Young Warriors
There is a point in every fight where both parties acknowledge that they are actually fighting. The problem is that, far too often, one party doesn’t realize they’re in a fight until they get sucker punched.
The unfortunate reality of Christian life is that we almost never acknowledge that we are in a spiritual battle. While not every mishap or misfortune is a demonic attack, it is foolish to assume that Christians are not the targets of enemy action. This is true for adults, and it is true for children as well.
Our young people are at a critical stage in their Christian walk - some of them would say they’re following Jesus, but many more would admit they’re simply going through the motions. They’re doing Christian things because that’s what their parents expect them to do. In some ways that's admirable - they're trying to honor their parents with their church attendance. But in a more significant way, it is dangerous.
Our kids are in a fight, same as the adults are. The problem is that most of them don't know they're in that fight. Which means they're vulnerable to a spiritual sucker punch. One unexpected strike that completely changes the dynamic of the fight. The few that do know that they’re in a battle are dreadfully unprepared for the attacks they will face.
No soldier is sent into battle without some level of basic training - how to identify the enemy, and how to use their own weapons effectively against the enemy. That’s where we come in. Our job is to teach our young people these essential skills so that when they leave our homes, they are able to thrive in a hostile world.
The first question is how do we identify the enemy? Well, Jesus says we can identify a tree by its fruit. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18). What is the devil known for, and what fruit does he bear? Jesus again tells us “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). Our enemy is a murderer and a liar. So where we find spiritual death, we can imagine that our enemy is not far away. When we encounter lies about our identity, our worthiness, or our salvation, we can be sure the father of lies is somewhere close.
The next question is how do we defend ourselves from this enemy, and, how do we take the fight to hell itself? Ephesians 6:10 is the famous “Armor of God” passage in scripture. In it, Paul details the many defenses Christians have against the schemes and plans of our enemy. Notice that in the entire passage, the only offensive weapon Christians are given is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 10:17). Every other tool is defensive. What does this tell us? That we should lean into what God has provided for us - truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, faith and salvation. Our solid understanding of these things provide an impenetrable defense against the adversary.
The hardest part of equipping our young people is having the courage to tell them the truth about the world they live in. The courage to tell them that they are under attack from a world that wants to turn them away from Jesus. We want them to remain innocent for as long as possible, and that is a good impulse. But if you haven’t noticed, the world is attacking children at a younger and younger age, through media, TV and even our public education system. Parents must be watchful of this, but they cannot be present at all times.
In the absence of an earthly parent, we must rely on our Heavenly Father to provide the protection for our children that they so desperately need. To accomplish that, we must make every effort to introduce our kids to Jesus, and to do as God instructed the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
You may encounter resistance during the instruction time - but every soldier I’ve talked to remembers how a critical piece of advice they didn’t understand at the time ended up saving their lives on the battlefield.
In this way, your instruction might save your children as well.
Jordan Martin
APRIL 28, 2021
The unfortunate reality of Christian life is that we almost never acknowledge that we are in a spiritual battle. While not every mishap or misfortune is a demonic attack, it is foolish to assume that Christians are not the targets of enemy action. This is true for adults, and it is true for children as well.
Our young people are at a critical stage in their Christian walk - some of them would say they’re following Jesus, but many more would admit they’re simply going through the motions. They’re doing Christian things because that’s what their parents expect them to do. In some ways that's admirable - they're trying to honor their parents with their church attendance. But in a more significant way, it is dangerous.
Our kids are in a fight, same as the adults are. The problem is that most of them don't know they're in that fight. Which means they're vulnerable to a spiritual sucker punch. One unexpected strike that completely changes the dynamic of the fight. The few that do know that they’re in a battle are dreadfully unprepared for the attacks they will face.
No soldier is sent into battle without some level of basic training - how to identify the enemy, and how to use their own weapons effectively against the enemy. That’s where we come in. Our job is to teach our young people these essential skills so that when they leave our homes, they are able to thrive in a hostile world.
The first question is how do we identify the enemy? Well, Jesus says we can identify a tree by its fruit. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18). What is the devil known for, and what fruit does he bear? Jesus again tells us “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). Our enemy is a murderer and a liar. So where we find spiritual death, we can imagine that our enemy is not far away. When we encounter lies about our identity, our worthiness, or our salvation, we can be sure the father of lies is somewhere close.
The next question is how do we defend ourselves from this enemy, and, how do we take the fight to hell itself? Ephesians 6:10 is the famous “Armor of God” passage in scripture. In it, Paul details the many defenses Christians have against the schemes and plans of our enemy. Notice that in the entire passage, the only offensive weapon Christians are given is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 10:17). Every other tool is defensive. What does this tell us? That we should lean into what God has provided for us - truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, faith and salvation. Our solid understanding of these things provide an impenetrable defense against the adversary.
The hardest part of equipping our young people is having the courage to tell them the truth about the world they live in. The courage to tell them that they are under attack from a world that wants to turn them away from Jesus. We want them to remain innocent for as long as possible, and that is a good impulse. But if you haven’t noticed, the world is attacking children at a younger and younger age, through media, TV and even our public education system. Parents must be watchful of this, but they cannot be present at all times.
In the absence of an earthly parent, we must rely on our Heavenly Father to provide the protection for our children that they so desperately need. To accomplish that, we must make every effort to introduce our kids to Jesus, and to do as God instructed the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
You may encounter resistance during the instruction time - but every soldier I’ve talked to remembers how a critical piece of advice they didn’t understand at the time ended up saving their lives on the battlefield.
In this way, your instruction might save your children as well.
Jordan Martin
APRIL 28, 2021
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