Wednesday, April 5, 2017

CONFRONTING WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AND FRIENDS

CONFRONTING WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AND FRIENDS
The mechanic didn’t call me right away about my “baby car” and I started to worry. I can’t even imagine how you parents are tempted to worry about your children. There’s two things that can help stop our minds from spiraling downward. First: The Word of God. It doesn’t take a lot of scriptures; it just takes the right ones. Isaiah 54:13 says: “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” What does that mean?

It means that the Lord is their teacher, whether He works through you or someone else, or circumstances or in any other way, He will do it if you can believe it. You are not their savior, Jesus is! God has entrusted them to you, but you have to pray for them, believing that the Lord is around them and with them every day to care for, guide and instruct. If I were a parent, I’d be praying this scripture every morning over my children and every night too. And the second half of the verse also: “Great shall be the peace of [my] children.” 

I also suggest Psalm 91:11-12 “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Stones are in the physical realm, so this scripture is telling us that angles are available to keep your children (and you too) from being tripped up by physical things. You can name a great number of possible stumbling blocks, such as bullies, bad friends, bad habits, bad health, etc. Angels’ jobs are to minister for you, so use their abilities like the scripture says, to keep an eye on your children and keep them from tripping up. Of course we can pray this scripture for other family members and friends too.

Lastly, this is a great verse for parents (maybe I should have listed this one first!): “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). You can say, “God I give You my anxiety today because You care about me and You can take care of the stress. Thank you so much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

I said there were two things needed to get rid of worry. The first is to believe what God says in the scriptures and pray the ones that work for you. The second important thing is to talk to your children. And I don’t mean telling them how much you worry. That will only enforce the negative. But instead, ask them questions about what’s going on in their lives. Listen with your heart to their answers. And be bold enough to pray with them.

I didn’t pray with my mechanic, but I did pray a verse I found in the gospels about transportation and then I called him and was totally at ease. My baby truck was going to get fixed. I believe your kids will be okay too, if you pray the scriptures over them and love them. The Lord will even show us different ways to express our love, if we are listening.

When was the last time you read some of First Corinthians 13, the chapter on love? I hadn’t read it in a while, but when I did today, it really inspired and blessed me.

The Excellence of Love

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction].

And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.

If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.

Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.

It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.

It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]” (1 Cor. 13:1-8).

Love, Carolyn

Lots of exciting Las Vegas stories – seeing behind the scenes of everyday events. Check it out in paperback or e-book from Amazon, WINGS: A Journey in Faith.


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