In the Middle of the Weeds

“I picked this for you, Mom,” my 11-year-old said and I stared at her with a look of both confusion over and gratitude for this sweet act of love.

“Thank you! Where did you find such a beautiful flower?” I asked her.

“In our yard!” she replied. “There’s a bunch of them growing by the tree in the backyard.” I looked, and sure enough she was right. A handful of irises growing right by the big tree.

And I’ve been thinking about that ever since, because whenever I’ve thought about our yard, all I’ve seen is the weeds, the patchy grass, the bumpy ground... and all the work that still needs to be done.

But right there, in the middle of all the weeds and mess, were beautiful, breathtaking flowers. And I’d never even SEEN them.

And isn’t that just the truth? That in the midst of the broken mess, when all we can see is weeds, and how much further we have left to go, God can grow flowers where we weren’t even looking? That there’s always something beautiful to be thankful for, if we just look close enough?

I know from experience that isn’t always easy to do, and when you’re IN IT, it’s the last thing you want to hear. What is there to be thankful for when I’m in this excruciating pain?

So I leave you with this, hold on, with whatever shred of faith you have left, that God is growing something beautiful in the middle of your weedy yard. You might not see it yet, but someday, you will.

Originally written and posted by Chelsey Roberts.

25 Scriptures to Pray For Your Family

Prayer in and of itself is powerful. When you combine it with scripture, well, let’s just say you should be prepared to see some mighty things happen.

It is very important to pray for your family and for each family member, because right now our families are under attack. Satan is seeking to destroy the family unit, and we are constantly bombarded with the world’s views of what a family can look like, so that we can easily lose sight of how God intended our families to be. God created our families to be a holy unit, one in which He is priority, in which the husband and wife lovingly live out their God-given roles in marriage, and the children are obedient to their parents. Once we get our own families in alignment with God’s desired order for families, I think we’ll see God do mighty things in our churches, in our nation, and around the world. But it starts with us, in our own homes and within our own families.

Praying scripture is powerful because:

• God gave us His word and He wants us to pray. When you combine the two spiritual disciplines of reading the Word and praying by praying scripture, it will help you apply God’s word to your life while growing deeper in your prayer life.

• Praying scripture honors God by using His own words to praise Him and pray to Him.

• We tend to pray for things WE want, but praying scripture will help align your desires with what HE wants. And when our desires are aligned, that’s when we’re most likely to see God move powerfully in our prayers.

Feel free to print out this list of scriptures to pray for your family. Personalize the scriptures while you pray them with the specific things your family needs in that area. You may even want to consider focusing on only one Scripture to pray each day, making it a month long praying scripture challenge.

And so without any further ado:

Scriptures to Pray For Your Family

1. Pray that your family would always be submitted to God, that God would be its chief builder and protector. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” Psalm 127:1

2. Pray that every member of your family would love the Lord. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30

3. Pray that your family would be one who would be dedicated to serve the Lord. “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

4. Pray that your family would value God as priority in your lives and conversations. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

5. Pray for protection for every member of your family. “If you make the Most High your dwelling-even the LORD who is my refuge–then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:9-12

6. Pray for your marriage, that you would always remember it is a holy covenant to be treasured and nurtured. “God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” Mark 10:6-9

7. Pray for your husband, that he would be the provider and protector of the home God created him to be. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15

8. Pray for your role in the home and within your family. “Train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:4-5

9. Pray that you and your husband would lovingly embrace your role in your marriage. “Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.” Ephesians 5:22-28

10. Pray that regardless of what challenging life circumstances you are facing, you will face them together with your husband. “Then Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.” Ruth 2:18

11. Pray that as parents you would wisely love, teach and train your children. “Do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

12. Pray that your children would grow as Jesus did, “in wisdom and in stature, and in favor of God and man.” Luke 2:52

13. Pray that your children would grow in obedience. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Ephesians 6:1-3

14. Pray that every member of your family would experience health. “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2

15. Pray that when there is conflict among family members, you would remember Satan is the enemy, not the family member. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:11-12

16. Pray that each member of your family would grow in every fruit of the spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22

17. Pray that each member of your family would grow in love toward one another. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 4-8

18. Pray that each family member would be forgiving. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

19. Pray that each member of your family would grow in understanding, “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding–indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5

20. Pray that your family would be devout and generous, like Cornelius. “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; they gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” Acts 10:2

21. Pray that each member of your family would be surrounded by good, godly friends. “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

22. Pray that your family would always be thankful for blessing, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

23. Pray for each member of your family’s minds, that their thoughts would be fixed on healthy, godly things. “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

24. Pray that your home and each member of your family would be filled with peace. “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places; in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” Isaiah 32:17-18

25. And finally, pray that your family would flourish and be blessed. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Originally written by Jenn of Embracing Life.

Having Faith Through Trials

Recently, within the last several weeks my family and I have undergone a series of various trials; from confrontational business deals and bicycle accidents, to our kids catching hand food and mouth disease and spending a week indoors. It seems like when trouble rains… it pours. I know God sees, I know he hears, and I most definitely know that there is power in the name of Jesus. Sometimes however, I slightly wish that I could behave like one of my toddlers and flail myself on the ground in complaint with a little tantrum to God.

I will admit that I wouldn’t be telling the truth 100% if I said my prayer life never consisted of a long laundry list of complaints to the Lord. Most people would tell me that I have every right to complain, and some might even say that letting it out might even make me feel better. After all, the majority of the bad things happening in my life were things that others did to me anyway.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:44-45

Being out in the world is a lot like being out in the rain, just because you are a “good person” doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to get wet if there is a storm out. Hardships and trials are never convenient. It is almost always easier to write God a laundry list of our complaints than it is to thank Him for the good things He has done and the good things He is about to do. God’s heart is to bring forth blessings in our lives not sorrow.

Sometimes in the midst of our hardships it feels as though we have been cornered and isolated by the enemy. We can’t see a way out of the storm and we couldn’t possibly see how God could ever use this for our good. We feel chained to our decisions and misfortunes and we are ready to give in and give up. In Acts chapter 16 Paul and Silas were literally chained, unjustly imprisoned, and ready to give up. They may have even sat there for a while in that cold dark prison complaining to one another and trying to make sense of what had just happened to them. In verse 25 of chapter 16 it says “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” It wasn’t until the late hours of the night that Paul and Silas began to pray and offer praises to the Lord. If you continue to read on in the story in verses 26-34 you will find that while they were praising God there was an earthquake that shook the prison so much that it set all of the prisoners free. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped the jailer was about to take his own life, Paul and Silas then called out to the jailer and told him that all of the prisoners still remained. The jailer was astonished and he along with his whole household accepted Christ as their salvation because of the witnesses of Paul and Silas.

Often times it is so much easier to complain than it is to offer God praise. We can offer God praise because we know that He is already in the victory on the other side no matter how intense or devastating the trial may seem.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3

Not only was the jailer and his entire household saved, I think it is safe to assume that all of the prisoners were as well. If they were not saved then perhaps they were later. In verse 25 of Acts chapter 16 it says that Paul and Silas offered prayers and praises to the Lord and that the prisoners were listening to them. After the earthquake I don’t think the prisoners were compelled to not escape because of their good merit. I think they stayed because of the testimony of Paul and Silas. As Christians, we are called to be “Christ-Like” this means the evidence of our faith is based upon our response to the people, events, and things around us. How we choose to respond to hardship and trials determines the type of platform we are going to have for the Lord. Do not let an attitude of complaint keep you from breaking through to the blessing God has for you.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Originally written and posted by Joanna Rogers.

Got Grace?

Last week I found myself knee deep in a toddler meltdown, which seems to be a common occurrence these days. I was flustered because it was happening in public, sweating because I was chasing my 2.5 year old around with a baby in my arms, and anxious because of what the other moms could possibly be thinking about me and my wild kids. Half way through this mom-and-kid playgroup I was ready to run for the hills. I was gathering my stuff when I heard God’s still, small voice say, “push through”. So I stayed…begrudgingly. My toddler still fought me and my baby still squirmed, but we stayed. Had an awesome God-centered talk with my friends, but I was worn out at the end. Why so worn out?

Well the obvious reasons being that I was literally physically exhausted from momlife. But even deeper than that, I was subconsciously trying to be accepted and loved through my performance. And since that was going completely left field, I felt like a failure and inadequate. I had to face the hard-to-chew fact that I’m an imperfect human who must stop trying to appear perfect.

When the uncontrollable chaos erupts, we have no choice but to submit to humility and receive God’s grace. 

It hurts my pride when my kids refuse to obey. But if I am honest, it’s not always because they aren’t doing what they should. Sometimes I get frustrated because I feel like I should have it all together and I don’t. Gasp.

I know no one else could possibly struggle with that too.

I’ve known that I had an issue with people-pleasing and I have finally overcome that this year. But I didn’t dig deep enough to see that people-pleasing was just a side-effect of basing my success in life off of my performance. It has left me constantly trying do this or that right and not always measuring up because I’m mundane. Which in return leads me to feel less-than or down on myself. Feeling that way doesn’t push me to be better, it just leaves me..stuck.

Judgement doesn’t move us to true repentance, only grace can do that. 

I am my own worse critic..even worse, I am trying to be the Judge of my life. I keep pleading ‘guilty’ and sentencing myself to ‘life with no parole’.

Yuck.

It’s time to release this burden once and for all.
Truthfully, this particular day with this specific toddler meltdown was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. At the end of the study, my new friend, Andrea, asked me to grab lunch. The sleep-deprived part of me thought, “with these kids, are you crazy?!” Once again, I felt spiritually nudged to go. We started to walk out and I told her that I felt bad for not being able to help her pick up the house that my kids helped destroy. She replied, “Lacey it’s fine. you need a little more grace today.”

I need a little more grace.

Bingo! Yahtzee! Winner, winner chicken dinner! Thank you Andrea for listening to the Holy Spirit and shaking me awake with those words. I needed it.

The constant struggle of basing my success off of my performance is me living life without grace. And if I relationship with people that way then I relationship with the Father that way too.

“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;”- ‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭AMP‬‬ (emphasis added)

The Greek word used for ‘grace’ here is ‘charis’ literally meaning gift/blessing brought to man from Jesus Christ, favor, charm, gratitude, and liberality (to name a few).

Accepting God’s grace liberates you from sin!

It’s not what I can do, but what He can do. Knowing that and owning that is one of the most freeing and motivating realizations there is.

Receiving God’s grace deposited in to our hearts influences our actions. Not the other way around.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”- Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ NKJV

We could all use a little more grace today!

Seeking God first by reading His word and meditating on His goodness will organically transform my life.

“I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.”-‭‭Psalms‬ ‭77:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So as a person thinks, they speak, and so as they speak, they are.

Accepting God’s grace in your heart will move you from a place of “I need to” to “I want to“.

F R E E D O M

I’m going to stop trying to be a Christian and just be a person actively pursuing my Jesus through the valleys and mountaintops, the stumbles and the victories.

I am going to be Lacey living in God’s grace.

Originally written by Lacey of LaceinGrace.