Powerful Parental Prayers

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Powerful Parental Prayers

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Growing Dads God’s Way-19

The Most Powerful Tools in

Godly Parenting: Prayer -2

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A church that doesn’t pray is on a spiritual treadmill, lots of action and no progress[1].

Prayer catapults us to the frontiers of what ever God is doing around the earth.

The keys to prayer: express deepest thoughts to God, trust no matter what, influence others for God;

By now we are all asking the same thing aren’t we?

How could we ever do anything of this magnitude?
- How can we penetrate the lives of our children with these truths?
- How can we see God unleashed in their lives?
- How can we every day be actively using God’s Word and seeing it touch those children and grandchildren we love so much?

The answer is in the most powerful tool in the arsenal of weaponry to win spiritual battles that God has given us. And parenting, and grand parenting is a spiritual battle, right? Well, tonight we will conclude our look at Parenting in Godliness with the key to raising, nurturing, and launching children that please the Lord as we learn How to Pray for our children.

When Jesus left Earth and went back to heaven, what did those who were closest to Him remember about Him? Remember, imitation is the highest form of compliment.

What did they imitate from His life? Check Acts 6:4!
What as it about Him they couldn’t get along without? Prayer, of course.
What do we need to do the most for our family? Pray, of course.

We as parents have a biblical obligation to PRAY FOR OUR CHILDREN. Note I Samuel 12:23 and Ephesians 6:18:

1 Samuel 12:23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. (NKJV)
Galatians 4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints — (NKJV) And what are we watching for? God answering those prayers!
Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

WE MUST PRAY FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL LIFE:

TO SEE THEM GENUINELY SAVED.

1 Timothy 2:4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (NIV)
2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

TO SEE THEM LOVING GOD’S WORD.

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary [food.] (NKJV)
Psalm 119:97, 165 Oh, how I love Your law! It [is] my meditation all the day. 165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. (NKJV)
Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. (NKJV)

TO SEE THEM LIVING IN VICTORY.

John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (NKJV)
John 17:15 “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. (NKJV)
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (NKJV)

TO SEE THEM THINKING OF HEAVEN.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (NKJV)
Colossians 3:1-2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Is it] not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. (NKJV)
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NKJV) [Funerals, mansions, ancient sites, tuts treasures]

TO SEE THEM FINDING SIN REPULSIVE.

Proverbs 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with grave
Luke 15:17-18 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, (NKJV)
Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, (NKJV)

TO SEE THEM STAY TENDER TOWARD GOD.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise. (NKJV) Invitations, Christian service, others needs…

WE MUST PRAY FOR THEIR PERSONAL LIFE:

TO SEE THEM MAINTAINING A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.
- Acts 24:16 “This [being] so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. (NKJV)
- 1 Timothy 1:5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, [from] a good conscience, and [from] sincere faith, (NKJV)
- 1 Timothy 1:19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, (NKJV)
TO SEE THEM LEARNING TO STAND ALONE (which means a conviction that their character is more important than their popularity).
- Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (NKJV)
- Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. “If that [is the case,] our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver [us] from your hand, O king. “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (NKJV)
- 2 Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, (NKJV)
TO SEE THEM SEEKING TO STAY PURE.
- Genesis 39:9 “[There is] no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you [are] his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (NKJV)
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. (NKJV)
TO SEE THEM KEEP A SERVANT’S HEART.
- Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NKJV)
- Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (NKJV)
TO SEE THEM NEVER BECOMING BITTER IN TRIALS.
- II Samuel 16:11 “… Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him.”
- 1 Kings 11:14 Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom.
- Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (NKJV)

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled; (KJV)

WE MUST PRAY FOR THEIR FAMILY LIFE:

TO SEE THEM CULTIVATING A LOVE FOR THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1 John 3:11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, (NKJV);
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NKJV);
1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (NKJV)

2. TO SEE THEM LEARNING TO TRUST GOD WITH HARD SITUATIONS AND NOT TO REBEL.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV);
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (NKJV)

3. TO SEE THEM EACH LOVING THE WAY GOD MADE THEM AS MEN AND WOMEN.

Psalm 139:13-18 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. (NKJV)
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (NIV) The Message says: Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. … Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them…Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it.
Titus 2:4-5 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
1 Peter 3:1-7 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. The Message paraphrases this passage as: The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated. The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them.

4. TO SEE THEM WAITING TO MEET GOD’S CHOSEN LIFE PARTNER FOR THEM.

Proverbs 31:10-12 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. (NKJV)
Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. (NIV)
Proverbs 19:13-14 A foolish son is the ruin of his father, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping. 14 Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

WE MUST PRAY FOR THEIR MINISTRY LIFE:

TO SEE THEM CHOOSING TO NOT LOVE MONEY.

1 Timothy 6:9-12 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NKJV)
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (KJV)

TO SEE THEM CHOOSING A LIFE OF PERSONALLY KNOWING, SERVING, LOVING AND OBEYING THE LORD.

1 Chronicles 28:9 ” As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. (NKJV)
1 Chronicles 29:19 “And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.” (NKJV)
3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (KJV)

[1] Adapted from Alexander Strauch, The New Testament Deacon, Lewis & Roth, 1992, p. 22.

[2] Piper, A Godward Life, pp.284-286.

[3] Ibid., p. 14.

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