8 Sneaky Strategies the Enemy Uses to Mess Up Your Kids’ Sexuality
There is a war waging all around us. It is one that none of us can escape. (And it has nothing to do with politics.)
Like it or not, we are all participants in an ongoing war between God and Satan for the hearts and souls of man. Without a doubt, the battlefield of human sexuality is an area of particularly violent struggle. Whether parents want to acknowledge it or not, our children are thrust into this battle at a far younger age than we can imagine.
Given that the enemy of God has a specific agenda to derail and overthrow God’s design for sex, we would be wise to gain as much intelligence on our enemy as we can.
A Peek Into the War Room of Hell
What would we see if we were able to get a glimpse into the war room of Hell? What if we could get inside the mind of our enemy and gain access to his plans and strategies? It would certainly allow us to engage in the fight with understanding. The scriptures can give us some insight.
We can be certain that Satan will try to destroy and distort whatever God made to be good.
Jesus declares this motive in John 10:10 when He said, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” It stands to reason that Satan will allocate enormous resources to destroy those things that most reflect God’s love and creativity. Sex surely tops the list. Like nothing else in God’s creation, sex is a beautiful act that reflects our Creator’s heart and it is the most powerful and tangible way that those in a covenant marriage can connect intimately. Satan hates that.
We can be sure that a large portion of Satan’s budget is devoted to marketing.
Much like an effective advertiser, he convinces us that we desperately need whatever he is selling. Unfortunately, Satan’s marketing is based entirely upon lies. Again, Jesus calls Satan out in John 8:44 when he describes him as “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” He takes the very thing that has the potential to destroy us and dresses it up in such a way that we become convinced that we cannot live without it. Again, this is clearly his strategy when it comes to us experiencing our sexuality outside of God’s parameters.
We can know that Satan will show no mercy when it comes to the weak and the innocent.
Consider I Peter 3:8. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” A television show about African wildlife on a nature channel gives us an excellent mental picture of this. A predator will always pick out the most weak and frail animal from within a herd to single out for his lunch. The scripture uses this very word picture to describe the strategies of our enemy. While most of humanity shows leniency on the young, we must remember that Satan shows no such compassion. He will not hesitate to set his sights on our kids.
I may not have the ability to sneak into the war room of Hell for a peek at what our enemy is up to, but, based on what I know of him from scripture, I can presume what I would do if I were him. So let me put a new spin on the role of “Devil’s Advocate.” Specifically, let me outline a suggested plan of what I would do on the “sexual battlefield” if I were Satan.
1. If I were Satan, I would task my “best people” with messing up human sexuality. This would not be a passive attack, but a full-frontal assault with all the powers of darkness at my disposal. A key part of this would be a deceptive plan to convince people that their sexuality was a simple biological drive, not a critical dimension of their spiritual lives.
2. I would lull parents into a deep passivity, keeping them distracted from the needs of their kids. I would make them busy with work, sports, church, and the simple management of home in such a way that they are oblivious to their lack of meaningful relationships with their children.
3. If I were Satan, I would give special attention to destroying the father/daughter relationship. If I can shift a girl’s unsatisfied longing for her father’s heart over to the desire for a boyfriend and the attention he offers her, there’s nothing I can’t do to mess up her life. That girl becomes one that I can literally destroy with both hands tied behind my back.
4. I would lead families to believe that sex is a taboo subject. I would make it awkward and uncomfortable for parents and kids to discuss. That way, when a young person had a question about their feelings or their experience, the last place they would dream of going for answers would be their parents.
5. I would put tons of energy into convincing young people that, in the area of sex, the world is credible and their parents are clueless. I would take every opportunity to confirm for them that casual sex is fun and exciting and that sex within marriage is dull and boring. Movies, TV, and music would be the ideal mediums for this message.
6. I would saturate the world with sexual images, making sure that young people, in general, and boys in particular, get exposed to them at an early age. I would take the lessons gleaned from my associates working in the cigarette industry: if we can get them hooked early, we will have a customer for life.
7. I would do all I can to mess up the sex lives of married couples, making them feel inadequate or incapable of teaching their kids on the subject. If I could make it a distasteful subject for parents, then talking about it with their kids will be distasteful, as well.
8. Finally, I would trick parents into thinking that they have plenty of time to teach their children about sex, dating, and the power of emotional relationships. I would work to make sure that their children encounter these issues long before mom and dad ever bring them up.
This is what I would do if I were Satan. But what I would do does not matter. What matters is what he is actually doing. Crafty as he is, Satan typically stays a step or two ahead of most believers, so my list is surely incomplete. He is likely doing all that I suggested and much more. If that is the case, then a strategic and aggressive response is needed. It is time for parents to act.
Shameless Plug Warning: A great place to start helping your kids is with our book, The Talks. It has everything you need to start having meaningful discussions about sex, dating, and tons of other unmentionables. It's ON SALE today at Amazon.
