To say that we are in a post-Christian culture would be a massive understatement. It seems like our culture has taken a nosedive into the abyss of sensuality and secularism, almost daring God to judge us. Still, this is the culture that our children will be adulting in. We must always remember that there is “nothing new under the sun,” but it is the first time in her history that America—and Western Civilization as a whole—has decided to unabashedly take on God. Looking back at previous god-contenders like Babylon, Greece, Rome, etc., it should serve as a sober warning.
Sadly, when modern man tries to create utopia, he fails miserably. In twentieth century Russia, an estimated 60 million people paid the piper of death for their slice of heaven on earth that only lasted about 60 years until satellite countries started breaking off. China added as many as 120 million deaths to the same utopian dream … or nightmare.
The glorious news is that God always has His remnant, and we always have hope through the work of Jesus Christ; nothing will stay His hand or purposes. We do, however, need to be sober-minded and give our children the tools necessary to navigate the twisted streams of thoughts that are cascading toward them. 1984 author George Orwell used the term “double speak,” where black is white and white is black. The Bible describes this as “good becomes evil and evil becomes good.” (Is. 5:20) Aldous Huxley also had sociological insight when he recognized that the culture of comfort had made God obsolete. The Prosperity Gospel has not made God obsolete, but it has minimized Him to the stature of being a Christian’s genie in the bottle. So, what are we to do as parents?
The starting point for everything is on our knees in prayer. We must pray that God will show our children grace and mercy in giving them insights and courage to stand firm against the flood of evil coming their way.
Second, we must always point our children to the Bible. We cannot trust our own judgments, lest we end up just like the world (Proverbs 16:25). God tells us who He is, how He created the world to operate, and has given us imperatives in how we are to live, whether or not we like them or if whether or not they are convenient to our lifestyles.
Next, we must teach our children how to discern almost right from right. The culture uses the right terms like justice, diversity, equity, fairness, etc., but they apply them in unjust, uniformed, unequal, and unfair ways. For instance, they preach the gospel of tolerance but seek to cancel anyone who disagrees with them. Our children must be able to see through this masquerade and get to the heart of the matter, which is always some anti-God bias.
Fourth, they must learn to be as wise as serpents but harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16) in sharing their position with an often hostile audience. This takes both grace and courage. Our children must understand that a Christian position will not be received well in a post-Christian culture. They may take a hit or risk being cancelled by the false priests of social media. They need to remember that those who try and save their lives will lose them, but those who are willing to lose it all, will be saved in God’s kingdom.
Finally, regardless of the results, they can rest satisfied with the doctrine of God’s sovereignty. Whether they advance, get knocked back, or simply stand steady, God’s will is going to be accomplished. I have told my children that Romanism buried many individual Christians, but Christianity buried Romanism in the dust of time and did not look back to apologize. We are to live for God’s glory not our own comfort. If we seek to live out such an example, our children will inspired to truth God and thereby be strong and do exploits. (Daniel 11:32)
Join us this month as we pray for the following:
1. Pray that God will give the ICHE leadership team wisdom in helping equip Christian homeschooling parents to equip their children.
- For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; –Proverbs 2:6
- Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” –1 Kings 3:9
2. Pray that our children will be able to detect unbiblical, illogical, and intellectually inconsistent ideas and arguments.
- behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. –1 Kings 3:12
- And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. –Neh. 6:12
3. Pray that our children—and we—will be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ and His truth if need be.
- Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing the suffering produces endurance, –Romans 5:3
- my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. –2 Timothy 3:11
4. Pray that God will give our children the grace to see opposition as spiritual blindness and empower our children to respond with the law of kindness, even to the harshest critic.
- And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. –Acts 7:60
- Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, –Col. 3:12
5. Pray that God will put a desire in our children’s hearts to seek out resources that will equip them for the various battles that will inevitably come their way. Pray that He will bring the right resources to the at the right time.
- The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. –Proverbs 4:7
- “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. –Jer. 3:15
6. Pray that our children will understand the cultural arguments and be able to present a biblical, reasonable response that their detractors cannot deny.
- But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. –Acts 6:10
- but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, –1 Peter 3:15
7. Pray that our children, especially our young men, will have the strength of character and commitment to the truth to say sex and gender are binary, and illogical ideas are still illogical.
- and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. –John 8:32
- For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. –Psalms 5:9
8. Pray that God will awaken the church to be the church and cause preachers to preach the Word of God without compromise and parishioners will have ears to hear and do.
- Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. –Romans 13:11
- Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. –Rev. 3:2
9. Pray that parents will have a desire and ability to prepare their children for the cultural war.
- It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. –Judges 3:2
- He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. –Psalms 18:34
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