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).

A Note on the 21 Days of Prayers for Our Sons

FYI
I received an email today that I thought I should pass on to you mamas that are joining me for the 21 day prayer challenge:

"So far, we have over 900 women praying together for their sons! ...As always, encourage your friends to purchase the eBook (for Kindle/PDF/Nook) for $3.99 over here!  If finances are an issue for anyone, Brooke has asked them to send a brief description of their situation to me (alle.warriorprayers@gmail.com) to apply for one of our donated books!" 

Hope some of you find this helpful!

Praying for Our Sons~ DAY THREE

DAY THREE ACTION STEPS

• READ | If you haven’t already, read through “The Importance of Obedience” (pg. 13-14) and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!
• PRAY | Work through the 10 prayers on Submission to Authority (pg. 16) using whatever method works best for you! (See DAY ONE for ideas)
• COMMENT | In regards to submitting to authority, how can you best lead your son(s) by example?  Is this something you struggle with or do you have some advice for another mama?

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Dear Prayer Warriors,
I had a conversation the other day with my oldest son, explaining that God places people in authority over us according to His Will. Sometimes this is only for a short time (like working a summer job), others a lifetime (as a wife to her husband). I needed him to understand that it is part of God’s plan for him to submit to the authority of his parents in love and obedience to God.

my little cowboys (2009)

While my sons may only be under my authority for a short time, it is more important that they understand the source of that authority…God, Our Heavenly Father. He is the Eternal One!

Today as we pray for our sons on Submission to Authority, I encourage you think about the last time you told your son that you were proud of a choice he made to submit to authority, especially a choice that you knew must have been a personal struggle for him. No matter how old they are, our sons need to know that “Mama sees” and “Mama rejoices” over their wise choices and cries out to God over their foolish ones. Look for an opportunity today to pour on the praise when your son chooses wisely…even in the small things! I’m seeing this in action with my own sons and it’s amazing how God is working in their hearts.

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Day Three – Submission to Authority
Encouragement from Brooke, author of Warrior Prayers~ Praying the Word for Boys in the areas they need it most:

Today's topic flows nicely from day one’s topic, doesn’t it?

All of their lives, our sons will find themselves needing to submit to someone. From parents, to teachers, to bosses, to government officials, and even to God Himself, they will always have someone in a position of authority over them.
The other day my son fell off of an old metal merry-go-round and was nearly hit in the head by the spinning giant. I nearly had heart failure. His little blond head seemed less than an inch away from certain death … or at least a serious head injury. So, in typical mama bear fashion, I forbade him to get on it again. Later, an older friend of his showed up and got on the merry-go-round, all the while doing his best to coax my son on with him. I watched the exchange from a bench nearby, careful to stay out of sight, and allow my son to make his own choice. He wanted to get on. His little legs twitched, inching close and stepping back, inching close and stepping back … his own internal merry-go-round of decision--obey mom or have fun?
I don’t want you to think my son always chooses to submit to my authority, but this particular day, he did. As his friend whirled around gleefully I heard his precious little voice say, “My mommy says I can’t get on.” He hung his head, turned around, and saw that I had been watching the whole thing. When our eyes met he saw rejoicing in mine … and I held up my arms in victory and watched him run to me to celebrate.

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” ~Acts 5:29

Submission to Authority
May ________________________ obey his leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over his soul, as those who will have to give an account. Let him do this with joy and not with groaning (Hebrews 13:17).
May ________________________ submit himself therefore to God. May he resist the devil, so he will flee from him (James 4:7).
May ________________________ submit to laborers of the Gospel and to everyone who joins in the work (1 Corinthians 16:16).
May ________________________ submit to others out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).
May ________________________  be subject to the Father of spirits and live (Hebrews 12:9).
May ________________________ agree with God, and be at peace; so good will come to him (Job 22:21).
May ________________________ be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1).
May ________________________ submit himself to the LORD (2 Chronicles 30:8).
May ________________________ , who is younger, be subject to elders. May he clothe himself with humility toward others, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).
For freedom, Christ has set us free; may ________________________ stand firm therefore, and not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

Praying for our Sons~ DAY TWO

Dearest Prayer Warriors,

I hope you were blessed by the opportunity to pray for your sons yesterday. I pray that that blessing multiplies and overflows with each day you spend in prayer for your son! If this is new to you, inserting a name into a verse of Scripture and claiming that promise, you will soon discover that is a beautiful way for God’s Word to come alive in your life and the lives of those you pray for.

Did the LORD speak to you as you prayed for your boys? Did he give you a vision for them (or you!) or impress something specific upon your heart? I encourage you to share it! If not here, then be sure to share it with your spouse…or even your son. Something about sharing with another allows us to testify to the active role God plays in our daily lives. It draws us closer to him!

By the way, these are the young men I’m praying for~

Today, we will pray for our sons to be obedient unto the LORD in all things. In my household, we are experiencing a season of challenge in this area. Can you relate? Let’s take it to the LORD!

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the privilege of raising these “arrows”. What a blessing they are! Help us and guide us to train them the way you would have them go, to “fly straight”. Help us to be obedient to your commands so that we might be an example to our children. Bless them and keep them, LORD.
In Jesus’ Precious Name,
Amen.

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Day 2 | Action Steps
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Read | The Importance of Obedience (pg. 13-14) in the eBook, “Warrior Prayers” and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge.
 
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Pray | Work through the 10 prayers on Obedience (pg. 15) using whatever method works best for you.
 
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Comment | Let’s work through Study Question #2 together in the comment section to encourage and equip each other as parents.  “Do you have a plan for teaching your son(s) obedience?  Or are you more of a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of parent?  Any tips or suggestions for others?  Anyone have a question they’d like to throw out?

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

I don’t think there is another issue in my parenting that causes me as much stress as getting my children to obey me. I know it’s a vitally important concept to teach them. In fact, I’ve heard it said that if a man can’t submit to Jesus, he will never be able to lead a woman (Tommy Nelson, Love & Romance Conference). No pressure, right moms?
Depending on what methods we use, we CAN make our sons obey. We can MAKE them obey us. But at the risk of sounding a little lazier than I really am as a parent I would submit this:
Obeying God is intimately linked to loving Him. If we focus too much on forcing our boys to change their outward behavior, and forget to hold out the great depth of love that sent a Savior to the cross, we’re running the risk of raising little Pharisees.
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” ~John 14:21

Today's Instructions

Commit to reading the chapter on Obedience and praying the ten prayers below during Day Two. (For ideas on how to do this, see Day One http://ablessedseason.blogspot.com/2012/05/praying-for-our-sons-day-one.html ).

Obedience Prayers
(fill in the blanks with your son’s name)

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, may __________________ obey the LORD our God so that it will go well with him (Jeremiah 42:6).
May __________________ obey his parents in the Lord, for this is right (Ephesians 6:1).
May __________________ obey his leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over his soul, as those who will have to give an account. Let __________________ do this with joy and not with groaning (Hebrews 13:17).
May __________________ obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
May __________________ return to the LORD His God, and obey with all his heart and all his soul all the commands God has given (Deuteronomy 30:2).
May __________________  walk after the LORD His God and fear Him and keep his commandments and obey His voice. May he serve Him and hold fast to Him (Deuteronomy 13:4)
May __________________ stop his sinning and begin to obey the LORD his God (Jeremiah 26:13).
May __________________ obey Jesus’ commandments, and remain in His love (John 15:10).
May __________________ show his love for Christ by obeying His commands (John 14:15).
May we be full of joy at __________________ ‘s obedience (Romans 16:19).

Praying for our Sons~ DAY ONE

21 Days of Prayer for our Sons. Are you ready? I pray that God will again just meet you right where you’re at and give you renewed strength for the days ahead. I look forward to praying with you and for you.

If you have not yet purchased the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons ebook (pdf), Nook or Kindle edition, it is only $3.99 right now.  No pressure to buy, I assure you that you can and will still be blessed even if you just follow along here!

A helpful note: a participant from the fall challenge found it helpful to copy and paste the Study Questions (at the end) to a word doc and print it. It made it easier for her to pray throughout the day. Do what works best for you!

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the son(s) you have blessed us with, fearfully and wonderfully made by Your Hands! They are precious to us, a blessing, a gift.
As we spend the next 21 days on our knees, fervently praying for our sons, we ask for WISDOM and GUIDANCE, as only you can give. Help us open our hearts to receive your instruction and vision for each of these boys…and for each  mama.  We know that Satan puts up a fight when we pray in Your Son’s precious name, so we ask that you place a hedge of protection around each family, each prayerful mama, each precious son.
Fill our hearts and homes with your peace and love as we journey through this challenge. Help us to stick to our commitment to lovingly pray for our sons. Move in our hearts, LORD!
In Jesus’ Precious Name,
Amen.

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Day 1 | Action Steps
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Read | The Introduction (pg. 7-9) and section titled, “The Battle” (pg. 10-11) in the eBook, “Warrior Prayers” and work through any (or all) of the Study Questions that enhance your time in this challenge!

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Pray | Work through the 10 prayers on Heart Change (pg. 12) using whatever method works best for you!

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Comment | Since this is our first day in the challenge, we want to hear what you are looking forward to most about the next 21 days!  Do you have any specific hopes or goals?  Are there any fears you’d like to share?

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Day One – Heart ChangeEncouragement from Brooke, author of Warrior Prayers~ Praying the Word for Boys in the areas they need it most

The most foundational thing we can ask God for in the lives of our sons is heart change. The Word says that what's in the heart eventually comes out. Bad stuff in the heart? Bad stuff comes out. Good stuff in the heart? Good stuff comes out.

I heard an illustration of this concept once from a pastor friend. He held up a Styrofoam cup with a little water inside and proceeded to ram his hand against the cup so that the water splattered everywhere. Then he asked this question:

"Why did water come out of the cup?"
So what do you think? Did the water come out of the cup because he rammed his hand up against it? Certainly a possible answer. But consider this: could it be that the water came out of the cup because there was water IN the cup?

Think about it … if the cup had been empty when he rammed it, nothing would have come out.

And so it is with our hearts. Life has a funny way of ramming up against us. People pull out in front of you when you're in a hurry. The neighbor's dog won't stop yapping through the night when all you need is a few hours of sleep. Your children pick the day after your favorite relative dies to be little horrors … somehow sensing that mom is frazzled.
Stuff happens.

We get hit. Probably every day. But our response to the hits comes from what's in our cup...or hearts. Bad stuff in the heart? Bad stuff comes out. Good stuff in the heart? Good stuff comes out.

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." ~Luke 6:45

Today's Instructions
Commit to praying the ten prayers in the heart change chapter during day one.
You can do this in one of four ways:

1. Get up early to bathe your sons in prayer first thing in the morning.
2. Pray the prayers one at a time throughout the day.
3. Make the prayers a part of your family devotion time, praying the prayers out loud over your sons.
4. Spend some time in concentrated prayer late at night, around bedtime.

Note: For moms whose boys have already left the home (or grandmothers whose grandsons don't live in their home) consider writing a note to send once a day with the prayers you have prayed for your sons.
What an encouragement to receive a note a day from mom (or grandma) with specific prayers!

Heart Change  

Fill in the blanks with your son(s) name(s):

May__________first clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean (Matthew 23:26).
Give__________a new heart, and a new spirit put within him. Remove the heart of stone from his flesh and give him a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
May__________honor God with his heart, and not just his lips (Isaiah 29:13).
May__________out of the good treasure of his heart produce good, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).
May__________'s heart cry be, “not my will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).
May__________draw near to God, and He will draw near to him. May he cleanse his hands and purify his heart (James 4:8).
Create in__________a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within him (Psalm 51:10).
May__________be like the wise man, whose heart inclines him to the right (Ecclesiastes 10:2).
May__________not take idols into his heart, and set the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face (Ezekiel 14:3).
When he hears the Word of the Lord, may__________be cut to the heart (Acts 2:37).

Praying for my Sons

It's always an interesting thing, when you receive unexpected (but welcome) news!

Today I discovered that a prayer group I had participated in last fall, 21 Days of Prayer for Sons, is starting up again! I lead a group of about 17 or 18 women before and it was such a blessing for ME, as well as for MY SONS.

I will be spending the next 21 days in prayer for my sons. I invite you to join me! Whether you're praying for a child or a grown man, your present or future grandchildren, we all have warriors who could use our dedicated prayers.

 Later today, I will post DAY 1. Please leave me a comment below so I know you're joining me and so I can pray for you too. (Satan doesn't like it when we do this, but our God is MIGHTY!)