It’s incredible getting to go through these devotions for dads. It’s even more incredible getting to reach out to the authors and connect with them. Today when I did my search for “dad” in the Bible.com plans, the next one on the list was from UNCOMMEN and titled – STRANGE – WORDS – A Dad’s Prayer For His Children. This one’s description aligns very strongly to our theme of Be The Dads. Here is a snippet that describes this devotional from Bible.com:
Now more than ever, the world is in need of strong fathers who love their families well. God provides the strength to those who seek Him and call upon His name. Being a father is a sacred responsibility because we reflect God’s love to our children. Men are called to lead and serve their families, and a very tangible way to do that is to pray over your children. God does amazing things in our lives when we ask for His help. But sometimes finding the words to pray over your kids can be challenging. This study includes seven things from Scripture that you can pray over your kids for each day of the week. Join us as we provide guidance and daily encouragement for great prayers based on Scripture over the next seven days.
Bible.com – UNCOMMEN
Today’s verses from God’s Word come to us from Romans 8:6, Psalm 121:5-6, and Ephesians 6:10-18.
‘The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ‘
Romans 8:6
‘The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.’
Psalms 121:5-6
‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ‘
Ephesians 6:10-18
Looking into what it will take to thrive in 2022 I noticed preparation is key. We need to be ready when the door opens to step up and step into what God has planned and purposes for us. So we need to get prepared by aligning our thoughts with the Spirit and not get distracted by the ways of the world. We need to be so focused on living a life aligned with the Spirit that His peace that surpasses all understanding will guard and guide our hearts and minds. In order to stay focused and move forward into a year to thrive, we need to lean in on and trust in God for as today’s Word says “The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” So how do we walk into this time to thrive? We need to make sure we are dressed up and ready. So let’s grab hold of the words from Ephesians 6. Let’s be strong in God’s mighty power! Let’s put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the plots of the devil. Let’s not get drawn into thinking our battle is against the people around us but instead remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Let’s stand firm, equipped with the full armor of God! Let’s put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Let’s stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, holding all the tools needed to fight against the devil’s lies and his distortion of the truth, which is the truth of God that will help us discern what we are hearing, seeing, and feeling. Let’s stand firm then, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, guarding our hearts and vital organs from the devil’s tactics of attacking our self-esteem by trying to undervalue and undermine our self-worth and even question our position with God. Let’s hold tight to our breastplate of righteousness and remember we have God’s unconditional love through our position in Jesus. Let’s stand firm then, with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Let’s be ready to speak and not be held back by the lies and threats of the devil who is trying to keep us from speaking and sharing the Good News of Jesus. Let’s be ready to share the gospel of peace from Jesus even when the devil tries to plant seeds of doubt about our ability to speak or like what happened to Moses if anyone will listen. So let’s pray so that we can speak with the strength and boldness we need to give our testimonies and praise God publically! Let’s stand firm then, taking up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Let’s not allow the enemy’s attempts to attack us through the words and actions of others to keep us from standing firm. Let’s not allow the enemy’s attempts to attack us through the words and actions of others to fall into temptation, discouragement, or even wrong behaviors. Let’s choose to admit we need help, we need a savior, we need God to make us tougher and tough enough to make it through the trials. Let’s stand firm then, taking the helmet of salvation to protect our heads and our minds. The devil tends to try to get into our heads and our thought life and so we need to put on the helmet of salvation to protect our thoughts and our minds from bad ideas, anxiety, and even fear. Let’s call on God wearing the helmet of salvation, He will renew us, He will give eyes to see the truth, He will give us minds that will remain focused on Him and His will and His way and His purposes and His plans all throughout the day. Let’s stand firm then, taking hold of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword of the Spirit is our one offensive weapon in this battle. The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. The Word of God is active and alive! The devil tries to neutralize our power through confusion, intimidation, and fear, but by holding the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, we can walk with confidence from God speaking God’s Word through the scriptures and taking hold of the promises of God! So today, let’s be alert and pray without ceasing.
Today’s devotional has been provided by UNCOMMEN (more details can be found https://www.uncommen.org/).
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me: (check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
PROTECTION
- Today’s devotional kicks off with an incredible prayer connected to today’s verses:
- “Today’s Prayer: “God we ask that you put a hedge of protection around our child. Guard them against attack from the evil one. Watch over them day and night.””
- Do you realize how important protecting your kid(s) is?
- It is probably the most important responsibility we have being the dads is to protect our kids.
- Do you realize the events and situations that are going on in this world and the impact they can have on your kids?
- Do you realize how they can cause harm, anxiety, and fear in the hearts and minds of your kids?
- God’s Word speaks that He will protect us!
- God’s Word speaks that He doesn’t want us to be living our lives in fear!
- So with all the media and social media bombarding our lives, we need to be vigilant or else our kids or even ourselves might fall into places of sin.
- The devil is like a lion, searching for the weak and vulnerable, so he can destroy them.
- He is looking for the opportunity to attack when our guard is down.
- So let’s pray and ask God to provide protection for our the mind, heart, and bodies of our kids.
- Let’s remember to put on the full armor of God and to get our loved ones to do the same.
- Let’s be the dads who walk around wearing the full armor of God!
- Let’s be the dads who are equipped and ready to stand our ground for our kids and wives and world.
- Let’s be the dads who pray continuously for ourselves as dads, for our kids, for our wives, and for the world around us.
- Today’s devotional finishes with a challenge:
- “UNCOMMEN CHALLENGE: After you pray this prayer over your child, walk around your house or apartment and pray for protection in each room of your home and the surrounding property. Ask God to give you discernment on areas that need extra protection.”
