Read Matthew 18:1-7

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

I truly believe it is hard for us to fathom how passionate and fervent Christ was about protecting children from sin. Their faith, their innocence, and their genuineness are all a testimony of God's Kingdom and Righteousness.

Someone who chooses to intentionally stumble a child with sin has much to fear on the day of God’s wrath. So much so, that Christ Himself even speaks gruesomely of how He would like to see the offender put to death. On Christ's terms, justice demands that such an offender be drowned in the sea without the slightest possibility of survival or even retrieval of the body. Let them altogether be forgotten about at the bottom of the ocean!

The gravity of Christ's words should not pass by us or be winked at. They show just how ferocious God is in maintaining the innocence and faith of a child, and how serious of an offense it is to God to willfully stumble a little one.

Beloved, if Christ had such a passion, shouldn't we? Doesn't the current state of our country cause you to mourn in how our children are being swept away by great offenders? Can we standby while demonic movements defile the most innocent among us? We cannot lose our edge! We cannot become desensitized by the culture and let such wickedness callous our hearts!

If there is ever a fight as prominent as the gospel itself, it's the fight for our children, for of such are the kingdom of God! If Satan rids us of our children, he rids us of the greatest testimony of the gospel! There must be no compromise.

Dear Christian, is there a child under your care? Then you must guard them with all of your heart. Beware of complacency and idleness. Beware of passivity in the media and entertainment they consume. Do not let another steal the heart of your children out from beneath your nose! Do you think Hollywood cares if your child goes to hell? They don't. Oh, but how much you should, Beloved!

Guard your children! Save them! If you knew a wild lion was prowling about your neighborhood, would you let your child roam freely on the streets? Wouldn’t you swiftly thrust them into the safety of your home, strictly guard their whereabouts, and warn them of the dangers outside? And yet, there is an even more cunning enemy prowling for your children, not on the streets, but on the screen! Not in the neighborhood, but in the media and in the culture. How is it, then, that you let them roam freely in such contexts? Is not their soul worth more than their bodies? Do you guard them from robbers, but not from Satan?

Do not let a single intruder passed the gates. Do what you must to fortify the love of God in your home and the doctrine of Christ in their hearts. Pray for your children diligently. Teach them God's Word. Study with them the wonders of Christ and the glories to come. Warn them of the enemy of their souls and of the sin which so easily ensnares us. Set their gaze toward heaven, and push their hearts toward Jesus. In all, never fail to give them understanding in the saving gospel, for in it is the power of God unto salvation!

If all you ever do is this, you will certainly be considered one of the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)

‍