Who wins?
The floodgates are open. The alarm has sounded. The enemy has declared war on the family.
The battle lines are drawn, and the beat of the drums is so close we can feel the vibrations pulse in our bones. The war has begun and the enemy is within the direct line of sight. We have a choice. Do we fight, or do we surrender?
Let me freeze-frame that image in your mind for a few seconds and introduce you to the players on the field.
The enemy: The Prince of Darkness is his name. He has disguised himself in different forms throughout the years, so sometimes he’s hard to recognize. Some have seen him in the form of busyness, some would better recognize him as sickness, confusion, depression, and even innocent silence. Whatever form you have seen however, he is hungry and ready to devour.
The front line: The front line is the tip of the spear. It’s often the most painful position to fight. These folks usually are mocked and ridiculed as people who constantly have bad news to share in their endeavors to wake people up. Their warnings come as sharp pings when they prepare for battle. They usually aren’t taken seriously until the darts begin to fly and someone is struck with a blow from the enemy (a classroom of children indoctrinated, a company sued for not following the dictates of the LGBT mob, children’s minds being desensitized by a godless classroom agenda, a room full of babies aborted by an abortionist killer). By the time most realize this, it’s too late. However the warriors on the front line don’t waiver. They’ve learned how to use the spiritual weapons…they have put on the armor. They have picked up their swords. They are ready for war.
The armor bearers: The armor bearers are priceless. They are the ones who hold up the arms of the front line. They seem to know when weariness sets in and cheer them on. They hold weapons and back up the front line during an intense battle. Sometimes they are nearly invisible through the noise of the war, but if they didn’t exist… the war would be lost. The armor and weapons simply would be too heavy for the front line to carry. This position is dwindling at a breathtaking speed. The enemy knows their importance and is using tactics like fatigue and busyness to separate them from the front line.
The musicians: These are the priceless prayer warriors. They are unseen and faithful. Now understand me CLEARLY. These are not PINOs (prayer in name only)! These are people who will battle with tears and battle-scars. These are people who refuse to come out of the war room for HOURS and sometimes DAYS due to deep intercession. If you could see their scars, you would recognize them immediately. There are many who say, “I’m going to pray for you, and then forget about it in the next breath. The musicians don’t. They know the enemy. They have smelled his sulfur breath, and they are ready for war!
The sideline: This is where the action is! It looks like a party is happen’n here. You’ll find the majority of American moms and dads playing this part in the war. The sideline has the illusion of safety, peace, and happiness. The uniforms are adorned with ear plugs, pink sunglasses, music, drinks, and the greatest party equipment ever made! Ear plugs are key to their position on the field. It’s critical that they not hear 
what is happening on the battlefield. If they do… then responsibility kicks in immediately. They plug their ears at JUST THE RIGHT moment, so they can’t ear the warnings coming from the pulpit. The sunglasses are equally important. The pink-rose sunglasses keep them looking brightly at the scene around them. With these glasses on, they can ignore the horrific sights and sounds of the classrooms their children attend. The glasses allow them to look at their television and somehow miss the gay kiss between two men and completely ignore the sodomy. Don’t get me wrong, the sideline is very active in watching the warriors on the front line. They have their lawn chairs pulled up with drink in hand. Due to bugs in the technology, they are able to hear the war drums beating louder…but… they think they (and their family) will be safe if they sit quietly and watch the war. They are under the delusion that the enemy can’t see them if they are quiet. They know how important it is to keep their friendships and not rock the boat. They think this tactic will help them stay alive. If they just blend in enough, the enemy won’t see them.
Those are the players. Let me unfreeze the frame and let’s watch this war.
Who is the enemy going after first? Most will say the front line. After all, they are the closest to the heat, and closest to the enemy’s breath.
Nope… wrong. The first target of the enemy are those on the sidelines. You see, they are soft targets. They’ve not studied the first thing about how to put on armor. They’ve not purchased the correct weapons…and the thing that nearly makes the enemy giddy, is they’ve also not protected their families. With one swoop, the enemy can take out the entire side-line AND their families, because they are not armored up and don’t hold a single weapon in their hands.
I see it happening around me as I type this. Just this morning, Scholastic Books released a Gay Pride celebratory list of reading materials for kids. Scholastic is the backbone of our school systems. Not only are they infiltrated in the public schools, private Christian schools also carry their materials. They posted an incredibly marketed, sparkling rainbow book with a list of reading materials that will help kids know how to come out of the closet or become a different gender on their Facebook page for gay pride month.
With one swoop, the enemy has taken out thousands of classrooms full of children as the parents are sitting in their lawn-chairs with a frilly drink and new book. They are silent as their children are desensitized to the fact that homosexuality is not only an abomination to Jesus, but also one of the most dangerous lifestyles a person can live. Nowhere in this marketing did they speak of what happens in a day in the life of a gay man. They did not dare post the story of Joseph Sciambra who nearly died because he was living the gay lifestyle. Just rainbows, happy thoughts…. and a victory for a massive knockout of the sideline.
The Sideline is the first target of the enemy.
The enemy knows the front line is prepped. The armor bearers and the musicians have conditioned for just this moment. They are unafraid, covered in armor, and holding their weapons to defend themselves and their families.
The enemy is not going to dare touch them.
Moms and dads, you know what position you play. You know if you are afraid to stand up for your children. You know if you feel terror the minute you think of posting something, or speaking out against an agenda. You know you fall on the sidelines when you are too worried about losing friendships on social media or even at church. You get convicted just reading this article. Guess what mom… guess what dad… the enemy knows what position you play too!
He knows.
He is ready to take you and your family out FIRST. He knows you don’t carry a weapon. He knows you are unarmed and nearly naked without armor. Your pink glasses and earplugs give you away!
It’s time you put away the lawn-chairs. It’s time you put away the umbrella drinks, latest books and flip flops. It is time for you to join the war to protect your children.
I am going to close with good news for you. This blog was not meant to instill guilt and shame. (Ok, if a little guilt and shame make you decide it’s time to fight for your kids… then lets go that route.) However, I DON’T want to leave you without hope.
Many of you simply don’t know how to fight for your families. Many of you have been watching from the sidelines and have been convicted that you need to put on your armor and pick up your sword to take out the enemy… the prince of darkness who is attacking your kids’ minds…. but you just don’t know how. You are scared.
It’s OK.
We were too! That is why we want to help you. We are hosting a Women’s Leadership Summit on October 6 and 7th in Fort Wayne. We are bringing in speakers from all over the nation to teach you how to engage. We only have 150 tickets, so we encourage you to register as soon as you can. This summit will be full of women just like yourself, who have never picked up a sword.
It’s easy to register. Just simply go to www.calltocourage2017.eventbrite.com and sign up.
Moms and dads… the devil is stealing your families. It’s time to fight for them. Are you willing to put aside momentary comfort and join us on the front lines? We are waiting for you!
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