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The Good Fight of Parenting

Originally published Tuesday, 08 October 2013.

 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Many fights are not worth fighting. Arguing with the grocery clerk over how she slings your groceries into the bag is a good example. Starting a fight with you neighbor, because he always parks his car slightly on your property. We all do it. Yet, it’s silly. It’s not worth your time.

Having said that, there are some fights that are well worth your time. Your children are worth fighting for. Don’t be a pushover with your children or about your children. Fight for their futures. Fight the evil one who is positioned to steal their futures.

In order to fight the evil principalities of this world, we must learn to persevere. Too many Christians are down for the count in Round 1. We all will fight battles with our children. How we choose to react is critical. We do not fight battles with our children in the flesh. We do not fight the battle by screaming profanities at our children or slapping them. We do not fight these battles with manipulation, bullying, or lies. We fight with God’s weapons.

Our faith journey is not about how we are feeling today. It's so much more than that. It's about our spiritual health. It's about providing a good example for our children. Our walk with the Lord should never be about how good church service was or how on target the pastor seemed to be. It is the fact that Jesus died on the cross for you and I. It is about choosing to believe God will never leave us, because he said he wouldn’t (even if we don’t feel his presence today). Our parenting journey is also a choice. We choose to parent well and fight for our children against the enemy, even when we are worn and don’t feel like doing so.

So, how do we fight for our children?

  1. Use God’s spirit inside of you for strength. The Holy Spirit is greater than any worldly spirit – defiance, rebellion, tantrums, uncontrollable anger. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us power over all those things that your children might throw at you.
  2. Review God’s past faithfulness. The Lord is faithful. He is constantly showing up on our behalf working things out in a manner that only he could. If he delivered you from that past thing, whatever it may be, then why would he not deliver you from this present thing?
  3. Put on God’s full armor. Ephesians 6:10-18 describes the armor that God has equipped us with – the belt of truth, breastplate of God’s righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword, which is the word of God. We are able, because he’s equipping us for any battle with his mighty armor.

Far too often, we are ready to go toe-to-toe over issues that make no real difference. We debate politics, television shows, and which church is the best in town. We argue over whose children are smarter or prettier. We recall past hurts and bicker with old friends over old wounds. Meanwhile our children are being taken from us, slowly, through the plans of the enemy. Satan is positioning himself to steal our children’s futures and destroy their joy. He is attempting to have their hearts. As mothers, we must be keenly aware of these plans and attacks and be prepared to go to spiritual war, while letting go of trivial, childish things that have nothing to do about pursuing our Father’s business.

 Author/speaker, Jennifer Maggio, is one of the nation’s leading authorities on single parents and women’s issues. She is an award-winning author and founder of The Life of a Single Mom Ministries. She currently oversees one of the nation’s largest single moms support groups and has helped to launch more than 1500 others in churches around the globe. She is a regular on radio and television. For more information, visit http://www.thelifeofasinglemom.com. 

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