Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Power of Prayer

by Mollie

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 I hope that all of you are recovering from Thanksgiving and gearing up for Christmas!  Last week I sent out an email about the power of prayer and praying for our kids.  Nicole, our new co-director, gave me an article titled "31 Ways to Pray for Your Children" and it has been great! I shared that first 5 with you last week.  Quick recap..
 
    The author, Bob Hostetler, said "Each day of the month, in addition to praying for their safety ad for the concerns of that day, I also ask God to plant and nurture in them a specific character trait, virtue, or fruit of the Spirit, through my and my wife's efforts, through the influence of others, and through their own actions and decisions."

  The first 5 are:

  #1: Salvation. "Lord, let salvation spring up within them, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isa 45:8, 2 Tim 2:10)

 #2: Growth in grace: "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

 #3: Love. "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Eph 5:2, Gal 5:22)

 #4: Honest and Integrity. "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Ps 25:21)

 #5: Self-control. "Father, help them to be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thess 5:6)


   I don't know about you, but praying those five things for my children really challenged me.  Beyond the fact that I want my children to have these five qualities in their life and I can PRAY for these things to come about, my children need an example. I SHOULD BE THAT EXAMPLE.  I think when I realized that in its entirety my stomach hit the floor, and then my knees.  I need to be dousing my children with prayer and the protection of the Holy Spirit AND praying these things to be true in my husband and my life as well.

  Here are your next 5:

 #6: A love for God's Word. "May they grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb" (Ps 19:10)

 #7: Justice. "God, help them to love justice as you do and 'act justly' in all they do" (Ps 11:7, Micah 6:8)

 #8: Mercy.  "May they always 'be merciful,, as [their] Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36)

 #9: Respect (for self, others, and authority).  "Father, grant that they may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Pet 2:17a)

#10: Strong, biblical self-esteem. "help them to develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:10)

  I hope that you find the opportunity this week to pray these specific prayers over your kiddos, it will bless YOU more than you know.

Blessings,
 

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