5 Reasons Every Mom Needs To Be Battle Ready - All. The. Time.

Let's face it: raising kids is not for sissies. There is so much teaching and training to be done all the time. Manners, kindness, responsibility...the list goes on and on! But above all of that, we need to teach our children to follow God whole-heartedly. And because the world is heading the opposite direction, that creates a battle.

The devil does not want our kids to follow God but Jesus says "let the little children come unto Me." Instant battle.  And whether we always realize it or not, being a parent puts us right in the middle of the fray. Thankfully, God has given us a full suit of armor and the power of His might to use in the battle. It is absolutely necessary that we put it to use. All. The. Time.

Why is it so important to never put down our guard? Here are 5 Biblical reasons:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. -1 Peter 5:8

This pretty much sums it all up in one verse. The enemy never stops trying to find a way into our lives and into our children's hearts.  We must always, always be on the alert for his attacks. We must always have our weapons ready to defend our children.

Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will also reap.   
​-Galatians 6:7

It is so easy to think that I can live a relaxed Christian life, but if I let my kids watch only Christian movies and teach them a few Christian songs, they will grow up as "a man after God's own heart". It's a lie! If we do not have a passion after God the chances are that our children will not have a passion after Him either. Their souls will be the price. Our actions are the seeds that we plant in our children's hearts and those seeds will bear our fruit. We need to always be ready to use the little every day moments to point our children to God. They are watching how we react to each and every situation, and they will store it away as the appropriate response. Our actions are part of the battle.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17

Everything we do? That's a tall order! That means being conscious of God's will in our lives, every single second! It means seeking to glorify Him with every action, which translates into consciously planting the right seeds all day long. It's another way to be battle ready all the time. When I wrote the first Battlefield Mom post, I thought the main way we could do battle for our children was in our prayers. But I'm coming to realize it is so much more!

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
​-Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Why should we be battle ready all the time? Because it is a command of God! Teaching our children the Word of God is putting the Sword of the Spirit right into their hands and teaching them how to do battle themselves. 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying. -Ephesians 6:18

We are most likely not going to catch every "battle moment." We will become more and more skilled at it as we practice, but we will still miss them at times. And so we must pray, pray, pray! Prayer is like the warrior that stands in the gap. God told Ezekiel that He was looking for someone to "stand in the gap in the wall", but found no one. We can't let that "nobody" be us! Someone that stands in the gap is a valiant warrior who sees a hole in the wall and deliberately places himself in a vulnerable spot to fight for the lives of those under him. That warrior is you, Mommy. Who else will do that for your children?

​We are supposed to be keepers at home. Now, I know that generally means to be a homemaker. But what if it means more? What if it means to stand in the gap, and keep our home, our children, our family for Christ? To fight against the onslaught of the enemy and his evil warriors and not allow them to enter in! 

{I am not suggesting the woman is in charge of the spiritual warfare of a home. But we are the ones that are at home with our children all day long, and there are many times that we will be standing in the gap on our own, while our husband is gone, or maybe even not a Christian.}

And when we make mistakes, when we fail to stay in battle mode, let us repent and thank God for His grace which can keep our mistakes from becoming lethal.

So many of us forget that we do not have our crown yet. We are not "high born ladies of class" who can't get our hands dirty. We are warrior women, called to battle for the glory  of God! The crown can wait until the moment that we can physically throw it back at the feet of Jesus and cry with the angels "only You are worthy! Holy, holy holy!"

Until that glorious day, let us do battle, Mommies!

​For HIS glory.

If you would like to be part of a group of Mom's passionate about doing battle for the souls of their children, join us on Facebook in the Battlefield Moms group. You will find {almost} daily encouragement and inspiration in the battle! 

P.S. Stay tuned for the next post on how to do battle for your kids!

---

If you liked this post, you might also like these: