Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts

Friday, August 12, 2016

25 Ways to Pray for Your Child's Teacher

As we prepare for another school year, I think we need to keep in mind that our children spend more of their time with some of their teachers than they do with us. I know... It's hard sometimes, but it's okay! We're going to pray for our teachers to use their influence in the best way possible!!!

HERE ARE SOME WAYS FOR US TO PRAY FOR TEACHERS

1.      Pray for their motives.  That teaching isn’t just a job, but a calling to them.  That they aren’t just making ends meet, but they’re making a difference. 

2.      Pray for their minds.  That they’re ready and prepared for another year.  You prayed all year for the school year to start again just so that your kids would no longer get on your nerves... now they're the teachers' nerve problem.  I'm just saying. 

3.      Pray for their health.  Sick days can mess up a teaching schedule… Ain’t nobody got time for that.

4.      Pray for their strength.  We all get weak sometimes.  You get weak with your children, imagine having 15+ in a class.  Now imagine having 4-7 different sets of students each day.

5.      Pray for their emotions.  Not only because of day to day life, but let’s face it: kids can be cruel.  Pray, saints! Pray!

6.      Pray for the pressure to be relieved.  Standardized testing is the worst.  Not only for the students, but for the teachers as well.  They literally have to shape their teaching around it.

7.      Pray for their confidence.  No, the success of a teacher is not solely based on how many students pass this particular test. Not every student tests well.  

8.      Pray for them to have the ability to communicate well to their students.  No yelling.  No attitude.  No personal vendettas. No favoritism.  No proving points. No making examples. No confusion of expectations.  None of that.  Clarity.

9.      Pray for them to have the ability to communicate well to you, the parents. Calling home when necessary.  But, no unnecessary calls home.  Keeping you informed.  Keeping you up to date.  Clarity.  Peace.

10.  Pray for them to find joy in their job.  Not everyone teaches because they love to, or still love to.  Pray that daily their joy would be renewed.  It’s a stressful job, pray that their joy would balance out the stress.

11.  Pray for them to be fulfilled by the work they do.  Everyone wants to spend their days doing what fulfills them.  They’re changing lives for the better or the worse.  Pray that they will be fulfilled by their job.

12.  Pray that they would change lives for the better.  You never know the effect you will have on someone.  Pray for positivity. 

13.  Pray for their families.  If they’re having issues at home, unfortunately, they may take it out on your children. No one wants that.  Peace, in Jesus’ name.

14.  Pray for their colleagues.  Not everything that happens in a classroom is under the control of the teacher.  Administrators and principals require certain things as well… pray for unity in the faculty and staff.

15.  Pray for provision.  You never know how much money the teacher will spend to create an environment where learning can be maximized.  Money doesn’t grow on trees for you OR for them. 

16.  Pray for encouragement.  We all get weary sometimes.  We all need encouragement sometimes.

17.  Pray for their planning period.  Not every teacher gets to use their planning period every day. Some teachers have to use that time as a counselor for that student who got kicked out of the class down the hall.  Some teachers have to use that time to substitute for that teacher who had to leave early.  Pray for their time not to fly by.  Pray that it’ll strengthen them and be all they need each day.

18.  Pray for their knowledge.  That it would be increased.  As they grow, your kids will grow.

19.  Pray for their ability to relate.  No one likes a boring teacher.  No one wants to feel like they can’t relate to their teacher.  The students who like their teachers do better in their classes.

20.  Pray for renewal.  They aren’t necessarily the same person they were last year.  They don’t have to be if they don’t want to be.  Each year is a new year. 

21.  Pray for first time teachers. Don’t insult them.  Don’t scare them.  Pray for them.  They’re just as afraid to teach your child as you might be.  However, they’re probably going to work harder than those teachers that have been teaching for 25-30 years.

22.  Pray for their discernment.  Little Johnny may have to use the bathroom a lot… he may or may not have a bladder problem.  Pray for your teacher to learn the difference.

23.  Pray for their motivation.  How many times do YOU hit the snooze button in the morning?  Pray that they won’t even have the desire to.

24.  Pray for their protection. People are crazy these days. Believe it or not, teachers need protection from every from kids going off and throwing chairs to parents getting mad and paying a visit to the school house to try and take their job.

25.  Pray for their relationship with God.  At the end of the day, our teachers need to be rooted and grounded in God.  Your kids drive you to prayer… so imagine how much more prayer these teachers need!  Pray that our teachers would be drawn closer to God.  Pray that they will fall in love with Jesus and allow Him to shine so brightly through them.  Pray for the anointing of Jesus, who was also a teacher, to fall afresh on them!


Thursday, July 28, 2016

My Quiet Time Routine

(My KJV Journaling bible with my
personalized Bible Tabs & handmade
Book Ribbon) 
"How do you read your Bible?
"What do you do in your personal time with the Lord?"
"When do you have quiet time?

"How do you know where to start?"
These are ALL great questions!
Since a lot of people have asked me about my quiet time routine, I decided to dedicate this blog post to answering questions in that area.


First and foremost, I'd like to remind you of a few things:   Everyone is different. What works for one person may not work for another.  So feel free to develop your own routine and do what is comfortable for you!  My 'routine' changes when my life changes (Gasp!).  That's right.  When I was in college, my routine may have included quiet time at different times of the day depending on the amount of free time I had.  When I changed jobs, when my hours at work were cut, when I am babysitting, all of these things are taken into consideration.  Keeping your spirit in shape requires consistency just like with your physical body.

Here are the Details:
  1. TIMING IS EVERYTHING! I PREFER having quiet time in the morning.  Not as soon as I wake up (when I'm still groggy & delirious).  But, once I've freshened up and fixed a cup of coffee.  In a perfect world, I'd wake up two hours before I need to leave the house every morning.  One hour to be spent on getting dressed, fixing my hair/make-up. The other hour spent on Jesus... in a perfect world!    Pick a time that works for you.  If I can't have my quiet time in the morning, I'll have it on my lunch break (my least favorite option) or late at night once the world has gone to sleep.
    In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,
    left the house, and went away to a secluded place,
    and was praying there. - Mark 1:35
  2. LOCATION IS KEY!  I love having my quiet time at home in my bedroom in this orange antique chair I got from my grandmother when I moved into my first apartment a few years ago.  Before then, I'd have quiet time on the couch in my dorm room.  If I was at my mom's house, I'd have quiet time in the living room on the couch.  I usually don't have quiet time on my bed... my mind is conditioned to use the bed for sleeping, so if I'm on my bed, I'll get sleepy and fall asleep on Jesus and we can't have that!  However, if I'm breaking my routine for whatever reason, anywhere quiet and scenic is good for me.  If I'm at work, I'll go in an empty work room.  If I'm on a trip, I'll go to where I can get a quiet view of a beautiful lobby or courtyard.
    But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,
    close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret,
    and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. - Matt. 6:6
  3. WHAT DO YOU HEAR?  I love to play worship music in my quiet time.  It helps me to drown out everything on my mind and everything around me.  I usually play it in my headphones so that I'm not distracted by any sounds around me (phone ringing, people coming in and out, etc).  I have to listen to music to tune my ear and my heart to God's mouth.  After all, quiet time isn't about what I say, it's about what God has to say to me.
    David and all Israel were celebrating before
     God with all their might, even with songs and
    with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals
    and with trumpets. -1 Chronicles 13:8
  4. READ! READ! READ!  Now, I absolutely love my Bible.  My Boyfriend recently bought me the Bible I've always wanted.  It is a KJV Journaling Bible that I spent hours trying to choose in LifeWay.  Where do you start?  It doesn't matter where you start.  It matters more that you start. Sometimes I'll just ask the Lord where to go & open my Bible.  Other times, I read more on a passage that was preached or taught recently at my church.  If there's a scripture or sermon that's in my spirit, I'll start there.  You can always start on a reading plan or just start from the beginning.  
    And ye shall seek me, and find me
    when ye shall search for me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13
  5. PRAYER!  Who do you know that will spend time with you without talk to you?  Praise the Lord.  Get into His presence.  I use the ACTS method:  Adoration.  Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication.  That's typically how a normal conversation goes, right?  You don't ever ask for something without first greeting a person, getting personal with them, thanking them.  Why would you do anything other than that for God.  Sometimes I pray out loud.  Sometimes I write in my prayer journal.  Sometimes I just pray in my heavenly language.
    If my people, which are called by my name,
     shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
    and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
    and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. - 2 Chron. 7:10
  6. LISTEN!  Don't make your quiet time all about talking to God.  Be still before the Lord and listen to Him.  He desires to speak to you, give you guidance and instruction, and share His heart with you.    
Be still, and know that I am God:
 I will be exalted among the heathen,
 I will be exalted in the earth. - Ps. 46:10

I pray that you enjoyed reading about my quiet time.  But, more importantly, I hope you feel led to start a routine.  Evaluate your schedule, figure out what does and doesn't work for you and move accordingly.  As you draw night unto God, He will definitely draw nigh unto you!  Have fun!  Happy Studying!!!
© Copyright 2016 — Ricki L. Blakeney. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Total Pageviews

Proverbs 31 Daily Devotional

P31 Daily Devotions

Search the Bible

Lookup a word or passage in the Bible


BibleGateway.com
Include this form on your page

Scripture of the Day

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

BlogLovin

Follow

Popular Posts