Are you a strong man or woman for your household, standing firmly in your faith so the enemy will not plunder your family? Or have you allowed the enemy to bind you so he can plunder your household and pull them away from God? As spiritual leaders, we not only fight for ourselves but for the faith of our loved ones as well. Because of this, satan will unleash attacks to try to get us down in life, so that we fail to take the time to answer our greatest call, that of a spiritual warrior on behalf of our families, and others for whom we have spiritual oversight.

How can we fulfill the role of spiritual leaders for those within our realm of influence? To answer that question, we need to look no further than the example Jesus set. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he used the Word of God to defeat him and was able to stand firm in his faith. Had he not been a student of the Word, he may not have been able to withstand the temptations.

Therefore, we, too, must study God’s Word in order to fight against our enemy. 

Jesus often prayed and fasted as he sought the Father’s wisdom and strength for everything before him. Notice, though, that he did not just say a few words in a quick prayer as he hurried about his day. He took the time to get alone with the Father, away from the distractions of life, to really seek Him. 

While it is good to whisper prayers throughout the day, we must make the time to get alone with God, away from distractions, and have those intimate prayer times. In those moments, we are able to cry out to Him, not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones as well. 

We are to go to the battleground of prayer on behalf of prodigal children, the spouse who mocks our faith, and those who ridicule others, so that we can fight on their behalf and be strengthened to be faithful to the call of a spiritual leader. 

Jesus, himself, asked if the cross that he was facing could be removed, and then he said, “However, not my will, but Yours” (Luke 22:42). In relenting to his Father, he gained the strength to follow his call. Rest assured that as you seek the Lord, He will give you the strength to lead your family to Him. Seek the Lord, put Him first in your life, build on Him, and you and your family will prosper.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I enter Your gates with thanksgiving and come into Your courts with praise. I give thanks to You and praise Your glorious name. I acknowledge that You are a shield about my family and me, and the uplifter of our faith. But Father, sometimes life gets hard as I am overwhelmed with family duties, work, finances, and the many other struggles and distractions of life. I ask that You help me to walk in Your wisdom in all things. Show me what I need to back away from, and in which areas I should give more of myself. Help me to make the changes I need to make and to carve out intimate time with You each day, so that I may walk in Your wisdom and become a strong man/woman who can fight off the enemy on behalf of my family. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Are you following Jesus’ example by reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, and fasting? Today, take a serious look at your schedule and write down a time frame for each day, in which you will get away from distractions to spend time in the Word and intimate prayer. Go ahead and schedule some time of fasting to strengthen your prayers over your family and their relationships with Christ.