Guest Post: By Mindy Hite

I would like to introduce Mindy Hite to you, a dear friend, speaker, author, and mom of three boys, who is sharing with us today about protecting our kids from the lies of the enemy.  For more information on Mindy and her wonderful resources, check out her bio at the bottom of this post.

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Unfortunately, Satan didn’t come to mess around. The Word says, “Be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Our enemy isn’t nice and he’s after our kids and the disciples they might make as well their kids and the disciples they might make. He’s out to steal their joy, kill their hope, and devour their light. But Jesus told us that He came, “that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

The enemy attacks our kids through their thought lives, and we know this because it’s the same way he attacks us as adults. The struggle is very real, even as parents, to guard our minds against the evil of the day. What can we do as parents to help? I think there are three things…

  1. Slow the input
  2. Nourish them with truth
  3. Teach them to talk to God

1. Slow the input…

Our kids are bombarded far more with input today than we ever were as kids and every bit of this information gets filed as either a truth or a lie.

A lot of lies are flying at your children disguised as truths, and the more they hear them, the more likely they are to believe them and become desensitized to the actual lie. 

 

  • We need to be aware of this onslaught and understand that sometimes it’s okay to simplify their lives for them. 

  • This is the first line of defense against the attacks of the enemy – to pull back from the lies for a bit, help our kids get quiet, making sure they feel seen. Sometimes, we need some distance and some quiet to be able to discern what the lies are. 

  • {Practical Tips:  No screen Sundays – it’s okay to just start with a few hours (that means parents too). Pull them out of school for a half day/day for one-on-one time, one-on-one dates with each parent once a month.  Be more selective about what’s on TV.}

Okay, so first we slow the onslaught of lies and information, next…

2. Nourish them with truth…

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2. 

It’s impossible to renew our mind if we aren’t filling it from the only TRUE source, God’s Holy Word. 

  • We have to read the Bible and model it for our children. It’s imperative for our own lives and to protect our own minds against the enemy. It’s also very important that we model it for our children. Our actions speak so much louder than our words.

  • We have to read the Word to our children. We can show them the Savior who loves them, the One who died for them, the One who fights for them, the One who loves them. 
    • Side Note: I didn’t grow up knowing that when bad things happened or when I made a bad mistake, there was a Savior waiting with open arms to forgive me no matter what. I wasn’t taught that His blood was greater than all my sins. This, my friends, is what we want for our kids. For them to see a God in heaven to turn to when they make mistakes (because just like us, they will). A God waiting with open arms ready to give them truth to cover the enemy’s lies. Satan and his minions want to cover our children in shame and drive a wedge of guilt between them and their Savior (and us) just like he did with Adam and Eve. If we give them God’s Word to turn to, the ultimate truth to stand on now, His Word will not return void.
  • When we have the Bible as our foundation, then we can apply the truths in our daily lives. 
    • Asking for forgiveness when we sin in anger. 

    • Explaining why we pray when an ambulance goes by.

    • Helping your kids be amazed at God’s goodness even in the rain.

I can write this not because I’m an expert, but because I’m a person made of clay that my Maker is still molding. (And yes, I had to ask for forgiveness from two members of my family already today). We aren’t perfect parents; we are flawed humans who point the way to Jesus in our need for Him. 

{Practical Tips: Growing Kids for the Kingdom has lots of great tips for getting your kids in the Word, being in the Word as a family, and memorizing Scripture.}

  • Ephesians 6 is a popular passage of scripture discussing the whole armor of God. For our purpose here today, I want to focus in on the helmet in verse 17. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” Take implies an action that you have to do something here, you have to deliberately receive this protection. In real battles, the head was a major target and in a spiritual battle, it’s no different. Even with a believer, Satan still seeks to sow doubt and discouragement in our minds. But if we put on the helmet of Salvation, being assured of our truth, we can take those lies one at a time and swat them away like slow-moving flies.

  • Even in the fiction books (Light Bearers) I’ve written, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to include these truths. The main character, Sarah, must keep her helmet of light on to defend against the forces of the Darkness, one of which is the man she thought was her uncle. He was able to whisper lies over her for years. But using the Light and truth (God’s Word), she is able to combat ANY lie of the Darkness and she even becomes more powerful than any of the strongest beings of the Darkness that she faces.

We are being nourished in the Word, are in the Word as a family, and encouraging our kids to be in the Word, which prepares us for what comes next…

3. Teach our children to talk to God by praying together…

  • We have to train ourselves and our children to know the voice of God, to know that feeling, that still small voice (the Holy Spirit) that leads us in the way we ought to go. This voice always agrees with His Word. It will affirm us and lift us up. It will convict, if needed for sin, but it doesn’t condemn and belittle. We only get to know God’s voice by getting to know Him. How do you get to know somebody? By spending time with them. If you only talked to a friend and never listened, that wouldn’t work either. When we spend time with God, the truth takes root and helps to crowd out and reveal the lies. 

  • Can I also encourage you to pray together over your home? Invite the Lord into your house and ask that He “clean it out” in Jesus name. Without meaning to do so, we can invite the enemy in through TV shows, sin, whatever. We sometimes need to set things back to right and clean house. Pray over your children’s pillows, their rooms, their doors. But in all these things, we remember who holds the true power, and it’s not Satan. It is He who created the world and then overcame it. JESUS. Darkness flees at His name. 

The Word uses strong language when it talks about the enemy. Not because you are to fear him, but because you are meant to be aware of his influence and to understand that through Jesus Christ you have the tools to deny his lies. We need to teach our kids, at age-appropriate levels, that they too can combat the lies of the enemy with love-covered, Christ-centered, truth-filled minds. As parents we can help protect our kids from the enemy’s lies by slowing the input, nourishing them with truth, and teaching them to pray. 

Here are a few more practical things for you to try today in order to put these things into practice:

  • What is one lie you have been believing that you need God’s Holy Word to shine truth on today? Write that lie down. Strike through it in red, symbolizing Jesus’ blood. Then write your scripture, your truth. Take up your helmet of truth against it. 

  • Now, ask the Lord, what is a lie your child is believing. Some children get pictures and enjoy praying with you. If you have a tween or a teen, you can pray with them, asking the Lord together to tell them what the lie is and what truth He has for them. If there is brokenness in your relationship there, I’m so sorry. God wants to see that restored; pray and don’t lose heart!

“Rejoice in the Lord always…The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Amen. (Philippians 4:4-6) 

You are seen. You matter. You are loved.

Mindy Hite

1 Corinthians 10:31

Dr. Mindy Hite is an author, speaker, and current homeschool mom. Her professional journey began with helping to heal bodily injuries as a physical therapist, but as a disciple of Jesus Christ, she is now more concerned with the heart. Through a Holy Spirit-inspired dream, Mindy started writing her first book “Light Bearers: The Awakening”, which unfolded into a series. These novels are just one more avenue through which she hopes to bring love, hope, and healing to her audiences. As an avid reader, Mindy believes that the written word has the power to impact lives and prays her stories not just entertain, but influence true heart change. Find Mindy at Mindyhite.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and grab the prologue for “Light Bearers: The Deliverance”.

For more from Mindy, check out her blog: Light Bearers: The Awakening, Encouraging Your Teens in Their Identity in Christ