“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV).

I attended Travis Scott’s “Astroworld” tour. I have a connection in the industry and was able to attend the concert for free. I didn’t know anything about Scott’s music. I was first introduced to his music through Sza’s song “Love Galore.” I then saw a deaf artist online sign “Sicko Mode,” and I loved it. Since the concert was free for me, I figured why not. My sister and I were some of the oldest people there. We definitely felt like the mamas in the crowd. The Capital One arena was filled to capacity with teenagers. We even saw kids as young as 10 at the concert.

Production and energy wise, it was the best concert I’ve ever experienced. The entire arena was jumping. I’ve been to many concerts, and I’ve never seen anything like that night. Thousands of kids, jumping, screaming and singing every lyric. The entire arena was vibrating and shaking from the jumping. It was amazing and disturbing to see the tremendous influence of Scott’s music on these kids. And I was OK until Scott did his song “Stop Trying to be God.” Now, I had never seen the video or imagery for this song before that night, and I didn’t know the lyrics. Before he started singing the song he put up the hand sign for the devil, which kids mimicked. Then at the end of the song images of a church steeple were shown, a herd of sheep rushing some place, and then flames and fire. I don’t think anyone paid close attention to this imagery except for me because right after, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I told my sister that I was ready to leave. I interpreted the imagery as Scott leading those kids like sheep to the fire. I was so disturbed that my sister and fiancé had to calm me down after the concert.

Now, this “Momo Challenge” is overtaking the internet. Apparently, this challenge pops up in children’s shows on Youtube Kids and tells young children to harm themselves or others and ultimately tells them to commit suicide. Warnings about this challenge are all over social media right now, and parents, including myself, are greatly disturbed.

I’m not trying to demonize Travis Scott, but what Astroworld and this “Momo Challenge” have in common are the tremendous ability to negatively influence and ultimately destroy our children and young people. My sister and I said to each other that every teenager in the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia area must have been at that concert. I even heard teenagers, who were Indian, talking about the concert the next Saturday at my daughter’s ballet school. This is the kind of impact that concert had in our area. Astroworld is even coming back to the Capital One arena in March. Travis Scott’s music is not for children or teenagers. The music glorifies sex, drugs, and immorality. I know I sound like an old fart, and I used to be a teenager throwing up the middle finger and acting stupid. I also love Hip Hop music, but I’m an adult, and I’ve lived long enough and experienced enough to know that the lifestyle that many artists promote leads to pain, misery and ultimately destruction. Children and teenagers don’t have the knowledge, wisdom or discernment to know the destruction that comes with these behaviors.

“Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’ ‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us’” Mark 9:21-22 (NIV).

Sometimes I think we as believers think there is a grace period for our children before demonic spirits and influences come for them. The devil does not care about the age of our babies. As we see from the “Momo Challenge,” our children are not exempt from demonic attacks. It’s up to us as parents to stand on the wall, keep watch, and guard our children’s eyes, ears and hearts. We need to teach them about the one who seeks to destroy them. Some people joke about helicopter parenting, but God gave us stewardship over our children. He’s entrusted them to us, and we must protect them through our knowledge of God’s word and teach them how to put on the full of armor of God so they can stand against all of these powerful and negative worldly influences.

What are your thoughts? Do you think today’s youth face greater negative influences and demonic attacks than back in the day?