There’s a spiritual war going on for the hearts and minds of your family. The enemy is hard at work to distract you and to mold how your children think. And the younger you are as a parent, the bigger you are as a target. While the warfare has intensified in recent years, our weapon and strategy remain the same—God’s Word and prayer. So, how do you fight the daily battles in the spiritual war for your family?
Be a Prayer Warrior
Too many of us don’t pray until there’s a problem. Parents who do regularly pray for their kids usually pray for their safety. And that’s fine, but the devil is going after their minds first because how they think determines the decisions they’ll make. That’s why every parent needs to be a prayer warrior.
You ought to have specific things you pray for each of your children. And these should be godly things that come straight from Scripture. In other words, don’t pray that your son wins the ballgame. Pray that he displays a godly attitude in both winning and losing. Pray those things with your children so they understand what’s most important to God.
If you have school-age children, pray regularly for their teachers and administrators. That school is a spiritual battleground. Instead of being scared about what your kids face each day, be active in it through prayer. Go ask the principal, “How can I pray for you and your staff?” Ask your child’s teacher, “How can I be praying over your classroom today?” And if they don’t have an answer, be ready to tell them what you’re praying for them, specifically.
You also need to start praying now for godly mates for your children. And don’t forget to pray for your marriage daily. The enemy wants to disrupt your home, and if he can’t break your family up, he’ll settle for discord and conflict. Why? He doesn’t want your kids growing up with godly parents. So, pray Scripture over your spouse, just as you do for your kids.
Be a Teacher
Part of parental responsibility is to teach your kids what’s true and what’s not, based on the Word of God. You see, it’s not just about keeping evil out, it’s about putting righteousness in. God answers all their questions about the stuff they’re facing in this culture. The Bible tells them how to respond, what attitudes to have and not have, and how to find strength and comfort on their most difficult days.
But you have to be active in that. You, as their parent, are their primary teacher. Often, a parent will say to me, “I don’t know enough about the Bible to teach it to my kids.” Well, there’s a simple answer to that problem—read it! Study it, then teach them what God is teaching you. You don’t have to know all the answers, you just have to be willing to learn.
Be an Example
All that being said, the primary way kids learn about God is by watching us. Sure, you can send them to a Christian school, but they’ll get confused if they don’t see what they learn there lived out at home. That means whole-hearted commitment to Christ. What does that look like? It’s obedience without compromise. It’s refusing to tolerate or participate in anything God calls evil, including our entertainment choices.
For our prayers to be effective, we have to recognize our personal sins, confess them, and repent of them. We may even need to apologize to our kids for something they’ve heard us say or seen us do that doesn’t reflect Christ.
Be an Obstacle
There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a spiritual war going on for your family and for my family. But we can be obstacles in the enemy’s way. What if we decided to be more enthusiastic about our kids and grandkids knowing God than we are about the games and instruments they play? What if we prayed, “Lord, I want to be more passionate that my kids know You and grow in You, than I am about anything else”?
If the culture is coming after our kids, they should have to come against every praying mamma and daddy. The enemy should have to crawl over the godly grandparents and prayer warriors in your church family. I challenge every godly man and woman to take a stand for righteousness. Join me in saying, “If they’re coming, they have to come against us first!”
