Warrior Prayers: Day 7 (Purity)

Today we pray for Purity (page 22).

This is one of the hottest topics of our generation and I want to address it early with my son.

Hal and Melanie Young, the parents of 6 boys and the author of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys say that we have to "get there first and be the first with the most." We need to open and honest and develop frank and honest communication from the very start.  We need to pray for protection for them and pray they will be strong enough to flee temptation and pray for the princesses they will one day claim!

"And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure." ~1 John 3:3, NLT

This looks like a fabulous book!

Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys

One of our moms in this prayer group is praying for her future son-in-law!  Those of us with girls can do this and what a fabulous blessing for our daughters and sons to be!

Tomorrow (9/13) we pray for A Servant's Heart (page 23).

Raising Real Men on Facebook

Warrior Prayers: Day 6 (Pride)

Today we pray for Pride (page 21).

I want my son to have pride, but not be prideful.  I want him to achieve, but not be an overachiever so that he has a over active ego.  I want him to love God and be proud to be His son!


Encouragement from Melissa Smallwood:
Prayers for our sons must be individual to that child and sensitive to the one of a kind man God has designed each of them to be.  As long as they live their lives for God's glory, my mama's heart should be pleased and satisfied.

Question for discussion: (after reading about Daniel)
Take a moment and think about your dreams for your sons.  Be honest.  Do you dream of having sons who are "without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning and competent to stand in the king's palace?"

Daniel chose God.  And God honored Daniel and used him to draw those around him to Himself.


Tomorrow (9/12) we pray for Purity (page 22).

Warrior Prayers: Day 5 (Avoiding Foolishness)

Today we pray for Avoiding Foolishness (page 20).


From Brooke:
Foolish choices bring unpleasant consequences.  But the wise man has security in loving God and all the power of heaven on his side.

Consider helping your sons to understand the difference between the foolish man and wise man using the Bible's definitions in Psalm 14:1 and Proverbs 9:10.

Question for discussion:
*Consider your own parenting style.  Is the way you interact with your son(s) targeting the heart and motivating them toward real heart change?  Or do you mainly focus on changing behavior?


Tomorrow (9/11) we pray for Pride (page 21).

Warrior Prayers: Day 4 (Integrity) & Link UP day

Today we pray for Integrity (page 17).
Read pages 18-19 for tomorrow.

Wow, this is not a common word that we use today, but it is powerful.  I would love to have someone tell me that my son has integrity, but I need to be diligent to pray for it and teach it to my son.  Integrity is someone who stands up for what is right no matter who is around.

From Brooke:
I have a feeling that integrity is probably caught rather than bought.  Pausing to help our sons understand why we chose the way of integrity over what might have seemed to be a better or easier way trains their minds to ponder the blameless way.

"He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain life."  Proverbs 11:9

Question for discussion:
*How do you demonstrate integrity to your little sons?

Also, it's link up day!  If you have blogged about this prayer challenge, please link up so we can read each others thoughts.

Tomorrow (9/10) we pray for Avoiding Foolishness (page 20).

Warrior Prayers: Day 3 (Submission to Authority)

Our sons will always have someone in position of authority over them and therefore must learn to submit to that authority.  Our sons learn that by how we teach them to submit to our authority and ultimately to God.

Today we pray for Submission to Authority (page 14).
Read pages 15-16 before tomorrow.

From Brooke:
Today, make a point to lavish love and praise on your son when he chooses wisely- even small things.




Question for discussion:
*In the book, Brooke talks about hearing a speaker say these words: "Ladies, if your man cannot submit to Jesus, he cannot lead you.  A man must be willing to be led before he can truly lead."  How does this change your understanding of the importance of teaching your son(s) obedience?

Tomorrow (9/9) we pray for Integrity (page 17).

Warrior Prayers: Day 2 (Obedience)

How did it go yesterday?  I hope you were able to find a time to pray for your sons that you can keep committed to.  I know it's hard with so many little ones running around, but make that time or pockets and time and keep it!
 

Today we pray for Obedience (page 13).

Oh, my, I struggle with this area on a daily basis.  My son's favorite word is "no" and as much as I coach him for the correct response when I ask him to do things (yes, mommy), I still come up against his sinful nature and it's DAILY and all day long.  I'm so worn out.  I'm so thankful for God's Word to pray over my son.  I know that consistency now will pay off in the future.  I'm praying today for Obedience!

Thoughts from Brooke:
Apparently God takes the way we raise our sons quite seriously.
Prayer.  This battle is best fought on your knees.

From the Leader's Guide:
Obeying God is ultimately linked to loving him.
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."  John 14:21

As we pray for our sons to have obedient hearts today, let's examine our own, and ask our Savior to help us live out His great love for us so that our sons will see how truly valuable it is.

Tomorrow (9/8) we pray for Submission to Authority (page 14).

Warrior Prayers 21 Day Challenge Calendar

I know some of you like to be organized and can see things better if they are laid out for you. So here's a calendar of what to pray for on what days. I am using the 2nd edition of the Warrior Prayers ebook and Leader's Guide.

*DAY 1: Tuesday (9/6) Heart Change p. 40
*DAY 2.:Wednesday (9/7) Obedience p. 13
*DAY 3: Thursday (9/8) Submission to Authority p. 14
*DAY 4: Friday (9/9) Integrity p. 17
*DAY 5: Saturday (9/10) Avoiding Foolishness p. 20
*DAY 6: Sunday (9/11) Pride p. 21
*DAY 7: Monday (9/12) Purity p. 22
*DAY 8: Tuesday (9/13) Servant's Heart p. 23
*DAY 9: Wednesday (9/14) Honor p. 24
*DAY 10: Thursday (9/15) Love p. 27
*DAY 11: Friday (9/16) Joy p. 28
*DAY 12: Saturday (9/17) Peace p. 29
*DAY 13: Sunday (9/18) Patience p. 30
*DAY 14: Monday (9/19) Kindness p. 31
*DAY 15: Tuesday (9/20) Goodness p. 32
*DAY 16: Wednesday (9/21) Faithfulness p. 33
*DAY 17: Thursday (9/22) Gentleness p. 34
*DAY 18: Friday (9/23) Self-Control p. 35
*DAY 19: Saturday (9/24) Anger p. 38
*DAY 20: Sunday (9/25) Salvation p. 39
*DAY 21: Monday (9/26) Humility p. 44

There is one extra prayer page not included in the leader's guide :
Bonus: Honesty p. 43