Have
you ever observed something in your child that bothers you but you can’t
identify what it is? When that happens, don’t ignore your God-given instincts.
Ask God to reveal what it is you’re sensing. We are aligned with the Creator of
the universe, who understands perfectly what is going on, and we need to ask
Him for wisdom and revelation.
Have
you ever detected an expression on your child’s face that you knew was guilt
but you didn’t know the reason for it? In other words, you suspected an offense
worthy of some kind of discipline but you didn’t have the hard evidence.
Whenever that happened with either of my children, I prayed, “Lord, You know
our foolishness and our sins are not hidden from You (Psalm 69:5). Reveal to me
what I am sensing in this child.” Each time He revealed an ungodly stronghold
erecting itself in the flesh. For instance, one time one of the children was
smuggling forbidden foods into the bedroom for secret consumption. Another
time, a lie was being set in motion in order to achieve a
desired result. In every case the sins were revealed after I prayed.
I
always told my children it wasn’t worth it for them to disobey their mom and
dad because God would always reveal it to us. They soon believed me.
One
particular instance stands out in my mind. It occurred when Amanda was about
seven years old. Every morning I gave her three tiny vitamins to swallow. These
had been prescribed by our doctor, and I always made sure she had them in a
tiny dish by her plate at the breakfast table. In the beginning she protested
every time she had to take them. After a while she became more cheerful about
it, and eventually she stopped complaining altogether. Around the same time, I
sensed something about Amanda that troubled me, but I couldn’t put my finger on
exactly what it was.
“Show
me, Lord. Is there anything in Amanda I should be seeing?” I prayed.
Nothing
happened over the next several days, and I didn’t think much about it because I
was busy packing our household goods for a move to another location. The day
the moving company came to pack the large items, we started to remove the
little cushions that were tied to the seats of the kitchen chairs. There, under
Amanda’s seat cushion, I found twenty-six little vitamins spread all around the
seat. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I called my husband in to show him what I’d
found, and we both chuckled, even though we knew she’d have to be confronted
when she arrived home from school.
We
proceeded to untie the other five cushions and, much to our amazement, under
all but one we discovered twenty to thirty vitamins. Only the chair furthest
away from hers was empty. This time we rolled with laughter.
When Amanda arrived home from school, we wiped
the smiles off our faces and presented her with well over a hundred vitamins
and a cup of water. We told her that unless she wanted to take all those
vitamins she had better do some explaining.
This
incident seems humorous and minor, but if Amanda’s deception had gone
undetected and never dealt with, it could have led to bigger deceptions until
deception had a foothold in her life. I’m grateful to God that He reveals such
things to us before they become serious.
It
doesn’t necessarily have to be a child’s sins you are sensing. It could be hurt
or fear over something he (she) has thought, seen, or experienced. It could be
hopelessness, confusion, envy, selfishness, or pride. It’s impossible to guess,
so it’s best to ask God to reveal it to you. Even if you don’t get a clear
leading right away, you can still pray about it. Jesus instructed us to pray as
a matter of course, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Sometimes we
don’t have to be any more specific than praying for God to penetrate the lives of
our children by the power of His Spirit and deliver them from evil. The point
is, don’t ignore these warnings.
Even
if you don’t sense anything in your child now, it’s still a good preventative
measure to pray the following prayer. Not that you have to be forever
suspicious of your children, but you do have to be suspicious of the enemy
lurking around waiting to erect a stronghold in their lives. “Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The verse following that one gives
us directions on how to deal with this: “Resist him,”it says. Shall we pray?
P R A Y E R
Lord, Thank
You that You have promised in Your Word to deliver us when we cry out to You. I
come to You on behalf of (name of child) and ask that You would deliver him
(her) from any ungodliness that may be threatening to become a stronghold in
his (her) life. Even though I don’t know what he (she) needs to be set free
from, You do. I pray in the name of Jesus that You will work deliverance in his
(her) life wherever it is needed. I know that although “we walk in the flesh,
we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2
Corinthians 10:3–5).
Give
me wisdom and revelation regarding him (her). I know there are areas of enemy
operation which I cannot see, so I depend on You, Lord, to reveal these to me
as I need to know them. Speak to my heart. Show me how to pray when there is
something deep in my spirit that is unsettled, disturbed, or troubled about him
(her). Show me anything that I am not seeing, and let all that is hidden come
to light. If there is any action I need to take, I depend on You to show me.
Thank You that You help me parent this child.
Lord,
I put (name of child) in Your hands this day. Guide, protect, and convict him
(her) when sin is trying to take root. Strengthen him (her)
in battle when Satan attempts to gain a foothold in his (her) heart. Make him
(her) sensitive to enemy encroachment, and may he (she) run to You to be his
(her) stronghold and refuge in times of trouble. May the cry of his (her) heart
be, “Cleanse me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12). According to Your Word I say
that the Lord will deliver him (her) from every evil work and preserve him
(her) for His heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18).
W E A P O N S O F W A R F A R E
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be loosed in heaven.
MATTHEW 16:19
There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and
hidden that will not be known.
MATTHEW 10:26
Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
PROVERBS 11:21
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge
in times of trouble.
PSALM 9:9
Call to Me, and I will
answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
JEREMIAH 33:3
Stormie Omartian is the best-selling author of The
Power of a Praying series, including The Power of a Praying Parent, from
which this article was adapted. The Power of a Praying Parent®. Copyright © 2007 by Stormie Omartian.
Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.