Did you know, according to recent research, that 45 percent of pastors' kids will end up in counseling for the rest of their lives? Did you know that 40 percent of pastors' kids do not attend church because of what the church has done to their family and that 80 percent of pastors believe ministry has negatively affected their children?

With statistics like these and being a PK—pastor's kid—myself, it's not surprising why so many sons and daughters of pastors, ministers and missionaries here at home and around the globe are struggling and, in some cases, outright abandoning their relationship with the Lord. We don't have to look further than in recent months, where the world has been exposed to the family struggles of Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn and others whose children continually live with the pressures of living in a glass house.

With the recent death of pastor Rick Warren's son, never has there been a time when leaders need to recognize the spiritual assault that their families face every day. Leaders of ministries like yours, large and small, struggle to keep their homes together while their children wake up every morning to the face of an evil enemy waiting to wreak havoc on them—targeted attacks that are designed to ruin them as well as to distract mom and dad from being effective ministers of the gospel.

I strongly believe our adversary is rapidly stepping up his game to take out what could be the final generation of spiritual leaders—our very own sons and daughters. Pastor Warren believed wholeheartedly and with unwavering faith that God would one day heal his son, Matthew. Was it God's plan for the Warren family to experience this tragedy? Absolutely not! The Warrens believed that God's plan would be to use Matthew to tell of his own struggles and victories. I too believe this was God's plan.

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But sometimes the struggles that pastors and ministry leaders experience at home can make you question God's ultimate plan, just like it did for Pastor Warren.

The following are four simple, practical safeguards that pastors, ministers and missionaries can implement daily to keep that wall of protection around their homes:

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

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