Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
3 23 2026
The Conversation That’s Coming- that Dads Are Not Ready For
I read about a father sitting in his living room, watching his five-year-old son play with blocks.
Just laughing… building… completely unaware.
And the thought hit him like a quiet weight:
“One day… I’m going to have a conversation with him that I cannot avoid.”
Not if.
When.
Because the world has changed.
What used to be hidden… is now accessible.
What used to be delayed… is now early.
And what used to be rare… is now everywhere.
I heard a story of a 5 yr old who came to his Dad..He could tell he was upset…”Daddy, I saw something, and I can’t stop thinking about it.” What am I going to tell him? I thought I had more time!
Let’s just say it plainly…
Pornography is no longer a fringe issue.
It is not a “men’s issue.”
It is not something that shows up later in life.
It is discipling our children… before we miss the window of biblical truth and direction.
And this father sat there thinking what to say. And you are thinking now:
“What am I going to say when my son comes to me? Or a friend comes to me for advice. Or what did I miss with my grown son? Is there something more that still needs to be said?
Interestingly, I started writing this Devotional 6 years ago when a half dozen of my pastors asks if I would be open to writing a devotional encouragement to our men’s group Courageous. I said, absolutely. That was over 1250 episodes ago…and here’s the interesting part. Their very first 13 week lesson for our new men’s group was on – Pornography. AND…They wanted me to send some samples of what I would be sharing…to the pastors first. I’m not sure if they caught my mouth dropping. Honestly, I was not ready for that. Really?… how personal can you get…and then talk about it out loud with a bunch of guys around the table? I thought, you must be kidding me!
Some might call it baptism by fire! So I research, and write about this hidden closet, this private sin, this invasive and corrupt sin that wrecks marriage, relationships and to the surprise of many, it actually furrows the channels in your brain and changes them into ravines and arroyos that change the heart of what a man sees, scientifically. Perhaps one of the highest-ranked shameful sins one can admit to…and so we don’t …we hide it…and that means the root grows.
Because here’s the truth… that dad hadn’t figured it out himself.
He had tried to fight it.
He had tried to manage it.
He had tried to bury it.
And now he realized something that shook him…
If I hand my son the same answers that didn’t free me… I’m not protecting him… I’m preparing him.
That’s a hard truth.
And maybe it’s not just pornography.
Maybe it’s anger.
Maybe it’s unforgiveness.
Maybe it’s secret habits… quiet compromises… things no one else sees.
But here’s what Scripture reminds us: Numbers 32:23 — “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Not just expose you…But echo through you. Because whether we admit it or not…
Our lives are teaching something.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us to impress God’s truth on our children “when you sit at home… when you walk along the road… when you lie down and when you get up.”
Why?
Because they are always watching.
Always absorbing.
Always learning.
And the question isn’t just:
“What will I say?”
It’s:
“What have I been showing?”
Let me ask you something quietly today …
What conversation are you hoping you never have…
because it might expose what you’ve never dealt with?
Because we think we have time. But the truth is… That conversation is already being formed.
You can’t run from yourself…and you certainly cannot run from God. I know a very close friend of mine, a true man of God…whose wife walked in on him unannounced and caught him on his computer. She was devastated…and counseling did not redeem what was lost. He could not repair the broken trust and they divorced.
When did you see your first porn? How old? Are those pictures still there? Have you been delivered or are you still an occasional visitor to Satan’s darkest chamber? I read this piece recently, “And now you’re a father carrying narratives you’ve never identified, trying to raise a son in a world designed to exploit the exact things you’ve never healed”.
I don’t say that to pile on shame. I say it because it’s what finally woke me up. The question stopped being “how do I stop this behavior?”
And became “what kind of father do I need to become so my son has a fighting chance?”
Tomorrow and Friday Part II & III on this critical subject that you or someone you know needs to hear.
Do you know someone who needs to hear this? Pass this lesson and future devotions to someone, with this Signup link: http://eepurl.com/i_nlb2 My website to view past devotions is https://fearlesslycourageous.com
Jamal Roberts HEAL
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