Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community: Humility

You younger men. likewise. be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. 
1 Peter 5:5-6 NASB

Reflect on this statement, inspired by today’s Scripture, and let it guide you into prayer:

I pray that my children will be honoring to those You have placed over them. I pray they will give honor to everyone, especially the elderly, and learn to know Your heart when You said, "I have not come to be served but to serve."

Prayer

God, I thank You for being my all-in-all, for being above all, and ruling over all that is in heaven and on earth. Thank You for those You place over my children, and thank You for using those individuals to help shape them, mold their character, conform them to Your image, and prepare them for the things You have planned for them.

I pray that my children will be honoring to those You have placed over them. I pray they will give honor to everyone, especially the elderly, and learn to know Your heart when You said, "I have not come to be served but to serve."

I pray that my children's hearts will never be filled with pride, puffed up, or prone to look down on others. May they be humble vessels who are aware of their needs, who are broken and contrite before You, and who realize, moment by moment, their total dependency upon Your grace.

I pray my children will give honor to everyone.

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children.
This post first appeared on DaySpring.com, you can read it here.

Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community: Remembrance

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
and not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me.
Isaiah 49:15-16 NKJV

Reflect on this statement, inspired by today’s Scripture, and let it guide you into prayer:

May my children always be aware of how much they mean to You, how precious they are in Your sight, how tenderly You carry them in Your thoughts, and that their names are written on the palms of Your compassionate hands.

Prayer

Thank You, Father, for being a God of compassion who feels deeply and cares greatly for my family. Thank You that through Your compassion, my children can know Your inner feelings for each of them personally, sense Your tender touch upon them, see the riches of what Your heart holds for them, and experience the fullness of what Your love brings to them.

Father, I am amazed to realize that Your love for my children is even greater than the love I have for them and that the depth of Your feelings for them goes even deeper than what I hold for them. What a great comfort it is to know how much You care for them, and that they are always in Your thoughts.

May my children always be aware of how much they mean to You, how precious they are in Your sight, how tenderly You carry them in Your thoughts, and that their names are written on the palms of Your compassionate hands.

Thank You for being a God of compassion.

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children. This post originally appeared here. 

The Way

Jesus,
You are my entry way,
My open way,
My only way.
Because You are my door—
No foe can keep me out,
Block me out, or lock me out
From the promises, the blessings,
The treasures, and the joys
I have in You.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Prayers of Promise: The Joys of Community

Through love serve one another. Colossians 5:13 NKJV

God has not only called us to know and enjoy Him but He has also called us to know and enjoy others. Each child of God has been placed into a family of believers. The outflow of our fellowship with God will bring us into fellowship with others. God has made us dependent upon one another. We need other people, and they need us to grow and be supported, helped, encouraged, loved, prayed for, enriched, guided, cared for, and blessed.

As children grow and mature, parents need to be in prayer about the friendships their children form and the influence their lives will have upon others. Through every stage of life children can be a blessing to those around them, including family members, classmates, teachers, and others in the community.

The next few days we will learn more about praying for God’s love to shine through our relationships. We will pray intentionally about honoring God and others with a humble heart and remembering God’s love in all we do. Today, prepare your heart for this time of devotion with this short prayer:

Lord, be with us in each of our relationships. Teach us to have contrite hearts that live for Your glory. Help us to honor You and all Your children with dignity and respect. Give us servant hearts that are prepared to help using the gifts and talents You’ve given to us. Let us see others as You see them.

Through love serve one another. Colossians 5:13 NKJV

This was an excerpt from Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children.

This devotion first appeared on DaySpring.com 

Four Enemies of Faith

It is impossible to please God without faith. Hebrews 11:6 NLT

Here are four enemies of faith:

Enemy #1 “Not me”
There used to be a prayer of the uncommitted that said, “Here I am Lord, send my brother.” When you say “not me” you place the focus upon yourself, your limitations, and weaknesses. However, faith says, “God can.” Gideon told God, “I can’t” but God told Gideon, "(You can) because I have sent you and I will be with you."

Enemy #2 “Not now”
When you say to God, “Yes, use me.” that does not mean that your obedience of faith is complete. You must, by faith, add this commitment to our prayer, “Yes, Lord, use me in your time.” God wants to use you in His appointed time, not yours. You cannot live a life of faith and put things off for another day when God tells you to do it now, and you do not want to become frustrated and anxious if tells you to wait.

Enemy #3 “Not here”
Sometimes we think we can serve God better and more effectively if we were somewhere else and with other people. We can think, “I will serve You Lord when You send me to the mission field; I will let my life be a witness for You when I am with strangers, but not when I am with my family and friends here at home.” God wants you to trust Him to work through you in the place He has put you.

Enemy #4 “Not that way”
Faith cannot lean upon the arm of the flesh, but must lean upon the arm of the Lord. Often, our flesh wants to take over or be in control when responding to what God asks of us. God’s ways are not our ways. Our faith must respond to what God wants us to do and how He wants us to do it, even if that way may seem inconvenient or take us out of our comfort zone.

Let your obedience be complete by responding to God with the “Yes” of faith— allowing Him to use you, to use you now, to use you where you are, and to use you in the way He chooses.

Note: This theme originated, not with me, but with the following two quotes…The first quote is by A.W. Tozer, and the second by E. Stanley Jones.

“Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!” -A.W. Tozer, The Tozer Pulpit, Volume One

“ A minister took the first step to victory when he arose and said in a meeting: “‘I can’t’ and ‘tomorrow’ are the twin evils of my life, crippling me and my ministry. ‘I can’t do things,’ or ‘I can’t do them today’—these are the paralyzing hands laid on me.” He was on his way to victory in the honest segregation of these enemies and in the recognizing of them as such.” –E. Stanley Jones, Abundant Living

©2018 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved. 

The Beauty of Character: Character

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Philippians 1:9–11 NLT

Reflect on this statement, inspired by today’s Scripture, and let it guide you into prayer:

Lord, teach them to walk as You walked and honor their Father in heaven, just as You honored Him when You walked on the earth. May their days be long, their hearts be full, their lives be enriched, and their blessings be abundant.

Prayer

Father, bless my children and make them a blessing. May Christ be formed in them. As their Potter, shape and mold their character and use them where You place them. I know that everything You make is beautiful!

Help my children know how to follow You so they will be able to lead others. Help them know how to give freely so that they will prosper in the true riches of Your kingdom. Help them know how to yield to Your will so they will be able to stand strong in Your grace and sufficiency.

May my children be wise students, good workers, supportive team members, and loyal companions. Help them live productive and fruitful lives. Teach them to walk as You walked and honor their Father in heaven, just as You honored Him when You walked on the earth. May their days be long, their hearts be full, their lives be enriched, and their blessings be abundant.
.......

This first appeared as a DaySpring devotion. The book, Prayers of Promises can be purchased at your favorite Christian retailer, or through DaySpring.com.

Anxiety and Peace

Anxiety tells you that you are in a situation that is too big for God to handle; Peace assures you that nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Anxiety assumes the worst will happen; Peace affirms the best is yet to be.

Anxiety points you to your inadequacy; Peace confirms that God’s grace is sufficient.

Anxiety causes you to panic; Peace causes you to be still.

Anxiety shows you your lack; Peace points you to God’s supply.

Anxiety warns of defeat and failure; Peace proclaims God’s victory and success.

Anxiety causes you to strive; Peace causes you to rest.

Anxiety says “You will be carried away by the storm;” Peace says “Your anchor holds.”

Anxiety fills you with darkness; Peace floods you with light.

Anxiety tells you to first seek a solution; Peace tells you to first seek the Kingdom.

Anxiety tells you, you won’t make it; Peace assures you, God will bring you through. 

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Luke 12:24-26, Matthew 6:33 NKJV

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

The Beauty of Character

This winter, as we enter a New Year, we want to encourage you to pray for your children and grandchildren, and other "young people of ALL ages" in your life. This will be the first installment in a series that comes from Roy's book Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children by Roy Lessin— a book designed to guide you in prayer over your children. -Marina

The Beauty of Character -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us. Psalm 90:17 KJV

Like clay, our lives need to be formed, molded, and shaped into the image of the God who created us. Godly character is not a gift that we instantly receive, but something that is formed within us by placing our lives in God's hands, receiving His grace, depending on His Spirit, and choosing to do what is pleasing in His sight.

It is important for parents to pray that their children will not only know the Lord and follow Him but also yield themselves to the Lord so that His character can be formed within them. No life is more beautiful than the one whose heart is filled with loveliness, whose attitudes are filled with kindness, whose words are spoken with gentleness, and whose behavior is marked by righteousness.

The next few days we will learn more about praying for an underlying beauty to shine through the lives of all God’s children. We will pray intentionally about developing a foundation in His Word and a heart that reflects His character. Today, prepare your heart for this time of devotion with this short prayer:

Lord, teach us to crave Your Word, to desire living in such a way that cultivates a deeper relationship with You, and to be an example of a life enriched by the blessings of Your Holy Spirit within our communities and families. Give us family and friends that will serve as spiritual mentors—guiding us closer to You— and will inspire us to follow You all our lives.

This post first appeared on the DaySpring blog. You can read it here: https://www.dayspring.com/daily-devotion/date/2018-06-10? The book, Prayers of Promise: God’s Life-Changing Promises to Pray Over Your Children is available at your local Christian bookstore, and online retailers.

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Reflections on Philippians 4:6-7

Anxiety—don’t carry it, walk with it, eat with it, live with it, or go to bed with it. Don’t entertain it, support it, encourage it—not in big things or little things, present things or future things, pressing things or perplexing things. It is a foe not a friend, a downer not an edifier, a binder not a freer. It will quickly introduce you to its' close cousins, fret and fear. When anxiety knocks at the door of your heart or mind, be sure to renounce it, reject it, and refuse it any place.

Instead of being anxious about anything, you can begin to pray about everything. Prayer means that you have a God to go to and to talk to, who hears and answers prayer. Mix your prayers with thankfulness. Thanksgiving reflects an attitude of gratefulness to God for inviting you to come to Him, and it shows that you truly trust Him to take care of you, regardless of your circumstances.

As you pray and trust God to work, He will give you the assurance that He is in control. He will do this by giving you His peace. God doesn’t give you circumstantial peace, but His peace, a peace which remains constant and undisturbed through every circumstance. God’s peace is His answer for your anxiety. His peace will quiet you and calm you; it will minister health to your nerves and rest to your spirit. God’s peace is more powerful than anxiety, fear, or worry, and His peace will defeat any foe that tries to attack your heart and mind. At the heart of these attacks is an attempt to have you to turn your faith away from God and to focus instead on your needs and circumstances. God’s peace strengthens you from these attacks by giving you the assurance that God is for you and that no weapon formed against you will prosper. Never turn away from God’s peace. Yield and surrender your heart and mind to His peace. Say, “Yes, Lord, I receive Your peace.” You do not need to understand why certain things are happening in order to have God’s peace. His peace transcends your understanding. God’s peace is the same peace that Jesus said He would give to you. It is a peace that the world cannot give you. His peace belongs to you because you belong to Him. "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.