Fight the Good Fight

I was in a spiritual knife fight and I felt it. New to homeschooling and fairly new to motherhood, my five-year old’s reading lesson had reduced us both to tears. Hers, however, were mixed with weariness and torment that had nothing to do with phonograms and syllables. I could see it written on her tender, little face.

Her whole body shook in anxious agony and withdrew from mine. She put her head in her hands and sobbed, “Mom, something is saying that I am dumb and I can’t learn.”

Our enemy had made his presence known. His weapon was sharp and poised to inflict harm upon the both of us.

Recently, my mom and I were talking about the reality of spiritual warfare in parenting. As she looks back now upon the challenges they faced parenting four children with very different personalities, she now sees the often concealed, but very dedicated work of the enemy against us. “As moms, we feel the battle, but we don’t often rightly assess its origin,” she told me.

How true.

I’m also realizing there is no way I can rightly assess what is going on in any challenge I face without the aid of the Holy Spirit. All the parenting techniques and even the best books in the world are no match for His perfect vision and wisdom.

So I’m learning to ask Him for help more frequently, “What am I looking at here, Lord? What’s going on in the body, soul, and spirit of this precious one you wisely gave us to raise? Would you tell me what to do?”

He answers. He guides me through the raging battle even as the sparks are flying — no matter what direction they are coming from. He opens my eyes to the lies that seem to trap me in a helpless state of imperceptible confusion.

How are you fighting the good fight today?

Ask yourself, “What lies does the enemy tell you about yourself as a parent?”

Here are a few I hear on a regular basis:

• You don’t have what it takes to parent this child.
• If only you could be more like _______. (Fill in the blank with that other mom you think has it all together.)
• It’s all on you or your child will turn out to be one super messed up individual.

Now, ask yourself, “What lies does the enemy tell you about your children?”

Here are mine:

• Your child will never change.
• This situation is hopeless.
• This kid is going to turn out to be a failure just like _______ (fill in the blank with the worst person that comes to mind).

Now, put on your armor laid out in Ephesians 6:10-18. Cry out to Him in prayer and invite His presence and His wisdom into the situation you face. Pick up your weapon — the Word of God and ask the Lord to show you truth that will pierce and strike down the lies of your foe.

He will not fail you.

Thomas a Kempis wisely said, “Fight like a good soldier and if you sometimes fall through weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting in My most abundant grace.” Oh how abundant is His grace for each and every one of my abundant weaknesses!

Back to that spiritual knife fight. I held my daughter in my arms as the Lord held me. I prayed defensively and asked Him to silence the voice of the liar. I acted offensively and asked my daughter to wield the weapon of truth. I had her repeat out loud and after me the truth of Psalm 139:14, “I will praise the Lord for I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that my soul knows right well,” and later, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The tension in her body released. She clung to me. I spoke words of truth over her and to her and the reading lesson continued.

We are moms. We nurture, protect and defend. We are followers of Christ. We fight the good fight and in His name, we are more than conquerors. What a powerful union of purpose. May the enemy find us a force to be reckoned with for the sake of our glorious King.