Do you love praying for America? If so, I am writing to both encourage you and to challenge you today.

Beloved, we know that our God loves this nation. He birthed the USA; He has sustained her; and He will continue to perfect her as we pray. Your prayers are heard, and our God is faithful. He will answer!

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But stepping into the spiritual battle for our nation in prayer puts you squarely in the middle of spiritual warfare.

We all have an enemy. The enemy is not people; rather, the enemy consists of Satan and his minions. As it says in Ephesians:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

And friend, the enemy doesn’t play fair.

You may be praying for our nation, but the enemy doesn’t limit his retribution and counterattacks to things that pertain to our nation. No, the enemy will go after you personally:

• He’ll go after your emotions.
• He’ll attack your health.
• He’ll attack your finances.

But, even worse than that:

When you step into the front lines of spiritual warfare, the enemy will often play dirty and try to go after your home life—your marriage and children.

You shouldn’t be afraid, but you need to be aware.

Don’t be afraid of the enemy’s attacks; the Bible says that greater is He who is in you (Jesus) than he who is in the world (Satan). You are MORE than a conqueror in all these things because the love of God will keep you. Do not ever be afraid of the enemy; trust God instead. God will keep you safe as you cling to Him and abide in Him.

As it says in James 4:6-10:

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6-10 NKJV).

But a big part of trusting God is obeying Him. You have to fight the good fight His way.

And what is His way? His way is, among other things:

• Obedience;
• Prayer; and
• Walking in wisdom … even when it comes to your family.

When it comes to protecting your home life, we have to incorporate all three things. We have to defend our home life through obedience, prayer, and wisdom.

Here’s what this looks like, practically speaking:

• Pray for your children actively and aggressively.
• Pray for your marriage, even if your marriage is not in trouble. It only takes one moment of temptation, sin, anger, or anything else to place a rift between a husband and wife—and the enemy is working hard to create just such a moment. Don’t let him. Pray aggressively and defensively for your marriage, no matter what condition your marriage is in.
• Study God’s Word about marriage, children, and home life, so you can know what it is that the Lord wants you to obey. Then, devote yourself to carrying out His instructions!
• Walk in wisdom when it comes to your home life.

Here are some examples of what walking in wisdom looks like:

• Don’t overwork. Your job and career are not more important than your family; not even close.
• Spend time investing in your family. Make quality time together a priority.
• Have fun with your spouse and children. Don’t let the world become more attractive and more fun than the godly fun you have with them!
• Invest in weekly dates with your spouse.
• Invest yourself and your whole heart into nurturing and building your children—spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, and even financially!
• Surround yourself with accountability partners.
• Get into Christian counseling for your marriage, even if you’re not in trouble. I believe every Christian husband and wife can benefit from monthly or even weekly marriage counseling, even if only for marriage enrichment purposes!

Walking in wisdom with marriage, family, and home can be a big challenge for Christian families.

None of us are perfect in this; we all need God’s help. However, too often the fight is harder than it has to be because of a legalistic Christian culture that says we should devote ourselves to “God’s work” or “church work”—or even to success and blessing!—to the detriment of home and family.

But beloved, that myth is not in the Word of God.

Marriage is the first covenant God established. Children are the first reward He gave after the gift of relationship with Himself. The first specific place God created, after He created the earth at large, was a home for Adam and Eve—the Garden of Eden.

Your marriage, children, and home matter to God. And you have to defend them.

We have to defend our home lives—our marriage and children—through prayer, obedience, and wisdom.

This is not to say that, if something goes wrong, it is our fault.

We live in a sinful world where bad things happen sometimes. People make decisions and decisions have consequences. God respects people’s free will, even when they decide to sin or hurt others. The bad things that can happen on this earth are NOT necessarily your fault, or anyone’s fault! Sometimes they may not have anything to do with you at all!

However, the simple truth is that your family is on the front lines with you whether they know it or not. And if you’re going to survive this intercessory battle, you have to defend your family in prayer, in wisdom, and through obeying God … even on the home front.

Precious intercessor, you are on the front lines of a major spiritual battle.

Unless you put up a hedge of protection through your prayers, obedience to God, and Biblical, godly wisdom, your family will be in the line of the enemy’s fire. Therefore, I encourage you today to fight the good fight on your family’s behalf, just as much (or even more) as you pray and contend for these United States of America.

Beloved, your prayers, obedience to God, and godly wisdom are effective and powerful. Remember what the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NKJV).

And James 5:16 reassures us:

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (NKJV).

Will you defend your family in prayer, obedience to God, and godly wisdom today? Leave a comment below and commit yourself to do this by God’s grace if so!

Jamie Rohrbaugh equips people to walk in the manifest presence of God. She is the author of 7 Days of Praying for Your Children: Help, Hope, and Encouragement for Your Parenting Journey, as well as HOPE for Your Marriage: Prayer Strategies for Your Darkest Hour. She blogs for a global readership at FromHisPresence.com, where she writes about prayer, the prophetic word, living supernaturally, inner healing, and Kingdom wealth. Her writing is featured on YouVersion, Charisma Magazine, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. Download her free ebook, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: Intercessors for America.