To the foot of the Cross

My dad always had a way of relating everything we were going through or the topic of discussion back to God’s word and scripture. We would be sitting in the kitchen making chicken wings and somehow, he found a way to relate the conversation to something God says in the Bible. I am pretty sure it was the gift God bestowed upon him. To this day, now that I am older, my dad still continues to send my sisters and me scripture daily. I firmly believe it was the constant topic of God and his encouragement to go to church that led me to my faith and my desire to go to church weekly. This is my motivation behind my daily reminders to my kids and daily scripture and prayer.

My son has grown up going to church but ever since entering middle school, he has now experienced more of what the world is more like. Kids he hangs out with that did not go to church give him a hard time about why he has to go to church instead of staying home and playing another hour on video games and “grinding”. This has definitely changed my son’s attitude on going to church or even drawing closer to God.

With my challenge of having to explain why it is important to go to church and pray every day, I felt compelled to focus my scripture and prayer on bringing my son closer to God this week.

Day 1: Guard your heart

Scripture: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

Prayer points:

• Protection over my son’s heart, mind and body
• He keeps God close to his heart
• He is able to speak life in his friends, who many don’t believe in God. Keep him strong!

Day 2: Drawing near to God

Scripture: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” – James 4:8a

Prayer Points:

• Soften my son’s heart and show him You are there
• Draw near to my son Lord
• Help my son be a role model for his friends that are not believers

Day 3: Confess your sins

Scripture: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

Prayer Points:

• Work through me to teach my son how to confess his sins and ask for forgiveness
• That he learns humility and that he can admit his mistakes and ask for forgiveness
• He is able to learn something from his sins and his mistakes that can help impact himself or someone else in the future.

Day 4: Building confidence in God

Scripture: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8

Prayer Points:

• My son believes in his heart that God is there
• That is trusts in Him and relies on Him to help him through the struggles and hard times.

Day 5: Taking delight in the Lord

Scripture: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

Prayer Points:

• My son accepts God’s love and uses it for good
• For him to always feel loved and appreciated

Day 6: Love as God has loved you

Scripture: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34

Prayer Points:

• God gives my son a heart for serving and loving others
• That when others don’t love or accept someone that he is there to do it
• My son doesn’t hold grudges that keep him from loving unconditionally

Day 7:

Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Prayer Points:

• To know that everything happens for a reason and is part of God’s long term plan for us
• That he is able to place all his trust in the Lord
• Is able to learn lessons from his mistakes
• That he trusts in God to navigate him through the challenges and trials he encounters in his life