Praying for our students through the year - day 14 (N) Neighbors

Today pray that your child will learn to understand who their biblical neighbors are. Pray they will understand their neighbors are everyone around them, including their enemies. Pray they will learn how to respect and treat others in a manner pleasing to the Lord. Pray they will learn to develop a self-sacrificing love. Pray they will learn to help others in need. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a great example of loving your neighbor in Luke 10:25-37. Pray your child will grow in a deeper understanding of Christ so that they may see and understand the greatest example of loving others. May we all be guilty of offering others help, comforting others, binding others wounds, visiting or caring for the sick and frail, and loving others with Christ-like love. 

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Mark 12:31 ESV

Praying for our students through the year - day 13 (M) Maturity

Will you join me in praying for maturity today?

1 Corinthians 14:20 says "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking...but in your thinking be mature."

Christian Maturity is something that develops with time. It is a process that begins when a person accepts Jesus as their Savior. The Apostle Paul said that spiritual growth is an ongoing process in Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In order for Christian maturity to develop in our life, we must make a choice to read and meditate on God's Word, allow God to renew our mind, and then be obedient to what we learn.

Romans 12:1-2 says, "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

As we mature, we should learn to walk obediently with God. Maturity is making a choice to live by God’s ways instead of the world’s ways. Pray your student will develop christian maturity in their life. We should never stop growing; we need to keep learning and growing in our faith until the day the Lord calls us home.  Progressive sanctification is what gradually separates Christ's followers from the world and makes us more and more like Him. Pray this maturity will happen in your child's life.  Pray they will break free from the power and love of sin. Pray that your child will step by step, day by day, intentionally choose the right path. It won’t always be easy, so encourage them. They will have growing pains, but reaching maturity is worth the battle. Pray you will see evidence of their maturity by seeing them apply God's Word in everyday circumstances in their life. Pray your student does not stay in the same place in their relationship with God as where they were when they first got saved. If your child hasn't come to realize they need a personal relationship with Christ and that He is our Redeemer and Savior, pray they will mature to understand this soon. Pray your child will fall in love with God’s Word and want to read, meditate, and memorize it so that they can apply it to their life. Pray your child will put away childish behavior and mature into the person God has called them to be. Pray they will never stop growing!

Maturity Growth Markers: 

We will always have room for improvement, but the more time you spend studying God’s Word, the more you will want to do it. So let me ask you some maturity/spiritual growth questions. 

1. Is reading your Bible a “want to” or a “have to” decision? Do you enjoy God's Word?
2. How often do you pray? Do you enjoy talking to your Heavenly Father?
3. Do you ever read your Bible besides when studying for Sunday School or church? 
4. Do you study your Sunday School lesson? 
5. Do you pay attention in church and try to learn or are you busy on your phone, clipping your fingernails, or sleeping? Do you try to find jobs to serve instead of having to sit in service and be fed?
6. Do you have a desire to serve God and help others grow and deepen their understanding?

Take time to honestly evaluate your Christian Maturity.  Are you still milk fed like a baby or are your growing? Spiritual maturity should be a priority for us. 

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14). 

As a believer, we are not to always be milk-fed. Instead, we are called to grow and chew on the "meat" of God's Word. 

Praying for our students through the year - day 12 (L) Listening

Let us pray for listening ears today. We have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason...mine just tends to be a loud mouth sometimes! Do we listen twice as much as we speak? James wrote to us in the New Testament we should be quick to hear and slow to speak, but in a me first world this can be a difficult thing to teach our children. Sadly many of us are quick to do right the opposite of what James teaches--we are quick to speak and slow to hear. We stop listening so that we can start thinking about what we are going to say next to win the argument or just to keep the conversation going. When our babies are born we treat them as if the whole universe revolves around them and they are the absolute center of our attention; later only to have to teach them it doesn't. We need to pray our children learn to listen to God's Word 1st and foremost. We need to pray they learn to listen respectfully to others as a way to show Christ-like love. We need to pray they learn to listen to their teachers and others in authority over them. God hears our prayers...HE listens to us...if God does that for us, we should do the same for others. (See 1 Peter 3:12) A sympathetic ear may be just what a brother or sister, friend, neighbor, or even stranger is needing and we may be in that conversation for such a time as this. "Hearing" is not always listening...I have been guilty of saying yes or no to my kids when they were little when I was distracted with chores later to think 'what did they just ask me?', 'what did I just give an answer to?'. Have you ever left being with someone and tried to remember what the conversation was about, or when multiple people are waiting to talk to you and you can't remember all the questions you answered?...if not, maybe that's just me and my distracted listening skills...The point is we can HEAR and not really LISTEN! Our kids are the same way. We need to pray for them to develop good listening skills. Depending on the situation, taking notes helps tremendously with my listening skills and keeps me from being distracted by my surroundings. If we never stop talking an learn to be a good listener we may miss the most important Still Small Voice one day. 1 Kings 19:11-13

Here are some tips to improve listening - pray for your children (or you, or me!) to improve in these areas:

1. Pray for the ability to truly listen instead of using the time the other person is speaking to form your next thoughts.
2. Pray for the ability to not interrupt the other person, learn to let others finish their sentences. 
3. Help your children learn good visual listening cues that shows they are active listeners (ie. nodding their heads yes or no).

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak" James 1:19a

Praying for our students through the year - day 11 (K) Knowledge

Today we are praying for our students to gain knowledge. Knowledge can be defined as the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth. To “know” something is to perceive it or to be aware of it. A well-informed and knowledgeable Christian possesses character and morals that have Godly influence. Such a person is always ready for action in the army of the Lord. While knowledge of the Lord (Biblical knowledge or wisdom) is the most important knowledge we can possess, learning is also important. Pray for your child to have a teachable spirit this school year. Pray they will listen and submit to their teacher's, coach's or manager's instructions this year so that they can grow in knowledge no matter how intelligent they think they already are. We should never stop learning. Pray your child will be aware of not only God's existence but also learn to have a deep appreciation for Him and desire a relationship with Him. Pray your child will have a desire to pay attention and learn at school, college or work each day as they study or train so that they can become all God has called them to be. We know from Proverbs 2:6 that the Lord gives wisdom and out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. We must seek it diligently and help our children learn to do the same. Wisdom and knowledge are something to be sought after. I am a nerd, through and through, I love to read and learn, but we must not get so caught up with learning that we do not put into action the knowledge we have gained. In Robby Gallaty's book Bearing Fruit  he states:

"Friends, we need to be careful that we are not so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good, as the old saying goes." Many don't need another Bible study guide to teach them theological truth; you need to invest the Bible you've studied into the lives of others around us. It is for this very reason discipleship is essential for spiritual growth."

Pray you and your child will be given the opportunities each day to use their Biblical knowledge and book knowledge to glorify God someway, somehow.  How can you help another grow? James tells us that if we lack wisdom and ask God will give it abundantly...have you asked? Proverbs 1 tells us about the beginning of knowledge. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (vs.7)  Fear does not mean to be scared of God but to have respect for Him, His Word, His Will, His Way, His Authority - to worship and praise Him. God has infinite and absolute knowledge! Our knowledge will be flawed compared to His but we should still seek to obtain it...don't settle for mediocre and doing less than your best when God sent His Very Best One and Only Son for us! We should never seek knowledge for our own vainglory, but use it to bring about maturity in our lives so that we may better serve and glorify God.

"5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jon 8:32

Praying for our students through the year - day 10 (J) Joyfulness

Joyfulness is our prayer for the day! Joy is great delight caused by God. Our Father God provides exceptionally good and satisfying pleasure or delight regardless of our situation. Can you say that you truly have JOY down in your heart? Joy is not the same as happiness; which is based on our emotions and changes with our feelings and situations. Happiness is affected by the the world around us. Joy is within, from us abiding in Christ alone. Too often the worries of this world can turn our smiles upside down into frowns. We let today's stresses rob us of our joy. My 17 year old told me last night how life was so much easier as a child...he is still a kid in my eyes! Anyway, when he was young, the stress of the day all went away after a good night's sleep - the problems from the day before vanished. He said now, we just get a slight reprieve from them once we manage to fall asleep, then they are all still there the next morning. This makes my heart hurt that we can't take away the stresses that our children face, but we can model how to be Godly adults and deal with the stress of life. We will always have job/school demands, busy (or over-busy) schedules, chores, bills, deadlines, the list can go on...however we do NOT have to let these steal our JOY!  Teach them while you have them at home how to manage stress and not let the weight of this world rob them of their joyfulness. Pray Satan will not steal their joy by filling your child's mind with self-doubt, fear, anxiety, the need to fit in, or any other negativity. Pray they will learn true JOY comes from the LORD and is ever-present regardless of situations. Remind them of what  2 Samuel 22:2-4 says - the Lord is our rock, fortress, and deliverer; where we take refuge - we have a our Savior, worthy to be praised! If He can deliver us and provide us refuge and salvation that gives us enough reason to have JOY! Even with trials we can still have JOY! Look at Paul and Silas...is our joy contagious?  Pray it will be! Look at Acts 16:25-34 in verse 34 the jailers entire household rejoiced and believed after Paul and Silas prayed, worshiped, and witnessed. Wow, what an example for how we should joyfully live!

Pray that your family's faith will be seen as genuine and joyful; that it will portray the great love God has for us.  Let our lives reflect His love---He sent His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have a relationship with Him and be forgiven for our sins...this should let our JOY always SHINE no matter what is happening around us!

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:4-7

Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. Psalm 35:9

Joy in Action

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

Psalm 30:5b

Josh Wilson sings it best in "Before the Morning": “My friend, you know how this all ends and you know where you're going, you just don't know how you get there so just say a prayer and hold on, cause there's good who love God, life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time, but you'll see the bigger picture. Would dare you, would you dare, to believe, that you still have a reason to sing, 'cause the pain you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming. So hold on, you got to wait for the light, press on, just fight the good fight because the pain you've been feeling, it's just the dark before the morning."

Praying for our students through the year - day 9 (I) Initiative

Initiative - the ability to assess and initiate things independently; the power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do. Do we exhibit initiative in our daily lives? If not how can we teach it to our children and pray for them to develop it? How or what can we do to develop a better attitude about taking the lead when God directs us? How can we function better, stronger, and faster, even in times of uncertainly and stress? Read Ephesians 5:8-14. We are called to walk as children of the Light, to discern what is pleasing, to take no part in unfruitful works of darkness. What are we busy doing? We should each press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We each are called to do something as long as we have breath in us. Pray that we each have the initiative to carry it out until the day of our departure from this temporary home. Let us encourage one another to do good deeds and meet together for encouragement and uplifting, not to tear each other down. Pray we and our children will recognize and do what needs to be done without being asked! We cannot do what we are called to do if we do not have the initiative to GET UP and START moving! Opposites of this trait are laziness, letting others lead even when we are capable or called, or refusing to put forth our best effort. Pray these negative traits will be absent for your child's life and your own. We must be motivated to go after the life in which Christ has called each of our families! Do you have the initiative to pick up the torch and lead the way, getting others to follow you, as you follow Christ? Will you make excuses, letting others follow you and your family into perhaps laziness, the world, sin, or excuses? Remember we are called to be a Light to this world; in it but not of it!

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. I John 3:18

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:24

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

Points to Ponder:

(C) Shutterstock

1. Do you need someone else to motivate you or do you set your own goals?
2. Can you tell when changes are good or bad when things are changing around you? Do you stand for God's Word when these changes occur?
3. In what situations did you fail to be motivated when you should have been? Why?
4. What areas of your life would improve if you had more Godly initiative?

Make sure your motivation is Christ-centered and pray for your family to have more initiative to help do what He had called each of you to accomplish for His Glory! He will empower you to accomplish what He has called you to do! Do you want your family to make their mark in this fleeting world or will you take the initiative to pray for your family to make a mark for His Eternal Kingdom?

Praying for our students through the year - day 8 (H) Humility

According to the dictionary, HUMILITY is: freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble. Biblical humility goes hand in hand with being submissive or ready to conform to authority, obedient and meek. This type attitude allows us to create peace and have unity. Pray that your children develop humility. Pray that they are never so prideful and puffed up that they cannot accept correction. Pray that they never think their opinions are always right and always better than others around them. This type of thinking will never help in creating unity in the body of Christ. While we don't want our children on the other end of the spectrum, either, where they bow down to the world and others around them. They must truly be in the Word to know what it says so they will know when and how to stand. We were bought with a price...the blood of Christ, therefore we should serve Him alone. Who do we teach our children to please...the world around them or Christ? What do our actions show them is the most important? What are we truly worshiping? Do we need to pray for humility in our own lives as well? Pray our children will humbly seek to please Christ each and every day of their lives. We need to teach them to love God and obey Him, above everything and everyone. We need not try to keep up with our friends, or whatever is the latest trend to keep them in the popular crowd...remember we are in this world and not of it...

For real do we need more "scrunchies, metal straws, save the turtles" and such things now days "sksksk and i oop oop"...(and I don't even have daughters and I hear about this stuff---if you are clueless be thankful and don't lose brain cells by googling it...girls and their trends now days struggling to fit in.)

Instead pray for your kids to have a right ATTITUDE that will not hurt other kids, to be BOLD in their belief in Christ and sharing it, to have COURAGE & DISCERNMENT about when and what to say that is the best thing at the right time with ENTHUSIASM. Pray they will be FRIENDLY and GENEROUS.  Then they will be on the right track to biblical HUMILITY! When we humble ourselves we have the same mindset as Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He came to seek and save the lost. He humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death on a cross. (see Luke 19:10 and Philippians 2:7-8)

"5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you" 1 Peter 5:5-6

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think..." Romans 12:3a