Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community: Humility

You younger men. likewise. be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. 
1 Peter 5:5-6 NASB

Reflect on this statement, inspired by today’s Scripture, and let it guide you into prayer:

I pray that my children will be honoring to those You have placed over them. I pray they will give honor to everyone, especially the elderly, and learn to know Your heart when You said, "I have not come to be served but to serve."

Prayer

God, I thank You for being my all-in-all, for being above all, and ruling over all that is in heaven and on earth. Thank You for those You place over my children, and thank You for using those individuals to help shape them, mold their character, conform them to Your image, and prepare them for the things You have planned for them.

I pray that my children will be honoring to those You have placed over them. I pray they will give honor to everyone, especially the elderly, and learn to know Your heart when You said, "I have not come to be served but to serve."

I pray that my children's hearts will never be filled with pride, puffed up, or prone to look down on others. May they be humble vessels who are aware of their needs, who are broken and contrite before You, and who realize, moment by moment, their total dependency upon Your grace.

I pray my children will give honor to everyone.

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children.
This post first appeared on DaySpring.com, you can read it here.

Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community: Remembrance

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
and not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me.
Isaiah 49:15-16 NKJV

Reflect on this statement, inspired by today’s Scripture, and let it guide you into prayer:

May my children always be aware of how much they mean to You, how precious they are in Your sight, how tenderly You carry them in Your thoughts, and that their names are written on the palms of Your compassionate hands.

Prayer

Thank You, Father, for being a God of compassion who feels deeply and cares greatly for my family. Thank You that through Your compassion, my children can know Your inner feelings for each of them personally, sense Your tender touch upon them, see the riches of what Your heart holds for them, and experience the fullness of what Your love brings to them.

Father, I am amazed to realize that Your love for my children is even greater than the love I have for them and that the depth of Your feelings for them goes even deeper than what I hold for them. What a great comfort it is to know how much You care for them, and that they are always in Your thoughts.

May my children always be aware of how much they mean to You, how precious they are in Your sight, how tenderly You carry them in Your thoughts, and that their names are written on the palms of Your compassionate hands.

Thank You for being a God of compassion.

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children. This post originally appeared here. 

The Way

Jesus,
You are my entry way,
My open way,
My only way.
Because You are my door—
No foe can keep me out,
Block me out, or lock me out
From the promises, the blessings,
The treasures, and the joys
I have in You.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community

Through love serve one another. Colossians 5:13 NKJV

God has not only called us to know and enjoy Him but He has also called us to know and enjoy others. Each child of God has been placed into a family of believers. The outflow of our fellowship with God will bring us into fellowship with others. God has made us dependent upon one another. We need other people, and they need us to grow and be supported, helped, encouraged, loved, prayed for, enriched, guided, cared for, and blessed.

As children grow and mature, parents need to be in prayer about the friendships their children form and the influence their lives will have upon others. Through every stage of life children can be a blessing to those around them, including family members, classmates, teachers, and others in the community.

The next few days we will learn more about praying for God’s love to shine through our relationships. We will pray intentionally about honoring God and others with a humble heart and remembering God’s love in all we do. Today, prepare your heart for this time of devotion with this short prayer:

Lord, be with us in each of our relationships. Teach us to have contrite hearts that live for Your glory. Help us to honor You and all Your children with dignity and respect. Give us servant hearts that are prepared to help using the gifts and talents You’ve given to us. Let us see others as You see them.

Through love serve one another. Colossians 5:13 NKJV

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children.

This devotion first appeared on DaySpring.com 

Four Enemies of Faith

It is impossible to please God without faith. Hebrews 11:6 NLT

Here are four enemies of faith:

Enemy #1 “Not me”
There used to be a prayer of the uncommitted that said, “Here I am Lord, send my brother.” When you say “not me” you place the focus upon yourself, your limitations, and weaknesses. However, faith says, “God can.” Gideon told God, “I can’t” but God told Gideon, "(You can) because I have sent you and I will be with you."

Enemy #2 “Not now”
When you say to God, “Yes, use me.” that does not mean that your obedience of faith is complete. You must, by faith, add this commitment to our prayer, “Yes, Lord, use me in your time.” God wants to use you in His appointed time, not yours. You cannot live a life of faith and put things off for another day when God tells you to do it now, and you do not want to become frustrated and anxious if tells you to wait.

Enemy #3 “Not here”
Sometimes we think we can serve God better and more effectively if we were somewhere else and with other people. We can think, “I will serve You Lord when You send me to the mission field; I will let my life be a witness for You when I am with strangers, but not when I am with my family and friends here at home.” God wants you to trust Him to work through you in the place He has put you.

Enemy #4 “Not that way”
Faith cannot lean upon the arm of the flesh, but must lean upon the arm of the Lord. Often, our flesh wants to take over or be in control when responding to what God asks of us. God’s ways are not our ways. Our faith must respond to what God wants us to do and how He wants us to do it, even if that way may seem inconvenient or take us out of our comfort zone.

Let your obedience be complete by responding to God with the “Yes” of faith— allowing Him to use you, to use you now, to use you where you are, and to use you in the way He chooses.

Note: This theme originated, not with me, but with the following two quotes…The first quote is by A.W. Tozer, and the second by E. Stanley Jones.

“Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!” -A.W. Tozer, The Tozer Pulpit, Volume One

“ A minister took the first step to victory when he arose and said in a meeting: “‘I can’t’ and ‘tomorrow’ are the twin evils of my life, crippling me and my ministry. ‘I can’t do things,’ or ‘I can’t do them today’—these are the paralyzing hands laid on me.” He was on his way to victory in the honest segregation of these enemies and in the recognizing of them as such.” –E. Stanley Jones, Abundant Living

©2018 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.