In last week’s post I posed the question; “Is God a Thief?” in an effort to get us to think out loud as to who we blame for the loss of our child. Although there are many ways to peel an onion like that, the goal is to expose the core of who we truly believe is responsible for the loss of the baby we so badly wanted. It’s human nature to blame and the enemy works judiciously to get us to paint God as the steal joy and ultimate ‘thief.’

This weekend I was reminded of another devious plan the enemy utilizes to steal our children from us that I wove into the plot of Cynthia’s Dance; child trafficking. It’s an import twist in the story that I included as a survivor of sex slavery which I experienced for several years as a young child. That time of my life was terrorizing and I’m still working through the memories of it even today. 

It is the enemy who delights in slavery and bondage and in our day and time the abduction of children is prevalent and scary. Just recently the wife of a local pastor I know was shopping at a nearby Target with their three children. They were in the toy section and the kids were a short distance from their mom when she noticed a man who was positioning himself in a way as to intimidate her and create more space between her and her children. She sensed what he was attempting to do and immediately demanded the children in a stern voice to get into the Target cart. Miraculously, they all three quickly obeyed. She place the smaller two into the safety of the cart and the other one took her hand.  As she darted toward the exit, she noticed the man had 3 cell phones and met up with another man in the adjacent aisle. She beelined it for the exit to get to her car and escape and fortunately was able to drive away. What a terrifying and polarizing event this was for this poor mom. Can you imagine?

Proverbs 21: 29 says, “The wicked put up a bold front, but the righteous proceed with care.” As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have to be very careful as to how I live out this life in relationship to God and my family. First and foremost I need to recognize when the enemy is encroaching upon my thoughts and positioning himself as an innocent bystander while trying to separate me from my God so he can steal my position, place of blessing and my intimacy with the One who created me. 

The enemy is not on our side and is not shy in moving into a situation where he can rob us of the only true joy our souls will ever find. The Lord experiences the loss of relationship with his children on a daily basis as they are stolen away by the enemies tactics and it causes him as much pain, if not greater, than we experience in our losses.  

Here are three quick pointers that I practice on a regular basis that help keep me and my loved ones in a safe place with our Heavenly Father. 

1. Eph 6:13-18 instructs us to put on our armor. It is this spiritual warfare equipment that helps protect me and my family. Be sure to put on your armor daily and include your loved ones by putting them behind the shield of faith where God can protect each of them. 

1. Pray and ask God to blind the eyes of those who would harm you and your loved ones and open the eyes of those who can protect you and help you. Our children need to have positive influences in their lives, so ask God to bring good people into their lives that will help teach them in the way they should go. They need to learn the truth about who the real thief is and how to recognize his evil ways.
2. Be alert and aware of what you are feeling and thinking. Examine your thoughts. Is God your safe place? Who is the one you turn to in grief, loss and pain? If it’s not Him you can trust, than who can you turn to for truth?