Dialogue One of the most destructive aspects of ungodly discipline and correction is the lack of godly dialogue. God has wonderfully provided all the apparatus for meaningful communication with one another. Yet the most life shaping opportunities parents have in their children’s lives are often one-sided. Monologue is not godly communication. Long speeches that try to strong-arm our children with arguments, threats, warnings, and predictions will not change their hearts. It will harden their hearts. All of our conversation with our children should afford them an opportunity to respond—not as peers, but as children interacting with the direction and instruction of parents. We should encourage children to respectfully respond in conversation to help us understand how they are feeling, thinking, […]
Prayer
You cannot live life from God’s perspective and not your own without consistent, informed, faithful prayer. Praying constantly for God’s wisdom and discernment is a lifestyle habit that will keep your world balanced. Your heart can remain right-side up, regardless of the circumstances you encounter. Paul commands all of us to pray constantly, continuously. To do this, we must see how God has prepared us in his Word, by his Spirit, to respond to the unexpected events of life. I have written this book to provide you with scriptural truths that will help you pray and think in ways that will transform your perspective to see God’s good purpose in all that happens. Embracing these truths will enable you to […]
Life can be crushing. People will turn evil. Emptiness will come. Hurt will run deep. And then our own sins find us out. Where do you go? Who is there to bind the wounds of your heart? Where is your hope? There is a river that runs from life through death to life again. It is the river of hope and strength when all else seems lost. One hell-bent man can bring a nation to its knees. One angry burst of words can send a relationship over the edge. One lost moment of anger and lust can devastate the soul. Where do you go, where do you flee, where is peace, where is hope? There is a river that runs […]
It is easy to pray for good things. We want our loved ones to be healthy and safe. We desire for our country to turn to God in repentance. It is good to pray that our children will come to know and love Christ more deeply. These are good things. But do we have the courage to pray for something more? We sell God short in our prayers when we only ask for things that seem to good to us. In the prayer of our Lord, Christ gives us something better to ask for: he asks that God’s kingdom will come and that his will be done. This request requires trust in God. This is a request for God to […]
When you are sick you want relief. When you are angry you seek justice. When you are hurt you want comfort. For all of these things, we as Christians are told to cry out to God. This is good! But from this point things can get a little uncertain. Should you pray for an immediate response? Has God turned away from you if there does not appear to be one? There is some clear guidance for us in the Lord’s prayer. Christ instructs his disciples to pray: your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. These directions put everything in perspective! Yes, you want immediate relief. I can relate to this, four years ago I received 7 […]
Parents, if your desire is to see your children’s hearts become responsive to the gospel, the place to start is with your own heart. Here are 3 core heart-attitudes to cultivate that will help mold your heart to be God’s instrument for presenting Christ to your children. The first attitude is humility: Humility is the source of the power that you need to represent Christ well to your children. Humility means that you trust God and follow him. Pride means that you trust yourself and fail to consistently rely on God’s truth. When you don’t rely on God’s direction for parenting you become from friends with the world. In Chapter 4, James warns that this friendship makes you an […]
There are times when everything goes wrong all at once. The kids are out of control. There are problems with the car, with the house. You are tired to the bone. You try to pray but it is like God is on a coffee break. Life gets like this sometimes. Jehoshaphat had such a moment. However, instead of wondering where God was he turned to the praise of his God. Praise often is the last thing thought about when life becomes crazy. We associate praise with good times but not so much with the chaotic times. However, praise is always the appropriate attitude of our hearts, regardless of whether times are good, crazy, or awful. God is still God, he […]
Dear Father, My dreams are too small, my desires too selfish, my actions too sinful. My focus and, too often, my prayers are about what I think is best. Father, you know my weak heart and doubting faith. I pray you would give me the courage to see that my life is about Christ. I need to follow his life and love you as he did on earth. I pray my life would be about adding to your reputation. I pray my focus would be consumed by showing gratitude for the grace and mercy given to me. Help me to make you attractive in the eyes of those who know me. Father, I confess that my energy is too often […]
The Holy Spirit wants you, commands you to center your thoughts and actions on putting God first in your life. Specifically how does he want you to implement his calling to put God first? He instructed Solomon to urge you to guard your heart, because it is the source of your life. Then he directs Paul to tell you to be in constant prayer and that everything you do should bring honor to God. Few would argue that you should put God first, but how do you practically make that happen? Here is a prayer that if you have the courage to pray it faithfully will make a huge difference in your relationship with God. Dear God, please make […]
Dear Father, it’s busy in my life. Crowds are everywhere. My heart is busy, too many gifts, not enough money, not enough time. This month is supposed to be about Jesus. But even at church I feel more busy than thankful for his birth. There are people to see, events to attend. All of this is supposed to be about Jesus, but it feels more and more like it’s all about me. Jesus came to bring peace, but my life is full of stress. It’s too busy in my life. Father, please fill my heart with the wonder of your mercy. I ask for your Spirit’s comfort to know that in your Son I have all that I need. Overwhelm […]