April 17
THE SEDUCTION OF OUR CHILDREN
Bring them [your children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord
What are parents, Sunday school teachers, youth workers, and pastors to do in the face of Satan's assault on the minds of our children? Let's begin by stating what we can't do.
First, we can't bury our heads in the sand. This is not the time to respond in denial or claim that our Christian kids are immune to this kind of problem. Satan's seductive activities are aimed at destroying the church at its point of greatest vulnerability: the family. The enemy is after Christian families in general and the families of Christian leaders in particular. Half of all my counseling regarding demonic influence has been with Christian leaders and their families.
Second, we can't run in fear. Remember: Thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan is a defeated foe. The war against the seduction of our children is a winnable war. If we retreat instead of advance, we forfeit ground to the enemy that doesn't belong to him. We must exert our authority in Jesus Christ and claim His victory in the lives of our children.
How can we do that?
First, we must become aware of the spiritual nature of the world we live in. Our children are growing up in a seductive world. Many of the things that surround them are subtly influenced by the New Age Movement, the occult, and Satanism.
Second, we need to understand how parents and parenting styles can either assist or block the resolution of a child's spiritual conflicts. If a child comes from a dysfunctional home, it's rather pointless to deal with his problem only to send him back into the home that caused the problem in the first place.
Third, we need definite strategies for protecting our children from spiritual assault and helping them resolve their spiritual conflicts. This is a winnable war, and it is a war we must win for the sake of our kids and the cause of Christ.
Prayer: Dear Father, keep me alert to spiritual opposition and bondage in my children, and equip me to assist them in appropriating Your freedom.
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