By Kathi Pelton
James 1:27 speaks of a pure and undefiled religion as one that “looks after the orphans and widows in their distress and keeps oneself unstained by the world.”
How do we pray that our children can be kept unstained by the world? Often people become so familiar with the current narrative of the world’s ways that they scarcely recognize when it begins to leave a stain upon them or their children. The enemy is always seeking to redefine what is actually defiled as normal or even pure. We are watching this demonic normalization happening among even the youngest of our children today— in schools, on cartoons and even from their own parents.
I love Psalm 51 as it begins with a prayer that we can pray to keep our children and grandchildren separate from the stains of sin and the world
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:1
I pray this for my own life but I pray this for my sons and daughters often.
“Create and protect a pure and clean heart in my sons and daughters— and in their sons and daughters. Renew and keep a right spirit within them.”
Earlier in James 1 we are shown the progression of how mankind can become stained. In verse 14 it says,
“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15
We all begin with desires that are impure which is why we must ask the Lord to “create in our children clean hearts that desire what is pure and undefiled.” The temptation they will each face is not the sin (although we can ask that God purified them from even being tempted by such things), it is when they begin to compromise— even ever so slightly— that it gives birth to sinful actions.
We must train our children to recognize and be sensitive to areas of compromise so that they learn from an early age to turn away from temptation and to quickly repent for giving into temptation. This is the problem with young parents that are afraid that disciplining their children might thwart their “free spirit.” If you ever watch a toddler you will quickly observe that their desire to touch or do the very thing that you told them not to do is strong. Their “free spirit” needs to learn discipline and the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. Learning truth and how to control their temptations is how they will truly find freedom.
Here is a great pray to pray for your children,
“God, create in my children and grandchildren clean hearts that desire purity, righteousness and truth. Remove the temptation that comes from the impure desires within their foolish young hearts. Purify their very desires through proper teaching and help me to love them enough to discipline them so that they can eat of the fruit from the tree of life rather than partake of the fruit from the tree of good and evil.”
Matthew 5:8 says this,
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
I want my children and grandchildren to SEE GOD! I believe that one of the greatest schemes of the enemy is to take the sin nature that we are born with and to begin to re-define what is defiled as pure. If he can redefine fleshly desires, that need to be purified by the blood of Jesus, as normal and natural then our children will give birth to actions that bring them death rather than life.
There is a progression that can be stopped through prayer and righteous parenting. First, we must be teaching our children Biblical truth from the youngest of ages and training them up in the ways of the Lord— but we also must fight and contend for their souls in prayer!
Just as we physically clothe them, did you know that you can clothe them spiritually throughout their years? I use Ephesians 6:10-18 to pray and decree over them,
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
I ask Holy Spirit to clothe my children and grandchildren with the full armor of God so that they can recognize and stand against the enemies schemes. You can— and should— do this as well. Each piece of the armor has a purpose for protection.
As parents, we not powerless against what our children are facing because we have the authority through prayer and the authority of Jesus Christ to guard and protect them so that they will grow into men and women who walk in the fear of the Lord and who honor all of His ways.
May they grow up to have pure hearts and clean hands— and the praises of God on their lips.
Our prayers are effective and powerful! May they be a generation that sees God
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