SATAN ATTACKS OUR CHILDREN
Don’t you just hate it when a bully picks on someone smaller than themselves? Or when a grown adult torments innocent children? Unfortunately, that happens. It’s happening today spiritually with our children. Satan is after our children! (1 Peter 5:8-10). It’s very subtle, deceptive and low key, but that makes it all the more dangerous. We get so used to that which influences our children that sometimes we miss the total impact on them. Here are some of the ways Satan attacks children.
THEIR TRUE IDENTITY. Movies, TV shows, ads, music, books, social media, and so much more continually influence your child’s lives, often declaring a worldly message about love or self-worth that doesn’t align with God’s Word. Satan is sneaky here as he places just enough “half-truths” to make our children ponder what is real and true, but later questioning who God is and who they are! We must teach our children to see themselves as God sees them, through His eyes. This includes their identity as male and female as well. Good verses to use include: Psalm 139:13-14, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10
THEIR INNOCENCE. Jesus loves children (Matthew 19:14) but Satan hates them. He targets them in the womb through promotion of abortion. He influences them through media and the world around them to grow up too quickly, before they are ready. He assaults their purity and tries to expose them to all kinds of things they aren’t ready to maturely process and make healthy decisions about. This negatively impacts them now and for the future, thus influencing future generations as well. Pray these verses for your children: Isaiah 54:13, Mark 10:13-16, Psalm 127:3-5.
THEIR SEXUALITY. The enemy is hard at work misleading our children in an already hyper-sexualized society with messages about their bodies, love and marriage. His approach is nothing new, but where the messages were once a bit more subtle, they are now glaringly obvious. They blatantly go against God’s Word (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Rather than honoring the human body as a holy temple, there are endless questions about gender, pressures to seek sinful pleasures and temptations to lust after ideal body images or partake in sexual relations that go outside of God’s plan. These bring confusion, shame and guilt. Many then turn to pornography, food disorders, gender dysmorphia or sexual relationships outside of marriage. But they often make everything worse. Children need to know that God made them in a unique and special way, that He loves them and has a wonderful plan and purpose for their lives. Good verses read and pray over them are: 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Ephesiasn 5:3, 1 Corinthians 6:18, Matthew 5:28.
THEIR FAITH. Satan will plant doubts about God’s love and goodness through media, school, friends or by putting thoughts directly into their minds. He will do all he can to undermine and destroy their faith (John 10:10). Evolution is clearly and subtly proclaimed in many ways and turns them from the truth of God’s Word. Science is lifted up as the ultimate authority and source of truth. They are bombarded with the message that everything is all about us and our pleasure is the ultimate goal in life. The natural bent of all our hearts is to sin, not to follow God (Jeremiah 17:9) so Satan appeals to our sin nature in many ways. Then, when hard times in life hit, these children have nowhere to turn and life becomes empty and hopeless. No wonder anxiety and suicide are epidemic among young people today. Good verses to combat this are: 2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1 and 11:6, Mark 9:23.
As Christians we must pray for our children and for all the children in the world. We must pray specifically by name for those we know. We must do all we can to be a good influence, a godly and positive example of Jesus. Have you seen that picture of the momma lioness crouching down, head hovering just above her little cub, with a haunting stare that pierces right through your soul? Her eyes say it all: “Don’t mess with this one!” That’s how we must be with the children in our lives and with all children. Satan may try, but God’s Word and Spirit are stronger. He is the ultimate victor, but we must fight the daily battles to bring about that victory in the lives of our children.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15
Think of the children you know. What can you do to set a positive, godly example that leads them to Jesus? Pray for them by name right now.
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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