Praying for Your Children

One of the most difficult and most important goals of this fast is praying daily, specifically, and intentionally for each of my children. I think every parent, even those who would not profess to be "religious" pray for their children. Even those that don't believe in God, have positive "thoughts" of "hope" toward their children and desire them to turn our to be "good people". What is the difference between "praying" for your kids and what I am talking about? I am talking about fighting a war. 

There is a war going on for our children, for the next generation, and the war is for the generation of parents and grandparents, whether you have physical children or not, to fight. 

It is not a fight that we will win in the natural that our eyes may ever see, but it is a fight we will continue to fight. Some fights are not meant to be "won" and over. Some fights are meant to be fought.

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV

The war in the spirit over the next generation will continue to be warred over. Just as our parents and grandparents warred for us, we will war, and our children will war. We cannot lay down, take a break, or give up. 

As parents, we cannot say, "that's it I'm done praying, they are in God's hands, He'll do what He wants." No, we pray, we plead, we remind God of His promises, we make declarations, and we P-R-A-Y for our children.   

"Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit." Luke 18:1 the Message

I'm gonna get a little rowdy for a minute... is that o.k.? I am tired of buying into that mindset that "It's all in God's hands anyway". You know what I am talking about. Yes, it is all in God's hands but God's desires partners, men, like you and me, on the earth. That we would share His heart, His zeal, and passionately pursue justice on the earth; justice for our children.

I want to encourage you to look at your current prayer life, how much and what quality of prayer time are you having right now? Are you going after God's destiny for your children in the place of prayer? Do you believe that God really wants to bless and prosper your children? Here is the challenge I am doing. 

I am taking the areas I struggle with in each one of my relationships witch my children and finding specific prayers and Biblical promises to pray for them with. 

For example, I have one child in particular, who will remain nameless, who struggles with self control. So I am praying and declaring 2 Timothy 1:7 over this one. I am declaring that God's protection from fear and His abounding love surrounding this one. I am proclaiming His strength in the inner man to keep this one in control of self, full of the fruits of the spirit.

Basically, you take the "problem" area and speak the opposite (the Godly & positive traits) over them.

The hardest part is having time to really go over each child individually each day, and not pray generic prayers. Good stuff, huh? Yep, challenging.

I'd love to hear from you... your turn!

- gina