“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength
through His Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 (NLT)
“You know this has been weighing heavily on my heart for quite some time.” The urgent tone of
the email pierced my heart. The 22-year veteran middle school teacher—I’ll call him
Tom—wanted prayer support. “I am being forced to teach a controversial curriculum … that
both violates my conscience and is opposed to my religious beliefs. … I must teach about sexual
orientation, gender identity and expression, and abortion (to name a few) and equip kids with
resources and clinic information to enable them to make these kinds of life-changing decisions
‘confidentially’ (without parental permission or knowledge).”
Christian public and private school teachers across this nation are facing similar situations.
Many believe God has called them to be salt and light in an educational system that has veered
more toward indoctrination of extreme leftist ideology than instruction in the core subjects of
math, science, and history. Like Tom, these dedicated men and women are trying to live out the
principle Jesus established in John 17:15: “I’m not asking you [Father] to take them out of the
world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.” They also know that they “are not fighting
against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world,
against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”
(Ephesians 6:12).
The Enemy is Satan. His prey? Our children.
We need to build a wall of protective prayer around these godly teachers who are on the front
lines of this battle. Here are five specific ways you can pray for them.
Holy Spirit’s Presence in the Classroom
Satan is alive and well in classrooms across America. Through extremist curriculum that
encourages children to question their birth gender, undermines parental authority, and exalts
same-sex relationships and transgenderism, the Enemy seeks to “steal and kill and destroy”
(John 10:10). But he is no match for the Holy Spirit. First John 4:4 NLT says, “The Spirit who lives in
you is greater than the spirit who lives in this world.” So pray that the Holy Spirit will hover over
every child in every classroom to protect them from harmful ideology.
Holy Spirit’s Protection for Every Teacher
Tom admitted in his email that “although I have been fasting and praying and seeking the Lord
with all my strength, I have been sick to my stomach, losing sleep, and on the verge of a panic attack” as the time to teach the 10-day curriculum to his students drew near. But he also said, “God made it clear that I should be the one teaching my [seventh-grade students] this material rather than some LGBTQ+ activist.”
God has always called some of his servants to speak the truth in hostile environments. The
prophets were ridiculed, beaten, and imprisoned. So were the apostles. The psalmist wrote,
“Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery” (Psalm
38:12). Jesus said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18). Ask
God to protect godly teachers from the Enemy’s attacks as they speak truth. Ask him to send his
angels to protect them against false accusations and unjust employment termination. On their
behalf, claim the promise of Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon turned against you will succeed. You will
silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the
Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Holy Spirit’s Wisdom in Every Teacher
When Jesus spoke of the end times, he told his disciples, “So don’t worry in advance about how
to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that
none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you” (Luke 21:14–15). Only the Holy
Spirit can enable us to “be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Ask
God to give teachers the wisdom to speak truth in a way that will penetrate students’ minds but
not confuse them or harden their hearts against God.
Holy Spirit’s Compassion in Every Teacher
Tom has built a trusting, loving relationship with his students. They “know that I love the Lord,
and they know that I love them.” It is almost impossible to speak truth to someone if you
haven’t established a firm foundation of trust, love, and respect. Ask God to fill each teacher’s
heart with his steadfast, unconditional love. Ask God to give each teacher a discerning heart
that listens to a student’s spoken and unspoken needs and concerns. Ask God to help them
balance understanding with boundaries, “to warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage
the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV)
Holy Spirit’s Power over Every Deception
Satan’s goal is to take every truth and twist it into an alluring deception. Paul alerted the
Corinthians to this tactic when he wrote, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it
is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2
Corinthians 11:14–15). Extremists use terms such as “gender-affirming health care” and
“reproductive rights” to mask the procedures and programs they tout as beneficial. But as Tom
says, God needs to “take what the Enemy meant for evil and turn it upside down, exposing lies
and deception while revealing truth that sets people free.” Ask God to expose every lie that is
presented in a classroom and to prevent Satan from gaining even a toehold in any student’s
heart.
Prayer: Our Most Effective Weapon
Jesus gave us 24/7 access to God’s throne when he paid the price for our sins on the cross and
rose in victory from the grave. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “Prayer
does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.”¹ Yes, we need to be aware of
the curriculum used in our school district. Yes, we need to vote for school board members who
share our values. Yes, we need to voice our opinion at school board meetings, and read every
document sent home by our child’s school. But most of all, we need to pray. Pray that God will
protect our children from lies and also defend teachers who want to uphold truth in an
increasingly hostile and destructive educational environment. “The earnest prayer of a
righteous person [still] has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16). So pray,
then watch what our mighty God will do.
¹October 17 reading, paragraph 1.
