Day 1 - Obedience

Children obey your parents in everything, for this is right. - Ephesians 6:1

Getting my son to obey is one of the greatest challenges in our relationship, maybe THE most challenging! Brooke talks about how we can MAKE our sons obey, but the most important thing is to make our relationship reflect God's love. She states, "Obeying God is intimately linked to loving Him. If we focus too much on forcing our boys to change their outward behavior, and forget to hold out the great depth of love that sent a Savior to the cross, we're running the risk of raising little Pharisees."

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me...
-John 14:21

Brooke shares some insight on why it is so vitally importance that sons learn to obey:

-Submission to authority is something every person will experience for their entire life (whether to the government, a boss, or God).
-When our sons become husbands, they will have to lead their family. Brooke quotes Tommy Nelson, saying if a man cannot submit to Jesus, he cannot lead his wife/family.
-Obedience leads directly to the Gospel message.

In praying for and teaching obedience to our sons, we are setting them up for success. So today let us seek the Lord on behalf of our son's obedience.

May my son walk after the Lord and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice. May he serve Him and hold fast to Him. (taken from Deuteronomy 13:4)

Here are the points we are committing to everyday:
1. Get up early and pray over our sons.
2. Pray the prayers one at a time throughout the day.
3. Make the prayers part of family devotion time, praying the prayers out loud over our sons.
4. Spend time in concentrated prayer late at night, around bedtime.

Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most

Tomorrow I am starting a 21 day challenge to purposefully pray for my son everyday. I got the e-book here, at Brooke McGlothin's Warrior Prayers' Blog (scroll down and you can get a FREE copy until 2:30est today).

I am a mother of one son, N, who will be three in August. He is a wonderful child - but rowdy for sure who humbles me constantly by the things he does and says. I am passionately pursuing the next 21 days of prayer for my son because I know that even if my parenting skills are perfect (which they will NEVER be), I do not have the power to change my son's heart. Only his Maker does.

There is a battle going on for the hearts and souls of our sons. This battle must be fought on our knees.

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
-1 Samuel 2:12

Wait, Eli was a priest! How did he raise sons that did not know the Lord? This should wake up the body of Christ - boys are being raised "in church" who do not know the Lord. We are called as parents to raise sons into Godly men and a huge piece of that is prayer over our sons.

Brooke states, "All it takes to lose the truth of the Word of God is one set of parents who fail to teach it. And the result can be generations of men who don't know and fear the Lord." Let us prepare to fight for the hearts of our sons and purpose to teach the Word of God in our homes.

I will have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth. -3 John 1:4

If you have the e-book, pray the Heart Change prayers over your son today in preparation for the next 21 days. Pray each prayer individually (per child), spread throughout your day and then try to incorporate them into your family prayer time tonight.

True Beauty {Proverbs 31:30}

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

I think of my grandmother: her 94 year old body bent with age, face covered in wrinkles, hair thinning and white. She was the picture of true beauty - a woman who feared the Lord. She was greatly praised by her children and grandchildren.

In a society that makes everything about appearance it is hard for me not to get wrapped up in keeping up, but the way I (or anyone) looks on the outside does not indicate what is on the inside. The most beautiful face and body can be a shell to rottenness.

Lord, put reverence in my heart for you. Help me to obey your Word when I want to do things my way, knowing that the only way I will have joy is to be in submission to You. I love You for who You are and the great things You have done. Forgive me where I fail in obedience to You. 'Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, may I obey the You, LORD so that it will go well with me(Jeremiah 42:6).' Help me put my appearance into perspective, knowing that while people look at the outward appearance, You look at the heart.

The Words I Speak {Proverbs 31:26}

Another morning where I set my alarm clock to wake up about an hour before little man wakes up... then he comes into my room about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. Good morning - quiet time shall be done with Power Rangers playing in the background :)

26 When she speaks, her words are wise...

I hate the feeling when I am with a group of people and I say more than I should. It's like words just fly out of my mouth and while I am talking I think to myself, "Shut your mouth! You're going to regret saying that..." This happened a few weeks ago and afterward I went on to replay the event in my mind about a million times, feeling embarrassed each time. I should have exercised self-control and I did not.

Lord, help me to have wise words that speak encouragement. I know that the power of life and death are in the tongue so may life come out of my mouth. As it says in Psalm 141:3, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips."

...and she gives instruction with kindness.

If someone is doing the wrong thing I can pass out instruction all day, but it will not be in kindness. I read in Proverbs yesterday "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city (Proverbs 18:19)." So true! I think about how I have given instruction out of frustration or anger and it had to be offensive. I never want to offend someone because I was unkind, in turn making them harder to win than a strong city.

Help me to give instruction with kindness. Whether the instruction be to my son or to youth, whoever it be, may it be done with love. Help me not to give instruction to my husband but rather may I pray and trust that the Lord will instruct him as the priest, prophet, and king of our home.

Energy and Helping Others {Proverbs 31:17 and 20}

17 She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.

Energy. What mother has it? My energy gets used up by a precious little boy that will be 3 very soon. As I type, he is waking up (about 30 minutes before he typically does) and looking for a Power Ranger. And I only have ONE little boy - what about the mothers who have two or three or six kids?!

I pray that the Lord will give me energy today to accomplish everything He wants me to. Give me wisdom to take care of my body so that my lack of energy does not come from unhealthy choices I have made. Help me to be a hard worker so that I can do your work and so that my son will see an example of how we ought to work for You and for others.

20 She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.

With my husband being in full time ministry through a local church, I am needed throughout my week to do certain things. Most of those things are ministering to children and youth that are needy. Some are financially needy but all are spiritually needy. They lack Godly direction at home and they are wandering through adolescence with no guide (with the exception of one or two).

Lord, may I extend my hands to help those that are in need. Give me patience with them when I am frustrated. May I joyfully open my arms to all in need and remember that what I do for the least of these, I have done to You.

What is it to be a Godly woman?

I read the New Living Translation's version of Proverbs 31 the other day and it really spoke to me. If there is any place in the scripture that lays out what kind of woman I am to aspire to be like, it is found in this chapter. Here I see a woman who seems to be perfect. She makes her own blankets and clothing, for Pete's sake! I am NOT this woman.

But I desperately want to be this woman. One point that I realized while reading this was that the passage most likely does not describe the woman in one phase of her life, but covers what she did throughout her life.

So for now, these are the main points I want to focus on.

10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

I pray that I am a blessing to my husband. I pray that my actions honor him and encourage him to be the man that God desires him to be. May I work so that he trusts me completely. Help me to greatly enrich his life.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.

This verse is the inspiration for my blog's title. I see a woman who is standing tall with her shoulders back, enjoying the company of friends. Her life is not perfect but she can laugh because she has no anxiety. Her circumstances do not determine the way she looks at things. She completely relies on God.

Lord, help me be a woman who is so reliant on You to provide, that I can laugh without fear of what may come in the future. I have seen Your faithfulness, and I know full well that You will provide all that we need. I want to laugh without fear.