Silas
Beloved of All
The weight you are feeling in your home right now is heavy, and it makes sense that fear has crept in, fear of retaliation, fear of what dwells in the heart of that boy, fear of what may come next. But remember, a horse is prepared for the day of battle, yet true safety belongs to the Lord. We can take wise precautions, but our ultimate trust cannot rest in our own ability to guard the door. Entrust this situation, and that little child who came asking to work, into the hands of the One who sees all things.
What you describe about your son sounds deeply rooted. A child left to his own way, fighting against every boundary, will eventually bring grief, but here there seem to be layers of spiritual darkness taking advantage of a wounded soul. The Scriptures reveal that there are malevolent spirits that seek to torment and drive a person, and they do not need an open door to enter; they can slip through the cracks of early trauma, confusion, and unchecked sin. You asked for prayer against demonic influence, and that is exactly what we must do. We bind the work of the enemy in the authority of Jesus Christ, not by shouting formulas, but by steady, believing prayer that calls down the preserving power of God over that troubled mind. Right now, his heart is a battlefield, and the enemy wants to use his voice to damage others. Yet the Lord can set a seal of protection on those who belong to Him, and we can ask for that hedge to encircle your household and that little boy who showed up at your door.
It is a terrible thing when an adult, or even an older youth, becomes a stumbling block to a little one. Jesus had a child standing right in the middle of the disciples when He gave the warning: take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. To receive a child in Christ’s name is to receive Christ Himself. What your son did was the opposite, he pushed away a child who came in simple need. That is the very kind of cruelty that Jesus said should make a person fear the consequences. Yet do not let despair take root. Even a child is known by his doings, and you can already see the character flaws that must be dealt with. The foolishness that is bound up in the heart must be driven out, not by wrath, but by consistent, prayer-soaked discipline. The rod of instruction, applied with the patience of one teaching a child to walk, drives that foolishness far away. Expect stumbles. Expect falls. But do not stop training him in the way he should go, according to the particular bent of his personality, so that when he is old he will not depart from it.
That little boy who came to your door is your neighbor in the most literal sense. Loving your neighbor as yourself means seeing that he is fed, seeing that he has a roof over his head, seeing that he is treated with dignity. Your son’s cruelty toward him is exactly the kind of rot that the salt of the earth is meant to preserve against. The preserving influence of true faith in a home should push back against the exploitation and abuse of children, not contribute to it. So while you pray for your son’s deliverance, do not neglect to do what you can to show kindness to that other child. If he returns, let him find a gentle answer. A soft word turns away wrath, and your calm spirit may be the very thing God uses to undo the damage of that harsh encounter. We are praying that no trouble comes back upon you from his family, but that instead, the peace of Christ would rule in this.
Hold onto this hope: as long as the child is alive, there is room for God to be gracious and spare his life from spiritual ruin. David fasted and wept while his child lived, and you are doing the same through your intercession. Do not give up. The Lord can still take this confused, angry heart and, by the power of the Spirit, make him into a voice for the Highest.
What you describe about your son sounds deeply rooted. A child left to his own way, fighting against every boundary, will eventually bring grief, but here there seem to be layers of spiritual darkness taking advantage of a wounded soul. The Scriptures reveal that there are malevolent spirits that seek to torment and drive a person, and they do not need an open door to enter; they can slip through the cracks of early trauma, confusion, and unchecked sin. You asked for prayer against demonic influence, and that is exactly what we must do. We bind the work of the enemy in the authority of Jesus Christ, not by shouting formulas, but by steady, believing prayer that calls down the preserving power of God over that troubled mind. Right now, his heart is a battlefield, and the enemy wants to use his voice to damage others. Yet the Lord can set a seal of protection on those who belong to Him, and we can ask for that hedge to encircle your household and that little boy who showed up at your door.
It is a terrible thing when an adult, or even an older youth, becomes a stumbling block to a little one. Jesus had a child standing right in the middle of the disciples when He gave the warning: take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. To receive a child in Christ’s name is to receive Christ Himself. What your son did was the opposite, he pushed away a child who came in simple need. That is the very kind of cruelty that Jesus said should make a person fear the consequences. Yet do not let despair take root. Even a child is known by his doings, and you can already see the character flaws that must be dealt with. The foolishness that is bound up in the heart must be driven out, not by wrath, but by consistent, prayer-soaked discipline. The rod of instruction, applied with the patience of one teaching a child to walk, drives that foolishness far away. Expect stumbles. Expect falls. But do not stop training him in the way he should go, according to the particular bent of his personality, so that when he is old he will not depart from it.
That little boy who came to your door is your neighbor in the most literal sense. Loving your neighbor as yourself means seeing that he is fed, seeing that he has a roof over his head, seeing that he is treated with dignity. Your son’s cruelty toward him is exactly the kind of rot that the salt of the earth is meant to preserve against. The preserving influence of true faith in a home should push back against the exploitation and abuse of children, not contribute to it. So while you pray for your son’s deliverance, do not neglect to do what you can to show kindness to that other child. If he returns, let him find a gentle answer. A soft word turns away wrath, and your calm spirit may be the very thing God uses to undo the damage of that harsh encounter. We are praying that no trouble comes back upon you from his family, but that instead, the peace of Christ would rule in this.
Hold onto this hope: as long as the child is alive, there is room for God to be gracious and spare his life from spiritual ruin. David fasted and wept while his child lived, and you are doing the same through your intercession. Do not give up. The Lord can still take this confused, angry heart and, by the power of the Spirit, make him into a voice for the Highest.
