For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)
“God wants to purify our minds until we can bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. God dwells in you, but you cannot have this divine power until you live and walk in the Holy Ghost, until the power of the new life is greater than the old life.” ~ Smith Wigglesworth
Praying for Our Children…
Our church has started this recently. It started with a couple of our members who said that every morning, at 9 am, they pray for all our adult children. As more of us began to add our children’s/grandchildren’s names, someone asked was there a list with all the names. So, I offered to put together a list with all the children’s names we are praying for. Now, we have begun adding the younger ones as well. There’s just something about everyone praying and agreeing together that gets results. It’s in God’s Word (see Matthew 18:19, for starters). We have definitely seen God moving in powerful ways since we started this. But we all know our enemy, the devil, doesn’t want us to see our children saved, or any of our prayers answered, and he will do everything he can to hinder our prayers. But thankfully, we serve a loving Heavenly Father, and a wonderful Savior Who loves us enough to show us when our prayers are being hindered. Although I know He was mainly talking to me, I feel that there are a lot more parents, grandparents, and other care givers out there who may can relate to what I am about to share with you here. I had a powerful dream this morning just before I woke up. So, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to share it with you. I am sharing this in obedience to the Holy Spirit, on behalf of all parents, grandparents, and caregivers who have been praying for your children. If we want to start seeing our prayers for our children answered and see them start being delivered from addiction, depression, and hopelessness, and see them come to Christ and be saved, then we need to first start with ourselves. There are many ways the enemy works to keep us in bondage so that our prayers will be hindered. These are called strongholds. So, if it helps someone, here it is…
The Dream…
I dreamed I was sitting in a car. There were children in the back seat, not all my own children, but others’ children. I knew they represented all our children that we have been praying for. I was sitting in the driver’s seat, yet I knew that although He was showing me myself in that driver’s seat, there were many others like me. Then, I saw a Man standing outside the car. Although I know He will not reveal Himself in His full glory (we could not take it) I knew that it was Jesus. He was standing there, looking in the window at the children. There was such a tender, loving look on His face, I do not have the words to adequately describe it. He was gazing longingly at them, with a look of deep compassion and sadness on His face. Yet, there I sat, in the driver’s seat, with Him locked out of the car. Then, as He woke me up, I felt His presence in the room with me. I strongly felt Him speaking to my spirit to get up and go into the living room and turn some soft worship music on and just sit there in His presence to wait for what He had to say to me.
The Interpretation: The Master’s Words…
I went into the living room and turned on the TV. I played a worship song, “Surround Me”, by Clint Brown. I sat still in His presence, singing with the song and tuning everything else out but Him. Then, I put a DappyTKeys “Alone with God” video on, letting it play quietly as I listened to hear what He had to say. As best as I can remember, here were His words to me:
“I have heard your prayers for the children. Yet, for many of you, this is what I see. What I have shown you in this dream represents what is happening with many of my parents, grandparents, and caregivers of these children. I hear your prayers for them, but for many of you, there are strongholds blocking your prayers. There are many of these strongholds blocking your prayers, such as addiction strongholds, which take many forms. Approval addiction, internet addiction, and placing the opinions of man over My Word are only a few examples. One of the main ones blocking you from getting results is fear. For many of you, these strongholds of fear have been hidden, deep in your mind, and they have been there so long, you don’t even see it. Yet, I see it clearly, as I’ve shown you in the dream. If you’re still in the driver’s seat, you have not trusted Me completely and yielded your children completely to Me. The fact that you saw that I was locked out represents the hesitancy of some of you to fully trust Me, slide out of the driver’s seat, and allow Me full control. I respect your free will, which is why you saw Me standing outside the car, looking longingly at the children you are lifting up to Me. If you want to see Me work in the lives of these, your children, to bring them to Me, then you must release them completely to Me.”
My Example…
For me, He uncovered a major stronghold of fear that has hindered my faith. It’s one that has been there for a long time, so much that I couldn’t even see it anymore. It was easier to just keep letting the enemy deceive me into covering it up. It’s easy to talk “faith”. Yet, as He also gently reminded me during the time I have spent with Him today, He is hearing the words coming out of our mouths, when we pray and sing the worship songs. But He looks at our hearts, and He sees when what’s in our hearts doesn’t match the words coming out of our mouths. “…Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34). In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus said, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” (NKJV). It’s far too easy to read these Scriptures and point our fingers at others, or to let the enemy deceive us into thinking it doesn’t really apply to us. Yet, if we take a closer look at ourselves, in the guiding, gently correcting light of His love, we then see what the devil didn’t want us to see. I am being transparent here, so that hopefully, it will help others to do the same. If we can help someone else, then our suffering has not been in vain. Like I said, He will use whatever we yield to Him, but the key is total surrender. Even what you have been hiding in that “back room” of your heart. So, here it is…
When I was 12 years old, and my younger brother was 5, we lost our brother, Charles, in a horrible accident at a home where Dad was helping to clear out a stand of pine trees for an older couple. Charlie had just turned 9 years old. Although I am at peace with it all now as far as knowing he is with our Lord, Alonzo (we call him “Bud”, after our late grandfather on Mom’s side) and I watched for years what Charlie’s loss did to my parents. As we grew older, they were stricter on us than most parents are, something I now see as a blessing because of the way God protected us from going down the paths other kids our age did. Looking back later, I could see that they didn’t want to admit to us they were afraid something would happen to us too. Although it has remained well hidden, even from me, I have known that deep inside, I have been deeply scarred because of this. It’s just been there so long, hidden so well that the enemy simply hoped I wouldn’t see it. Yet, the Savior lovingly showed it to me through this dream He gave me. Deep inside, though I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself, yet there it was, the deep inner fear that if I fully “trusted Him” with my kids, then something might happen to one of them too. So, as I saw in the dream, there I’ve sat, like so many of us, in that driver’s seat, with the Savior locked out.
He’s Standing There, Waiting…
There He is, standing there gazing longingly at our children, knowing all He has wanted to do to help them come to Him, yet in too many ways, it is we who are blocking Him, because of our own hidden strongholds of doubt (Matt. 14:31, James 1:6-8), fear (2 Tim. 1:7), self-condemnation (Rom. 8:1-2, 2 Cor. 5:17, 1 John 1:9), and addictive mindsets (Gal. 5:16, James 4:8, John 15:1-5). He’s hearing our prayers, but He’s looking for the faith that will ignite the power of His Holy Spirit and allow Him to work. So, I’ve made the decision to stand on the Word of God, speak it over my life, my family, and my children, and unlock that door and let Him back in. I’ve decided to get on out of that driver’s seat and let Him have His rightful place back on the throne of my heart. I have denounced and cast down the strongholds of self-sufficiency and self-justification, fear, and every false mindset that does not line up with the Word of God.
For those who have suffered the tragic loss of a child, believe me when I say, my heart truly goes out to you. Although I’ve only suffered a miscarriage, and ended up depressed, anorexic, sicker than I’ve ever been in my life, and in the hospital because of it, as I said, I watched for years what my brother’s loss did to my parents. So, believe me when I say, those who have walked this road have a special place in my heart. My prayer is that God will comfort you as only He can.
Whether you’ve lost a child, or a spouse, as I have, or other relative, or someone close to you, we all have two choices. We can either let the enemy continue to use it to destroy us, or we can yield all the broken pieces to our loving Savior, the only One Who truly has the power to take it all and turn it around for our good and His glory (see my book for more on this). All our hope is in Him, and He is the only way to salvation and eternal life with God, the Father (see 1 Thess. 4:13-18, John 14:6). No matter what this life has taken from us, He has a plan to take it all and turn it into a powerful testimony that will bring others to Him as only He can. But He can’t do anything as long as we are still sitting in that driver’s seat with Him standing there locked out of our lives. It is the enemy who wants to condemn us. Jesus is lovingly standing there, waiting for us to trust Him and let Him show us what’s hindering our prayers so He can help us to walk in the faith that is going to start getting us results (see John 3:17, Rev. 3:20).
His Call to Action…
Come to Me. Pray and ask Me to show you whatever strongholds may be blocking your prayers for them. The enemy does not want you to see these strongholds, so he has worked diligently to hide them. Ask Me, and I will show you (James 1:2-8). Then, confess these doubts and fears to Me. Then pray, in faith, believing in My Words I have spoken to you, casting these strongholds down in My name. Finally, again, you must release your children completely to Me. You will do this by unlocking that car door, then sliding out of that driver’s seat, and giving Me back My place there. Only trust Me, and you will see Me work as you have never imagined possible (Ephesians 3:20).
The Prayer…
Heavenly Father, I cast down every stronghold, known or hidden, and cancel every plan of the enemy to hold us back from seeing our prayers for the restoration of our families and the deliverance and salvation of our children answered. I cast down every stronghold of doubt, fear, shame, guilt, condemnation, hopelessness, and addiction, whether it be of a substance, or those deeper, hidden ones of approval addiction, internet, or social media addiction, pornography, or anything else that is not of You. I cancel the enemy’s agenda to use anything else against us, and I pray that You will convict our hearts of any and all strongholds that are blocking our prayers and hindering our faith. We know, Father, that as Your Holy Word promises in James 4:8, if we are willing to come to You and draw near to You, and cleanse and purify our hearts, then You will draw near to us. We know You said if we walk in Your Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. You also said that if we abide in You, we will bear much fruit, because without You, we can do nothing. We know that the promises in Your Word are true, and that Your promises are yes and Amen! You said, Father, that nothing shall be impossible to You! I lift up every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other caregiver who is praying for the salvation of the children You have placed in their care. I speak in the name of Jesus that as You show us the strongholds the enemy has been using to block and hinder our prayers for them, we repent with all our hearts, cast down these strongholds, and give You back Your rightful place on the throne of our hearts. I speak in faith that as we do this, and put our trust fully in You, we will see You work in the lives of our children as never before. I speak in faith, Father, that as we speak the promises of Your Holy Word with the authority and faith You have commanded us to walk in, fear, doubt, and the lies of the enemy will have no place in our lives to block and hinder our prayers any further. I cast down and bind every lying spirit that has deceived us and hindered our prayers for our families and our children. I loose the power of Your Holy Spirit to move in Jesus’ name and save our children, that they will walk with You, and heal and restore our families. I also pray Father, that as You show us the ways we have shut You out, You will help us have the faith to get out of the driver’s seat, unlock the door, and give You back Your rightful place in our hearts. Then, as we trust You fully, releasing our children and our families to You completely, we will begin to see You work in ways we have never imagined possible. I ask this all in Jesus’ precious, Holy name, in agreement with all my brothers and sisters, according to Your Holy Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Now, we’ve prayed and agreed on it. Here are some fellow prayer warriors to lead us into His presence as we speak it into action! Let this song minister to you, and be blessed, IN JESUS’ NAME! If you know someone who would be encouraged by this post, please share, via the buttons below! Also, check out the Google Translate widget here on the site, as this, and any of my posts can be translated into any language. Thanks for stopping by!
Flossie Stewart, Christian Author & Speaker 