Isaiah 49:25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
This passage of scripture reveals to us a fierce battle that rages on from day to day for the hearts and minds of our children. When the Bible speaks of "The captives of the mighty" and "The lawful captive", The Lord would have us understand that we are all sold under sin as a result of Adam's transgression, and as a direct result, we are all born under the domain of the the evil one and sin. Hence the reason why a battle is engaged for the minds of our little ones before they learn the valuable lesson of thinking rationally and reasoning sensibly from cause to effect.
This was made evident in the parable of the prodigal son, who was eager to leave his home where he grew up under the watchful care of his parents, to lead a life of unrestrained indulgence and revelry. Spending the bulk of his time and money on riotous living, he soon became destitute and poor, and his former friends and girlfriends who had helped him spend his inheritance recklessly, now vanished without a trace. Let's read:
Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
This rude awakening was the turning point in his experience, and it was all carefully monitored by God, who takes the lead in the fight for our children. In this battle the Lord sometimes allows the mistakes children make to run their natural course, so that they can now reason soberly from cause to effect.
My first Christmas away from home was a very sobering experience, for the so-called "Independence" I though would be mine in leaving home, turned out to be a total disaster. When the first Christmas day came around, all that remained in the refrigerator was rum and peppers, a very poor choice of food, for such a festive occasion. Even Santa "claws" didn't pass by to deliver, and it was indeed a rude awakening to the realities of life.
But God did not forget me, neither did my parents forget to pray for me, and as a result, God did what He does best, he fought and and rescued "The lawful captive" from the chains of the mighty.
In our day, we need to remember that the battle for our children is not ours, but is the Lord's, and as such we are encouraged to cooperate with God in gaining the victory over unseen foes. If we are willing and consistent in petitioning the throne of grace, God will respond in the affirmative by bringing His omnipotent power to bear in the utter defeat of the enemy, and our children will be rescued and saved, just like the prodigal son.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages all parents to cooperate with The God of heaven in praying for, and instructing our children in the ways of righteousness, for we are co-laborers together with God in seeking their salvation. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
May our battles be won by the grace and power of God today, for He is Faithful to His promises, even to a thousand generations of those that love Him and keep His commandments. God bless!
for we also belong to God by creation and redemption.