christians will cower and compromise their beliefs. How will your Christian student stand fast? He or she must have the absolute conviction the Bible is God’s trustworthy truth (2 Timothy 3:16) and the starting point for all real knowledge. No matter how viciously it is attacked, scripture is the sacred lens students need to perceive God, the universe, and the way to salvation (Romans 6:23).

Demonstrate the strategies for staying strong in faith.

Attending a college or a university is a tremendous privilege. For many students, higher education is a launching pad into a successful career, life and family. But not every college experience has a happy ending. Many young people raised in the church walk away from God and the Bible as a result of antagonistic instructors and other ungodly influences. In just four years, their foundation of faith slowly erodes.

Talk to your child about the dangers of this. Demonstrate the strategies for staying strong. Ground your beloved child in the inspired truth God has given for our guidance. Take hope, dads and moms! You survived potty training, puberty, and parallel parking. By God’s grace, you can make it through this portion of parenting, too.

Pastor Ryan Day is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where he has served for 17 years. He is a regular contributor to LifeZette.