What an encouraging verse! How comforting it is to know that the victory is God’s! He rules over the whole earth and nothing takes Him by surprise! No matter who wins the election in November, he will be subject to our God who reigns over all! Take heart, my friends, and keep praying! Never give up. That is a tool of the wicked one! We ARE on the winning side! Thank you, Lord!
1. Praise for God’s people who are working hard to see that the Truth gets out to all who desire to hear it.
2. The choosing of the VP candidates appears to be close. Keep praying!
3. Pray for God’s mercy on our land as we continue to go in a direction that is contrary to God’s Word.
4. Pray that God will do whatever needs to be done in order to bring the hearts of our leaders under His authority!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Prayer Requests for July 24, 2008
Sometimes it can feel like we are pretty powerless against the things that are going on around us in the circumstances of the coming election! And we ARE powerless in our own strength! It is easy for fear and discouragement to creep in. But God wants to remind us that He is the One Who has power and He Will accomplish whatever He intends through all that is happening. We need to keep our eyes on Him and He will fight the battle for us! Let’s remember who our Commander is and let’s trust and follow Him.
1. Rumor has it that the VPs may be chosen soon. Pray for wisdom for those making those decisions.
2. Pray that we Christians will remember that God is on our side and He WILL prevail.
3. Pray that those running for President will make decisions based on Godly morals and not on what the polls say.
4. Pray that Christians will vote according to Biblical standards and not on their financial or any other monetary concerns.
1. Rumor has it that the VPs may be chosen soon. Pray for wisdom for those making those decisions.
2. Pray that we Christians will remember that God is on our side and He WILL prevail.
3. Pray that those running for President will make decisions based on Godly morals and not on what the polls say.
4. Pray that Christians will vote according to Biblical standards and not on their financial or any other monetary concerns.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Discernment - Proverbs 22:6
We are working through some lessons inspired by the verse in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” We have covered a couple of basic topics of Salvation and the fear of God. Another concept we need to train into our children is discernment, how to distinguish between right and wrong from a Biblical perspective.
The first principle that needs to be understood is that outside of Biblical guidelines, there is no “right” or “wrong”. For the Bible is the foundation of all that relates to God Who is the source of our knowledge of “right” and “wrong”. Apart from a knowledge of God, we are all left to decide what is right or wrong for ourselves. Your children must have this foundational understanding before they will be able to learn to discern.
I want to explain how to approach this teaching in a way that I hope you will understand. It is a way that is very clear to me, so I will try to describe it to you. I think that we need as parents, to build what I call a “grid” in the hearts and minds of our children. You see, there are many areas requiring discernment that come up in a day and it is hard to have a “discernment rule” for each circumstance. If we build a grid into the hearts and minds of our children, then when something comes up, if it doesn’t fit their “grid”, they will know how they should respond to it. A “grid” is basically a network of concepts and principles we all have to one extent or another, that we use to make daily decisions in life.
We have all heard the saying that “square pegs don’t fit into round holes”. Well, that is kind of like a “grid”. As our children are growing up, we need to teach them Godly Biblical principles. As we do this they can apply these principles to most or maybe all of the situations that will come up in life. And one principle that will cover those issues that may not be covered by the grid is this – If in doubt, don’t! (Romans 14:23) In other words if something isn’t clear based on the grid that is in my heart and mind, then it is probably best not to do the thing in question. An example of how a “grid” works is this: If we teach our children the principle in Psalm 101:3 (I will set no wicked thing before my eyes…), then when the TV is on and something comes on that is not uplifting, they will know that this is the kind of thing we should not watch. It is, of course, necessary that you teach them to be sensitive about what things are wicked in order for this to work, but I think that is very do-able as well. Teach them Biblical guidelines of how people should dress. Teach them Biblical behavior within the family and within the community. This requires that you spend a lot of time with them so that you can use every teachable moment. Watch TV with your children so they can see how you apply the principle taught in Psalm 101:3. This concept of discernment will not happen in five minute segments that fit between your work schedule and all the other things that you want to do for your own pleasure. It is a daily talking with them as you walk with them each and every day as stated in Deuteronomy 6.
Another Biblical principle is the one taught in Hebrews 10:25 where we are admonished not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. If your children have been taught this principle in Word as well by example, then when something comes up that interferes with one of the scheduled services of the church, your children will know how to make the decision of which event takes priority. I hope these two examples (and there are many more) give you an idea of how to help your child construct a “grid”. You as the parent need to give them the tools from God’s Word and set the example in order to accomplish this, but it is worth the time and effort to reap the benefit of a child who knows how to discern for a lifetime!
The first principle that needs to be understood is that outside of Biblical guidelines, there is no “right” or “wrong”. For the Bible is the foundation of all that relates to God Who is the source of our knowledge of “right” and “wrong”. Apart from a knowledge of God, we are all left to decide what is right or wrong for ourselves. Your children must have this foundational understanding before they will be able to learn to discern.
I want to explain how to approach this teaching in a way that I hope you will understand. It is a way that is very clear to me, so I will try to describe it to you. I think that we need as parents, to build what I call a “grid” in the hearts and minds of our children. You see, there are many areas requiring discernment that come up in a day and it is hard to have a “discernment rule” for each circumstance. If we build a grid into the hearts and minds of our children, then when something comes up, if it doesn’t fit their “grid”, they will know how they should respond to it. A “grid” is basically a network of concepts and principles we all have to one extent or another, that we use to make daily decisions in life.
We have all heard the saying that “square pegs don’t fit into round holes”. Well, that is kind of like a “grid”. As our children are growing up, we need to teach them Godly Biblical principles. As we do this they can apply these principles to most or maybe all of the situations that will come up in life. And one principle that will cover those issues that may not be covered by the grid is this – If in doubt, don’t! (Romans 14:23) In other words if something isn’t clear based on the grid that is in my heart and mind, then it is probably best not to do the thing in question. An example of how a “grid” works is this: If we teach our children the principle in Psalm 101:3 (I will set no wicked thing before my eyes…), then when the TV is on and something comes on that is not uplifting, they will know that this is the kind of thing we should not watch. It is, of course, necessary that you teach them to be sensitive about what things are wicked in order for this to work, but I think that is very do-able as well. Teach them Biblical guidelines of how people should dress. Teach them Biblical behavior within the family and within the community. This requires that you spend a lot of time with them so that you can use every teachable moment. Watch TV with your children so they can see how you apply the principle taught in Psalm 101:3. This concept of discernment will not happen in five minute segments that fit between your work schedule and all the other things that you want to do for your own pleasure. It is a daily talking with them as you walk with them each and every day as stated in Deuteronomy 6.
Another Biblical principle is the one taught in Hebrews 10:25 where we are admonished not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. If your children have been taught this principle in Word as well by example, then when something comes up that interferes with one of the scheduled services of the church, your children will know how to make the decision of which event takes priority. I hope these two examples (and there are many more) give you an idea of how to help your child construct a “grid”. You as the parent need to give them the tools from God’s Word and set the example in order to accomplish this, but it is worth the time and effort to reap the benefit of a child who knows how to discern for a lifetime!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Prayer Requests for July 10
As we march through this election season, it is hard to see much righteousness in our political system. This verse in Proverbs reminds us of where we have come! BUT, God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL that we could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) and He has called His people to prayer! What a privilege it is to serve our God and let’s be obedient to Him by spending time in prayer for our land! What a wonderful God we serve!
1. Pray for forgiveness for our culture as we have gravely sinned against God.
2. Pray for God’s mercy upon our land!
3. Pray that righteousness WILL prevail in our courts and our government institutions.
4. Pray for the Vice Presidential choices that are being made! Pray that God fearing men will be chosen!
1. Pray for forgiveness for our culture as we have gravely sinned against God.
2. Pray for God’s mercy upon our land!
3. Pray that righteousness WILL prevail in our courts and our government institutions.
4. Pray for the Vice Presidential choices that are being made! Pray that God fearing men will be chosen!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Happy Birthday America
James 1:17 is just a reminder for us of the source of everything we have, both personally and as a nation! We hear a lot of whining and complaining in our country and we have lost our ability to be thankful as a nation! We are the most blessed nation that the world has ever known and yet we have such an ungrateful spirit! I wanted to focus this week on all of the blessings we have as a nation and as people and remember that God has blessed America well before any of us were here! God blessed us with a Christian heritage that allowed us to build a culture that is still reaping the rewards of that Christian foundation. Let’s be thankful for our blessings and don’t let anyone catch us complaining about the issues that we face as a nation that pale in comparison to the lack of food, the disease and catastrophic natural disasters that have occurred in other parts of the world! And let’s not forget the last part of the verse that reminds us of the faithfulness of God! He is the only constant in our lives and with Him there “is no variableness nor shadow of turning”.
1. Praise the Lord for America and for the freedom we enjoy every day of our lives!
2. Praise the Lord for the freedom we have to pray anywhere at any time!
3. Praise the Lord for the natural beauty of our country He has created for us to enjoy. None of us has to travel far to find some natural manifestation of Creation.
4. Praise the Lord for the ability to get to the grocery stores where we see more food in one glance than many in other countries see in their lifetime!
5. Praise and pray for the men and women in our country who are spending their time and lives spreading the Gospel over Christian radio and television!
I could go on for a long time, but I think you get the picture! We truly have much for which to be grateful and we need to give praise to God at every opportunity and show a thankful heart for all the blessings of living in America!
1. Praise the Lord for America and for the freedom we enjoy every day of our lives!
2. Praise the Lord for the freedom we have to pray anywhere at any time!
3. Praise the Lord for the natural beauty of our country He has created for us to enjoy. None of us has to travel far to find some natural manifestation of Creation.
4. Praise the Lord for the ability to get to the grocery stores where we see more food in one glance than many in other countries see in their lifetime!
5. Praise and pray for the men and women in our country who are spending their time and lives spreading the Gospel over Christian radio and television!
I could go on for a long time, but I think you get the picture! We truly have much for which to be grateful and we need to give praise to God at every opportunity and show a thankful heart for all the blessings of living in America!
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