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Prayer Never Expires! · She Speaks Life - Christian Women, Strengthen Your Faith, Bible Study, Grow Spiritually In Christ

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  Hey there, welcome back to She Speaks Live.
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  I'm so excited you are here listening to this episode today.
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  I have to say you guys keep the feedback coming is so
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  encouraging. To see how much you guys are
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  enjoying the published journal that I just released called
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  Serenity. Calm your soul and Strengthen
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  your spirit in your quiet times with the Lord is a huge blessing
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  to me. So for those of you who are
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  wondering, what is she even talking about?
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  About the Serenity Journal is a personalized scripture journal
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  where you write your name within the verse.
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  Bringing this close personal directive to take heed of the
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  truth of God's word in your life.
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  Includes 5 topics to choose from with two weeks of scripture for
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  each one for whatever season you are walking in such as
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  contentment, confidence, loneliness, hope and peace.
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  In addition, our journal prompts and an activation prayer to
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  release your faith for what you are relying on God to do in and
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  through your life. It makes a great gift for any
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  occasion especially. We are in the Christmas shopping
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  mode of buying gifts and I have a sale for you that is 15% off
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  plus free shipping so you can get one for any loved one in
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  your life. Go to jamieelizabeth.com and
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  make sure you use code VIP15 at checkout.
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  And feel free to share your journal on Instagram letting
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  your friends know about the serenity we can obtain through
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  God's Word and keep letting me know how it's blessing your
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  quiet time with him. So today I sit down with the
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  author of over 25 books and former VP of Proverbs 31
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  Ministries, Sharon Jeans, and we are discussing her latest book
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  of Praying Over Your Child From head to toe.
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  It's a 30 day guide to powerful and effective scripture based
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  prayers. This conversation is so good as
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  we talk about the power that prayer has over our kids, no
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  matter what age or stage in their lives and what prayer does
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  for us and for them. Sharon covers how Jesus taught
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  the disciples to pray using landmarks, and that prayer is
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  not a means to control, but one that has a purpose and trusting
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  God's plan with our children's lives.
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  This is so good, you guys. Let's dive into this awesome
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  conversation. Here's my guest, Sharon James.
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  Hey, Sharon, welcome to She Speaks Life.
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  I'm so glad you're here. Welcome.
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  Thank you. I'm excited to be here with you
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  today. Yeah, I love this message that
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  we're going to be talking about. Praying over your child from
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  head to toe. This is a published newly
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  written book that you just released and I got to read
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  through it and I just love it. It is so unique.
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  I have not seen anything like it before and so I am excited to
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  hear your wisdom and encouragement on this.
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  And before we dive into that further, I would love for you to
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  share if you have a favorite scripture verse and why.
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  John 832 has been my life first for the longest time.
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  And I the reason is, you know, I became a Christian when I was a
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  teenager, but I was still so wrapped up in feelings of
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  inferiority and insecurity and inadequacy and I just carried
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  all that into my Christian life with me.
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  You could think, well then you became a Christian and it went
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  away. But that is not what happened.
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  But it was probably in my 30s when there was an older woman
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  who took me under her wing at my church, and she began to teach
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  me about who I was and what I had and where I was as a child
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  of God. And John 832 was kind of the the
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  foundation of all that, about knowing the truth about who I
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  really was. And when that happened, it
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  didn't happen overnight. And it tells us in Scripture
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  that do not be performed to the pattern of this world, but be
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  transformed by the renewing of your mind.
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  Well, we can't act differently than we think.
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  And God just so changed the way I thought as I started putting
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  the truth into my mind and just changing those thought patterns
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  that I've had all my life. And.
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  And then, I mean, none of this would have happened.
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  As you know, I've written a lot of books and but none of that
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  would have happened and didn't happen until after I really
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  understood what that truth was about who I really was as a
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  child of God. And that helped get rid of those
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  families of inferiority, insecurity and inadequacy.
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  So hung on to that, that first you will know the truth.
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  Truth will set you free as my license plate on my car for the
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  longest time. But yeah, that's my favorite
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  verse. Still is today.
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  Beautiful and so important to know who we are and him and how
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  that just changes everything when we really take root in that
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  and let it, you know, really get into our heart and grow.
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  And I love that so much. All right, We're going to be
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  talking about praying over our child from head to toe.
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  And I love it because there's no expiration with prayer.
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  Prayer never dies, and there's no expiration in US praying over
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  our children, whether they are older, younger, married, every
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  age and stage wherever our kids are, we should always being a
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  praying Mama or daddy or grandmother, aunt, you name it.
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  We should always be praying over our kids.
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  So I love this book in particular that you have
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  created, that God has inspired in your heart to write, and I
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  can't wait to share it with the audience.
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  So let's begin with what drew you to the topic of praying for
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  your child. Well, it really started back
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  when I got married and I'm praying for my husband.
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  And sometimes it you just don't know what to pray.
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  And I couldn't hear say scripture because I know when
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  you pray the word of God, you're praying the will of God.
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  So I started praying Scripture for my husband.
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  And then about 10 years ago, I wrote the book Praying for Your
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  Husband from Head to toe. And it's we're talking in the
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  church about covering someone in prayer.
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  And that's kind of a Christianese word covering
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  someone. But this is literally covering
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  someone from their mind and the thoughts they think all the way
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  down to their feet and in the pocket they take.
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  But as I wrote the book Praying for Your Husband from head to
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  toe, it's a 30 day guide to powerful and effective scripture
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  based prayer. I would get emails from people.
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  I really want one of these for my child.
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  I need to know how to do this for my children.
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  I said, well you kind of adapt it.
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  But then I thought, you know, I really need to do this.
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  So. And I had a child four years
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  after I was married so began to pray this pattern for Stephen
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  too. So that's how it happened.
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  It started off praying for my husband.
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  Then I had a child praying for my my child the same way.
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  And then people encouraging me to to do to write a book so we
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  can have a pattern of prayer. And.
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  And I want to call it a pattern of prayer because you know, when
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  Jesus disciples ask him or teach us how to pray and he gave them
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  what we have come to call the Lord's prayer.
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  But I don't think Jesus meant for us to just say a rope prayer
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  over and over. But it was really a pattern of
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  prayer. You praise God.
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  You thank him. You ask him to meet your needs,
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  ask him to give your sins protect you and then you praise
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  him again. So it's a pattern.
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  So this is really a pattern of prayer so that we can cover
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  someone from their thoughts to their feet.
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  And and also for me, when I would sit down and pray, my mind
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  would be longer and I don't think I'm the only one.
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  I mean, I would think, Oh my goodness, I need to add this to
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  my grocery list. I'm sowing forward and get back
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  to prayer. And then I'd be praying.
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  Oh, I really need to call her when I'm finished and my mind
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  would wander. So having a pattern of prayer
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  keeps you you on track so that you you're playing these
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  scriptures in these 16 different areas and you're not losing your
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  train of thought as you're trying to pray.
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  So true. And that's how I felt when I was
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  going through your book. I'm like, wow, I've never been
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  so focused in my life. This is amazing.
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  You know, so you're you're on point with that one.
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  And you know, being that you are an author of over 25 books, you
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  have a global faith community. You're formerly a vice president
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  of Proverbs 31 Ministries. You have been around a lot of
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  women, a lot of moms. What are the top concerns you
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  think this year women are going through, particularly with their
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  children? You know, and I've seen this
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  change over the years of what the concerns were 20 years ago
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  were are different than what the concerns are today.
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  But school shootings, I mean, we didn't think about that 20 years
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  ago, but now there's 167 school shootings since 2018.
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  And I think when do we even start counting that 202251
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  school shootings? Huge peer pressure.
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  I mean, we've always hit peer pressure since Came and Abel,
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  but peer pressure today is is just exponential.
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  Why? Because of the Internet.
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  And so they're seeing things on their cell phones, on their
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  iPads, and they're comparing their insides with someone
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  else's outsides. They're watching what other kids
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  are doing together, comparing themselves, feeling left out so
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  much stress because of what they're seeing on the Internet.
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  And I don't mean to sound morbid, but and the suicide
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  rate, secondly, in cause of death with children and young
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  adults, adolescents between the age of 15 and 24, Secondly, in
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  cause of death, that is huge. Parents are worried about that.
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  They're worried about the stress.
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  They're worried about just now sending their kids off to school
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  and stuff is already happening. They're worried about
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  depression. So there's so many concerns that
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  parents have for their kids today.
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  Gender confusion, just so concerned about that.
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  But as I talk to parents and see what they're worried about, what
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  they're concerned about, we know that the scripture tells us that
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  we are not fighting about a flesh and blood, but we're
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  fighting a spiritual battle. And I really believe that
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  there's all at war now for the souls of our kids.
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  It says we're not fighting a battle of flesh and blood, but
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  against rulers, authorities, powers of the start world,
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  against spiritual forces of evil and heavenly grounds.
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  So we are fighting a spiritual battle then we need to be doing
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  that through prayer and God's word.
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  Now also of what Paul wrote, he said.
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  And to the Corinthians, he says, though we live in the world, we
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  do not wage war as the world does.
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  The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.
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  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
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  strongholds. They have divine power to
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  demolish strongholds. And I'd love that combination of
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  words, divine power. It's really one word in the
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  Greek which is in that language of the New Testament, and it's
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  dunamis. It's where we get the word
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  dynamite, and you have dynamite from bringing nitrogen glycerin
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  together and boom, you've got dynamite.
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  When you bring prayer and the word of God together, boom,
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  you've got dynamite. And that's the kind of power
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  that we have through prayer, as we're praying for our children
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  in this spiritual and in the physical realm.
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  So good, yes. I mean, there's so much power in
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  that. And I think so many of us forget
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  or, you know, don't realize how much power there are.
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  There is in prayer and how you know we can break those
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  strongholds over our kids or anybody that we know that are
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  going through the struggles of depression, anxiety.
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  I know that is extremely on a rise these days with kids and
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  and what their environment entails, what they're surrounded
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  by and their atmosphere on a daily basis.
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  I mean they're at school more than they are at home.
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  So they're just getting those influences there mostly.
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  And so it takes a lot for our kids to, you know, stand in
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  their values and their beliefs and really walk in truth and
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  walk in spirit. And as a praying mom or
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  grandmother or aunt even we can bring that shield around our
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  kids and and shift the atmosphere for our kids.
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  So. So this book is very similar to
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  praying over or praying for your husband.
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  How do readers dive into this one?
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  Well, it's it's it's there's some teaching on prayer at the
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  beginning about the purpose and the power of prayer, but the
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  bulk is the book is you're actually praying.
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  So there's 30 days of praying for your child in those sixteen
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  different areas. And I want to say this can sound
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  a little daunting, but it takes longer for me to explain it than
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  it does to actually pray it. So you can cover your child in
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  from 5 to 7 minutes a day to go through all these 16 areas.
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  So as we are going through to the Today, going through what
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  these 16 areas are, don't be concerned that whoa, this is way
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  too much. It's not too much. 5 to 7
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  minutes. And I think we can all do that.
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  But we start with the mind and we start at the very top with
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  what they think about. I think as parents, we tend to
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  pray for a child's behavior or circumstances.
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  But suppose we could change, Pray for their mind that causes
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  the behavior first. Because you know, you cannot act
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  differently than you think, right?
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  So we're going to pray for the mind.
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  And that verse I've already mentioned do not be conformed to
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  the pattern of this world. We'll be transformed by the
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  renewing of your mind. So we're going to be praying for
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  that transformation of their mind to line up with Godly
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  thoughts. So we're going to start with the
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  mind and then we're going to move down.
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  Pray for their eyes. This is what they look at now.
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  There's very different between what you look at and what you
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  see. You cannot always control what
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  you see, but you can control what you look at, but you stop
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  and look at. So we're going to be praying to
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  what enters the mind through the portal of their eyes and then
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  through the portal of their ears, what they listen to.
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  Again, it's very different what you hear and what you stop and
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  listen to. So we can be praying about what
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  they're listening to. Because if our children listen
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  to the wrong voices, they're going to make the wrong choices.
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  So praying about what that child is listening to, then we're
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  going to pray for their mouth. And this is your sweet spot
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  right here, because you're talking about she speaks life.
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  So we'll be praying that our children will speak life.
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  It says death and life are in the power of the tongue.
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  So we want to be praying for the words that come out of our
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  child's mouth. But I want to say here too, you
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  heard that old saying, monkey see, monkey do, monkey do the
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  same as you. Well, as we're praying for our
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  child's words, we need to make sure that we're being a good
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  example, that they're hearing us speak life as well.
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  And if they hear us grumbling and complaining all the time,
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  you know what? They're probably going to do it
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  too. If they hear us using swear
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  words, they're probably going to do that too.
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  So we want to make sure that we're being a good example.
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  As we pray for their words and as we speak life around them so
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  they can know what that looks like, then we're going to pray
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  for their neck. And the neck is what turns the
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  head right. So the neck is when we pray for
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  the neck, we're going to be praying for the decisions that
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  they make, what turns their head to the left or the right.
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  Because we know that decisions that we make, those decisions
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  determine destinies. Choices create histories.
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  And that's whether we're talking about world history or our own
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  personal history. So we're going to be praying for
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  their choices. You know, sometimes, you know, I
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  think, I wish I didn't have the gift of choice, but God did
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  something really risky when he created Adam and Eve, when he
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  created mankind, he gave us that gift of choice.
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  And the choices can determine how we live our life.
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  So we're going to be praying about those choices that our
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  kids make. They were moving down to their
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  shoulders now as we talked about what the parents are concerned
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  about. Boy, these kids have so many
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  worries today and it starts so young.
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  I was talking to my niece's four year old daughter and she was
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  telling me something she was really worried and concerned
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  about. And I thought, did I worry when
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  I was four? I mean, I probably did.
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  I of course, I can't remember. But it's just astounding to see
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  how early they start worrying. So we're going to pray for those
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  worries and concern, and we know that those worries and concerns
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  change as the child gets older. They're worrying about test
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  grades. They're worrying about whether
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  they fit in with the crowd or are they too large, are they too
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  small that they worry about sexual molestation today, They
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  worry about bullying now, they're worrying about
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  pandemics, natural disasters, and there's so much that they're
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  worrying about. So we're going to be praying
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  that they will know what to do with those concerns, that
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  they'll know that that they can give their words to the Lord
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  because he cares for them. So praying over those those
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  worries and concern. I think it's crucial about us
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  being the example of our kids. I I think that's so key, and I'm
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  not sure as a young mom if I actually really understood that
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  until the kids were older. And wow, I'm like, they're
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  really mimicking me. And that could be good and bad.
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  And I really need to watch my actions and what I say.
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  And you know, if you're sitting around your girlfriends and
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  gossiping and talking about others, then she's going to go
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  and gossip about, you know, friends at school as your kids
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  get older. You know, I think this is a
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  crucial one that I don't think many of us talk about.
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  But when your kids are teenagers and, you know, I think most
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  parents don't want our kids to party, I think if you're a
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  believer and you're walking on the right path as a parent, you
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  know this is something that you're not wanting your kids to
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  do. And I see so many parents,
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  believers and non believers partying it up and their kids
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  see them doing that and they think it's OK or I just have to
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  wait till I'm 21 and then I can do it.
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  Well, they're not realizing, you know, you have a choice to not
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  party at all. And us as parents, we, we don't
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  need that in our life. We shouldn't be doing that,
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  right. But it's it's something that I
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  think parents think it's, you know, feeling like, oh, I can do
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  this and then pray and hope my kids don't follow and party too.
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  But it it takes us to be that example first.
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  So we got to get rid of that out of our life in order to be a
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  witness to our kids. We can't expect them to do
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  something that we're not doing. I remember that John got his
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  driver's license and we pulled into the neighborhood he was
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  driving. And he went a little too fast
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  around that corner and almost clipped the mailbox.
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  And I'm like Stephen. And then I thought, that's
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  exactly how he seen me do it for 16 years.
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  So yeah, we have to realize they're going to, they're going
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  to mimic what they see their parents doing.
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  So let's move on down. We've got our decisions, We've
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  got our burdens and worries. And then we're going to pray for
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  their heart and this is who and what they love.
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  Augustine said that what we love is who we are.
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  So we're going to be praying scripture over the heart.
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  There's so much in the Bible about the heart, the wellspring
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  of life. So we're going to pray over who
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  and what they love. Then we're going to pray for
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  their fact and this, this is their spiritual and physical
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  protection. We already mentioned that we're
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  fighting a spiritual warfare. So we're going to be praying
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  some of those. We're going to have some
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  fighting words right here, praying scripture about over
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  protection for them and then we're going to pray for their
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  arms. You know, offered scripture,
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  God's strength is referred to in the strong arm of God.
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  So we're going to be praying for their strength as we're praying
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  for our kids arms and that sounds praying for them to be
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  physically, emotionally and spiritually strong and healthy.
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  Then we're going to pray for their hands at the end of the
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  arm and this is their gifts and talents as we're praying if we
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  know that he's God's giving everyone gifts and talents.
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  So we're going to be praying that our children will discover
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  what they are, that we can help discover what they are.
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  But listen, not who we want them to be, but God's created them to
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  be. I remember there was this, this
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  boy in our neighborhood and he was big and strong.
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  And my husband was saying then there was about 15 at the time
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  and he said to the mom and the boy, this boy ought to be
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  playing football and she says no, he plays the trumpet.
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  And she was so proud of that. This is what he, God, had
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  created him to do is to make music.
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  So not who we want them to be, but who God's created them to be
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  as we pray with those hands and then the ring finger.
• 22:05
  I mean, as soon as our kids are born, you just had a child to
• 22:08
  get married. We were praying for those
• 22:10
  spouses. And this is an example of of
• 22:13
  praying for someone who is not our child.
• 22:16
  It's praying for another child. And and this is so near and dear
• 22:20
  to my heart because I became a Christian through a praying
• 22:23
  mother. But it was not my mother.
• 22:26
  I was raised in a very difficult home.
• 22:29
  There was a lot of violence, a lot of alcohol.
• 22:31
  My parents were not Christians. I grew up brave most of the
• 22:34
  time. I saw physical fighting as well
• 22:37
  as verbal fighting. But when I was 12 years old, I
• 22:40
  became friends with a girl in the next block, and that was a
• 22:43
  Christian family. And her mother took me under her
• 22:46
  wing and she began to share Jesus with me and went to church
• 22:50
  with them, spent the night with them.
• 22:52
  I let her know what was going on in my home and then when I was
• 22:55
  14, she sat me down and asked me if I was ready to accept Jesus.
• 22:59
  So I became a Christian through a praying mom that was not my
• 23:03
  mom praying for other kids and the kids that come into our our
• 23:08
  children's lives. And you know what the the icing
• 23:11
  on the cake of that is that I became a Christian at 14 and
• 23:15
  then my mother accepted Christ three years later and then when
• 23:18
  my dad accepted Christ three years after her.
• 23:21
  So in a six year period, God changed my whole entire family's
• 23:26
  life and it started with a praying mom.
• 23:29
  So that is so just such a good example of the impacts that we
• 23:33
  can have as praying moms on other children.
• 23:35
  So we're going to pray for that spouse.
• 23:37
  We're going to pray for that future spouse and then we're
• 23:40
  going to pray for the side and the side.
• 23:42
  Those are the influential relationships in our children's
• 23:46
  lives, the friends that they choose, the friends that they
• 23:50
  walk side by side with, and the leaders, the teachers that are
• 23:54
  in their lives as well. And then we're going to pray for
• 23:56
  their sexuality, we're going to pray for sexual purity, and
• 23:59
  we're going to pray that they'll celebrate the gender that they
• 24:03
  were born with, that they won't have gender identity confusion.
• 24:07
  And again, we're praying straight scripture here.
• 24:09
  It's not my opinion on anything, it's we're just praying straight
• 24:12
  scripture. Then we're praying for their
• 24:15
  legs, and this is their what they stand on.
• 24:18
  And we can just look back probably in our lifetime.
• 24:23
  We can see things that were true when we were younger that are
• 24:29
  not true today. I mean, we grew up with Pluto
• 24:32
  being the planet, for goodness sakes, and now Pluto's not even
• 24:35
  a planet. We know that things that were
• 24:38
  illegal 15 years ago are now legal.
• 24:43
  So there's this big shift in our culture of what was once wrong,
• 24:48
  now becoming what's right and the culture embracing it.
• 24:52
  So we're going to be praying that our children will stand on
• 24:56
  the truth of God and not what the culture says is right or
• 25:00
  wrong. And one thing that said I wrote
• 25:01
  it says if they do not stand on the truth, the world becomes a
• 25:05
  confusing place and the undertow of uncertainty can pull them out
• 25:09
  to see the riptide of questions and the shifting ties of change.
• 25:15
  So we're going to pray that they will stand strong on the truth,
• 25:19
  and then we're going to go to their knees and pray about their
• 25:22
  relationship with Jesus, that they'll accept Jesus at an early
• 25:26
  age and continue to grow and mature in their spiritual life.
• 25:29
  And finally they're going to pray for their feet.
• 25:31
  And there we get to their feet. This is the path that they take.
• 25:34
  It's the path they take on any given day, and then the path
• 25:38
  that they take as teenagers and then adults.
• 25:41
  So that's covering from their mind all the way down to the
• 25:45
  feet. Covering them with prayer takes
• 25:47
  about 5:00 to 7:00 minutes every day.
• 25:49
  And there's 30 days of that, which when you get to the 30
• 25:52
  days, you'll want to start right back over.
• 25:55
  But even though this is a pattern of prayer, I do want to
• 25:57
  say you don't have to stick to this.
• 25:59
  You can just get some days you might land on one and you're on
• 26:03
  that protection. You're praying for the back and
• 26:06
  and you think I just need to pray on this one thing today and
• 26:09
  that might be your focus that day.
• 26:11
  So don't let it become something legalistic that you feel like
• 26:15
  you have to do and stick to this pattern.
• 26:17
  But it's just a guide. It's a guide on how to play
• 26:19
  scripture over our kids. Yes, I love that.
• 26:22
  Yeah, let's not make it into a checklist.
• 26:25
  And it really is quick. I mean, I know I hear what
• 26:28
  you're saying about your describing it, but when I went
• 26:31
  through it, it was it takes less than 10 minutes.
• 26:37
  But also the scripture that ties into each landmark, which is
• 26:42
  what you describe it as. And I absolutely loved it.
• 26:47
  I'm like, where was this when my kids are younger?
• 26:49
  But it is something that I can use today no matter what my kids
• 26:56
  age and stage are. And this is such a a great book
• 27:01
  for no matter it's timeless actually is what I like to say.
• 27:05
  And so you refer to, you know, Jesus teaching as disciples
• 27:11
  using these landmarks. Can you expand on that?
• 27:17
  When Jesus's disciples said Lord teach us to pray and he gave
• 27:22
  them what we call the Lord's Prayer, and I don't think that
• 27:26
  he meant for us to repeat that prayer over and over, but really
• 27:30
  it was some landmarks, like I call these 16 landmarks.
• 27:34
  This is really landmarks or pattern of prayer.
• 27:37
  So you know, we we're praising God first, we're acknowledging
• 27:41
  His fatherhood. We're praying for his will to be
• 27:44
  done. We pray for our needs to be met,
• 27:46
  to be forgiven, to be protected from or delivered from
• 27:49
  temptation or we're praising him again.
• 27:51
  So if you look at that, that's a great way to to use as a pattern
• 27:56
  of our prayer and and inserting what those needs are as we're
• 28:00
  praying for our needs, what those temptations are as we're
• 28:03
  praying about that. So this is similar in that it's
• 28:06
  still a pattern of prayer which Jesus gave us, that pattern of
• 28:11
  prayer and what we call the Lord's Prayer.
• 28:13
  Yeah, I love how you tied that together.
• 28:16
  That's amazing because that's a new perspective for me anyway,
• 28:20
  very cool. OK, You stress that prayer is
• 28:24
  not a means of gaining control over our children and said what
• 28:29
  is the purpose of prayer for them.
• 28:32
  I I actually, if you don't mind, I just love what you shared.
• 28:37
  You said prayer is not a means of gaining control over our
• 28:40
  children, to whip them into shape and make them the men and
• 28:44
  women we want them to be. Prayer is a means of
• 28:47
  relinquishing control of our plans and asking God to shape
• 28:50
  our children into the men and women he wants them to be.
• 28:54
  And wow, I just found this so impactful because so often we
• 29:00
  pray thinking that's going to make us control them is through
• 29:05
  our prayers. But, you know, really it's
• 29:09
  giving our children over to the Lord in our prayers and having
• 29:14
  God be in control and shaping them the way he wants them to
• 29:19
  be. Not, you know, necessarily our
• 29:23
  opinion. And it's not a control thing
• 29:26
  either. And I think probably for women
• 29:29
  that maybe been more to the controlling personality or maybe
• 29:36
  think that way with prayer, you know, and really it's giving our
• 29:42
  children over the Lord in our prayer and He's got the ultimate
• 29:46
  control over our children, not us.
• 29:48
  So what is your definition, the purpose of prayer for them, in
• 29:52
  regards that neat quote that I just loved it.
• 29:55
  It really stood me in my tracks and I had to read it again.
• 30:00
  I think when you have older children that really, it really
• 30:05
  brings it home that we can't. We're not praying to control
• 30:08
  them and to put them into shape to make them little mini me's or
• 30:12
  to make them exactly who we want them to be.
• 30:15
  And the scripture for that is that God's the Potter.
• 30:17
  We're not. He's the Potter.
• 30:20
  They're the clay. And so many times we want to
• 30:23
  tell God how to shake them. And he's like, you know, I
• 30:26
  really don't need your help here.
• 30:28
  He has a plan. So again, when we pray in God's
• 30:31
  word, we're not telling him how to do it.
• 30:34
  We're just praying, praying the Scripture over them.
• 30:37
  So yes, we are not the Potter he is, and it is relinquishing
• 30:42
  control so that he can do what he needs to do to make them into
• 30:46
  who who wants them to be. And I think part of the struggle
• 30:50
  with parents is we really don't want our kids to struggle.
• 30:54
  But when you think about it, the times in your own life when you
• 30:58
  have grown the most spiritually or you toward the most as a
• 31:01
  woman, it's probably been during times of struggle.
• 31:05
  So when we see that our children are struggling, I just want to
• 31:09
  encourage parents or anyone praying for a child.
• 31:12
  That doesn't mean that God is not working because it's often
• 31:16
  during those times of struggle, but he's working the most when
• 31:19
  he is causing the most change. So don't think that's not
• 31:22
  answering your prayer. If you see, if you see the
• 31:25
  struggle, pray that the children, that or whoever we're
• 31:28
  praying for that can learn the lesson and grow during that
• 31:32
  struggle. So it's.
• 31:34
  Vanquishing control. We can't control it.
• 31:36
  Don't even try to control it. We're going to pray and let God
• 31:39
  control it. Yeah, And the struggle is just
• 31:42
  where we grow our character. It's the refinement.
• 31:46
  Yeah, I don't think I've ever really grown a whole lot being
• 31:51
  on those mountain peaks. It's always in those deep
• 31:55
  valleys. It's always in the hard times,
• 31:59
  the challenging times, the hardships, the trials that I
• 32:02
  really grow in my character. And you know, that's that's what
• 32:08
  it's all about. And and that way we can be more
• 32:11
  Christ like and be able to encourage those women around us
• 32:16
  who have gone through or are going through similar situations
• 32:21
  as we are. And so it's always about people
• 32:25
  with God and I love that. OK, So you have some verses or
• 32:32
  even some biblical stories that maybe a mom is discouraged
• 32:38
  raising their children right now.
• 32:40
  There's just so much going on with our kids these days.
• 32:45
  What are what are some inspiration, encouragement,
• 32:49
  wisdom that you can share with that discouraged mom?
• 32:55
  I love the story about the distraught father who son was
• 33:00
  demon possessed. He threw himself in the fire.
• 33:03
  He had seizures and once up on the ground and he took the boy
• 33:10
  to actually to his disciples, but nothing happened they they
• 33:14
  couldn't do anything about it. And then Jesus came and so he
• 33:18
  took his son to Jesus. And isn't that what we always
• 33:21
  need to do is to take our child to Jesus?
• 33:24
  And he said to Jesus, if you can do anything can you help my son?
• 33:29
  And Jesus said, if I can, all things are possible to him who
• 33:33
  believes. And the boy's father said I
• 33:36
  believe help my unbelief. And the one reason I love that
• 33:40
  is because the father was so honest.
• 33:43
  And Jesus didn't not heal him because he admitted that he had
• 33:47
  unbelief. See we don't have to have a
• 33:49
  perfect faith, we just have to have a present faith.
• 33:52
  And he had just a little bit and God healed his Son.
• 33:56
  And so I would encourage you, you don't have to have a perfect
• 33:58
  faith, just have to have a present faith.
• 34:01
  And God, God will listen to your prayers.
• 34:04
  And again, if you don't see something happening right away,
• 34:07
  just know that he's listening. Know that he's working.
• 34:10
  God, Jesus said about God, my father is always working, even
• 34:15
  till this day He's working. And what he's saying is God's
• 34:18
  working whether we see it or not.
• 34:21
  And God's working always behind the scenes, whether we see it or
• 34:25
  not. So even though you don't seek
• 34:26
  that answer in the prayer the way you thought he would, just
• 34:29
  know that he's still working and he is answering the prayer.
• 34:33
  Yeah, that goes for trusting God's plan with our kids lives
• 34:38
  and our lives and and those that we love.
• 34:42
  And so I love to wrap it up with a take away.
• 34:47
  Do you have something to share with the listener to Ponderon or
• 34:51
  take action in just this last minute encouragement for US?
• 34:56
  Well, one thing I want us to all remember is that no one will be
• 35:00
  a perfect parents, but we can all be praying Parents who
• 35:04
  confidently pray for God's protection and provision in the
• 35:07
  physical and the spiritual realms for our kids.
• 35:11
  We're not going to be perfect, but we can be praying to a
• 35:13
  perfect God. So good.
• 35:16
  Well, thank you Sharon, for coming on here.
• 35:19
  It's been a joy and I love this topic, topic about praying over
• 35:24
  our kids and it's just so essential.
• 35:27
  It's important and we need to do it on a daily basis.
• 35:32
  And I love your book how it guides you to do that and do it
• 35:37
  well and easily. And it's so encouraging.
• 35:41
  And I just want to thank you for coming on here and sharing your
• 35:44
  wisdom with us. Yes.
• 35:45
  You thank you and I'm going to say I just put up a new
• 35:48
  download. If someone would be interested
• 35:50
  in it might be helpful. If you go to sharonjames.com and
• 35:54
  my name has AY in it, just like yours does.
• 35:58
  It's JAYNES but Sharon james.com.
• 36:03
  And if you look at the top bar, there's a freebies section that
• 36:06
  says free resources. And I just put one up called
• 36:09
  Praying Covering your Child's Teacher in prayer.
• 36:12
  So it's the same process. One, one page of praying for
• 36:16
  their mind all the way down to their feet.
• 36:18
  For praying for for teachers, if you pick that up for free.
• 36:22
  Wow, so good. Yes.
• 36:23
  Thank you for sharing with us and the freebies.
• 36:27
  And thank you so much, Sharon, for coming on here.
• 36:30
  Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for listening
• 36:34
  today, and I trust that God has encouraged you through this
• 36:37
  story. Did you know this podcast is on
• 36:40
  YouTube? Hop on there and subscribe and
• 36:43
  you can see a live recording of each episode.
• 36:47
  And For more information on this ministry and to access free
• 36:51
  downloads, please visit my website at jamieelizabeth.com.
• 36:55
  That's JAYME elizabeth.com. And let's connect beyond this
• 37:01
  podcast by going to my Instagram handle Jamie Elizabeth.
• 37:05
  She speaks life or Facebook. Until next time, my friend.
• 37:09
  I hope God reveals himself through your own life story.