Pray for Your Children

From the day we found out we were pregnant, I have been praying for Emmalyn. But recently, I have been thinking...how can I pray more effectively for her? How can I pray more specifically for her? John 16:23-24 says "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

So, asked my dear friends over at Titus Two how they pray for their children. I got a lot of great responses from these wonderful, Godly women! One of my favorite responses was this list from my friend "Momma5." This list gives you a Godly characteristic to pray for each day of the month, and better yet...the scripture to pray! This is such a wonderful list, I wanted to share it with my mommy friends!!!


*Daily, pray for their physical protection, purity, a close walk with Christ, their future mates, their testimony in the world, but you can also use this list to remind you of other things.

1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

I finally made it to the gym! :)

I have been talking about it for months, and I finally joined the YMCA and had my first workout this morning! I mainly joined b/c my back surgeon suggested pool therapy and exercises, and they have a great pool.

But since today was the first time for Emmalyn to be in the nursery there, I didn't want to be "unaccessible" in the water. So, I kept it short, and just rode the bicycle (I couldn't think of anything else to do that would be no-impact for my back). But, I rode 3 miles!!! I only "worked out" for 17 minutes, but I feel great about it! And Emmalyn did great! She didn't fuss at all, and apparently played well! So, tomorrow, I will go to the water aerobics class that is an hour long...I am excited!

Just for your amusement... :) :) :)

Needed something to post...

I have been feeling, well...uninspired recently. I haven't posted much this month, and felt I needed to post something. Well, most of you have probably already seen this, but if not, enjoy!!! (Even if you have...it is still funny!!! I laugh out loud every time!)

It is called The Mom Song, by Anita Renfroe...sung to the tune of the William Tell Overture.

Miss Independent

Please click on "Miss Independent," by Kelly Clarkson on my plalylist , make sure you have the volume up, and enjoy Baby Girl's Theme Song playing while you read!:) :) :)

Emmalyn has 2 stubborn parents. We knew we would have a stubborn child. We used to say, "poor kid" will have to deal with this. Now, we say "POOR US!!!" We did not know, however, how fast we would learn how independent she would be!!! She is only 15 months, and already exerting her own opinion daily! She does NOT want to hold your hand walking down the sidewalk...she wants to "do it herself!" She does NOT want you to feed her...she wants to "do it herself!" She does NOT want you to show her how to get up into her rocking chair or riding toy...she wants to "do it herself!" I could go on! It is cute to see how she is learning how to do these things, but frustrating when I truly know she can't, but won't let me help her! This is the cause of most of her fits these days, and the poor thing is so frustrated! Hopefully, she won't give us TOO much trouble when she is 2! Ha ha ha ha!!!

Just so you get a visual for this little tirade...this is what happened when I would not allow her to go to the water "by herself" at the beach! pitiful, isn't it?

Update on Jessica

If you will remember, I posted a prayer request for my dear friend Jessica a little while back. A few prayer warrior friends have asked me how she is doing. Well, she is doing well! The prognosis has not changed for the baby, but God's unsurpassed peace and grace has truly been lavished upon her! What an amazing God we serve! She has started a blog, and you will find a link to it on the right hand side of my blog, entitled Surrender: Jessica's Journey . I hope you will take time to read her story, prayer requests, and praises...and please keep her and her precious baby and family in your prayers!

Here is a quote from her blog:
"To all you prayer warriors out there we thank you for standing in the gap for us. I pray and thank God for you daily. I have prayed that God will bless you for your faithfulness. In James he says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16b. It also says, "the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." James 5:15aRemember this though, God is at work and has his hand on this situation no matter what the outcome is."

What a treasure we have that some of us have not even met each other, but we share our struggles and praises because we are all children of God! What a wonderful sisterhood this is! I am so very thankful God called each of you and me to His heart, so that we may share this life on earth together!

Ephesians 3:14-19
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."