Winning the Battle for Your Child’s Mind

Every war has a combat zone, an area where the battle rages at its most fierce. The same is true about our spiritual war against unseen powers and the principalities of Satan.

One of the enemy’s most successful strategies is to influence through a thought, an image, or a mental picture that can last a lifetime. If we entertain a thought or image from the devil, we give him a foothold into our mind. That’s why Paul warns in Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) that we are not to “give the devil a foothold,” since once established, Satan uses it to manipulate our minds and ultimately our actions.

This holds especially true for impressionable young minds that have access to television and other technology at higher levels than ever before. As a result, children and teens are often the ones who are getting caught in the crossfire of this dark battle at an alarming rate.

Consider these facts reported by the Parents’ Television Council.

1. Nearly 61% of all television programming contains violence, with children’s programming being the most violent.
2. Television’s so-called “family hour” contains more than eight sexual incidents per hour.
3. By the time a child graduates from elementary school, he has spent more time watching TV than he will spend with his father during his entire lifetime.
4. More than 31% of children surveyed between the ages of 10 through 17 reported having seen a pornographic site on the Internet.
5. The Internet now contains more than 300,000 pornographic websites, all just a click away from a child’s fingertips.
6. 50% of teens frequently communicate online with someone they’ve never met in person.
7. Approximately 40% of families with preschoolers own video equipment.
8. Combining the time young people spend watching TV, surfing the Internet, or playing video games, they spend as many as 55 hours a week in front of a screen.

It’s time to sound an alarm! We are under attack by the forces of darkness, yet we have often welcomed and invited these enemy agents right into our homes and our children’s bedrooms!

Evicting the Enemy

Remember this: The devil doesn’t have rightful ownership of anything! The Bible declares that “the earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains” (Psalm 24:1). God is the rightful owner of the whole earth, including your family, your possessions, your mind, and everything else around you.

To avoid being conformed to the warped values of this world, Paul says you must be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is the only way that lasting transformation can come — by winning the battle for your child’s mind.

Thwarting the Devil’s Attacks

How do you counteract Satan’s strategy? By starting with yourself! Here are three suggestions that, when practiced, will allow God’s mighty armor to reach out as a protective shield for your whole family:

1. Submit your mind to the Lordship of Christ. Instead of allowing the devil to introduce thoughts and images into your mind, reflect on the mind of Christ. Make sure that your home is filled with God’s Word so your children hear it, see it, and read it every day.
2. Let the peace of God guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. God’s peace “surpasses all comprehension” (Philippians 4:7). Make certain your home is a place where this divine peace if worshipped.
3. Immediately take captive any thoughts the enemy would try to bring into your child’s life. Paul encourages us to do this in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Be clear on this: if you don’t take the devil’s thoughts as your prisoners, you will lose the battle.

When you choose to implement these three counteroffensive tactics in your life, you will keep the devil from gaining a foothold into any area of your life — which includes the battle for your child’s mind.

We are here to pray with you to help you win this battle. Just use the link below so we can help you put on the “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17) as you fight for control of what is rightfully yours.

I Want to Pray for God’s Strength