What Are We Waiting For?

I was recently studying a section of Scripture in the book of 2 Chronicles, chapter 20. In this retelling of history, Jehoshaphat is told that a great multitude is about to wage war on Judah. Jehoshaphat’s first response is not to sharpen the swords; his first response is to pray to the Lord. After he prays, the Lord responds by telling him that they should not be afraid and that the Lord will win the battle for them. So, in obedience, Jehoshaphat leads his men to the battle, but instead of fighting, they bring prayer and praises to the Lord. While Judah is praising, the Lord is winning the battle on their behalf.

In Old Testament times, battles were common; there are over 100 battles written about in the Scriptures. These battles were brutal, violent, and bloody. As believers, we see God in all of these physical battles, winning on the people’s behalf when they are obedient and letting them fall to destruction when they are not. It dawned on me that in the New Testament, “physical” war-type battles are not mentioned. In the New Testament, we see our Lord Jesus winning spiritual battles over things like demons, dark magic, satanic temptations, and opposition to the gospel.

We are living in a time where these spiritual battles are in full force, but the world would like our focus to be on the physical hardships so that Satan can continue to attack our minds. Specifically, he is out to “seek, kill, and destroy” the minds of our children. I did a quick web search to find the current statistics of mental health in our youth.

Here are a few statistics that came out of my search:

• In youth ages 12–18, about 20% have a diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition.

• 40% of high school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness.

• About 15% of youth reported having experienced a major depressive episode in 2024.

• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds globally.

• The most common social factors linked to poor mental health are bullying, victimization, excessive screen time, lack of sleep, and lack of physical activity.

When you look at the factors that are causing mental health issues, or what I would argue are also known as spiritual battles, most of them are directly linked to things happening in our public schools. As an administrator of a Discipleship Academy who has a large population of students who have transferred out of the public school, I can attest that most of them enroll in our school because of bullying and victimization from other students and, sadly, from teachers and other staff. In our school, we have 13 out of 31 students in the 3rd through 11th grade who are currently in counseling due to depression and mental health struggles; 12 of them came to us out of the public school system. One month into transitioning to our school, one of these students said, “I finally feel peace at school.” We have had multiple parents thank us for giving them their child back.

Aside from the bullying and victimization students in public school are facing, students are being put on devices longer and having less and less recess time. Students in public school are spending around two hours each day on devices; this includes instructional and personal technology use. When students leave school, screen time for social media, streaming, gaming, messaging, and even homework on devices averages anywhere from three to five hours a day. The uptrend seems to be device time over sunshine. Students in public elementary school average about 20 minutes of recess a day. Students in public junior high and high school have limited to no outside time scheduled. Child development specialists recommend 30–60 minutes a day for optimal health. All of the sad statistics are making it easier and easier for Satan when he is seeking his next victim.

So, what are we waiting for? Why are we sitting on the sidelines when Satan is literally killing our students and destroying their mental health? Why are we watching these things happen and not acting? In the story of Jehoshaphat, the Lord was faithful to give the victory to His people when they were faithful to obey. The Lord told them where to go, what to do, and He would prevail. How many of us are ignoring the call to rescue our children? How many of us are focused on the nightly news more than the war that is happening inside our school walls? Jehoshaphat did not give Satan time to act. When he heard the battle was coming, he dropped to his knees and prayed. He acted, and God responded. When we are obedient to our calling, the Lord responds.

If you are being called to rescue children from the battles of this day and age, just say, “YES!” The Lord is ready and willing to fill in the blanks of how for you. The beauty of a Discipleship Academy is that your school can look the way the Lord tells you school should look for your students. There is not a public standard that you have to conform to. As a teacher or founder of a Discipleship Academy, your sole purpose is to honor the Lord while teaching children to love the Lord with all their minds, hearts, and souls first, and second, learn how the God of the universe created everything, including math facts, history, and science!

“And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so they were routed.” 2 Chronicles 20:22

Believers, it’s time we lift our voices high and act out of obedience to rescue these children. The minds of these children were made in the image of God, not in the image of some standard made by man! The Lord is ready to send an ambush! We just have to obey!