Our Children, Satan's Target
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons.
Deuteronomy 6:6–7
Christian children and teenagers populating our schools, attending our churches, and living in our homes are the targets of Satan's strategy. Many Christian young people hear voices as if a subconscious self is talking to them. Satan seeks to destroy our families and churches by seducing our children away from their parents and from God (1 Timothy 4:1).
Is every evil thought in our mind the "voice" of Satan or a demon? No, the flesh—that part of our brain that urges us to operate independently of God and to centre our interests on ourselves—also introduces sinful thoughts and suggests evil deeds. Furthermore, input from worldly movies, music, books, TV, etc. also introduces evil ideas into our minds. As we grow in Christ, we learn to say no to the deeds of the flesh and walk in the Spirit.
But the world and the flesh are not the only culprits, even though we tend to place most of the blame on them. The devil and "spiritual forces of wickedness" (Ephesians 6:12) are shrewdly at work introducing evil suggestions as thoughts or inner voices. Just as we learn to deal with worldly and fleshly influences, so we must learn to distinguish Satan's subtle, personal influence and resist him, and we must teach our children to do the same. Whether your child's evil thoughts are coming from the world, the flesh, or the devil, you need to help him bring "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Our children aren't saying much about Satan's seduction in their lives because most of them don't know that he's at the heart of it. Satan is the great deceiver. He doesn't march into their lives accompanied by a brass band. He slyly worms his way in through the opportunities they and we give him. And since kids haven't been taught what the Bible says about Satan's strategies, they blame themselves, and their sense of guilt and fear of punishment further contributes to their silence.
Let's Pray: Father God, raise up a standard of truth to defeat the enemy in my children's lives, and help me teach them to resist the enemy themselves.
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.