Car Rides and Christ!

Welcome! This is my first blog post ever! I’m praying God would somehow use my everyday experiences to speak to you.  May you be blessed, encouraged and challenged by what God reveals to you!  Here we go!!!

As a mom of 3 almost 4 children, we spend lots of time in the car driving between school, swim lessons, ballet, basketball practice, running errands and church activities.  It has become the place where we have some of our greatest talks about Jesus.  When we pray for there to be teachable moments about God in the lives of our children we don't know when or where those might take place.  But, I welcome them whenever and wherever!!!

This morning was no different.  Everyone was loaded in the minivan, including me with my large cup of coffee, headed to pre-school to drop off my two oldest.   We have been dealing with some spiritual warfare in our home lately.  I think it’s important to realize that our children are not immune from spiritual attacks.  I want my children to be aware that there is a real battle going on and that they are in it too.  Obviously I don’t ever want to put fear in them!  So this morning on the way to school our conversation somehow landed on Satan and then how Jesus will have final victory over him.

“Mommy, who is Satan?” George asked to start our conversation.  I told them some of the other names of Satan: the devil, the accuser, the great dragon and Lucifer.  When I said that Lucifer was his name when he was an angel before he was banished from heaven, Mary Mac very excitedly yelled from the backseat, “Lucifer is Cinderella’s stepmother’s cat!”  It was hilarious!  This first question lead us down the road to…Why was Satan banished from heaven?, Can Satan hurt me?, Can Jesus kick Satan’s butt?  Umm, a little inappropriate I thought at first. This is a word we don’t use in our family, but at that moment, in that context I said, “Yes, Jesus has and will again kick Satan’s butt!”  I could hardly believe what I had said!  I told them about the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15) and how one day Jesus will have final victory over Satan and that he will be defeated forever and that Jesus will finally reign as the King of Kings!!!  That is so exciting and encouraging to me!  And I could see that was how they felt as well!


The hard thing about having these conversations in the car or on the go is that I don’t always feel ready with the best response.  It’s such a reminder that even with my children I need to be prepared to always give an answer. (1 Peter 3:15)  If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have the answer, pray and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and for words to say.  Then later when you have time, find out the answer and go back to your child.

Here are some practical ways to talk with your children about Satan, the battle we are all in as believers and the victory that Jesus will have over him:

1.      Teach them Ephesians 6:10-17.  Have them draw their own armor.  Tell them that they are “mighty warriors” of God!

2.      Remind them that if they have Jesus in their hearts that they have the resurrection power of Jesus in them!  (Ephesians 1:19-21) 

3.      Teach them about the power, the greatness and the glory of God.  Jeremiah 10:12, Psalm 145:11, Psalm 62:11-12

The words from Chris Tomlin’s song “Our God” are so great and super easy for children to learn.  It’s also helpful to put hand motions with the song!

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against

Counting it all JOY,

Ashley