Purposed Parent/Connected Child Podcast Episode 006 - Prayers for the Battle
Welcome to the Purposed Parent/Connected Child Podcast
Episode #006 – Prayers for the Battle
Are you yearning for greater connection with your child? Would you like to parent beyond the moment with eternal perspective? Let’s grow together now with practical tips, scripture, and stories geared to draw your heart to Jesus and guide your child into His arms.
On the last Purposed Parent/Connected Child podcast episode number 005, we discussed what is means to battle for your child. At the end of the episode, I promised that on the next episode we would discuss specific prayers to equip you in the battle. This episode is rich with scriptural prayers you may use as templates for prayers you are led to offer.
Remember,first you must know and show God in order for your child to form a desire to seek Him. One of the most loving acts you can offer your children is to obediently love God so wholly that your child experiences Him fully through your life and realize they must seek Him for themselves. Your child must see the faith life you experience and want the same relationship with their Heavenly Father. Prayeris one of the most important elements that will guide your child to Him.
As I always emphasize, we must regularly read God’s word to know Him and growin Him. We must also intimately communicate with our Heavenly Father through the gift of prayer, through speaking and listening. Prayer is not just muttering words to God and going on our day. It is a sacred, personal time with the Creator of the universe, our holy Heavenly Father. As God’s word teaches us, prayer is the offense we must use in the armor God has created for us. Prayer enables you to guide your child to the feet of Jesus, where you will both be able to stand against the wicked schemes of Satan, flesh, and this world.
Our children must know that we trust in and rely on the Lord for every provision. They should see us live out our profession of faith so they may emulate it as they build their ownfaith. As they see us allow God to go before our trials and tribulations, see us submit to His work, guidance, and protection in our life as He lovingly carries us through each battle, they are more apt to do the same. This is the example we mustmentor to our children so that they learn the blessing of an obedientlife and grasp the power of God’s protection plan. Our children must see us apply God’s clear, strong offense of prayer through requestingand accepting His provisions and protection. They must witness us allowing Him to be the voice we seek and respondto. We must teach them to hear and follow their Heavenly Father and to make the faith we have taught to them their own.
What are 5 key steps you must take to prayerfully release your child to God?
1. Teach your child to seek Jesus. A child can learn to find peace in the presence of Jesus and mature His relationship for a lifetime when he sees you live it in front of him. Teach your child to rest in Him because you do.
2. Pray for your child more than you make “purchases” for him. Children today have everything! But do they have Jesus residing within them? Let your child know how important a personal relationship with Jesus is because you have a maturing one, too.
3. Trust God to develop the faith you plant in your child. God cannot lie. There is only truth within Him. God assures us that He wants relationship with us. He loves your child more than you do and has a plan and purpose for each of your specific and unique children.
4. Surrender everything to God and teach your child to so the same. Let your child know you trust God by praying with and for your child. Teach them to pray for you. Openly discuss how you release cares and concerns to God and prove it by praying with them and living as one who trusts that God has matters in His control. Praise God no matter the answer to your prayers. God has His own timetable and knows the answers that will bring glory to His name.
5. Depend on God for the future of your child. As you go before situations in prayer, speaking God’s word and growing in the Lord in every way, trust that He is working all things for good. Remain steadfast in growing your faith and your prayers. Sometimes answers take a lifetime; sometimes we are unable to see the answers in our lifetime. Always remember to pray in accordance with God’s wills and desires, just as Jesus did, and submit to what He allows.
Psalm 145:17-19 says, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.”
Prayer works, but doesn’t always bring the answer or timing we hoped for.
Scripture tells us in Hebrews 4:12, “The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Nothing else carries this power or wisdom of God’s word. Let’s use it now to transform God’s holy word into powerful prayers for the purpose of guarding and guiding the lives of our children and humbly releasing them into the wise and loving hands of God.
In the last episode, I spoke of 6 areas parents need to be aware of as they raise their children. Let’s look at bible verses for each topic area and how to use purposed scripture in ways that allow you to pray in accordance with His will.
1. Satan - 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Dear God, thank you that You are my perfect guide and loving Father. I know the god of this age works to blind the minds of unbelievers, causing them to miss the light of the gospel and the glory of Jesus. Help me to be a lover of You and a parent who shines Your light and glory to my children. Let them see You exhibited so brightly that they cannot ignore Your presence and direction. May they draw near to You by what they see in me so You will draw near to them. Help them be a light for Your glory that enables others to see Your image.
2. Culture/society - Galatians 5:16-17 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
Dear Heavenly Father, You call me to walk in the Spirit, but my flesh craves the opposite. Your truth tells me that by walking with You, I will not gratify the desires my flesh wants. My earthly body is in opposition to what You call. You walk in and only desire truth. Please enable me to please only You and walk in desires of the Spirit as I mentor my child to do the same. Cause them to crave Your desires and seek Your ways and truths.
3. Parental - Deuteronomy 6:6-8says, “These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”
Gracious Loving Father, You command me to keep Your words upon my heart. Strike my heart with a thirst for Your word that extends to my children. You require me to teach Your truths diligently to my children and request that I speak of them whether I am at home or on the road, when I lie down and when I get up. You teach me to seek You at all times, remember Your words, and enable my children to do the same. Help me remember Your words and to exhibit You and Your scripture so beautifully in my life that my children speak of You and follow you at home, on the road, when they lie down, and when they get up. Fill them with a desire for more of You and the obedience to follow where You call.
4. Self-worth - 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the Lord does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.”
Dear Father God, my fleshly eyes see more of the outward appearance of man at first glance, instead of the way You view each one of us, Your precious creation. Help me to see others as You do, but also to view myself through Your eyes and heart. Enable me to teach my children to value themselves and others through Your lens of truth. May my children release earthly opinions and selfish ambition and see with eyes of Truth the purposed way You have created them. May their heart continually mature to seek Yours and transform more and more into the image You set for them daily.
5. Attitude/Speech - Psalm 49:13 says, “My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.”
Father God, I thank you for Your mighty truth and holiness. May I continue to become more Christlike moment by moment and shine You for my children to view and follow me daily. May my words, actions, and reactions bring them to You and may them mirror the heart, thoughts, words, and attitude You call for them. Please give them Your wisdom because they seek You first and desire to know You in intimate and maturing ways that are pleasing to You.
6. Calling - Matthew 6:33-34 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”
Gracious, Loving Heavenly Father. There is none like You. You bring light and life into my existence, shower me with goodness and joy when I humbly follow You. Teach my children through me, show them Your love and grace. Allow me to lead them to Your arms and expose Your heart through me. May they seek You and Your ways without worry as they walk in close relationship with You. Allow them to find the purpose You have crafted within them. May they believe what You say about them through Your holy word and strive to follow what You lead them to be. May they have an intimate connection with You and humbly submit to Your purposes for them with joy as they follow You day by day.
Although these prayers are basic, I hope they help you better see the way to pray scripture, kneeling before God with petitions in ways that honor and bring glory to our Heavenly Father. Just as Jesus prayed, we must give honor to God in the beginning of our prayers as we walk into the presence of the Lord with a humble spirit. Since prayers are so intimate, and for the sake of time in this episode, I have not created true beginnings into the prayers during this podcast. Also, I have not added endings to them, but please feel free to use these prayers to craft your own beautiful prayers. I pray that you find deep joy in your time before the Father and see Him work in wondrous ways because of the specific and honoring prayers you humbly offer to Him.
Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We must allow the light of God to be what shines for all to see in our life. Followers of Christ must live on guard. We cannot let anything separate us from our Source of Light, or allow anyone to mistake His shining light for our strength. The light abiding within us shines brightly to attract others to Jesus. In another way, I see this verse as a beautiful reminder to me that I must allow Christ to pourout of me so that my children see Him within me. May they be amazed daily at the way I am transformed and may they see and remember that I always turn the praise and glory to Jesus so that they will do the same in their own life.
Dear Heavenly Father, You are so gracious, loving, and kind. There is none like You, Great I Am. Thank you for Your provisions for us, Your sacrificial love for us. Thank you for the gift of the children You have purposed for and to us. Your beautiful plans are brighter and better than we can ever imagine. Thank you for entrusting the life of another into our care. May we please You with every step we take. May we move toward You in our own life and in the way we show and shine You to our children. Father, I pray we each desire You more deeply daily and our children do the vary same. May we please You with the intentions of our heart and the actions we take. May our speech praise You and our actions glorify You. Please care for our children through Your great hands. May they clearly see You and be drawn to You through what we make known to them in the way we live and teach them about You. Father, cut off the vines that are useless and prune us to make us more useful and pleasing to You. May our children live in ways that are closer to You and joyful to You because of it. May they give You great joy and pleasure because we have relied on You to show the way to their heart and bring them to their knees before You in humble and grateful love and obedience. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
If you enjoyed this episode, I suggest listening to my “Live With Eternal Perspective” podcast episodes on Prayer and Praying Scripture. You can easily find them at terrihitt.com. You may appreciate Episode 18 – “Prayer,” episodes 63-65 on “Praying Scripture,” and Episode 66, “Praying Scripture with Children.” Click on the podcast page and type the episode you are looking for in the search bar at the top of the page.
You can also look for “Prayers for My Child,” an ebook available on the website on the “Resources” page designed to guide the heart of your child to the feet of Jesus through prayer. This book continues many more scripturally-based prayers and you’re welcome to access it at no charge as a gift from me.
The Purposed Parent/Connected Child podcast will soon be available at terrihitt.com, where you can access the episodes housed in one convenient location, receive access to blog posts, read transcripts, and find additional resources designed to mature your walk with Christ and equip you to raiseor influence connected children through Him.
God knows that we are not capable of successful parenting on our own. As we rely on Him, releasing doubts and expectations, and humbly bow to His guidance and experience, we find greater clarity in parenting and a wondrous walk with our Creator that will extend to our children and those around us for generations.
I pray this podcast helps you parent with purposeand deepen your connection to Jesus and your children as you intentionally place Christ above culture or self. Allow Him to work through you for true connection that will draw your children to Him and build a maturing relationship with Christ and your child that lasts for eternity.