Along with providing you the opportunity to submit your prayer request(s) online, we also want to allow you this great chance to share your Praise Reports with everyone in contact wtih this site.
Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. -Psalm 63:3
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16b (NLT)
Devotion:
Research shows that our children are wandering from the faith. "Why?" we ask. The answer is not simple. Even the experts realize the reason our children wander from the faith is multifaceted. The truth is our children are straying from Christianity rapidly as soon as they move into their twenties. According to a recent George Barna study, "In total, six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood." Again, there is no concrete answer to the questions of why our children wander. But I know this statistic holds true in my own life. I became a Christian at the age of 15. I was on fire for Jesus. I loved Him from the depths of my soul—with all my heart, mind and strength. But then in my mid-twenties I walked away from my faith. Why? For me, it was because I could not understand pain and suffering. If God was good, how could He allow all this junk in my life? I remember going to my pastor's wife for help with this question. However, I felt she criticized me for my lack of faith rather than help me comprehend God's ways. So I didn't return to her for counseling; instead I turned to my friends who seemed to understand my confusion. Sadly, they weren't walking strong in their own faith and inadvertently led me further away from God. For seven years I walked in a desert of destructive sin. Finally, after years of frustrated living, Jesus drew me back to Him. It wasn't a big church event. It wasn't a friend who witnessed to me about my sins. It was the Spirit of God who nudged me back to being a devoted follower of Christ. It wasn't mystical. It was not full of fireworks—it occurred in a Volkswagen Jetta in the parking lot of Knott's Berry Farm. It was just Jesus reconnecting with His lost lamb because of the prayers my mother prayed for me. I do believe wholeheartedly that my mother's prayers were answered. Her prayers never wavered. Her love never failed. She persevered when the future looked bleak for her eldest child's faith walk. Never underestimate the power of a parent's prayer. Our key verse declares, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." If you are a parent of a wandering child, hold fast to this verse in your mind and pray for your child. God hears. He answers. I know this to be true because I was child who wandered, but was brought back by the fervent prayers of a praying parent and the loving hand of God. Dear Lord, give me the strength and faith to keep praying for my child. Help me understand, though it might take years, You are a God who hears and answers the prayers of a praying parent. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Have you ever been in a situation that seemed like such a mess you simply couldn't make sense of it?...I think everyone has some point of their lives. The only thing standing between our mess and His good work from it is our need to sit quietly. In the quiet beautiful things happen:
* We calm down. * We create some white space between our harsh reaction and the way we'd want to react if we really thought things through first. * We can ask God to intervene with real wisdom instead of our assumptions. * God can show us where we need to change. We can't control the other person and parking our efforts toward trying will exhaust us. But we can let God help us change, which will create positive progress.
I always have a hard time with words and never know what to say. My heart and mind say one thing and the tongue says another...so needless to say I am learning with the help of our Lord! - GOD IS GOOD
Ephesians 4:29, "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift." (MSG)
Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (NLT)
When Your Child is Afraid
Glynnis Whitwer
"'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.'"
Psalm 91:14 (NIV)
When I was a child, my sister and I would set out on our bikes early Saturday morning. No helmet, cell phone, sunscreen or water bottle accompanied us. We might be gone for hours without communicating with our mother. Now as an adult, I wonder how I survived my childhood.
Those days are long gone for most children. The carefree days of yesterday have been replaced by vigilant protection and numerous warnings. Sadly, it seems our children have more to fear than we did 20 years ago. If not more to fear, then at least we are more aware of the dangers facing children. Consequently, many kids struggle with anxiety and fear.
There was a time when my youngest son Robbie struggled with fear. Nothing traumatic happened to him as a young child. It's just he has always been more sensitive than his siblings. Perhaps having two older brothers, Robbie was incorporated into games or television shows slightly above his maturity level. It's hard to pinpoint the reason for the fear, but when he was younger it manifested itself mostly at night. Robbie consistently had trouble falling asleep, and then would awake with bad dreams. It was a difficult cycle.
Being a fear-inclined person myself, I knew no amount of my reassurances would really help Robbie. And as he got older, Robbie knew my ability to protect him was limited. So night after night, I was startled awake by a shake on the shoulder and whisper in my ear, "Mommy, I can't sleep." I knew I had to do something to help Robbie rest easy, and for me to get some sleep.
We did two things to help Robbie deal with the night fears. The first was to personalize Psalm 91:14-16:
"'Because (Robbie) loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect (Robbie), for he acknowledges my name. (Robbie) will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with (Robbie) in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy (Robbie) and show him my salvation.'"
I wrote it on a 3"x5" note card, which he kept by his bed. Reading that Scripture at night reminded Robbie to place his trust in the One who could protect him in times of trouble.
Second, we specifically prayed for God to protect Robbie from bad dreams. This is a nightly habit we developed over 10 years ago, and continue to this day. Every night I hold the hand of my now 14-year-old son, and pray the prayer I started praying so many years before. We can both testify to God's amazing faithfulness to protect Robbie even in his dreams.
The times I have struggled most with fear are the times I have placed my trust in someone or something other than God. It is my prayer as a mother, that my children will learn at an early age there is One in whom they can trust, and who is ready and able at the breath of a prayer to intercede on their behalf.
Dear Lord, I praise You for Your faithfulness to answer my prayers. I know only you are powerful enough to protect me and my children in every circumstance. Please guide me and give me wisdom as I deal with fear in my own life, and in the lives of those I love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Thank you LORD!
God bless you always.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS - Rev. Luz Celeniar Tirado, Senior Pastor
61 Winthrop Street ~ Taunton, MA 02780
(508) 822-3454 ~ Fax: (508) 821-3147
BACK TO HOME
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." - Mark 13:37
