A Phone Call in the Night

“It was a dark and stormy night.” 

Last Thursday night was truly a dark and stormy night. Spring weather in the midwest USA can be tumultuous and unpredictable.  My husband and I sat watching the weather reports as storms moved into our area and severe cells began showing rotation with potential for tornadoes. As many midwesterners would understand, we made sure we had our shoes on in case we needed to make a run for the tornado shelter. My 10pm bedtime came and went and I was still awake. Then my phone rang. It was our youngest daughter. Her voice was a little hard to hear as she said “I was on my way home on the highway and got hit.” It was her birthday and she’d driven to the city to meet friends for the evening and to celebrate turning 24. She sounded shaken and uncertain with traffic noise in the background and rain pouring down.

As a mom, my mind raced through all the things, “where is she?”, “is she okay?” “what do we need to do?” She said she was alright but needed a ride home because her car wasn’t driveable. That brought more concern, how ‘not driveable’ was it?  We sprang up from our seats, concern over the weather now a distant thought. We grabbed our wallets and headed to the car- thinking enough to grab a raincoat and a coat for our daughter as well. We prayed as we got onto the road that the Lord would keep her safe, protect her from harm, give us clear travel and hold off the weather. “Lord, protect her life.”

She was nearly 40 miles away, in a limited access construction zone that was only accessible by exiting the highway and getting into the westbound lanes and waiting in the miles-long backup caused by the accident. We were told to pull up to the accident site, on the highway, in the midst of the chaos. As we crawled through the traffic, our patience was tested. All I wanted to do was see my girl, affirm to my own eyes that she was okay. After what seemed like forever, we finally saw the emergency lights and made our way up to the accident. As soon as we stopped I jumped out and saw her walking toward me, safe and well. Praise God! I looked around and saw a semi truck, a flatbed tow truck and then, I saw the car…or what was left of it. 

It was in that moment that God showed me the power of prayer and that our prayers are never wasted, never unheard, never pointless. My daughter was whole and unharmed save some bruises and sore muscles. The Lord guarded her life in so many ways.

Sometimes we may wonder what effect our prayers actually have- does God even hear us? Does He really respond? Then God gives us a glimpse of His working. He does hear and He sees our love for our children and He loves them too. He is always watching over them.

The officer in charge smiled kindly and told us there was nothing more we needed to do and the car would be towed to a local wrecking yard. We got back into our car, made our way back into the flow of traffic and began the trip home. 

The story unfolded as we drove home, she was the second car in a 4 vehicle chain reaction crash, the first and last vehicles being semi trucks. She had plenty of room as the truck in front of her braked fast and hard, and the tow truck behind her did as well, but the semi truck at the rear of the line couldn’t stop and plowed into the tow truck who then hit our daughter’s car and pushed her into the front semi. As we listened we understood even more how God protected her life. 

The days that followed brought more details and then a visit to the wrecking yard to gather her belongings. When we asked how the car looked in the daylight all she responded was, “Bad, bad, bad.” We recognized the goodness of God, yet again. The car was so beyond repair, but it did what it was designed to do- it saved her life in a crash. She is a living, walking testimony of the goodness and protection of the Lord (and the wise design of Toyota- thank you!)

It’s amazing, (but not surprising) to see how God aligns His messages and His word to everyday life. I’ve been studying 1 Samuel and this week’s lesson had me read 1 Samuel 25 and one verse jumped out at me because it was such a beautiful picture of God’s protection. I Samuel 25:29, “If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.”

The backstory to that verse is that David was being pursued by Saul, the King of Israel. Saul wanted to kill David. All of Saul’s men, his loyal followers, were part of the pursuit. David was on the run, cut off from connection with his family, from fellowship, sacrifice and offering at the tabernacle. He was exiled and hunted.  His life was in danger on every side. 

The enemy had an agenda…you see if David was destroyed, the line of David would be erased and the Messiah would be thwarted (or so Satan thought). There was much at stake that even David didn’t recognize, but his heart was tender to God. David had to surrender himself to God’s plan and trust His protection. He was in the storm, on the run, but he trusted that God had a plan. He was God’s anointed.

In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail reminded David of the Source of his protection. She said, “If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.” 1 Samuel 25:29

That line resonated with me, “The life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God.” There is so much that pursues our sons and daughters. The enemy wants to incapacitate them, he wants to eliminate their influence, diminish or remove their testimony, and snuff out their potential. He wants to keep them from the mission God has established and he wants to poison their fruit.

David could have been distracted by the others around him, by the difficult circumstances, by pride, by hardship, but he kept His focus on God and God sent others to remind him of his purpose and to protect his integrity.

So often situations in life mirror our spiritual walk. As our daughter drove on the highway, she could have been distracted by the other drivers going too fast in that construction zone. She could have been consumed by her thoughts, worries, or even fiddling with the ‘entertainment’ in the car. But instead she stayed focused on what was ahead of her. She was mindful of the storm outside. She stayed in her lane, not wandering back and forth. She remained steady to what she knew would keep her safe if the unthinkable began to unfold. Are our sons and daughters mindful of the storm? Are they cautious of those around them who might cause them to ‘crash’? Are they taking care to ensure they are following the Lord and not wandering or veering off the narrow road?

We can raise our sons and daughters with caution and care. We can do our best to protect them from negative influences. We can do all the things to ensure their life is protected (we can put them in the safest car.) But there is nothing more powerful we can do than to ask the Lord to surround them and hold them close. When we ask God to bind them in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord our God, the omnipotent One whose ways and will cannot be thwarted, we are protecting them in the strongest way. When God does that, they are held securely by Him, held closely to Himself, for safe-keeping. Nothing can touch them out of His will. I love that symbolism. Ponder that for a moment. 

Our daughter was bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord our God. That is what preserved her life. God has a purpose for her. He chose, on her 24th birthday, to give her life again. He has a plan. All of our efforts mean nothing if He is not in it. Had the semi truck been going faster, had the tow truck been even closer, had the first semi not begun moving before the initial crash, we could be grieving a much different outcome. But our sweet girl was bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord our God.

I ask for nothing better for my sons and daughters- Lord bind them close to You!  Today, you should pray the same. Trust God for the care of your children. Trust that He has a plan that outsmarts the enemy, outmaneuvers the obstacles of this world, and surrounds them with spiritual and physical protection that is far beyond what we could generate or orchestrate. God is mighty. His protection is invincible. He has a plan and we need to trust Him.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your powerful hand of protection over my children. Your mercy is more than we deserve and you give it to us daily, new every morning. I pray that You would remind me daily of Your guiding hand and open my eyes to see Your kindness, Your goodness, Your powerful protection each and every day. I pray, too, that (name) would recognize Your hand in their life. Help them to see that not a moment, not a breath is guaranteed and each is a gift from You in line with Your plan for their life. I know You have a plan, Lord. I trust that You will protect and preserve (name) so they will be able to fulfill what You have for them to do. Help them to be surrendered to You and obedient to Your will. Keep them walking faithfully with you, not straying to the left or the right. Protect them from others who would influence the in the wrong ways. Remove distractions that would take their focus off of You. Lord, there is nothing better I can do to keep them from harm than to give them to You and trust Your shield about them. Help us, as parents, to give our sons and daughters to You. Take away our fear. Free us from worry that consumes our thoughts and keeps us from fully trusting You. Remind us of Your omnipotent power. You are the Lord of the storm-both physical and spiritual. Be our shelter and our safe place. Guard and guide us. Keep us in the center of Your will and under the shadow of Your wings. Bind (name) in the bundle of the living in Your care, oh LORD my God. Show Yourself powerful to protect and preserve (name) today and in the days ahead, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Does God Even Hear Me?

“I cried out to God for help;  I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.” Psalm 77:1-2

Are there days when you wonder if God is listening? You’ve been praying desperately and faithfully, yet nothing seems to change.  Or maybe you’re convinced He’s stopped listening altogether, that He’s turned a deaf ear to your pleas. Maybe He’s tired of hearing from you. You pray, but it seems to go nowhere. You wait and wonder. You long for a sign, a response, a glimmer of hope. But everything is quiet.

When we desperately pray, we look for any sign, any movement, that will show us God hears us and is working. Yet that time of waiting can be dark and lonely. It can be disheartening to be looking for a response and not hearing anything. We get anxious. We get impatient. And we get frustrated with God. We don’t see things as He does, we can’t see His plan, and trusting grows more difficult as the wait stretches out before us. How long, Lord?

It is in those dark, silent times that the enemy begins to weave his lies. We hear things like, “God isn’t listening” and “God doesn’t really care.” We begin to believe the lies that God is too busy to attend to our prayers and that our needs are not important to Him. And if a lie is repeated often enough, it is believed, it is embraced, it becomes truth to us. The enemy will do whatever he can to pull our eyes away from God and fill us with regret, despair, and heartache. We begin to fall for the lies and we doubt God will answer.

That’s why, when we’re longing for answers and seeking responses from God, we must remind ourselves of what is true. God is faithful. God is Sovereign. God is merciful. God will work justice for the oppressed. There are so many reminders of our Almighty, Sovereign God and His attributes and His ways. There are so many examples of answered prayers we can point to. We need only begin to read the Psalms to see all that He is and does. 

Psalm 77 is a beautiful and powerful account of someone in just this situation. The Psalm begins at a place of questioning God in despair.

“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Psalm 77:7-9

The psalmist is wrestling in his heart and mind with grief, trauma, and desperation. He is asking all of those questions that we ask too- has God forgotten to be merciful? Has His love vanished? Although we KNOW the right answers to these questions- our heart and mind wrestle with these thoughts as we desperately cry out to God.

We need to ask ourselves, where are we turning for help? Are we seeking answers that make sense in a time-bound world and to a human mind with limited understanding? Or are we seeking the One who always was, is and is to come? Are we truly trusting the One who is not bound by time or space and has unlimited resources at His disposal? Are we resting in the One whose plans are eternal; the One who knows our heart intimately and  has plans for our life that are for our good and His glory.

How can we battle the desperation and loneliness that consume us when we’re pleading with God for deliverance and waiting for His response? How can we fight the feelings of being forgotten and forsaken when it seems like nothing is happening?

When we’re discouraged and defeated, we tend to look at our circumstances and gauge God’s love for us by what is happening to us and around us.

The psalmist, in his despair, knew what he needed to remind himself of…. 

“Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Psalm 77:10-14

When we’re discouraged and defeated, we tend to look at our circumstances and gauge God’s love for us by what is happening to us and around us. But God calls us to look to His faithfulness, His power, His greatness as the reminder we need to assure us that He is still in control and nothing is too hard for Him.

When you’re struggling, ask yourself these questions:

1. How has God provided for and protected me in my life? Look back through the years and remember God’s faithfulness.

2. What evidence of God’s Presence and goodness have you seen today? Did you wake up? That’s a start!

3. Is there any other god that supersedes our God? Go on, consider that. There is none. That alone should give you pause and encouragement. Only one God ever died for the sins of humanity and that One is the singular God who rose from the dead, conquering death and hell, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. All powers and authorities bow to Him. There is no power, no circumstance, no misfortune, and no enemy that can override His will and His authority.

4. List miracles that you’ve learned about in Scripture and miracles and answers to prayer you’ve experienced in your life prior to this situation.

When we consider His works and His great deeds, we can rest assured that He will indeed answer our prayers and work all things for our good.

God is able to do more than we could ask or imagine. He is not limited by our imagination, He is not constrained by our little faith or by our understanding. He is not bound by time, finances, or location. He is El Shaddai, the God who is sufficient for the needs of His people, always.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

Whatever you’re praying for, know that God hears you. But also be willing to expand your expectations, release your timeline, and surrender your will to His.  Watch with faith. He is listening and working, many times in ways you cannot see. Trust Him and be more desperate for Him than for His reply. 

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” Psalm 31:24

Today, let’s pray through Psalm 77. Then let’s encourage our sons and daughters that God IS working. He hears them. He knows their needs. He will answer. Always.

If you enjoy reading Join the PAC Prayer, why not share it with a friend!! It’s good to be reminded we’re not alone in parenting or in walking with Christ each day. Let’s build this community of believers!

If you have a prayer request, please feel free to email jointhepacprayer@gmail.com. Know that I’m praying for each of the readers! It’s a joy and privilege!

Pray without ceasing.

Obedience Is Greater than Sacrifice

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.” Psalm 128:1

Israel begged God for a king. They wanted a king like all the other nations so that when they went into battle, the other nations could see their leader and they would be successful. But what Israel didn’t understand is that they DID have a king…God was their king. Unlike any other nation, God was on Israel’s side and the other nations saw the power and might of Israel’s God. Yet, Israel rejected Him and begged for a human king. So, God relented and chose Saul to be the first king of Israel. Israel’s rejection of God led to hardship and heartache. And their king? He started off good, but got distracted by fame, by power, and by selfishness. He did what he wanted and then offered sacrifices to earn God’s approval.

Saul was anointed king, but he struggled with obedience to God. He seemed to think that his way was better than God’s way. He was impatient to wait for God’s timing, going so far as to offer the sacrifices himself rather than wait for Samuel, the priest, to manage the sacrifice as required by the Law (1 Samuel 13). The last straw was when God told Saul to destroy the Amalekites, every man, woman, and child, every herd and flock, take no spoil, leave nothing intact. But Saul thought better of that and chose to capture the King, Agog and bring him back to Israel, alive. Saul’s men plundered the best of the flocks and herds to “offer in sacrifice to God” (1 Samuel 15). Was this what God asked of them? No, it was not. Was this better than God’s plan? No, it was not. Did this put Israel at risk? Oh, yes, yes it did. Yet Saul didn’t see it. He continued to make excuses and offer platitudes. He blame-shifted and spoke bravely and self-righteously. Samuel, the high priest, wasn’t having it, neither was God. 

“But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”” I Samuel 15:22-23

Samuel called Saul out on his disobedience and proceeded to tell him that God was grieved that He chose him as King. As a result, God removed His blessing from Saul and chose another to take his place. Saul, in all his efforts to engineer his fame and success had offended and disregarded the One in Whose hands his fame and success were held. He missed the whole point. Saul was God’s servant, a tool to be used to bring Him glory and accomplish His purposes. Yet Saul opted to be his own master and make it look good by offering sacrifices after the fact. Saul did not fear God. He did not respect God. Saul tried to manipulate God, and it didn’t work.

Saul isn’t unlike us, is he? How often do we, or our children, choose to do what WE think is best, ignoring God’s commands and compromising our integrity, morality, and spiritual testimony to satisfy our selfish desires?  We think we know better. Do we balk at what God asks of us, instead pursuing an alternative and ‘dedicating it to Him’? Or, in an effort to ‘make up for it’ we offer sacrifices, we ‘do’ things to honor God or ‘give’ to bless Him. Our disobedience and efforts after the fact are offensive to Him. Yet we think we can engineer our life, our choices, and our results. We cannot. God is Sovereign. He is in control. He sees our heart. He sees that we fear failure, suffering, and loss more than we fear Him. He sees that we put more faith in our own efforts and plans than we do His. He sees. He knows. And He will respond.

God saw Saul’s heart. He saw that Saul was more concerned with his own fame and success. His offerings and sacrifices to God were an effort to appease Him rather than an act of worship to bring pleasure and delight to God with a fully surrendered heart. He was not a servant of God but was serving himself. Isaiah 65:5 says, “Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.” Their fake sacrifices are a stench, not a pleasing aroma.

Today, it’s time to take stock on what and how you sacrifice to God:

• Is our heart surrendered to Him? 

• Are our motives pure? 

• Do we ask God to bless our actions after we take them? Or do we search out the heart of God before we act?

• Do we consider how our words and actions will testify to our love for and fear of God?

• Are we more concerned with honoring Him than with getting the desired outcome for ourselves?

• Are we willing to do whatever He asks or do we resist, instead trying to bargain with Him and offer compromises?

Obedience is greater than sacrifice. 

Deuteronomy 28 gives a very detailed description of the benefits of obedience and the dangers of disobedience. He wanted Israel to understand the blessings of obedience and to see that they were nothing the Israelites could ensure on their own.

• The LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. (Deut 28:1)

• You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. (Deut 28:3)

• The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. (Deut 28:4)

• Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. (Deut 28:5)

• You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deut 28:6)

• The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. (Deut 28:7)

• The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. (Deut 28:8)

• The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. (Deut 28:9)

• Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. (Deut 28:10)

• The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deut 28:13

Wow! That is a list of blessings that no man could ensure for himself- only God. And all of these blessings were what Saul was longing for, and yet he chose to pursue his own path and ended up losing it all. 

When we teach our children obedience, it is not just for their compliance, but for their good, their protection, and their success. As they become adults, we pray they carry those lessons with them. And we pray, too, they understand the value and importance of obedience to God.

Even if obedience does not make sense, we need to remember that God’s ways are higher than our own. His wisdom is eternal, His plan is divine, His methods are not human. We can choose to go our own way and suffer the consequences of faulty, limited, unwise humanity, or we can choose to obey God and rest in His eternal, Sovereign, all powerful ways that will protect us and prosper us according to His will and for His glory. These are good things to remind our sons and daughters.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it?  Obedience is always more powerful than sacrifice. It carries a stronger testimony and offers Godly protection. Obedience glorifies God. Sacrifice without obedience is a stench.

Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters understand obedience to God and pursue it with their whole heart. “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.” Psalm 128:1

“Heavenly Father, You are a good God who asks us to pursue You with our whole heart. You promise blessing and protection in our obedience. I pray that You would surround (name) today and impress upon them a desire to obey You. Please keep them from compromise. Keep them from going their own way and then trying to offer sacrifices to appease Your disappointment and anger. Lord, we cannot bargain with You. That is not how You work. You require our obedience, yet You’ve given us a free will to choose whom we will follow and obey. I pray that (name) would always choose You. Lord, show them the rewards of obedience. When things do not make sense, give them an unshakeable trust in You and Your plan. Help them to rest in the knowledge that You are all-knowing. You are all-powerful. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords, there is none greater, stronger, or wiser and there is salvation in no one else. Jesus, You are the Messiah, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend. I pray that (name) would trust and obey You each and every day. Help me to live a life that demonstrates obedience and surrender to You. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing!

Criticism vs. Discernment

What is the difference between criticism and discernment? 

My spirit has been bothered recently at the amount of criticism flying on social media and other engagement platforms, especially between believers. It is a chorus of people railing at one another for their stance or conviction on issues, events, and leaders. Some have embraced social media as their platform to ‘bring change’ but their method is criticism. It is destructive and hurtful. But to understand why, you need to look at the meanings of the words.

The word, criticism, is the Greek word momaomai (1) and it means to blame, find fault with, mock at, to censure and discredit. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:3, “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.”  He did not want his words or actions to cause mockery or censure of his ministry. What is a stumbling block? Words, actions, and attitudes that do not reflect Christ or that promote our agenda, not His.

The Old Testament also addresses criticism. The Hebrew word is harap (2)  and it means to expose, to carp at, to defame or reproach. Nehemiah uses this to describe a plot by ungodly men to cause him to sin and thus discredit him. “He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.” Nehemiah 6:13 These men were cultivating a reproach against Nehemiah.  Judges 8:15ff shows Gideon using the same word when others taunted him, trying to gain an edge in a power struggle. Gideon was pursuing what was right. The others were pursuing their own power, benefit, and reputation.

We use criticism to correct. Yet, has someone’s criticism ever encouraged you to change your mind? Has it pushed you to do better? I don’t know about you, but criticism breaks me down. It discourages me and pushes me further away from that person and what they’re trying to accomplish. Yet, we fall into the trap of thinking we’ll change people’s minds and hearts by criticizing. 

Friends, the act of criticism is not discernment. It is used to bring others down and in so doing, make ourselves look better, smarter, more godly. It is a horizontal engagement between people that does little to point others to Christ. Criticism breeds self-righteousness. It is a sin.

Discernment is vastly different. There are two Greek words for this, the first is dokimazo (3) and it means to test, approve, examine, scrutinize to see whether a thing is genuine or not. It is to have the ability to recognize something (or someone) as genuine. That is only accomplished when one is very knowledgeable about the truth and what is precise and correct. It is not founded on personal knowledge or opinion. It is not based on feelings, but on Truth. One must know the Truth of Scripture in order to discern what is deceptive, incorrect, or evil. 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

We need to recognize that discernment is not based on knowing the issues, knowing the candidates, or knowing our personal convictions. It is solely based on knowing God’s truth and being able to recognize, in our spirit and our mind, what aligns with Christ and what is anti-Christ. 

Philippians goes a step further  using another version of the word for discernment, aisthesis (4). It means perception, judgment, and cognition not only by one’s senses, but by their intellect as well. It requires knowledge. 

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:9-10

The typical Greek word used for knowledge is the word gnosis (5) which means experiential knowledge, relationship knowledge, but not necessarily Christian ‘culture’ or Biblical precepts.  But Paul makes a significant distinction in Philippians and uses the word epignosis (5) and it means full discernment and precise and correct knowledge. It is knowledge of God and His word, not of our own intellect and perception of people, events, and information. Do you see the difference? Discernment is grounded in Biblical Truth and it is a vertical interaction between us and God for the purpose of discernment of Godly things. It is knowledge that impacts our behavior and attitudes so they reflect God more accurately in our vertical interaction with Him that impacts our interaction with others. It is vastly different from criticism based on average, common knowledge and for the goal of bettering ourselves in a horizontal interaction with others. 

We need to pray for our sons and daughters that a spirit of criticism does not take root, or if it already has, that God would remove it and instead give them a heart and mind ready for and able to practice discernment. Pray that they are burdened to see Christ glorified and authentically reflected through their lives. Pray that they are willing to set aside ‘being right’ for allowing God to work through them and make them more like Him. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. He doesn’t need our help in tearing one another down with criticism. Our responsibility is to pursue truth and live it out with discernment.

“Heavenly Father, You are so good and patient to continue teaching us. You are kind, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. You are faithful to pursue us, encourage us and teach us, ensuring that we do not stay where we are and what we are, but you daily transform us into the likeness of You Son, Jesus. I pray for (name) today that You would continue to transform them into Your likeness. Remove any spirit of criticism that would overshadow their desire to know You more and represent You authentically. I pray that the vertical relationship with You would be their priority. Remove any vain desire to be ‘right’ toward others in a way that would tear them down, belittle them or turn them away from the gospel. Keep them from the sin of self-righteousness. Cultivate in them precise and correct knowledge of Your Word. Let them hunger and thirst after righteousness. Let their light shine before others so they would see their good works and glorify You. Lord, You do not need us to defend You. You are mighty and strong. You need our obedience. I pray that (name) would have strong discernment to obey, to remain quiet when You ask them to, and when they speak, to speak words of life that are like honey, a balm to those to hear them and encouragement to those who need to know You are the Living Water they thirst for. Lord, I pray that You would help me to not be critical. Put a guard on my mouth so that I do not say things that would be ungodly or hurtful. I pray that You would continue to teach me so that I can live out the example You desire for my sons and daughters. Thank you for Your faithfulness to me and to my family. May You be glorified through us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

1. G3469 - mōmaomai - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3469/niv/mgnt/0-1/

2. H2778 - ḥārap̄ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2778/niv/wlc/0-1/

3. G1381 - dokimazō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1381/niv/mgnt/0-1/

4. G144 - aisthēsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g144/niv/mgnt/0-1/

5. G1108 - gnōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1108/niv/mgnt/0-1/

6. G1922 - epignōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NIV). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1922/niv/mgnt/0-1/

Are you praying for a prodigal? Oh the heartache and heaviness of battling in prayer for one who needs to return to Jesus! Yet, you’re praying to the One who made their heart and knows it completely. 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is a great Bible-based resource to guide your prayer journey and bring you closer to the Lord with each passing day. Get your copy today and transform your prayer life in significant ways!

Available on Amazon

God Sees It All

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

The other day I had the joy of going to a wedding shower. It was about an hour away, so I was on the highway, listening to some praise music, enjoying the drive and watching the GPS because I would have to soon exit onto another highway. Suddenly a large SUV came flying by my left side and nearly cut me off. He pulled into my lane, nearly hitting me, then proceeded to weave in and out of traffic across four lanes and was speeding close to 100 mph (161 kph) (the speed limit was 70mph). It startled me at first, it was so reckless. Then I was concerned and a bit annoyed. I literally prayed out loud, “Lord, let the police see that person and pull them over before they cause an accident!”.  The words were hardly out of my mouth when another vehicle passed me quickly on the left … It was a state trooper. I laughed out loud, God heard my prayer and answered within moments!  That trooper was driving fast, trying to catch up to the one who was driving even faster and recklessly. There were no lights. No sirens. Just an intentional focus and purposeful driving to catch the one who was breaking the law. He wasn’t making a ‘big deal’ of his pursuit so that others were aware. But he saw, he knew, and he was taking action. His goal wasn’t to catch and punish but to stop the behavior that was putting people at risk. Yes, there would be consequences, but the goal was safety and rescue.

I had to take my exit and continue on a different highway and didn’t see the outcome, but I’m pretty certain that the individual who was speeding found himself getting a hefty ticket and a stern talking to about his driving. He had to give account for his choices that were seen and called out by the police.  God struck me with the spiritual significance of what I just witnessed. That police officer was like the Holy Spirit going after someone who is running from the Lord. He saw the individual’s choice to sin. He went after them to bring them to account, but also to keep them safe from the danger they were pursuing. He did it quietly and with intention. He had the authority to do so. And hopefully, there was a lesson learned in the process. Yet, few people around really noticed the officer working. He didn’t announce it for all to see. He stayed focused on the one who needed his intervention, even though that individual did not want the attention.

Sometimes our sons and daughters are going their own way, they’re running from the Lord, choosing to sin, indifferent to those around them, or just too focused on their own desires to see how their choices are putting their spiritual safety at risk. They don’t see the heartache they’re causing. But the Holy Spirit is there, He sees, and He’s following them, intent on reaching them to stop them from their destructive ways. He doesn’t come with ‘lights and sirens’; He often comes unexpectedly. But, He sees. He knows. And He is following them. We may not see Him working, but we need to trust that He is. We may be frustrated, “Lord, why don’t you act?!” But He is moving with purpose and intention to accomplish His will in that individual’s life. 

The Holy Spirit is working, even when we cannot see it. We may get frustrated, “Lord, why don’t you act?” When, in fact, He is working. But our limited vision doesn’t see His hand. This is what faith is about…trusting in the unseen and resting in the omnipotent power of the Lord of lords. We don’t have the power and authority to intervene just as I didn’t have the power or authority to pull over that speeding driver. I had to trust that law enforcement would do their job. The officer was watching even when I didn’t see him working- it was comforting and a sobering reminder. 

God is eternal. We know that, but sometimes we lose sight of what that means. He knows everything. He sees the direction we will go before we even take a step. He’s watching our choices, our thoughts, and our intentions. When we are caught in our sin, we’re often oblivious to the Holy Spirit until He’s right there, upon us, revealing our sin and stirring our conscience, and leading us to repentance. God sees your beloved son or daughter. He knows where they are and what they’re doing. Psalm 139:2-4 tells us, 

“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely.” 

There is nothing that escapes God’s attention. He is not slow to act. He is not insufficient in His responses. The difficult part for us is waiting and trusting. We want to see a resolution now. We want assurance that our sons and daughters will walk with the Lord. We want relief from the worry and pain. But we need to trust Him that He will intervene and He will work in His time and according to His will. 

We need to choose to parent with purpose and intention. When our sons and daughters are going their own way, will we allow that to send us into a frenzy of worry and grief or will we move forward with quiet trust in the Lord? Will we carry our burdens of pain, sorrow, and worry or will we lay them on the altar for God to manage?

When we pray, we are stepping into the supernatural realm with the power of God in us. We are communing with the Great I Am, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, the God of gods. We have access to the Throne room of the One to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship. Why would we allow ourselves to wring our hands and worry our hearts? We have the power of the Almighty on our side.

Whether your son or daughter is walking with the Lord or not, they need prayer. Time is short and Satan knows it. This generation is his target - if he can capture their heart, and their mind, he will be one step closer to his goal of destroying mankind- the image bearers of the Most High God.

Let’s pray with purpose. Let’s pray with intention. Let’s pray a portion of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-3 and 10:

Holy Father, Lord of lords, I want to pray like Hannah who said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.” Oh, Lord, You are the One who exalts and who brings down. I pray today that You would work in (name)’s  heart today. Get their attention, bring them to repentance. Hannah also said, “My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” You are the only One who can bring deliverance. Why would I trust in any other? Lord, take my worry, take my grief, soften my heart to be surrendered to Your will and Your timeline. Hannah understood Your authority and praised you saying, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” Help me to praise you, too, and to rest in Your power and authority. Keep me from speaking words that do not honor You or voicing my frustration that things are not yet resolved. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” I pray that (name) would understand that You know and You will weigh their choices, their thoughts, their desires. Give them a heart that longs after You. I know that You see. I know that You are acting, even if I cannot see it yet. I trust You Lord, help me to rest in that trust. You are my hope and salvation. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  If not, who are you trusting in for your eternal salvation?  The Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:2

It’s not about being “good” or doing good works to achieve righteousness because nothing we can do would ever be enough to justify ourselves before a righteous God. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

But God loves us so much that He made a way. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18

So, how do we believe? How do we receive so great a salvation that when God looks on us, He sees Jesus, perfect, holy, and righteous? Romans 10:9-11 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”  Romans 10:9-11

“God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4  Will you embrace God’s kindness today?  Will you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Any other religion asks you to give your all for their god, but Jesus gave His all for us so that we could be reconciled to Him.

If you want to surrender your life to Christ today, pray this prayer, “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I am lost and separated from You because of my sin- my wrong thoughts, actions, and desires- I confess that. But I believe You died for me, You paid for my sin so that I could stand before You forgiven, justified, and redeemed. I ask that You would be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me Your child. I believe that God the Father raised You, Jesus, from the dead so that death and hell have no power over me. I know that one day I will stand in heaven with You as Your child, redeemed, loved, and chosen. Thank you for new life, for Jesus, and for Your mighty forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, would you let me know so I can be praying for you? You now have so many brothers and sisters in Christ who intercede for you and your spiritual growth and protection!  Welcome to the Family of God!

If you’re praying for a prodigal, consider this powerful resource, 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal. This book walks the reader through 40 days of intentional prayer for the heart of the one who is running from God. It includes a focus on God and His attributes, then an honest explanation of the sin and sorrow that pulls the prodigal away from God. Prayer is scripture-based and journal prompts allow the reader to thoughtfully record what they are praying and learning throughout the 40 day journey. Order your copy on Amazon today!

Don’t stop praying, God isn’t finished

Desiring Good that God Gives

“Do good to your servant according to your word, Lord. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.” Psalm 119:65-66

How do we determine what is ‘good’? What is the standard for deciding that? You see, there is ‘good’ according to the world and then there’s ‘good’ according to the Word. One is temporary, the other lastingly eternal. One is visible by the eyes; the other may only be perceptible by the heart and mind.

Knowledge according to the world is being ‘smart’, gaining learning, pursuing degrees and experience that will propel you forward to success. But Godly knowledge is knowledge of Him that is not just stored up in the mind, but in the heart. It’s knowledge that will propel someone forward in a walk with the Lord and toward an eternal reward, living side by side with Him. Godly knowledge is gained by a hunger of the spirit, seeking to know more of Christ, eagerly seeking to spend time in His word and committing it to mind and heart. It’s knowledge that puts everything else into perspective and that protects from everything that would lead to falling away from the Lord.

I remember trying to get my toddler to eat something and would repeatedly tell them, “It’s good! Just try it!” and they would turn their nose up, tightly close their lips and refuse. Until they tasted, they didn’t believe. Oh how that is such a picture of our spiritual heart! Until we taste the goodness of God, we don’t believe it will be sweet and pleasing. We balk at the suggestion that God is good. We resist the appeal. And then…oh, then, we take a taste and, “OH!”, it’s more than we imagined!

I want my family to desire the good that is from the Lord. I want them to taste and see that it is good! I want them to crave the knowledge He instills that would protect them from the enemy, give them discernment in this dark world, and would guard their heart and mind in Jesus. Let’s pray that for our sons and daughters and for us, as parents, too.

"Father, I pray that today you would do good to (name). Your word says that ‘good’ is pleasant to the senses, that which is excellent, valuable, appropriate and better. Please be gracious and bless my son/daughter in each of those ways and extend your goodness to them.”

“Help them recognize that the good they enjoy is a blessing from you. Lord, let them understand that Your good also includes gaining knowledge of you. Help them to seek it with all their heart. I ask that you would help (name) be teachable. Soften their heart, tune their ears to your words, help them discern what is right, true, and worthy and let them pursue it diligently.”

“May (name) throw him/herself on you, resting in your strength, trusting your wisdom and leading, and being confident of your protection. May the knowledge they gain today be godly and may their judgment reflect that. Guard and guide them today. May others see Your goodness in their life and long for a relationship with You as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

Full Surrender

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” 

“Here I am,” he replied. 

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”” 

Genesis 22:1-2

The story of Abraham and Isaac is a powerful one. If we grew up going to church and learning the Bible, we likely were introduced to the story as children: Abraham offering his son Isaac on the altar as God commanded. It may have seemed odd and even cold. But, as children, I doubt many of us understood the deep sacrifice God was asking Abraham to give. 

But when we become parents, that story takes on a whole new meaning. Could we even imagine God asking us to sacrifice the life of one of our children as a burnt offering - a sacrifice to Him?! We would be ready to lay down our life for them in a heartbeat, but to take their life as an offering to God? It asks too much…. Or does it?

We hold our relationships with our children very closely, as we should. They are precious and valuable to us. We cherish them. We invest in them. We hold them so dear. But, friends, sometimes our parenting becomes an idol. Sometimes we idolize something that God gifted us and asks us to steward, not worship. We fret and angst. We speak into their choices and relationships. We lose sleep, shed tears, and pray fervently. Yet we hold on so tightly that it may be a struggle to see God in the midst or be willing to allow Him to have His way. We want to protect, to engineer, to bring resolutions to the problems in our own power and wisdom. It’s not godly.

We need to be willing to lay it on the altar. That does not mean we disconnect from our sons and daughters, not at all. Abraham was present and speaking in Isaac’s life right up to the point that he raised the knife. He was parenting, but in submission to God. And Isaac trusted Abraham enough to surrender to what God was asking him to do. That is full surrender and it’s beautiful.

Abraham valued his relationship with God most of all. His trust of God and his obedience to God surpassed his need to cling to and protect Isaac. He was not willing to sacrifice his relationship with God for his son. He trusted that God could do more than he humanly could imagine. That is powerful and that’s the example we need to follow.

Here is a question to ponder: are we possibly holding those relationships dearer than our relationship with the Lord? Are we resisting what God is asking of us in order to preserve what we deem more valuable with our sons and daughters? Are we unwilling to lay them on the altar and allow God to have His way?

Perhaps we are like the parent who takes their child to the Emergency Room because they need skilled care, only to tell the doctor we know what’s best, directing his responses. And instead of trusting his wisdom, skill, and discernment, we stand in the way of his effectiveness. When we bring our children to the Great Physician, we need to trust His skill and care, not direct His responses according to our human wisdom. Lay it all on the altar.

As we step into this new year, it is a perfect time to practice full surrender of all God has given us and blessed us with. Oh, friends, I don’t have this all worked out either. It’s a daily choice to surrender to my Lord and Savior, asking Him to resolve those things that grieve me, the choices my children make that concern me for their future. It’s surrendering the worry over the ‘red flags’ that I see in their lives and relationships. It’s humbly recognizing my place, and my ability and power (or lack thereof) in light of God’s sovereign authority and power to effect change in their lives. He is God, I am not. He is wise, I have limited understanding. He is able, where I will falter and fail. Isn’t it best to trust Him and obey?

Take a few moments and pray. Envision yourself lifting those things that you hold dear and laying them on the altar to give back to God, don’t take them back down again. Place those things you worry over, the choices and relationships your son or daughter is pursuing, on the altar as a sacrifice to God- may He have the glory. You cannot change it, but God can. If we are willing to give it all over to Him and trust Him with the process, we will gain so much freedom and peace. 

Our sons and daughters belong to God; they are a gift from Him to us to steward, to raise, to nurture in the knowledge of God. It’s only right and fitting that we give them back to Him so He can have full sway over their lives. Oh, friends, we’re not losing them by giving them to God, we’re opening the channel for Him to work more freely and to use us more effectively. 

Maybe a new habit this year is praying a prayer of surrender every morning, laying all of the worries and cares, all of the precious things He’s given you, back onto the altar for Him to use, to bless, to be glorified by in our surrender.

Abraham trusted God more than he trusted his ability to engineer the situation. His trust became a hallmark of his life and it was an incredible example of following God to his son, Issac, and to us. Read Genesis 22:9-18

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.””

Is there anything you’re withholding from God today? Take inventory of your life, your relationships, what you value most and hold dear. Choose to give it all to the Lord so that He can have His way. We cannot protect our sons and daughters from what the Lord wills, but we can be an instrument of blessing, wisdom, discernment, and love if we choose to trust God and allow Him to have full control. 

Our sons and daughters can learn much from us if we are willing to allow God to have His way, completely. What blessings await because we obey?

“During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7

Take some time today to write out a prayer. Date it. Then revisit it through the week, the month, and this year, noting how God is working in their life and in yours. Pray that prayer of surrender every morning, laying all of the worries and cares and all of the precious things He’s given you onto the altar--Full Surrender. 

Pray without ceasing.

May He be Glorified.

Are you praying for a prodigal?  Don’t lose heart. God sees and He hears.  Keep laying your burdens in prayer at the feet of Jesus.  Trust Him, He is working.  You may not see it, but He works in dimensions that are beyond our comprehension.  Pray for those friends and associates that interact with your beloved prodigal, that God would use them to bring them to full surrender to Jesus as Lord.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one. The book addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration. Pray the words of Scripture in powerful and effective ways to plead with God about the  condition and situation of your beloved prodigal and watch God work!

Grab your copy today! 

Available on Amazon

God’s Children Rebelled, Too

God knows and understands what it’s like to have children who rebel.  He had rebellious children, too.

Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O Heavens! Listen, O Earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me,”

God kept His promise to Abraham to make him, his offspring Israel, into a great nation.

Genesis 12:2 “And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.”

Yet, in their greatness, they turned from God. It was a pattern- He would bless, they would praise, then they would become distracted, prideful and selfish. They would lose sight of God. He would chastise, they would return and for a while, be faithful, then it would cycle once again.

The Israelites knew what God expected of them. They understood His commands. Each day they would make sacrifices, but it simply became an act of going through the motions- a show of obedience when there was no willingness to worship Him. Their heart was not in it.

That’s why God told them “Stop bringing meaningless offerings!” Isaiah 1:13

As parents, our greatest prayer is that our sons and daughters would commit their heart and life to Christ. And our hearts are burdened when our sons and daughters don’t choose to follow Jesus and make Him Lord of their life. We were diligent to bring them up in the knowledge of the Lord. We took them to church, encouraged them to attend youth group, maybe Awana, Young Life, or Youth for Christ. But at some point, our children must make the decision for themselves. Who will they live for? Who will they serve? Being raised by believing parents is no guarantee that the children will choose to follow Jesus in faith. And when they choose a different path, our hearts are broken. Where did we go wrong? What should we have said, done, changed? Often we struggle with questions, doubts, and regret. But we need to remember, each one must choose for themselves. Though we parent adult children differently, we still pray as if they were our beloved little ones. And isn’t that how God looks at us? His little ones?

Joshua put the decision before the Israelites to state clearly who they would choose to serve:

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” Joshua 24:15a

Too often we (and I do mean all of us) get prideful and rebellious. We don’t want to be told what to do. We want to make our own decisions, be the captain of our own ship. The dialogue in our mind says, “You’re not the boss of me!” We reach a level of knowledge and experience that boosts our ego and our pride. And Satan loves it. He leads us on, feeds us thoughts and feelings that bolster our independent spirit. He lures us with the illusion of freedom from oppression when in reality, He is slowly binding us with the chains of slavery to sin. But we don’t see it.

Israel knew how to keep up appearances. They knew the language, the routines, the rituals, and the expectations. They could go through the motions. But God saw their heart and called them out on their lack of sincerity.

“But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”” Romans 10:21, Isaiah 65:2

Kids raised in church also know how to play the part. They know the words to say and the actions that demonstrate belief. But the heart is where the real truth resides. They see the truth of their own heart condition and it’s their decision as to where its affections will be directed.

Parenting adult children is challenging. Young people reach the age of knowing everything, right? They know better than their parents because they understand the trends, have the latest information, and are not ‘antiquated’ in their thinking. They're smart, switched on and progressive... they’re also deceived, prideful, and lost. They are easily entangled and led astray because of pride and foolishness.

We need to pray that God would call out our sons and daughters on their sincerity of heart toward Him. We cannot be their Holy Spirit. In fact, the more we address it, the greater the risk they will pull away and stop talking to us. We need to be thoughtful in our words, our timing, and our intention. We can’t change their heart- only God can.  In our angst and urgency, we need to surrender our own expectations and timeline to the Lord- a living sacrifice to His will and His way. It’s better. It’s perfect. It’s sufficient. We need to trust Him.

No sin is too great and no distance too far. Nothing is too hard for Him. He can soften the hardest heart, unstop the deafest ears, and move the immoveable. Not us. God and God alone.

Here’s the thing, Israel’s rebellion meant the gospel came to the Gentiles.  Think about that. God extended His mercy and grace to those who were not His children and He adopted us into His family and called us His children. He’s given us an inheritance. He put His Holy Spirit into us and marked us as His own, never to be snatched out of His hand. We are included in Abraham’s promise!!  

God wastes nothing. There is a much bigger plan at play here. Although it is about your son or daughter, there are so many facets of the situation and individuals who are unknowingly part of God’s plan. Perhaps there is another who will come to Christ because of the current rebellion of your son or daughter. Maybe God will use this rebellion to soften more than just the heart of your loved one. Maybe, just maybe, God will use this season of rebellion to prepare your son or daughter for a powerful ministry that reaches many for Christ. Pray. It is what you can do and no one can stop you.

God understands the rebellious heart and He made a way to reconcile that heart to His own. Don’t spend all your time fussing and worrying about the ‘what if’ or the sin that entangles. You know it’s there. God knows it’s there. He can undo it. Pray:

• That God would soften their heart

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

• That God would bring believers into your son or daughters life who would speak truth into them

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

• That their eyes would be opened and their ears unstopped

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,” Ephesians 1:18a

• For conviction of sin

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10

• That God would stir a longing for fellowship with Him- that they would hunger and thirst for righteousness

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6

• That they would not resist the Holy Spirit

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:36-37

God loves our sons and daughters even more than we do and He desires a relationship with them. He wants to be their Father, their Lord, their Savior and their Friend. He wants to give peace, joy, and fulfillment. He wants to remove their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh, one that is soft and pliable to His ways and desires to worship and serve Him.

Only He can do that. 

Today, pray through the scriptures above. Ask God to work in their heart and bring them to salvation in Jesus. Trust Him that He will work according to His will, in His time, and in His mighty power. Praise Him for what He will do!

Perhaps in reading this, you’ve realized that you need Jesus? Scripture says we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God- even the kindest, most generous person cannot make themselves worthy of God and heaven (Romans 3:23) But God made a way!  He gave Jesus to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice, once for all- we don’t need to keep sacrificing, Jesus paid it all!  His death on the cross satisfied the wrath of God towards our sin. (Romans 6:10). 

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)  God tells us that, “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 3:24-25)  It is for everyone- there is no sin too great that God will not forgive.

All you need to do is confess and believe. Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”” Romans 10:11

Simply pray this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner- from things I’ve thought, said, and done that are wrong. But I believe you died on the cross for my sin, paying the price so that I don’t have to. I believe you were buried and you rose again on the third day. I believe you sit in heaven at the right hand of God, advocating for me. And I believe when God looks on me, He sees You and Your blood that covers my sin. Please forgive me and be my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for You. I pray that the Holy Spirit would work in me to teach me, guide me, and protect me from spiritual attack. I look forward to standing in Your presence one day, redeemed, your beloved child. Thank you for forgiveness, for hope, and for life beyond the grave. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, send me a message!  I would love to encourage you and pray for you!

Are you looking for a great Christmas gift? Consider 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal. This is a 40 day journey of prayer through Scripture and journaling that guides the reader in praying God’s word over the prodigal heart. Available on Amazon

I’m praying that you all have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Thanks for following this year!

Join the PAC is taking a break, but will return in January 2026 with new devotionals and prayers to encourage parents as they pray! Cling tightly, love deeply, and follow Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Hungry Lambs

Recently I read a story about a family raising a flock of sheep on their farm. One of the lambs was orphaned and needed special attention or it would fail to thrive.  The father brought the lamb into the house and the family bottle fed it, kept it warm and socialized it.  Soon, it was a part of the family, following them around and enjoying life in the house.  But eventually, the time came for the lamb to return to the flock.  They took the lamb outside, put it in the pen with the other sheep and went back inside for the night. Except that the lamb didn’t want to be with the flock, in the dark, outside.  It knew what life was like inside the house with the father. It cried and fussed and longed to be back in the house. Soon the family realized that, at least for the time being, it was better to bring the lamb back inside so everyone would get rest that night.

I Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

That little lamb knew what it was like to be fed in the father’s house, and because he knew it was good and plentiful, it’s what he desired. The lamb cried and cried until it was let back into the house where he knew he would be fed. It mattered to him.

It made me think, have our children enjoyed intimate closeness with God so that they long to be in His presence?  Are they eager to return to His house to spend time with Him?  If asked, would they rather be with Him than not?

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

As parents, it is our duty, our responsibility to continue praying for our sons and daughters, even when they’re grown. We need to pray that they know what it’s like to be fed in the house of the Lord, with the words of the Word, nourishing and satisfying their souls. Oh that they would crave the spiritual food that would grow their faith, strengthen their knowledge and understanding, and deepen their love!

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually!”

Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters seek the Lord continually, not just on Sunday, but every day.  Pray that their deepest longing would be to know Him more, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to grow in their ‘epignosis’- their precise and correct knowledge of Him.

“Heavenly Father, You are a good Shepherd.  You lead us into lush green pastures and beside still waters so that our hunger and thirst are satisfied with the best You can offer.  Lord I pray for (name) today, let their spiritual hunger lead them straight to You. Don’t let them look aside to spiritual ‘fast food’ that is inch deep and overprocessed with thoughts and feelings of others. No, lead them straight to the Word where they can be filled with Truth that will change their life and draw them nearer to You. I pray that (name) would taste and see that You are good and in that, they would be spoiled for anything else. Lord help them to find joy in Your Presence so that they are continuously drawn back, again and again, to spend time with You. Lord, help me, as their parent, to model that. I pray that I would seek the Lord and His strength and His presence continually. Allow (name) to see an example in me of what it means to pursue God and find joy and pleasure in Him. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

Friends, can I ask a favor? If you’ve purchased and/or read 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal, would you be willing to leave a review? I’m so convicted that this book can bring hope and encouragement to those praying for prodigals and I am praying God would use it mightily. Your review can help point those looking for solid Biblical resources to this book. Thank you!

A Matter of the Heart

A heart condition is serious business.  It demands attention and requires certain actions, choices, and proactive steps to ensure health. Everything the individual does must be in line with supporting their heart health. If their heart fails, the rest of their body will fail as well.  

It is a powerful representation of our spiritual life.  If we know and acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, our hearts are aligned with Him. In light of that, our choices, actions, and what we consume will reflect our alignment with Jesus- all in support of a healthy life in Christ.  It is what we live for and what controls us, or it should be.

If we’re acting, saying, and consuming things that do not reflect and support a godly life, then we’re choosing to damage our spiritual heart and mind and live in conflict with the One we claim is our Lord. It brings into question then, is He truly our Lord? If what we’re choosing is contrary to holiness, then are we truly committed to Christ? You see, if you only claim Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord, you’re still living for yourself, and that’s idolatry.

“Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

If someone was drowning and a brave soul jumped in to rescue them, pull them from the water, and ensure they were safe on dry ground, that person would have a savior.  But if the drowning man chose to spend the remainder of his life demonstrating gratitude to the one who saved them, it would be a life lived differently; a life that reflects a change in values and devotion, a life spent honoring the one who spared him. When you choose a Lord, you serve that One with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Your life reflects your devotion to Him.  

The evidence of true repentance and salvation is more than just a verbal acknowledgement of Jesus as Savior. It is a daily choice to take up your cross and follow Him.  

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24. What does that mean, ‘take up your cross’? Taking up your cross means being willing to suffer for Jesus, to deny yourself and choose to do His will.  Perhaps it’s sacrificially meeting the needs of the least of these, those who are hungry, homeless, strangers, and orphans.  Maybe it means you choose service over success, or suffering over comfort.  Taking up your cross means willingly defending the faith, even with your life, because Jesus is your Lord and there is nothing better or more valuable to live for. It is a refocusing on the eternal, not the temporal, and an embracing of the promise of spiritual inheritance in God’s kingdom versus material gain and comfort in this life.

As parents, it’s important that we pray for our sons and daughters ‘heart condition’.  Where do they stand with the Lord? They know about Jesus, we’ve taught them much, but do they live for Him? They know the words to say, perhaps they acknowledge Him as their Savior, but is He their Lord? Oh, that we could know each of our children serve Jesus with their whole heart, their whole life! 

There is nothing more valuable that we can share with our sons and daughters than a strong faith in Christ.  Nothing else matters. One day we will all stand before the Lord and give account for our life, our worship, and our devotion. Will He say “Well done, good and faithful servant1” or “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”?

“Heavenly Father, I come before You today and pray that (name) would surrender their whole heart and life to You. Let them be a faithful follower of Jesus, not just in words, but in actions and heart. I pray, Holy Spirit, that You would stir in them a desire to follow after Jesus sincerely and with a deep conviction that regardless of what happens in this life, they are rooted and grounded in Christ, knowing that their life is hidden with Christ in God.  Help them to understand that being ‘in’ Christ encompasses so much- the Greek tells us that ‘in’ it is at all times, in every place, it is their state of being, what works in them and where they find rest (1). Lord, I lift (name)’s heart to You. Give them a healthy spiritual heart that beats always and only for You. Don’t let them be distracted by things that would separate them from You or weaken their spiritual commitment. I pray that they would spend time in Your Word daily, in prayer with You, in deep worship and praise of You so that their heart and mind would be transformed by the power of Your Word. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

Are you praying for a prodigal? Oh the heartache and heaviness of battling in prayer for one who needs to return to Jesus! Yet, you’re praying to the One who made their heart and knows it completely. 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is a great Bible-based resource to guide your prayer journey and bring you closer to the Lord with each passing day. Get your copy today and transform your prayer life in significant ways!

Available on Amazon

Seasons of Parenting

“For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Changing seasons can be hard, both on the calendar and in life.  We find we get comfortable in a season and we want to stay there, enjoying what we know, managing what we’ve become accustomed to, and not wanting change or challenge.  Too often, instead of celebrating something new, we grieve the changing of the seasons like there’s been a death and we mourn the end of what was that will never be again.

Parenting exists in seasons as well. Sometimes we fixate on the next season to come (Oh, when they’re finally sleeping through the night… when they’re potty trained…when they go to school) yet we miss the beauty and sacredness of the current season for the longing we have for the next. If we pined for summer when spring barely arrived, we would miss the beauty of new creation blooming from the softening earth, the flowers stretching toward the sunshine and the fresh green leaves unfolding to their full expanse, soaking up the warming rays of sun. There is much beauty in the Spring, in spite of the rainy, muddy, messy weather that often accompanies it.

Each new season brings new discoveries about us and our children.  We learn new things about ourselves and we watch in fascination as our children discover the world around them. We encounter pain and loss, but with them come growth and maturity. We learn from mistakes and we watch as our children do as well, and the next time they encounter the challenge, they meet it with greater wisdom and practiced experience.  Each new day is a day neither parent or child has lived before, isn’t that comforting? Both enter it as novices and finish it having mastered it as best they could and better prepared to do it again on the next new day. And God, in His graciousness, daily gives us new opportunities and new mercy to continue to learn, grow, and deepen our love for Him.

We watch our children grow up through the seasons and finally set out on their own and we see the autumn of our life creeping up on us, certain that our most vibrant  years are fading behind us.  But friends, look around you.  The autumn season brings some of the most vibrant colors and earthy fragrances that remind us of cozy fires, sweet fellowship, and drawing near for warmth and comfort.  Seasons are God’s way of renewing us and growing us in so many ways.

When we look at a tree, the rings inside tell a story.  We can see times of growth, times of drought, and even times of fire.  Our lives tell the same.  The seasons that God leads us through grow us into the mothers and fathers He desires us to be.  New growth in the spring often leads to mature fruit that flourishes in the summer.  Autumn brings a change of color and each tree seems to become even more individual from the others, showing colors all their own and bursting with the oranges, yellows, reds and golds that shout the glory of God in the autumn sun.  The individuality of each tree is more noticeable in the autumn. But then comes winter.  The leaves fall off, dried, brown and crunchy or limp under foot.  The branches are bare and the bones of the trees are exposed for all to see.  There is little beauty in the exposed, brown bark of the winter tree.  Yet there is still life inside and a resting and renewal process that is working under the surface, preparing for another season of fruit. Autumn isn’t the harbinger of death, it’s a signal of coming rest and renewal in which God does a deep work under the surface.

That’s how God works in us.  We’re not always going to be bearing bushels of fruit 100% of the time.  Psalm 1:3 tell us, “He [the man who delights in the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”  Did you catch that?  In its season.  The Hebrew word is ‘et’ and it means a fit and proper time (1). God doesn’t push us to be fruitful before we’re ready.  He prepares us, plants us, waters us, and gives us what we need to be fruitful for Him, as long as we remain rooted in His living water and the Truth of the Word. A tree doesn’t bear fruit right away, sometimes it takes years, the right climate, the right nourishment, and nurturing to help it grow.

We did that for our children, but friends, we need to be mindful of our own nourishment and growth.  We need to recognize that just because the ‘nest’ is empty, does not mean our usefulness is complete. If we’re nearing the autumn of our life, there is still much to do and much glory to bring to the Lord!  We need to be mindful of setting an example to our sons and daughters that our purpose in life was not simply to raise them, but our purpose was and is to glorify God and enjoy Him throughout every season of our lives.  

Though our sons and daughters may be grown and flown, our nest is still useful! Titus 2 tells us that the older women should teach the younger women.  Who is teaching our daughters…and whose daughters are we teaching?  Men, what example are you setting for your sons and for the sons of others? Now is perfect season to dig deeper into scripture, learn more and grow in your knowledge, understanding, discernment, and love of God and His word.  No longer are we consumed with diapers, play dates, sleepless nights and endless laundry.  We have a quiet house that lends itself to focused study and prayer, we can be that tree bearing fruit in so many spectacular ways!

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” Titus 2:1-8

How will your ‘colors’ be on display in this autumn season of life?  Will you choose to be vibrant and allow the Son to change you into something beautiful?  Will you gladly share it with those around you?  Why not be intentional to set a beautiful example for the next generation so that they will look forward to their next season of life, seeing that God works through us in each and every season to bring something beautiful that glorifies Him. Seasons are not the ‘end’ but the signal of a new beginning that holds promise and hope.  Cling tightly to Jesus and let Him fill you in this season to be all He intends you to be for His glory.

”Lord, God, You are the Lord of the Seasons and each one has purpose and design to accomplish what You will for our lives. I pray that in this season of being a parent to adult children, You would help me to push my roots deeper into You, Your Word, and to pursue Your will authentically and purposefully. I know that until I stand before You, I am not finished here and although my children may be grown, there is more for me to do for You. Help me to see where You are leading. Give me opportunities to serve. Help me to be the Titus 2 man or woman that You desire, speaking truth and life into those who are younger, living out the example of a godly man or woman. Lord, I know there is beauty in every season. Help me not to mourn what is behind, but to look eagerly for what is ahead. You are a God of hope and of new mercy. Help me to live in that each day and embrace what it is You have for me to do. Lord, help me to live for Your glory alone and to celebrate your goodness each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.”


Pray without ceasing.

1. H6256 - ʿēṯ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h6256/esv/wlc/0-1/

Parenting is Hard, Prayer is Vital

There, I said it.  It’s hard.  Social media would have you believe it’s all glorious and perfect…with just little hiccups between joyful photo shoots.  Nope.  It’s hard.  It can be painful…and ugly. But parenting is also sacred and worshipful.  The Bible shows us from the start that God is our Father and He works to build into us in ways that make us more like Him.  Parenting gives us that opportunity to model God’s character and selfless love. It’s not easy, but it’s beautiful and it’s valuable.

As parents, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that if we can just get through ‘this’ stage, it will be easier.  But ask any seasoned parent and they will tell you, with each new stage come new challenges and yes, new joys, too.  “I can’t wait until…” is often the mantra of the battle-weary parent, the one who is overwhelmed with sleepless nights, laundry, and diapers.  Then, the toddler years arrive and the child seems to have 1000 hands, boundless energy, and insatiable curiosity. I can’t wait until…. School, all the activities, sports, then driving, and dating, and before you know it, they’re off to college and then working, married, and with their own children.  How did it go so fast?  "I can’t wait until they’re grown and I don’t have to worry any more.” Ah, that is a faulty expectation. When you love someone, you will always carry concern for them, whether they’re 2 or 32. Each new stage of parenting brings new and often more complex prayers.

Our parenting doesn’t end when our sons and daughters become adults.  But our prayers change.  They move from “Lord, please let them sleep… to Lord, please wake them up, spiritually.”  The early years are filled with prayers for their physical growth and safety, along with their spiritual formation.  But as they grow and age, our prayer becomes even deeper because, as a parent, we no longer have the daily influence or the ability to steer them away from negative influences and dark places. Our prayers take on a deeply spiritual direction, not that they were not before, but there becomes a greater urgency and a deeper understanding of eternity and their place in it. The physical needs, although still present, are secondary to their eternal state.  We feel the heaviness of their spiritual condition and direction, we battle on our knees for protection from spiritual attack, and we plead with the Lord for His intervention…and for their recognition of it.

Parenting doesn’t get ‘easier’ it just shifts to another level of support, concern, and intervention- most of it spiritual.  Are you prepared for that?

Some may say, “I don’t know how to pray that way.” Oh friends, prayer isn’t just for the ‘learned’ or those who have a long faith history. Prayer is a practice, a spiritual discipline.  You just do it.  You start where you are and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.  You have a complete handbook to use- the Bible.  A great way to begin is by praying scripture over your sons and daughters; God’s word never returns void.  It is guaranteed to bear fruit. 

Remember, God works outside of time and space. He sees the end from the beginning.  He’s weaving people, events, places, and resources together in ways we cannot begin to comprehend  all to bring about that which He wills.  When we pray, we not only need to lift up our sons and daughters, but we need to pray for our own heart, that we would be surrendered to what God wants and that He would align our desires with His will. Be cautious.  Too often we pray with an answer or conclusion in mind.  Let God lead.

Today, let’s do just that. Let’s pray Philippians 1:9-11.  It’s straightforward and powerful.  Write it down and carry it with you this week and pray for your sons and daughters that God would do a work in their lives, reflective of the passage.

“And this is my prayer: that (name)’s love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that (name) may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

The Power of Forgiveness: breaking the chains that hold us hostage

“But I don’t want to!” 

I’ll admit, that was my own response to the Lord when someone offended me. I wasn’t ready to forgive.  I had all kinds of reasons to delay forgiveness. I wanted to hold onto the offense, coddle it, and hold it close because I was justified to do so (and others would agree, of course!) There was security and power in holding a grudge.  That person wronged me, hurt me, did or said things that were not right.  If I forgave them, I would be letting them ‘off the hook’ and that would be wrong…right?

We struggle to do what Jesus asks us because we think that if we forgive, we’re exonerating that person from their offense and we’re removing their accountability for what they’ve done. “Lord, if I forgive them, then they’re getting away with it!”  Satan deceives us into that mindset, friends along with the delusion that we have that kind of power.  Ultimately, God holds that ‘other’ accountable- He sees and knows.  They will stand before Him and answer for what they’ve done. No one gets away with sin. No one. Sometimes the law or the church can successfully bring justice or resolution, but be assured, the offense will not be forgotten, nor will it be dismissed in the eyes of God.  

But when it comes to our sons and daughters, our protective parental nature steps up to shield our kids and make sure they’re okay. We will fight for them when they cannot stand for themselves.  And we’re even more cautious and hesitant to offer forgiveness because we’re protecting our family and we want justice and to see payment for the offense.

“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Matthew 18:21

When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21).  I’m sure Peter thought he was being generous and righteous, taking the higher road, to forgive someone seven times was going above and beyond, right? 

But Jesus' response turned that around.  “Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)

Why would Jesus say that?

You see, forgiveness is not just for the ‘other’ person.  Forgiveness is for us who are offended and who struggle with the injustice of it.  Forgiving once isn’t enough because those feelings of injustice, hurt, pain, anger, bitterness and more come flooding back into our hearts in ever increasing waves and begin to put distance between us and God.  Oh, we justify it by saying we’re holding that other person accountable. But really, we’re poisoning our own hearts in our quest to justify our hurt and bring accountability to the other. Holding that other person accountable becomes our full time obsession and consumes our thinking, our being and steals our joy.

Studies show that harboring unforgiveness has a physical impact on our bodies.

“Chronic anger puts you into a fight-or-flight mode, which results in numerous changes in heart rate, blood pressure and immune response. Those changes, then, increase the risk of depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. Forgiveness, however, calms stress levels, leading to improved health.” (1) 

Unforgiveness can damage us for life and lead to a premature death.  It can be all consuming and ruinous.  Why would we allow something to have that much power over us?

The act of forgiveness releases that pain, hurt, and poison.  But it’s never a ‘one and done’ act. We need to forgive as many times as it takes for our head and heart to recognize and believe that we can trust GOD to hold that other person accountable and to be confident He will bring justice- it’s not for us to ensure.  Oh, if laws were broken and restitution is needed, of course it’s important to engage the legal system.  But friends, it’s even more important to engage our hearts with the Lord and surrender to His Lordship.  Why would we let someone else’s offense damage our relationship with God?  Then their offense becomes doubly-damaging.

It is not our responsibility to be the prosecuting attorney in the courtroom of the Lord.  That’s just not our job.  Essentially, when we do that, we are putting ourselves in God’s place and friends, that’s idolatry.  When we refuse to forgive, we are telling God we don’t trust Him to bring justice and resolution.  We question His authority, His power, and His lordship in our lives when we cling to unforgiveness. When we hold onto an offense, it becomes the ‘third wheel’ in the relationship and soon, it becomes the focus and God takes a back seat.

Instead, every time we feel that anger, bitterness, and pain bubble up, we need to say “I forgive them.”  Say it out loud, say it in your heart, say it to the Lord, and pray that He would help you feel that forgiveness.  We need to continue saying it until we truly feel the forgiveness that releases us from the bondage of bitterness that would damage our communion with the Lord.  We need to say it until we are no longer consumed by it.

Jesus told Peter to forgive seventy times seven because He knew how an offense and the resulting bitterness linger and unless we’re willing to give it to the Lord and allow Him to be our avenger, we will become hardened, bitter, and a victim of that offense all over again, and again, and again. 

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

Jesus also told Peter, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25). Think about that!  Do we want Jesus to forgive us?  If so, then we need to forgive others.  

Do you ever feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling but not reaching the Lord? Could it be you need to do some forgiving?

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

Now here’s an important parenting moment….of course our sons and daughters have encountered hurt and offense…how do we advise them?  And do we carry a grudge on their behalf? 

Oh, friends, when someone wrongs our kids, the “Momma bear” can come out and take over, right? But if we want to be an example of Christ to our sons and daughters, we need to model Jesus to them. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him.  Think about that.  Jesus forgave those who put Him to death. He knew that He held the ultimate power and that one day those same people would stand before Him…His love for them and His desire to see them know and follow Him as Lord and Savior eclipsed everything else.  Would Jesus deny them salvation?  No!  That was the very reason He was willing to die. And friends, that same Savior who holds ultimate power is the One who lives in us.  That same power that raised Him from the dead is the same power that works in us (Ephesians 1:18-20). The same Lord who conquered sin and death is the Lord who is in control of every aspect of our life. Why would we set that aside for the sake of holding onto the sinful attitude of unforgiveness?

Do we have a heart for others that, more than earthly justice and payback to others, wants to see lost people saved?  Do we want to see lives changed and surrendered to the Lord or are we clinging to our need for personal justice and accountability at the cost of eternity?

True freedom comes by praying for those who have hurt you.  Pray for their heart- that they would find forgiveness and purpose with life in Christ.  And pray that Jesus would heal your heart and help you forgive.  There is so much freedom in forgiveness.  There is joy, there is purpose, and there is a pathway to serving the Lord free from the chains of bitterness and unforgiveness. Satan uses unforgiveness to hold us hostage, but freedom is found in Christ and in the forgiveness He empowers us to embrace.

“Forgive.  Seventy times seven and keep forgiving until God grants you the freedom from the bondage of unforgiveness.”

The best thing we can do is to pray.

“Oh, Lord, it’s so hard to surrender control over the situations and people who have hurt me.  I know I don’t have the ability to bring justice, to make them pay for their offenses, and to restore what was lost.  Yet I’m afraid to let go and forgive because it seems counter-productive and in my mind and heart. In my human mind, forgiveness releases them from being accountable.  But Lord, I know You see it and You will take it in hand.  Psalm 10:14 reminds me, “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”  I am not Fatherless, Lord, because I have You.  I pray that You would see my trouble.  See the trouble of (name), my (son/daughter).  I ask that You would bring healing and freedom from the pain of the wrong done and from the bitterness and anger that fester.  Give us courage and strength to forgive, not just for the other person, but to maintain our relationship with You.  Please help us to not allow this to stand in the way of our fellowship with You.  So right now, I choose to forgive (name) for what they did and the pain they caused.  I forgive them Lord and pray that You would work in their life, bring confession, repentance, and redemption so that (name) would come to know You as Lord and Savior.  Help (name) to recognize that hurting others only tightens the chains of bondage that Satan holds over them and to understand that there is boundless spiritual freedom in following Jesus as Lord and. Bring healing and freedom to all of us, Lord.  I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

1. Forgiveness: Your health depends on it. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2024, June 20). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it 

Are you praying for a prodigal?  Don’t lose heart. God sees and He hears.  Keep laying your burdens in prayer at the feet of Jesus.  Trust Him, He is working.  You may not see it, but He works in dimensions that are beyond our comprehension.  Pray for those friends and associates that interact with your beloved prodigal, that God would use them to bring them to full surrender to Jesus as Lord.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one. The book addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration. Pray the words of Scripture in powerful and effective ways to plead with God about the  condition and situation of your beloved prodigal and watch God work!

Grab your copy today! 

Available on Amazon

Have you read 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal? Consider leaving a review! There are so many who could benefit from this resource, let them know! God is moving and working!

Don’t Ever Stop Praying

Are you feeling weary?  Does it seem like you keep praying, day in and day out, asking for change in your son or daughter’s heart, yet, each day goes by all the same?  Don’t give up!  God is working and it may be there is a wrestling going on in the heart of your son or daughter that you cannot see.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to bring conviction and surrender. Pray they would grow weary of the wrestling and surrender to God.

Remember trying to change your toddler’s diaper?  At times it was like wrestling an alligator.  The rolling and twisting was top rate. It was a battle of strength and agility, parental will pitted against toddler will with grunts, cries, and frustration on all sides.  Anyone watching got to see a full-on wrestling match, all in an effort to just change a diaper.  The toddler wanted their freedom, they had things to do, messes to make, and naps to avoid.  But the parent, the parent just wanted to clean them up and get them out of the mess they were sitting in.  They wanted the best for their little one. 

God wants the best for us, too. He is willing to step into the wrestling to get us out of the filth we’re sitting in. Maybe that’s just what’s going on in the heart of your son or daughter, a wrestling between their will and God’s. They wrestle and resist, wanting their own way, telling Him He’s unkind, unreasonable, and too demanding of them. He’s restricting their movement, harshing their fun.  They don’t see their mess…or if they do, they’re satisfied with it and just want to be left alone.  But, yet, they’re wrestling…and that means they’re engaging with God on some level.  Don’t stop praying!

Oh, how we want our sons and daughters to be surrendered to God so that He can do His work in their lives, don’t we?  Yet, they wrestle.  They resist.  And if we’re honest, we do the same.  We don’t want to be told what to do and heaven forbid God points out sin that needs to be addressed.  No one wants to hear that.  Yet, we have a loving Father who just wants to clean us up from the mess we’re sitting in.  He wants to give us a healthy spiritual life that is reflected in a godly testimony to others.  He wants us to live like Jesus.

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.  Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:3-6

Jesus didn’t wrestle with the Father, He submitted to Him.  Even when the Father asked our Lord to surrender His life to pay for our sins, Jesus did it willingly.  So when we wrestle with God, we’re not living as Jesus did.  We’re fighting God, kicking against His will and defying the Holy Spirit.

Keep on praying.  God is working and though we may only see the battle, He sees the heart.  He hears our cries..and theirs.  He is responding and working in ways we can’t fully understand.  He will not let them go, He’ll see it through because they need to be changed.  God refuses to let them sit in their filth forever.  

Let’s pray Scripture over them today:

Luke 5:12 “While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  Lord, I know you can make [name] clean.  I pray You would give them the desire to be cleansed and healed from sin.  Draw them to Your side, urge them to ask You for healing and deliverance. Help them to stop wrestling and look to You for rescue, redemption, and restoration.  I pray that [name] would pray Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” 

“Restore to [name] the joy of Your salvation and renew a right spirit in [name].” Ps 51:12 May Psalm 51:17 be the prayer of their heart, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

Oh what joy that would bring to my heart, and I know it would fill You with joy as well, Lord, to see [name] surrender to You and be in a right relationship with You.

Lord, conquer the wrestling spirit in [name] and give them the peace and joy that only comes from You.  I pray, Father, that they would see You have their best in mind, You want to bless them with joy, hope, and peace.  Clean them up, Lord. Give them a heart like Jesus.  In His name I pray, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

Are you praying for a prodigal?  Don’t lose heart. God sees and He hears.  Keep laying your burdens in prayer at the feet of Jesus.  Trust Him, He is working.  You may not see it, but He works in dimensions that are beyond our comprehension.  Pray for those friends and associates that interact with your beloved prodigal, that God would use them to bring them to full surrender to Jesus as Lord.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one. The book addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration. Pray the words of Scripture in powerful and effective ways to plead with God about the  condition and situation of your beloved prodigal and watch God work!

Grab your copy today! 

Available on Amazon

Have you read 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal? Consider leaving a review! There are so many who could benefit from this resource, let them know! God is moving and working!

Walking Away from Jesus

That a son or daughter has walked away from their faith is a realization that no believing parent or family wants to admit.  Immediately so many questions bubble up- why? What happened? What brought on this change of mind, of heart?!  Why, Lord?  Why our family?  What did I do wrong?

Sadly, it’s not rare. There are many young people who walk away from their faith while others run hard or slam the door shut on any conversation that might include God. Hurt, resentment, bitterness, disillusion all play a part in leaving faith.

Most often it’s a gradual process, happening over time and subtly. That’s how Satan works.  He’s slick, subtle, and sneaky.  He works his way in, stirring questions, whispering doubts, casting dispersions and cultivating discontent.  He speaks lies that are easily believed.  He plays on our emotions.  He attacks the mind in an invisible battle that often does much damage before the evidence is obvious to others. Satan is a master deceiver and his work is evident in the lives of so many sons and daughters who grew up singing “Jesus loves me” but now want nothing to do with Him. But this isn’t quitting religion as the world would have you believe, it’s abandoning a relationship between Jesus and the one for whom He died.

Often, by the time someone is walking away from their faith, the battle in their mind and heart has been rumbling or raging for a while.  By the time it’s evident, serious damage has been done.  Conversation does little, but prayer is powerful.

1. Our sons and daughters must make their own confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Faith isn’t inherited.  Yes, we can leave a legacy of faith, but no one enters the kingdom of God because of another’s faith. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9, ESV  Pray that they would be convicted to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

2. Drifting is easy.  It requires no effort.  And when one is drifting away from the Lord, it’s a gradual, passive change that often carries the individual far away from the Rock of salvation before the drift is even recognized.  Pray that the Lord would place firm barriers in the way of their drift.  Pray that He would anchor them in Scripture, would provide solid teaching, and would stir concern and attentiveness to their situation. "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3”17-19 

3. Leaving the faith is often motivated by misperceptions and selfish motivations that set oneself up as more important..essentially idolatry of self.  Pray that the Lord would call them out on their idolatry, bring conviction and change. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 warns us, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” Pray that our sons and daughters truly would have nothing to do with such people.

4. Environmental factors play a role.  Where and with whom are they spending time? How are these places and people impacting their choices, their values, their trajectory?  Pray that the Lord would bring strong, solid believers into their life…ones for whom they would have respect and appreciation, ones to whom they would listen and take to heart what is said. 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””

5. Many times a finger will be pointed at someone who said something or did something that turned the individual away from the Lord, from fellowship with believers, and from trusting the Lord.  Here’s the thing, people are poor representatives of Christ and too often, Jesus is judged because of the words and actions of others. Are we trusting in others or are we trusting in God? Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;”

6. What do they love?  What are they pursuing?  What is it that holds priority and purpose in their lives?  These questions will reveal where their  heart is focused.   Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

As parents, WE cannot change their heart- only God can do that.  But we can pray that He would intervene, wake them up and do what it takes to turn them back to Jesus.  That’s a hard prayer.  We don’t like praying “Lord, do whatever it takes” because there is fear of what that might be.  But friends, there should be a greater fear of what happens if they do not turn back to the Lord.

God may send a storm…and we may not like it.  But Charles Spurgeon said something so profound, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." If the storm God brings is the catalyst that turns the heart of our son or daughter back to the foot of the cross, then it is so worth it.  Would we rather protect them from pain and hardship here or allow God to do what He would to bring them back into fellowship with Him?  

If our sons and daughters are not willing to suffer for the Lord, they’ve bought into the lie that Satan weaves that tells us God wants our comfort, our success, and our happiness to overflow in this life.  That’s a prosperity gospel deception and is unbiblical. 

““...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33b

Yes, hardship, pain, and sorrow are part of walking with Jesus- He was a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief (Isa 53:3) but it is also filled with joy, hope, and assurance that  our eternity is secure. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2. But if we cling to Jesus, we WILL overcome the hardship, pain, and grief of this world.

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4

Let’s pray that our sons and daughters cling tightly to Jesus, no matter what. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal and protect from deception.   Pray that those who are drifting would wake up and turn back to Jesus.  Pray that God would do what He must to bring them back into the fellowship of the cross.

“Oh, heavenly Father, one thing I fear is that my son or daughter would drift away from You.  I struggle to think they may walk away, not loving You for all You are and all You do.  How could it be? Yet I know that a heart that longs for You is a work of the Holy Spirit, not the effort of my longing or result of my parenting. You’ve told me not to fear- fear is a tool of the enemy.  So I will pray to the One Who holds the future, Who directs my steps and knows my thoughts and sees my heart.  I will pray to the One who created my beloved (son or daughter).  You know them, You love them, and You desire right fellowship with them and worship from them.”

“Lord, You tell us in Psalm 139:1-6 that You have searched (name), LORD, and you know them. You know when name sits and when they rise; you perceive their thoughts from afar (even those thoughts that pull them away from You, Lord.) You discern their going out and their lying down; You are familiar with all their ways. (Lord, you see who they fellowship with, who speaks into them, and You see what motivates them- change this so they are motivated to seek You.) Before a word is on (name)’s tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (Guard their words. Consume their thoughts. Don’t let them stray, Lord.) You hem (name) in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon (name). (I pray in this that the Holy Spirit would be powerful and convicting- don’t let (name) ignore Your prompting and Your conviction.) I pray, too, that such knowledge would be too wonderful for (name), giving them no other choice but to bow to Your Lordship and surrender their heart and life to You. Lord, You are able to do more than our minds can imagine.  You are always on time, never late and never ill-prepared.  I pray that in Your time and perfect way, You would work on (name) to bring them back to the cross, back to full surrender and back to walking in step with You with a passion and conviction that would make the enemy flee.  I pray this all in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing.

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Are you praying for a prodigal?  What a dark and difficult road that can be. Don’t lose heart, friend!  Keep laying your burdens in prayer at the feet of Jesus.  Trust Him and know that He’s working.  You may not see it, but He works in dimensions that are beyond our comprehension.  Don’t forget to pray for those friends and associates that interact with your beloved prodigal, that God would use them to bring them to the cross.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal, is a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one. It walks you through 40 days of prayer on topics that impact the prodigal’s pathway, their excuses, their pain and sorrow and intersperses days of Sabbath encouragement for the reader.  

The book addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration.

Purchase your copy today and begin a deep, scripture-based prayer journey that will transform your heart and the heart of the prodigal as well!

Reflections on Psalm 138: Our Calls Don’t Go Unanswered

“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.” Psalm 138:3

Does God really hear us when we call?  If you’ve been crying out, with little to no response, it may feel like your cries are unheard.  

But remember when our children were infants?  We heard their cry and quickly moved to meet their needs.  But sometimes that meant doing something elsewhere before we came to their side because we were preparing to meet their needs in the best possible way. Maybe we sprinted to the kitchen to grab a bottle or stopped by the laundry room to grab a fresh sleeper and blanket.  Regardless, we knew there was a need and we were working to meet it.  Yet to our crying baby, it seemed like their cries were unheard.  They didn’t see us working.

How many times have you cried out to God and your cries are met with silence…or so you thought?

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Ps 34:17

The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Prov 15:29

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Ps 40:1

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. PS 116:1

God is faithful to hear us when we call and he’s always working according to His plan. 

He’s not indifferent and He doesn’t ignore us until we cry harder, louder, or get more desperate.  That’s not Who He is.  That’s not how He works.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Cor 1:9

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deut 32:4

God is a good Father. 

He moves to meet our needs.  Sometimes that involves other people, in other places, at various times and seasons, in ways we don’t see or perceive. Yet God is always working; nothing will thwart His will.  No obstacle will stand in His way. We need to trust Him- what is our alternative?  To whom else can we turn? There is no other name and there is no other Power that can intervene in divine and perfect ways.

The challenge for us is the waiting.  We don’t like to wait.  We live in an instant society where we get immediate results.  There’s no more waiting weeks for a reply by mail when we can simply text or email and get a reply within minutes..or even seconds. We get drive-through coffee, drive through lunch, and we can even get drive-through church.  So, we tend to think that God works the same way because He is able, right? And why wouldn’t He want to meet a need, fix a problem or redeem a disaster as quickly as possible?  Why wouldn’t He deliver immediate results, instant relief, and on-demand solutions?  Yet, in the waiting, we learn more about Him.  Sometimes God slows us down so we can listen and watch and in so doing, learn more about Who He is and how He works, we begin to treasure His attributes- His Sovereignty, His Immutability, His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence.

The theology of sourdough…

When we make sourdough (it’s a thing, I know… I have yet to dive into the process, but it’s fascinating), it all begins with the starter.  And that starter is fed over days…weeks, until it’s ready to use. During that process we watch, we look for signs that there is fermentation and growth, we check the sources that tell us what a mature starter looks like, smells like, and what signs show that it’s ready.  Then, a bit of the mature starter is mixed with the other ingredients to begin the breadmaking process. But even then, it’s still not ready.  The dough that’s been mixed needs to proof and rise. But all the while, from the time we make our starter until the time we pull that first loaf, warm and golden, from the oven, we know the result will be good, delicious, homemade bread that will satisfy our hunger.  We are willing to endure the process because the results will be satisfying and fulfilling.  Oh, friends, do you see the spiritual correlation?

Isn’t that so much like taking things to God in prayer?  We can be confident that He WILL answer and that it will be perfect, according to His will.  And when we call on Him?  He will make us bold and stouthearted.  Note that the writer of the Psalm didn’t say God answered His prayer, no, he said that in calling on Him, God made him bold- to embolden, make sure, strengthen (1) and stouthearted-strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise):—boldness, loud, might, power, (2).  God encouraged his heart because the author called on Him. God answered by strengthening His child, not by solving the problem.

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Ps 55:17

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. Ps 6:9

Why, then, would we rush the God of the Universe and be angry toward Him for working all things according to His will and His timeline, which are perfect and sufficient?  Would we have Him rush for our sake?  Would we have Him speed the process and lose the depth and beauty of the result? Would we have Him skip over what might be the most meaningful lesson or impact of the situation just to deliver the solution or relief? Do we love God because He delivers or because of Who He is and who He’s made us to be- His children?

We can and should cry out for God’s help daily.  We should bring our burdens to Him, fully turning them over to His care and sovereignty.  What would we do with our burdens if we kept them to ourselves?  We would carry the weight of them, worry over them, try and fix them, but all without success.  We must unburden our hearts and minds at the feet of the Savior, first asking for forgiveness of our own sins and then asking for His answer to all that burdens us. Then, we need to trust His process. Let it rise. Let it work. Look forward to the wholesome, nourishing result that will come in God’s perfect time.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; PS 66:18

Today, take time to pray to the Lord and surrender your burdens to Him.  Then, pray about your sons and daughters and the burdens they carry. But first, root out the sin in your own heart.  Make sure that you are right before the Lord.  Don’t look at the splinter in the eye of someone else.  Deal with the lumber yard in your own heart.  Give all of your cares, offenses, arguments, woes, and worries to the Lord.  And then, cry out to Him and wait in expectation.  He’s listening and He WILL respond.  Wait with expectation and hope.  He never disappoints!

Today, write out a prayer to the Lord, calling on Him with trust and expectation, reminding yourself that His solutions are always sufficient and on time.  

Pray without ceasing.

1. H7292 - rāhaḇ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7292/niv/wlc/0-1/ 

2. H5797 - ʿōz - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5797/niv/wlc/0-1/

Reflections on Psalm 138: Unashamed Praise

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;

    before the “gods” I will sing your praise;

I will bow down toward your holy temple

    and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

    your name and your word.  Psalm 138:1-2

How do our sons and daughters praise God?  Do they do it quietly and secretly, embarrassed or awkward if others are nearby?  Or do they praise with boldness and joy, wanting others to see their devotion and passion for the Lord?  It matters how you praise.

In Psalm 138, David speaks of praising God with his whole heart.  The word for heart is the Hebrew word ‘leb’ and it means “the inner man, will, mind and heart” (1).  He praised God with all that he had in him.  He praised God with all that he was.

He wasn’t ashamed to praise the living God before the ‘gods’ of this world, the elohim- those rulers, judges and divine representatives at sacred places or those who reflected divine majesty and power, both the tangible and those that abide in the dark presence of the spirit world (2).  

Sometimes, if we’re honest, we hold back because we’re afraid of judgment from others or perhaps we’re intimidated or feel awkward.  God doesn’t ask us to ‘make a scene’ but He does want  us to represent Him boldly and unashamedly.

When do we praise God?  Is it only when we feel inspired? Grateful?  Joyful?  Praise should not be dependent on how we feel. On the contrary, praising God is fully dependent on Who He is, unchanging, eternal, immortal, almighty, forgiving, redeeming, merciful, faithful…you could go on and on extolling His attributes and character.  That should be what inspires our praise.  Praise should be a daily practice, regardless of our feelings, our circumstances, and our attitude.  

Praise has the power to change our perspective and our attitude.  It shifts us from a ‘me’ focus to a ‘He’ focus and in so doing, it changes us.  It lifts the darkness.  It brings God into clearer focus and helps our spiritual mindset become clearer and unencumbered by the cares of this world and the oppression that seeks to derail us.  It moves us from a focus on the temporal to a focus on the eternal.

Did you know that darkness cannot abide where praise dwells?  1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” That’s why, when we experience dark thoughts, and when oppression is strong, we need to praise the Lord.  Step into His presence, sing His praises, give thanks for all He’s done and Who He is.  The darkness will flee; it’s incompatible with God’s light.

Psalm 22:3 tells us that God is enthroned on the praise of His people… He inhabits our praise… think about that.  When we praise God, we are celebrating, honoring, and immersing ourselves in His presence.  No wonder the enemy flees! There is power in praise!  

As believing parents, we want our kids to understand and experience a vibrant spiritual life that comes from being redeemed and actively pursuing Jesus.  We want to see them consumed with praise for the Lord because He’s done a work in their life.  We want to see evidence of spiritual vitality and a passionate commitment to Christ.  And God wants to see it, too.

Praise shouldn’t be limited to Sunday mornings.  Nor should it be reserved for the ‘good times’ or mountain top experiences. Praise is what kindles and holds fast the mindset of all things focused on Christ.  It takes our eyes off of us and our problems and sets them firmly on our Creator and Redeemer who will make all things new (Rev. 21:5) and will reconcile all things to Himself (Col. 1:20). Praise isn’t ambiguous, either.  Praise is God-focused, purposeful adoration and worship of our Lord and Savior.

Scripture gives us SO many reasons for praise; here are seven scriptures to pray over our sons and daughters this week, asking the Lord to help them recognize these truths and to fill them with a deep need to rise up and praise His name!

1. We are made in His image. Even in our fallen human state, surrounded by sin and incapable of pleasing God, we are image-bearers of the Creator. Praise God for His amazing Creation!

   “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Ps 139:14

2. God counsels us, even when we’re not aware- He’s working in our lives. Praise God for His eternal wisdom, counsel, and truth.

   “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.” Ps 16:7 

3. God sees our grief.  He is the only one who can turn our sorrow and heartache into joy and make beauty out of the ashes of what happens in this fallen, sinful world. Praise Him for His powerful comfort and understanding.  Jesus is a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief- He knows; praise Him for that.

   “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Ps 30:11-12 

4. He is our joy and delight- what else can compare?  We can praise Him through music- (even if we’re not musical)!  God enjoys our sounds of praise!

   “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Ps 43:4 

5. He is righteous.  He is our hope.  He alone is our salvation and His goodness is beyond measuring. Praise the Lord that our God is greater than our minds can ever fully grasp!

   “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord ; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.” Ps. 71:14-16

6. His redemption is powerful, eternal, and free. Praise God!

   “I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you- I, whom you have redeemed.” Psalm 71:22-23

7. There is not a blessed thing in this life that can separate us from His love! There is no distance, power, or authority that can overcome His love and purpose. Not a thing. Praise the Lord for His mighty, eternal, unchanging love!

   “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

This week, let’s do two things.  First, model we need to model what it means to praise the Lord.  Do it every day.  Do it boldly, with joy!  Next, we should pray daily for our sons and daughters to come to a new place of praise and worship for and of God in their own lives.  Pray that they learn that it’s more than just motions or out of obligation, but it is a genuine need and command to rise up and praise God because of all He is and all He’s done in their lives.

Pray without ceasing, friends!

1. H3820 - lēḇ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3820/niv/wlc/0-1/ 

2. H430 - 'ĕlōhîm - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h430/niv/wlc/0-1/

Prodigal Prayer

Are you praying for a prodigal?  The scriptures above are so appropriate to pray for those who don’t know the Lord or who are rebelling against His presence and purpose.  Pray through each verse asking God to melt their hardened heart, open their eyes to see Who He is, open their mind to understand the Truth of Scripture, give them the ability to receive the knowledge of what Jesus did for them and to embrace His redemption and forgiveness.  Friends, nothing can thwart the purposes of God and He does not ignore the pleas of His children.  Pray fervently, pray faithfully, and watch God work.

Are you looking for more scripture-based encouragement, prayer, and guidance in praying for the prodigal?  40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal is an excellent resource that will transform your prayer life on behalf of your beloved prodigal.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration.

The enemy will do all he can and use every power at his disposal to deceive and twist the truth so that anger, rebellion, and disillusionment take hold. He wants nothing more than to drag our loved one into darkness and eternal death.

When readers step into 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal they should be ready to battle in prayer like never before. They will prepare their hearts with their own surrender to God and then they will speak the words of Scripture back to God in effective and powerful ways, speaking specifically over the condition and situation of their beloved prodigal. Transformation can begin in the life of the prodigal and in the reader’s own heart as well.

The companion journal is available so the reader can track what they learn and discover along the way. This in-depth, Biblically-centered devotional and prayer guide will lead the reader in deeper understanding of scripture and in effective prayer for redemption and freedom in Christ for the one who still wanders.

link to purchase

Who Influences You?

It’s true, the people we spend time with are the ones who have great influence on us. We begin to reflect, imitate, and resemble them in our thought, speech, and action.

Consider why we often see those who are successful in business associating with others who are of equal caliber?  They learn from one another and propel their business acumen to greater heights. Tennis players want to play against those who are more experienced, and who have stronger skills because it challenges them and pushes them to improve their game.  The same should be said of our choice of friends. Who makes us a better person? Who pushes us to be exceptional? Who sharpens our faith and disciples our walk with the Lord?

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”” 1 Corinthians 15:33

When we spend time with people of good character, we tend to make better choices. But the opposite is also true. When we associate with people who are more poorly behaved, have bad habits, and are less principled, we tend toward the same if we’re not intentional to maintain our personal standards and our commitment to live for the Lord.  It’s a far-too easy capitulation and one that takes us down a slippery slope.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn

When our children were little, we were particular about who they spent time with.  We didn’t want them picking up inappropriate behavior or language.  We wanted to ensure that the influences on them were positive and Godly, pushing them in the right direction and impressing on them the kind of person they ought to be, cultivating in them the character and habits that reflected Jesus well.  Yet, now that they’re adults, we can’t manage that for them.  They need to stand on their own convictions.

Who our sons and daughters choose to associate with for fun, encouragement, mentoring, and more all have an impact on them.  Will they choose those who will push and pull them closer to the cross or will they choose compromise, little allowances here and there because “what can it hurt?”  Will they compartmentalize their life, living for the Lord on Sunday, but living their own will on the weekdays?  Will they pursue success according to the world or the Word?  Each choice to allow something questionable weakens their spiritual armor that protects them from the enemy.

“Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – Booker T. Washington

Our sons and daughters are continually being pressed to compromise, tolerate downward-trending morals and overlook indiscretions- both their own and those of others. Peer pressure in high school has nothing on the peer pressure in today’s social scene, corporate world, military life, and beyond.  Our sons and daughters are in the thick of the battle when it comes to the challenge of standing firm and choosing their associates wisely - are we praying for their protection?

As parents, we ought to pray daily that our sons and daughters cling tightly to the cross and that everything they choose to say and do, each place they choose to go, and each person they choose to embrace is filtered through the godly worldview that is founded on Scripture.  Does it please the Lord?  Does it represent Christ well?  It truly needs to be asked, what would Jesus do? And if He wouldn’t, don’t.

“Choose your friends carefully for you will tend to be like them and be found where they choose to go.” Thomas Monson

The question is, who do our sons and daughters want to become and how do they want to be known? What do they value most?  We cannot answer those questions for them, but I guarantee, we know the answers we want to hear.

As parents of adult children, our influence has shifted.  It looks different and our greatest leverage is in prayer. Today, let’s pray fervently that our sons and daughters choose their friends wisely.  Pray that they would heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to refuse to compromise their values.  Pray that they would be salt and light, not shunning those who don’t know Jesus, but living like Jesus amongst them, showing compassion, love, and choosing what is right, no matter what, so that God is glorified.

“Lord, I know (name) is confronted with pressures to compromise their standards and their faith. We live in a world that mocks Christians and abuses Your name.  I pray that You would surround (name) with others who love You and serve You.  Give them courage and conviction to stay true to their faith and morals when they’re confronted with opportunities or temptation to compromise.  I pray that Your Holy Spirit would prompt and remind them and help them to be sensitive to His voice.  Lord, I pray that they would not find the world appealing but would constantly run to You for their affirmation, encouragement, and anchor.  Remind them of the hope they have in Jesus and the eternal blessings of following Him.  Lord, let them shine Your light amongst those who are chasing after things that will not satisfy.  Don’t let them join in the chase.  Help them to choose good company and build good character in them.  I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Are you praying for a prodigal?  Don’t lose heart.  Keep laying your burdens in prayer at the feet of Jesus.  Trust Him and know that He’s working.  You may not see it, but He works in dimensions that are beyond our comprehension.  Pray for those friends and associates that interact with your beloved prodigal, that God would use them to bring them to repentance and a redeeming relationship with Jesus.

Consider this new resource, 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal, a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration.

The reader will prepare their heart with their own surrender to God and then they will speak the words of Scripture back to God in effective and powerful ways, praying specifically over the condition and situation of their beloved prodigal. Transformation can begin in the life of the prodigal and in the reader’s own heart as well.

Grab your copy today!  Read and share!

Available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Days-Prayer-Prodigal-Brenda-Reid/dp/B0DVS4276K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UNUQ5ZTSBIIT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5n5ECUI59G0FLdQNhOrdQvdZ5HBlSHBkaMLZ42MVPjGGqh6VzkY9UvGa2yFUnTJB4EyKbzrJOXcAWub8Ra2Ir8b-jYHlu9OehGxlpFV0pxfGrip6Y-qGP1hizpnu4IZfA5M1NO6Rno2e0o26PnOUuC_kFOmE0cY0Cyx-1Pwi6u3PunSf_tm-TWDCVWPcVmVhTApplEAv4_YKscVRDWSn3S28xew_lVG9unmZ2j0hiuk.JJQwEGpAJFuzp2AW_-PrEg5DjQ5MfylDeC_RKqIZaFo&dib_tag=se&keywords=40+days+of+prayer+for+the+prodigal&qid=1748958321&sprefix=40+days+of+prayer+for+the+prodigal%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1

Direction or Distraction: Practicing Discernment

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

New opportunities can be exciting!  They can mean new locations, experiences, and relationships. The possibilities seem endless and the world is wide open.  This could be what we’ve been waiting for…or not. But not every opportunity is one we should take.  How do we discern what is the right choice?  How do we guide our sons and daughters in the process?

Remember when our kids would come running in, breathless and excited, words tumbling over one another in an effort to tell their news, the exciting opportunity, the new discovery or adventure they just learned of?  Maybe it was a ‘business idea’ (my daughter’s lemonade stand, in the middle of January, snow on the street and not a soul in sight) or the chance to go to camp (no, honey, you’re only in first grade, you have to wait a few years). But as our sons and daughters grew and matured, the opportunities also matured and grew, “Mom, I have to tell you about this guy…” “Dad, I’ve been considering signing with the Army…”.  “Oh, we wanted to tell you guys, we’re moving….to another state.”  

Throughout their lives, our sons and daughters will be presented with opportunities, or relationships, or even goals that would help direct and shape them.  But just because it’s presented to them doesn’t mean it’s of God.  That’s where discernment comes into play.  The first question to ask is whether this is direction or distraction.  Is God leading or is the enemy trying to derail us?  Just because something is ‘good’ does not mean that God wants us to follow it or embrace it.

Discernment is something God asks us to practice.  It helps us understand God’s will, His prompting and leading, and gives us clear direction to go and do or stay and wait.  But it’s not something we just ‘grow into’ naturally.  Discernment is provided by the Holy Spirit through our fellowship with Him and through our growth in our walk with the Lord.  The Holy Spirit will provide clear spiritual discernment, but we need to be listening and willing to respond to His voice and His leading.

Paul says in Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Discernment is a product of our love for God that is demonstrated in our pursuit of knowledge of Him and depth of insight into Scripture.  The Apostle Paul isn’t just talking about the act of knowing information but the knowledge discussed in Philippians 1:9 is the Greek word ‘epignosis’ which means “precise and correct knowledge”. It is the word used for “things ethical and divine.” (1)

We don’t just pursue knowledge, for the sake of accumulating ‘facts’ and information, but we pursue a relationship with God. Knowing the Lord more deeply, understanding His character, pursuing His heart will enable us to understand His love for us and empower us to imitate Jesus Christ and reflect Him correctly (Philippians 2:5-11).

In addition to proper knowledge, Paul also mentions ‘depth of insight’ or good judgment in verse 9.  The Greek word here is aisthesis and it means “perception or discernment.” (2 ) The growth in our knowledge of God brings discernment and that discernment is the ability to “test, examine, prove, scrutinize to see whether a thing is genuine or not.” (3)  Isn’t that what we pray our sons and daughters would do when presented with an opportunity or decision? We want them to examine it carefully, not based on ‘feeling’ but on knowledge and insight of what and where God would lead.

It’s all connected. Precise and correct knowledge leads to effective discernment and, in turn, that discernment ensures effective decision making- the ability to know whether an opportunity is a direction or a distraction.

As parents, we must tread carefully as we listen and advise.  We don’t have the liberty to tell our adult children what they can and cannot do- they are adults and regardless of how much we want to just say “No!” Or “Wait!” We need to practice discernment as well.  If we are too vocal, we risk them backing away or perhaps withholding information to prevent our opinions and interference from swaying them or from guilting them into a decision.  We don’t want their decision-making to be based on pleasing us, we want them to discern clearly and decide wisely based on God’s will for their lives. Colossians 1:9 is an excellent verse to pray over our sons and daughters as they make decisions and discern whether an opportunity is direction or distraction.

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,”

Then, we can encourage them with these two steps:

1. When we are presented with opportunities that seem amazing, we need to pause and pray.  Is this of God? How can I tell?  How would this create opportunities to use my gifts and talents in ways that bring Him glory?  Is there any ‘caution’ that I see in moving forward?  

Proverbs 19:2 “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”

2. Next, we should seek wise counsel.  Share with spiritual mentors what we believe God is leading us to and to get their insight into whether we are being wise or whether we are only seeing what we want or hope to see.

Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Ask if they’ve spoken to their pastor or a spiritual mentor.  Pray with them.  Pray for them.  Ask the Lord to clearly show whether the opportunity is a direction or a distraction. And understand that our son or daughter may need to hear from someone besides us.  Pray for that person. There is mighty power in prayer.  It’s not the least you can do, it’s the best you can do.

As parents, we need to have honest conversations with the Lord. Ask Him to put up barriers if the opportunity is a distraction. Ask Him to reveal those things that are of concern and are not of Him.  Pray that He makes it evident for all to see, especially our son or daughter.  But if this is God’s direction, ask Him to affirm it.  Pray that He would make it clear this is the path to follow.  And pray that He helps our heart embrace His leading too, because sometimes He asks our sons and daughters to go places and do things that are far away and hard.  Sometimes He leads them to decisions that are not our favored outcome. Take heart, obeying God is always better, even if the direction is not what we would have chosen.

Discernment doesn’t mean inaction.  It doesn’t mean resistance.  It means active pursuit of God’s will, understanding His heart, His leading, and His direction.  The more you spend time with Him, the better you understand and hear His voice.

Let’s pray for discernment for our sons and daughters so they can clearly see His direction and avoid the distractions that would pull them away from following Him.

“Father, You are a good Father.  You love and care for us in ways we often can’t see or fully understand.  You are working all things for our good and Your glory.  I pray for (name) today.  As they face decisions and make choices on so many things: relationships, direction for their career or life, locations to live, work, and worship, I pray that You would give them discernment.  Grow them in their knowledge of You.  Give them depth of understanding of Scripture.  Help them to bear fruit that would give evidence of a strong relationship with You.  All of these are necessary for Godly discernment.  Lord, make them pause if they are leaning on emotions or ‘feelings’. Affirm when they are moving in the right direction.  I pray that You would bring other believers around them to speak truth into them, encourage them, and yes, also caution them about potential dangers or missteps that would take them away from You.  Lord, if (name) does not have a personal relationship with You, I pray that even today Your Holy Spirit would bring conviction and a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Stir in their heart a desire to set aside every idol and to make You Lord of their life.   Grow them in wisdom and knowledge so that their discernment would reflect that which glorifies Christ, not themselves.  Give them a desire to serve You and to please You.  Help me to parent well in this season of adulthood.  Help me not be selfish or controlling but to trust You and Your leading.  Your ways are better than mine.  Give me peace as I pray for (name).  In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Pray without ceasing

1. G1922 - epignōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1922/kjv/tr/0-1/

2. G144 - aisthēsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g144/kjv/tr/0-1/

3. G1381 - dokimazō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1381/niv/mgnt/0-1/

Are you praying for a prodigal or know someone who is?  Consider this new resource, 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal, a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one.

40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration.

The reader will prepare their heart with their own surrender to God and then they will speak the words of Scripture back to God in effective and powerful ways, praying specifically over the condition and situation of their beloved prodigal. Transformation can begin in the life of the prodigal and in the reader’s own heart as well.

Grab your copy today!  Read and share!

Available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Days-Prayer-Prodigal-Brenda-Reid/dp/B0DVS4276K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UNUQ5ZTSBIIT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5n5ECUI59G0FLdQNhOrdQvdZ5HBlSHBkaMLZ42MVPjGGqh6VzkY9UvGa2yFUnTJB4EyKbzrJOXcAWub8Ra2Ir8b-jYHlu9OehGxlpFV0pxfGrip6Y-qGP1hizpnu4IZfA5M1NO6Rno2e0o26PnOUuC_kFOmE0cY0Cyx-1Pwi6u3PunSf_tm-TWDCVWPcVmVhTApplEAv4_YKscVRDWSn3S28xew_lVG9unmZ2j0hiuk.JJQwEGpAJFuzp2AW_-PrEg5DjQ5MfylDeC_RKqIZaFo&dib_tag=se&keywords=40+days+of+prayer+for+the+prodigal&qid=1748958321&sprefix=40+days+of+prayer+for+the+prodigal%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1