In all of my years, I have never seen crime and violence as terrible as it is today.

Some of our young people are killing, robbing, gang banging, sagging, selling drugs, being disrespectful, and babies having babies and have no fear or sense of Godly directions.

I often sit in the courtrooms and see where there is standing room only. When I visit the jails, there are so many of our young people incarcerated. All this is telling me is Satan is on the loose and busy.

The Bible tells us that his purpose is to kill, steal and to destroy. He is also called the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, the Evil One, the ruler of this age, the chief of the fallen angels, to name a few.

During these difficult times, we must remember that God’s glory is still evident in the earth. He is still working for us and is on our side. When we are able to awake and see the sunrise and are able to see the sunset, and see the stars in the sky at night, this is showing us that God’s glory is in the earth also.

He is manifesting his glory when we see the changing of the seasons. Fall will soon be here, and I can feel it in the air early in the mornings when I get up. God is still good to us regardless of the bad things we are surrounded with. He has brought us from a mighty long way.

God’s word tells us in Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it.”

The Bible clearly tells us to submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). We have to sit down and teach our children about sin. We got to teach them that Jesus is our Savior if we accept him.

When Satan appears in the Old Testament, he is always the adversary of God and his people. The most extensive Old Testament discussion of Satan is in the book of Job. Satan is the personification of Evil. When we obey God, that closes the door for Satan to come in.

The Bible says that he is going back and forth on the earth, seeking whom he may devour. He is a rebellious foe and enemy who can tempt, but not force. Satan and his demonic forces have been overcome by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross was a decisive victory over Satan and his host (Colossians 2:14-15).

In the end, Satan and his angels will be completely overcome. His power is limited but, God is all powerful and all knowing.

If we turn to God and let Jesus be our Savior, the power that we have allowed Satan to have in our life and in our homes will be replaced with the power of God.

Our directions and future will change.

As a minister of the Gospel, I sometimes refer to the Lord as “my way out of no way.”

He is my Provider, the Sustainer of my life, my Elder Brother and closest Friend. He said he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

When we accept Jesus and live by his command, we can take back what the enemy has stolen from us.

We must pray without ceasing and trust the Lord for our victory. We will get our children back in control the way they were meant to be. Our children are our blessings from God. The family is who God uses to carry out his work. Satan knows that. That is why we must read and study God’s word to make us wise to the things of God because that is where the answer is.

As parents, we have got to do the right thing. We are not perfect parents, but we have a perfect Father, who is in Heaven.

We do not have perfect children but through Jesus, they can strive for perfection. All we have to do is call on Him out of a sincere heart and he will hear and answer us. The Lord will help us to have a strong family, but we must depend on his word for our foundation.

So when the enemy comes, we will not be ignorant of his devices and tricks. God will give us the victory if we do not give up.