31 Biblical VirtuesTo Pray for Your Children. . .

Printable Version

As parents, the time we spend praying for our children is likely the most precious of the day -- and its value is IMMEASURABLE!!! I don't think we can come close to what God expects from us as parents in this area -- especially in our society. Disruptions (especially as mothers) come on levels that we don't even recognize as "disruptions."

Many months ago, I participated in a Baby Dedication with my husband and I presented a young mother in our church a list of 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Child. After the service, another mother asked if I would share these with her.

Unfortunately, I got disrupted (I'm a mom, remember?) and I forgot to pass them on. . .

I was reminded of my absentmindedness this past week when the lady who'd asked for the list became my newest Facebook Friend. She didn't remind me -- it just occurred in one of those wide-eye'd "oh-my-goodness" moments when I saw her picture on Facebook. So, I now pass them along to her and everyone else as well. (Sorry it took so long, Rebecca!)

Pictured throughout this post are our five children:
Sharon (24),
Tim (22),
Alisa (17),
Selah (5),
and Shepard (4) .
We pray for them daily!

31 Biblical Virtues
to Pray for Your Children

Printable Version

► Salvation
“Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”

Isaiah 45:8
II Timothy 2:10

► Growth in Grace
“I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

II Peter 3:18

► Love
“Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them.”

Galatians 5:25
Ephesians 5:2

► Honesty & Integrity
“May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.”

Psalm 25:21

► Self Control
“Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do.”

I Thessalonians 5:6

► Love for God's Word
“may my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb.”

Psalm 19:10

► Justice
“God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do.”

Psalm 11:7
Micah 6:8

► Mercy
“May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:36

► Respect (for Self, Others & Authority)
“Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.”

I Peter 2:17

► Biblical Self-Esteem
“Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:10

► Faithfulness
“Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablets of their hearts.”

Proverbs 3:3

► Courage
“May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

► Purity
“Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions.”

Psalm 51:10

► Kindness
“Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

I Thessalonians 5:15

► Generosity
“Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.”

I Timothy 6:18-19

► Peace-Loving
“Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.”

Romans 14:19

► Joy
“May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

I Thessalonians 1:6

► Perseverance
“Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.”

Hebrews 12:1

► Humility
“God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.”

Titus 3:2

► Compassion
“Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.”

Colossians 3:12

► Responsibility
“Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load.”

Galatians 6:5

► Contentment
“Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13

► Faith
“I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.”

Luke 17:5-6
Hebrews 11:1-40

► A Servant's Heart
“God, please help my children develop servants’ hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.”

Ephesians 6:7

► Hope
“May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

► Willingness & Ability to Work
“Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their hearts, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Colossians 3:23

► Passion of God
“Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after Thee’ (Psalm 63:8), one that clings passionately to you.”


► Self-Discipline
“Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.”

Proverbs 1:3

► Prayfulness
“Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayfulness, that they may learn to pray on all occasions – allowing the Holy Spirit to intercede – with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

Ephesians 6:18

► Gratitude
“Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God, the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 5:20
Colossians 2:7

► A Heart for Missions
“Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your Glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Psalm 96:3

~ Esthermay

Printable Version

11:00 AM | 13 comments | Read More

In Which I Acknowledge the Evangelism Potential of Facebook. . .

Blogging is such a selfish venture in and of itself. As a Christian, I've struggled with the whole blogging thing. It is such a prideful endeavor, isn't it?

Being obedient to God's call on our lives in the context of blogging is not an easy thing. I'm always blessed to see someone call it out on their blog!

Facebook: An entirely different enterprise. Are you on Facebook? If yes. . . Do you ever have the sense that some of your Friends only befriend you so as to add your picture to their wall of 852 Friends?

Just asking?
I 'm grateful for each and every one of my Facebook Friends!

A few weeks ago, my friend Barbara suggested I create a Fan Page on Facebook for my blog. My first response was an e-mail explaining that I wasn't so much seeking fans as I was seeking to share my passion for God's Word and sound biblical doctrine and consistent theology which is so lacking in today's culture and blah blah blah. . . .

Fast Forward: As narcissistic as the idea first appeared, I did it. With Barbara's help, there is now an Esthermay Bentley-Goossen, Writer/Counselor Fan Page.

I prefer to think of it as a "Ministry Page."

Here's what has transpired since. . .

Company Girls: Wonderful testimony coming up here. You may want to set down your coffee. . . .

First. . . I've changed the format of my blog to a Q & A Format and will now be addressing topics posed to me via e-mail, comments and the Facebook Wall.

Thank you, Melissa . . . for providing the first question!

Second. . . When a Friend of a Friend on Facebook saw that her Friend had become a "fan" of Esthermay Bentley-Goossen, Writer/Counselor, she followed suit and also became a "fan." She then began an exchange with me which she describes as "a turning point" in her life . . .

She explains that she was immediately drawn to read the Inauguration Day Post, "Can a Born-Again Christian Support President Obama?" because she was hoping to find a bit of ammunition to convince her husband to agree with her on the topic. But. . . instead of enforcing (or frustrating) her own political ideology, the post led her to open up her own Bible and read for herself what God has to say about government, prayer, and Salvation.

The rest, as they say, is history.

My husband is now helping my newest Facebook Friend find a Bible-Preaching church in her area and we pray that she is able to get her entire family back into church on a regular basis.

I'm not usually one to yell out, "Praise the Lord," but. . . .

Praise the Lord!

Here's where my thinking has been over the last few days. . .

As Christians, how big is the responsibility to share and defend our Christian faith? If we maintain a blog, are we compelled to fulfill the great commission on that blog?

Do you have a Facebook account? If yes, are you using your Facebook account to share Christ? Do you know which of your Friends are Christians? Are you reaching out to those who aren't?

. . . think about that Newsfeed on Facebook where people see who's doing what and who's talking with whom and commenting on such & such. . . .
Does your contribution represent Christ?
Is it edifying?

There is great potential for evangelism on Facebook and Blogger and WordPress and TypePad. . .

Are we using it?

We don't necessarily have to be "preaching salvation" to share Christ.
We're not all John MacArthur! We have different gifts.
The question is: Do visitors to our blogs, our Facebook Profile, etc. see Christ when they visit?

Would my newest Facebook Friend have re-discovered Christ had she not seen that a mutual Facebook Friend was a "fan" of my blog? That's not a self aggrandizing question -- I do not know the answer. But the events of the last week do confirm to me that the WORLD Wide Web is indeed part of the world. . .

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel. . . . "

~ Mark 16:15

How are you using the Internet?

~ Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

5:03 PM | 20 comments | Read More