By this point, I think most people have seen on the news or online the different ways that children have become targets of dangerous challenges or videos. We have seen the “Momo Challenge”, where kids are being challenged to hurt themselves or commit suicide, and also the hidden videos in YouTube Kids where people show how to cut yourself. I’ve seen the flood of posts on Facebook of parents sharing to warn other parents, people sharing tips on how to talk to your kids or keep an eye on your kids, and even people complaining that kids get too much screen time.
Yes, we should always have a watchful on our children. But the thing is, we’re always at battle. All of us. Jesus won the battle with Satan, but we’re always in a spiritual warfare, Peter tells us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9). We need to be alert for ourselves, alert for our kids, and alert for our friends. Teach your children at their level how to be alert and stand guard. In Ephesians, Paul tells us how we can do that by putting on the armor of God:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Let’s stand our ground. The enemy can attack from anywhere and can attack anyone. Instead of the Momo Challenge, let’s challenge ourselves and our kids to take an “Armor Challenge”. Put on the armor of God and stay vigilant in protecting ourselves and our families.