TOOLS OF WARFARE

TOOLS OF WARFARE

  • Activities/Teachings, Authority

TOOLS OF WARFARE

So many of you precious people are feeling worn out, discouraged, and in battle. May I encourage you? The enemy’s assignment is to wear you out (Daniel 7:25). But God has given us the tools of warfare. Now more than ever, we must know and apply our armor daily. Ephesians 6:10-17 outlines God’s protective covering over your mind, body, and spirit. But it is conditional – you must pick it up. Spend some time going over your armor, and then GET IT ON! This is not the season to do life on your own strength. In fact, Ephesians 6:10 says our power must come from His strength, not our own. You will overcome, but you have to do it His way!

DO NOT ABDICATE YOUR THRONE

 In January 1936, the King of England died. Following royal protocol, his eldest son assumed the throne, becoming King Edward the Eighth. But in December of that same year, only months into his reign, King Edward stunned the nation when he formally abdicated the country’s throne and the many benefits of royalty. What is especially alarming is the phrasing of the official decree, which ended in these haunting words: “I, Edward the Eighth … renounce the Throne for Myself and for My descendants.” Imagine. With one stroke of the pen, this man sealed his fate and the fate of his children and grandchildren for generations into the future.

As parents, we, too, occupy a throne in the sense that God has given us a position of authority in our kids’ lives. We mustn’t renounce that influence. Children don’t need us to be their friends – someone telling them what they want to hear. They need a parent – an authority figure willing to speak the truth into their lives. Of course, we should listen to our children and consider their views carefully, but our kids should not be allowed to run the home. That’s our God-given responsibility. So, take the lesson of King Edward to heart. Abdicating your authority could risk your kids’ future for generations to come. 

THAT’S YOUR JOB

There are some things that no leader, pastor, mentor, friend, or counselor can do for you. Only YOU can use your God-given authority in your own home. There is a spirit attacking our homes (and one of the reasons I believe there has been a demonic attack on our elderly to silence them with C-19), and that is through the spirit of unbelief.

What is the biblical definition of unbelief? Skepticism (doubt as to the truth of something), especially in matters of religious faith. Unbelief is a POISON that gets into the mind and dilutes truth to the point of death (death of belief, conviction, truth, life, and connection). While we all battle unbelief on some level at different seasons in life, there is a real demonic spirit working people’s minds hoping they will bite the bait. There are many ways to open the door, but sexual sin and rebellion (disobedience) are major ones because they seek to find satisfaction outside of Jesus. I have received countless messages this past week alone from parents crying out, “What happened?” The story goes on to say their children had great faith and many God stories but are now doubting everything and turning against Him.

BIND that spirit in your home and LOOSEN it to go. When you deal with the bad, the Bible says you must invite the good to fill their minds, eyes, and hearts with His spirit, power, and love. You do not need to put up with the lying spirit of unbelief in your family. Pray, declare, and cover the minds of your loved ones and children.

I BLESS MYSELF

I have ten-year-old twins, and one has always been more mature, taller, developed faster, and learned easier than the other. They are only a minute apart but have never looked like it. I have guarded against comparisons and tried hard to express value for where they are in all areas, but some of the differences were obvious. In the last several weeks, the younger twin has sprouted! I was talking to her about the drastic ‘overnight’ change, and she said, “I think it is because of Chris Gore.” I asked what she meant by that, and she told me that at camp, he taught them the power of their tongue and to bless their bodies. She said ever since his teaching, she has spoken blessings over her hands, mind, personality, etc.! Come on! She has grown inches – both figuratively and literally – by the power of blessing herself. Wow! Wow! Wow!

ATMOSPHERES

Kids feel what is going on in the atmosphere even when they don’t have words for it. I actually think they feel it more because they have not yet built coping mechanisms and walls to shut it out like many adults. God doesn’t want us to manage it, nor does He want us to ignore it. He wants us to overcome it with the authority given to us through Jesus. If you feel an increase of unrest in your home, overcome it by pulling your family in closer. Home should be the safest place on earth. Have a family meeting and forgive hurts and offenses. Intentionally have a family night to connect and laugh together. Increase worship or soaking music. Pray about what is going on as a family. Remind your children how big God is by telling them stories of His incredible power in other challenging stories in the Bible. He always comes through and always knows what He is doing (always). Hug them and then hug them some more (yes, even teenagers who act like they don’t care). Remind them of who they are (not performance). Ask Jesus to show you what your children need today.

Your children need to know they are covered, safe and secure, and our job as parents is to be that verb!

TAKING BACK YOUR AUTHORITY

A mom reached out to me for parent coaching and began to share her dilemma with figuring out if she should send her child to public school or homeschool. The motivating factor was the concern over the sex ed material taught to the younger students. As I listened to her share her heart, I replied, “Neither choice is right for you.” She was perplexed as her daughter had to get an education somewhere. I told her that she was not afraid of sex itself but rather a spirit twisting God’s original design behind it. Sex wasn’t the issue; the spirit behind it was. I told her that unless and until she knew her authority over that spirit sending her child to public school or homeschooling them would produce the same results because fear is the driving factor. Fear does not chase us. Sons and Daughters stop, turn, and face the fear and then use their authority over it AND THEN make healthy decisions for their children from that place of authority. While I have gone to great measures over the years to guard my child’s eyes, I also know I have authority over the spirit behind it and walk in that authority in my home. Because I have exposed the spirit to my children and taught them their authority over it, too, they can discern when that spirit is in operation and know how to take authority over it themselves.

STRENGTHENING OUR SPIRITUAL EARS

Here are some fun ways to strengthen the spiritual hearing of the whole family. I STRONGLY encourage you to practice together in fun ways in times of peace, so that during times of trouble they already know Jesus is a safe and trusted friend. Doing this as a family is super helpful because it gives everyone a chance to learn from each other and creates a family lifestyle of inviting Jesus. If a child states they don’t hear anything, I simply ask them to listen again, and we come back to them after everyone else has shared.
When you are sending out a birthday card, have the kids ask God what He wants to say to that person, and then draw them a picture (you can caption it based on what they heard).
When you have extra time on your hands, have the kids ask God what you should do with your time. These are some of our best adventures!
When you can’t find something, have the kids ask Jesus to show them a picture of where it is.
When they are upset about something, have the kids ask God to show them what is bothering them.
When you come up against something ‘different,’ ask Jesus what He wants them to do about it.
When you see a homeless man, have the kids ask God what He wants them to know about that person.
When they are behaving poorly, have them ask Jesus to show them what they did wrong (instead of YOU telling them).
Ask Jesus how He feels about the person next to them. This is fun to do at the dinner table or in the car.
When they are struggling, ask Jesus how His heart feels about that.
Ask Jesus what is important to Him regarding your family.
The ideas are endless! You can’t practice strengthening their ears enough.
Do children hear from the enemy? Yes! Who of us didn’t have encounters with paralyzing fear, nightmares, or recurring horrible thoughts as a child? First, the more the children are connected to GOD’S voice, the easier it will be for them to spot the enemy’s voice. I never taught my kids when they were small the words ‘devil’, ‘demon’, ‘evil’, ‘hell’, etc. I simply said that God has an enemy who works against Him. Enough said! Because the enemy is fear-based, I didn’t want my children to be educated about him. I just focused on the goodness of God so when the enemy came, there was such a drastic difference that they could spot it. The more they grew, the more I increased the teaching as it related to their world. What does the Word say to do when we are faced with the enemy? Resist him, and he will flee. Children can do this!
THE ENEMY IS ALREADY DEFEATED
It is important children know that God and the devil are not at war. God has already won, and the enemy is always on the bottom – always!
CATCH AND RELEASE
Kids who walk in their authority need to have a healthy view of how big God is and how defeated the enemy is, but when we believe lies, we are actually partnering with the wrong kingdom. Teach children by playing a game of catch calling out truth/lie statements. When they catch the ball have them discern if that was a truth or a lie. Such as, “You shouldn’t steal that cookie. That is not honest.” Then I would ask, “Which voice was that?” Then I would say things like, “You are stupid. No one likes you,” and would ask which voice that was. Later when they were playing with each other I would often call out, “Hey, which voice do you think you are partnering with right now?” or “Is that something that would come from God’s Kingdom?” Don’t just focus on the negative stuff. Ask these questions when they are being kind and loving, too. Growing in discernment over lies is vital to their spiritual health.
I had a mentor who really made my spiritual ears come to life. I remember going to her with my ‘issues’ and she would always say, “Can we ask Jesus about that?” It was an odd concept to me that we could ask Him about the ordinary, everyday life stuff. We don’t have to keep Him reserved for just the big spiritual stuff. He wants in on the little things that concern and matters to us, too. Get in the habit of simply asking often, “Jesus, what do YOU think about that?”

SUICIDE

WISE & EMPTY WISDOM (Excerpt from my book)

I was ticked. Okay, more like mad at hell that these wise men in front of me were clueless about suicide and the hopelessness that consumed me. Their only solution was to have me be babysat by one of my friends for the night and make her promise not to leave me out of her sight. Suicide is a lie. A demonic lie, and they had little to no awareness of how to help me get free. Instead, I was left alone to face the demonic spirit with a babysitter. Did they never consider that I would wake up with the lie the next morning? Would anyone ever understand what was swirling around my mind and heart? Ever??? Suicide is not an emotional issue; it is not solved in the natural. It is not about death; it is a self-hatred issue. A demonic lie has a legal right to speak to your mind because of unresolved emotional issues that have convinced you to turn on yourself. The enemy has a legal right to influence you and get you to do his dirty work in the first part of John 10:10. He wants you dead and is cashing in on your trauma, shame, and hopelessness that has caused you to turn against yourself. You cannot reason with this lie through the mind or emotions. Giving them a list of reasons why their life is worth living is like handing an anorexic a mirror to convince her that she is not fat. While the emotions and mind were a part of ushering in the demonic spirit, it is a spiritual issue and must be fought with spiritual tools. When the church fails to recognize this, it only pushes the despair that there truly is no hope for freedom. Instead of people being fully free, they learn to manage it. That is, until life circumstances create enough pressure to crumble the inferior operating system. If the second part of John 10:10 declares Jesus’ victory over death, then the church needs to be equipped and empowered to help set people free – fully free!

BLACK & WHITE – PART TWO

Please read PART ONE first.

You Have Work To Do!

If you have a white lineage, I encourage you to go before the Lord today and ask for forgiveness on behalf of your family line, heritage, and ancestors for any way they participated in the dehumanizing, abuse, and control of black people in the name of slavery (through purchase or attitude). I encourage you to ask for forgiveness for any way your family line has partnered with the attitude and belief of supremacy and hierarchy based on race. 

Gather your children and talk about the issue of race. Talk about how it would feel to be excluded your whole life simply because of your hair color. We owe them their history, even if it isn’t always pretty. We owe them the truth so that they can be empowered to change their world. Have them write out an “I am sorry” card and offer it to Jesus. Have them write out declarations and speak into the atmosphere that we are all equally made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28). 

If you have a black lineage, I encourage you to get before the Lord today and ask for forgiveness on behalf of your family line, heritage, and ancestors for any way they have come under the spirit of control and partnered with rebellion or rejection (victim spirit) in defense. I encourage you to spend some intentional time today forgiving those who have caused you and your family line harm, hardship, and cruelty. This will not be won naturally because we are reaping the fruit of the strongholds created generations ago. Each person must do their own part to clean up the mess we were handed, put their stake in the ground, and declare we will not tolerate this any longer. 

JUST A LITTLE

A dad was struggling to get his teen daughters to understand why their choice of music wasn’t edifying. The girls argued that it was ‘just a little’ bit of bad language and that it wouldn’t hurt anything. The dad prayed for a creative solution to get into his daughters’ hearts on the subject. The next morning, he announced he was making a very special dessert with “a very special ingredient.” He made a big deal of the upcoming dessert all day, and after their dinner plates were cleaned, they were begging for the much-awaited sweet treat. They scarfed down the yummiest batch of brownies, and while smacking their lips, they inquired about the ‘special ingredient.’ The dad sat back and calmly announced, “Dog poop, but don’t worry, it was just a little bit.” They seemed to understand in that moment that ‘just a little bit’ can indeed be harmful. This glorious creative teachable moment can be used with music, swearing, drugs, disobedience, alcohol, lying, slander, etc. Sometimes kids need a visual to understand your point.

LOOK WHAT HE HAS DONE

Celebrating those ‘look how far I have come’ moments is a sacred place between a loving Father and a trusting child. Why not carve out some intentional time today to just praise and thank Him for being such an incredible Author of YOUR story. Stop and celebrate how far He has taken you.