How Safe Are Your Children?
On April 20, 1999, the nation was struck with horror when two teenagers injured fellow students, killed 12 of them along with a teacher, then turned the guns on themselves. This massacre occurred in a most unlikely place— Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. From that point on, school shootings became a much-too-frequent occurrence. One of the most surprising was the shooting of five little girls in their one-room Amish schoolhouse.
Schools are not the only place where the safety of our children is compromised. The Internet has become a vehicle through which children of all ages are preyed upon. Kids are lured away from home to meet an “Internet friend” only to be abducted, raped, and/or murdered. In 2005 Kurt Einchenwald, a New York Times journalist, exposed a sordid pornographic online world involving teenagers and their Web cameras.
Although the picture looks grim and bleak, there are several precautionary measures you can take to help ensure your child’s safety. The best one, however, involves donning a special armor. The apostle Paul said: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). You and your children need this armor. Every morning you can put it on both you and your children, regardless of their ages. Here are the six items of the armor of God:
TRUTH The first item is truth. Paul said: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14). It isn’t surprising that Paul uses truth as the covering for your loins, for he knew that when one deviated from the truth, eventually he/she would be exposed. Abraham and his son, Isaac, also told a “half-truth.” They told their wives to tell a king that they were their sisters. Abraham and Isaac were eventually exposed and suffered the consequences of their actions. Half-truths, untruths, little white lies—whatever you want to call them—are just sugarcoated names for lies. King Solomon has made God’s position on the subject of lying and integrity quite clear: “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22).
There are three things you can do to clad your children with truth. First, surrender your life to Jesus Christ for He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Second, ask God to fill you and your offspring with a love and desire for truth. Third, live a life of honesty and integrity, with God’s help.
RIGHTEOUSNESS What is the purpose of a breastplate? Doesn’t it protect the chest and vital organs, such as the heart? Well, you may not know this about your heart, but nonetheless it is painfully true: “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Since your heart is so evil and wicked, it is incapable of keeping you and your children safe, for how can something evil protect itself from evil? Since “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” our righteousness just won’t do (Isaiah 64:6). Thankfully, you can claim, on behalf of your family, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, for He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
THE GOSPEL OF PEACE Your footwear is something quite different. It is the gospel—the “good news”—of peace. People today are troubled and restless. Anxiety, stress, worry, depression, and a host of other mind-tormenting ailments plague many in this world. Fortunately, there exists a peace so powerful that it is able to calm and soothe any mind under any situation. Paul gives this reassurance: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7). Another wonderful aspect about this gospel of peace is that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace who has bridged the gap between you and God the Father (see Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:12-14). And everywhere you go the opportunity is yours to share the news of this wonderful Peace Giver and Peace Maker.
FAITH Earlier you read that by faith you can claim the righteousness of Christ. Faith, another piece of God’s armor, is so important to God that “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). If you’re concerned that you may not have enough faith, take comfort in knowing that God has given everyone a measure of faith (see Romans 12:3). And that’s not all. Jesus said: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). Knowing how gracious and kind God is, it only makes sense that your measure of faith has to be at least the size of a grain of mustard seed. Now that you are armed with faith you can squash anything the wicked one sends your way (see Ephesians 6:16).
SALVATION The next item is the helmet of salvation. You may be wondering how salvation is able to protect you and your loved ones. In the Bible, salvation, deliverance, and eternal life are used synonymously. When you know that you are saved, the plots, traps, and attacks of the devil do not discourage and deter you, as one would expect. For when Jesus Christ is your Savior and death rears its ugly head, you are able to say like Paul: “The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever” (2 Timothy 4:18).
Just in case you are interested in knowing what you can do to be saved, here is the answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). It’s that simple. All you have to do is believe and remember God has already given you enough faith to do just that.
WORD OF GOD The last item Paul speaks of is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. All of the previous items were used to cover and shield your body. The sword, however, is the only object you can use to attack your enemy. All throughout the Bible there are texts that, when applied properly, will put the devil to flight. In addition, when you study, memorize, and meditate upon God’s Word you become a partaker of God’s divine nature and your evil, wicked heart is done away with! (See 2 Peter 1:3, 4.) Last, you also have Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh at your side (see John 1:1-29). And nothing is better than Him!
CONCLUSION Today hatred, evil, and violence run rampant throughout the land, and at times their terrible sting may directly affect you and your family. But when you and your loved ones are clad with the whole armor of God, which in a nutshell is Jesus Christ, you reap the benefit of His protective care. Hopefully, the knowledge of this special armor will be passed on to your offspring from generation to generation until Jesus Christ bursts through the sky and puts an end to everything that threatens our safety. Oh, what a day that will be!
CAROLYN HENRY HURST is the founder of Going GodWard Ministries. She is married to Pastor Jerome M. Hurst.
E-mail: GoingGodWard@aol.com. |
