Claiming our Children

"...by the finger of God..." Luke 11:20

I was just reading about some depressing statistics about the percentage of high school kids who are sexually active, who experiment with drugs, alcohol and smoking. What a grim picture it paints for the future! The enemy targets our children knowing they are the next generation of leaders and world changers. 

In the reading today, Jesus was casting out a devil, but the people around were accusing Him of being in league with the prince of devils himself! Many people don't want to face the fact that evil spirits are all around just waiting for a foothold into our homes and our children's lives. We need to be vigilant about not tolerating ungodly stuff to enter spaces we have control over. It's hard because the enemy is subtle and stealthy. A little burst of anger, a little impatience, annoyance, disobedience, can grow into rebellion and lying, promiscuity and defiance. 

"Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed," Jesus said. "Any house torn by dissension falls." When a mother and father cannot agree on the right way to bring up kids, disaster looms. As parents we need to be on the offensive, not on the defensive. I am preaching to myself here. My son is already 22, but I still keep praying for him, that he will know how to discern, to choose his friends and mentors. I pray for the environment around him, for the woman he will one day marry. But most of all I pray that he will have a life-changing encounter with our Savior. He has grown up with Christian brothers and sisters all around him at home, in school, in community. He's a loving, obedient, wonderful son, but I'm waiting for God's finger to touch Him to bring him to the next level. We need to claim our children for God!