Remember The Waltons? A popular TV series when I was a teenager, it was set in the mountains of Virginia in the 1930s. A very large family with many children lived in one house, farming the land, eating large meals each night and working hard for their father’s small lumber business. There was a time when this show typified real-life America, back in the days when Dad worked, Mom raised the kids, and the children were well disciplined, respected their elders, and worked hard from an early age on the farm.
Obviously things have changed. Mom and Dad both work to make ends meet; the children are placed in day care and school during the week and are entertained with mobile devices, TV, movies and the Internet; and family members travel on separate paths, often preventing quality family time.
Then there is the ever-present problem of teen rebellion that moves through America’s families like spreading leprosy in the ancient homes in Israel. If a family consists of two children, it’s likely that one is compliant and the other is defiant—or one is cooperative and the other rather inoperative. Most parents with numerous children understand the oddity that often one child tends to encounter more struggles, to battle more addictions or to rebel.
The cause for this can always be traced back to Satan’s plans to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10). From the very first family on Earth, from succeeding in getting Cain to murder his own brother, the devil’s prime target has been the family unit. Simply put, Satan hates families. He will do whatever he can to bring about tension, division, strife and pain. His mission is to tear apart your family.
The devil has done well in today’s Western culture to devalue and destroy the family unit. But amid the culture wars over abortion, so-called “same-sex marriage,” divorce and other hot-button issues, often we can forget that the real battle begins in the spirit realm. As parents, we deal with many forms of satanic attacks during our lifetimes—some overt, others subtle. Most can be overcome through wise decisions and prayer. But the Lord has given us specific spiritual weapons and tactics we can use against the enemy of our souls to win this fight for our family.
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