Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the LORD.” NKJV
Where or from whom does a person first learn of God?
It’s in the home, in particular the father, (not from mom and not the church) where God planned for children to get their first lessons about who He is. The family unit was to be an earthly reflection of God’s design for the personal relationship our Heavenly Father wanted to have with His earthly children. It was God’s intention that earthly fathers would not only reflect God to their children but, in addition, model God’s character by the way they loved and provided for their own families.
About those fiery darts!
John 10:10a, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…”(NIV) So what is it that the Enemy desires to steal, kill, and destroy? The answer is obvious – anything God has planned for us! p. 1, FD
Let’s consider the position of earthly fathers in introducing their children to their Heavenly Father. If Satan can manipulate a father to misunderstand the impact his position has in God’s plan, then not only has he set in motion the destruction of the father, but his children as well.
If a father attempts to love his children without God’s direction, it will be an incomplete type of love. There will always be something missing. Their children will suffer from the lack of that missing component. Which is exactly Satan’s plan.
And may I reassert, if the father is a Christian, the very first thing Satan will do will be to pull father’s away from the Bible and time spent with God in prayer. If the father is not a Christian, then Satan’s job is so much the easier. For we live in a society that has rejected God and fathers of this present society are influenced to feel God or a relationship with Him is no longer necessary.
Our country desperately needs our father’s to return to God in repentance. Assume the responsibilities of introducing their children to God and His ways by reflecting God’s ways and character before them. The place to begin is in spending consistent time in prayer and the study of God’s Word to remind fathers that the relationship they have with their children will either be one that will turn their children to God or away from Him.
I think a mother’s love is about as close as it gets on this earth in comprehending the depth of the love God has for us. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why Satan’s fiery darts (temptations) are particularly designed to undermine and destroy it. For many a recalcitrant soul’s path out of darkness has been illuminated by the faithful, loving prayers of a godly mother.
Yet, we find in today’s society this icon of pure love has become tarnished. What was once the safest of havens for a new life, has now become a death chamber for “approximately 1.21 million” unborn individuals each year in this country!
How is it possible that such a vast number of women have become convinced that abortion is their ONLY answer? Consider the following excerpt from my book, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice
“Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks. Someone has said very aptly: ‘Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.’ First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.” p46 FD
As Americas have grown weaker in their resolve to resist temptations, the strength of the enemy has grown stronger. By failing to grow in our familiarity with what God has to say about the Truth of Motherhood, we have allowed Satan access into our minds and he has moved beyond the threshold.
It should be obvious we are rearing our children in a world that has traded freedom for bondage. The enemy has deceived us. We don’t realize we have been deceived into thinking we are seeking freedom. In actuality it is only license disguised to appear as freedom.
Too many are unaware of the plans the enemy has for mankind. Yet we are vague on the plans God has for us. This has come about simply because we are not familiar with God’s Truth on the subject. Therefore, we must open our Bibles. Thereby learning to live lives that proclaim the God’s Truths for the sake of our children’s and our nation’s futures!
Satan’s Plan:
Scriptures are obvious in describing Satan’s plan in John 10:10a, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…” (NIV) p. 13,FD 3rd edition
God’s Plan:
The second half of John 10:10 reveals an aspect of God’s plan for His children, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV) FD 3rd edition
Fiery Darts: Satan's Weapon of Choice 