A friend of mine, Sarah, a mental health therapist, told me the tragic story of a former client of hers committing suicide last night. The young girl was 14 years old. Sarah is an incredible counselor who has been called to specifically work with middle school aged children. She has seen firsthand the demonic oppression and spiritual attacks bombarding our youth, resulting in an uptick in mental health issues like we have never seen.
Sarah told me there is not a SINGLE child in her caseload who does not struggle with suicidal ideation or gender identity issues. Sarah described the “suicide packs” that many children are in, this young girl being one of them. These packs are filled with children who are obsessed with death. They enjoy talking about death, fantasizing about the “afterlife”, watch shows that promote death and take a blood oath that if one person in the pack commits suicide, they all must commit suicide. Unfortunately, and shockingly, these packs are far more popular and commonplace than any of us would want to admit.
The attack on our children is undeniable. We can no longer ignore the clear and prevalent plan of the enemy to infiltrate the minds of the most vulnerable among us. But, we must ask ourselves how it has gotten so bad so fast. I think the answer is simple and one many would never want to admit…Parents have stopped being parents.
When I was growing up, my mom and dad were actively involved in my life and the lives of my three sisters and three brothers (I am one of SEVEN children). There was an awareness both my parents had to each of their children that kept them constantly involved in our lives on a deep and personal level. I believe that awareness was spirit based and one that has drastically decreased in today’s society.
We have become so caught up with news, posting, liking, commenting, selfies, television, that we have stopped paying attention to the things that matter most. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe parents love their children and want the best for them, but our attention is being pulled in a hundred different directions that what we once paid the closest attention to is now just a part of a much larger list of things we are involved in. Personally, I believe this has happened because we no longer regard God as the most significant and vital aspect of our lives.
Regardless of what time I woke up in the morning, when I walked out of my bedroom, I would see my mother sitting on the couch with her head either bowed in prayer or bowed over her bible.
Every. Single. Morning.
My parents knew that in order to be good parents they had to first be good children. They looked to the Father for everything, seeking His wisdom and guidance at all times, particularly when it came to raising their seven children.
I believe we are seeing young boys and girls struggling because their parents don’t know how to parent.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
-Hosea 4:6
If parents don’t first seek the Lord, how will they know how to attack something as spiritually dark as suicide or as confusing as gender identity issues? If moms and dads don’t get supernatural guidance from the Father, how could they possible understand the spiritual authority they have over any demonic activity attempting to bombard their kids?
When parents stop seeking the Lord, it’s the children who pay the price.
Although I had to come to a place in my life where the Word became real to me on my own, I never forgot the lessons learned in my upbringing by my God fearing, Spirit filled, Word following mom and dad. I pity the boys and girls being raised in homes where the parents are unequipped to properly ready their children for the inevitable battles they will face throughout life.
We all know the darkness is getting darker, the heaviness heavier and the attacks more frequent, and it is absolutely clear who the devil is going after, therefore it is up to the parents to equip themselves for the battles ahead.
God will guide all of us through this season, get us to the other side, but we all must take the time to hear His voice, see His path, follow His guidance. He has never and will never leave us on our own, but we must seek Him in order for Him to be found.
The enemies primary target are children, in order to protect them, we must put on the full armor of God and ready ourselves for war.
“So often we hear that the world is too intense, too ugly, and that’s what is destroying our homes. It is not the world that is destroying our homes. It is the weakness of our homes that is destroying our world.”
-Pastor Mike Mcintosh
A Woman Standing 