Create in my son a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within him (Psalm 51:10).Ģ. Here are five powerful prayers you can use today to fight for the heart of your son:ġ. The best way we can enter the battle for our sons is on our knees, so let's start fighting for them right now. James 5:16b says, 'The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with' (The Message).

And all moms who are willing to get on their knees and cry out for the hearts of their sons. Thankfully that enemy, according to the Word of God, has an opponent who's a force to be reckoned with.Īnd me. Our sons have a real enemy, one that wants to steal, kill and destroy them (John 10:10). When the days of mothering grow long and make a girl weary, and when what you really want to do is lock your son in his room and throw away the key, it's good to remember this: But then I remember Ephesians 6:12, 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.' Sometimes, I'm tempted to let our circumstances tell me my son is the enemy - he's the one I'm fighting. Unfortunately, at my house, we're currently living in the in-between season, where ideas abound before my son is mature enough to handle the responsibilities that go along with them. Boys ache for independence from mama and feel ready to 'boldly go where no man has gone before.' They want to be strong, assert their opinions and explore their own ideas. I know from my education that this process of differentiation is pretty normal. On days like today, when he's arguing with everything I say and trying his 8-year-old best to do things his way, it seems I'm fighting against him - like there's a war going on in my house between me and my son - a distance between us I want to bridge no matter the cost. Sometimes, I don't feel like we're on the same team anymore, my son and I, and it breaks my heart. I know if I said, 'The sky is blue on a sunny day,' he would try to prove me wrong.

He looks at me with a 'heels dug in' kind of glare. 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.' Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

I get on my knees and pray boy