7 to Thirty7: July 2012

iPray eVotionals

Greetings!

The gun sounds as the race begins. iPray eVotionals exhorts the runners on the path of a prayerful lifestyle. It's the glass of water held out around each month's turn. It's for the runner who can use a quick and easy quench in order to finish strong.

iPray 4 Protection!

(Approximate reading time: 7 Minutes)

Summer... Sun... Fun... Run!

The sun is shining, the beaches are crowded and bodies are beginning to tan. Summer is in full swing! A couple of weeks ago I packed up the car and headed out for our first beach trip of the season! The day delivered everything a typical beach day could. Sand castles, sea shells, wave riding, crab catching, body burying, ball throwing, hole digging, bird chasing and slow roasting!

Wait, slow roasting? Oh yes... Unsuspecting bodies + sun block mishap = slow roasting.

Heat... Help... Whelp... Yelp!

All the fun disappeared that evening when my son started to feel the heat on his skin from his very first sun burn. Seven years old and for the first time he felt the effects of being out in the sun too long without proper protection. Half way through the day I had noticed a good portion of his back getting red. I tried to get some lotion on him but it was too late. I could see that he was not going to have a happy evening.

After coming home from the beach he still did not feel a thing. I warned him that he would and he looked at me with a puzzled look. If he was burned why didn’t he feel it? Right before bedtime the sting came. Believe me, it was NOT a happy night. In fact it was not a happy 3 nights! The world did not seem to have enough aloe to sooth his pain. It only takes one sun block mishap to remind us why we slap on the lotion making sure we didn’t miss a spot. The next week we were getting ready to go swimming. My son asked me to cover him with sun block before even stepping out the door.

Burn... Bad... Sad... Lad!

Our human nature is to protect our bodies from danger. Too much heat and we naturally drink something cold, find shade or jump in water. It is very natural for us to jump out of the way of a speeding car. It’s obvious that if we don’t change our location fast our bodies will be hurt. Danger doesn't always approach at fast speeds. The more deadly threats stalk us like a lion, when we are completely unaware that things are heating up. Like my son and his frying skin, sometimes we realize that we did not take action soon enough when it is too late.

The Bible tells us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

As long as we walk this earth the enemy lies in wait for an opening; for an opportunity to burn! He watches the parts of our lives that we slowly let go and when the time is right... pounce! We are hit with discouragement when we are already down. Anger when we feel like we are already pushed to our limits.

Protect... Plan... Can... Tan!

Should we just sit back and let the heat rise until we are burned? Or should we be just as proactive about seeking protection over our lives as we are about protecting our bodies?

Protection for our bodies can mean putting on sun block, finding shade, covering up with clothing or just escaping to indoors. In any case it takes a plan; purchasing sun block, umbrella and clothing.

For our lives we can’t find the proper protection on a store shelf. God is our protector! What’s the plan? We ask for His protection when we PRAY! God wants us to pray for protection over our lives.

Check out Jebez’s prayer and God’s response:

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”

1 Chronicles 4:10

Check out Jesus’ example of how to pray:

“Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.”

Is it selfish when we put on sun block before we burn or find shade before we get heat stroke? No! In the same way asking God to intervene, to protect our lives and to give us what we need to serve Him is not a selfish act. Praying for our needs is referred to as supplication. (Covering myself up with Jesus/son block) Praying on behalf of someone else’s needs is refereed to as intercession. (Covering my son, reaching the spots he can’t reach on his own) Things can heat up without our awareness. It shouldn’t be a last resort to go to our Lord in prayer over our lives. We should be covering our souls before we even step out the door.

How do we pray for protection when we can’t always perceive the danger that is stalking us? God knows! So we use His Words as we pray. Here are some examples of how we can ask God for His protection using scripture.

A Son block PRAYER:

In Colossians 2:8 the Word of God says...

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.”

Prayer for protection using Colossians 2:8...

Lord, please see to it that no one takes me captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

A Shade PRAYER:

In Psalm 121:5-8 the Word of God 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. The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Prayer for protection using Psalm 121:5-8...

Please Lord, watch over me. Be my shade at my right hand so that the sun will not harm me by day nor the moon by night. Please keep me from all harm and watch over my life, my coming and going now and forevermore.

A Cover-up w/Clothing PRAYER:

In Ephesians 6:10-17 the Word of God says...

“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... Therefore put on the full armor of God... Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round 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.”

Prayer for protection using Ephesians 6:10-17...

Please help me be strong in Your mighty power, help me dress in the full armor of God so I can take my stand against the devil’s schemes. Help me stand firm the with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, my feet fitted into the gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith, wearing the helmet of salvation and using the sword of the spirit.

An Escape Indoors PRAYER:

In Luke 21:36 the Word of God says...

“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

Prayer for protection using Luke 21:36...

Lord, help me always be on the watch so that I may be able to escape what is about to happen, and that I may be able to stand before You!

By using scripture we are asking God for the exact SPF protection we need. We are less likely to unknowingly walk into danger when we are walking under God’s protection.

Short Short Missy Stories...

Missy, a little girl I like to write about, has had some "hot" learning lessons. If in the next couple of months you find yourself sitting in the sun with your tablet looking for a good read, here are a couple of short short Missy stories all about hot temperatures and really bad burns!

Missy learns about rising heat...

Did you know that if you take a frog and drop him into boiling water he will jump out right away? But if you place him into a pot of cool water and slowly turn up the heat, the frog will stay put. The frog will not notice the danger that is slowly rising in his life. Moment by moment the water heats up and before the frog even makes a slight attempt to jump for safety it's too late. He's cooked. The slow rising temperature of water will cook. Knowing this truth is one thing, but learning it the hard way is quite another. See how nine-year-old Missy learned this the hard way...

Reading time: 10 minutes

Click here:

Missy's Puppies

Missy learns about getting burned...

Sometimes it's our curiosity that gets the best of us as we allow it to boil up and take over our good conscious. We wonder, "How far can we go before getting burned?" Slowly but surly Missy's curiosity heated up. At six years old, Missy couldn't tame it. Up and up and up until one swift move changed everything...

Reading time: 10 minutes

Click here:

Don't Touch

iPray 4U...

iPray you will enjoy the fun of the summer sun...

iPray against slow rising temperatures in your life...

iPray that you will heal when you do burn...

iPray uPray for God’s Son block protection...

as you get out of the house and walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

All for HIM!

Michelle Fozounmayeh ~ (818)268-5915

Moms In Prayer International Area Coordinator for SoCA R01 A10