NO. 1 ON THE AGENDA

Now for the second reminder that is burning on my heart. You’ve guessed it of course. It is praying together as a family. I believe that this is one of the GREATEST things that we can do together as a family. Prayer brings God on the scene! Prayer touches the heart of God. Prayer changes the world. Praying families are world-changing families.

But the devil hates prayer! He will do everything in his power to stop you praying. He’ll even use good things to stop you. Mostly good things, because he knows he can’t tempt you with evil things. He’ll use busyness and getting involved in too many outside activities. He’ll get you running your children around to so many things that you don’t have time to fit in praying together as a family every morning and evening.

Dearest mothers, praying together doesn’t just happen. I have found by experience that we must MAKE IT HAPPEN! We must make praying together twice a day the most important agenda on our daily calendar. Everything else fits into this biblical and most powerful thing we can do as a family. We don’t hope it will fit in with our plans because it never will.

God revealed a principle of prayer in the tabernacle of the wilderness. Every day the priests had to light the incense. As we know, incense speaks of prayer, intercession, praise, and prayer. Read the following Scriptures: Exodus 30:6-8; Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; and 8:3-5. How often were they commanded to light it? Every morning and every evening of every day. The incense was to be continual, never to go out.

We read a very solemn passage in Ezekiel chapter nine where God sent His judgment upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The only ones who were saved from judgment were those “that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (v. 4).

Do we have a burden for the deception and evil that encroaches upon our land? Do we shudder at evil? Can we get used to the fact that same sex marriage is legal in our landWhy are we not on our knees?

Can you imagine what would happen if every godly family prayed together with their family each day? We can include our children as we cry out to God. Children learn to pray as they pray with us. If we are crying out to God for the wickedness in the land our children learn how to cry out to God and to intercede.

Forgive me for giving you another challenging Scripture, but I believe we must be awakened out of our sleep. How can we live our lives as usual when there are so many needs in the world? When there are more martyrs for the faith than at any other time. When there are so many Christians being persecuted. How can we go on as usual without praying for them?

Jeremiah 10:25 states: “Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.” If we are not families that call upon the Lord, we are equated with the heathen.

Let’s make praying together each day the priority of every day. Plan your day around these times.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell