Ladies Prayer International Newsletter United Pentecostal Church International Ladies Ministries August 2015 Like us on Facebook @ Ladies Prayer International Growing in Grace By Linda Reed "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). John 1:17 tells us that Jesus is full of grace and truth. Generally, we are successful in teaching our children the truth of the Bible, but sometimes we are reluctant to teach them about grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Perhaps we think they will get the idea that God forgives them so they can live sinful lives. But the very idea of grace is forgiveness and acceptance. Too often our backslidden children think Jesus just brought truth into the world. They forget the grace of God. They need a balance of grace and truth in their lives. Grace is always reaching for God's children. We need to remind them about Jesus and His great love. Grace overlooks our humanity and leads us to salvation. Some believe that grace is license to do all kinds of sin. It is not! Grace will end. When our Lord descends from heaven and catches away His bride, truth and grace will go up with them. Understanding grace takes time. It also takes knowledge. The way we discipline children teaches them grace and truth. Discipline may take many forms, but it is always difficult. Truth hurts; grace forgives and comforts. If we always teach both concepts, we will raise real Christians. Our children will be able to reprove and rebuke, but they will also be longsuffering (II Timothy 4:2). Growing in grace is vital to our development as Christians. When we marry grace and truth in the lives of our children, we make strong Christians. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But, the love of God is forever; so let them grow in grace. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). Amazing Grace
By Tayna Smith When we hear the word "grace," perhaps the first thing we think of is the best known of all hymns. "Amazing grace! how sweet the sound." We identify grace as the saving factor in our otherwise doomed lives. We see the twins of salvation, mercy and grace, working together to pull us out of a pit of despair and place us safely into a wonderful place of beauty and peace that we do not deserve. We gratefully repeat the mantra, "Mercy means I did not get what I deserved. Grace means I got what I did not deserve." The theology is accurate. "For by grace are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8), but the technical statement of a spiritual truth does not paint a perfect picture of grace. Grace "is that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard; it is applied to beauty, or gracefulness of person or speech" (Vine). Grace is God's desire to bring pleasure and delight to His people. God's grace brings beauty and beautiful things into people's lives. Grace goes far beyond the grim duty of helping us escape the clutches of hell. Grace, the root for the word "graceful," comes from one who is gracious. When grace gracefully walks into our day, it seeks an opportunity to bring something delightful. It wants to bestow a gift that brings us great pleasure. Grace walked into my life recently. My husband and I were packing our bags preparing to leave to help a church needing a pastor. Our daughter called, asking us to wait a few moments. When she and our son in law walked in, they presented us with a gift box and a card expressing their thanks to us. When I opened the box, it was filled with tissue but I didn't see anything else. "Wait. There's something else there," my daughter said. In the bottom of the box were sonogram pictures of a baby. I screamed. Ten months earlier the doctor told our daughter she could not have children. Three months ago an evangelist spoke in the middle of his message and said, "The doctor may have said your womb is closed." I cannot give an exact quote of the rest of his statement, but it was a word of faith. A few days before, Heather was in pain and we felt it was an ulcer, so she scheduled a doctor's visit. The doctor said she was three months pregnant. Grace had walked into all our lives. The work of salvation is the most critical act of grace in our lives. "It is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). But isn't it amazing that grace also wants to bring occasions of pleasure and delight into our lives. "Amazing grace!" Note:Tanya is a pastor's wife and has been on the South Carolina Ladies Ministries committee 25 years. She was secretary eight years and has been president for two years. 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children
By Bob Hostetler 1. Salvation- "Lord, let salvation spring up within, that he/she may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10) 2. Growth in Grace- "I pray that may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) 3. Love- "Grant, Lord, that may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in him/her." (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2) 4. Honesty and Integrity- "May integrity and honesty be virtue and protection." (Ps. 25:21) 5. Self-Control- "Father, help not to be like many others around them, but let him/her be alert and self-controlled in all they do." (1 Thess. 5:6) 6. Love for God's Word- "May grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Ps. 19:10) 7. Justice- "God, help to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8) 8. Mercy- "May always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) 9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)- "Father, grant that may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands." (1 Pet. 2:17) 10. Biblical Self-Esteem- "Help develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:10) 11. Faithfulness- "Let love and faithfulness never leave, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of his/her heart." (Prov.3:3) 12. Courage- "May always be strong and courageous in his/her character and actions." (Deut. 31:6) 13. Purity- "Create in a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in his/her actions." (Ps. 51:10) 14. Kindness- "Lord, may always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1Thess. 5:15) 15. Generosity- "Grant that may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for himself/herself as a firm foundation for the coming age." (1 Tim. 6:18-19) 16. Peace-Loving- "Father, let make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19) 17. Joy- "May be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." (1 Thess.1:6) 18. Perseverance- "Lord, teach perseverance in all he/she does, and help him/her especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." (Heb.12:1) 19. Humility- "God, please cultivate in the ability to show true humility toward all." (Titus 3:2) 20. Compassion- "Lord, please clothe with the virtue of compassion." (Col. 3:12) 21. Responsibility- "Grant that may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his/her own load." (Gal. 6:5) 22. Contentment- "Father, teach the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives him/her strength." (Phil. 4:12-13) 23. Faith- "I pray that faith will find root and grow in 's heart, that by faith he/she may gain what has been promised to them." (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40) 24. A Servant's Heart- "God, please help develop a servant's heart, that he/she may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph.6:7) 25. Hope- "May the God of hope grant that may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13) 26. Willingness and Ability to Work- "Teach, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all his/her heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23) 27. Passion for God- "Lord, please instill in a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8) 28. Self-Discipline- "Father, I pray that may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair." (Prov. 1:3) 29. Prayerfulness- "Grant, Lord, that 's life may be marked by prayerfulness, that he/she may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers." (1 Thess. 5:17) 30. Gratitude- "Help to live a life that is always overflowing with thankfulness and always
giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col.2:7) 31. A Heart for Missions- "Lord, please help to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the people." (Ps. 96:3) Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.reviveourhearts.com Info@ReviveOurHearts.com Idea: I wanted to pass along what I had put together based off the 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children included in past months' (Ladies Prayer International) newsletters. I've been reading about and learning to pray the Word and how effective that can be. So with the 31 Biblical Virtues, I created a document with all of them and then added blanks to personalize each prayer with our own children's names. This might be helpful for some or for our prayer groups to concentrate on one virtue each month, expound on the scriptures and pray that for every child in our churches. -Eva Chase, Christian World Fellowship, Salem, OR Inspirational Quote You can wait out a storm but battles are won and lost in the fight. If you find your self in the middle of a spiritual attack, FIGHT! In all the pieces of the armor of God, there is only one offensive weapon listed...the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:11-17. -Kim Ferguson Like us on Facebook @ Ladies Prayer International Please help us spread the word about Ladies Prayer International newsletter to your church, friends and prayer group! They may sign up to receive FREE newsletter at LadiesPrayerInternational@aol.com or DebiAkers@aol.com From the Editor God is doing mighty things! God is opening many doors and this newsletter is now available in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Arabic, Farsi, Czech, Chinese, Swahili, Hungarian, Tagalog, Indonesian and Romanian. Debbie Akers Please send Praise Reports and Prayer Meeting Ideas to: LadiesPrayerInternational@aol.com or debiakers@aol.com From the Mailbox We are a new church, we celebrated our 7th anniversary yesterday! To God Be The Glory! We have used different ideas
that I've found on your website (LadiesMinistries.org) and they have really worked! Thank you so much for all of the ideas! Great and mighty things are happening through this prayer! -Tracie Feld, PowerHouse Church, North Myrtle Beach, SC Facebook Posts... Inspirational and encouraging reading. Some great advice and comments about prayer. Miracles blessings and praise! Praise God. I love this! Looking forward to sharing times of prayer and encouragement with you! Visit and 'like' Ladies Prayer International Facebook page! Ladies Prayer International (formerly DOZ) Who we are... Since 1999: Ladies Prayer Intl. is made up of women worldwide, who meet on the first Monday of each month to unite in focused prayer for their children and the children of the local church and community. Our Mission... We are committed to the spiritual preservation of this generation and beyond and the spiritual restoration of previous generations. Our Need... Committed women who will join together on the first Monday of each month and pray focused prayer for their children. Three Priorities of Prayer... 1. The salvation of our children (Isaiah 49:25; Psalm 144:12; Isaiah 43:5-6). 2. That they take ownership of the faith at an accountable age (I John 2:25-28; James 1:25). 3. That they enter into the ministry of the Lord's harvest (Matthew 9:38). Ministry Links LadiesPrayerInternational UPCI Ladies Ministries Reflections More to Life Bible Studies Today's Christian Girl World Network of Prayer UPCI My Hope Radio Multicultural Ministries Pentecostal Publishing House Ministries we suppoert... TUPELO CHILDREN'S MANSION Children live in an environment with opportunity to grow spiritually, physically and emotionally. NEW BEGINNINGS Maternity care for birthmothers considering adoption and child placement for adoptive couples. HAVEN OF HOPE A program for girls ages 13-16 with behavioral and emotional issues. LIGHTHOUSE RANCH for BOYS Healing broken and hurting lives of teen boys.