Parenting Tips by Kathy Kirk

You attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Phil 2:5

Our attitude has a lot to do with how we think and act. Once we become children of God, the Bible tells us that we are transformed into a new creation. This transformation will make you think and act differently. This tranformation will make us become more like Jesus everyday.

As we look at Jesus, we see that He was not controlled by power and wealth because He gave all that up to do the Father’s will which was to come down to earth with nothing but a desire to please God. So we see to be like Christ, in this area, we must change our focus. Unfortunately today, we are so consummed with achieving wealth and power and this is so contrary to what Jesus was like. So do you have an attitude like Jesus in this area? If not, what are you going to do about it?

Paul tells us that Jesus was humble. It takes a lot to achieve this but we know that nothing is impossible for God. Unfortunately we view being humble as a weakness but was Jesus weak. We should be more concerned about what God thinks than man and we will be able overcome the obstacles of being humble.

We also know that Jesus was obedient to God. Despite the challenges of what God called Jesus to do, He did it. He didnt try to talk God out of it because it was challenging, He didn’t procrastinate, He did only and exactly what God called Him to do. What about you?

Finally Jesus was a servant to God and others. Jesus was a servant to everyone and not just His family. We often find it easy to help and serve our family but God calls us to higher level of servanthood. First we must serve Him. How many of you are serving in your church? How many of you are serving God with the talent/gift that He has given you? Most of us give our talents to our company and not our church, what a disservice to God. We are also called to serve others with our wealth. Unfortunately, this world is in the decay because for years we have only thought about ourselves and material things. We have become slave to the lender and as we result we have no wealth to share with others when they are in need. How sad God must be. Do you have the servant attitude of God?

So to conclude, do you have some work to do to align your attitude with Jesus’. Are you willing to work on these things? If you answered yes to this, I recommend that you start with reading the Bible, join a Bible study group, listen to Christian radio which you can find on the web now. Try visiting LWF.org, intouch.org, Biblegateway.org, which are some of my favorite radio programs and Bible resources.

Remember if you are expecting your children to have an attitude like Christ, then you example that attitude. They will follow you!

Let me know what you think about this on Facebook.

Kathy Kirk
Christian Parenting Coach
www.MyChildsHeart.org

Will your children learn to conform to God ways or the World from you?

We show our children our commitment to God by obeying Him and being separate from the world. God tells us in Romans 12:1-3; Do not conform any longer 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.

Your children need for you to set a godly example because the world is doing a great job of showing them the ways of Satan. Show them that God’s view of you is more important than the world’s. Let them know that God has set certain standards for us and they are totally different from the world. Our children are watching us and we must show them something that is different than what they see on television and at school. So when you are talking to your girl friends and buddies and you are gossiping, using inappropriate language or language that is not edifying; you are teaching your children that this is okay.

The camera is rolling, what will your life story look like? The other day, I was watching a comedian on television and he had clean jokes so I was so excited about getting my laugh on for the night. As I continued to watch him, something alarming happened; he used the Lord’s name in vain. I was disappointed and tried to ignore it but my spirit would not let me. So, I eventually turned the channel. So many times no one is watching but God!

Your children notice what you are watching on television. So you cannot tell them not to watch certain things and you are watching these inappropriate things.

The Word tells us that anyone who causes these little ones to sin might as well be wearing a millstone around their neck (Matthew 18:6). When we live our lives in ways that do not honor God and do not give our children the proper tools to know and worship God; we are in essence causing them to sin.

By Kathy Kirk the founder of My Child’s Heart Ministry. Read more about this in her E-book, “Becoming an Intentional Godly Parent.” www.MyChildsHeart.org

Create a Bible Plan
With our busy lives, it is necessary for us to plan our day. We plan our children’s activities, special events and other things. We are going to walk you through a plan for studying the Bible.

How to Study the Word

1. Select a Bible
It is important to select a Bible that is right for you. Make sure you spend some time researching Bibles because this will hopefully be the Bible that you have for life. Bible comparisons and suggestions

2. Create a Bible Reading Plan
Many of you are probably like I was when I first starting reading the Bible. I picked up the Bible and just began to reading whatever page I opened it to without any plan or goal in mind. My reading time changed from day to day as well as what I read. My attempt to learn more about God was unsuccessful because I would just pick random verses which unfortunately had me taking things out of context. There is a reason why God put the Bible in the order He did. It helps us to follow some of His thought process. Did you know that God speaks of Christ’s coming in Genesis? Just think how chaotic it would be if on Sunday mornings if your pastor didn’t have a plan to the service. Let’s imagine you sit down in pew and then your pastor comes out and start preaching. Then after about 5 minutes he says,” Let’s have praise and worship”, 5 more minutes pass, then he proceeds to preach again for 10 and someone comes us and gives the announcements. I think you get the picture. Because of the lack of order in the service, most people will leave without getting the full message of the day. If your reading is planned and systematic, you will gain a better understanding of the context of a passage and come to learn the whole counsel of God rather than just bits and pieces.

I like what God revealed to Pastor Danny Hodges the author of spending quality when He became bored with parts of the Bible. He explains,” I used to skip parts in the Old Testament when I got to those long lists of names and genealogies. I would think to myself, “Why in the world did God put that here?” Well, God showed me. He gave me a thought one day, and I know it was from Him. As I was beginning to skip over what I considered a boring and meaningless list of names, He said to me, “Those names don’t mean anything to you but they mean a lot to me, because I know every one of them.” God showed me how personal He was. Now every time I read them I’m reminded of how personal God is. He knows us, and He knows every person that has ever been created. He’s a very personal God.” I have to say, that I was guilty of the same thing until God convicted. I realized that in every verse, there is something that God is revealing to us and I cannot afford to miss anything. Suggested Bible reading plans

3. Select a daily devotional
In addition to reading the Bible directly, it is a good idea to use a devotional. A devotional is merely a guide in studying the Word of God. Remember that this is supplement and not a replacement for reading the Bible. I use these when my day doesn’t go as planned and I want to make sure that I get the Word in during the day. My husband and I do a devotional each morning to start off our day then we go into quiet time and read our Bibles separately. I have come across some great devotionals over the years. Recommended devotionals

4. Study the Bible
There are many ways to study the Bible. To get you started I have
a few recommended methods.

Inductive Bible Study

L-I-G-H-T-S to the Word of God

5. Reflection
It is so important for Christians to reflect upon what they have read. Remember this is not a novel, even though some books can read like one but an instructional guide. God is speaking directly to you while you are reading so it is important for you to reflect on what you have read and determine how this affects you as a Christian. God tells us to not be just hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. God expects Christians to obey His Word; His complete Word. So determine how you can apply what you have read to your life. If God calls out a particular sin, see if you have this sin in your life. So basically this reflection time is for your to examine yourself. Make sure you are honest with yourself because God already knows what is in your heart. He is just waiting for you to admit it and ask for His help to change it.

I find it quit helpful when I write down what God reveals to me when I study the Word. This allows me to keep track of His instructions, determine if I have obeyed Him and how much time it took me to do it, and it allows me to go back over my learning’s at a future date and share them with others.

6. Application
Studying the Word of God is only the beginning. God expects us to apply it to our lives. In step 5, you identified how you can apply this to your life and now you have to actually do it. James tells us in James 1:22-26

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.

My pastor always says that God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. Change is hard! God knows that changing is such a hard thing to do and that is why He sent us the Holy Spirit to bring to mind all those things that He reveals to us. Remember that you cannot change yourself but God can. So now pray about what God has revealed to you, ask God to forgive you and then ask Him to help you change. He has promised to help us if we listen to Him.

I hope this has helped you with getting started with studying the Word. Keep this in mind: the more you expose yourself to His Word, the more He will expose His Word to you!

Sin is totally in cool today. Sin programs people’s speech, dress, and values. Sin controls people’s thinking. Why? Do people have no choice but to sin?

Sin is the easier choice. Jesus depicts life’s choices as two: The narrow way with the strait gate and the broad way with the wide gate (Matt. 7:13,14). “Strati” (thlibo) means compressed and narrow. It implies a degree of difficulty. Hence, we must “strive” (literally, agonize) to enter in (Lk. 13:24). Sin involves doing what you want to do (no authority), irresponsibility, and not facing the facts. While sin initially offers the easier life-style, ultimately, sin is the most difficult (Prov. 13:15, Rom. 6:23). “…be sure you sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

Sin offers pleasure. The scriptures affirm the pleasure of sin (Heb. 11:25). However, the pleasure is only “for a season” (Ibid.). The adulterer enjoys pleasure but only temporarily. Ultimately, there is the lack of respect, loss of temperance, and often exposure – divorce. The end result negates the pleasure of sin (cf. Jas. 1:12-15).

Sin is tricky. The reason most people continue in sin is because they are deceived by sin. The writer of Hebrews mentions the “deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13). Sin deceives because it does not deliver what it promises!

Man does not have to sin – we have a choice (Josh. 24:15). We are either “servants of sin” or servants of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17,18). It takes real courage and individualism to oppose sin, the crowd. God offers you quality of life resulting in heaven. Sin offers you a life of deception and temporary, shallow pleasure which will result in hell. Which do you want?

Why do people sin?

It’s not the label on a church that makes it what it is, but the teachings and the people following Christ. Mormons say we have the name of Christ on our Church, therefore we are his Church. Anyone can put a name on the outside, and most do use the name of Christ but it’s what is on the inside that counts. A certain denomination or non denomination may often mean it has a good reputation but it is no guarantee for Biblical accuracy. Do they have the life of Christ- is His Holy Spirit indwelling the people and the congregation, is the Bible believed and being taught and practiced. We do not just look for a church that teaches the Bible but a church that teaches the Bible correctly, the whole counsel of God and having the goal to live by it.

A church is composed of numerous elements. Without putting things in order of importance, the people are the church, not the building. When looking for a church to make it your home there are certain elements necessary for it to be healthy and of God. The foremost is that they uphold the bible as their authority, being the word of God. Do they teach through the Bible, not using certain doctrines but teach the whole counsel of God. Is the church operating from Scripture as best as possible and are they feeding the sheep for growth in their spiritual lives to make them mature. Are they pursuing God’s kingdom and His will for their lives as individuals and as a Church? Are they Christ centered and preaching the gospel of grace through faith alone for salvation. Are they mission-minded. Is the Church centered on the needs of its people, not neglecting its own, especially those out on the mission-field. Are sheep producing sheep which will turn into growth for the Church, or are they relying only on the leaders to do the work of the ministry. Some Churches turn over much of the ministry into the hands of the layman even if they are new to the faith. This saves them time in taking care of all the problems that arise, as well as money to pay for more ministers. The Bible teaches us not to do this, that one must be mature in the teachings of Christ as well as having maturity as persons, we are not to let a novice teach. There needs to be a balance in this philosophy of ministry. While many are attracted to opportunities to being in ministry in the long run if a church is this open it causes problems. The leaders are to be proven men of the faith adhering to the Biblical requirements.

Is there prayer for the needs of people and open for anyone to join in. Do they accept you for who you are without conditions and are willing to help you mature in Christ. Is giving freely encouraged or is there coercion on tithing and raising money. Are there open record where the money goes.

Is the gospel proclaimed regularly from the pulpit and people encouraged to share the gospel outside the assembly. Are they teaching the essentials of the faith to the new believers and right doctrine and practice for the mature to find their purpose in God (1 Tim.4:6, 13-16.) In finding a Christian church specific questions sometimes need to be answered. Such as do they accept the Bible as inerrant and infallible, that it has been preserved throughout history. Do they believe Jesus is the Son of God and what do they mean by this (almost all cults will agree with this on the outset). Is Christ fully God and fully man, did He raise from the dead bodily. Do they teach and uphold doctrine especially on the nature of Christ being God in the flesh and God being Tri-une in nature.

Do they have different weekly Bible studies one can attend so people can get to know one another and fellowship when they have time. Is there freedom in the church for people to exercise their spiritual gifts and talents to be used for each other and their community (1 Thess.5:19-20, 1 Cor.12-14). Are they looking for ministry opportunities as God moves in the lives of their individual members, are they encouraging people to pursue God’s calling in their lives (1 Tim.1:9; Rom.8:28-30 Eph.2:10.)

Does the church encourage you or help you to discern and answer false religious systems (1 Jn.4:1). Do they teach how to witness to other religions, or do they feel that everyone can pursue God in any way they choose (Jude 3,1 Pt.3:15). Do they recognize the cults and are equipping people to know the differences between what is true and what is error and equipping them in apologetics to give them confidence in their witnessing to them.

Sometime one needs to ask for a history of where the church began and how. Who they are affiliated with. One may have to consult cult watch organizations for further information on their history and doctrines, it’s always better to ask first before you leap. Do they belong to the National association of evangelicals or the world evangelical fellowship, are they accountable to others. Do they work with and enjoy fellowship with other churches and denominations that are sound? What books do they promote for their members to read. Wisdom is needed so one should pray for all wisdom and discernment in their decision (Phil.1:9), so that you don’t spend your time there and find out later what you should have known beforehand.

Choosing a Church may take time and sometimes caution may be necessary. A church is to be friendly but we can first be easily attracted to the warmth and friendliness of the people and later find they are theologically off. It’s best to ask for a statement of faith, a creed and history, as well as questions before joining. Some faith statements do not mean what they say so one needs to ask deeper questions if there is any doubts. Best to know beforehand than invest your time and find out later. (The Mormons articles of faith sound on the surface as evangelical but are deceptive). Do they have a public Statement of Faith? Beware when a church says their statement of faith is the Bible and that is all they have (such as the International churches of Christ). You can consult various books such as Elwell’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, The Encyclopedia of American Religions by J. Gordon Melton or even the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements by Burgess, Magee, and Alexander for further research on certain groups and movements.

If you find a church that is actively pursuing these things then you have probably found a healthy environment for your spiritual growth in Jesus Christ- you have found a good church home. Every church has a different flavor and one can find two churches that may teach the same things but have a different philosophy in how they do ministry. This can sometimes be a personal preference for you as an individual. Some believe in gifts some do not, some have differences in eschatology. Some churches believe in using instruments in their worship others do not. Some sing the old hymns others sing new songs with different styles of music. Again this becomes all personal preference as we look to find a Church home. One must see if they are using worship and praise songs or entertainment to hype the people up to keep coming back. If there is room to grow and serve and the people love and genuinely care, that’s a good place to be. We need to be in a place that we can grow together in and be used of God, not just fellowship or have things to do.

Remember that the people are the church, not a certain denomination, group or church building. Those who hold to the core doctrines without aberrations are in the body of Christ and we should accept them and be in unity with them.

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Tests are things that God allows to happen to us to test our faith. After your teacher teaches you certain things in math, she tests you to see how much you have learned. God tests us to see whether we are going to be obedient to Him. God gave Adam and Eve everything in the Garden of Eden to enjoy except the one tree of good and evil. They only had to trust God and respect His authority over them. God put that tree in the Garden of Eden to test Adam and Eve’s loyalty and obedience to Him. Adam and Eve failed the test because they ate the fruit. I want you to know that God did not cause Adam and Eve to sin. He put the tree there, but He did not encourage them to eat from it. He told them something bad would happen to them if they ate from the tree. God also tells us in the Bible that bad things will happen to us when we sin. Satan, on the other hand, told them something good would happen if they ate from the tree. Satan tempted them, and they gave in to the temptation.

God may give you an annoying boss, but He does not make you treat your boss unkindly. Only Satan will tell you to dislike this boss, disrespect him or her or to sabotage his or her work. When we are tested by God, He may allow someone to be unkind to us to see how we are going to respond. He wants to see if we are going to respond in kindness or listen to Satan. God will never tell us to do something that does not agree with the Bible.

Once you decide to become a Christian, you have been adopted into God’s family and become one of His children. God’s expects His children to do the following:

I. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…” (Matt. 6: 33). I know some of you are saying, “What in the world does that mean?” It simply means that you are going to put God before yourself. God is first in your life! There is no one more important than God, not your parents, sibling, friends or self. Everything that you do, you should ask yourself, what would Jesus do?

II. Be different from non-Christians

The Bible tells us that we should do the bad things that we see other people doing. You should be able to tell a Christian because they are doing the right thing. So many times as children, we want to fit in and to be like everyone else. But God tells Christians that they should be different. Don’t try to be like other but try to be like Jesus.

III. Obeys God’s commandments

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments,” wrote John. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” and “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loves me…” (Jn. 14: 15, 21). We show God that we love Him when we obey His commandments. This is the Ten Commandments and the other commands in the Bible. It is important that you know His commands in order to obey them. Read the Bible everyday so you will know what God wants you to do!

IV. Hang around other Christians and go to church.

It is very hard to do what God wants us to do when we hang around those who not doing what God says. It is important that you find friends that want to please God. Not only does God want our friends to be Christians but He also wants us to go to church regularly.

V. Grow

When we become saved, we are considered baby Christians. God does not want us to stay this way forever. He expects us to grow. He expects us to become more like Jesus everyday. The only way to become like Jesus is to spend time with Him. Read your Bible everyday, choose one of our devotionals to study with your parents, start a book club with our books to have friends that are learning the same things that you are learning and go to church every week.

In my book on “Let’s Talk About Salvation”, I talked about Adam and Eve and the first sin. Satan tricked Eve into believing that she would be like God if she ate the forbidden fruit. Eve believed his lie and she ate the fruit. She then gave the fruit to Adam to eat and he did. Their terrible mistake of eating the fruit from the forbidden tree affects everyone today. Because of their sin, we are all sinners. We have to be saved to get to heaven. Saved is another word for Christian. To be a Christian, you have to do three things:

1. Believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior. We have to believe in our hearts and say out loud to someone that Jesus is God. We know we have to do this because Rom. 10:9-10 tell us this: “So you will be saved, if you honestly say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others” (Rom. 10:9-10, CEV).

2. Confess and Repent. The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 (NIV),”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Confess means to:

A: Admit that your sin is wrong and that it is not pleasing to God.

B: To tell God about the bad things you have done and ask for forgiveness.

Repent means to:

A. Turn away from your sin.

B. To be sorry for what you have done.

C. To promise not to do it again.

3. Make Jesus Lord over your life. This means to be obedient to God’s Word. Believing that Jesus is Lord and Savior is not enough. We must live a life that is pleasing to God. Satan knows that Jesus is Lord and Savior, but he has not made Christ the Lord over his life. So Satan is not saved.

Now that you have accepted Jesus into your heart, it is time to start acting like Jesus. Before you can act like Jesus, you have to get rid of all of the junk that is inside. Since everyone is born a sinner, you have to remove all of those sinful things within you. You have to get rid of all of the junk so that Jesus will feel welcomed in His new home. Let’s say that you invited a friend over to play. You guys decide to play a football game but you don’t allow him to play. You decide to play tag with your sister but never ask your friend to play. Now it is time for dinner and you eat without offering him any dinner. How do you think this person feels? Do you think he or she would feel welcomed at your home? Do you think they will feel like your friend? Well this is how Jesus feels when we invite Him into your hearts but do not get rid of all of the junk inside us.

So after you are saved, it is your job to make Jesus feel welcomed and your friend!

Forgiveness
The Word of God has a lot to say about forgiveness. It is important that we understand how we must forgive others, how God forgives us and whether God forgives all sin. Let’s take a look at some key scripture pertaining to forgiveness and see what we can gleem from them.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12.
God gives us command in the Lord’s Prayer which says that we should ask God to forgive our sins and we should forgive others sins. In this verse, it appears that God is telling us that He will forgive our sins based on how well we forgive others.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. This verse confirms that we are to forgive others sins no matter what they are because God forgives all of our sins. So there is no weight on sin!

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:43. Here we see that God will only forgive those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

Does God forgive all sins?

How does God forgive?

The ABC’s of Prayer : Helping children talk to God can be as easy as A-B-C. Use this simple guide to add some spark to your family’s prayer life.

By Karen H. Whiting

Adore God. Start the day by showing God love and honor. Greet God in prayer with words that show you love God and know he is wonderful. Talk about words that describe God, such as all-powerful, loving, and creative, then use those words in adoration.
Believe in God’s abilities. Before we ask for God’s help, we must believe he can help. Over breakfast, talk about God’s ability to solve problems. In prayer, tell God you believe he can do everything!
Confess sins. Get your hands dirty, then wash them. Talk about how God washes our hearts when we confess sins. Have each person think about something he or she did that hurt someone, then ask for forgiveness.
Delight in God and his Creation. Romans 1:20 teaches that when we look at what God made, we learn about God. Take a nature walk and thank God each time you stop to look at something he made.
Express the need for God. In humility seek the truth of Christ’s words in John 15:5: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Talk to your child about why you need God. Ask your child why he needs God. Together thank God for always being with each of you.
Focus on one need. There is no need to rush through a wish list of all the problems you want God to solve—he already knows. A mind crowded with problems will feel stressed. For today, think of the need weighing on you the most. Let God give you peace about that one problem.
Give thanks to God. Help your child think of the blessings in her life and thank God for each one. Write them in a journal. This helps develop an attitude of gratitude.
Humor lightens the heart, so tell God the funny things that happen, too. Look back and find the funny side of frustrating moments and laugh. God, who created monkeys and cuckoo birds, likes to laugh with us.
Invite the Holy Spirit to guide each of you. Take your child on a blindfolded walk, guiding him around obstacles. Discuss how God sent the Holy Spirit to guide us around problems, including ones we may not even see.
Journal as a form of prayer. Let your children write or draw a prayer. Encourage them to write whatever God puts in their minds. Have younger children tell you what they want to say and record their words for them.
Keep knocking. Read about the poor widow who kept knocking in Luke 18:1-8. Make a doorknob hanger with a prayer request on it and tell your child to pray about that request every time he sees the hanger.
Love God and express that love in words. Expressing love for God and remembering his love helps us look beyond our problems and hold on to his promises. As you pray, fold your arms across your chest as though you are hugging—and being hugged by—God.
Mean what you say. Honesty is important in any relationship, especially your relationship with God. Read Psalm 102 and talk about how it’s okay to tell God how we feel, even when we are sad or angry. Practice being honest with God as you pray.
Never give up, but persevere in your prayers. If you’ve got an unanswered prayer, continue taking it to God. If you’re dealing with a difficult situation, ask God to give you the strength to deal with it. Trust that God will answer your prayers in his way and in his time.
Offer yourself and your talents to God. Make a list of your child’s talents, from a great smile to a nice singing ability to being a fast runner. Then pray with your child, asking God to show her how to use these abilities to serve him. Use one of those talents for God today.
Praise the Lord. Rejoice for what God has done and will do. Sing or listen to a praise song as part of your prayers.
Quietly listen and wait for God’s response. Read Psalm 46 and then sit still and let your heart feel God’s love. Listen for God to speak to your hearts. Share anything God may have told you, reflect on memorized verses, or read a passage from the Bible. Help your child discover that God speaks through his Word.
Repent. Repentance is an act of regret and turning away from sin. To stop doing the same bad things takes strength. Help your child make a “God can help me” sign and post it in her room as a reminder to ask for God’s help to resist sin and repent of wrongdoing.
Seek God’s help for others. Our concern for others touches God’s heart. Write the names of people who need God’s guidance and comfort. Pray for each.
Trust God and expect answers. Read the words on a penny about trust. Talk about how trust grows just like a pile of coins can grow, a little at a time. Post a paper on your refrigerator to jot down answers to prayer, and watch the paper fill up!
Unite your will with God’s. God knows what is best. Talk about your prayer requests and why they might or might not be in God’s will, then pray for God to show you his will and to help you accept his plans for you.
Value yourself. As you end your prayers today, realize that God values you. Read Psalm 139 as a reminder of how much God loves you.
Worship God. Think of worship as blowing kisses to God. Take turns saying something great about God. Blow kisses toward heaven after each praise.
X-ray hearing; that is, listen intently. Prayer is a two-way communication, so stop and listen for God’s voice in your heart. Read about how Elijah listened and heard God whisper in 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Yearn to learn from prayer and be changed by it. Even as you end today’s prayer time, yearn for the next time. Think of God as a friend you can’t wait to talk with again. Make a plan to pray again soon.
Zealously share. Share joy by sharing love with others. Share answers received, telling others of God’s greatness in providing answers.
Prayer is a continuous adventure in drawing closer to God and developing a relationship with him. It involves the desire to know, listen, and serve God, as well as sharing experiences and needs. Master these basic skills and make your family’s communication with God a joyful celebration of his goodness.
Karen H. Whiting is an author and the mother of five. She and her family live in Florida.
Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Parenting Today magazine.
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Fall 2003, Vol. 16, No. 1, Page 30