Prayer Warrior Mom
Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the earth.” Prayer is the “lever” we press on earth that unleashes God’s power from heaven. It’s the catalyst that moves God to enter into the earthly realm and act in tangible ways that we can measure in physical time and space. The results of our prayers may be miraculous and unexplainable by science or reason, but they are absolutely real.
As Prayer Warrior Moms, we provide an umbrella of protection for our children by covering them with prayer. Our persistent pleas react like spiritual dynamite, blasting away obstacles as we help our kids (and ourselves) break through to God’s blessing. Prayer helps us to discern God’s will so we can embrace God’s absolute best plan for our kids. Our prayers transform not only our children’s lives, but our own, as well.
As moms, our passionate love for our children sometimes compels us to try to control the direction of their lives. We want to encourage them to make wise, godly choices. And we should! But as our kids grow older, and as our faith matures, we will discover that any appearance of control is an illusion. The only real power that we have on this earth is the power of prayer.
Praying for Evan
I discovered this truth when my precious son, Evan, was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive development disorder) in June of 2012. Evan had been a preemie weighing only 3 pounds. His existence was a miracle in itself.
After giving birth to Evan, five short months later my husband and I discovered that we were expecting another baby! After Eden’s birth, I found that on many days I could barely get out of bed. In addition to struggling with the mind-numbing exhaustion and sleep deprivation of caring for two babies, I also wrestled with loneliness and postpartum depression.
Then Evan’s diagnosis came, and more waves of heartbreak, grief and depression washed over me. As much as I wanted to be able to physically heal and protect my son, I had to accept the reality that I couldn’t heal him (or myself) without God’s grace and mercy. God was sovereign over my son’s body and brain; he would have to heal him. I lifted up many tearful prayers, placing Evan’s care in God’s hands. God showed me that I had to relinquish control and allow Him to heal Evan (and me) according to His own perfect plan and in His own timeframe.
Slowly, God helped me regain my sense of joy and optimism as I relearned how to be grateful and find new ways to express my love for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I had to learn to act on my faith rather than on my feelings. As we honor God with our praise, we become models of redemption for our children. We show them that God can remold something broken and fallen into something sacred, redeemed and beautiful in His sight.
If you’re married, your husband is the head of your home. But as a Prayer Warrior Mom, you are the heart of your home. Your attitudes and actions set the spiritual tone for your family. Are you grateful, positive and encouraging? Or are you ungrateful, negative, nagging, and nitpicky?
Your kids look to you as their example of gratitude. When you choose to live in victory, giving praise to God for everything that you have, you model the attitude of Christ to your children.
Cultivating Gratitude
Thankfulness reflects God’s kingdom order; it unlocks the heavenly storehouse of His treasures. When we forget to thank Him, we miss out on many of the blessings He has prepared for us.
Now, here’s the kicker: An attitude of thankfulness doesn’t just happen to us; we must learn to intentionally cultivate it.
Gratitude is not just a great personality trait that certain “happy” women possess; it’s a skill, a choice, and a spiritual discipline. Thankfulness lifts the shadow of despair from our darkest days. And when others look at us, if they see thankfulness even in tough times, they will also see Christ in us, the hope of glory.
God created the natural world to operate according to ordered, natural laws. In the same way, He created the spiritual world to operate according to His spiritual laws, set forth in His unfailing Word. Our prayers create a “heavenly reaction” that engages spiritual powers on a universal scale.
To break through to blessing for our kids, we must learn to pray with both the power and the authority of Jesus Christ. We often use the terms power and authority interchangeably, but they aren’t exactly the same. Power is physical and relational; authority is legal and positional…
Jesus has both the ultimate power and the ultimate authority over everything in heaven and earth. He said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Always use the mighty name of Jesus to “set His seal” on your prayers for your kids.
Seven Prayer Weapons
As Prayer Warrior Moms, we have seven powerful weapons of spiritual warfare at our disposal. Here is our arsenal of spiritual weapons—our “tower of power”:
- The name of Jesus Christ
- The blood of Jesus Christ
- Agreement with the Holy Spirit and other believers
- Binding and loosing (forbidding the power of Satan and claiming victory through the Word of God)
- Fasting
- Praise and thanksgiving
- The Word of God and the testimony of believers
When you engage your tower of power, you connect the power and authority of God with your children’s needs on earth, swinging open the doors of blessing for you and your children.
Excerpted from Prayer Warrior Mom: Covering Your Kids with God’s Blessings and Protection (Thomas Nelson Publishers). Now available online and in bookstores. Copyright 2013 by Marla Alupoaicei. Used with permission.
About the Contributors
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