prayer – Page 12 – Dobra Family Ministry

Household Prayer: work

Brothers, today I’m praying that God would establish the work of our hands. Wether our vocation, day job, the work in the home, or the work of educating and instructing our children. Whatever we do, may we “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Colossians 3:23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/col.3.23.ESV

Creation mandate, cultural mandate, or dominion mandate: Genesis 1:26-28

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.2.15.ESV

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:12-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/ecc.3.12-13.ESV

“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:5-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.29.5-6.ESV

““Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:45-46‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.24.45-46.ESV

“Entwined in our natures as image-bearers of God, we have an integrated directive as vice-regents over God’s creation… God created the heavens and the earth and granted humans the privilege of work to order those raw materials and subsequent derivatives in a way that glorifies and honors him (1 Corinthians 10:31). We were not meant to sit idly and waste time, space, or resources. God intended for us to work and manage the assets he created—and it glorifies him when we do it well…
Creation Mandate: Why we work, how God’s labor directive permeates human culture, and the implications in your own life
https://answersingenesis.org/genesis/creation-mandate /

Household Prayer: eternal focus

Brothers, today I’m praying that we would be living for eternity and that our children would come to know that they are eternal souls. I pray that we can represent God and His eternal Kingdom well and that they would be more esteemed than the things of this temporary world.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
Mark‬ ‭8:34-38‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/mrk.8.34-38.ESV

“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
Psalm 34:11 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/psa.34.11.esv

Fear God

“He is an awesome God. He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He makes mountains smoke (Psalm 104:32). He makes the waters divide. He created man from the dust. He gives life and breath to every living thing. And He has condescended to speak to us. If we do not fear God, then we cannot raise a generation to fear Him.”
Strong and Courageous: following Jesus amid the rise of America’s new religion https://press.founders.org/shop/strong-and-courageous/

Household prayer: providence and the work of our hands

Brothers, I’m praying our children will see God’s hand, His work and His power, in history. And I pray they will see their part in His story. Bless the work of our hands, Lord, to educate and instruct our children in the knowledge of God!

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Psalm‬ ‭90:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.90.16-17.ESV

“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
‭Psalm‬ ‭95:3-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.95.3-6.ESV

Household Prayer: image bearers on earth

This week I just want to share the prayer I shared at the foundations/essentials parents meeting.

“And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”” Matthew 22:20-21 ESV

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 ESV

“but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”” Matthew 19:14 ESV

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 ESV

Heavenly Father, thank you that we are yours, that we have your likeness and image upon us. Thank you that our children bear your image, your inscription.

And thank you Lord that if we place our faith and trust in your Son we are forgiven and sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit lead us in your truth. Help us with our faith and obedience as we seek to do your will here on earth as it is in heaven.

Heavenly Father bless our community, help us live in obedience and display love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control.

Help us as we instruct and educate our children to know you, and help us equip our children to make you known in this world. Thank you, Lord, that our children belong to you.

For your glory God because you first loved us. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray – Amen

“Some things – educating the young, caring for the old or ill – might be just too precious to leave to the care of impersonal institutions. Other things might be just too risky to fully outsource – things like food security and sources of income are moving closer to home…

exercising dominion, as in the dominion the first household was given, and as Tom Bombadil, in The Lord of the Rings, lives it out in Middle Earth. Now, I know what you’re thinking – domination is bad. But the word dominion shares a common root with the Latin word for home, domus, from which we get the word domesticity. Tom Bombadil’s dominion is not over other people but over his own home domain.”
“Households Are Back” By C. R. Wiley https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/work/households-are-back

Household Prayer: hopefully optimistic!

Hopefully optimistic!

Brothers, I pray for an attitude that is hopefully optimistic. I pray we can be hopefully optimistic as we are doing the hard work of building Godly households and raising the next generation in the instruction and admonition of the Lord. No matter what the spiritual condition of the culture around us, we are praying and working in faith and obedience to bring God’s will to earth as it is in heaven. Carrying out our ambassador and witness responsibilities. Not because we have to, but because we get to thanks to the mercy and grace of our savior!

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.9-13.ESV

“The more we make reading the Bible a part of our daily routine, the more we desire and appreciate it:”
buff.ly/3zP2tCR
“Daniel obeyed God’s laws, not the pagan laws. And through Daniel’s love, faith, and obedience to God, he thrived in an ungodly land.”

“Those who stand steadfastly on the historic principles of the Christian faith will eventually be called extremists by the ones blown about by the winds of cultural change”
https://founders.org/2021/07/22/pleasing-christ-in-uncertain-days/

“… if the Bible calls it a sin, it’s a sin. Don’t try to nuance the Bible into oblivion. Open the Book and let it speak! Be so fanatical that you take this Book for what it says and how it says it. Be a Bible man or Bible woman. It’s okay to be a weird young earther. Moses was. Paul was. Jesus is. I’m content siding with them. If it’s the “simple-minded” who’re willing to believe what the Bible says, count me among them. I’ll make my home with the pig farmers over the professors. Count me among the cultural exiles rather than the capitulating elites…

The foulest sinner in your town or in your home or God forbid, on your deacon board, is no match for the power of God in the gospel. Preach the gospel to the self-righteous, the down and out, the poor, the rich, the affluent, and the illiterate. And trust that it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. No breathing sinner is beyond the reach of God. So, be a gospel radical…

2 Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that we won’t stand before earthly kings or presidents or networks one day. No. It will be the King of kings Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ. Will we be found faithful? Will we be found loyal? …

Your aim is to please Christ. Your goal, your desire, your ambition is to please the King for the glory of His Name. Carry that motto to the guillotine.”

Pleasing Christ in Uncertain Days https://founders.org/2021/07/22/pleasing-christ-in-uncertain-days/

**“Righteousness means a person wants what is right according to the Word of God:”**
buff.ly/2TJuFaS
“The Bible tells us, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). A righteous person is a person who is in right standing with God. A righteous person has a personal relationship with Jesus as his or her Savior. A righteous person seeks to obey God and yield to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness means a person wants what is right according to the Word of God—he or she wants to see God’s Truth and God’s will established on this earth.”

Household Prayer: fruit of the spirit

Hey brothers, hoping and praying you are well. It’s been tough getting the school discipline fired back up. I admittedly didn’t exhibit the fruit of the spirit well this week, so I’m praying for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Praying to keep the focus on knowing God and making Him known in the instruction of our children, equipping them to hold firm in the faith as they become His ambassadors and witness in the world. I pray for each of you as well. For His glory!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.5.22-23.ESV

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
John 15:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.15.8.ESV

https://www.ltw.org/read/my-devotional/2021/08/give-god-credit

Household Prayer – 3/30/2021

“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.””
‭Genesis‬ ‭18:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/59/gen.18.19.esv

Brothers, today I’m praying for our households. Praying that we would be set apart and dependent on the Lord in community with our church, including our CC community.

The link below is a video reviewing the diary of a young man and his household from the 1800s with a lesson for us as men today. I find it fascinating and inspiring. My personal family vision is to leave a Godly legacy. Working that out over the last 16 years has evolved into the practical theology of building a Godly household. I’ve spent the last 2-3 years considering what a Godly household is from Scripture. Some thoughts on it are to be “set apart” (holy, set apart for God) and “dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). To be builders and producers. To be fruitful, fill the earth, and take dominion (Gen. 1:28; Gen. 2:15; Gen. 14:4; Gen. 18:19; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Matt. 28:18-20). I have a long way to go. I hope the video is encouraging to you as well.

Household: (Hebrew: bayit) family, estate, dynasty, armory, clan, strong fortress.

Economy: Latin from the Greek oikonomia, oikos: household, nemein: manage, or household management.

youtu.be/AeJYrkxY74s

Reform the Church and ReEnchant the World with God’s Truth and Grace!

Enchant (latin: encantio): to speak meaning into.

If the church is not reenchanting this fallen world with God’s truth and grace, then it is being disenchanted with the lies of Satan!

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
– Romans 10:14-15

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace.

Why are we here (in this sin fallen world)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20

Why are we here (on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To love the captive soul and to preach the good news!
Romans 10:14-15

What message are we sharing and bearing witness to?
There is a God that created the heavens and the earth.
We humans are created in His image.
We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, and justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation.
But God is merciful and loving.
Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place.
Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation.
We need only confess our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and repent and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after!
Romans 3:10-18, 23
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
John 3:16-21
Ephesians 2:1-10

Leviticus 18:21; Matt. 5:17-19; Acts 2:37-41

HouseHold Prayer 2/18/21

If we have assumed… that our children learned what they needed to know simply by ecclesial and cultural osmosis, let us be clear that we may hold this assumption no longer. Now is not the time to play down our doctrine of mankind; now is the time to teach it with confidence and with joy, seeking to be witnesses to fellow sinners and guides to all God’s flock.
“Reenchanting Humanity: a theology of mankind” by Owen Strachan

Brothers, I was reading in Numbers 14, “And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.” Numbers‬ ‭14:31, 33‬.

I feel the time is short. I don’t want my children to suffer because of my faithlessness to prepare them. I want to walk with my children out into the ministry to be a witness, to go and make disciples, and to be an ambassador for our King and His Kingdom in this foreign land! To instruct and disciple them to stand firm in the faith, being bold with God’s truth and grace, even in a culture of growing hostility.

Pray for the motivation and energy to make discipleship a priority in our lives and in our homes. To lead by example. Pray that we would not be distracted by lessor things.

Read Numbers 14.

I’ll share opportunities for public witness and discipleship during the current 40 Days for Life campaign when the temps warm up a bit. I know making it out during the work day with your family is hard, but it is the best time to be a witness when Planned Parenthood is open, and it opens amazing discipleship opportunities with your children. Take a long lunch if you can. (Just encouraging in love, no condemnation if you can’t make it out! Find other opportunities.)

“We have raised a generation on youth group skits and entertainment, failing to prepare them for the cost and battle of public witness to Christ… ‘Do not try to hide your children from the world forever, but do not try to pretend there is no danger. Train them. Give them sharp eyes and bellies full of laughter. Make them dangerous. Make them yeast, and when they’ve grown, they will pollute the shadows.’”
– Strong and Courageous: Following Jesus Amid the Rise of America’s New Religion https://press.founders.org/shop/strong-and-courageous/

“We have to change our church philosophy from telling to training… ‘Jesus had twelve men with whom he traveled and lived for three years, and even they did not understand nor act on all He taught them. Jesus knew that disciples are best made by life on life interaction, living transparently, watching and observing, along with extensive times of question and answer. And we must do the same. His last words were to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” We have to stop emphasizing an “attractional” model and adopt a training and sending model of church philosophy’… Discipleship is not just what you know; it is a lifestyle lived.”
— The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer https://a.co/3ezHHzp

We have been told that we people are the chance result of impersonal chaos working its dark magic on the universe… The outcome of such thinking? Humanity is disenchanted…

But this is not the biblical account of man… God, the beautiful one, made the human race as his capstone work, his corporeal masterpiece (Ps 8:3-6; 27:4) … The imago dei marks out humanity as an enchanted race. Tragically, humanity disenchanted itself by following the anti-wisdom of the serpent…

If we have assumed… that our children learned what they needed to know simply by ecclesial and cultural osmosis, let us be clear that we may hold this assumption no longer. Now is not the time to play down our doctrine of mankind; now is the time to teach it with confidence and with joy, seeking to be witnesses to fellow sinners and guides to all God’s flock.
“Reenchanting Humanity: a theology of mankind” by Owen Strachan

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace.

Why are we here (in this sin fallen world)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20

Why are we here (on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To love the captive soul and to preach the good news!
Romans 10:14-15

Leviticus 18:21; Matt. 5:17-19; Acts 2:37-41

Household Prayer 2/11/2021

“The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in modern English”
Founder Press

Brothers, today my heart is on community. What a grace of God is the community of the “visible saints” as they meet together in churches for worship, and what a grace of God is our community of households coming together to love and support one another in a common mission under God to educate and bring up our children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” A holy, set apart, loving and caring witness to the Kingdom of God.

Pray for our community. Pray for individual families you know, and pray for a heart to love and serve them. Pray that we can and will depend on one another in times of celebration, in times of mourning, and in times of trial.

Read John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””
‭John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/jhn.13.34-35.esv

“The Church… All people throughout the world who profess the faith of the gospel and obedience to God through Christ in keeping with the gospel are and may be called visible saints… Those who are called He commands to live together in local societies, or churches, for their mutual edification and the fitting conduct of public worship that He requires of them while they are in the world… saints by calling, visibly displaying and demonstrating in and by their profession and life their obedience to the call of Christ.”
“The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in modern English” Founder Press

“It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed. Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”
— Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace.

Why are we here (in this sin fallen world)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20

Why are we here (on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To love the captive soul and to preach the good news!
Romans 10:14-15

Leviticus 18:21; Matt. 5:17-19; Acts 2:37-41

Prayer walk – March for Life Resources 1/29/2021

“The right to life is a good example of what legal historians refer to as an objective right: it is objective in the sense that it exists outside ourselves and is unalienable… The right to life imposes obligations: you must do everything in your power to preserve it.
#SlayingLeviathan https://canonpress.com/products/slaying-leviathan/

Friday January 29, 2021 from 12:00 to 12:30.

Planned Parenthood 2709 N Knoxville Ave, corner of Knoxville and Hanssler Place.

If you want to walk, meet at the Dobra’s. We start walking at 11:55. It’s four blocks to the planned parenthood.

Backup up plan in case of bad weather: meet at the Dobra’s and we will pray together.

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace. Also a good time for family instruction and discipleship!

WATCH THE MARCH FOR LIFE LIVE

Friday, January 29, 2021 LIVE 12 p.m. ET

Watch the March for Life Rally and LIVE coverage of the March for Life beginning at 12 p.m. ET. The Rally will include inspiring speeches from pro-life leaders, information on how to stay involved in the pro-life movement all year long, and a performance by Christian singer and songwriter Matthew West. After the Rally, join us for LIVE coverage of the March for Life, as a small group of pro-life leaders march in representation of pro-life Americans across the country. https://marchforlife.org/2021-virtual-events/

Family Research Council

FRC’s 16^th annual ProLifeCon will share strategies, resources, and stories of hope to equip you for digital pro-life activism. You will hear from successful pro-life activists and elected officials, as they discuss how they have shared the pro-life message through digital platforms and look ahead to opportunities in the new year.

Tune-in to the broadcast streaming on ProLifeCon.org at 10:00 a.m. EST on Friday, January 29, and on-demand any time thereafter.

Visit ProLifeCon.org to find resources including social media kits, the Top 10 Myths About Abortion, Pro-Life Maps, and more!

40 Days for Life

The March for Life is virtual this year, but you can still take a physical stand for life. You don’t even need to sign up. Just find a prayer partner and stand in peaceful vigil at the 40 Days for Life site nearest you this Friday, January 29.

Find your nearest vigil at 40daysforlife.com/location.
Note: I don’t think there is a local event, but I will be leading prayer walks.

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace.

Why are we here (in this sin fallen world)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20

Why are we here (on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic)?
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace.
To love the captive soul and to preach the good news!
Romans 10:14-15

Leviticus 18:21; Matt. 5:17-19; Acts 2:37-41