P4S~ DAY 10 Love

Dear Mamas,

Me & my boys~ EMHE reveal, Summer 2011

How is your prayer challenge going? Are you hanging in there? Keep lifting those sons of yours/ours up in prayer! I will be praying for each of you today. Please let me know if you have a specific need or prayer request by replying below or emailing me.

Today we will read though The Fruit of the Spirit chapter and pray for LOVE. Be sure to read Brooke's encouragement below~ great insight!

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DAY 10 ACTION STEPS

• READ | Read through “The Fruit of The Spirit” (pg. 27-28) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

• PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Love (pg. 29) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)

• COMMENT | For our discussion today, let’s answer Brooke’s question above about how the term “love” has been watered down in our culture – “How can we begin to make changes in our life and vocabulary to help our sons understand the true meaning of the word [love]?”

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Day Ten – Love

Encouragement from Brooke, author of Warrior Prayers~ Praying the Word for Boys in the areas they need it most:

Today we take our first step into one of my favorite verses to pray for my sons. I pray it most every day, if not in its entirety, at least in part. If I could only choose one verse to pray for my boys for the rest of their lives this one would be my second choice (behind Ezekiel 36:26), because having a heart full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control just about sums up everything I want for them.

I've thought for years that love can't really be all that it should be apart from God. The Bible says that God IS love. For us mathematicians, using the word "IS" is the same as using the word "EQUALS." In other words,God and love are one and the same. There is no real love apart from God, and God is behind all real and genuine acts of love.

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." ~1 John 4:8

Love

May__________ not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15).
May our sons love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7).
May our sons love one another earnestly from a pure heart (1 Peter 1:22).
May our sons, when they become husbands, love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself (Ephesians 5:28).
May the Lord make__________increase and abound in love (1 Thessalonians 3:12).
May__________know that this is love, that we walk according to His commandments (2 John 1:6).
May__________not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to __________ (Jude 1:2).
May __________ love the LORD his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
May__________know that this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

P4S~ DAY 9 Honor

Dear Mothers of Sons,

I had the privilege of speaking to my son today on the importance of being an honorable man of God. A man who works hard, keeps his word, respects those in authority over him, and lends a hand to those in need…THAT is what I want to see in my son, all to the glory of God. It was not an easy lesson for this strong-willed young man, but given in love, I think we (finally) got somewhere. A long talk and a humble letter of apology later, I can honestly say I am proud of this young man ♥

I will continue to pray for my sons today and join you as we pray for them to be godly men of honor! I pray that the LORD blesses your efforts in training up your children today, as he has blessed mine.

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DAY 9 ACTION STEPS

READ | If you haven’t already, read through “Men Set Apart” (pg. 20-21) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Honor (pg. 26) using whatever method works best for you!

COMMENT | In our culture, the concept of “chivalry” and “honor” is often limited to those in military uniforms. Do you think this is something we should bring back into the lives/hearts of our young men and if so, how?

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Day Nine – Honor
Encouragement from Brooke

There may never be an opportunity for your sons to rush to the aid of a damsel in distress or defend her honor like in times of old, but it never hurts to use stories of a knight in shining armor to teach them about honor.

I happen to have young sons in my home. They love an epic battle of good versus evil and it's not unusual to see them running (yes running … I've almost decided it's useless to scream "WALK!”) around the house with makeshift capes and swords hunting bad guys and jousting to the death. And they love to attack their daddy, as he holds me down and tickles me, defending my honor.

I came across a book recently that perfectly illustrates the type of men I hope my sons will become. It might surprise you to know that it's written for girls. The book? The Princess and the Three Knights, by Karen Kingsbury. Look beyond the surface moms. Even you parents of older boys may want to purchase a copy of this book as a gift for your sons. Its presentation makes it a perfect fit for a girl. But its message is for girls and boys.

The only knight good enough to win the heart of the princess was the one who would do anything to protect her. That's the kind of honor I'm praying for in my sons.

"But there will be glory and honor and peace
from God for all who do good."
~Romans 2:10, NLT

Prayers for Honor
May__________know that both riches and honor come from God, and that He rules over all (1 Chronicles
29:12).
May__________fear the Lord, and receive honor (Psalm 15:4).
May the LORD bestow favor and honor upon__________. No good thing does He withhold from those
who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).
Lord, be with__________in trouble; rescue him and honor him (Psalm 91:15).
May__________honor the LORD with his wealth and with the firstfruits of all his produce (Proverbs
3:9).
May__________be wise and inherit honor (Proverbs 3:35).
May__________honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:17).
May__________honor his father and mother, for this is the first commandment with a promise (Ephesians
6:2).
May__________honor the face of an old man (Leviticus 19:32).
May__________do good, and receive glory, honor and peace (Romans 2:10).

P4S~ Day 8 Servant’s Heart

Dear Prayer Warrior Mamas,

We are in the process of selling our house. Every time we get a phone call to show the house, it's like a fire drill! We have to stop everything (there goes our homeschool!), tidy & clean the house, and scoot! Working together as a team, we are able to do this fairly quickly. They realize that, as a member of this family, they have a role to play, just like Mom & Dad. Praise the LORD that they are willing to help pull this off! Today's the third showing we've had in the last week. I love their willingness to serve our family's goals...glory be to God!
Today as you pray for you sons, we will focus on praying for God to cultivate a servant’s heart within them.

May your faith be strengthened today as you look for God’s hand working in your son’s life!

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DAY 8 ACTION STEPS

READ | If you haven’t already, read through “Men Set Apart” (pg. 20-21) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Servant’s Heart (pg. 25) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)

COMMENT | How can we cultivate a “servant’s heart” in the lives of our sons?  Remember that we have parents from all seasons of life on this journey – how do we teach this to little ones, encourage it as they grow, and help them develop it further as they prepare to “leave the nest?”

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Day Eight – Servant's Heart
Encouragement from Brooke, author of Warrior Prayers~ Praying the Word for Boys in the areas they need it most

My husband has a servant's heart.

It's his gifting. When he sees a need, he serves. When he doesn't know what else to do, he serves. During the first trimester of both of my pregnancies, when I was so sick that I couldn't keep up with the house, he did it all for me. He never asked what I needed. He never complained or whined. He just did what needed to be done. I often joke with people and say that he had no idea what to do with me, so he just took care of everything else!
Jesus led by serving.
I don't know if we can say that Jesus' gifting was to serve, after all, He was God. He didn't have to serve anyone. Neither do we. We don't have to serve others. But Jesus did. And He said that if we want to be first, we'll need to be last. He said that loving others, serving them, was serving Him--loving Him.

"The greatest among you shall be your servant." ~Matthew 23:11

Servant’s Heart
May__________ be a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1).
May__________follow Christ; and where He is, may__________be also. If anyone serves Christ, the Father will honor him (John 12:26).
May__________be like Moses, faithful in all God’s house as a servant (Hebrews 3:5).
As the Lord’s servant, may__________not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
May__________not use his freedom to satisfy his sinful nature. Instead, may he use his freedom to serve others in love (Galatians 5:13).
May__________use his spiritual gifts to serve others, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:10).
May__________serve wholeheartedly, as if he were serving the Lord, not men (Ephesians 6:7).
Let__________be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let him offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28).
May__________be a servant, for the greatest among us shall be servants (Matthew 23:11).
May__________fear the LORD his God and serve him only (Deuteronomy 6:13).

P4S~ Day 7 Purity

Prayerful Moms,


Renewing our vows ♥

Are you still with me? Today, our seventh day of prayer is a small milestone. We are 1/3 of the way through our 21 day prayer challenge for our sons! Praise the LORD for keeping us on track and committed to setting aside time each day to pray for our sons. (Fall behind or miss a day? No worries, just jump back in and follow along. Your prayers are no less valuable!)

Today we will pray for our sons to remain pure. Pure in heart, pure in spirit, pure in body. If you have young sons, you might also pray for their future brides to remain pure as well. Older, grown sons? Pray for them to remain pure in their marriage. For all of them, pray for protection and for the strength to flee from temptation.

I invite each of you to join me in today’s prayers for Purity and to share your comments and prayer requests below.

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DAY 7 ACTION STEPS

READ | If you haven’t already, read through “Men Set Apart” (pg. 20-21) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Purity (pg. 24) using whatever method works best for you!

COMMENT | Our culture does not hold “purity” (of heart or body) in high regard – in fact, it often pushes the younger generation to ignore this key component of character in favor of exploration and doing whatever “feels right.”  As a parent, how do you uphold purity (physical/mental/emotional) in your home as a standard of who your son(s) is/are supposed to be in Christ?  Any advice/encouragement for parents whose son may have strayed from this standard?

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Day Seven – Purity
Encouragement from Hal & Melanie Young{Parents of SIX boys and authors of one of my favorite books on raising boys, Raising Real Men.}

The past ten years have brought a brutal assault on the purity of young men. Where it used to be that a young man had to happen upon a stash of wickedness in an uncle's footlocker for a few stolen moments or risk his reputation to go buy something in person at a store, now the evil comes looking for him. The average age of porn exposure is now 11 years old!

So how do we prepare our guys for this huge battle that is about to face them? How do we help them be strong and stay pure, so that one day they'll be knights in shining armor for their brides? We've got to get there first and be "the first with the most," as General Nathan Bedford Forest, the Civil War cavalry commander used to say. We need to be open and honest with our boys starting while Mama still gives them their bath and continuing through graduation and beyond--explaining and answering their questions, but especially putting it all in to the context of God's gift for marriage alone. Establishing that frankness and communication from the very start will really pay off when they enter the testosterone years.

Understanding what's going on is not nearly enough for our boys, though, especially as they become teens. We need to prepare them to look for the snares our enemy lays for them, give them tools to help them fight temptation, and make sure they have accountability that helps them stand firm. Too many mothers we talk to are in denial that their sons are old enough or sinful enough (hint: we all are) to face these temptations. That's sad, because their sons need their help!

We can help them, too, by praying for them. We need to pray for protection for them and pray they'll be strong enough to flee temptation - and pray for the princesses they will one day claim!

"And all who have this eager expectation
will keep themselves pure,
just as He is pure."
~1 John 3:3, NLT

Prayers for Purity

May__________have love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5).
May__________hope in God and thus purify himself (1 John 3:3).
May__________have religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unstained from the world (James 1:27).
May__________think on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, may he think about these things (Philippians 4:8).
May__________be like the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
May there be no violence in__________'s hands, and his prayer be pure (Job 16:17).
May__________be pure, because even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright (Proverbs 20:11).
May__________'s love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that he may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (Philippians 1:9-10).
How can__________keep his way pure? By guarding it according to God’s Word (Psalm 119:9).
May__________be blameless and innocent, a child of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:15).

P4S~ DAY 6 Pride

Dearest mamas,

Today, we will pray for our sons to the LORD to keep them from pride, to help them turn from wrongdoing and boastfulness.

Rest assured, your prayers are being heard! Pour out your heart to the LORD, in praise and in thanksgiving, and then keep your eyes and ears open for the answers he sends.

My heart is broken today as I write this. A family from our church is mourning the loss of their 19 year old son, who fell in the river while on a hike yesterday with friends. I can’t begin to imagine their heartache, but I know that God will be glorified, even through this tragedy. God, be with the Eddy family, bringing them comfort and peace in the days to come.

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DAY 6 ACTION STEPS
READ | If you haven’t already, read through “Men Set Apart” (pg. 20-21) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Pride (pg. 23) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)

COMMENT | Pride will always have a tendency to rear its ugly head in our sons and in our own hearts as parents.  For our discussion today, how do you balance being proud of your son and his accomplishments and talents without stepping into the realm of being prideful?

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Day Six – Pride

Encouragement from Melissa Smallwood(creator of Multitasking Mama at http://www.multitaskingmama.com/)

“Praying for my boys has changed as they have gotten older. Watching their personalities, talents and spiritual gifts emerge provides the opportunity to pray specifically for the men they are becoming. My mama heart used to pray, “God, help me be the kind of mom they need,” but as they have moved into the tween/teen years that prayer has changed. “God, help them become the men you created them to be” is what I utter now.

That man may not always be what I pictured in my mind, when they were toddling around and getting into everything. None of my three boys are anything alike and none of them are what I pictured they would be when they were still small enough to sit on my lap or welcome my kisses. And that is OK.

Proverbs 22:6 reminds us to “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Amplified Bible). Prayers for our sons must be individual to that child, and sensitive to the one of a kind man God has designed each of them to be. Whether my boys grow to be doctors, pastors, or drive a milk truck, as long as they are living their lives for God’s glory, my mama heart should be pleased and satisfied.

All three of them are uniquely and wonderfully created. Praying for God to shape their hearts, trusting the master Potter He is, has allowed me to relinquish control of the outcome and cherish my role in the process of learning who they will become.

As they grow, up and away – as is God’s plan – my heart’s cry to Him is that they will lead lives pleasing to their Creator {and that they will visit their mama frequently}.”

Pride
May__________not have a haughty spirit, for pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
May__________be lowly in spirit and obtain honor, for one’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor (Proverbs 29:23).
Lord, make__________turn from doing wrong and keep him from pride (Job 33:17).
Lord, please break__________‘s proud spirit (Leviticus 26:19).
May__________take advice and gain wisdom, for with insolence comes nothing but strife (Proverbs 13:10).
May__________not be a “Scoffer” the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride (Proverbs 21:24).
Lord, give us the pleasure of taking great pride in__________, being filled with comfort (2 Corinthians 7:4).
Let__________test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor (Galatians 6:4).
Let not the foot of arrogance come upon__________, nor the hand of the wicked drive him away (Psalm 36:11).
Let__________talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from his mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed (1 Samuel 2:3).

P4S~ DAY 5 Avoiding Foolishness

Dearest Mamas,

How is your prayer challenge going? It’s so quiet on this end, but my heart is full of prayers for each of you! Be sure to leave a comment below when you do today’s ACTION STEPS so I can know how to specifically pray for your family.

Today we are praying for our sons to avoid foolishness. Not always an easy task, is it? Just as we desire for our sons to be men of integrity, we want them to have friends of integrity too. Just as Proverbs 27: 17 tells us:

“Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.”

Yes, this is what we desire for our sons, to not only avoid foolishness, but to keep company with other men that will encourage each other to be more like Christ!

My husband and my eldest son (center) and 2 of my husband's best friends~ Brothers in Christ ♥

Consider helping your sons to understand the difference between the foolish man and the wise man using the Bible's definitions in Psalm 14:1 and Proverbs 9:10. Perhaps do a study of all of the descriptions of the foolish man found in Scripture and help your sons to understand that foolishness always brings negative consequences … now or later.

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DAY 5 ACTION STEPS

READ | Read through the section titled, “Men Set Apart” (pg. 20-21) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Avoiding Foolishness (pg. 22) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)

COMMENT | Today, we’re going to discuss Study Question #5: “Does/Do your son(s) have friends who challenge them to be more like Christ? If not, pray that God would send these friends to provide a positive influence for them.” Feel free to share those prayers below.

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Day Five – Avoiding Foolishness
Encouragement from Brooke

In their book, Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp have this to say about foolishness:

"The Bible's definition of foolishness is concise. 'The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'' (Psalm 14:1). If there is no God, I am autonomous - a law unto myself. There is no consideration in life more profound than, 'What will please me?' Children don't say those words, but such foolish thoughts are the underlying justifications for hundred of impulses every day. It is expressed in all the acts of disobedience, selfishness, willful temper, and compulsive self-love." (p 112)

He sits across from me with his head down, this little love of mine who steals my heart and breaks it all at the same time. I ask him for the fourth time that day to tell me how many kinds of men there are in this world. His answer? Two.
The foolish man, who says in his heart there is no God, and acts like a law unto himself.
The wise man, who fears God and obeys Him.
Foolish choices bring unpleasant consequences. But the wise man has security in loving God and all the power of heaven on his side. And I ask him again to tell me what kind of man he wants to be. His answer? The wise man.
I know there will come a day when my little love will have to own this faith, but I believe with all my heart that teaching both of my sons to think in biblical terms now will help them choose in biblical terms later.

Avoiding Foolishness

May __________ avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless (Titus 3:9).
May __________ have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; for they breed quarrels (2 Timothy 2:23).
May __________ not participate in filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:4).
May __________ hear these words of Yours, act on them, and avoid being like a foolish man who built his house on the sand (Matthew 7:26).
May __________ be more like a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take advice (Ecclesiastes 4:13).
May __________ not be foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures (Titus 3:3).
May __________ leave the presence of a fool, for there he will not meet words of knowledge (Proverbs 14:7).
May __________ not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:17).
May our sons be like a poor person who walks in his integrity rather than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool (Proverbs 19:1).
May __________ have a wise man’s heart inclining him to the right, and not a fool’s heart inclining to the left (Ecclesiastes 10:2).

Praying for Our Sons~ DAY FOUR

DAY 4 ACTION STEPS
READ | Read through the section titled, “What Are We Aiming For?” (pg. 17-18, my copy calls it “Changing our Aim”) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Integrity (pg. 19) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)

COMMENT | Let’s work through Study Question #4 for our discussion today: “Consider your own parenting style.  Is the way you interact with your son(s) targeting the heart and motivating them toward real heart-change?  Or do you mainly focus on changing behavior?”

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Dearest Mamas,

Integrity. Who doesn't want that for their sons?

My Nerf Ninjas

A good question to ask ourselves: “Who am I when no one is looking?”

*whoosh!* Took the wind right out of my sails! Am I all that I appear to be? Am I who God created me to be? Truly?

I remember the first time I heard someone use the expression AUDIENCE OF ONE. I was a “baby Christian”, still learning to walk in the ways of the LORD. No matter where we GO…No matter what we DO…No matter what we’ve thought, but didn’t say…we’ve done it all to an AUDIENCE OF ONE. The One. God sees all, hears all, knows all. Who are we fooling? No one…and certainly not The One!

Today, as you pray for Integrity for your sons, pray for their hearts, claim God’s promise to us, for yourselves and for your sons:

“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put in you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” ~ Ezekiel 36:26-27

Keep praying, Mamas! God hears our prayers ♥ Be sure to follow today's Action Steps too! I look forward to hearing from you.

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Day Four – Integrity
Encouragement from Brooke, author of Warrior Prayers~ Praying the Word for Boys in the areas they need it most:

"Integrity can be defined as firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values or the quality or state of being complete or undivided.

Someone who stands up for what is right no matter who is around.

I have a feeling that integrity is probably caught rather than bought. As our sons see us in situations that demand a choice to walk in integrity, we can create natural, life-giving conversations explaining to them why we chose the way we did. Life is full of opportunities to choose the easy way instead of the way of integrity, but a man of integrity “ponders the way that is blameless” (Psalm 101:2). Pausing to help our sons understand why we chose the way of integrity over what might have seemed to be a better or easier way trains their minds to ponder the blameless way."

“He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life … ” Proverbs 11:19

Integrity
May__________walk before You, as David his father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that God has commanded him, and keeping His statutes and His rules (1 Kings 9:4).
Till he dies, may__________never put away his integrity (Job 27:5).
May__________ponder the way that is blameless and walk with integrity of heart within God’s house (Psalm 101:2).
May__________show himself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in his teaching show integrity, dignity (Titus 2:7).
Like Joseph, may__________hear the word of the Lord and obey (from Luke 1:27).
Like Daniel, may__________resolve not to defile himself (from Daniel 1:8).
Like Paul, may__________learn to be content in any situation (Philippians 4:11).
Like Timothy, may__________set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
Like David with Goliath, may__________stand up for the living God (1 Samuel 17).
Like Abraham, may__________obey God in faith (Genesis 12).