It has been about two months since our first child was born. Our lives have changed so much along with our perspective on things and as I watch my child sleep I think about a lot…

God has given me the responsibility to be a helpmate to my husband and together, my husband and I are responsible to our son to whom we are to teach the will of God. I want to do all I can as a wife and a mother to help my family achieve the goal of Heaven.

To achieve that goal, I must make my home a place of exceptional security, a stronghold, a spiritual fortress against the sinful things of this world. Nevertheless, I know a fortress is only as sufficient as those who defend and guard it. If my home is to stand firm, I must stand firm first.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:10-13 NASV).

Ephesians 6:14-17 states I will stand firm if I gird my loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shod my feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, shield myself with faith, wear the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

I am reminded of the account in Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted by the evil one in the wilderness. Nevertheless, He resisted every temptation with Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edge sword…” I need to read, study, and apply the Word of God to my life daily in order to defend the souls that abide in my home. I have to ask myself, “How much more could I discern what is good and what is evil if I read and studied my Bible every day? How much more could I resist if I followed Jesus’ example and quoted Scripture when the evil one comes to my door?”

1 Peter 5:8 warns us to be on guard, “…Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I need to be on guard at all times, and while I cannot always control the things outside my home, I can always control the things inside my home. I can turn the TV off when a show that glorifies homosexuality comes on. I can log off the Internet when images of immodest women pop up on the screen. I can “unfriend” the people on Facebook that post profanity. I can and must be active to do whatever it takes to fortify the walls of my home if it is to stand firm against the evil of this world. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

How well I defend and guard myself will be how well those who abide in my home are defended and guarded. I must not only be an example first, but I must also teach my family to do the same. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

My husband and I want to keep the precious soul God has given us innocent and pure for as long as possible. We want our home to be a place of security and refuge, defended and guarded against the evil things of this world; a place where God is and the evil one is not. What will you do to make your home a spiritual fortress?

By Kerstin Allison
Kerstin and her husband Britton are graduates of the Bear Valley Institute of Denver. Kerstin stays at home with their little one, Elijah, and Britton works full time as a manager at the University of Phoenix. They meet with the North MacArthur church of Christ in Oklahoma City. They are preparing to do long term mission work in South America, if the Lord wills, in 2014.