Cross My Heart Ministry

Walk in the way the Lord your God has commanded you,
so that
you may live and prosper and prolong your days
in the land that you will possess.
Deuteronomy 5:33 (NIV 1984)

The updated NIV translates walk in the way as walk in obedience. Do you think
“obedience” conveys a bit of legalism? Does it put you off? Is it easier to accept the challenge to, walk in the way than walk in obedience?

Other translations admonish us to:

• Walk in all the ways (KJV)
• Walk entirely in the way (NASB)
• Walk in all the way (ESV)
• Stay on the path (NLT)

Since few of us read Hebrew, these various translations clarify the challenge God gives us through Moses. But regardless of how the call is translated, don’t miss the so that – the reason the One who knows us best and loves us most gives for obeying His commands. (Did you notice I gave so that its own line, hoping you wouldn’t miss it? I love finding a so that, a reason for what God is calling us to do. Because, after all, He is God. He doesn’t have to tell us why.)

The so that – the blessings that He promises come to us when we walk in the way (or walk in obedience…) can be summed up in two words:

• Life
• Prosperity

Clearly, these are good things. So that means walking in His way is a good thing.

Our knee-jerk, default, auto-pilot response to obedience to the commands is often reject or resist. We stiff-arm God’s call and deem it outdated, inhibiting or unnecessary.

But we do so to our own loss.

Do we really want to forfeit life and prosperity? Clearly, life and prosperity are defined differently in God’s economy than by the world. But they are better. And they last longer.

Living life God’s way means being filled with and led by His Spirit. That then means the traits of the fruit of the Spirit will be growing in our lives. The filling and fruit of the Spirit is both the means and the prosperous result of walking in His way:

• The way of love.
• Joyful obedience.
• Peace the world cannot provide.
• Patience with others.
• Kindness we never thought we could release…or receive.
• Goodness that can only come from Him.
• Faithfulness that defies who we know we are.
• Gentleness so gentle we know it is contrary to our own nature.
• Self-control that surprises and astonishes us.

We live the “life that is truly life” (Paul’s words to Timothy, I Timothy 6:17-19), as we pivot from walking our way to walking in the way of the Lord.

His way will not always be pain free. Life and prosperity will look and feel different than we once thought.

The question we must really ask ourselves is:  Do I truly want life and prosperity?

So how about it? Are you tired of “doing it your way” (as Frank Sinatra once sang)? Are you ready to walk in the way of the Lord? If so, would you pray with me:

Lord, I want to walk in Your way. Help me to walk in Your way. I truly desire to receive and embrace every spiritual blessing of life and prosperity You have for me in Christ Jesus. This IS what I truly desire. Help me to make this my desire!

Esther resigned herself to face death at the end of Chapter 4, but three days later marches into the King’s presence with a plan. What happened? What changed? Three days of prayer and fasting!

We invite you to watch this week’s devotional video, in which Laura’s teaching focuses on the faith of Esther, the pride of Haman, and the sovereignty of God.

… Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,
and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9b

Noah is introduced to us in Genesis 6:9 for the first time. In just a few words, much is added to his spiritual resume. Noah is righteous and blameless. He does right things, He is a man of virtue who makes good choices. He is guiltless and without fault.

The phrase “among the people of his time” is perhaps added to make his character all the more remarkable. He lived among a wicked and perverse generation. Verse 11 describes his culture as “corrupt in God’s sight” and “full of violence.”  His choice to go against the culture is akin to “swimming upstream.” He stood out. His righteous/blameless character was a sharp contrast to the corruption and violence of the world he lived in.

You and I are declared righteous and found blameless when we place our faith in Christ. We are justified by grace. And, like Noah, we too can live differently and live counter to the culture. Paul said that we “shine … like stars in the sky.” (Philippians 2:15).

The darker the world becomes, the greater our opportunity to shine for Jesus!

The phrase that stands out most for me today is:

He walked faithfully with God.

Noah’s choice to walk with God (rather than walk with the world around him) is what made him righteous and blameless. “You are what you run with,” my mama used to say. One of our teaching pastors recently said, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

Righteousness wasn’t the prerequisite but the result of walking with God.

I’ve read this passage many, many times since I became a student of the WORD as a young adult, but today (as there always is) I find fresh manna at God’s table!

Hidden here in Genesis 6:9, an Old Testament verse, is a New Testament truth. It’s the gospel. The good news. Our identity with Him brings change. But we must choose to go Him. We get what we are looking for – what we truly desire. We place ourselves in His presence, abide in His Word, we come to Him faithfully.

Faithfully.

That one little adverb packs a lot of punch. Noah’s walk with God wasn’t weekly – he didn’t have a Tuesday morning or Friday afternoon outing with God. His walk was not monthly or seasonal. Faithfully suggests a continual walk.

The Hebrew word for walk here is hālak. It carries the meaning, “to walk as a lifestyle.”

Some translations just say walk, but my NIV adds faithfully, perhaps trying to convey the rhythm and consistency denoted by hālak.

Do you see the challenge here? Are you willing to embrace it?

Are you taking an occasional stroll with God? Is your time with him a weekly (or monthly) 15-minute outing?

Are you ready to commit to walking faithfully? If faithfully is your intention, these adverbs might help shore up what that looks like:

• Intentionally
• Sacrificially
• Purposefully
• Deliberately
• Preferentially

Choosing to walk faithfully will not bring a reward of an extra 30 minutes to your day. You are still limited to 24 hours. Where does the time come from? How will it happen?

More than giving God 10, 20 or 30 minutes a day, perhaps faithfully means bringing Him into all of it. Every single minute. A conscious awareness of His presence will being to transform all the nitty gritty daily actions and decisions.

Walking faithfully make be exactly what Jesus was inviting us into when He said, “abide in me.” (John 15)

Lord, show me the next best step to walk faithfully with you today.

In this week’s teaching video, our study in the book of Esther has arrived at a crisis: God’s people are facing annihilation. After asking her to keep her Jewish heritage a secret, now Mordecai calls on her to plead for her people.

Esther agrees and calls for three days of prayer and fasting to prepare. Her example challenges us to engage in prayer, as well. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, there’s a prayer for that!

We invite you to watch now as Laura reminds us that whatever situation we find ourselves in, there’s a prayer for that! If you would be interested in joining our Bible study in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, or online, please reach out to us via email for more information.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart,
with all your soul, and
with all your mind.’
Matthew 22:37

 All means ALL!

When we pray that the children in our lives would love God wholeheartedly, it means ALL IN. Not half-way, not half-heartedly, and not Sundays only.

When a mama asks her teenager to take out the trash, she doesn’t expect to see the trash sitting by the front door. It must make it all the way to the curb.

When a wife wants a faithful husband, she doesn’t mean 364 days a year – she expects 365 (and some years 366)!

And when God commands us to love Him with ALL our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we need to apply the same high standard. ALL IN!

As we pray for the children in our sphere of influence to love God wholeheartedly, we can also ask God to reveal where we ourselves might be holding out.

Here are some questions we can ask as we pray for the children in our lives (and for ourselves):

• Do I have a divided heart? Is there anything I treasure more than God?
• Do I find myself praying without ceasing – having on ongoing conversation with God throughout my day?
• Does God enter my thought life on Tuesday morning or Friday afternoon?
• Do I ask God about what I buy, read, and watch?
• Has Sunday morning worship become an optional activity? Am I finding reasons — I don’t feel like braving the rain, there’s a mountain of dirty laundry, I’m in the middle of a great book and can’t wait to finish it — not to gather with other believers?
• Do I give God the first and best of each day?
• Do I speak up when others speak poorly of my God?
• Do my posts, tweets, and social media comments indict me as a woman of God?
• Do thoughts about God in my mind and heart make their way into my conversations with others?

I hope one or more of these questions convict you as they do me. Perhaps they could even prompt a loving-God-wholeheartedly conversation with your child, grandchild, nephew or niece, a student in your class or church, or a young person in your neighborhood.

Lord God, I pray this child would put You on the throne of his/her life each day and every day. I pray this would be deliberate, conscious, daily choice.  I pray he/she would love You most and best and with a wholehearted devotion.

Our Write the WORD verses for the month of October all include the word, WALK. Spanning both the Old and New Testaments, these verses will challenge us to consider our spiritual walk with Christ.

In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura reflected on our spiritual WALK … our journey of sanctification. We invite you to listen as Laura introduces the coming month’s topic. Then, visit our Downloads page for your own copy of the October Write the WORD bookmark.

“…and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.”
II Timothy 3:15

Paul is writing to Timothy, his spiritual son. (He refers to him in I Timothy 1:2 as “my true son in the faith.”) Thanks to the faith of his mother and grandmother, Timothy knew about God and knew the Scriptures from an early age.

But, of course, God has no grandchildren. At some point, Timothy believed for himself (II Timothy 1:5). He accepted the gift of salvation that comes by grace through faith.

Like Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s mother and grandmother, we can ensure the young people around us know the WORD. We can take them to church to hear the WORD. We can play Christian music and buy them Christian books. But, of course, none of that will save them. They must come to sincere faith in Christ on their own.

We can do everything within our power to make sure the children in our lives know the truth—and then they must choose to bend their knee to Jesus.

Perhaps you are a woman who did not come to faith yourself until your adult years. Maybe you have adult children that have rejected your faith. Do not let the enemy rob you of peace and joy for today. Do not take on illegitimate guilt. The past is done … confess anything you need to confess, receive His forgiveness (I John 1:9) and then move on! Forgive yourself, sister friend!

Choose today to pray. Pray intentionally and unceasingly for the “children” in your sphere of influence, whether they are infants, young kids, adolescents, or adults. If there is life, there is hope. Pray and keep on praying!

Lord God Almighty, thank You for the gift of salvation! Jesus, thank You for the magnitude of Your great love demonstrated at the Cross and the unmatched strength of Your mighty power demonstrated by Your resurrection. O God, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Let this young person in my life see that you love her and died for her, too. Convict her of sin. Draw her to yourself. Overwhelm her today with Your great love. Let today be her day of salvation!

In this week’s Friday video, our ladies’ Bible study comes to the second chapter of Esther. In it, we see a beauty pageant (of sorts). But in this pageant, the contestants have no choice.

While we tend to romanticize the story of Esther, its actually a tragic display of a lustful king preying on young girls.

In Laura’s teaching lecture, we see Esther crowned queen … but celebrate the crown of life promised to those of us who love God (see James 1:12).

As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17

The expression “peer pressure” certainly carries a negative connotation. Secular and non-secular studies alike have confirmed the impact (particularly during adolescence) of peers. Teenagers, when influenced by their friends, are far more vulnerable to substance abuse, reckless or anti-social behavior, bullying, and a host of other things that are potentially life-altering.  

As conscientious Christian parents and grandparents, we may try to postpone the timing of those influences … but please don’t ever assume you can avoid them altogether. And please don’t assume that another teen is godly, simply because he or she was raised in a godly family (to the best of your knowledge).  

When children are young, the adults in their lives control their relationships. We choose who they play with, what they do, and where they go. And to a certain extent—especially when the adults are very engaged with the kids—that can continue into adolescence.

But at some point, we need to hand them the reins. Only parents can decide when is the right time for that to happen. It will be a decision not only unique to each family, but perhaps to each child.  

If we are devoted to teaching and training their hearts, our focus will be to prepare them to make good choices for themselves and help them understand how they can do that. It’s easy to build high walls and keep them in place until a child turns 18 … but what happens then?  

As a mother of four adults, I’m a long-time advocate of communication early on. Ask your children and grandchildren what makes a good friend. Role play with questions like, “What would you do if ___?” Using “worst case scenario” tools, empower them for as many situations as you can imagine. Explain some of your own poor choices (or those you have witnessed in others) as a warning. Pray. Talk. Share.  

We must prepare the children in our sphere of influence to make wise choices in friends. We must also challenge them to be a positive influence upon others.

Here are a few questions that come to mind for discussion with the children you love: 

1. What qualities make for a good friend? 
2. Who is your best friend and why? 
3. What would you do if a friend wanted you to watch or do something that made you feel uncomfortable? 
4. What did Joseph do when he was in an uncomfortable situation? (See Genesis 39) 
5. Did I ever tell you about the time …? 

Each passing year is one less we have to be a daily, primary influence upon these young souls that God has placed in our lives. Ultimately, we hope and pray it is the voice of the Holy Spirit they choose to heed above all. But we know that peers will also influence their lives, attitudes, and behaviors.

If they choose well, peer pressure can be a profoundly positive influence in the life of a child.  

Lord, I pray for my children and grandchildren, and for their friends.
I pray You would raise up a generation of Christ followers
who love You and love Your Word.
I pray the children in my life would choose their confidants well.
I pray You would hedge them in from the wrong friends
and steer them to those who will be a positive influence –
that they would mutually encourage each other to live for You,
always and in all ways.
May iron sharpen iron in all their relationships.
Amen.

The Old Testament book of Esther opens with a big party! King Xerxes displays all his wealth, glory, and possessions — and summons his queen, Vashti, to come and put herself on display, as well. When she refuses, the king “became furious and burned with anger.”

In this week’s devotional video, Laura talks about the contrast between guilt and shame as we look at Xerxes’ example of what NOT to do when we feel ashamed or embarrassed. We also have an overview of the twists and turns that will unfold in the book of Esther and see that what may appear to be bad news can, in time, actually become good news (and vice versa).

But in ALL of it, God can WORK for good!

“…give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 [NIV]

When our oldest was only one year old, after prompting by our pastor, I began to pray for a thankful heart in my child. I continued this prayer as we added each additional child. Four kids – and four grandkids! – later, I’m still praying for thankful Macfarlan hearts.

“Why thankfulness?” you may ask.

The first (or most obvious) response might be the blessing released to others. That is true. And that is important. Others are blessed when we express gratitude.

But I’m also convinced that thankfulness is a blessing to the one releasing it. Thankfulness protects against entitlement, materialism, and selfishness … all dangerous to the character of children. The 21^st-century culture of our western world makes them vulnerable to “me-ism” – I’m convinced entitlement, materialism, and selfishness are the default, but our prayers can combat these society norms. We are up against entrenched attitudes, human nature, and even commercials and advertisements. The world will corrupt and entice all of us to make it all about us.

It’s natural (and easy) to make it all about self in this world. But never underestimate the power of a praying mom – or grandmother, or aunt, Sunday School teacher, youth leader, coach, godparent, or anyone else who has influence in a young life! We can best fight the culture on our knees. And we can train up the young people we love to live selfless in a “selfie” world.

As we consider praying for thankful children, consider these prayer prompts:

• Lord, give my child a thankful heart. (I Thessalonians 5:18)
• Jesus, let my child see that every good gift comes down from above. (James 1:17)
• God, I pray my child would intentionally release thankfulness to others.
• Holy Spirit, I pray our family would be thankful in “all circumstances” – by faith, believing that You can and will work all things out for our good and for Your glory. (Romans 8:28)

As we pray, we can also put feet to our prayers by taking these practical steps to teach thankfulness to our children, grandchildren, and the other young people in our lives:

1. Do not overindulge in “stuff” but show love in creative ways. Whenever possible, give experiences and time, instead of things.
2. Choose at least one night per week to pray “Thank you” prayers. Rather than asking God for something, take turns thanking Him for what He has already done for the blessings of the day. Teach them to pray thank-you prayers for big and small things:
   “God, thank you for the tulips popping through in the flower bed and reminding us that spring is coming.”
   “Jesus, thank you for the baby growing in Aunt Denise’s tummy.”
   “Holy Spirit, thank you for our fun afternoon in the park.”
3. Train a child to respond with thankfulness:
   1. Write thank you notes together with preschoolers—allowing them to add their names to the note with your help.
   2. For elementary-aged kids, encourage them to be conscientious about writing thank you notes to their teacher, coach, and/or sponsor for their soccer team.
   3. Train teenagers to write thank you notes before cashing the check from grandma and grandpa.
4. Model thankfulness. Most character traits are more “caught than taught,” as I heard the late Dr. James Dobson say on many occasions.
   • Sit down together to write thank you notes after Christmas.
   • Let them hear you intentionally thank your pastor for his teaching on Sunday morning.
   • Thank them for big and small things when you see and hear them get it right:
     “Thank you for helping your brother.”
     “Thank you for carrying in the groceries for your grandmother.”
     “Thank you for making your bed without being asked.”
5. When dining out, ask to speak to the manager and enjoy seeing his/her face transform from dread to delight when you say, “Our family had such a great meal this evening. Thank you for the good food and excellent service.” (On the way home, explain that people always complain when someone gets it wrong, but it’s important to express our thanks when they get it right!)

The importance of thankfulness was a thread woven through the teaching of Dr. Jonathan Burnham, my wise and godly pastor in the early 1990s. Over and over again, his preaching emphasized the theme of thankfulness. Even after moving out of state, that emphasis continued to resonate in my heart and be a priority in my prayers.

All these years later, I give glory to God as I see thankfulness demonstrated in the lives of my children. The thank you notes I have received from them are treasures to keep. They are tangible reminders that, while I did many things wrong, perhaps consistent training in gratitude was one thing I did right.

Whether you are praying thankfulness into your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, students, or the kids who live across the street or sit in the pew behind you – I hope you will pray. And I hope that we can all see our society truly transformed by an “attitude of gratitude.”

This week’s devotional video features Laura’s introduction to the fall ladies’ Bible study in Esther. In the video, Laura shares a few distinctives about this Old Testament book that may prove helpful as we study through the events and circumstances in the book of Esther.

One distinctive is that all the events about God’s people take place OUTSIDE the land of Israel and in Persia (modern-day Iran). To answer the “How did that happen?’ question, the Intro teaching lecture looks at the highlights of the history of Israel, beginning with Abram, the father of the Jewish nation.

As we begin the new fall Bible study, the following verse is our prayer:

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
Psalm 119:18

Then Jesus declared,
“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35 

This statement from Jesus was the first of seven “I am” declarations clearly claiming deity before a first-century Jewish crowd.  

Over 2000 years later, they still bring a powerful message to those who will listen.  

First-century folks lived on the edge of starvation. Hunger was a part of daily life. Things you or I may say casually — “I’m stuffed,” “I’ve got to cut out the carbs,” or “I’ve got to lose some weight” — were unknown phrases in first-century languages. Much of the average person’s daily existence was consumed with finding literal “daily bread” to keep living another day.  

For many of us, the challenges of our first-century counterparts are difficult to truly comprehend. Some of us may have heard stories of our country’s Great Depression, or of other nations where famine is an everyday reality. Most Americans still have never known a day with true hunger, and have only heard about this type of hardship. We’ve (thankfully!) never experienced it in our lifetimes.  

When Jesus described Himself as the “Bread of Life,” He was offering eternal life. That’s a timeless message. It is still true today. Jesus alone brings sinful humans hope for eternity. In the midst of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety, Jesus brings peace, calm, and assurance.  

Food sustains us physically, but only the “Bread of Life” sustains us eternally. We know that without our daily bread, we become weak, lack energy, and are prone to sickness. The same is true spiritually. Our Savior’s bread-of-life metaphor rings true. We come to Him for satisfaction. Our yielding to Him – calling to Him for salvation – brings peace in the midst of panic, calm in the midst of chaos.  

Do you know Him, my friend? Have you yielded to Him? Are you sure? Have you prayed with a believing heart words similar to these: 

God Almighty, if you are there, if you are listening, if you are care,
I am finally ready to cry “uncle.”
I am ready to yield my life to You.
I am a mess. I have made a mess.
All my striving has come to nothing.
My motivations are rooted in pride.
I have rebelled against You.
But today is my line in the sand.
Enough.
I’m tired of trying and weary of running.
I believe you exist.
I believe the unbelievable – that you love me and actually died for me.
You paid my bill, the debt I owe for my sin and rebellion.
Because you died for me, I want to begin now to live for you.
Help me live for you.
I’m sliding over to the passenger seat now and letting you take the wheel of my life.
Please drive.
It’s simultaneously frightening and freeing to take this step of faith and let you be in charge.
I love you, Jesus.
Today is the day.
Thank you for keeping me alive to reach this day.
Thank you for every hard thing that you have allowed into my life.
Looking back, I see now that nothing was wasted.
You used every bit of it to bring me down so I could look up to You.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for giving me hope and a future.
Amen.  

Whether you prayed those exact words or something similar to them, whether you prayed them moments ago or years ago, you are a woman of God. You belong to Jesus and He is your Bread of Life!

Let the reality for your future on that day change how you live and respond to this day.

Let those of us who know Him as our Bread of Life continue to come to Him daily for our daily bread, our daily manna.  

Sister friends, I pray we all keep praying and stay in the Word when times are challenging. When the storm rages around us, we can know peace in the midst of it because we know Jesus.

Every September, we choose to focus on “30 Prayers & Verses for our Children” our Write the WORD topic for the upcoming month. In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura shared thoughts on this annual tradition and also revisited Cross My Heart Ministry’s 2nd Annual Prayer Walk for our local schools. We invite you to watch now!

We hope you will download the September bookmark and not only study these prayers with us during the coming month, but use the bookmark as a guide all year long as you pray for the kids in your life!