6 Ways to Battle for Your Children - Battlefield Moms Part 4

It is so easy to talk about the spiritual battle happening all around us. It's easy to talk about battling for our children's souls.  But when it comes to living it out in every day shoe leather - yikes! It's a lot tougher than it seems!

It's not that the battle itself is so hard. It is just hard to put your finger on exactly how to do battle. The line between training proper behavior into your children and fighting for their eternity is blurred at times. I have been praying and meditating on this and I feel like God has shown me several ways to be intentional about it. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I know I will keep learning more and more as I grow on this parenting journey, and I'm sure all my readers could add several more ideas to this list! And I sure would love to hear your thoughts. :)

Teach them the Word of God

Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sing against You. -Psalm 119:11

The Word of God is the very essence of Him. If you want to know God, learn His Word. Dig into the Bible with your kids! Help them memorize it, talk about it with them, explain it to them. Make it a priority! You are putting the sword right into their hands, so they can begin to battle along side of you, when you teach them the Word of God. 

I asked the Moms, on the "Battlefield Moms" Facebook page, what their favorite and most effective way is to teach their toddlers and younger children Bible verses. The one thing I heard the most was Steve Green's "Hide em in Your Heart" DVD and CD. 

Teach them how to apply the Word in a practical way

Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. -Psalm 119:105

This is so closely related to the one above, but it is something we need to purposely decide to do, so I separated them. Fanny Crosby could quote entire books of the Bible as a child, but she did not give her life to Jesus until she was 30. If we do not teach our children how to apply the Scripture to their own personal lives, they could quote the whole Bible without ever following Jesus. Choose verses that are applicable to your child's life. Take time to explain the meaning of the verse or passage your are memorizing. Teach them how to use the Word of God to ward off the attacks of the Devil and strengthen their hearts in the battle! Every soldier needs a light for their path. It's like night vision! :)

Teach them to seek truth

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist -Ephesians 6:14a

Truth is the belt that holds on the entire suit of armor we are given! 

Our society is constantly screaming out that reality is found in our social life or, maybe, the true meaning of life is serving self, etc. Half truths, blasting at us and our families from everywhere! First of all we as parents must have a heart for truth. When our children are small we need to seek out the truth for them, but as they get older we must start training their hearts to seek for truth, at all times.

An effective soldier needs more than one piece of armor and it is no different for an effective Christian. We can teach our children to seek truth by studying the Word of God, and by praying.

Teach them to guard their hearts

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. -Proverbs 4:23

When our children are young it is our job to guard their hearts. That means being purposeful about the movies they watch, the toys they play with, the books they look at and watching the words they say. Give your child the gift of a pure mind by filtering all the influences that come into their little sphere. This is so important! Guarding your heart is one way to put on the "breastplate of righteousness."

Teach them obedience

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." -1 Samuel 15:22

I am so glad we do not live under the old covenant of sacrifices and burnt offerings! But this verse does give us a glimpse into how important our obedience is to God! If we want to make it easy for our kids to be obedient to God's principles and His calling on their lives, then we need to teach them to be obedient. When they learn to cheerfully obey us as parents, that heart attitude will easily transfer into their relationship with God. Remember, a soldier is always obedient to his General!

Pray, pray, pray!

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 for all the Lord’s people. -Ephesians 6:18

How amazing is it that we can come before the very throne of God and beseech Him on the behalf of our children? It is an awesome privilege, and one that we should practice, over and over again! Grace flows from His throne, giving us strength to go on, strength to make the right choices and strength to walk the path of Motherhood that He has chosen for us! He pours His grace into our mistakes and gives us the wisdom needed to continue on the right way.

There are so many ways that prayer is a great weapon to use, but it can all be summed up in one sentence.

Run to Jesus!

When we don't know how to handle a situation, when our child is rebellious, when we don't feel like fighting, when our child asks difficult questions, when we need grace, when we tremble for their souls, when we have a bad day - the entire parenting journey calls for one thing: taking it to Jesus!

Allow His grace to flow from the throne and cover your life. Immerse your parenting in prayer and God will cover you with His wonderful, wonderful grace! 

​Blessings to you as your fight for your children's souls!

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!  

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