I was scrolling on Instagram a few days ago, and I came across a post on Havilah Cunning
ton’s page called, The Battle is Ours. It’s on her IGTV, you should check it out if you haven’t seen
it…it’s good.
She talked about how as a young girl, a past offense made her want to give up on the calling God
placed on her life. She explained how something someone said to her tormented her so bad, that
she told God she didn’t want the anointing He gave her. Every time she got up to speak, she had
to fight off every demonic spirit that came to make her be silent and she was tired of it.
God gave her a scripture, 1 Timothy 4:12, Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are y
oung, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
She would have this battle inside of her before every speaking event, that one day she heard the
Lord tell her, “use your sword!”
When she whispered those words, I broke down and began to cry. It was like, the Lord said them
directly to me. Every battle that I face, requires me to use my sword.
I lost sight of who that enemy was, and the fight wasn’t with my daughter, it was with him. Instead
of me getting frustrated and angry with my daughter I needed to take my frustrations and anger
out on him.
Hearing those words ignited something in me that caused me to press into the Lord on behalf of
my kids. It caused me to pray harder, love on them harder, but also to let the enemy know, he
doesn’t win this battle…he loses.
I would love to tell you the situation got better, just like that, but it got worse before it got better.
We had another falling out, with more people involved and I had to reevaluate the tactics I was
taking.
The other day, after picking my kids up from school, my daughter told me she downloaded the
Bible app on her phone and she wanted to know what scripture meant. She told me her god-
parent’s niece had it on her phone and she should get it too.
Do you know how happy that made me? When I think what I’m doing isn’t
working, God was working it out all along. That opened the door to another
conversation and I was able to explain more.
After a few moments of thanking God for what happened, he tells me:
You can’t fight every battle for your kids
Some things they have to go through on their own
Yes, you will be there to help them through it, but how do you expect them to fight if they have no
experience
The experience is what they need in order to grow
will bring it to their remembrance and they will remember what you taught them
If you try to shield them from everything you will do them a disservice
No one wants to see their children hurt, but I am there in the pain
I am there when they don’t feel it
I
I am there when they think I am not
It’s all working for their good
Use your sword with theirs, not instead of
You can fight together, but not for them
As a mother, I am to teach my kids the tools they need to fight the enemy. I can’t fight it for them,
but I can go to God in prayer for protection and that He helps them deal with whatever problem
they are going to be faced with.
The same way I want to protect my kids is the same way God wants to protect us. He will never
leave us or forsake us, but if He shields us from everything, what are we actually learning?
I now understand James 1:2-4 in a new light. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have
her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Not only is God doing that in me, But He is also doing that in my children. Instead of trying to
stop what He’s doing, I am to let it do what it needs to do in them so they will be complete in
Him.
