The Battle for the Next Generation: Praying, Preparing & Standing Firm in Faith | Ep 28

How do we raise children and encourage the next generation to stand strong in a world filled with competing voices?

In this heartfelt conversation, Tiffany Windsor sits down with Heather Brigstock, owner of South Water Manor, to explore the spiritual battle taking place for the hearts and minds of today's children and young adults. Heather shares honest stories from her own family's journey, the challenges of raising three very different children, and why she believes every child is uniquely called to become a world changer for God's Kingdom.

Together, Tiffany and Heather discuss the importance of recognizing the spiritual battles around us without living in fear, the power of praying God's Word aloud, and why our greatest influence often begins on our knees in prayer.

Tiffany also reflects on her own childhood and how God was quietly at work long before she recognized His presence, offering hope to parents, grandparents, and anyone praying for someone they love.

Whether you're raising young children, encouraging teenagers, praying for adult sons and daughters, or mentoring the next generation, this conversation is a reminder that God is faithful, prayer is powerful, and no life is beyond His reach.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why every child has a God-given purpose
• How to pray with confidence for the next generation
• Recognizing the spiritual battle without giving in to fear
• Encouraging children to stand firm in truth with courage and grace
• Finding hope in God's faithfulness, even when the journey is difficult

Real Women. Real Stories. Real Faith.

You can find all our episode information at https://inhiscircle.substack.com/ and join us on Instagram and Facebook. No matter where you find us, please like, follow and subscribe! 

Transcript

Tiffany 0:00

Welcome to In His Circle, where women gather to share life stories, discover authentic community, and grow in faith. I'm your host, Tiffany Windsor. My guest today is Heather Brigstock, owner of Southwater Manor in Gallatin, Tennessee. In Heather's own words, her goal at Southwater Manor is to create a place where community happens, where folks feel valued, hope is shared, and relationships can flourish. We're recording today in the upstairs lounge at the manor. Hi Heather. Hi, Tiffany. We have an interesting topic today that has been on both of our hearts, and it's the discussion of the battle for the soul. And as you had just said to me before we started recording, there's a target on our kids' backs. Yes. And I'm seeing it in my circles, and you're seeing it close to you. Let's talk about this for sure.

Heather 1:03

I think it's a good thing to talk about. And we're not afraid to talk about the enemy. I think we need to recognize our enemies. Some people are scared and they cower back, but I have a God who spoke and created the entire world. I have a God that can measure out the universe with his hands. The Bible says that he stretched out the universe with his span, that he can hold the waters of the ocean in the palm of his hand. And he is my father, and this Holy Spirit lives inside of me. We are not fearful because nothing can get us outside of his plan. But we also recognize that there is an enemy. And the enemy, number one, hates God, but he also hates us. He hates us because we're his followers. And so, as a Christian, we have an enemy and we need to recognize it. So when you talk about our kids, obviously that's where the target is, the battle for their kids' souls. I have three children. And we've always, I've prayed for my kids before they were born, during and after. I believe and I've taught my children that they are called to be world changers. And I don't say it lightly and I don't laugh after I say it because it's not funny. I tell them they're called to be world changers. Now that doesn't mean that they're going to be the president of the United Nations. And we do joke about that. They may be a trash collector, but in whatever realm the Lord places them, they are absolutely called to evoke change. And they don't do that in their own power, but they do that through the power of the Holy Spirit. Because as Christians, we know that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and that our calling is for the Holy Spirit of God to be able to shoot through our being and for us to be Jesus here on earth. So knowing that, the devil hates that. And the last thing he wants is more of Jesus. Right now, the swamp monsters are out walking around. They're not in the swamp anymore. They're out walking around, dragging their hands and getting their way all over the place. But we are begging God for a generation that will be unapologetic, that will stand up and will fight. And the devil hates that. So when we look at our kids, it really is like they have crosshairs on their back and the devil wants them. He doesn't look for passive players. He doesn't look for people that are asleep, that are down in their basements just snoozing their life away. He looks for people that are out fighting for change, that are standing for truth, that are advocating for righteousness. And the devil hates that. So yes, there are targets on their back.

Tiffany 3:26

What have you found with your kids? And without naming names, or what have you found with your kids about their feeling of stepping up to fight?

Heather 3:38

That's a great question. Uh, we have three, and they're all different. All three of our kids, we homeschooled our kids, and we have a saying, every kid every year. So every kid has a different response. Every year is a different year. And it's like that too in their walk. My oldest, her default emotion is anger, and she is quick to be angry, whether for righteousness or anything. She's a defensive, she's a protector. I'm watching the Lord use that for good. She is a natural leader and coming into herself. It wasn't always like that. She was shy for a long time trying to find herself, uh, figuring out what that would look like. But she loves the Lord. And the more that she finds herself, the more she's finding her footing to be a stronger advocate. My middle one, we really struggled with for a while. He had a lot of frustration. He and my husband, they would fight a lot. And they'll both tell you they're both strong-willed to this day. They're strong-willed, both very strong-willed people. And I love that. I don't apologize for having strong children. I expect them to use that will for good. I don't want them to be selfish or to be domineering to use that for bad. But we don't raise passive children. Uh, I don't expect, I do not want any of them to be passive. I expect them to be able to use the voice that God has given them for good and advocate for change. But on the other hand, we also have to practice temperance and know when not to do that. So 17, he was a hot mess, man. Just really, really challenging. And Jeff and I were both kind of at our wits' ends and praying and asking the Lord and just not really sure what was going to happen. And I remember the battle. He went to summer camp with our church, and it was really down to the wire. It was the day almost the day before that he finally decided to go. In fact, the youth pastor came to the shop, said, If you'll go, I'll pay your way. I mean, that's where it was. They paid his way. Uh, we would have paid for it, but they paid his way to go. And I remember taking him the next morning, putting him on the bus and saying goodbye. And he came back a different man. And he has never been the same since. He's consistently made decisions based on the Bible. He reads his Bible and he prays, and he's not bothered by public opinion. That's one of the things that I really love about him. He's gonna choose to do the right thing and he's not bothered. It's not always easy. He still gets frustrated and he still questions the next step about things, but he loves the Lord and the proof is in the pudding. My youngest is my hot head, but he has so much potential. And so he's the one that I'm I'm praying for. I'm praying for all my kids, but I'm praying for right now. He is Benjamin Franklin in an 18-year-old body. His mind is so sharp. His tongue, he he he's just always been really smart. And so he can reason and think and dice. And um, I used to judge a joke and I say, you need to be a judge when you grow up, or you need to be um a lawyer or advocate for change. And I don't know what he's gonna do, but it's been interesting because he has had trouble finding a friend group. And anytime you have trouble finding a friend group, the wrong friends are the first ones that surface. And we talk about this all the time. But when you're walking a line, it's gonna be much easier for them to pull you off the fence than for you to pull them up. And we've seen that happen. But I'm rejoicing right now because the Lord is surrounded him and he is seeking God, and he has seen the difference of good choices and bad choices. And he's in a discipleship group with some fine young men and he's reading his Bible. I see him on his knees by his bed in the morning, praying to God, and I know that the Lord is working in his life, and so I'm thankful. But along with that, it reminds me that as much as I'm advocating for them, the enemy wants them. And there's a target on our kids' backs. And if you're a mom or a dad, your job is to be on your knees and begging God for them. The battle is spiritual, and my kids play Mario. So I'm used to seeing a split screen. If you could look at life, it's a split screen. The part that we're looking at right now is the part with everything that we can see. It's me and you, Tiffany, and it's the customers downstairs, and it's the coffee shop, the painters on the wall, it's all these things. But just as real right now, there is a spiritual realm, same room, same thing, same players, but infused with the spiritual, and we can't see it. But God help us to be mindful of it and to recognize our enemy and to fight against the enemy, to stand true to truth. And because that's what wants our kids. And it's strong. The polls on our kids are so strong, and it comes in a thousand different ways, ways that we see, ways that we don't. Things are going to tell us, things are not. And the enemy wants them. He's the prince and power of the air. He has his minions all over the place, and they come in the form of friends, TV, social media, the internet. I mean, the world is his oyster, but God is greater and we're called to effect change. So we battle, we pray, and we fight. And our prayers are way stronger than anything else that we can wield with our words. We speak the word of God. I've been really convicted of actually reading the word of God aloud. Psalm says that I pray aloud. I read God's word aloud. Speak it with your voice. The devil can't hear what's in your head. Speak it. Speak it with your voice. Command. And it's not that we're God, it's not that we have the voice of many waters, but the spirit of God lives inside of us. And so we have confidence that we're speaking in the power of God. And um, so all of those things. That's a lot. Sorry.

Tiffany 9:22

Well, listening to your story talking about your children, it took me back. It's been a while since I've actually thought about this. When I was 16, I battled with my mom a lot. We were not a household of believers, so there was no God. The Lord was working with me at the time. I just didn't know it. So I actually moved out when I was 17. I was still in high school and moved out because I just couldn't take it. Um, my stepfather was there. My mom had remarried when I was 10. But what I loved is when you were talking about your kids who were taking anger and transforming that into being strong leaders, and you could see that. I didn't have that feedback back then, but it took that transition took me from an invisible child to becoming the leader that I would become later in life that I didn't know at the time. So the fact that you're even talking about this and the fact that you pray about this is awesome because you're giving your children so much more to build upon.

Heather 10:29

I love that. Your life is proof of the hand of God. I tell your story a lot. I I love your story. The more I hear about you, and I know you're you keep things very close, which when you share things, it's I I hold it close to me because I know they're treasures that you don't share. But when I hear your story about who you were and your childhood, and then how your life played out and the way that you gave back to your family in spite of circumstances, how God in his mercy takes all of those, what some might call ashes, and he breathes new life into what they are right now. And looking at what you're doing is astounding. It's remarkable. And how God moved your path and put all those things in place, even before you would say you were a believer, that God was working, and that's one of the verses that that that gentleman prayed on Saturday. He's working you both to will and to do his good pleasure. It's not that we're pawns, but it is that God has a plan and he allows us to be part of the plan. You heard his voice, he responded, and you've done it.

Tiffany 11:44

To wrap this up and to summarize this as we talk about the battle for the soul, everyone's going to have their own path. And so there's hope. There is absolute hope. And the fact that there are people like you who are actively, I'm not so actively because I don't have children and I'm not around children, but you are uh paving the path for the world changers. And so the fact that you're planting that seed for your children to tell them that, what an incredible gift. I appreciate that.

Heather 12:21

I'm not perfect at it. But I think that you fight for the things that you love. And I love my family, and I will fight for them. The Lord's given me when you once you know what your enemy is, identify your enemy. It's like going into war. You want to know who you're fighting against, and then you fight what you love for.

Tiffany 12:43

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story today. Thank you. And before we go, I want to leave our listeners with this. Maybe today you heard something that encouraged you. Maybe you have more questions than answers. If you're curious about God, keep leaning in. Open a Bible, whisper a simple prayer. Ask him to reveal himself to you. He knows your heart, and he's always ready to meet you right where you are. And if you've been walking with him for years, keep taking that next faithful step because we're all learning to walk faithfully one step at a time. I'm Tiffany Windsor. Until next time, may you find peace, hope, and a place to belong in his circle. Before we go, I want to leave our listeners with maybe you heard something that encouraged you. Maybe you have more questions than answers.