Growing Kids - Not Grass

Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 3:00 a.m. Larry and I were awakened by the very loud and ferocious barking of dogs on our back porch. It was a rude and frightful awakening, but nothing compared to the sight we were about to see. As my husband opened the door, banging on it and yelling for the dogs to go away, our cat of almost 11 years, Franky, darted into the house in a flash. It was evident he had been attacked by the dogs  and was severly injured. Running on adrenaline, he made his way to our bedroom, trying to get to us for safety and comfort. Soon he could not stand and was bleeding, crying, panting and drooling profusely. Trying desperately to get away from the pain, he drug himself back into the living area, all the while crying out for help. We knew that life was draining out of him. No trip to the vet was going to save Franky and we did not want to put him through the trauma of going to a strange place with unfamiliar smells and barking dogs. We wanted him to be able to leave this world knowing we were by his side. For those of you who have lost loved ones, as we most certainly have, let me say that in no way do I put the death of Franky on a level of loss and despair as that type of loss. But if you have and love animals, you know that losing one is a sad thing, especially when you know that they love and trust you, too. So for the sake of the lesson in this situation, I am sharing this with you.

As Franky struggled to breathe and find some sort of comfort, I laid down beside him on the living room floor wanting him to know he wasn't alone. For the next couple of hours he would cry out and reach up to touch my face, as he so often did, hoping for comfort or making sure I was still with him. He snuggled as closely as he could to me and crawled onto the soft blanket that he had long loved to rest on. After a while, his breathing became less labored, his cries less frequent, and he quietly took his last breath curled next to me. Just a few hours before, like he did every night, he stood at the door asking to go outside, unaware of the destruction that would come against him.

I laid beside him, stroking his head and trying to comfort him, and flashes of the attack repeatedly pierced my thoughts. Over and over I angrily thought how evil the attack seemed. Franky was doing what he had done almost every night for 11 years. He slept on our porch, in his familiar and safe surroundings, when out of the darkness came an onslaught of violence from creatures who, by nature, were seeking to destroy him. Franky was asleep, oblivious to what was in store for him.

As I struggled with how evil and violent the attack was, I heard in my spirit the Lord say to me, "This is a picture of the way the enemy of the world attacks my children. He is always on the prowl, seeking someone to devour, and rather than being offensive in their stance against him, they are defensive ---- after the attacks come." So what does this have to do with growing kids, not grass? I believe that we all need a reminder of how important it is as parents to be on the alert, taking offensive action in protecting our kids from the enemy of our souls. If this sounds weird to you, please hang with me and let me explain.

There is an invisible world and an invisible war raging against mankind. Our enemy, satan, is a formidable foe, and as I Peter 5:8-9 says, we should "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." He will seek to destroy us any way he can, because he hates us, and he hates God. As parents, it is our responsibility to pray for our kids, to pray over our kids, and to stand against the enemy's attacks on them and on ourselves. Franky was attacked by his natural enemies and was not in a position of offense against them. As a result, he was destroyed. Likewise, when we are not in an offensive position we, and our childen, are open to utter destruction by our natural enemy, satan.(I refuse to give him the respect of capitalizing his name, no matter how grammatically wrong it is.) This does not mean that nothing bad will ever happen to you or your family or that you will never go through pain. Pain is a part of this fallen world because there is a force that comes against us, an evil force, the devil and all of his demons. Ephesians 6:10-12 says, " Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." So how do we do that?

There is no way that I can cover all there is to know about spiritual warfare in one blog. In fact, I don't know all there is to know. But I do know that God has made a way through His Son Jesus Christ and through His word for us to be able to stand against our enemy and his destructive schemes. Until the day that Jesus returns, we are in a battle against the enemy of our souls. He knows his days are numbered and one day he will be forever cast down and destroyed by the Lord God Almighty, never to harm God's people again. "Therefore, rejoice O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." Revelation 12:12 Until that day, we must take our stand and fight him and his demons in the Name of Jesus and we must offensively *fight from victory, not for victory. The war has already been won through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we who are believers in Him are victorious. But while the battles rage on against us, we have the promises of God in the Bible that we have victory over the power of the enemy.
I John 4:4 "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."
I John 5:4-5 "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world----our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
Revelation 12:11 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.'
James 4:7 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
The devil is not to be feared by those who are in Christ Jesus, but we are to be aware of his schemes and ways against us. Our greatest offensive stance is to be in Jesus, covered by His blood, clothed in His armor, and having His word hidden in our hearts. He is our greatest example of battling the enemy. When He was led up on the mountain by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, with every temptation, Jesus quoted a scripture to defeat the enemy. After the third temptation and Jesus' response with worship and the word, satan left Him. Offensively, submit to God, know the word of God, and pray, pray, pray. Defensively, quote the word when satan comes against you. This is "submitting to God and resisting the devil" causing him to flee from you and your family. God has entrusted our kids to us and as such, a huge part of our responsibility is to pray for them. This doesn't mean that bad things will not happen to them or that they will never go through tough situations. Because we live in a fallen world, everyone will experience hard and painful times, but the word of God says that the "fervent prayers of a righeous man avails much." James 5:16. Our prayers play a big role in keeping our kids from painful experiences, and when they do come, they will protected in the middle of the trials.

Be encouuraged, sweet one, and know that you are not in the battle alone. Jesus tells us, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!" John 16:33
He is our shield, defender, protector, and Savior and with Him on our side, we are mighty in the battle!
STAND FIRM IN HIM!!


*Chip Ingram, The Invisible War