Understanding Your Enemy

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As parents, we have come up against one specific thing several times:

The evil one tries to convince our children that "correction and instruction" is "condemnation and judgment."

He whispers to them that "you aren't good enough for Mom and Dad. You can never please them." He tries to tell them they are being wrongly accused and misunderstood. This is a deception that must be actively and wisely confronted. 

Parents, we must understand our enemy. 

We must help our children understand their enemy. And it is NOT us. But that is what he will whisper to them.


If our children are not properly submitted to our authority, as unto the Lord, then they are opening themselves up to this trap of the evil one. It can be displayed with argumentative attitudes questioning our authority. In younger children, this may simply be a desire to understand the parameters of the child/parent relationship. The Spirit will help us discern the motivation of their hearts. But some children, even at a very young age, will directly challenge our authority, not as a means to understand, but testing us to see if we really mean what we say; testing us to see if they can win the battle of wills.



Through the Spirit, we must help our children understand from a very young age that if they disobey us, they are disobeying God. He has placed them under our authority to learn to be under His authority. When they are properly submitted to His Authority, directly or delegated through us, they are afforded protection from many of the attacks and schemes of the enemy. But when they bow their backs and refuse to submit, then they are removing themselves from under that protective covering, opening themselves to spiritual attack and deception. 


Out from under authority, the enemy has an easy time convincing them of his lies. And as they listen to what they want to hear (a message that affirms their wrong choices) they open themselves to a larger web of deceit. The Spirit causes their spirit to feel guilt, as a means to move them to conviction and confession for the purpose of reconciliation. If they refuse to receive that godly conviction of sin, then they must balance the guilt with blame. This is where we can become "the enemy." In direct proportion to the amount of guilt they are feeling in their spirit, without repentance, they will dish out an equal load of blame to balance the scale. When we understand this principle, we recognize the blame they direct toward us is to balance the guilt they are feeling from the Spirit. This helps us to pray more effectively.



We must arm ourselves with the Truth and constantly speak it in Love. We must pray for the Lord to teach them to desire Truth in the innermost places of their spirit. We must do battle in the spiritual realm against the lies of the enemy. We must pray for the eyes of their hearts to be open, that they will understand the true consequences of their choices. This battle cannot begin soon enough. Our children are never too young for us to engage in it. The evil one will try to lull us into a false sense of security or even denial that our precious children are capable of such open disobedience. And if we fall for it, we are right where he wants us. 


It really does come down to understanding that our fallen nature is capable of every sin known to man. If we don't really believe that we can fall into any sin, we are not appropriately engaged. And if we don't believe our children can be enticed to commit any sin, then we will not be properly motivated to provide prayer covering for them. We must be on the alert all the time. We must recognize the warning signs of the deceptions trying to take hold of them. 


He is Faithful to give us wisdom to parent these children entrusted to our care. But we must avail ourselves of that wisdom. Our "wisdom" is not enough, will never be enough. Our enemy is deceitful above all things. We must be armed with the Spirit. And we must boldly do battle for our children, always speaking the Truth in Love for the purpose of restoration.