Growing up, I was quite curious about the animal kingdom. Along with half of the girls in most of my elementary classes, we dreamt of becoming Veterinarians. I probably thought this career choice would give me the best chance of having as many pets as possible, so I “self-trained” as much as I could. This looked like checking out all the veterinary books from the library, watching as much Animal Planet as possible, and even talking my grandparents into buying me VHS video sets on animals from around the world. For much of my childhood, this is what I did with my free time.
Something I learned early on through these videos was how predators hunted. They prowled about hunting for the weak, the wounded, the vulnerable. They would wait until the mother was preoccupied with care or distracted by water, anything at all that exposed the young animal’s weakness and vulnerability.
As I’ve been praying for my kids lately and surprise, surprise, watching animal shows, Holy Spirit made a connection in my mind. Maybe better said, He put a clear visual to the scriptures and the enemy’s schemes.
“The devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour”. 1 Peter 5:8
When you think of children, my guess is that vulnerable or weak are a couple of adjectives that come to mind. Not because kiddos are less than or weak in character, but because they are young, defenseless, and often times unable to know how to defend themselves.
Warring for our children is such a privilege, and to be frank, it kindles anger in my heart towards the enemy and his minions. He’s a liar, a cheat, and set on destruction. Those things don’t mix with my comfort and my children, and I’d bet not yours either.
Going back to the animal kingdom for a moment, have you ever watched a gazelle go after a lioness on the prowl? Or an elephant defend against hyenas? Taking it to Texas – what about a killdeer mother attempt to distract an enemy away from her vulnerable young nested on the ground?
But if not, let me tell you – they will go after their young’s enemy. They don’t sit back and allow anything to happen without a fight. They use all they’ve been given to defend their young! A quick YouTube search and you can see these parents in action.
-The battles will come, our enemy will come, but are we prepared to stand and see the Lord fight for us?
-Will we wield the tools the Lord has put in our belts?
-Will we rise above the onslaught that we might see with our physical eyes as we press on towards the vision we’ve seen from the Lord on our kiddos’ behalf?
The exhortation for us is:
- To stand up and stand firm.
- To walk in our authority as parents and caregivers for the children in our care.
- To command the enemy to stand back and stand down.
- To bless and call higher.
- To smother them in the Truth and lead them straight to Jesus.
- This isn’t easy, but it is simple.
The scriptures also say something about our Savior-Friend: That He is the “Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5) and that every “enemy will be made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:13).
Jesus is bigger than it all. The attack, the attacker, the sin, the hurt, the fear. And He’s full of perfect love. He’s calling us deeper into Himself. He’s asking us to take a stand on His side and wield the weapons He’s given us on behalf of those we love.
Remember your armor, remember the call to intercede, to worship, to petition, and to take authority over your home and kiddos.
And remember, the Lion on our side cannot be overcome. He’s victorious!
Are you ready?!
May the Holy Spirit fill us and our homes to overflowing that Jesus’ face and love might shine all the more to our kiddos!
