But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.
(2 Tim. 3:1-5)
We live in a pretty dangerous world today, but this time of terror did not take God by surprise. He knew we would live in a crazy world of weirdos, perverts, terrorists, bad drivers—even mad cows! He knew that you would be hesitant to let your kids go out the door into such a world.
Therefore, in this day and hour of history, it is especially important to pray for our kids’ protection. As believers living in a very challenging time, we must know how to pray and what to pray to see the next generation grow up and stay strong in God.
God’s Supernatural Safety
Jesus was a tremendous example of someone who prayed and then walked in His Father’s protection. If there was ever one individual in the world that the devil wanted to take out early, it was Jesus. Satan did everything he could to try to kill Jesus from the time He was born, and he never stopped trying until after the crucifixion. At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, as He began to preach and teach the gospel, Satan incited the crowd to try to kill Him.
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
(Luke 4:28-30)
Jesus walked right through the crowd to safety! It was like all his enemies became suddenly blind or He disappeared from their sight. As we read through the gospels we see how He had God’s supernatural protection again and again.
I believe God can and will protect our kids in the same way He protected Jesus, but we have a part to play. We must pray.
The Supernatural Influence of Prayer
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
(1 Tim. 2:1-2)
In these verses Paul gives us a big hint about how to have the protection of God in our lives and the lives of our kids. He tells us to pray and thank God for ALL men, meaning all human beings, as well as for kings and those in authority over our lives.
We should be praying for our spiritual leaders, our kids’ teachers in school, our government officials and judges, and even the guys who pick up our garbage twice a week. When we do that, we lead a “quiet and peaceable life.”
This tells us that God is honoring our prayers and turning the hearts of not only those in authority over us, but also “all men” who touch our lives and our kids’ lives. These are the people who determine whether we live in quiet and peace or conflict and distress.
You can create a spiritual environment around kids by praying that wherever they go, they will encounter the proper influences they need to discern God’s will and make the right decisions. Right decisions keep them safe.
You can pray for laborers to come across their path, who will share God’s Word with them in a meaningful and relevant way. You can pray for them to hear the gospel and receive Jesus if they have not been saved yet. After all, real protection begins with their eternal security in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, the first step in seeing that your child is protected by God is to pray for them to be born again and part of the family of God. If they are already saved, then you can confidently pray God’s Word over them.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Blaine and Lori Bartel didn’t set out to build a place like this. They became it.
Blaine once lived at the top of the ministry world—national TV, a booming youth movement at Church on the Move, and a growing church in Dallas. But while the stage lights were bright, the darkness underneath was darker. A secret 23-year sexual addiction buried everything he valued—his marriage, ministry, finances, reputation, and identity.
Crushed and barely holding on to life, he spent over a year in deep therapy, wrestling with shame and fighting for healing. Then, somewhere on a windswept highway between Kansas City and Tulsa, he heard the voice that lifted him out of the soil:
“I am not going to give you a recovery. I am calling you into resurrection.”
Everything changed.
Blaine found complete freedom and began decoding a Jesus-centered path that leads men out of the grave and into new life. For more than a decade, he’s been guiding other men through that same resurrection.
Lori was walking her own road—rebuilding after 17 years married to a chronic alcoholic, carrying both the wounds and the courage of a woman who refused to stay broken. She was searching for purpose, for peace, for somewhere her heart could breathe again.
Then God crossed their paths.
They met over pasta at Ti Amo (“I love you”—God’s little wink).
A year later, in a simple wedding wrapped in hope, they said yes to each other and to a calling bigger than themselves.
Today—13 years in—they share one mission:
To pull men out of addiction and to rebuild the marriages addiction has shattered.
House of Resurrection is the fruit of the very ground that once tried to bury them—a sacred space for honesty, healing, and brand-new beginnings.
They are joyful parents of four grown kids, proud grandparents of two, and happiest anywhere with lakes, beaches, sunshine, and reminders that darkness never gets to write the final chapter.