Week 4: Family

What makes a family?

If you are following the news and/or Hollywood you will know that family has been broaden to same sex couples and the right to have children outside of wedlock. If you value the judo-christian model of family you are qualified as an outdated and old fashioned snob. I can live with that. Can you?

Family is God's design and His first covenant with us. Family is important to God and therefore family is important to us. Strength comes from family.

So what makes a family?

Prayer focus

Remember that you are part of God's family. John  3:16
As part of God's family pray that you will always honor the name you bear. Proverbs 11:29
Be mindful and watchful over your family. Proverbs 31:15

Thoughts to ponder

"Commitment, prayer, romance, forgiveness and even Legos are all part of growing a spiritually strong family. I challenge you to become a part of a family revolution, one that reclaims our world for the glory of God—one heart, one marriage, one home at a time." Dennis Rainey

Action Steps

Share God's words with your children Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Pray for your husband Proverbs 31:30
Pray for your children
Pray for your extended family
Lift up the family of believers Hebrews 10:25
Make God the cornerstone of your home Psalm 127:1


Memory Verse Ecclesiastes 4:12

I can do all things.....

When the end of the school year comes I breathe a sigh of relief..... No more getting up super early, packing lunches, making sure all the homework is done, staying on track with projects and field trips. The list goes on and on and on......

I crave the summer days when the schedule is more relaxed and consist of getting up and seeing what the day has to offer.

On my run this morning I finished with Matthew West's song "Strong Enough". In the song he explains how he knows that he is not strong enough but that he can do all things through Christ.

At the end of the school year I know that I am not strong enough and yet I feel overwhelmed and tired. Can I really do all things through HIM?

Then it dawned on me that I can do all things that God wants me to do. He will give me the strength to day to face what He needs me to face.

I do pray over my to do list (sometimes) but I rarely ask God to prioritize things for me. What does He want me to do today.

I can do all things {insert all things that God needs me to do, that are in His will}. 

If you are feeling stressed and stretched out and running on empty, ask yourself the one thing that you are doing that is not within His will. Sometimes it is something simple like not doing ALL the laundry at once or plan a fancy meal on a soccer nights.

Slow down. Breathe. Smell the roses. 

You will soon realize that you can do ALL THINGS that matter through HIM!

Week 3: Wisdom

I have found it difficult to ponder wisdom. The topic is so wide and I am not wise. Then I remembered this quote by Dr Seuss "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."

What is wisdom?

According to the Hebrew culture, "Chokhmah (wisdom) is a response to the teaching (torah) of the personal God (YHVH), who is holy and just, and who expects those who know him to exhibit His character in the affairs of life."

Wisdom is a response to the teaching of God. 

From the NIV version there are 219 mentions of wisdom and 189 mentions of the word wise.

This seems like a good place to start.

Prayer Focus

Ask God to fill you with wisdom James 1:5

Ask God to reveal to you times when you have been wise in your own eyes Proverbs 3:7

Pray that when making decisions you will fear God more than men Psalm 11:10

Ask God to reveal to you how you react to heated situations Proverbs 29:11

Thoughts to Ponder

"knowledge is knowing the tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad." Miles Kington.

Ray Ortlund Jr. wrote that "Wisdom is more than brains. It is more than morals. We could memorize the whole Bible, and mean it from the heart, without wisdom. Wisdom is skill, expertise, competence that understands how life really works, how to achieve successful and even beautiful results." (Click here to read the rest of this article)

What wisdom do I speak? Proverbs 10:19

Do I rely on the wisdom of men or on the power of God? Proverbs 19:21

Do I walk in wisdom? 1 John 1:7

Do I think wisely? Luke 6:45

Action Steps

Pray, pray, pray and when you are done pray some more. 

Fear God in everything you say, think or do.

Look up all the verses on wisdom and memorize the ones that speak to your heart.

Read Job 28 and meditate on it.

 Memorize Job 28:28

Watch and sing along :)

Week 3 of "7 Weeks to a Healthier Heart" series

Week 2: Surrender

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be they name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done...
Matthew 6:9-10

                                                                                                                                               

I have been crucified with Christ 

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 

The life I now live in the body, 

I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² 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 12:1-2

Prayer focus...

Pray for a spirit of repentance, asking God to make you "faithful and true". 

Spend time in quiet prayer  examining your heart/mind for areas of  disobedience, disbelief, anxiety, rebellion, idolatry, unforgiveness...

Ask God to show you, to teach you, to empower you to "surrender" all to Him.

Ask for FAITH to believe.

Thoughts to ponder...

Have I surrendered my life to God and received eternal salvation?

Do I TRUST God? 

Am I following the ways of the world? Or am I following the way of God?

Am I faithful with my money, my time, my resources, my family....?

What do I need to surrender  today, right now?

Action Step...

One day or every day this week - physically “open your hands”, kneel, or lay down in position of surrender to the LORD asking Him to help you to trust Him fully.

Listen to praise and worship music and meditate on what it means to "surrender"

 SONG - Lead Me to the Cross

Share "your story" of surrendering to CHRIST with your family & with a friend this week.  

Pray with someone this week concerning these things. Be real & be specific as you pray.

Memorize: Galatians 2:20

Week 2 of "7 Weeks to a Healthier Heart" series

Week 1: Praise & Thanksgiving

Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens!  Ps 150:1

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are His*;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name.For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. 
Psalm 100    
 *Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves

Prayer focus...

Think on the words of this Psalm and Worship Him.

Spend extra time this week focusing on praising His name privately and publicly.

Pray for a joyful and thankful heart despite circumstances.

Thoughts to ponder...

What are 10 things off the top of your head you are thankful for?  

What trial or challenge are you presently or recently thankful for? 

How can you “enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise” this week?

Action Step...

Keep a praise/gratitude journal for self and/or family.

Make a praise jar for the summer and decide together a way to celebrate when the jar is filled.

Commit to waking up each morning with praise on your lips! Let the first words out of your mouth be a word of thanks or praise. "Thank You God for this day" Phil 4:4-13

Share your list of things you are thankful for with someone.

Memorize: Psalm 100  

Week one of "7 Weeks to a Healthier Heart"

Persecuted but not crushed

Act IV
Final scene
setting: Galilee, mountaintop
the disciples, Jesus

Jesus enters....

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Curtain. Lights out.

Those are the last recorded words of Jesus while he was still on the earth. His final command. Make disciples. Share my love. Otherwise known as the Great Commission.

But he never promised that it would be easy. On the contrary he warned us about persecution and opposition.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

Recent statements by the Pentagon have raised some eyebrows in the Christian community. Statement such as “Religious proselytizing is not permitted within the Department of Defense. Court-martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome in specific cases.”
The definition of proselytizing, according to Webster Dictionary is “to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause”. The definition of evangelizing , according to Webster dictionary is “to preach the gospel to; to convert to Christianity”. It is a very fine line between the two and it would appear that Christian rights are being attacked.

What are we, Christians, to do? 

Rejoice! Yes rejoice!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3
We are to evangelize following Jesus’ commands and when face with this kind of situation he commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

Friends I urge you to pray and love on those who are attacking the basic right of sharing your faith. More things will be done for the Kingdom if we follow his commands. Let us not respond with harsh words but with love. Let us not point the finger and belittle those who do not believe but pray for them.

Let’s forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).

National Day of Prayer

Take a stand today and pray.

Pray for our nation.

Pray for our families.

Pray for our children.

Pray for our soldiers.

Let's all set aside this day to pray and draw close to God.

Let us diminish and let Him increase.