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As mamas, we cover our children in many things. We cover them in blankets when it’s cold. We cover them in kisses when they’re sad or hurt. And when from the time they take their first breath, until we take our last, we cover them with our love. All of these are good things. As mamas, it is our job to love and protect our children, and to make them feel safe and secure. However, all of this is in vain if we don’t cover our children in prayer.

From the time I even suspected that I might possibly be pregnant, I began praying for my future child. I prayed that my child would grow to be a strong and mighty warrior for God, that my child would live a life that honors and glorifies God. I prayed that God would use my child for His kingdom, and that my husband and I would be the parents God has called us to be. Before I got pregnant, I prayed for the other children God placed in my life. I prayed for my step-daughters to walk with the Lord, for them to love God above all else, and for them to be witnesses and disciples for Jesus. I prayed that they would be mighty women for God, and share His gospel and love with others. And I prayed that my husband and I would be the parents He’s called us to be; that we would be an example of a godly marriage.

Now that my son is here, I continue to cover him in these prayers. I continue to cover my step-daughters in these prayers, too. I believe that my biggest responsibility and blessing as a mama is to pray for the children God has placed under my influence.

I want to include some scripture to aide in praying for your children:

Matthew 22:37-40: “37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Exodus 20:3-5: “3 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God”

I pray they will love the Lord with all they have and all they are. I pray that God will shine brighter to them than the things of this world, and He will be first.

1 John 1:7 “7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Colossians 2:6 “6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him,”

I pray that the children walk daily with the Lord, as they have been called to, and that they share His light with others. I pray they would live their lives in Jesus and find their identity only in Him.

Micah 6:8: “8 and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

I pray that all three of the children God has place directly under my influence will grow to be strong, mighty warriors for Christ. Not so any of them gets the glory, or so that we, as parents get any glory. I pray this so they can honor and glorify God. I pray this so they will have the boldness to go out into this world and share the gospel message with others.

My prayer life is in no way perfect, but the Lord is drawing me closer to Him the more time I spend in prayer. One of the greatest honors of motherhood is praying for the children God has placed in my life! I pray that you will join me in praying for your children, or if you don’t have children, that you will pray for the children God has placed around you.

I remember my husband and I having a conversation in the early days of our dating relationship about praying together. We both believed that this was an important aspect of any relationship, but my husband explained that he felt there was a deep intimacy involved with praying together. I didn’t understand this until we actually began to pray with one another. I know that our marriage is strong because we spent time in prayer together prior to getting married, and have continued that practice in our marriage. That doesn’t mean that our marriage is perfect. We are two imperfect people living under the same roof. However, when we draw our strength from the Lord through time spent with Him in prayer, we are united.

I’ve known the importance and power of prayer for a long time, but recently I’ve been reminded of the importance of praying scriptures over situations. I want to walk you through some scriptures that I am currently praying over my husband. My prayer in sharing this is that you lovely ladies (through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, not my words) reading this will adopt the practice of praying scripture over your husband (or future husband) as well!

1. Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  
   This is the most important scripture I can think of to pray over your husband. We must put the Lord first, and that means loving Him more than we love our husbands, and that our husbands love God more than they love us. The only way that my husband can love me the way that he should, the way he is instructed to in the Bible, is if he loves God more and puts Him above me, and all others. My prayer for my husband is that he will grow daily in his relationship with the Lord, and his love for the Lord will be greater than his love for anyone/anything else.  
                                                                    
2. Psalm 84:12 12 O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
   When we begin to place our trust in ourselves or others, we will be let down. Placing our trust in anyone or thing other than the Lord will lead to anxiety and worry. I pray that my husband will put his trust in the Lord daily, in all situations. I pray this not so that he will be blessed, but so he can grow in Christ and walk in the will of God.

3. Psalm 105:4 4 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.
   We are helpless without the Lord. I know we don’t always like to think that, but we are. Ladies, we are helpless in our marriages without the strength of the Lord, as are our husbands. We must continually seek Him and His strength. My prayer for my husband is that he is actively seeking the Lord and relying on His strength in his day to day activities, and in our marriage. I pray for a Spirit filled marriage that glorifies the Lord. The only way that can happen is if we are seeking the Lord.

I am so glad the Lord reminded me of the importance of praying specific scriptures over my husband. These are just a few that I have prayed over him. I know there are many other scriptures that I can pray over my husband, and I cannot wait to share them with you as the Lord lays them on my heart!

 

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

There is a lot of conviction in the whole chapter of 1 John 4, and it is worth reading and studying. However, at this moment, this one verse is resonating deeply within me. I have found the words of this single verse to be incredibly convicting.

We have all experienced fear in one way or another, at some point in our lives. When fear creeps in, it can be all encompassing and debilitating. It can begin to control our thoughts, actions, and our lives. The question I have been asking myself recently is, where does this fear come from? Where are its roots, and why do we allow ourselves to be controlled by it?

I have learned that fear comes from a lack of trust and faith in God. When we allow ourselves to fall into that pit of fear, whatever the fear may be, our trust is no longer in God. It’s as if we are telling God that He is not capable of handling our circumstance.

I’ve been there, just like everyone else has. The worst part is that I became so buried in my fear, that I tried to take control from the One who controls in all. When I came to this understanding, I felt ashamed that I had let fear have such a stronghold over me.

Thank God for His grace and mercy. Thank God for His patience and love for me. I thank God for a loving husband who listened to me and cared for me through it, and that he allowed me time to work through this struggle with Christ.

Perfect love casts out fear, and that is a truth that I am clinging so tightly to. I know that I am a sinful and imperfect person, but I thank God for salvation through Jesus, and the hope that I have in Him to live a fearless life.

Luke 14:13 “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,”

In Luke 14:7-15, Jesus is providing an example of how we should serve others. In this parable, Jesus plainly stated that rather than doing for others who can return the favor, we should be doing for those we know cannot return the “favor”.

My husband spent time reading the gospels last weekend, and this particular passage stood out to him. He was convicted of the message Jesus is preaching here, and how we do not follow this simple command. With teary eyes, we talked about how we know we fail the Lord, and that there is so much more we can do. He shared this scripture and his conviction with the girls and one of their friends, to encourage them to serve. We talked about how we would begin praying for the Lord to show us how He wanted us to fulfill this command.

We talked about how we didn’t want to just talk about it. We wanted to put action to our words. We’re tired of being convicted by the Word and not then doing nothing more than talking to each other about it. The Gospel of Jesus is active, not passive.

The very next day, as we’re still feeling the need to follow this command, and hearing a sermon about getting the garbage out of our lives, God gave us an opportunity to obey. It’s almost as if he placed it right in our hands and said “Go”. And He did it through two teenage girls.

My oldest step-daughter and her friend had a deep desire to provide a memorable and fun night for a group of kids who can do absolutely nothing for us in return. I know that desire was placed on their hearts by the Lord. I know that the events of the week that led to that night of service were orchestrated by God. I know that the Lord led my husband to read that particular verse on that particular day. I know that God can work mightily through anyone willing to obey. My husband and I, I hate to admit, we’re hoping for a quiet evening at home. But I am oh so glad that we didn’t follow our selfish desires. All praise and glory goes to God!

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

My attention was brought to his particular verse on one of the first dates my now husband and I went on. We were coming back from a local Christian music festival, and although we went to the same church and had the same group of friends, we were still trying to get to know one another. I remember him asking me my favorite bible verse, and I replied Hebrews 12:1, which I used to pride myself on being able to quote, verbatim, from the KJV. Of course in this moment I was unable to quote it and felt slightly embarrassed, because how can a good Christian girl forget her favorite bible verse?! This led to me asking him his favorite verse, to which he replied, John 14:15, and then explained that this particular verse had been convicting him because we can easily fall so short of this command.

Over the last year and some odd months, this verse has continued to pop up, and the Lord has continually reminded me of it, and its importance. It is a verse that, if I’m being completely honest, intimidates me a little bit. I am a sinner and I do not always follow the Lord’s commands. However, through reading and digging deeper into HIs word, this verse has become less intimidating and is helping me to grow in my walk with the Lord.

It’s a simple enough verse, but there is so much to learn from digging a little deeper into it. I love looking up the Greek and Hebrew translation of the bible, because there is so much to learn from the original text. For instance, in this verse, keep is translated to tereo. The definition of tereo is “to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; to keep, one in the state in which he is; to observe; to reserve: undergo something.” According to this definition, if we love Jesus we are not to just follow His commands, we are to take care of them, to guard them, to observe them. How beautiful is that? This gives me an entirely new way to view this verse. Following His commands does not just mean we will follow rules, but it means that we will cherish the commands that draw us closer to Him. We will guard them and hold them dear to our hearts, as we strive to become more like Jesus.

My prayer is that I will love the Lord, truly love Him, more and more each day and love His commandments. My prayer is that when I say I love the Lord, there is evidence, through my obedience to Him, that this is true. And this is my prayer for you too.

If we follow the commands that the Lord gives us begrudgingly, we are not truly loving the Lord. We are simply filling an obligation at that point. And that is a trap that I fall into sometimes. It’s only when we understand, guard, and cherish His commands, that we can have a sincere love for the Lord.

I have tried so hard, admittedly sometimes in my own strength, to love the Lord in this way. And let me tell you, it has not been easy. I have actually been wanting to write about this particular piece of scripture, and its importance in the life of every disciple of Christ, but each time I started, it felt forced and not genuine. I think the reason why I have been unable to write about it until this point, is because I didn’t fully understand it. And honestly, we will never fully understand all of the Bible, but I can confidently say that the more I seek the Lord, the more He will reveal to me!

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” 
I got this decoration from a sweet coworker/friend as a Case Manager Appreciation gift. She said when she saw it she knew she had to get it for me, because it fit me so perfectly. After all, I’m most recognizable with a coffee cup in my hand. But what touched me most about this gift was the first part: “and Jesus in her heart.” I do love Jesus, and my love for Him should shine through in everything I do. My love for Jesus is actually what people should recognize me by. But do they? 

I see that plaque every day and I think every day “does anyone see Jesus in me?” Every word I speak, every action I commit, every thought I think, should all point back to Jesus. I fail at this daily, I know I do. And that is where grace comes in, but that’s another topic for another day. 

So again, do others see Jesus in me? This is a question I ask myself daily now, not because I doubt that Jesus is shining through me. I know if I surrender and submit to the Lord, He will shine through. I ask myself this question because I so want others to see Jesus in me. And I want to give the glory and praise for that right back to God (see again Matthew 5:16). 

John 13:35 says “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is where Jesus shines through us, if have sincere love in our hearts for one another. And we know, this love can only come from the Father’s love for us. 

My sincere prayer is that above all, Jesus shines through me. The more I love Him, the more I will love others, and the more I love others, the more Jesus will shine through me, all glory and praise to Him. 

I pray that I am most recognizable not by the coffee cup in my hand, but by the love of Jesus that is spilling out of me. 

Ephesians 5:22-33:

“22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” NASB

I’m getting married this month and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s not the ceremony or the reception or even the honeymoon that has me so looking forward to this day. It’s not the gifts or the attention we’ve been getting from our friends and family (believe me, it’s NOT the attention!). It’s knowing that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man that God has hand picked for me. It’s knowing that when we are well we will be there to enjoy the days with one another, and when we are sick, we will be there to care for one another. It’s knowing that we will have one another to share in the good times and bask in the sunshine, as well as having each other to lean on when we face trials. It’s the assurance that I have someone to do life with. But most importantly, it’s the understanding that I’m spending the rest of my life with a man who loves the Lord more than he loves me and who will always point me back to Him. 

Recently the Lord showed me again why He has placed this wonderful man in my life. As we were facing a trial and I was upset -let’s just be honest, I was crying like a little baby- he began reading scripture to me. He took the numbers from the show I was watching on Netflix and found scripture with corresponding numbers to read (Psalms 63, 19, and 3). He took the time to read, and reread these scriptures that were speaking directly to our situation. 
While I didn’t immediately feel better, I realized in that moment that that was what our marriage would be about. It would be about two people who love the Lord and each other, coming together as one to face life head on. Whether it’s in the good times or the trials, God has blessed us with His love and the love of each other. 
And, not only am I becoming a wife this month, but also a step-mother to two beautiful girls. My prayer is that God is preparing me to become the wife and step-mother that He wants me to be and that they need me to be. May God be glorified in all of this! 

I was recently faced with a big decision. Bogged down with work and church activities, I felt as if I didn’t have time to even breathe. I knew that something had to give and I was going to have to walk away from something. The only question was, what do I walk away from? Everything I’m involved in is good. Youth leader, praise band, work, children’s church. Each of these programs or groups have been orchestrated by God, so they are all good. While that may be true, there is another truth present: just because all of these are “good things”, it does not mean they are good for me to do.

Walking away from something can be hard. It’s especially hard when it is something that you enjoy being a part of. It is even more difficult when you know that you are walking away from something that is of God. If it is of God then it is a good thing and it is okay to continue in it, right? But what if it is God telling you to walk away? What if God is leading you somewhere else that is greater than where you are now? What then? Do you selfishly continue in doing what you want to do because it makes you feel happy and good about yourself, or do you listen to the voice of God as He leads you where He wants you to go?

So I spent some time in prayer. I will admit, I did not spend enough time in prayer over this as I should have, but I still feel that my choice was the choice that lines up with God’s will. So, last night, I closed a chapter in my life that has brought me great happiness and even greater memories. I walked away from a ministry that I have no doubt God put me in for a reason. Through singing with the Youth Praise Band my confidence grew, I learned how to step way out of my comfort zone for Jesus, I built friendships with people who have encouraged me to work toward the dreams that God has placed on my heart, and most importantly, I have grown closer in my walk with the Lord.

I believe that God is calling me to focus my time on other things right now; my future marriage, my writing, and simply drawing closer to Him. It was hard to sing last night, knowing that it may be the last time I sing with this group. Standing with them I even thought to myself “I don’t have to walk away. I’m sure I can make everything work.” But as I was thinking this, I heard God whisper to me “No sweetheart, listen to Me. I know what I am doing and it is for your good.” God has placed a desire and a dream in my heart and I must chase it with all that I have. I want Jesus to be Lord over all of my life, and that means I have to be obedient to his calling, even when that calling is for me to step away from something He was once calling me to.

So for now, I close this chapter and look on it with fond and grateful memories. I thank God for what He has allowed me to do, and I thank God for what He is going to allow me to do in the future to bring glory to His name.

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I had an interesting conversation with a youth in care at work last week. The gist of the conversation revolved around the fact that my fiancé does not live with me. She was shocked when I said that I live in one house and he lives in another. She couldn’t understand this concept. Her biggest concern was what would happen when we get married and one of us gets on the other’s nerves? I believe her statement was “What are you going to do when he gets on your nerves, or you get on his nerves? It’ll be out the door then!” I chuckled at first, but then realized that she was serious. I explained that even though I’m sure there will be things that come up that test us, I am not worried. We love each other and will be able to work through it.

She looked at me as if I was speaking a different language. The thought of marrying someone without living with them beforehand was totally foreign to her. She asked me how I knew that we would be okay. I told her confidently that “I love him, but I love Jesus more. That’s why I know we are going to work.” I told her that I know if we put God first and at the center of our marriage, we will be able to work through whatever comes our way. She didn’t argue, but said she didn’t think she could do the same thing.

We had small chitchat and she went about her afternoon, but my conversation with this girl left me thinking. I say that I want everything I do to honor and glorify God. Since the beginning of my relationship with Joseph, I have prayed that it would honor and glorify God, and if it doesn’t then what is the point? I love Joseph and there is no doubt in my mind that he is the man that God has for me, but without God our relationship is nothing. I view our relationship as a gift, and if I don’t glorify God with the gift that He has so graciously given to me, then I am doing a disservice to Him.

Through this conversation with this young girl, I was reminded that my relationship, my future marriage, can be used to bring glory to God. After all, He brought us together, He holds us together, and He is the reason I have no doubt that we will have a successful and blessed life together. This reminder from God gave me peace and reassurance. God has been good to me. I have been given so much more than I deserve in this life, including my relationship with Joseph. How can I not give that relationship to Him and allow Him to use it for Kingdom work? And this carries over into every area of my life. Whether it is my other relationships with friends and family, my job, my interactions with others, or simply how I respond when getting cut off in traffic, I should be examining every area of my life to see how I am glorifying God.

I would encourage you to do the same thing. How are you glorifying God in your life? How are you letting Him shine through you? This example is just one of many ways I know God is being glorified, not only in my relationship with Joseph, but in my life in general. 

Disappointment. That’s a fun topic to talk about, right? Okay, so maybe it’s not exactly a fun topic. More like, well, disappointing. We all experience disappointments; whether it’s being disappointed in a loved one, in the decisions of others, in yourself (that’s a hard one, and a topic for another time!) or disappointment in a situation not turning out the way you hoped it would. It’s a fact of life, and something we must all face at some point, unfortunately.

I faced a pretty major disappointment recently, and took it pretty hard at first. There was an opportunity in front of me that was awesome. It was pretty much a no-brainer that I was going to be awarded this opportunity. I already had everything planned out exactly how it would go, I mean every little detail! And then I got the call. The call that humbled me and brought me back down to earth.

“We’ve made our decision…(excruciatingly long pause)…and it isn’t you.” I was able to muster up an “okay” and “thank you” but as soon as I hit end on the call I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe that what I thought was such a sure thing had fallen through. To say that I felt disappointed would be an understatement. I’d put all of my eggs into this one basket and believed that if I got what I was hoping for out of this, it would be the solution to all of my problems.

After a couple of days, and some encouraging words from those closest to me, I felt better. It wasn’t, however, the words from my loved ones that pulled me through my disappointment. It was these loved ones pointing me back to God and the truth that the Word speaks over my life. This truth helped me to see this as a minor blip, a speed bump to help me slow down and truly search God and where He wants me. Proverbs 16:9 says “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” God will direct my steps and lead me where He wants me, in order for me to fulfill the purpose that He has set for me. I just have to be focused on and in tune with Him.

Through this disappointment, God has shown me yet again that His way is best and it is for good, whether I can see that right now or not. I may not be content in my current season, but my contentment isn’t found in things or people, it is found in God. Ironically enough, when I went to biblegateway.com just now, the verse of the day caught my eye. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” That’s His purpose, not mine. I love when God speaks to me this way. I can all but hear Him saying “Laura, you seem to have forgotten this truth. Trust Me and I will show you the plans I have for your life.” Through this disappointment I have found joy and contentment in Christ. I do not have to live in disappointment, not when He has appointed me as His child and has a plan and purpose for me.