“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.” Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)

The  pronoun ‘we’ refers to everyone; adults, children, women, men, girls and boys. Children are not too young or too old for spiritual attacks. Spiritual attacks can happen at any age and at any time. The enemy is having a field day stealing the joy and destiny of our children.  Therefore, we as their parents need to equip them on how to “fight the good fight”. 

Today, we can clearly see how the enemy manipulates our children. Take the six year old child who took a gun to school to punish his teacher. Or, the countless teenagers who commit suicide. I can list many more instances where the devil claws his way into the minds and hearts of our children. We as parents can choose to be bystanders of this truth or arm our children for the battle; so that they can resist the enemy and use the strategies the Father has given us to win the battles.

Well, you may ask, “How can I teach my child(ren) to fight spiritually?”

Paul shares the answer to that exact question in Esphesians 6:11,  ”Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Yes, the answer is that simple. We need to teach our children who God is and how to wear the full armor of God. 

In the same way, a football player won’t go onto the field without wearing protection inorder not to get hurt. We as christians need protection as well. We don’t need physical armor like a football player or a person going to war; our armor is spiritual. 

Ephesians 6:14-18 defines each part of the armor:

1. Belt of truth: Stay in the truth of God. In fact, wrap yourself in God’s word. Live righteously – without sin. This is one of the most vital parts of the armor, because it holds up the armor.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness: Stand on the word of God. Equip yourself with the word of the Lord, so that you have a solid, unshakable foundation in the Lord.
3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: Peace is an attribute of the Lord. The bible teaches us that the Lord will fight our battles, not us. The Lord does not want nor need us to take part in violence, whether physically or verbally.
4. Shield of Faith: Use faith to combat the attacks (mental, physical and spiritual) of the enemy. “As a man thinks, so is he.” I love chocolate and if my mind thinks about eating chocolate then I will definitely eat chocolate. What we think affects the decisions we make. Therefore, if we continue to believe in the Lord, the attacks of the enemy won’t harm us.
5. Helmet of Salvation: Salvation is an on-going process. We need to continuously work on it. A helmet shields; it protects us from severe injury. We have to allow the Lord to work through our thoughts in order to maintain our salvation.
6. Sword of the Spirit: This is the word of God. Knowing and using the word of God appropriately and accurately is necessary. God’s word is a sword when it is spoken out of the mouth of the believer.
7. Praying in the Spirit: The bible urges us to pray continuously. Praying is how we communicate with God. We need this in order to get strategies and answers from God.

Yes, in today’s busy society, who has that time to devote to teaching? We, myself included, are always going to make time for what we believe is important. Our children’s salvation and fulfillment of their destiny in Christ matters – it is the only thing that matters in this life and the next. 

Start by using God’s word to teach your child(ren) about God and how to live righteously. Prioritize reading the word of the Lord each day, a verse, or chapter. Teach your child(ren) how to pray, worship – to commune with God. 

Children, like us, need to be able to communicate to ensure and secure a bond. Prayer should not just be reciting verses nor unleashing our desires, but heartfelt conversation. To render all of our praise and worship to the Lord, the One who cares and provides for our needs. The devil will not ever take it easy on our children or give them a day off. The devil is always looking for an opening to kill, to steal and to destroy our children’s lives. He thrives on keeping adults and children alike oblivious to the truth of God. Hosea 4:6 (KJV), “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”. Knowledge here implies- lack of knowledge about who you are in Christ, your authority. Let’s never give the enemy an open door to our children. Instead, equip them with the knowledge and the word of God.

Author: Nadine Abbott