What Inheritance Will You Leave Your Children?
The Group That Prays
As far back as I can remember, I admired people who prayed. Prayer has always represented a faith and belief in the power of God that I’ve wanted to see in my own life.
For the past two years, I’ve led a small group with my husband called “The Group That is Small.” It’s been a self-fulfilling prophecy of who we’ve become, as we are down to a group of six faithful members after others have moved away geographically. However, we are looking to grow. Realizing there must be a better name for who we are that could also include where we are wanting to grow, I began reflecting on who we are and what we do well.
Fervent: Book Club In Review
This summer, our women’s ministry book club met and discussed the book Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. We love the reflection, community, comradery, accountability, and friendships that come from reading books together. As most book clubs come to a close on their study of Fervent, we want to look back on what we learned. Our blogs these past few weeks have gone with many of the chapters from Fervent. I am going to recap the prayer strategies we worked on and attach links to the blog posts that go with each strategy. If you haven’t taken the time to read these blogs yet- do it!
Your Pressures
Reading and discussing the book, “Fervent” by Priscilla Shirer with our book club this summer has been eye-opening and encouraging. Each chapter identifies and unpacks a specific way the Enemy attempts to hinder our prayer life and, in turn, our relationship with the Lord. I have taken away specific actions from each chapter that will be life-changing for my prayer life.
Praying for Our Purity
I can distinctly remember the feeling of my cold bathroom floor in my old, Norman apartment. It was grimy, dusty, dirty, and captured perfectly how I felt inside and out. My knees were hugged tightly against my chest, rising, and falling with my shallow breath. Even before giving my life to My Lord, I knew just how far I had fallen before Him. My addiction to watching pornography had haunted me, consumed me, for nearly 12 years of my life. My lustful eyes wanted to capture any man set before me. Waiting for marriage had been catapulted out the window already. There was no amount of scrubbing in the tub I could have done to wash away the stain left on me from years of impurity, lust, and sin. Not even my tears could remotely smear away the murky mess of my life.
Confronting Your Worries
My 5 year old daughter was determined to master the monkey bars. She spent time every day on the playground trying to accomplish her goal. She would be at the first bar, reach for the second and become paralyzed. She was sure she was going to fall. She would cry for help and say she couldn’t do it, begging for someone to come get her down quickly. She was just sure it wasn’t going to end well. This went on every time we were at the playground. Her fear kept her from doing something I knew she could do.
The Enemy is the Enemy
In my mind, I was hovering over my grave site, watching my three preschoolers and my grieving husband view my casket lowering into the ground. Fear and hopelessness overwhelmed me! But…that was 30 years ago. My death never actually happened. I can assure you though that my devastating diagnosis brought a voice of fear and death as strong in my head as was the gravesite image that came to my mind.
From Bitterness to Forgiveness
Forgiveness is hard. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, for me it was impossible. I learned how hard it was after my son ended his life as a result of false accusations made against him. I felt justified in hating the person that had done this and wore my ‘Grieving Mom’ badge for a very long time. It got bigger and heavier every day, but I felt like it was my “right” to continue to wear it.