Spiritual warfare begins at home. There is little doubt that spiritual strongholds are constructed over generations, so our greatest vulnerabilities are often at home. For instance, a family can have a stronghold of anger. This is passed down through angry parenting. It can make a son or daughter either aggressively angry or aggressively 
passive. There are many things which manifest within just one home. Parents mostly do the best we can, but we are imperfect on a varied scale, depending upon our human maturity and our Jesus connection. And when we follow Jesus we have a target painted on our backs as well. This is because we have been given the ability to see and process truth. We also have authority to take back ground that has been given over by ourselves or previous or current family members. We are tasked to relentlessly oppose control and evil within the spiritual realm as satan sows continued chaos into even more generations.
“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” – Hebrews 12:7-11
So God’s discipline results in holiness which brings about honor and freedom. If the idea of spiritual warfare is new to you look under Conversations for a series entitled Warfare Podcasts for a big picture on this.
Covering
Parents are given authority for teaching and protecting those within our home: husband, wife, sons, daughters. This is true even when families separate or divorce because of failure to love. We live in more than a house – it is a household. Part of our God-given identity is that we are to build our home life under Christ’s headship. He passes this authority on through us, and as much as satan hates Jesus-followers, He hates Jesus more. But he cannot touch Jesus, so he uses a full-court press to keep our homes from producing holiness. When we belong to Him we are covered by His blood – no matter what happens during this earthly life. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand!
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” – John 10:27-30
When we face warfare attacks which come from the evil one we are not defenseless nor do we need to be afraid. In fact, in Jesus we can be very bold! These attacks will come about to produce confusion, fear, and insecurity – and unless we give him permission by inviting him into our identity – all he can do is taunt or pester us.
Here are a few things which can help bring us to where we can fight with strength:
√ Anyone living under our roof is under our authority, even when their presence may be only for a time. We are free to hold to our standards and/or invoke the Name of Jesus over any person or situation which may occur within our home. These are not just threatening things but good ones as well. We have Jesus’ authority to encourage where needed and to place limitations on the warfare in our home.
√ Whenever we sense there is some sort of disorder (such as unforgiveness, envy, argumentative words, insults, confusion, or bullying) we have every right to invoke Jesus Name either silently or verbally or both. This would sound like: “(name), please change your approach to this. We care about you and love you but this is not appropriate to the way we choose to live in our home.”
√ We personally and consistently (at least weekly) pray the warfare prayer (Fourthstream.com/prayer) which covers all aspects of spiritual issues from the inside out. We have found help and peace as we have sought to subject ourselves and our home to the Word of God, and to specifically name the truth of Jesus for those near us.
If confusion can be sown through the behavior of immediate or extended family or friends, satan will have his way in our hearts and our home. It is up to us to reject this by the identity and authority we have in Jesus. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” – Colossians 1:15-20
Make sense?
Praying for you,
Dave and Burnadette