Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

 “It is God alone who subdues sin and Satan; we must labor in prayer and truth, not in presumptuous exercises of power.” ~ John Owen

“Do not attempt to command the devil; he is under the Lord’s dominion, not yours. Trust in Christ and His Word.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

borders spiritual abuse.

Perhaps some of the most egregious doctrines are targeted at children. A failure to see them as sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3), parents blame the devil for their children’s behavior and go to war with Satan.

Sometimes, this is in their prayer closet, where they scream, shout, decree, declare, bind Satan, and put him in his place. Their children hear it and are impressed at how powerful their parent (usually a deceived mother) is over Satan.

Sometimes it is worse than that. The parent seeks to go toe to toe with Satan, but they do so by looking into the face of their precious child and talking to Satan.

Now, if someone is talking to Satan inside their child, we are now claiming that child is not saved and indwelt with a demon.

At this point, the Gospel is not shared (Romans 1:16). The child is looking into the eyes of their parent that they love and trust, who is talking to Satan in them.

I’ll be honest, this upsets me greatly!

If this parent believes their child is a Christian and they are talking to Satan inside their child, then their child is not a Christian. Never mind that Satan cannot be everywhere at once because, unlike God, he is a finite creature and is not omnipresent.

If their child is not saved, they need the Gospel, not their parent having a battle with Satan as they look in their eyes.

How traumatic for that child!

I ignore a lot that I see and hear, but I often cannot ignore it when it involves children, and deceived people celebrate what they perceive is a victory over Satan but is a failure to share the Gospel with these children. They need to hear that their bad behavior is a result of them being sinners (Romans 3:23)—and what an incredible missed opportunity to share the Gospel with them. If the child is saved, what an incredible opportunity to remind them of the Gospel that compels us to live godly in Christ Jesus (Titus 2:11-12).

Consider this with me, please. If I were to tell you that my child was misbehaving and I looked at my child and talked to Satan inside my child and told him to leave my child alone, would you say that is biblical? If you appeal to verses about demon possession (Luke 9:1; Mark 1:23-26), then we are now talking about the need for the Gospel (Romans 1:16), because clearly they are not saved, and if demon-possessed, then they need to hear the Gospel. If you say they are saved but are being attacked by Satan, then should I not be using the weapons God has given me, to pray to God—not Satan—for my child—and remind them of what God’s Word says? I’m not instructed anywhere in Scripture to talk to Satan. I’m warned against that in Jude 1:9 and 2 Peter 2:9. If you say I have authority over Satan, Jude and Peter said the opposite. I’m not Jesus! He has that authority!

Some of the worst, most dangerous, and most cruel doctrines are taught to parents who do love their children and will fight for them, but they have been taught how to fight in direct opposition to what God commands!

Parents, I plead with you: test your beliefs against what God’s Word actually says (Acts 17:11). Those passages about Jesus are not about you.

Children behave sinfully because they are sinners! (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23) Stop blaming the devil for everything and look that precious child in the eyes, tell them you love them, take them to Scripture, and share with them the Gospel. If they are saved, do the exact same thing! And pray for them—not declarations or decrees. Your words have no such power or authority. Trust God! Pray to Him for them.

Grace and peace, y’all

Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan