Spiritual warfare is not something to take lightly. It’s not something we should assume won’t happen to us, in fact it may be happening at this very moment. This is how you can protect yourself, your family and your home.

My son asked me what a “spirit” was. We were having a conversation about Noah and how the earth was covered in water, every part of it so nothing survived. He said Satan must have died then, which is when I said Satan isn’t a person but a spirit.

This prompted the question about spirits, and I explained that we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, which is something we can’t see but helps us connect with God.

Deep concepts for a six-year-old, I know but he understood. I told him so long as we had God’s spirit in our heart and home, Satan’s spirit couldn’t take hold. He can tempt us, but we can’t be taken over by him.

Then I told my son that’s why I pray so heavily over our family and our home.

Spiritual Warfare in the Home

I didn’t go any deeper than that, because talking about spirits and spiritual warfare gets complicated, but it’s definitely something that is on my mind.

We may not realize it but Christian homes are under constant attack from the enemy. Any way he can try to weasel his way in, he will do it.

Some days we face battles that seem insignificant but it is the slow wearing down of our defences that make us vulnerable.

Why does the enemy have his eye set on our homes? Because that’s where our children are. That’s where the next generation of Christians are being raised, and who better to attack than the place where they eat, sleep and grow?

Christian Moms

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

As a mom, I know I have a unique position in my home where I can identify and pray for what my family needs. I think of it as the first line of defence. I can see immediately when someone needs prayer. I may not know what exactly, but they need something!

And as a mom, I keep the cadence and rhythm of our home. I set the temperature and often am the one who keeps the undercurrent running.

So when I get sick, tired or need a break, it can throw everyone off.

Something I’ve come to realize is that spiritual attacks also seem to happen more now that I’m a mom. And you know why? Because when I’m not praying for my family, when I’m not setting the rhythm and setting our Christian habits, things go awry.

The enemy knows if he can get a foothold with me, he can get a foothold in my home. This means that when I am praying over my home, praying against spiritual attacks, I am also praying for myself.

Praying Protection from Spiritual Warfare

Pray for Yourself

They say you should put your mask on before helping anyone else in times of need. This is good advice, because if you can’t breathe, you won’t be able to continue helping anyone else.

I think about this as I burn myself out, ensuring everyone else has what they need. I run myself ragged and realize too late that I didn’t get my mask on in time.

This is why it’s important to pray for ourselves. Not in a selfish sort of way, but in a way that encourages rest and restoration from God. Our personal prayers should be ones that seek God’s peace and protection over our hearts and minds.

We can’t help our children if we haven’t asked God to help us first. We can’t pour from an empty cup.

Dear Lord, I pray for protection over myself. I surrender any negative thoughts, ideas or actions to you. Replace them with peace, love and strength so I can be diligent in raising my family.

Pray for Your Family

Once we have covered ourselves in prayer and protection, we have a clearer heart and mind to pray for our family.

I always start with my immediate household, my husband and children. Then I extend out to our grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins.

Within my home, I focus on praying for what each person needs. I seek the Holy Spirits guidance, to show me what they are struggling with so I can pray for it.

More than that though, I take those prayers into action. I search for verses and Bible stories to help my family in their struggles. I offer comfort, support or wisdom. We cannot simply pray against spiritual attacks, we need to be actively working against them.

Being a prayer warrior means also stepping out of the quiet space and meeting needs that you are praying over. Prayer is the first step, then we need to act on our prayers to be the hands and feet of God within our home.

Heavenly Father I hand my family over to you. They are your precious children and I am so thankful to teach and encourage them. Give me wisdom to speak words of truth and life into them. Help me encourage them, guide them and love them in the ways they need. Amen.

Adjust this prayer for your husband, specific child or family member.

Pray for Your Home

Praying over your physical space is also important. And more than just each room (although I encourage this too).

The enemy seeks to destroy and one of the ways he does that is by slipping into our homes through the things we bring inside. Spiritual warfare can look like many different things. Our thoughts and ideas, our conversations, our books and videos, our attitudes. These are all ways that the enemy can start to chip away at our Christian lives.

When I pray over my home, I proclaim God as the head of my home. There is no power of darkness that can have a foothold because Jesus is the cornerstone we have built our lives on.

I pray for discernment, to remove anything that could be a stumbling block, but also open our eyes to things that are causing us to struggle.

I also pray that God would give me wisdom to teach my children. I don’t want to throw something away, or say “No you can’t do or watch that,” without them understanding why. I want to talk through things within my home so my children feel God’s presence in their space.

I pray over each space with scripture, so every time we walk into a space I am reminded of what I’ve prayed. This gives me comfort, strength and courage to be the mom God wants me to be.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I pray over these bedrooms that my children sleep in. I pray that your presence would fill them, that you would wrap your arms around them as they sleep and fill them with peace. Let there be no fear or anxiety, only the constant reminder of your strength and power as you restore their bodies and minds.“

Don’t Be Afraid

One of the best tactics the enemy has is fear. He can do a lot with it. But our God is not a God of fear. We are told not to be afraid because God is always with us. Prayer is the way we can remind ourselves, our families and our home that our Heavenly Father is our strength and fortress.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Spiritual warfare is something we will constantly face in our Christian lives. But God has given us what we need to combat it. Our first line of defence is prayer. Before we do anything else, we should turn to our Great Protector.

And then we should continue to fervently pray everyday after that. The enemy can’t get a foothold when your mind is on Jesus. When the Holy Spirit dwells in your home, your family and your heart there is no spiritual attack that can take you down.

What’s Next?

So what do you do now to protect yourself from spiritual warfare? Check out these resources:

Pray over your home. Not sure how? Grab my 30-day guided course, which gives you scriptures, prayers and further reading to cover your home in God’s protection. Don’t let spiritual warfare take you hostage, stand firm and declare God as the rock and foundation of your home. Get the guide HERE.

If you’re curious about Psalm 91 and want to pray it over your space, you can get the guided prayer HERE.

If you want more Christian habits for your home so you can build your family on Jesus Christ, read THIS.