Ephesians 6:11-13 "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Satan wants to destroy your children.
There are two reasons Satan wants them:
-First, Satan wants to destroy the lives of anyone he can attack, and children, being generally more vulnerable than adults, especially Christian adults, are a prime target of his scheming.
-Second, he believes if he gets your children, it will be easier for him to get to you (see Job 1:18-19), and he wants you, too.
Satan's ultimate goal is to defeat God and his people, and though we know that this is a battle he cannot win according to Revelation 20, that does not stop his attempts, and it does not exempt us from his efforts.
Fortunately, we are not left defenseless against such a powerful adversary. In 1 Peter 5:8 we see Satan as a lion, certainly not a foe to be taken lightly, but we have examples in the Old Testament of God's servants being able to defeat lions, so we can take comfort in God's ability to protect His own from this great an opponent.
However, Paul told the church at Ephesus that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. We cannot doubt the strength of our adversary. Clearly, we are going to have to recognize his power, so that we can learn to depend on the One who is more powerful. We must also be prepared to meet Satan's attacks on all fronts, including those against our children.
This latest outbreak of violence against kids is but another effort by Satan to destroy the lives of families. Families broken down by grief, or families corraled by fear are more susceptible to questioning God and His protections. If Satan can convince people that God is powerless, he wins the souls of those people, and with his attacks on the moral fiber of the home he begins to affect the children in ways we cannot even imagine. In addition, drugs are another way in which Satan will try to win your kids. How many families have been destroyed by this great evil? We must understand that Satan is not happy when families live as God would have them, so he will seek to destroy whatever may bond them to God by any means necessary.
How then, do we meet our adversary?
-First, we need to realize that if Satan is determined to get to us, even through our children, we must be prepared to look for and recognize his attacks. Study what you can on drugs and other forms of sin which are so prevalent among young people. Be prepared when your children ask about common social evils. Only when you are knowledgeable can you prepare your children for when they are confronted with these sins.
-Secondly, remember James gave his readers this two-part admonition in James 4:7 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Resistance to Satan will not be easy, especially for your children. He has as his resources all that the world characterizes as fun and desirable, and for us to resist will require willpower and prayer.
Satan wants your children, but Satan will not win. It is incumbent on us then, not to give up, for we will win as well if we stand with God. Paul said in Galatians 6:9, "In due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." In this case, we will reap children who have the desire and ability to defeat Satan on their own. We will reap saved kids. We will reap victory.
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