Satan, You Can't Have My Children: The Spiritual Warfare Guide for Every Parent (10 page)

A child is affected not only by what he sees and hears but also by what surrounds him. Parents may think they are watching X-rated movies in a private room away from the children, but these same X-rated spirits will affect the behavior and sleep patterns of the children. They don’t even have to be in the same room. Everything both good and bad in the spiritual realm gets transferred through the parents to the children, up to the fourth generation (Exod. 20:5). We must set an example before our children that will prepare them for eternal life.

The good news is that even if only one of the parents is serving God and walking in obedience, he or she has the power and authority to stand in the gap for the children and to plead the blood of Jesus for cleansing and protection. Also, you can ask God to place a hedge of protection from evil around your children (Job 1:10). Don’t ever underestimate the power of God in you against all of the strongholds of the enemy.
You can be living in a hellhole and still live in peace.
As you continue resisting evil, you will see victories won one after another. God is able to deliver your children out of the hand of the enemy.

This should encourage parents when they clearly understand that God Himself contends with evil spirits who seek to affect the peace and stability of our children.

God often uses our faith in Jesus Christ and our prayers based on Scripture so that our rebellious children will be saved.
Don’t give up! Persevere!
God’s power is the only effective weapon against Satan and the demonic forces that try to keep our children from genuine reconciliation with God and eternal life. Parents, you have dynamic keys! Keep on believing and praying for your children.

B
INDING AND
L
OOSING
—L
EARN TO
U
SE THE
K
EYS OF THE
K
INGDOM

Jesus said we have power over all of the power of the enemy. When He gave us the keys of binding and loosing, He also gave us the authority to use them. Keys are to open and to lock up something. The Bible uses the word
keys
to describe the action of binding something and loosing something. Keys in the Bible refer to the delegated authority given to believers. Be ready to see dramatic changes as you use these spiritual keys.

Satan is ferociously determined to destroy you and your family. He doesn’t care about your child’s willpower. He works without ceasing to break that willpower. Therefore you must also pray and determine without ceasing that Satan will not control the will of your child. Satan does not consider your child’s will! In fact, Satan tries to diminish the godly power of your child’s will against demonic forces.

We can pray against the negative will of our children by bombarding the forces of hell with spiritual warfare and by trusting God and His Word as we stand firm in our confession.
We must determine not to give up as we continue loving the person and hating the sin.
Our godly example and actions under all circumstances will have a lasting impression upon our children. The secret is in your belief that God’s power within you is greater than the power of the enemy.

Using the keys of binding and loosing will have a tremendous impact upon your prayers and spiritual warfare. Bind every evil spirit that you know is controlling your loved one, and loose a good spirit, according to the Word of God.

For example, bind the spirits of loneliness, restlessness, and rejection. These are some of the most persistent and prevalent spirits to attach themselves to teenagers by attracting them to ungodly friends and influences. Pray that God will send godly friends and influences into your child’s life. Loose the spirit of love, peace, joy, and a sound mind. Bind the evil spirits of lies and deception, disobedience, fear, and torment of the enemy; loose the spirit of truth and understanding and of peace and God’s love.

As a born-again believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit, you are equipped to go into battle for your children and family. Our weapons are not of the flesh. The Bible says they are “mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4,
NKJV
). Use your keys and your spiritual weapons: the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, praise and worship, the prayer of agreement, and the Word of God. When you put into action your spiritual weapons against satanic forces, you will see the walls of deception and the strongholds of the enemy destroyed in the lives of your loved ones.

You have every right to fight for your possessions. Children are your possessions, given to you by God, and Satan will try to trespass against and steal them. Rebuke the spirit of fear and strengthen your inner man with truth. Take up your shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (the Bible), and you will be amazed at what God will do through your trust and confidence in His Word. Remember, it is not your power or your strength but God’s Spirit at work through you.

T
HE
D
ESTRUCTIVE
E
FFECTS OF
L
UST AND
P
ORNOGRAPHY

Several years ago I read a striking headline that reflected the morals of our nation. It said, “Sex sailing into mainstream TV, films full steam ahead. As barriers fall, many wonder: What’s next?”

Have you wondered why so many marriages break up because of sexual sins such as adultery, infidelity, and addictions to pornography? There is also incest, molestation, sexual abuse, jealousy, arguments, and affairs. Immorality is rampant, even in many so-called Christian homes. The more I counsel with married couples and single women, the more convinced I am that Satan has a plan for the destruction of all families. Surveys reveal that divorce in out of control in both secular and Christian families.

It all began with the fall of man. The Bible refers to the sins of the parents visiting the family up to the fourth generation. In my grandparents’ families there was witchcraft, sexual abuse, addictions, idol worship, and many other things. I have been able to observe how different family members have been affected by the same patterns of abuse and addiction as their parents were affected.

The transference of these spirits continues from generation to generation until a child of God with knowledge of the Word and of his legal rights takes up his rightful position and breaks the power of strongholds over his family. In my case, I was a victim of abuse.

I remember when my first daughter was born. I became extremely impatient when she cried all night and slept all day. In my impatience I would shake the crib and grind my teeth as her little body shook in the crib. Only by the grace of God did I manage to control myself. The same spirit of abuse wanted to take control of me and turn me into an abuser of my children.

That was my destiny, if Satan had had his way. But, praise the Lord, it was precisely during that time that I went to a women’s meeting where I was able to receive instruction from a woman who knew the Word of God. The truth of God’s Word set me free from the curse of abuse. After that I was able to take my little daughter in my arms and sing “Jesus Loves You” as I gently prayed for God to give me wisdom to train my daughter to become a woman of God. My life was never the same after that experience.

The abuse that I suffered left me with many consequences that affected my life for many years. The result of sexual abuse in any degree can create many bad habits and altered thought patterns in the victim. Immorality in marriage can be traced to some form of abuse, sexual or otherwise. In a home where abuse is practiced, the entire family suffers even if each member is not a direct victim of the abuse. The same spirits affect all of the members of that family.

Many wife abusers will tell you that their father abused their mothers. Many prostitutes will tell you that some family member sexually abused them. Many unfaithful wives will tell you that their father abused them. Many fathers who cannot get along with their daughters or sons will tell you that they did not have a good relationship with their father or mother. Many husbands who do not respect their wives will tell you that their father did not respect their mothers. Many homosexual men will tell you that they were molested by a family member or another man when they were very young. The cycle continues, and it is very vicious.

Lust and pornography will destroy marriages and relationships. The root has to be destroyed, and the person’s mind has to be renewed by the Word of God and by fellowship with the Holy Spirit. These sins are never committed alone. Satan is always a participant, and your children and their children are the inheritors of the same sin or sins.

We are constantly being bombarded by sexually explicit images through the airways and all kinds of media and electronic devices. Our cell phones, computers, TV, video games, the Facebook phenomenon, and texting are impacting our lives in many ways. All these forms of connecting and forming relationships have also opened the door for easy escapism into the readily available world of lust and pornography. Even our adolescents are being affected and influenced by this rage.

Recently I did a study of forty pastors and their wives. I asked them to write a five-page autobiography of their family of origin and tell how their experiences affected their own lives and marriages. The results were incredible. Every one of them had been a victim of some past iniquity of their parents. Every one of them had been a target of Satan for destruction and failure. Every one of them was able to testify that they were able to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Praise God! Some were still struggling, but all knew the source of their struggle.

Ignorance will keep a person bound and ignorant. We, as Christians who have the truth at our disposal, must learn what the Word of God says about us and the provisions already made available for a victorious life. We cannot remain ignorant any longer. We must engage in spiritual warfare and fervent prayers for our loved ones and stop the disintegration of our families. I challenge you to step out of the realm of ignorance and into the wonderful realm of God’s wisdom and understanding.

You are the most influential person on this earth who can stand in the gap for your children or loved ones to bring them back to God!

CHAPTER SIX

PRAYING FOR YOUR CHILDREN

S
CRIPTURE SUPPORT FOR PRAYERS FOR SPIRITUAL
GROWTH

L
EARN TO
S
CRIPTURE-PRAY
even from the time your children are in the womb. Continue adding scriptures as the Holy Spirit gives them to you. The following scriptures have been selected for your guidance as you pray for your children.