Have Something to Spill

Day 1

Heavenly Father,

Please use this time to bring me closer to you, fill my cup so that it runs over with your Spirit, open my heart, and clear my mind to receive your truth. Please quiet the noise around me. Amen.

Today’s Reading

1 Peter 1:3–7

1. Who causes us to be born again? Where does salvation come from? (verse 3)

2. If we have a relationship with Him, we have an inheritance that is what? (verse 4)

3. Wow! Don’t you feel so much more hope when you know what is waiting for you? The hope that he refers to isn’t just wishful thinking. It is a confident expectation.

4. Verse 6 acknowledges the various trials that we face. They are hard, they hurt, and they seem unfair. Why do we have to go through them? (verse 7)

5. What’s the result? (verse 7 again) Let’s do that.

Gracious Lord,

We praise you for our salvation and the testing and building of our faith. Please soften our hearts and give us grace so that we can cry out to you in sorrow for our sin and for the faith to believe. You are mighty to save. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and the new life we can have in Him. Thank you for the living hope we have in you because you are our resurrection and our life. We can face work, a messy house, tired and whiny kids, sleepless nights, broken relationships, sickness, and uncertainty with hope because of your love for us. You offer compassion, friendship, provision, and promises that we can count on. Thank you also for the inheritance that is waiting for us in heaven. It’s real, and it’s with you. Please fill us with your spirit and strength as we face today’s trials with hope. May our faith prove to be more precious than gold when it is tested by fires, today and always. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Survival Tip #1

Pray

On good days, pray. On bad days, pray.

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Out loud, silently, in a prayer journal, with your kids, with your husband, or with your best friend, pray, pray, and pray. My mom, Karla, taught me this early in my life. Since the age of seven, I’ve kept a prayer journal. My momma is an excellent Bible teacher, caregiver, cook, gardener, and avid reader, but most of all, I would characterize her as a beautiful prayer warrior. She prays with conviction, passion, and love, day and night.

One day, I was worried about her continually waking at 3:00 a.m., and she simply told me that it was her nightly prayer shift. The Lord had laid it on her heart to pray for specific people at that time. I’m forever grateful for her teaching and example. She longs for people to know and freely speak to Jesus. I love to hear her pray.

Sometimes, my prayers are long, thorough, and for everyone and everything I can think of. Other times, my prayers are as short and simple as this: “Help me, Lord” (That one usually comes on a Monday morning).

God wants a relationship with us. He wants our honesty. Tell Him anything. He can handle it. Thank Him for your blessings, praise Him for being so awesome, pray for forgiveness of specific sins, and pray for the things that you desire or are worrying you. He cares, and He will never leave you. He is faithful and listening.

What I Pray for Our Children

• For them to know, love, and cherish the Lord

• For protection spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally

• For them to have teachable hearts

• For anything they are struggling to learn or any way they are hurting

• For them to feel peace, love, and acceptance in our home

• For them to cling to Jesus and trust He is good when their circumstances are not good

• For faith and courage when they are afraid

• For them to always love each other and others well

• For their ambitions and roles in the Kingdom of Christ

• For their future spouses