Pray Network Forum

I fear many Christians have the notion that we are saved by grace, but we are trained for righteousness by legalism. This is a serious mistake for Christians and it misses one of the most wonderful truths of scripture. In Titus Chapter 2 Paul tells us the grace of God trains us for Godly living. Look with me at these verses.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Titus 2:22-14

Let me point out for you several ways that God uses His grace to train us to live Godly lives.

First, We Are Trained In The Gratitude of Grace.

We do not develop self control and godliness so we will be saved. We obey God out of gratitude that He has already saved us. This gratitude brings great devotion. “Look what  He has done for me!” It also produces humility in us that is foundational to a changed life. And focusing on His grace frees us defensiveness about our sin. Our sins were paid for on the cross.

We Are Trained In The Hope of Grace.

We are like a bride being adorned for our bridegroom. We love Him. And we are preparing our hearts to be ushered into His presence. We desire God's grace to be worked  into our lives more and more because we are looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face.

We Are Trained In The Transformation of Grace.

When we begin to follow Christ God brings about a radical change in our desires. But we still have habits of mind and behavior that must be changed on a deep level. Because the penalty for them has been paid we have freedom to deal with the root motivations of our pride, greed, lust, or whatever sin we would avoid dealing with if we were still being defensive. And God is planting more and more of His thinking and His holiness into our lives. The more we read His word, and live in fellowship with Him, the more like Him we become.

We Are Trained In The Fellowship of Grace.

God's Grace has appeared so that He might make us a people who are zealous for good works. We cannot do this, or be this, alone. We stand together. As we are united with Him by God's grace, we are united with others in the family. We love one another and encourage one another every day while it is still called today. (Hebrews 3:13)

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzUz7

During the summer, many grandparents vacation with their grandchildren. It is an excellent opportunity to spend extra time with the possibility of quality interaction. Now imagine you are camping with your grandchildren in the mountains. You have cooked your campfire stew for dinner, and you are relaxing around the campfire beside a big lake. It is perfectly still; there is no wind. The lake is a mirror reflecting a beautiful sunset. Sticky-fingered grandchildren delight in s’mores while skipping stones across the lake’s glassy surface. The grandchildren are enthralled with the traveling waves seeing who can make the biggest ripples.

 Grandpa tells Grandma, “Just as the kids are making ripples in the water with the rocks, we can make ripples in the lives of our grandchildren with our prayers.”Our prayers for our grandchildren to invite Jesus Christ into other lives and to walk with Him throughout their lives will have a ripple effect on their families, friends, their world, and their future.

Another way we as grandparents can have a ripple effect on the lives of our grandchildren is by the way we live our lives, investing time, energy, and effort in our spiritual walk. Our example will have a ripple effect on our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and future generations.

 My Great-grandfather’s Prayer

I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland, addressed to my grandfather who had immigrated to America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather and his future generations. It was a special blessing for me to see in writing that my great-grandfather prayed for me before I was born. His prayers had a ripple effect on my grandparents, my parents, my life, my children, my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren.

My Grandmother's faith

When I was a young woman, I had many opportunities to visit my lonely, widowed grandmother while I attended college in her hometown. As she grieved my grandfather’s death, she reflected her trust in God to care for her and showed how God sustained her each day by claiming the promise Jesus gave His disciples after His resurrection. “And be sure of this, I am with you always.”(Matthew 28:20).

My grandmother’s reflection of her faith that God would always be there for her made a significant impact on my life. Her testimony influenced me to incorporate that verse into the daily experiences of my life. Since those early adult years, whenever life has been painful, disappointing, or downright discouraging, I have claimed that same scripture verse. My prayer is that I will have opportunities to reflect my life experiences of trusting God to my children and grandchildren.

Note from Granddaughter

I want to share a note from my oldest granddaughter, a confirmation that praying for these precious grandchildren is never a wasted effort.

“Your phone calls, cards, and emails were encouraging and made a significant impact on my life, especially in my teenage and college years. Your prayers and encouragement have been rock-solid reminders of God’s truth in my incredible, crazy life-shaping years, and now in my married life. Your prayers help me surrender the craziness of my life to God.”   I

In Proverbs 27:19 NLT we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”  We may ask ourselves, “What does that look like.”  When we are committed to read and meditate on God’s Word, we will reflect a life transformed into His image. We glorify God if we reveal or manifest his character by the way we live, demonstrating God’s love to those around us.  

 Be a Prayer Warrior

God has placed our grandchildren into our families so we can be their prayer warriors. He has given us the excellent opportunity to partner with Him on behalf of these dear ones. He has given me nine grandchildren to pray for, and He has given you your grandchildren. Our grandchildren are our mission field.

If you did not have a Christian heritage, you have the privilege to start the ripples in your family. Prayer is the greatest gift we can give our family. Material things are needed, but they are temporary. Our prayers will affect them for a lifetime.

Sometimes, as we get older and limited physically, we might feel useless. However, if we have grandchildren, God has a purpose for keeping us on this earth.

As grandparents, let us pray deliberately and pass on our love for God to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. This ripple effect of specific prayer communicates our love and acceptance, as well as giving them an example of living a God-centered life.

“Your faithfulness continues through all generations;” (Psalm 119:90a)

Have you heard about Grandparents’ Day of Prayer?

Christian Grandparenting Network is inviting grandparents to unite in prayer for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s parents. This day is scheduled to coincide with National Grandparents’ Day, which falls on September 9, 2018.  We desire is to make this day a day of prayer for our grandchildren.

We believe the battle for the hearts and minds of our dear grandchildren and their parents can be won only by praying grandparents who sense the urgency and unite to do battle in prayer.

Please check our website http://www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com for more information, testimonials, promotional materials and free downloads.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact us.

Email Lillian Penner,  lpenner@christiangrandparentinng.net or

Deborah Haddix, deborah@deborahhaddix.com

When our daughter was barely a teenager she came down with a rare life-threatening disease. That was a terrible time for us. We spent many months in and out of Children's Hospital in Seattle. We longed for a word from God that her life would be spared. But God was silent. That is not quite true. That was a very hot time of God speaking to us, showing us things in Scripture, and ministering to our lives. But we were desperate for a word of assurance about our daughter's condition. And about that, God seemed to be silent.

We were a full year into the ordeal when God gave us Scripture to cling to. My wife came home one night from a teachers’ meeting at church saying, “I have a word from God!”

The lady leading the meeting had shared Romans 12:12 with her. She opened her Bible and read it to me.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

We both agreed that God was speaking to us, but we were not exactly sure how it applied. We had no questions about being faithful in prayer. Even when we were discouraged we prayed. And we had many friends and family members praying with us. People we didn't even know were praying for us and for our daughter.

And we knew to be patient in the affliction. But we welcomed this reminder. It would have been much easier for us to endure our own suffering than it was for us to deal with our daughter's.

But what did it mean to be joyful in hope? Our hopes always seemed to be mixed. We would have good news one day that would be crushed the next. But we began hunting for hope. And we were committed to rejoice right away.

One of our daughter's symptoms was huge ugly ulcers on her knees and elbows. Even the doctors winced when they examined them. My wife had to dress them every day. One day a dermatologist came by her hospital room and my wife said, “I think that ulcer on her right elbow might have been a little smaller today. The doctor talked with us for a few minutes and then drew a small ruler from her pocket. Giving it to my wife she said, “Why don't you start measuring it when you replace the tegaderm?”

My wife began measuring the the ulcer every morning as she redressed the ulcers. Several days later she measured and found the diameter of the ulcer had reduced by a milometer. We celebrated! And we rejoiced one millimeter at a time until her ulcers had healed completely.

Now there is an important facet of Hope that I need to point out here. We sometimes see our hope in tiny sparks in the midst of the darkness. We could not have rejoiced in tiny hope if we did not, somewhere in the back of our minds, have a greater and deeper hope. But rejoicing in those tiny sparks sustained us, and kept our eyes on God and the ultimate hope promised to us.

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

httphinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzUz7

During the summer, many grandparents vacation with their grandchildren. It is an excellent opportunity to spend extra time with the possibility of quality interaction. Now imagine you are camping with your grandchildren in the mountains. You have cooked your campfire stew for dinner, and you are relaxing around the campfire beside a big lake. It is perfectly still; there is no wind. The lake is a mirror reflecting a beautiful sunset. Sticky-fingered grandchildren delight in s’mores while skipping stones across the lake’s glassy surface. The grandchildren are enthralled with the traveling waves seeing who can make the biggest ripples.

Grandpa tells Grandma, “Just as the kids are making ripples in the water with the rocks, we can make ripples in the lives of our grandchildren with our prayers.”Our prayers for our grandchildren to invite Jesus Christ into other lives and to walk with Him throughout their lives will have a ripple effect on their families, friends, their world, and their future.

Another way we as grandparents can have a ripple effect on the lives of our grandchildren is by the way we live our lives, investing time, energy, and effort in our spiritual walk. Our example will have a ripple effect on our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and future generations.

My Great-grandfather’s Prayer

I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland, addressed to my grandfather who had immigrated to America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather and his future generations. It was a special blessing for me to see in writing that my great-grandfather prayed for me before I was born. His prayers had a ripple effect on my grandparents, my parents, my life, my children, my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren.

My Grandmother's faith

When I was a young woman, I had many opportunities to visit my lonely, widowed grandmother while I attended college in her hometown. As she grieved my grandfather’s death, she reflected her trust in God to care for her and showed how God sustained her each day by claiming the promise Jesus gave His disciples after His resurrection. “And be sure of this, I am with you always.”(Matthew 28:20).

My grandmother’s reflection of her faith that God would always be there for her made a significant impact on my life.Her testimony influenced me to incorporate that verse into the daily experiences of my life. Since those early adult years, whenever life has been painful, disappointing, or downright discouraging, I have claimed that same scripture verse. My prayer is that I will have opportunities to reflect my life experiences of trusting God to my children and grandchildren.

Note from Granddaughter

I want to share a note from my oldest granddaughter, a confirmation that praying for these precious grandchildren is never a wasted effort.

“Your phone calls, cards, and emails were encouraging and made a significant impact on my life, especially in my teenage and college years. Your prayers and encouragement have been rock-solid reminders of God’s truth in my incredible, crazy life-shaping years, and now in my married life. Your prayers help me surrender the craziness of my life to God.”  

 In Proverbs 27:19 NLT we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”  We may ask ourselves, “What does that look like.”  When we are committed to read and meditate on God’s Word, we will reflect a life transformed into His image. We glorify God if we reveal or manifest his character by the way we live, demonstrating God’s love to those around us.  

Be a Prayer Warrior

God has placed our grandchildren into our families so we can be their prayer warriors. He has given us the excellent opportunity to partner with Him on behalf of these dear ones. He has given me nine grandchildren to pray for, and He has given you your grandchildren. Our grandchildren are our mission field.

If you did not have a Christian heritage, you have the privilege to start the ripples in your family. Prayer is the greatest gift we can give our family. Material things are needed, but they are temporary. Our prayers will affect them for a lifetime.

Sometimes, as we get older and limited physically, we might feel useless. However, if we have grandchildren, God has a purpose for keeping us on this earth.

As grandparents, let us pray deliberately and pass on our love for God to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. This ripple effect of specific prayer communicates our love and acceptance, as well as giving them an example of living a God-centered life.

“Your faithfulness continues through all generations;”

(Psalm 119:90a)

 Have you heard about Grandparents’ Day of Prayer?

Christian Grandparenting Network is inviting grandparents to unite in prayer for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s parents. This day is scheduled to coincide with National Grandparents’ Day, which falls on September 9, 2018.  We desire is to make this day a day of prayer for our grandchildren.

We believe the battle for the hearts and minds of our dear grandchildren and their parents can be won only by praying grandparents who sense the urgency and unite to do battle in prayer.

Please check our website http://www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com for more information, testimonials, promotional materials and free downloads.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact us.

Email Lillian Penner,  lpenner@christiangrandparentinng.net or

Deborah Haddix, deborah@deborahhaddix.com

Why me?

Life seems to offer us many opportunities for resentment, bitterness, disillusionment, or anger designed to turn us quickly self-centered as we compare ourselves to others:

• We didn’t get what we thought we deserved—that promotion, job, relationship, or vacation to the Bahamas!
• We don’t like the way we look.
• We feel cheated, duped, discarded.
• We broke up with our loved one.
• We didn’t get healed.

Built into us is a button, a self-destruct button that we automatically press whenever things don’t go our way.

It all comes down to blame. We are blamers—they, them, and, ultimately, we blame God for all our grief and problems. It all boils down to his fault. The most difficult thing in life for us is to let go of our wills and let God rule. There is a script to our life whether we realize it or not. It was written before we were even born. The very day of our birth and the last hour of our life were created in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. The Psalmist said, “My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:15). In other words, our dates from beginning to end are within the governing power of our God.

Avoiding the Blame Game

This means avoiding the blame game.

“Whose fault is this? Why did God (or someone else) allow this to happen to me?” This is one of the most worthless, energy-draining, self-deluding exercises we can engage in. Don't do it.

Resentment toward our neighbor or our God will not help us. The one and only one result of this sort of bitterness is destructive—mostly to the one who gives in to it. In his article, "Cancer of the Soul: Negative Nelly Meets Bitter Betty," Dr. Fraser Ryan writes, "These spiritual sicknesses cause us to think and behave in unhealthy and unholy ways. Moreover, these detrimental and destructive attitudes are responsible for injuring others. But, sadly enough, in the end they ultimately hurt us more than anyone else."

So it really doesn't matter who or what got us into the jam we're in. It may be someone else's fault, or it may be our own, or it simply may be due to the weather.

Whoever is directly responsible for our plight, we can say at the very minimum that it was God who oversaw it. What happens to us can never be the product of “just accident” or pure “chance.” If we believe in the God of the Bible, such things are not even a possibility. God is the God of order and purpose and whatever occurs in this life must first pass his inspection. It may be good or evil, but it doesn't happen while he's looking the other way. Whatever you do, don't fall for any of the popular views of God that make him anything less than totally sovereign and in complete control of the entire course of history.

God's Ultimate Good

In truth, God blesses us by means of his will—he chooses to bless us with his ultimate good. He wills our highest good in the form of his perfect will for us. The best that we can envision for ourselves is paltry and pathetic in comparison to what our Father in heaven can envision for us. The most exciting, most fulfilling, most spectacular career or success we can secure for ourselves is nothing compared to what God can bring to us in the center of his will. That's why we're taught by Jesus to pray for the perfect will of God.

When we understand this, there is no longer any place for resentment or blame. Everything we are and have comes by God's design, and it's all part of a greater plan that involves not only our lives, but also the lives of others in ways we might not even be able to imagine.

God blesses us through his will because his will is the very best thing available to us anywhere at any time. Our plans must be in line with his purposes.

Thanks be to God for his love and grace.

Did you know that in the Privacy settings of your profile, there are options for determining how people can respond to your blog posts?  You can set your blog to immediately publish responses from other members of Pray.Network, or to wait for your approval before publishing each response.  

Use the "publish immediately" setting if you want to encourage discussion on your blog and are not concerned about moderating the discussion.  Use the "wait for my approval" option if you want to moderate every comment and determine whether it should be published.

Note: If you use the "wait for my approval" option and you don't actually review the comments, no one will be able to respond to your blog posts.

To adjust your settings, go to your page and click the "edit" button at the top of your profile section.  Under "My Settings" on the left, click on "Privacy" and scroll down until you see the "Moderation" section:

"God seeks intercessors. He longs to dispense larger blessings. He longs to reveal His power and glory as God, His saving love, and more abundantly. He seeks intercessors in larger numbers, in greater power, to prepare the way of the Lord." Andrew Murray

Did you realize that if you are involved in intercession, you are working with God to determine the future? Certain things in history will happen through our intercession if we pray the way God wants us to pray. We have authority in prayer to actually see our cities changed and to prepare the way of the Lord. In many ways history belongs to the intercessors. When we pray, things happen in the spirit realm.

I revisited a particular city in Turkey and remembered a prayer I had prayed in that very city several years before. It was as if at that moment God showed me that He had remembered my prayers, and that it was important and would have a powerful effect in that city one day.

God remembers every prayer you pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit has effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten. Your prayers matter to God.

How can you be the history-maker for God's purposes in your city?

“Prayer is power and strength, a power and strength that influences God, and is most salutary, widespread, and marvelous in its gracious benefits to man. Prayer influences God. The ability of God to do for man is the measure of the possibility of prayer." E. M. Bounds

Here are some ways you can pray for your city and make a difference. You may want to pray these prayers for your nation, church or neighborhood as well. Know the areas where God wants you to intercede because He will give you authority in those areas. God is seeking for intercessors. He will accomplish His will through the prayers of His people on earth.

• Pray that a spirit of intercession falls on your city - If intercessors cry out for a spirit of intercession to invade their city, people will change and prayer will increase. Christians who had never felt like praying before will begin to pray. Prayer can be activated in your city.
  
  
• Pray for corporate worship and prayer to arise in your city - Pray that the Church begins to come together in corporate worship and prayer. United worship tears down the powers of darkness in your city. Pray for state gatherings of worship and Houses of Prayer to be raised up.
  
  
• Pray for the key authority structures and spiritual leaders in your city - Pray for all pastors and government leaders. Pray for faith, wisdom and holiness in the leaders in your city. Pray that God will help them to lead His people into holy living in difficult times.
  
  
• Pray for God to reveal the lawless structures in your city - Pray that all terrorist plans and evil hidden plans will be exposed in your city and nation. Pray that unjust laws will be overturned. Pray for Godly rulers in your nation to be elected and put into place.
  
  
• Pray for the church in your city to be empowered by God - Pray for the churches to arise in prayer, godliness and spiritual strength. Pray that the Church becomes a light to the lost in your city.
  
  
• Pray for God to remove complacency in your city - Pray that the churches in your city becomes fervent and on fire for God and His ways. Pray that complacency stops and that the Church awakens to its destiny and calling in the last days.

History belongs to the intercessors. Your city needs intercessors that will cry out to Him day and night with great boldness and expectation. God is seeking for intercessors. Will you be one?

The hope for the nations is an anointed prayer movement. It is God’s people knowing the strength and the power of prayer and enforcing God’s will on earth through it. God has given us breakthrough authority to change nations. Through our prayers we can change the atmosphere over cities. Through our prayers God releases deliverance and transforms society. Let’s learn to take hold of the strength and power of prayer and pray down God’s blessings on our world.

Here is a 4-minute teaching and prayer for you called: My Petition for Strength and Power in Prayer. This is part of the Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer. 

"Millions of feeble, sickly Christians, thousands of wearied workers, could be blessed by intercession. Churches and missions sacrificing life and labor with little result often lack the power of intercession. Souls, each one worth more than worlds - worth nothing less than the price paid for them in Christ's blood - are within reach of the power that can be won by intercession. We surely have no conception of the magnitude of the work to be done by God's intercessors, or we would cry to God above everything to give us a spirit of intercession." Andrew Murray

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC)
www.intercessorsarise.org

What is the result of prayer? Does it make the pray-er feel better? Yes, but it does more than that. Does it fulfill biblical instructions? Yes, but it does more than that. Does it follow the model of Jesus? Yes, but it does more than that. Prayer opens heaven. Jesus lived with an open heaven. At His baptism, “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened” (Luke 3:21). In the midst of His ministry, Jesus encountered one who was deaf, and seeking power from heaven, the Scripture records, “Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’” (Mark 7:34). Neither was this experience limited to Jesus. An open heaven was experienced by Stephen (Acts 7:54-55), Paul (Acts 9:5), Peter (Acts 10), and John (Revelation 4:1-2). When heaven opens, God does what God alone can do. Have you ever prayed for a miracle? For revival? For renewal? How about for a mighty spiritual movement? These are things we can’t provide on our own. But God can. When heaven opens, we have access to that which only God can provide, To “pray without ceasing,” as instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, allows us to live under an open heaven. Need supernatural strength? Need godly wisdom? Need divine favor? Pray till heaven opens.

How do you measure the church? Do you measure it by the beauty and size of the building? Do you measure it by the number of programs and activities? Do you measure it by the number of people who attend or the size of the offerings gathered?

In Revelation 11 John was told to do some measuring. And I think his measurements tell us something about measuring the church.

“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.’”

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

I do not believe that the temple which John was told to measure was just the temple of God in heaven. I believe it is also the temple of God where he dwells in His church. Ephesians 2:21 says we are being built together as a dwelling for God. You measure the church partly by how its members are bonded together like bricks in a wall. This comes from fellowship, from working together, from facing trials together, from believing together, and most of all from praying together. God’s presence blesses a church whose members are bound together in Him. Is your’s a gathering where God dwells? You can sense the presence of God in a church.

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY ITS WORSHIP.

The altar is the place of worship. How important is worship to your church? Do people worship sacrificially, giving everything in their lives to God? Does your church worship joyfully, praising God with all of your hearts? Does service and sacrifice spring up out of love for God?

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE GROWTH OF ITS MEMBERS.

I think it is telling that John was told to measure the temple and the altar and those who worship there. You do not measure a church simply by the number of people who attend. A church must be measured by the spiritual growth in the lives that God has trusted to it. Are people becoming more Christ-like. Are people becoming more and more faithful, more and more devoted, more and more loving from the ministry of your church?

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

httphinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzUz7

If Timothy’s grandmother Lois had not been faithful in passing on her faith to her daughter Eunice and grandson Timothy we would not have the books, I and II Timothy in the Bible today. Their example is an excellent generational example of the importance of passing on the faith to future generations. Lois is our forerunner who modeled grand mothering for us.

Isn’t it interesting that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the church has the primary responsibility to pass on our faith to the next generation? It makes clear that parents and grandparents are the principal conduits to instruct their children and grandchildren about God and his love for them.

Today, many parents are not passing on the values and faith by which they were raised. Therefore, grandparents have a crucial role to fill, if faith is to be found on earth when Jesus comes back for his own. In the Bible, we read about many people God used in the autumn season of life for life’s most significant work. According to God’s Word, God wants grandparents to focus on passing a godly legacy to the next generation. The demonstrations of our faithful walk with the Lord and our prayers for our grandchildren are potent ways to pass on our faith to the next generation.

Grandmother’s Role

The role of godly grandparents is to communicate their faith in Jesus Christ and pray diligently for their grandchildren. We are also to tell future generations how God has walked with us and demonstrated his mighty works in our lives. God is waiting for us to ask Him for opportunities if we are overwhelmed with how to be a godly influence on your grandchildren. God has given us the responsibility to set a positive example. We do affect our grandchildren one way or another, positively or negatively.

In Proverbs 27:19, we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person” (NLT).What does the reflection of our “real person” reflect? When we are committed to read and meditate on God’s Word, we will reflect a life transformed into his image. As we invest in our walk with the Lord, we are spiritually investing in the lives of our grandchildren by modeling a godly example. As spiritual role models, we can demonstrate the reality of our faith by walking with God through both the storms and sunny days of our lives.

Grandmother’s Prayers

We, as grandmothers love to give gifts to our grandchildren, however, the most significant and most lasting gift we can give them is to be their prayer intercessor, affecting and imprinting their generation with God’s faithfulness. The material things we leave our grandchildren are temporary; however, our prayers and examples can make a significant impact on them for a lifetime. Our most significant blessings will come when we see God answering our prayers in their lives, and we get to see the results. However, we may die before our prayers are answered. Our prayers will not be canceled when we go to heaven, and they will outlive us.

With the pressure on families today, grandchildren need our hugs, reassurance, and wisdom more than ever. It is also imperative for us to communicate to our grandchildren that we love them and accept them, even though we may not agree with their behavior. In today’s broken world, Satan’s purpose is to destroy the family. It is crucial that we pray God will give the mothers and fathers of our dear grandchildren godly wisdom in the monumental task of teaching and guiding our grandchildren in the ways of the Lord. 1

Do your grandchildren see authenticity and sincerity about you in your relationship with God? What a blessing it would be for me to hear my grandchildren say, “I want to have a relationship with the Lord like my grandmother modeled for me.”I hope I can say in the years to come, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children and grandchildren are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

Ask yourself:

• What kind of memories will my grandchildren have of me when I pass away?
• Is my walk with the Lord what I want to be reflected in the lives of my grandchildren?
• Do I want my grandchildren to imitate my spiritual life?
• Will they want my Jesus?
• Will my love for God keep on living through my grandchildren, even after I am deceased?

Prayer

Dear Lord, forgive me when I have not taken the time to read your Word or modeled the life of a godly grandparent.

Help me to take the time to read and meditate on your Word every day

so I will reflect your face in the heart of my grandchildren.

Help me to be a godly example, teaching my grandchildren to live lives of truth

with integrity, authenticity, and seriousness.

Help me to give sound, wise, wholesome counsel and guidance,

encouraging my grandchildren to know and follow Christ wholeheartedly.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13

Now notice an interesting phenomenon. When you start to read this chapter—one nods in agreement, particularly when there is everything to love. But what if things don't go one's way? What then? If one really gets the point of Paul’s chapter, they probably wouldn’t be agreeing so much.

Love is patient, kind, never jealous, boastful, arrogant, or rude. It never insists on its own way, is not irritable, pouty, or peevish. Love is never resentful, and on and on.

Think about it: at first the call to love appears simple. But usually by the time we get to the end of the catalogue of what love implies it becomes pretty obvious that whatever we intend and promise to be toward others never really gets very high off the ground. The kind of radical love God requires of us is far beyond us. The way just gets too steep and the air too thin at those high altitudes.

So what’s the solution to the love problem? How do we get from how we really are to how we ought to be? How do we ever reach the higher levels of what love requires?

First, we come to recognize in all humility that we can’t really pull it off—we’re just not all that good. It’s not in us to be so loving. We want to be, but we’re not. That’s an enormous realization, and it requires brutal honesty. The person who reads the love chapter and says, “Yep, that’s me alright!” has completely missed the point.

Second, we come to realize that in our insufficiency is God’s sufficiency. In our weakness, God’s strength is manifest. What we can’t do, God can. So we join with St. Augustine when he said that all the great commands of God are impossible for us to keep in our own strength and pray: “Lord, give what you command.” In other words, “I can’t do it, you can, so empower me to do what you want me to do.” This is the key to the life of faith, the life in the Spirit. Chapters 12 and 14 are about the Holy Spirit and his power to transform all of life. In other words, Paul is telling us, don’t even think about producing a Spirit-empowered life without the Spirit. It can’t be done. But with the Spirit of Christ at the center of everything, anything is possible.

Finally, the truest and most noticeable mark of the Spirit’s presence in someone is not their spiritual vocabulary, the way they look, or their Sunday behavior, but their love—their daily interactions and caring ways.

If resentment, anger, or hatred has replaced love and joy in your life, do a heart-check and see if you can determine the root cause of your problem. If someone hurt you, keep a heart of love ready to forgive them the minute they ask for your forgiveness. If you've hurt someone, reach out to them and ask them to forgive you. Not in some fake doing the Christian thing way, but in total, genuine humility, setting aside your pride and rancor. As Christians, we are called to a higher path.

Make love your aim—today, tomorrow, and always.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Grandparents Day of Prayer and National Grandparents Day are similar but not the same. To understand their similarities and differences, we need to examine both, starting with National Grandparents Day.

National Grandparents Day

After a three-year battle that began in 1970, West Virginia housewife Marian McQuade convinced her state Congress to commemorate grandparents with a special day. This commemoration honored grandparents, provided them an opportunity to express their love for their grandchildren, and raise community awareness about the gifts grandparents can offer.The flower of the U.S. National Grandparents Day is the forget-me-nots.

Five years later, the United States Congress passed legislation declaring the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. They selected September because September denotes the autumn season of life. President Jimmy Carter gave his endorsement by signing the proclamation.

Grandparents Day of Prayer

In 2010, author Lillian Penner suggested a day of prayer to coincide with National Grandparents Day. Thanks to Mrs. Penner’s efforts, churches around the world observe Grandparents Day of Prayer. They encourage grandparents to pray for their grandchildren, both in private and corporate settings.

o you recognize the importance of praying for your grandchildren and their parents? Do you want to encourage others to pray for their grandchildren? If so, may I suggest hosting an event to celebrate Grandparents Day of Prayer?

You may want to host a prayer breakfast or a luncheon following your morning worship. Or you may want to offer an afternoon tea or evening dessert in your home. Perhaps your minister is willing to address the importance of praying grandparents and set aside a special prayer time during the worship service. The possibilities are endless. It is imperative; however, grandparents gather to pray for their grandchildren.

Conclusion

Both Grandparents Day of Prayer and National Grandparents Day occur on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year's date is September 9th. Both commemorate the vital role grandparent’s play in the family. The fundamental difference between the two is Grandparents Day of Prayer encourages grandparents to pray for the hearts, souls, and minds of their grandchildren.

We are asking grandparents throughout the world to unite in prayer for their grandchildren and their parents. We realize that Grandparents Day in your country may not be on September 9 this year. We would like you to ask you to participate in your Grandparents Day making it a day of prayer whenever it is observed.

On our website, christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer/, you will find two ways that you can participate in Grandparents’ Day of Prayer.

1. You can pray. Click Here to Signup and Download your copy of the 30-Day Challenge. Participants who register will receive an eBook “30 days of Prayers for your Grandchildren”.
2. You can gather and lead other grandparents in prayer. If you are willing to organize a Grandparents’ Day of Prayer event in your church, home, retirement complexes, etc., click on “To find out more about becoming a volunteer.” to follow the process. You too will receive the eBook “30 Days of Prayers for your Grandchildren”.

If you realize the urgency for a Day of Prayer for our grandchildren and their parents, will you help us call grandparents to join in prayer on September 9th?Christian Grandparenting Network is prepared to provide step-by-step guidelines, resources and online tools for creating successful events.

 Please check our website grandparentsdayofprayer.comfor more information, testimonials, promotional materials and free downloads.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact me.

Thank you for your consideration to participate in this event.

If you have questions or additional information, email Lillian Penner, lpenner@christiangrandparentinng.netor Deborah Haddix, Deborah@deborahhaddix.com, Coordinators.

Guest blog by Sherry Schumann, Co-Prayer Director for Christian Grandparenting Network

The Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) recognizes the desperate moral and spiritual climate our grandchildren must navigate in a world hostile to truth. Satan has launched an aggressive attack on all fronts using media, technology, education, social influences, and political pressures to desensitize and cloud the boundaries of truth and righteousness that hold nations and families together. An urgent call to prayer is crucial in this spiritual battle, for the thief has come to destroy the family unit.

 Will you take about two and a half minutes to learn how to get involved in the Grandparents Day of Prayer? Watching this brief challenge by Cavin Harper, Executive Director for CGN you will see the need to pray intentionally for your grandchildren and their parents in the world, we live in today. christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer.

For that reason, CGN is asking grandparents around the world to unite in prayer for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s parents by participating in the Eighth Annual Grandparents’ Day of Prayer. This day of prayer is scheduled to coincide with National Grandparents’ Day, September 9, 2018.

Will you be a part of the solution?

On our website christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer/, you will find two ways that you can participate in Grandparents’ Day of Prayer.

1.   You can pray. Click on the “I will pray” button if you commit to joining us as a prayer warrior on Grandparents’ Day of Prayer. Participants who register through this button will receive an eBook “30 days of Prayers for your Grandchildren”.
2. You can mobilize and lead other grandparents in prayer. If you are willing to organize a Grandparents’ Day of Prayer event in your church, home, retirement complexes, etc., click on “To find out more about becoming a volunteer.” to follow the process. You too will receive the eBook “30 Days of Prayers for your Grandchildren.”

Will you join us to mobilize grandparents to unite in prayer

on September 9th?

 CGN is prepared to provide step-by-step guidelines, resources, and online tools for creating successful events. Check our website christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer/   for more information, testimonials, promotional materials, and free downloads. Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information.

My prayer for you is that you will consider participating in this year’s Grandparents’ Day of Prayer event.

For additional information, contact

Lillian Penner lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

Deborah Haddix Deborah@deborahhaddix.com

For some time I have been planning to write a book on our hope in Christ. So I have decided to give you a foretaste in a regular blog. I am calling this new blog, “THE ANCHOR OF THE SOUL." 

Have you ever been in the storm from Acts 27? I did not ask if you have read it, although I recommend that you read it. I am asking if your life has been besieged by such a storm. 
It began with a gentle southerly breeze promising that the troubled seas were behind them. Then Euroclydon fell on them without warning. First they dumped their cargo, the purpose and profit of the voyage. Then they threw the ship's tackle into the sea. For many days, they may have lost count, they were driven, who knew where, across the open sea. In the dark of night long after the crew and passengers had lost hope of being saved the sailors sensed that they had come near some land. This was not primarily hope. They were terrified of dashing the ship upon the rocks. So they cast four anchors and longed for daylight.
But there was hope beyond what any of them could see. Paul stood before them all and declared that God had sent His angel to assure him that they would all be saved. 
One of my favorite verses in the entire Bible yes Hebrews 6:19. 

Do you have an anchor that keeps your life stable in the midst of the storms that assail? God has given His children the anchor of hope that will hold our hearts fast in the wildest storms.

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ ;

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/


http://daveswatch.com/


YouTube





https://goo.gl/PyzUz7

Are you going through a storm right now? Something so difficult or traumatic that you aren't sure you'll make it to tomorrow?

Don't give up hope.

It often takes a storm to get our minds off our own plans and ways and onto God's greater plan—to realize there's a purpose for our life that is far better than our own. Our storms help draw us closer to God than anything else.

So when we're facing a storm, let's remember three things as we learn to ride it with God, instead of letting it control and overwhelm us.

1) Nothing that happens to us happens by chance. Everything comes by way of a plan and purpose, no matter how chaotic or random it may appear to us at the moment.

God is God and we aren't. It means he's in charge of the universe and has a purpose and a will that far exceeds our own. God uses both good and evil to accomplish his will. Whatever it is, good or bad, it has to pass first by the Creator of all things. We may never have an adequate answer in this life to our questions, “Why does God permit evil?” or “Why did this happen to me?,” but we do know that God intends to exploit evil to the full, to bring about his good purposes in a world of tornadoes, cancer, genocide, violence, human foolishness, financial reversal, divorce, and all the rest.

2) No matter how utterly our hopes and dreams have been devastated by a life storm, in the midst of the ruins we can see the foundation for hope and recovery.

In the aftermath of a tornado or hurricane, it appears that nothing is left to salvage. But right there under the shards of glass, piles of rubble, and splinters of wood, is the foundation. Similarly, if we look closely enough at the crumbling ruins of our life, there in the destruction is the most obvious evidence of hope to rebuild—our foundation.

Our immovable foundation is Jesus Christ and the ever-reliable mercy and grace of God. It isn't our faith that's so great, but God's loving kindness, which created our faith and brings it back again when it seems to have blown away. The foundation, the character of God, always remains the same.

3) Even though nothing in our lives is so secure it can't be taken away, there is nothing that can be taken that God can't restore to us.

This really does sound impossible when taking into account the loss of a loved one, but this truth is at the heart of the Christian faith. It's called the resurrection. It means that even our life on this earth—which we know absolutely will end one day—can be restored. We come to believe in the reality of resurrection of our bodies and all of creation based on our daily life experiences.

God knows that it's very hard for us to believe in what we can't see, so he gives us many little resurrections (the God-incidences) in our present life. He rescues us time after time in the most obvious ways. We can't possibly fail to recognize it as the work of some invisible, intelligent force, and can expect the same at the end of life.

So let's be a Storm Rider.

Let us be absolutely confident that God will do what he loves to do and has done since the very beginning: to create for us a rescue ex nihilo (out of nothing). When there is no way out, no exit, no human hope for survival, God speaks into existence a way out and a way in—a way out of our plight and a way into a real, joyful life of fulfillment. This is the meaning of an exodus. So pray, even when your faith seems to have vanished, and wait for a full, God-designed exodus, not merely an exit from your problem.

Keep on asking until something happens.

If you don't know what to say, try this:

My faith is at very low tide, Lord. I don't know how to trust you right now. I'm too weary and wounded even to believe that you're there. I really don't know if you are. And if you are, I'm not able to believe that you know my name or care about me. I'm sorry for all this, but right now it's the best I can do. Help me when I can't believe anything.

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

On March 11, 2018, my church had a Missionary Conference, which was coordinated by our church's Missions Committee. I am on that committee, and can say that everyone working made this conference possible. The whole committee worked very hard. The conference was a blessing to the whole church.

I believe that the following was extremely important to the success of this Missionary Conference:  One member of the committee was not able to physically help in the preparations for the conference->because of her husband's health issues-so she committed to praying for it. Her prayers were answered MIGHTILY!

I have posted a collage of pictures take during the conference. This conference gave opportunity for people to pray, learn about our missionary program, meet people from our supported local missionary agencies, and to have fellowship with each other.

It was a blessing to see the WHOLE church involved in this conference.

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God." -- 2 Peter 3:10-12

In his current series on Turning Point, David Jeremiah is speaking on the book of Revelation. And while there are many different ideas about how those events will take place (or even if the pictures there are meant to represent specific events in every case), two things are clear:

1. Believers don't need to fear the future. The end of the story is written. God wins!
2. Non-believers have much reason for fear.

Peter says that the day of the Lord will come like a thief, echoing Jesus' words in Matthew 24 that no one knows exactly when he will come. Many will be unprepared, like the foolish virgins in Jesus' parable (Matthew 25:1-13). Peter goes on to ask the question, "What sort of people should we be?" in light of Jesus' imminent (but not pinpointed) return. We ought to live lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for the day of the Lord. And what else? Actually hastening the day of the Lord? How would we do that?

I'm sure there are many explanations of what that might mean, but to me, it's about prayer - specifically, prayer for the lost; and even more specifically, prayer for the unreached. Jesus says in Matthew 24:14 that the last sign before his return will be the gospel going to the entire world; and Revelation multiple times speaks of every nation, tribe, and language being represented before the throne of God. Again, people disagree about the exact meaning, but the intent is clear - the gospel must go to the entire world so that every people group can be represented in heaven.

Of course, for men this is impossible - but not for God. And that's where prayer comes in. In light of Jesus' return, we should have a sense of urgency regarding praying for our unsaved neighbors, family, and friends. And we should have that same urgency about praying for the advancement of the kingdom around the entire world, to every people group. One mission agency has the slogan, "A church for every people and the gospel for every person." May it be so, and may it be so quickly!

A Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith!
-Matt: 15:22-28

I love this story. The woman recognizes Jesus as Lord and pursues Him. Jesus first ignores her and then refuses her, but she persists in faith. And because she does, the Lord commends her. Imagine if you were the woman speaking with Jesus in this story. Would you have stopped at the first barrier, or the second?

Ask God to give us faith like the Canaanite woman. Help us to persevere in prayer, especially as we pray for the Good News to be spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, especially Yemen during this month. 

Jesus said it in Matthew Chapter 7. “You can't grow grapes from thorn bushes.” This applies to every area of our lives from running a marathon to raising your children. And it especially applies to writing which is the fruit of your soul. I remember reading something Baxter Black wrote on how he began writing poetry. He told about writing a poem with a religious theme for an English class in college. He got the paperback with the words writ large and in red across the top of the page, “WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW!” Who does not agree with this principle? You must write what you think. You write about what you care about. And yes, you write who you are. Your own character is the foundation of all your writing.

I recently read a quote by Danielle Steel, a secular writer, in a secular book on writing.

“Where do the ideas come from? I don't really know. I've always had a deeply religious feeling about my writing. I feel very unimportant in the scheme of it all. I pray a lot before I start a book and as I work through it. And the less important I feel the better the book goes.”

Let me deal briefly here with four aspects of prayer that are essential to writing.

INTIMACY

We spend time in prayer to develop intimacy with God. The more time you spend in direct fellowship with God the more He shapes your character.

REPENTANCE

Character development is painful. We need to allow God to make changes in our lives. And we have to come to Him with a tender heart repenting of attitudes and actions that do not please Him.

NOURISHMENT

To get the most nourishment we need to pray the word of God. We take prayer to the level of meditation by memorizing a scripture and then thinking about it over time, maybe several days.

Many years ago I pastored church in a rural community in Texas. I am convinced that during the five years I served there a man who died shortly before I came continued to have the most Godly influence of anyone in that community. His wife told me every morning as he began his day he would fix a Bible verse in his mind. Then he would repeat that verse over and over all day long. And God developed his character and multiplyied the fruit of his life.

PRAISE

Praise is sometimes a neglected element of our prayer life. And yet nothing that I know of develops faith, courage, hope, joy, or peace as thoroughly as praising God for who He is and what He does.

MISSION

Do you spend time talking to God about His mission for your life? Sense of mission it is essential to the attractiveness and benefit of your writing. This is of course true in writing Christian non-fiction. But it is also an underlying foundation for all writing, fiction or nonfiction.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzUz7