Satan, You Can't Have My Children: The Spiritual Warfare Guide for Every Parent (3 page)

•
The Word of God.
The Bible instructs the believer in all aspects of life.

In our book
Authority to Destroy the Works of the Enemy,
you will learn how to use these powerful weapons in your daily life and in every situation. God has already made available to you a treasure of divine power and the ability to make you “more than a conqueror” (Rom. 8:37).Many believers continue to live in defeat, worry, anxiety, depression, and unbelief. They lack knowledge of who they are in God and what position and
identity
they have in Christ.

Many people live in defeat because they don’t know any better. Lack of faith and trust in God has them living in defeat. Ignorance in this area leads to failures.

L
IVING IN A
D
IVIDED
H
OME

I was reared in a
divided
Christian home. My mother was a godly woman who manifested the fruit of the Spirit. She had a gentle, kind, and submissive character. The light of Jesus was evident in her life and actions. On the other hand, my father was double-minded in all of his ways and actions. One side of him reflected darkness—a life of unbelief, intimidation, control, and abuse. The other side reflected moments of kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

He was also a good provider for his family, and he was respected by almost all who knew him. My dad was a victim of the works of the enemy. He behaved irrationally because he was subjected to evil spirits.

Sadly, most abusers only abuse and mistreat their loved ones or those who are very close to them. The Bible says, “By their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:20,
NKJV
). It also says that a “double-minded man” is “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8,
NKJV
).

During my research in spiritual warfare, I discovered that most characteristics, whether good or bad, are inherited, learned in the home, or passed down from one generation to another. The good news is that we can appropriate our freedom in Christ Jesus by the power of God’s Word and the blood of Jesus Christ.

To
appropriate
means “to take possession of, secure, allocate, assign, appoint, and so forth.” God wants us to take possession of all of the kingdom’s rights and benefits that He has already deeded and guaranteed to us. We have been delegated power and authority over
all
the power of the enemy. I firmly believe that lack of knowledge will keep a Christian from enjoying the blessings and the peace of God.

Even though my mother was a devout Christian, she lacked knowledge in the area of spiritual warfare. Many Christians have been reared in a Christian home, and they have learned what the Word says about salvation, obedience, and holiness. But, unfortunately, I have discovered that many Christians are totally ignorant of who Satan is and what his devices, schemes, and strategies are against all believers in Christ.

My search for truth about this subject began when I heard testimonies of deliverance and of God’s supernatural power to destroy strongholds in people who were bound and defeated by the enemy. It all started a few years ago when I visited my parents’ home during Thanksgiving. I remember sitting down with my brother and talking with him about old times. This brother was addicted to drugs for many years.

Evident upon his young and handsome face were the effects of a hard and fruitless life. It saddened me to think how this very intelligent, young, and personable young man I was facing could allow himself to be driven by the miseries and slavery of drugs. He was driven by something stronger than he was.

The slavery of Satan can lead people to do things that stop them from leading healthy and normal lives. Living in a divided home set the pace and the example for my brother to choose wrong relationships and to turn to drugs as a form of escape from the deep pain within him. Peer pressures were too great for him to handle, because he did not have the backup or the affirmation of a father. This lack of direction from a father made it easier for him to choose a life of irresponsibility.

As we talked, the conversation took a turn toward his spiritual condition and his feelings and beliefs about God. Suddenly I noticed a twitching in his eyes and a change in his voice. I became apprehensive and fearful. As I looked at him closely, I realized that a demonic entity was manifesting itself. The look in his eyes was evil, and the smirk on his face was unnerving. The enemy did not want my brother to receive any counsel or encouragement from me. He wanted to keep my brother ignorant, bound, and defeated. I remember fumbling for an excuse to get up, and I quickly found myself standing in the kitchen trying to regain my composure.

Thinking about this experience on the plane as I headed back to Dallas, I remember thinking, “If the Bible says I have power and authority over all the power of the enemy, and I am more than a conqueror, why was I so scared and fearful over this incident?” Over the days and weeks that followed, I faced the truth: I was ignorant! I had no practice. All I had was a little head knowledge!

I had it! First Dad and his double-minded lifestyle, then Mom and her seeming helplessness, then my own suffering with the effects of child abuse and molestation, and now the thought of my brother—the fear of looking into his eyes at that evil thing glaring at me! I was just fed up. “God,” I cried out. “Your Word says, ‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to
overcome all the power of the enemy
; nothing will harm you’” (Luke 10:19, emphasis added).

My quest took me to dozens of books, tapes, and seminars that were coupled with much prayer and seeking the face of God. I finally realized that the enemy had me deceived. I found new meaning in the words I had heard so many times: “Satan is defeated.” “We are more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37). “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “The enemy is under your feet.” “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isa. 54:17,
NKJV
). “They overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11).

Sound familiar?

The most powerful revelation to me was understanding my
identity in Christ
—I took it as a prescription from my Doctor Jesus. Three times a day I would confess who I am in Christ. Then I studied all about my spiritual weapons:

• The Word of God (in my heart and spoken)

• The power of the blood of Jesus

• The work of the Holy Spirit

• The keys of binding and loosing

• The power of praise and worship

• The power of prayers of agreement

• The power in the name of Jesus

I also studied at length the works of Satan and of all his workers of iniquity. I found out that he has long-term goals for all who claim Jesus as Lord.

My eyes were enlightened, and the blindfolds of deception and fear were removed from my eyes. The glory of God was revealed to my spiritual eyes, and I was able to understand my spiritual position of ruling and reigning here on this earth as a joint-heir with Christ Jesus. Once I knew in my mind, heart, and spirit what my identity, authority, weapons, position, and throne rights in Christ were, I took action. My life was revolutionized. I saw strongholds in my own life come tumbling down. I saw inherited traits broken.

Because of the abuse I experienced as a child and into my teen years, I had habits and thought patterns that were detrimental to me. They affected the way I acted, my decisions, my thoughts, and the lives of my loved ones. My parenting skills were in danger. Remember, a mother almost always sets the pace in her home.

What I thought was reality was indeed a distorted view of how I viewed life in general. I found out that many things in my mind needed to be cast off, revoked, and renounced. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I was empowered to bind and cast off all the thoughts, imaginations, habits, and things in my life that had been a hindrance to me and to others. These things were also hindering my spiritual growth and my freedom to live a victorious life.

As my mind was renewed by the Word of God, and as I confessed the truth, I began to unfold from a shy, timid, critical, fearful, and complaining person into a more sensitive, loving, kind, strong, and confident wife, mother, and person.

But I was not satisfied with the progress I had made. My goal was to see this work of deliverance and freedom working in the lives of my children, my husband, and my loved ones. God has been faithful to His Word. The compilation of the material in this book has been part of this growth. Everything you read here has been put to the test. The Holy Spirit has been my teacher and my guide.

My family has been the target of my spiritual aggression. This works, folks! God is ready to perform His Word when He finds one of His children who dares to believe that it works today!

Put it to the test yourself. Stand on God’s Word. Confess and believe His promises. Don’t dismay, and you shall enjoy the fruit thereof. Time after time I have seen God’s Spirit through the power of His Word break through strongholds that looked impossible.

Satan is destroying families each day at an alarming rate. We must stand up and resist the enemy. Fight for your family! Stand in the gap. Your prayers are powerful. To resist is to take action; it is not being passive. It means you take a stand and don’t budge, come wind or high water. You stand on God’s promises while confessing His Word. When you do this, then God does the rest.

A T
ABLE
I
S
P
REPARED
B
EFORE
U
S

God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Do you know why a table, and what is on that table? Do you know why it’s set in the presence of our enemies? I believe that God provides everything that is necessary for our time of need!

All of the weapons and tools that you need for spiritual warfare can be found upon His table placed in the presence of our enemies. The Word of God that is alive and active is on that table! The table is not placed and set in your private bedroom—
NO!
It is placed and set in front of your enemies because that is when you need assistance and powerful weapons. It is also a table full of fatness and provision.

The Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance the Word of God that is stored up in the tablet of your heart, the Word that you have studied, applied, tested, proven, believed, and confessed
.
You are dynamite. You are a threat to Satan
. A believer who is equipped and who is no longer ignorant about spiritual warfare is a person who is armed, powerful, and fearless. Satan should not be a threat to you.

Folks, it is time to wake up, to take control, and to act
.
Learn from the Holy Spirit, confess the Word, and do not fear negative words. It is time to dress for action against the enemy. We should be defeating the enemy, not the enemy defeating us. Too many born-again believers sit defeated and emaciated in front of a treasure chest full of God’s blessings, authority, weapons, anointing, and His transforming Word.

Sadly, too many children are imitating and receiving training from parents who are weak, stressed, depressed, and fearful. It is time to break loose from negative molds and traditions and from what is conceived to be reality but is really the lie of the enemy.

Reality is what we learn as truth. But that is not all truth. Much of it is distorted, depending upon what our parents learned and taught us, our values, boundaries, beliefs, and so forth. Reality is what we learn to be truth. But what we think is reality is not always the truth. Reality is found in the Word of God or the truth of God; it is the Bible that reveals what is real. It should be our guide, our manual, our example.

Much of what people believe is truth might be distorted. Distortion of truth is a legacy we receive from our parents or caregivers. Things taught by parents often become the attitudes, beliefs, and values of the children. As believers, we have the privilege of hearing and learning God’s truth. As we apply God’s Word, change begins to take place in our lives and in the lives of our family. The lives of our loved ones begin to reflect the truth of God.

Coming back to Mom, one day I said to her, “Mom, you need to add some very important things to your praying and spiritual warfare. I have learned that there are several kinds of prayers we can pray, but when I learned about warfare praying, I found that it dramatically changed and revolutionized my personal life and the lives of many others.”

We have been given all power and all authority over all of the works of the enemy. We must direct that power and authority directly against any enemies who come against us. If Jesus wanted to do all of our spiritual warfare, He wouldn’t have challenged us to wear the full armor as described in Ephesians 6 or delegated to us the authority to tread upon all of the power of the enemy.

The phrase
tread upon
means “to stomp, kick, pounce, and to beat.” It doesn’t mean to walk gingerly or to ignore totally. We must become aggressive in our warfare, especially when our loved ones are being negatively affected by the works of the enemy and the powers of darkness.