It’s through prayer we push back the powers of darkness – Pray until something happens
Every Christian must understand that we live on enemy occupied territory. Our very being is an act of rebellion against the one who is ruling the earth right now (Satan). As Christians, we are called to lead this rebellion not with a sword or with a grenade but rather, with our knees and with our words. This means that we unashamedly preach and proclaim the gospel, no matter the cost.
If you’re praying for a lost one to be saved, understanding these things can help make your prayers more effective as you push back the darkness.
Principles for Breakthrough
1. Stand Your Ground
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul is telling believers that because there is a war, we must stand our ground. Notice that the first thing that we’re called to do is not to fight. Instead, we’re called to stand firm and not retreat.
In other words, no matter what opposition is facing the person you are praying for, stand in what Jesus did on the cross. Stand on who you are in Christ and who you believe they will become. Stand in what He says about this world and the future of this world. Don’t let Satan’s attacks and lies cause you to retreat in doubt or in prayer.
2. Get Suited
As you read Ephesians 6:13-14, you’ll notice that Paul begins to describe the armor of God. Paul encourages believers not to pick up a grenade or to pick up physical weapons. Rather, he tells Christians to equip themselves with spiritual weapons.
Our spiritual armor is not something that we earn through our righteousness or our righteous acts. Instead, it is something God gives us and all we have to do is apply it. If you feel overwhelmed by the lack of change you see in who you’re praying for or are battling doubt and fear, make sure to get suited daily. Take time to put on the armor of God before you face the day.
3. Pray in the Spirit
In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul tells us that we should be engaging in spiritual warfare by praying in the Spirit. One thing that he encourages believers to pray for is others and opportunities for the gospel to be preached.
This chapter is clear that we are warring against principalities of darkness, but that doesn’t mean we directly confront them. Instead, we become strategic in weakening its hold by praying in the Spirit for the people that are under the enemy’s influence. If you are praying for a loved one that is lost, keep praying that the scales on their eyes would come off. Ask for God to grant them repentance and extend His mercy on them and all the others who are in similar or worse situations. Pray and ask God to send and dispatch angels on behalf of His kingdom.
Remember that the Church didn’t conquer Rome by binding the spirit over Rome but by providing for the poor, loving its enemies, and by praying and fasting for people who didn’t know Jesus. We must remember that while there is no redemption and hope for the enemy, there is hope and redemption available for those that are under his sway as long as there is a praying church.
Keep praying for the lost. Stand your ground in God’s promises, in His saving power, and keep believing that sooner or later you will see them serving God alongside you.
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** By Vladimir Savchuk / Photo by Owen Barker at Pexels
“We have to be careful what we are feeding on in the news, for example. I’ve noticed that a lot of the news today isn’t really news (facts about what’s going on in the world) – it’s merely people expressing their opinion about something – bashing this politician here, criticizing this nation there, guessing at what’s going to happen here. It’s similar to junk food – it ruins the appetite for what’s really healthy, rather than building us up as God’s Word does.”
“I’ve seen that much of what I desire and unconsciously think about today, is the result of what I’ve been recently choosing to ‘sow’ into my mind for the past week, or month, or so. What we choose to feed or withhold from our flesh today has a direct effect on the strength of our flesh tomorrow.”
“Denying the small desires of the flesh everyday that contradict God’s will, and obeying the quiet whisper of the Spirit in every little thing – even ‘This isn’t the right article to read’. It’s much better to obey the whispers of the Spirit today than to try to quiet down our screaming flesh later!”
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Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
STORY
I once heard a simple children’s parable about two wolves:
A young boy once felt that he had two wolves inside of him. One wolf was good and the other was evil. Those two wolves were often fighting each other. When the good wolf would win the boy would do good (such as say a kind word, obey his parents, help someone, share his toys, and refrain from saying bad things). But when the bad wolf inside of him would win the boy wouldn’t be able to control himself in the moment, and he would choose to do bad. The boy wanted to do good, but he didn’t know how to help the good wolf win. So he asked his Dad about it, he told him of his struggle of the good and the bad wolves which were inside of him. And he asked his Dad, “How can I help the good wolf win, and the bad wolf to lose?” And his Dad said, “That’s easy; the wolf that will win is the one you feed the most. Feed the good wolf, and he will get stronger. Starve the bad wolf and he will get weaker. Then the good wolf will win.”
I believe the moral of this story is what was written in the Bible 2000 years ago: “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:8-9 NASB When our flesh (self-will) is eating really well, it comes be very intense with whatever we’ve been feeding it. Physically, if it’s been feeding on a lot of sugar, it will start to crave sweets more and more, and in the same way – if it has been feeding on gossip articles online, for example, I believe it will become very strong in its judgment of others. If it has been constantly feeding on material things – constantly gazing at the latest products, gadgets, and designer clothes – it will desire them more and become more covetous.
THE CURRENT SEASON
The same goes with fear. In this current season, I believe that many (Christians even) can be paralyzed by fear if they are feeding their mind on the multitudes of negative things the unbelieving world is telling them – maybe it’s their friends, co-workers, relatives, or online feeds which preach fear, doom and gloom, instead of God’s Word of His love for us, and His sovereign control of every situation. Proverbs 4:23 says that it’s critical to guard our heart diligently. I understand my “heart” to mean: my inner thoughts, intentions, and desires. I used to think that it wasn’t possible to change what I desire, and what I unconsciously think about all day… that it sort of just, “happens.” But I’ve learned that that’s absolutely not true. I’ve seen that much of what I desire and unconsciously think about today, is the result of what I’ve been recently choosing to ‘sow’ into my mind for the past week, or month, or so. What we choose to feed or withhold from our flesh today has a direct effect on the strength of our flesh tomorrow.
THE NEWS
We have to be careful what we are feeding on in the news, for example. I’ve noticed that a lot of the news today isn’t really news (facts about what’s going on in the world) – its merely people expressing their opinion about something – bashing this politician here, criticising this nation there, guessing at what’s going to happen here. It’s similar to junk food – it ruins the appetite for what’s really healthy, rather than building us up as God’s Word does. It’s not right to say that we should be ‘ignorant’ and refrain from reading the news altogether.
Even Jesus was informed about current events – Luke 13:4. But I’ve seen for myself, I need to be able to know when the Holy Spirit is saying, “This is not the right article to read”, or when He’s saying, “That’s enough.” Col 3:15 “Let the peace of God be your referee” (And listen to His whistle-blows when you’re about to go out of bounds!) I remember being over at someone’s house and a boy was playing video games there. The Dad said to his son who had been playing video games, “Ok son that’s enough for now.” It was a good example to me of “moderation.” Have you ever heard the Lord say “That’s enough”, and stopped doing something? Maybe it was an unprofitable conversation, or spending a long time on the internet… not anything sinful… just the excess of something. If the Lord tells you “that’s enough” would you stop immediately? I see that’s the question I often run into throughout many days in some area or another. The Holy Spirit is not being a ‘killjoy’… (God’s commands are not meant to make me miserable) – it’s for my protection. If I continue past that point, then I enter the realm of sowing to the flesh, and the flesh will get stronger, and I will be feeling the consequences of it later. Maybe in intense fear, or preoccupation with something… or a lack of desire for the Lord and His Word.
“Junk food” may be lawful, but in excess it will always ruin our appetite for what’s healthy. But If we regularly feed on time with the Lord, and His Word, good teaching, books and sermons, etc – we will find our spirit very strong, and our mind being transformed (Romans 12:2). Our mind is constantly being transformed with what we feed it. And the amazing result is “eternal life” as it says: “the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” And eternal life, we know is intimate fellowship with our Father, and with Jesus; to know Him (John 17:3).
If we are feeding on the right things, we will grow in knowing the Lord, and we will grow to be strong. Daniel 11:32 “Those who know their God will be strong” (in spirit) May the Lord help us to be wise and sow to the Spirit today, and be careful what we are feeding on. So that our mind and our heart can be transformed to think and see things like He does, and then we will feel like He does about things – free from fear, walking above the storm of panic which the world is caught up in today. And this comes though denying the small desires of the flesh every day that contradict God’s will, and obeying the quiet whisper of the Spirit in every little thing – even ‘This isn’t the right article to read’. It’s much better to obey the whispers of the Spirit today than to try to quiet down our screaming flesh later! “Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their actions.” Isaiah 3:10 NASB
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” ~ Matthew 16:24-26
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” ~ 1 Peter 4:12-13
No one enjoys suffering. No one. Most people across the globe recognize, however, that suffering is normal in this fallen world. Western culture, on the other hand, has so glorified the values of safety, comfort, and convenience that anything less is now regarded as something akin to human rights violation.
The idea that people have a right to a secure, healthy life is an attitude that has, unfortunately, bled over into the church. The extreme example of this is Prosperity Teaching, which communicates that God wants Christians to be wealthy, healthy, and happy all the time. Even among more biblically orthodox Christians, however, there is an unspoken idea that God somehow promises to protect them from suffering. The result is an absence of teaching on the presence and role of suffering in the Christian life, and the crises of faith that accompany that suffering.
Suffering Is Normal in a Fallen World
The Bible regards suffering as normal. Part of this suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world, and this kind of suffering falls on Christians and non-Christians alike.
The Bible regards suffering as normal. Part of this suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world, and this kind of suffering falls on Christians and non-Christians alike.
Because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God, the physical world itself was subject to corruption and decay (Rom. 8:18–22). As a result, things like disease and natural disasters happen to everyone. Certainly, modern science and technology have developed to the point that we can shield ourselves from some of the consequences of this corruption and decay. However, we cannot eliminate them entirely. Hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes occur all over the world without discriminating between Christians and non-Christians, and we are completely powerless to stop them.
How to Endure Suffering: When God Takes Away
We can now cure or prevent many diseases, but that doesn’t stop both Christians and non-Christians from developing cancer or having heart attacks. The sinfulness of men and women adds human violence and oppression to this dark picture, so that crime, war, and oppression are also part of life everywhere on earth. Eventually, all of us die—sometimes slowly and painfully—as a result of the rebellion of our first parents.
It is true that God, in his incredible mercy, undoubtedly does protect us from many of these consequences of the Fall in our world. However, he does not ever promise in his Word that he will protect us from physical injury or illness, and he allows all of us to die. This kind of suffering is a normal part of normal life in a fallen world.
Suffering Is Promised for Christians
For followers of Jesus, however, the picture is even more sobering. The Bible actually promises us persecution and suffering for our faith. The world is in rebellion against God. It hates God, and when he came as a man in the person of Jesus Christ, the world responded by murdering him. Jesus promised us that the world would treat us the way it treated him(John 15:20, ESV).
The first followers of Jesus consistently experienced suffering for the sake of Jesus, in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), Galatia (Gal. 3:4), Philippi (Phil. 1:29), Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:14), and Asia Minor (1 Peter 4:12), along with the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 10:32). Paul went through horrible suffering (2 Cor. 11:23–29), as did the other apostles (Acts 5–8). Paul was quite explicit in saying this was to be expected by everyone who follows Jesus (2 Tim. 3:12, ESV). In the Bible, suffering and opposition are a normal part of the normal Christian life.
The comfortable experience of Christians in the West has actually been an anomaly in this regard. Because of the Christian heritage of Western civilization, combined with democratic freedoms and historic rule of law, Western Christians have largely been left alone for their faith. Even today, as Western nations become increasingly post-Christian (and even anti-Christian), the opposition experienced by most Christians goes little beyond mockery. However, there are signs that this protected status may be changing. If it continues to do so, it will simply put Western Christians in the same boat as their brothers and sisters all over the world.
Today, in Islamic, Hindu, and Communist parts of the world, being a follower of Jesus means, at best, losing your job and being rejected by your family. At worst, it can mean imprisonment, beating, and even death. These things are being experienced all over the world right now by our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
People who have been given a realistic sense of what it means to follow Jesus, and who have counted the cost, will make much steadier disciples.
How to Prepare for the Reality of Suffering as a Christian
Here are three points that can prepare you for such a fate:
First, Christian workers need to examine their own hearts, searching for any sense of entitlement. As Paul advised Timothy, they need to be prepared to “share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8, ESV). They will do this, not by cultivating stoicism or asceticism, but by concentrating long and hard on “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8, ESV), who is better, more valuable, and more delightful than anything we lose by following him.
We need to share the gospel the way Jesus did, by making the cost of discipleship clear (Luke 9:57–62). People who have been given a realistic sense of what it means to follow Jesus, and who have counted the cost, will make much steadier disciples. And lest we fear that such a sobering presentation of the gospel will keep people from being saved, we need to realize two things. First, we are offering Jesus, not a cozy life, and Jesus really is better than all of the good things of this world combined. Second, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that draws people to Jesus, not our attractive packaging of the message.
We need to include the subject of suffering well in our immediate follow-up with new believers.
Followers of Jesus should not be surprised or caught off guard by suffering (1 Peter 4:12).
They need to endure suffering without compromising their integrity (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Peter 2:19).
They must love their persecutors and pray for their welfare (Matt. 5:43–47).
They are to renounce any intention to take revenge (Rom. 12:14–21).
They are to trust God in the middle of their suffering and respond by proactively doing good (1 Peter 4:19).
They are to use their experiences of suffering as a basis for comforting others who suffer (2 Cor. 1:3–7).
They are to fix their eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:1–3).
And they are commanded to rejoice. “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:13).
As followers of Jesus, we do not rejoice in suffering because we enjoy pain, but because Jesus is so worthy in our eyes and hearts that we delight in being identified with him. All suffering is temporary. It isn’t worth comparing with the glory that awaits us (2 Cor. 4:16). In that place of glory, all pain and suffering will be gone forever (Rev. 21:4).
*** By Zane Pratt serves as the VP of Training for the International Mission Board – img.org
God’s Word makes it clear that we are engaged in warfare against Satan. We need the armor of God to be able to “stand firm” against the “schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:10-18). Many Biblical writers describe the evil character of the one who seeks to destroy what God loves. Peter describes the devil as our adversary who “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8 NIV). In Revelation, John refers to him as “the old serpent,” who “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). John’s gospel is where we learn that the devil “was a murderer from the beginning and has nothing to do with the truth because there is no truth in him … he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Paul calls him the “god of this world who has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4). He is the “prince of the power of the air” who is “at work” around us. This evil one seeks to turn people from what God has designed for their ultimate blessing and good.
Satan knows that God created marriage as a beautiful, living picture of Christ and the Church. God designed both marriage and the family for our benefit. Satan knows the value of the family, how it is the fabric of a good solid society, the foundation of vibrant growing assemblies, and the future of God’s work on earth. If Satan can be successful in tearing down the structure and substance of the family unit, then he will be successful in damaging what is dear to God’s heart.
Satan’s Attack on the Institution of Marriage, the Foundation of the Family
When God finished creating the first couple, He called what He had made “very good.” This man and woman were united in a holy bond before God. For the benefit of future generations, God explained, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” God requires from the married couple a level of separation from others and a commitment to each other which will provide a stable foundation for the family unit.
Satan’s initial attack on the family occurred in Eden where the old serpent worked his evil deception on Eve and destroyed the harmony of the first marriage. In listening to Satan and disobeying God, Eve and Adam plunged themselves, and all subsequent families, into slavery in the “kingdom of darkness.” Satan’s attack on the family has continued until today. There are signs of it all around us. With the increasing rate of divorce, the acceptance of common-law relationships, the barrage of Hollywood immorality, and the legalization of same gender marriages, we can see how successful Satan has been in twisting and perverting God’s best for us and depriving us of the blessings that marriage brings to the family.
Satan’s Attack on the Internal Mechanics of the Family Unit
Good marriages are the foundation of solid families. If Satan can successfully destroy the marriage, this will have a devastating impact upon the rest of the family. According to a recent survey,1 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. However, even when a father is present, if the parents are not married, it is still detrimental to the children. In an annual report,2 David Popenoe, a Rutgers sociology professor and report co-author speaks of the increase of cohabitation, “I don’t think it’s good news, especially for children … As society shifts from marriage to cohabitation — which is what’s happening — you have an increase in family instability. The United States has the weakest families in the Western world because we have the highest divorce rate and the highest rate of solo parenting.” God, in His wisdom, knew that children needed the stability of married parents.
The more closely we understand God’s design for the family, the better we will be able to recognize when Satan tries to change and undermine it. Through Paul and Peter, God gives us clear instructions regarding the spheres of responsibility and authority within the family (Eph 5:22-6:4; Col 3:18-21; 1 Tim 5:14; Tit 2:4-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7). Two truths, which appear repeatedly in these passages, are the headship of the husband and the submission of the wife. Scripture likens their relationship to that of Christ and the Church. John Piper, in his book, This Momentary Marriage, says, “Headship is the divine calling of a husband to take primary responsibility for Christ-like servant leadership, protection, and provision in the home. Submission is the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts.” In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison, he writes about the husband, “As the head, it is he who is responsible for his wife, for their marriage, and for their home. On him falls the care and protection of the family; he represents it to the outside world; he is its mainstay and comfort.” The responsibility of the husband is to provide leadership that is motivated and directed by the agape love of Christ. The husband is to love his wife “as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her,” and to “nourish and cherish” her as one would his own body. When the husband provides a leadership marked by this sacrificial love, the wife will respect her husband and the marriage will flourish. The husband, who is fulfilling his role as head, will seek to meet the needs of the family. The wife, secure in the love and devotion of her husband, will support and help him in every possible way.
Satan has done a masterful job at distorting these two divine mandates (headship and submission). So often we see men who authoritatively control families in a selfish, self-serving way. The other extreme, in which men cede the responsibility for guiding the family to the wife, is also widespread. Correspondingly, while some women are dominated by their husbands, others seek to be the controlling force in the home and do not respect them. These scenarios reveal how successful Satan has been in persuading people to abandon God’s ideal. Any time someone believes that living out the principles of godly headship and submission would somehow make their family life less than it should be, Satan has been successful at his pernicious work of deception. May God give husbands today the courage to provide the loving leadership God intended them to exercise, and wives the grace to respect and support their husbands.
The Scriptures provide clear guidelines for the children’s sphere in family life. God instructs them to accept the authority of their parents, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother” (Eph 6:1-2). Satan has tried to undermine the parental authority of the home by introducing messages of insubordination and by seeking to render the parents unable to assert their authority over the children. Once you are aware of this truth you can begin to see the many specific ways that Satan is doing this today in the media, literature, music, etc. Many television shows and children’s books portray the father figure as weak or foolish. One of the numerous songs which encourage children to resist parental authority, Billy Joel’s “My Life,” defiantly addresses parents: “I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home. I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone.” Thus Satan whispers to children that submission and obedience are not best for them. The music the children listen to, their entertainment, and the atmosphere of the home are important leadership responsibilities. If fathers are to bring up children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord,” they must fulfill their leadership responsibilities in the family and this is to be done lovingly, without provoking their children to anger (Eph 6:4).
Satan’s Attack on the Intention of God for the Christian Home
The home is where the Word of God is taught and preserved, and where sound doctrine is explained and lived out. This is the Scriptural pattern. A godly life of faith which characterized Timothy was first displayed in the home of his grandmother, then his mother, and then his own. From childhood he was “acquainted with the sacred writings” which were able to make him “wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). Parents must give the Scriptures priority in the home because God’s Word is the necessary foundation. Satan has done a masterful job at keeping families so busy that they have little time to read the Bible, let alone study it and put it into practice in their lives. Spending time in God’s Word and waiting upon God is essential. If Satan can keep families too busy for the Scriptures, they will lose their joy, strength, and effectiveness in this world. Satan, using busyness as his tool, has robbed many families of the time God wants them to spend with each other. This results in a lack of both closeness and enjoyment in each other. Husbands and wives need time together to nurture their relationship. They need time with their children if they are going to fulfill the Scriptural mandate of training up a child in the way he should go (Prov 22:6). This training takes time and focus, both of which are lost when lives become frantically busy and stressed. The family needs time when the earplugs are out, Internet is closed down, and telephone ringers are off, and when the needs of family members are lovingly met. Time must be taken for reading and praying together and for eating and playing together. As families live out God’s plan for them, God will be glorified, families blessed, and assemblies enriched.
When parents spend time with God and allow their behavior to be guided by God’s Word, this will produce Christlikeness in them that will draw their children’s hearts to God. Any way in which Satan can keep parents’ lives from exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—will detract from the character of the family and the members will suffer loss. When he can plant the seed of unforgiveness, family peace and joy are destroyed. If he can convince members to act in a hypocritical manner, integrity is lost. If he can persuade children or parents to stretch the truth or shade it, even the smallest bit, trust is destroyed and damage ensues. The family’s ultimate protection against Satan’s attacks is to know and live out God’s truth. As His truth and love are expressed through the functioning of the family, even neighbors and friends may be drawn to God.
In conclusion, God, Who created the family, has provided the divine design and instruction in His Word so that families can flourish. Our best defense is to know the pattern, so that we will be able to discern Satan’s subtle attacks, and to let the fruit of the Spirit characterize our lives. We need godly leadership, respect, and love, along with fervent prayer and dependence on God. He alone can preserve our families for His own honor. May God help families to follow His truth and cling closely to Him.
1Men Against Domestic Violence. 2 An annual report, which analyzes census and other data, issued by the National Marriage Project at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.
There’s a reason why so many of us begin praying for our children while they’re still in the womb: We understand that we’re in a war.
God’s Word describes it this way in Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
And while we’re all targets for the enemy’s schemes, Satan is smart enough to recognize that attacks on our kids are especially powerful.
He understands that if he can grab their hearts and establish false teachings in their mind from the earliest age, all he has to do is sit back and watch the dominos fall.
Yes, it’s a terrifying thought to know that our children have an enemy that actively plots to hurt them.
But here’s the great news: The Bible promises that nothing, nothing can thwart God’s good plans for our children. No plan from the enemy can snatch our kids out of God’s awesome covering. And speaking of that enemy, we read in Revelation 20 that he has already lost the war. Amen!
As Christians, our job now is to fight! And as Christian parents, these great battles for our kids’ hearts are fought in prayer as we use God’s Truth to claim victory, break down half-truths and ask for divine guidance (2 Corinthian 10:3-5).
However, as a parent, it’s incredibly easy to be overwhelmed by this task! We know that we’re supposed to be praying for our kids, but what specific areas are our kids most susceptible to satanic attack?
Truly, there’s no one answer to that question! Every child is unique.
Yet, I believe there are 5 general areas where our enemy tends to attack this generation of kids. Let’s take a look at each of them and discover how we can best pray against the enemy’s evil schemes.
Area #1: Self-Worth
We want our children’s inner thoughts and self-worth to reflect the thoughts that God has about them.
Instead of being filled with puffed up pride or mere “self-love,” we desire that they believe the truth: That they are beautifully handmade by a Creator who loves them so much that He gave His son’s life to have a relationship with them.
We want them to understand how much God values them, and that nothing or no one can change who they are in Christ.
How Satan Attacks:
He teaches them that life is all about them and their pleasure.
At the same time, he is quick to condemn them for their mistakes and to “rub their noses in it” and tell them they aren’t worthy.
How We Can Pray:
Dear Jesus, help our kids know that we are all born as sinners and separated from God because of our wicked hearts. However, at an early age, help our children grasp the life-transforming concept that they don’t have to live as a sinner under that condemnation.
Teach our children that they have the opportunity to accept a new, beautiful identity that is called “good,” not because of what they have done or what they look like, but because they are secure in who YOU say they are: treasured, delightful, known and protected. Let them not place their self-worth in accomplishments they may or may not achieve, but let them discover these deeper truths about who You believe they are and build every decision they make on that sure foundation.
Area #2: Body Image
We want our kids to have a deep reverence for the intricate way their unique body is formed, and because of this respect, we want our kids to grow up honoring their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.
We want our kids to treat their bodies with respect by honoring the boundaries God suggests, such as sexual exchange only between a man and a woman within the confines of a marital relationship.
While we want our kids to take care of their bodies through healthy food choices and regular exercise, we also want them to understand that they are not defined by their physical appearance.
How Satan Attacks:
The enemy is hard at work in this area today! First, he tells our kids that they’re not uniquely made, but that they’re simply a result of a random combination of genes that’s taken millions of years to create.
Then he convinces our kids that they are mere animals with physical desires that should be fulfilled at any cost. He wants them to believe that physical pleasure (such as sexuality outside of marriage) is normal and right and that anyone who tells them differently is being judgmental.
In terms of health, he uses television and the media to oh-so-subtly promote certain body shapes as ideal over others. Tweens and teens are especially weak in this area since their bodies are rapidly changing on the outside and they are asking pivotal questions about self-identity on the inside. He convinces them that every measure must be taken to achieve these ideal body images, including those that lead to eating disorders and drug abuse.
How We Can Pray:
Dear Jesus, we weep with you over the number of our kids who are buying into the lie that sexual pleasure is something to experiment with. We pray that our kids would treasure their sexuality as a true gift from You, and that they would honor that gift by saving it as a precious treasure to give their future spouse. We ask that you would help them to be strong in the face of their own desires and that they would choose purity in the face of temptation.
Lord we also ask that you’d protect our kids from the idea that they must do anything and everything (including abusing their bodies through eating disorders, drug abuse, or other harmful behaviors) in order to attaining a “preferred” shape or figure. We pray you’d protect our kids from that kind of destructive thinking, and that if they’re tempted to take these kind of drastic measures, that you’d send someone in their lives to stop them. Help them to remember over and over that their identity is not in how they look on the outside but what you see as their potential and worth on the inside.
We pray that our children would treasure their health as a gift from God and that they would have a passion to eat nutritious food and to stay active in order to do their part to take care of this treasure.
Area #3: Influences
We want our kids to be surrounded by those who can influence them toward God’s great purpose for their lives; and we also want our kids to grow to become those people who influence others in powerful ways for the greater good.
How Satan Attacks:
Satan’s easiest way to attack here would be, of course, to simply surround our kids with bad influences. But he’s a little trickier than that.
While he still does try to place negative influences in our children’s lives, he knows that we are good parents who do our best to protect our kids from the bad influences.
So he often attempts the opposite: He does everything in his power to (subtly) keep the good influences out.
He keeps our kids away from God’s word. He keeps our children’s parents (that’s us!) too busy and distracted to influence our kids the way that we need to. He strengthens our children’s natural tendency to laziness and complacency.
Using books, television, news reports and social media, he slowly simmers our kids in the false thinking that truth is relative and not absolute. Through this process, he affirms the falsehood that an individual’s godly influence is irrelevant and can even be considered offensive and judgmental against others’ beliefs.
Slowly, he convinces them that they can’t make a difference and that they really don’t have the power the change things anyway, so why even try?
How We Can Pray:
First, oh Lord, forgive us for the times when we have misplaced our priorities so that we haven’t been available to model a strong relationship with You in front of our kids. Help us to understand the power of our influence in our children’s lives and to reorder our schedule so that we can be available to both directly and indirectly offer the godly influence that our kids desperately need.
Second, while we do pray that our kids would be protected from negative influences, we also pray that you would surround them with friendships and mentor-type relationships that portray what it means to have an authentic relationship with Christ. In turn, we pray that you would raise our kids up to be the influencers of the next generation. We pray that you would allow godliness and righteousness to dwell in their hearts so richly that these evidences of your truth spill out of them and to every person they encounter.
Through it all, we pray that they would not be prone to laziness or complacency, but that they would believe that even a single candle burning in the dark makes a difference and would boldly stand up for truth, even when it’s unpopular.
Area #4: Passions
We want our kids to live purposefully and passionately, always seeking God’s direction. We want them to grow up with a willingness to persevere, a deep understanding of the cost (and joys) of commitment, and to be unwilling to settle for complacency and comfort.
How Satan Attacks:
He distracts and confuses them. He encourages them to use emotion to guide their decision-making instead of seeking to align their passions with what God is already doing.
In addition, he doesn’t want our kids to understand or appreciate their unique personality and talents that God has divinely given them.
Instead, he encourages them toward laziness. He convinces them to be content with seeking self-pleasure and the easy way out. Through mindless pursuits, he keeps them numb to the better life of magnificent beauty that comes from following God’s wild and wonderful best path.
How We Can Pray:
God, help us to know how to guide our kids in their passions by blessing us with the divine wisdom to know when to joyfully open up the gates toward new freedoms and desires, and when to curtail our children’s passions because they’re not able to accept the responsibilities yet in full. Help us model to our kids what it means to live passionately for You by boldly following the dreams you’ve placed in our heart, never settling for complacency.
Help us to direct our kids with both cautiousness and courage, not allowing our own fears about “what if…?” get in the way of how You want to use them in the world. We pray that our children would continuously seek your ways and your wisdom, regardless of what life brings. We pray that they would understand their importance in the world and that you’d make clear to them at a very early age how they can use their God-given talents to play a role in Your passion to show both truth and love to the nations.
Area #5: Money, Possessions and Work
We want our children to have a healthy relationship with money, understanding that possessions are not equated to a person’s worth nor do they bring ultimate happiness. We want them to understand that the things of this world can bring us enjoyment, but that lasting joy is found only in God.
How Satan Attacks:
Like Eve in the Garden, the enemy teases and tempts our kids with good looking “fruit” (worldly possessions) that he promises will solve their problems and bring fulfillment.
He convinces them that they need to do everything they can to get ahead (including compromising their values, if need be) because having lots of money and possessions is the ultimate goal.
Through a spirit of ingratitude, he keeps them insecure, empty and preoccupied with thoughts of what they do not have so that they’re always looking for more.
How We Can Pray:
Heavenly Father, help us to model a healthy example of how to handle possessions and money. Help us to work hard, but to not wear ourselves out in order to get rich so that our children can witness a positive, godly view of hard work and the pursuit of success.
We pray that our kids would persevere in whatever vocation you give them and that they would work with cheerful hearts as if they were serving you directly.
We pray that our kids would see at an early age that money and possessions are a gift from You and thus must be always held with an open hand so that You can use those gifts to bless others.
We ask that our kids would find their value in their true identity as a child of You, not in the possessions they do or do not have. We pray for contentment and gratefulness in whatever situation they’re given—rich or poor. We pray they would have a steadfast commitment to work hard with the talents you’ve given them so that they could support themselves, their families and use their money as a way to bless others in need.
Ultimately, we pray that they would discover that the greatest “wealth” they could possess would be in relationships, especially in a relationship with You.
Brothers and sisters, let’s commit anew today to begin regularly fighting against the enemy’s schemes by powerfully praying for our kids in these areas!
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*** By Alicia Michelle, author, speaker and blogger at YourVibrantFamily.com, is passionate about helping women discover their beautifully imperfect journey through parenting, marriage, homeschooling, faith and homemaking. She’s also happily married homeschool mom of four curious and amazing kids that keep her on her toes! / Repost from Crosswalk.com
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