Pray It Up For Your Family

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future God has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to Him! I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven. Ephesians 1:18-20 Living Bible

His Crosses

The cross of Jesus Christ, this is what our family should look like. We should be reaching out in vital-vertical relationship with Jesus, putting Him first. God should be the vertical strength and wisdom of our lives. Our provision coming from Him, ought to be a strong, vertical, up connection. Out of this vital-vertical strength, our family has a wide open horizontal reach to the world, drawing them in and up. It is a cross, our family lives, we are God’s family, we are His crosses, the symbol and reality of His resurrection power on earth as it is in heaven. How many families do you know that resemble a cross or even remember the sacrifice Jesus made for them? Are we all horizontal and not much vertical? Is this why our crosses don’t endure in their bearing?

Pray It Up For Your Family

Greatest Transformation Ever

The cross of Jesus was the greatest transformation our human families will ever know on this side of heaven. The cross changed everything for our family life. The vital-vertical relationship of Jesus with His Father. Jesus modeled for us a submissive and obedient Son, sacrificing His life for the Sovereign Will of His Father. We still experience this Providential Care, that redeemed mankind forever, a final sacrifice for our sins. This Son of God, He came to us. He died our death, so we could live His life. The horizontally, outreached arms of Jesus, encompassed all. This is the cross our family should resemble. A Vertical relationship with God, a sacrificial, selfishness reaching for our world, daily advancing God’s Kingdom. Does our family resemble this? Is our family a cross?

“Jesus gave His all, Himself for us and to us in the holy extravagance of the Cross, is it too much if He asks us to do the same thing? No man or woman amounts to anything in the kingdom, no soul ever touches even the edge of the zone of power, until this lesson is learned, that Christ’s business is the supreme concern of life and that all personal considerations, however dear or important, are tributary thereto.” Dr. Francis

False Narrative Creates Fake Reality

There is so much false narrative and fake news bombarding the minds of our family members. It is an unprecedented time of deception in our world. It is hard to discern what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false. There is a strong voice of deceit that has created a long standing false narrative, generating a fake reality. People have really bought into their worldly viewpoint which is corrupted by false bias. Our family is soul saturated with this media from day to day. We need the Lord and we need to pray for our family that God guards our minds and hearts as we listen up to Him first.

I will continue doing what I am doing to cut off any opportunity—clearly some are looking for one—for these false emissaries, these low-down, untrustworthy reachers, these posers who act as emissaries of the Anointed, to claim that they work under the same terms that we do.  No wonder they are so good at it. Satan himself poses as a messenger of heavenly light,

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 The Voice

A Spiritual Commodity

The world has some pretty flashy say-so that is culturalized in the right packages and very attractive to our comfort zone. God is saying one thing, the world paradoxes it with cultural say-so. It is confusing for the best of us, but can you even begin to image what our children and grandchildren are growing through. As we wrestle with a violent lawlessness that has risen up out of the deceitful enticement of the enemy of our soul, it affects all of us in many different ways. Discernment is a spiritual commodity that is looked upon as a national treasure in times such as these. Everyone has an opinion, most of them are biased by false narrative, and tainted by speculation, presupposition, assumption, presumption and rationalization. How much of what our family hears is wholly-holy God’s way, truth and life? It is a topsy-turvey world and the soul security of our family is rocked by and out of control deceitful culture. We can’t navigate this worldly viewpoint without a kingdom perspective. We need to listen up to God first and follow after Him. Followship is key to the survival of our family life.

Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. “If any of you wants to be my follower,” he told them, “you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely. Mark 8:34 LTB

The Loud Voice Of False Chatter

The cultural say-so of our time says to put self, first, and there is a high degree of false chatter in our world that promotes self-interest over selflessness. Egotism is at an all-time high. People in our culture have decided there is no power higher than self and laws are meant to be broken. It is all relative. Deny yourself, no way, that is a thing of the past. In fact, what is right is said to be wrong and what is wrong is said to be right. How do we protect our family from this false narrative? We can’t. Our culture is has an I want, me first, give me, loud, rebellious, angry and disrespectful voice. This tenacious tyranny is capturing the center stage of our nation and of our families. We must turn to the One, Who can change it up in our family and we need to pray it up for our family and with our family. Prayer needs to be a central part of our family life in times such as these.

Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first. In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus the Anointed. Live with His attitude in your hearts. Remember: Though He was in the form of God, He chose not to cling to equality with God; But He poured Himself out to fill a vessel brand new; a servant in form and a man indeed. The very likeness of humanity, He humbled Himself, obedient to death— a merciless death on the cross! Philippians 2:3-8 The Voice

Pray It Up For Your Family

Counter Cultural Mentality

Out of the worldly viewpoint, of getting whatever you can get, has sprung forth the mentality that we are owed something we have not worked for. The culture says to get everything that is due you and more and that we should grab as much as people will give. This false narrative has set up our families in a fake reality of take-take, whereas our families used to be give-give. This vain philosophy has weakened our faith. We want what we see, we don’t want to wait for what we don’t see. We impulsively chase our emotional whims and never learn the value of a patient enduring faith. We become a flesh that is over indulgent and a spirit that is starved. We have to change this up in our family life by being in the Word of God, letting the Biblical precepts change us, instead of the worldly viewpoint shaping our pursuits.

Impulsive ~ Discontent

This is an impulsive, discontent culture, never satisfied with the status quo, always looking ahead for what we want next. As soon as we get what we wanted, we are immediately dissatisfied and want something else. We are excitement junkies. When what we have been chasing after doesn’t come in the timing we expected or the way we wanted it, we make it happen at all costs, no matter who we have to hurt to do it. There is no gratefulness, no thank you, there is no waiting, no patient endurance in times such as these. Our families are culturally indoctrinated with a “give it to me when I ask and how I ask” or I will pout, show my butt and turn off my affection. We don’t get what we want, we turn our backs on God in disgust, even though the next breath we take, He is granting. We need to change things up in our family life, put Jesus back at the center of our reverence, be a family who is respectfully on Mission with God, advancing His Kingdom as our life cause and doing it with a huge sense of AWE for Who He is.

Be aware that a time is coming when you will be scattered like seeds. You will return to your own way, and I will be left alone. But I will not be alone, because the Father will be with Me. I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order. John 16:32-33 The Voice

Hostage To False Narrative

This false narrative that everything should go our way, we should not struggle, we should not go without what we want, creates a fake reality in our family life. Life is not without trial or struggle. There are many difficulties to come, but God has promised to deliver us out of them all. Is this the heart position of our family? The truth is, Jesus told us that, but we move away from actuality when we cling to the cultural say-so of our “Life Is Good” shirt, let’s make it happen. Then when the mess ensues from our human striving, we curse God and walk away from Him, blaming Him and ending up being held hostage by a false narrative. We must guard the hearts of our family with God’s Ways and His Truth, respecting and reverencing His Sovereignty in our family lives. When life doesn’t go our way, it hasn’t ditched God’s Will, He is still working in the unseen for our good and the glory of His Kingdom. His Providential Care says so. We have all been touched by disappointment that turned into angry bitterness, many of our families have soul wounds from personal expectations that have run amuck.

“There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross and lay it submissively on my shoulder and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.” L.B.Cowman

Sovereign Will ~ Infinite Love

The sarcasm flows when things don’t go our way. We hear that voice in our head and then our soul attitude changes, kicking out what is true, we are taken captive by our worldly viewpoint and we speak its dead end into our situation. Sarcasm is spit out when we are chewing on the truth for a long period of time and just can’t seem to swallow the Will of God. Yes, the Sovereign, purposeful Will of God in our reality at times is hard to swallow, but it goes down easier if we would cling to God’s Infinite Love. These two, go hand in hand, they are never separated as they flow into our family life. The Will of God is ushered in, the Infinite Love of God follows. God made a way for His Will to be worked out, purposefully so, in our families, that is why we cling to the Infinite Love of God, we love and we let Him work out the deeper things of the unseen, not trying to figure it out, but trusting, increasing our faith and clinging to Him. He’s got our family.

Pray It Up For Your Family

Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him. Disciple: Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same. Jesus: 2 Here’s how to pray: Father [in heaven], may Your name be revered. May Your kingdom come. May Your will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven. Luke 11:1-2 The Voice

Flip-Flopped Resistance

There seems to be a powerful resistance to truth, instead of resisting the enemy, this has flip-flopped in our American families and there is much confusion as to even what a family should look like. When our identity becomes gender jumbled, it is because we are not wholly-holy connected to the source of our identity, our God. The restlessness about our identity is because of our resistance to the kingdom of God, a sense of eternity that has been written in our hearts by God, our real identity. When we reject this inner identity of being God’s, of belonging to His Kingdom, our life course becomes very confused and dissatisfied, and look for something different to fill the void in our hearts. It never quite happens, then we feel frustrated in our identity and we get angry at others thinking that they are the ones who are making us feel like we have it worse, because of what we have chosen. Be Lame. We hope in You, Jesus to restore family life to its original God created intention. There is no sweeter family, than a biblically positioned family, true to its original design by the Master Creator.

Pray It Up For Your Family

Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me. John 15:4 Living Bible

A Family’s Sustenance

Nourishing our souls is the glue to family life, it keeps us together, on in Spirit with God. We must be a vital-vertical branch drawing sustenance from God. Everyone should come to the family table with something they have received from God. We should encourage each other through the Word and pray for each other. Attached to Jesus, our family will survive our crazy culture. Jesus will protect and guard the heart of our family with His Word. Let the Word of God be in and throughout your family life. Our family should be fully facing Jesus, together, and receiving His Water of life to bubble over at the heart of our family life. Jesus, Others, You, may this be the Joy of our families.

Pray It Up For Your Family

Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Acts 19:20; 3 John 4 The Voice

Thank you for stopping in The Bridegroom’s Café. I hope this meal on the Family Table has nourished your soul. Please share the link with others, so other families can be blessed. You can do that by using the Social Media buttons below. If you would leave a comment, I would love that! I highly encourage you to “grow deeper” in listening up to God’s Voice. Let the Voice of God increase in you and the cultural viewpoint of our world decrease in your life. The Book: The Bridegroom’s Voice, is an amazing tool in the hand of God, it is a Journey with Jesus, a great God Adventure that you don’t want to miss taking. I hope you purchase a copy today here at my website.