#BeYou :You are a living testimony of the goodness of God.

You are born of God; born a winner, no longer sinner but a saint.  You are created for impact, you will not die incognito.You are different, not like everyone else you are somebody, peculiar, distinct. You are not half baked, but fearfully and wonderfully made. 

You cannot fail, if you choose to win, you live in victory; you are more than a conqueror.  You are a victor by your second birth; victory is your birthright. You will not die before your time, the number of your days that Lord will fulfill; with long life He shall satisfy you and show you His salvation.You will not die, but live to declare the wondrous works of God. 

You are a living testimony of the goodness of God.  No matter how hard the devil hits, you are immovable built on the rock, the stone which builders rejected, which has become the capstone, the Rock Jesus Christ.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every accusing tongue is silenced.

You rock your ‘world’ because Christ in you the hope of glory.  Your ideas are prospering, whatever you touch shall prosper.  You are a solution giver; you are innovative, creative and progressive.  Your progress shall continually be evident to all men.  You are not cheap; you are the ambassador of Christ. God takes care of you, your bills are on Him; trust Him to enable you, to advance His cause through you.  Do not cower, do not turn back, but move on gloriously.  Impact your world; someone is waiting for your voice, your ideas and your prayers.  

Do not underestimate your contribution; many are bettered because of you.  You are born for a purpose; you are here to make a mark.  The world will be better because you were born.  You are not worthless, helpless and hopeless; the Spirit of God lives in you.  He is your Helper, He knows everything, and He is standing by to avail you an excellent life.  God believes in you; you are God’s best.  He is mindful of you; He thinks highly of you. He has thoughts of peace and prosperity for you and not disaster.  He is never behind your misery, because He brings you His miracles. He rejoices over you with singing; your victory is His glory.  When you shine, the people see His light.  He has given you a new hope, a new season of impact because He made you a new creation.

Arise, for God is upholding you.  You are beautiful, because you are the temple of God; sickness is foreign in your body, it doesn’t deserve a second chance.  You are possessed by God, you are not your own; you are bought with the precious blood of Jesus; the devil has no hold on you. 

 Rejoice in your sense of belonging to God; God owns you.  Do not sing the anthem of the average, do not resign to fate and do not tolerate mediocrity.  You are born for excellence. Today you wax great, you increase in wisdom and knowledge; the eyes of your understanding are flooded with light.  

Your products have the finger prints of God; of excellence and beauty.  You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works.  You are the manifestation of God’s glory, the embodiment of His goodness and the work of God’s grace.  Reign in life. Have dominion in your ‘world’, influence peoples, cities and nations for God.  Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.  Your latter days shall be greater than your past; you move from glory to glory in JESUS’ NAME!





#BeYou #BeingYou.
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Jesus Loves You.

Praying For Our Children is One of the most important things we can do for and with them.

Do you know we can teach our children to pray by using developmentally appropriate learning activities like the following:

• Keep a personal prayer journal with prayer requests and answered prayer.
• Read and collect a list of Bible verses and Bible stories about prayer.
• Make prayer chains and other prayer reminders to keep at home.
• Go on prayer walks in the neighborhoods and around the church.
• Hear the testimonies of other Christians who have prayed specific prayers that were answered by God.

The Right Way to Praise Your Daughter By: Nancy Jergins

My daughter is a joy. She is responsible, hard-working, and rarely gives me any trouble at all. “Sarah,” I tell her often, “thank you for being such a wonderful child.” 

Well, I had a talk with Sarah the other night, after I realized that my praise was actually coming across to her as parental pressure — pressure to fit the role of the good and obedient child. The poor girl told me she felt like she couldn’t fully express herself because everyone expected her to be so sweet. I knew I had to reconsider the way I was treating her. I became determined to rephrase the praise I give my daughter so she wouldn’t feel the parental pressure I was unintentionally putting on her.

Praise beyond the assigned role.

Without meaning to, I had assigned my daughter to the role of “the good girl.” While it’s great that she does so well in so many areas, what’s not so great is that the good girl role limits her. She felt like if she showed anger at me, irritation with her friends, or even exposed an unexpected take on humor, she wouldn’t be as loved or liked.

What role have you assigned your daughter? Is she the capable big sister? The cute one? The athlete? The scholar? Again, there is good in each of those but look for praise beyond her current role. In my daughter’s case, I might look for ways to praise her when she does speak her mind.

Praise the process not the end product.

Instead of, “Your hair looks so pretty.” Try, “You have really figured out how to use that flat iron.” Instead of “That’s a beautiful picture you colored!” Say, “Oh, my goodness, look at the way you blended those two crayon colors. The combination is amazing.”

Praise the present without looking to the past.

A moment of praise can turn sour when you drag in past failures. {Tweet This} “Honey, you have come such a long way since the days you’d go three or four games without scoring a goal.” Or, “Wow! Now that’s the way to put an outfit together. You never would’ve figured that out last year.”

(Along with the praise, try these 10 ways to pray for your daughter.)

Praise her efforts not your feelings.

We are all proud of our daughters for many reasons. And that’s okay. But when we really want to give impactful praise, keep the focus on her. “You must be so proud of getting an A on that science test after working so hard to prepare for it.” That kind of compliment keeps the praise directed to her efforts.

If you say, “I am so proud of you for getting an A. I am thrilled.” Again, there’s nothing wrong with making that your secondary praise, but the moment is hers, not yours.

Of course, there is always room for a “You look so pretty!” Or a “You are one smart girl.” Straight up compliments like these have a place in the mix. But the majority of our praise should be directed to our daughter’s effort because that’s what will last. As she grows into a woman we want her to feel secure about the aspects of herself over which she has the most control — her attitude, her efforts, and her choices in life.

Make sure to write your praise and truths down for her to read. Along with praising your daughter, find time to spend together. Use this Mother Daughter Bucket List to make some memories.

How do you praise your daughter?

Good Character for Kids: How to Teach Wisdom to Your Kids.

While many say that wisdom only comes with age, we think it’s possible to help your kids live with wisdom far before they get old and gray. Here are some ideas to help you train them to make wise choices.

1. Be a model.

Do you make decisions rashly or without much thought? Do you rush ahead and consider the consequences later? If so, your children will likely think of this as the way to live. Strive to be mature and thoughtful in your own decision-making for yourself and the family, and explain your thought process to the kids when appropriate. You can teach them a great deal, for example, about being wise with money by talking about the family budget and which spending decisions make sense. You can teach your teen about being wise in relationships by talking through the pros and cons of various choices, and the consequences and risks that come with each.

2. Teach them to STOP and THINK.

Train your children to pause and consider their choices for more than a millisecond. If it’s a choice related to food, ask them to consider whether it’s a healthy food, what they’ve already eaten today, and how long it is until the next meal. If it’s a choice relating to friendships or other relationships, train them to ask if what they’re about to do is kind and fair, and if they’d want another person to do the same to them. Having the self-control to slow down and think about choices is 90% of the battle for wisdom.

3. Give them a standard to live by.

Once your child has learned to stop and think, they need a reliable standard of behavior and choices to check themselves against. For timeless wisdom and words to live by, Biblical Proverbs can’t be beat. Teach your children what it has to say about the kinds of decisions they face every day, and they’ll have a grid through which to make the tough calls. Even if they don’t have the guts to follow through and do the wise thing right now, they’ll know what the standard is and what they should be working toward.

4. Teach them humility.

It’s a completely separate character trait, but humble people are the ones who realize they don’t have all the answers and seek wise counsel when faced with a significant choice. Work to instill humility in your children, and train them to seek wisdom from trusted sources all the days of their lives and to ask God to give them wisdom. After all, it’s a promise they can rely on! (If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5)

© 2012 iMOM. All Rights Reserved. Family First, All Pro Dad, iMOM, and Family Minute with Mark Merrill are registered trademarks.

Trust in the Lord: He will make away out of that situation!

Hi Beloved, welcome to Christina's Daily Devotion & Motivation.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Beloved, you may be facing a dead end right now ... financial, emotional, or relational ...but if you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, he will make a way. God always shows up in situations that look completely hopeless. A sister-friend of mine was struggling to pass the Nursing Board Examines, in fact she has taking the exams five times and failed fives times... A couple of months ago, she called me, Here's our brief discussion,

My Friend:" sis, I don't know what is going on with me. I am tired, I think there's just no hope for me to ever pass this exams"

My Response: " Sis, I know you have tried, but there's hope!. . . have you tried God?".

My Friend: " Please, leave me with that your God thing!. She exclaimed angrily".

My Response: "Hahaha...(I laughed), sis, there's nothing God can not do...He is able to make away in every situation...can you try Him?)

My Friend: " Ok......y,....y... she replied drowsily.

     We prayed and I challenged her to put her trust in God . . . she went for the exams this time trusting God, and God proved to her that He's trustworthy! Yes, she MADE IT !.

There's nothing God cannot do! He makes away where there seems to be no way!

  It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (NIV). One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you. 

In the meantime, do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Be patient. God knows what he’s doing. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays ... all the things that make you ask “why” ... will one day be clear in the light of God’s love.

But for now, we’re learning to trust God.

    Beloved,God has not abandoned you...He will make away out of that situation you're currently facing. Put your trust in Him because with God all things are possible.

@Christina's Daily Devotion & Motivation.

Teaching our Children To Pray : By Marcia McQuitty.

In a daily newspaper column, Dr. Billy Graham received the following question from a seven-year-old boy. "Will God hear my prayers, or does He just hear my parents' prayers?" This question reminds us of the importance of teaching the children which God has given to us clearly, intentionally, and knowledgeably in the areas of spiritual discipline.

Why teach preschoolers and children to pray?

Jesus clearly taught His disciples that children were important to Him and that they could be taught spiritual truths. In the Gospel of Mark we read: "Some people were bringing little children to Him so He might touch them, but His disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to Me. Don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'... After taking them in His arms, He laid His hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:13-17). Jesus welcomed the parents and the children they were bringing to Him. By taking time for the children, Jesus showed the parents and the disciples that children are valuable and worthy of our time, relationships, and instruction.

Preschoolers and children can and will learn about prayer and how to pray if they have significant adults in their lives who are willing to teach them. In the Old Testament the child Samuel was a gift from God to a praying mother. As a result of this answered prayer, Samuel was taken to the temple to be taught by Eli the priest. God spoke to Samuel at a very young age and gave him a message to give to Eli, a man who had not always been obedient to the Lord. Eli said to Samuel, "What was the message He gave you? Don't hide it from me." Samuel gave God's message to Eli, and Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. (1 Samuel 3:17-19) From this passage we see the value and importance God placed on one small boy.

How early can we teach preschoolers and children to pray?

When a child is born, there exists a potential for the child to have a relationship with his Creator. From birth the child develops physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Significant adults need to nurture the spiritual development of preschoolers by teaching them that prayer is a way to talk to the God who created them.

We can teach the very young child about prayer by using appropriate language. In their presence we can thank God for their very lives, the provisions of life, the Bible as a gift to us from God, and the people placed in our families and church. "Thank You, God" should be the first prayer taught to the developing child. As the child grows, the prayers can be expanded to include more relationships and content. Older children can be introduced to more developmentally appropriate ways of learning about prayer and how to pray.

What are developmentally appropriate ways to teach prayer?

We teach preschoolers and children to pray by modeling and intentional instruction. Sometimes modeling is done without intentional instruction but often they are linked together. When a professor of missions at Southwestern Seminary grew up in a very poor family, he was asked by his mother to go to the nearby store and purchase food. When given the list and some money, he asked his mother if he could have money for shoes because he did not have any to wear. She replied by saying, "Let's pray." They knelt together by a chair, and she asked God for money to buy him shoes. When he got to the store, the man who helped him asked him why he was not wearing any shoes and he replied, "Because there's no money for shoes." The man filled the grocery list and also gave him a note for his mother along with money for shoes. That afternoon they went to purchase the shoes and when asked by friends where the shoes had come from, the young boy proudly answered, "From the Lord!" Years have passed and this professor still remembers the need for shoes, the prayer of his mother, and the provision of the Lord.

We teach preschoolers and children to pray by making prayer a part of each teaching opportunity at church. On Sunday mornings, I teach a wonderful class of kindergartners. At the close of each large group time, I ask the children if they would like to pray aloud. Sometimes I begin the time of prayer with simple explanations about prayer, why we pray, what kinds of prayers we pray, and how God loves to hear and answer our prayers.

We can teach preschoolers and children to pray by using our Southern Baptist missions education material which provides inspiring stories about missionaries and the work they are doing around the world. We need to use prayer calendars, maps, pictures, etc., to help the children we teach see the people around the world who need our specific prayers. The International Mission Board and North American Mission Board Web sites can give you specific prayer needs of missionaries.

We can teach older children to pray by using developmentally appropriate learning activities like the following:

• Keep a personal prayer journal with prayer requests and answered prayer.
• Read and collect a list of Bible verses and Bible stories about prayer.
• Make prayer chains and other prayer reminders to keep at home.
• Go on prayer walks in the neighborhoods and around the church.
• Hear the testimonies of other Christians who have prayed specific prayers that were answered by God.

As we teach preschoolers and children, we must keep the big picture in our minds and hearts. Research and experience tell us that what we teach and model for preschoolers and children will last a life time.

In order to prepare our children to live for Christ in the world today, we need to equip them with the wisdom and power to be found in prayer. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Jesus is not only a friend to our children but He wants to be their constant companion as they travel the road to adulthood...and learn to pray!

Article by Marcia McQuitty. Marcia McQuitty is professor of Children's Ministry, faculty director of the Naylor Children's Center, and Bessie Fleming chair of Childhood Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

A child is not a problem to be fixed. She's a personality to be focused.

If your personality seems to be the opposite of your child's, you're going to have to intentionally use what motivates and inspires him, not what works most comfortably for you. I'm not talking about allowing anarchy here. But we also shouldn't see the strengths of a child's personality as something to be conquered.

A child is not a problem to be fixed. She's a personality to be focused.

                                         Julie Lyles Carr