February 11

February 11 - A child is a gift to us from God and He cares even more about our child than we do.

Cast...all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
(Power of a Praying Parent daily)

The very next verse in 1 Peter 5, says "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour".

Make no mistake, the adversary is ALWAYS on his job, going to and fro trying to devour our children BUT once we do what we can as far as giving them the foundation of scripture, making sure they know who the savior is and living our lives according to God's word...the rest is up to God!

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God in him will I trust. He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." This is the security we have in our Heavenly Father. Amen!

#peace

May 20 - Benefits of Life in the Spirit

Start right now by praying for your child to fear God, have faith in Him and His Word, and develop the kind of heart that seeks after Him.  This could be the determining factor in whether your child will have a constant struggle living in the flesh or be fulfilled and blessed living in the Spirit.  (Power of a Praying Parent, Stormie Omartian)

This is what the bible says about "Living in the Spirit".

Life in the Spirit

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.  So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.  ⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.  ⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.  ¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  ¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Future Glory

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)  ²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.  ³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

AMEN!

May 15 - Heavy Heart

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters^[b] all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.  ¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹ All power to him forever! Amen.  1 Peter 5:7-11 (NLT)

It's been said that after every mountain top experience; there will be a valley!  On Monday of this week; I woke up feeling anxious...almost in a panic.  Now why would this be, if I was just getting up from a peaceful sleep?!?  I'll tell you why, because the devil was on the prowl...he always is!  If there's one thing I can say about satan is that, he is always on his job!  He does not get tired and he does not take a break.  He is serious about his mission because he knows his time is short.  If only we were as committed to our ministries and missions...

Today I found out that my friend's son was swimming, pulled under by a current and after rescue attempt presumed dead.  In my mind, I can't stop asking WHY?  Why this family? Why my friend, who is so devoted, giving and loving to her children? Why this way, with so many questions?  And then I was reminded of another time that God allowed us to walk through a similar situation with another couple that lost a child.  What we didn't understand then (and truthfully I still don't grasp it all), we now accept as the sovereign will of God.  I pray that we hold onto the promise in 1 Peter 5:10 that "after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."

Father God, we know that Your thoughts are not our thoughts and Your ways are not our ways, so help us Lord to return to the safe place of Your will.  Your word says "Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you...", so Lord, we draw nigh to you and ask You to draw us in and hold us close.  We need a place of refuge today, to renew, refuel and replenish as we go through.  I ask that you comfort my friend and her family, give them peace and closure.  We know you're able!  In Jesus name, Amen!

April 29

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  Matthew 5:9 (KJV)

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom; the word denotes far more than the absence of war and conflict.  Shalom's basic meaning is harmony, wholeness, soundness, well-being and success in all areas of life.  (1) Peace can refer to tranquility in international relationships, such as peace between warring nations.  (2) It can also refer to a settled feeling within a nation, as during times of prosperity and no civil war.  (3) It can be experienced as wholeness and harmony in human relationships, both inside the home and outside the home.  (4) It can refer to one's personal sense of wholeness and well-being, free from anxiety and at peace within our own souls and with God.  (5) Finally, even though the word shalom is not used in Genesis 1--2, shalom describes the original created world that existed in perfect harmony and wholeness.  When Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the serpent and ate from the forbidden tree, their disobedience introduced sin and disrupted creation's original harmony.  (The Peace of God, Article; Full Life Study Bible)

The "peacemakers" are those who have been reconciled to God. They have peace with him through the cross. They now strive by their witness and life to bring others, including their enemies, to peace with God. (Full Life Study Bible, Study Notes)  In other words, the "peacemakers" got their happy back!

I remember a few years back, I went into a corner store on the east side and ran into a girl that I was classmates with in middle school.  She kept staring at me so I said "hello" (it was clear she was trying to remember me).  She said "you look familiar" and I responded; "yes, we went to Mohawk together".  She then said, "oh yeah, you didn't like me".  I chuckled and said "I liked everyone, maybe it was you that didn't like me" as I walked out the store.  After all those years, this woman was still disrupted by something that quite frankly had no bearing on either of our present lives.  Even if I didn't like her then (honestly never had a reason to dislike her), that was over twenty years ago...why give it life again?!?  Though I didn't wrap my arms around her in a moment of prayer; I'd like to think, that on that day...I was a peacemaker!

Lord, in order for us to effectively be a witness for peace; we must first make peace within ourselves.  Help us to recognize and reconcile any areas of disobedience in obedience to You.  We pray peace over our children, their hearts, minds and spirits.  Your word says that You will keep us in perfect peace if we keep our minds on You and trust You, so we submit our thoughts to Your will.  We pray peace all around our children to scatter any confusion and disorder.  Father, we know that as we walk in peace, as our children walk in peace, trials will surely come.  Nevertheless, peace will rule our hearts, we will pursue peace and we will not forfeit the blessedness of peace.  In Jesus name, Amen!

April 21

Obedience brings great security and the confidence of knowing you're where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to do.  The Bible promises that if we are obedient we will be blessed.  We want our children to walk in obedience so that they will have confidence, security, long life, and peace.  (Power of a Praying Parent, Stormie Omartian)

Saul was given instruction to attack the Amalekites and "totally destroy everything that belongs to them."  Nothing and no one was to be spared...but Saul disobeyed.  I Samuel 15:21-25 records, "Saul defended himself. “What are you talking about? I did obey God. I did the job God set for me. I brought in King Agag and destroyed the Amalekites under the terms of the holy ban. So the soldiers saved back a few choice sheep and cattle from the holy ban for sacrifice to God at Gilgal—what’s wrong with that?”  ^22-23 Then Samuel said, Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—empty rituals just for show?  He wants you to listen to him!  Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production.  Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult.  Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship.  ^24-25 Saul gave in and confessed, “I’ve sinned. I’ve trampled roughshod over God’s Word and your instructions. I cared more about pleasing the people. I let them tell me what to do. Oh, absolve me of my sin! Take my hand and lead me to the altar so I can worship God!”

"Obeying God's word from the heart is better than any outward form of worship, service or personal sacrifice" (The Full Life Study Bible, Study Notes).  Our children learn about obedience by watching  how we handle obedience and the way we handle them when they disobey.  If our children see us disobeying they law by speeding; they may end up not respecting the law as well.  If our children don't see us tithe or save our money; they may not grasp stewardship.  If our children never witness us commit important decisions to prayer; they will most likely adopt the saying, 'Hakuna Matata' for their life.  For our children to walk in obedience, the path should already be laid out for them by us. 

Father God, help us to always obey Your word so that we will have the security of Your promises.  Your word says "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...", so we pray right now that our steps are ordered in obedience and our children's steps are ordered in obedience.  As our sons and daughters walk through this life, help them to know that even when they don't understand it, Your will is what's best for them.  Give them the strength to obey so that they will experience the confidence, security and peace of being and doing what You've ordained for them to be and do.  In Jesus name, Amen!