[French Translation] [Spanish Translation] Even though I started preaching when I was 7 years old, I had my own struggles during my teenage years. All that was ingrained in me from that young age was being tested. The hardest part was peer pressure. Which child would not want to be accepted by his friends? And for me to be accepted by my friends was to compromise on my passion for Christ by living according to the Word of God, which I was not willing to do.
My mother had done what the Bible taught her. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 But when it came to my time of testing, the temptation to please my friends was far greater than to simply obey my mother. I was surrounded by some friends who thought I was crazy not to hang out with them.
But, as I grew up, what my mother instilled in me kept reverberating in my ears. She said, “Shyju, you are a Levite, you are set apart for Jesus.” She did not fail to point out other young men who were being used mightily by God to tell me that God could use me too. She began to encourage me to seek the Lord even before I was 7 years old. I looked forward to my prayer time as soon as I would return from school.
I have heard people say countless times, “Let children do what they like” or “Give them their freedom to choose what they want”. I’ve even had people tell me that it was not right for my mother to enforce religion onto me at that age.
Think with me, if my mom never did constantly feed my mind those thoughts, what thoughts would I have to follow? Or worse still, whose thoughts would I be following? That of my unsaved teacher? A clueless peer?
I can also say that I’m most grateful to God today for my mother who battled for me, during my teenage years and after, even though back then, I used to tell her that she was overdoing it. After all this time, today I am witness to the Lord helping me through the turmoil in my spirit that every youngster goes through; because of these prayers.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you battle it out for and with your children:
This is War!
We know and hear about mothers who are supposed to intercede for their children. But I know that beyond that, mothers need to move with a spirit of intercession that takes the spiritual realm by storm. Beyond just praying against peer pressure or bad friends, we need to understand that there is an enemy that is waiting to devour this generation.
It is not just teaching them to obey you but you must be aware that there is a spirit of rebellion that you must bind in the spiritual realm. It is not enough that you intercede for them; you must rise to fight those powers of darkness that God has put under your authority. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-4 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds
Declare War
Remember God is waiting for you to bind it for it to be bound in heaven and what you loose will be loosed in heaven. Mathew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. I have woken up many times to see my mother by my bed rebuking every demonic spirit that comes against taking me away from God.
Guard Your Heart
When you find that your children go against their usual self, do not let the situation have an effect on your mind. You can go under with the pressure if you do not take control of the situation in the spirit. The enemy will try to use this situation to upset you and effectually blur your discernment and your mood to seek God. Do not take those moments of unusual rebellion personally. Your child many not even realize that he or she has opened windows for the enemy to take over their character. That is why it states that the prodigal son had to come to himself before he returned to his father. It is important for you to guard your heart so that you can discern right in your spirit and not be carried away emotionally.
Discern The Situation
Your first response to rebellion must be that you go on your knees and ask God for discernment. It is normal for children to try and rebel against authority yet there are times when the enemy takes control of their mind in being defiant. It is not too hard for a mother to sense that their child is acting strange recently. Is it just rebellion? Or is it a spirit of anger? Is it a generational spirit of rebellion? Then your prayer must be directed against that generational spirit to let go of your child. Or is it a spirit of lust, gluttony or something else? It is easier to deal with the situation if you can discern what kind of spirit is activating in your child.
Ask God To Expose It
Ask the Lord to reveal the hidden things to you. You will be surprised how God will expose certain secrets thus making it easier for you to tackle it. Is there a particular friend who could be the reason? Is there a particular house they shouldn’t be going to?
Take Action
Part of taking action is to be wise. Remember these are things you need to win in the spirit? So first, tackle it in the spirit before even trying to talk to them. Ask the Lord how you must talk to them? What words must you use? When should I stop talking? Take time to go ahead against that spirit in prayer and fasting. Bind those spirits that might have taken control in your child. Bind that spirit of hatred and disobedience. Release love into their hearts in the mighty name of Jesus. AND NOW act in love. Believe me when I tell you, you can reach out better as mother and friend than a mother who is trying to be a know-it-all coach.
Hold On To The Promise
I see many parents who are very upset with what happens with their children. It does not change a thing. The time that you wait for your son to come back home, don’t waste it being tensed instead wage war against the schemes of the enemy. Soon you will see a difference in their heart and the way they respond to you.
No matter what happens or how bad it looks in your family, hold on to the Word of God. In fact that is our only hope. Let’s not forget His promise. “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10
[Next Thursday’s post, don’t miss: A Mother’s Role in Bringing Up Prophets]
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