The world is a scary place for kids and for parents! Below is an outline that I used to speak to some of the parents at my local church. Hopefully, what you read below will promote some healthy discussion in your own family.
There are at least three categories of
perils for kids out there:
1.
Physical dangers
(school shootings, abductions, accidents, sexual abuse, etc)
2.
Emotional and mental
dangers (TV and DVDs, video games, rejection, etc)
3.
Spiritual dangers
(secular or occult values in school & media, exposure to other religions
such as Wicca & Islam, by showing them in a favorable light, yet persecution of
kids with strong Biblical values)
We should be praying daily for the safety of
our kids, regardless of their age. People often say, “At least we can pray.”
However, prayer is the first and maybe the most powerful thing we can do to
protect our children. Naturally, prayer is a weapon that we must develop and
use wisely.
It is very important to realize the authority you
have as a believer AND as a parent. As a believer, you can come boldly to the
throne of God and make your requests. Hebrews 4:16 says “So let us come boldly to the throne of our
gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help
us when we need it most.”
Who is old enough to remember Flip Wilson’s impression of Geraldine
and “the Devil made me do it”?! One extreme is to not believe that Satan exists and the
other extreme would be to believe that there is a Devil behind every rock! There needs to be balanced approach to this topic.
It is important to teach kids that there is a battle between
good and evil and that Jesus has already won it! Our world is filled with fear,
both from adults and kids. One commandment that Jesus shared over and over was
“Fear not.”
Spiritual Warfare and Worldviews.
Western worldview teaches that everything has a natural explanation.
Spirits (even if they exist) rarely, if ever, cause anything
to happen.
Biblical Christianity
teaches:
Satan and Demons do exist. Good and Evil does exist.
Lucifer and demons are fallen angels.
They can communicate with people.
They can enter and torment people.
But…..here is some good news!! Jesus has authority over
demons!
And that means that as followers of Jesus, we also authority over demons.
See Ephesians
6:10-12. “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power. Put
on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all
strategies of the devil. 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.”
Keep kids from the dark stuff and teach them about the love of God.
When scared say the name of Jesus, out loud.
Say, “You are not welcome here, in the name of Jesus.”
Nightmares for kids? Ask Jesus to enter the nightmare. Yes, seriously. Or you might ask, “Jesus, why am I having this nightmare?” “Jesus, is there something that I did or saw?” We don’t let Missy watch movies where a guy breaks into the house and tortures the family and pets!
Pornography and sexual sin
Statistics show that the average son sees porn by the age of
11, so it might be wise to err on the early side and address the issue with him
by age 10. From the booklet, “Porn Again Christian” by Mark Driscoll and
Relit.org
Generational Healing. Sins of the family can be passed down from generation
to generation. There are many patterns. Think of it as spiritual DNA. We ask
Jesus to cut off all those and sever the legal agreements that may have been
made.
“Therefore, put
on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the
time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth
and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For
shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully
prepared. In addition to
all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the
devil. Put on salvation
as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be
persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians
6:13-18
You might want to check out "Bondage Breaker" by Dr. Neil Anderson for a much deeper understanding of this topic. At my church, we use his workbook, "Steps to Freedom" as a follow up to the Alpha Course. Both of these items are incredible tools.
You might want to check out "Bondage Breaker" by Dr. Neil Anderson for a much deeper understanding of this topic. At my church, we use his workbook, "Steps to Freedom" as a follow up to the Alpha Course. Both of these items are incredible tools.
The following prayers are from another another excellent resource called, "What Every Believer Should Know About Spiritual Warfare" by Marcus Warner.
Prayer for confessing and cancelling sin: “Lord, Jesus Christ, I confess that I have been involved in
______________. Please forgive me for this sin and misuse of my body and cancel
any ground that the Enemy may claim because of this sin. I choose now to receive
your forgiveness and in so doing to forgive myself so that I will not remain in
bondage to this sin any longer. Amen.
Prayer for choosing to forgive: “Lord Jesus
Christ, I choose to forgive___________ for _________(list the ways in which you
have been hurt or wronged and the consequences it has created for me). I choose
to no longer hold this offense against my offender in any way. Please help me
to forgive them, just as much as you have forgiven me.
Prayer for cleansing a home: “In the name
of my Lord Jesus Christ, I renounce any claim that any demons may have on this
home (or other property). As one with authority over this home and as a child
of the King, I renounce the sins that opened a door for any demonic presence in
this place. Therefore, in the name of Jesus, I command every demon to leave
this place now and go where my Lord Jesus Christ sends you. And now, I invite
the Holy Spirit to sweep this place clean and fill it with His presence. I ask
that the blessing and peace of God will rest on this place so that it may be a
haven of rest, a home blessed by God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
