Three Ways To Guard Your Child’s Heart
4 HOURS & 36 MINUTES — The average amount of time children between the ages of 8 and 12 spend on screens every day.
11 YEARS — The average age of a child exposed to pornography.
74 — The number of “genders” now placed on the spectrum.
Confusion is a scheme of the enemy and early exposure is the enemy’s ploy. The formative years are where Satan is most focused, with good reason. The first eight years of a child’s life is the time their brains develop the fastest and solid foundations are laid--whether positive or negative. There is a blueprint that is laid where a child will develop a foundation for cognitive development, decision-making skills, socio-emotional development, and information retention. It is no coincidence then that businesses and media develop movies, television shows, video games, apps & drag queen library hours to engage children and entice growth with an agenda to exploit the child’s innocence for personal gain.
When parents begin to feel the walls closing in around them with the world being no longer as innocent as the times they grew up in, the pressure to shelter or overexpose children can be overwhelming. Do we shut out the world and go off the grid? Or do we sit down and have not just “the” talk, but what feels like 78 other talks we feel forced into before our children can even spell the word ‘transgender’? What do we do?
1. WE RECOGNIZE WHO OUR ENEMY IS.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy…” John 10:10 NIV
While it would be easy to point the finger at any company, media outlet, or schoolmate for exposing children to imagery, language, or information that can truly steal their innocence away, we must remember that they just provide the shiny objects to look at. We have to recognize that here on earth, we live in a world that has been in a fallen state since the beginning of time. In the garden, Eve identified Satan as a serpent who deceived her and thus led to the initial and exponential fall of man. Parents need to recognize that the same serpent in the garden now has access to our children in many different forms. From media, social media, public school curriculum, video games, schoolmates, idle conversation—the list goes on and on.
When you know who the master puppeteer behind the scenes is, the distractions on the strings become less of a threat. You can wage war in the spirit and pull down the authority, dominion, and culture of heaven within your home, your heart, how you parent, and within the lives of your children. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and when tricky situations come--and they will--you are up against an enemy who does not win. With this in the pocket, we can rest knowing the battle is not ours, and God’s sovereign plan and purposes can thrive.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
Rather than the schemes of the enemy having a hold on us, with fear of our current times or feeling the defeat of being able to shield them, we grow in confidence because we will be able to discern from a mile away every assignment the devil has for our kids or their generation and war in the Spirit for God’s guidance and victory.
2. ARM YOUR CHILDREN WELL.
Fear of the Lord and a love of hearing His voice are the beginning and the end of all the tools your child will ever need. And while teaching this and modeling this for children looks and sounds different at each age and stage of their life, do not believe the lie that they are either too little as babies or tots or that it’s too late to teach your teen. The wisdom and promises of God are for the here and now. Children can hear the voice of God and are close to His heart. Instilling in them a love of being in His presence by making church a regular family affair, reading our bibles daily, praying together, putting on the armor of God every day, and intentionally asking God to speak will create a healthy routine that they will learn is vital and typical. Teaching them all the good things about God and His word rather than just pointing out all the evil and trauma in the world is vital. It’s important to instill a fear of the Lord (never wanting to be outside His presence) and to not fear what is happening in the world, because that just breeds more fear, anxiety, depression, or curiosity to try out what we make a big deal over. If you expose them to what a strong relationship with God looks like, they’ll be interested in Him. The devil cannot take what we don’t give him, so refuse to give your child’s mind over to what the devil does well. Instead, give them over to Jesus daily in your prayers, how you model living like Jesus, and how excited you are for what God is doing in your life.
“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Ephesians 6:11
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them…” Matthew 19:14
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8
3. SET UP BOUNDARIES TO SAFEGUARD THEIR INNOCENCE.
It is important to steward your children well and to guide them with boundaries until they are old enough to wield discernment on their own. Ask God to show you what is healthy for your home. It may look like reducing talk around the children about what is going on in the world, not burdening them with trauma, news, or stories of chaos or the current state of affairs before their minds and spirits can handle it. If you sense a nudge to cut out certain TV shows, movies, video games, or social media apps, or eliminate social media altogether, you have the right and mandate of Heaven to train your child up in the ways of the Lord, so walk in that authority. Pray about finding a private Christian school or pray about homeschooling to reduce their exposure to the agendas public schools implement. Join school board meetings if your child is in public school and get involved with their class so that you’re well informed. Teach your children anatomically correct names for private parts, and allow them to say no to physical contact with adults if they are uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Have chats with your pre-teen children when the pressure is off and the tone is casual about sex, homosexuality, the trans agenda, and abortion. Let them speak freely without judgment if they become curious, but always guide them in and to THE Truth. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you talk with your kids--He will speak. Take ownership of your role and guide them. Discipline in love and keep them safe from overexposure.
“Start children off in the way that they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should as God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
Remember, as a parent, we don’t have to have all the answers, we just have to be willing to seek the Lord with our children to hear the voice of God clearly.
Sources: https://www.parentingforbrain.com/formative-years/ | https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/health/screen-time-averages-parenting/index.html | https://theconversation.com/yes-your-child-will-be-exposed-to-online-porn-but-dont-panic-heres-what-to-do-instead-149900