Day 6: Let Us Be Filled

Section 1: Prepare Your Heart

LET US BE FILLED

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.
-Colossians 1: 9 NIV

Today's message is via video. 

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on page 15 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education  ebook or pray independently from our focus scripture, Colossians 1:9 NIV. 

Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice as you ask Him to fill you with the overflow of His Holy Spirit.

Day 5: Emptied to be Filled

Section 1: Prepare Your Heart

EMPTIED TO BE FILLED

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

-Matthew 5:3 NKJV

Our focus scripture yesterday enlightened us to the fact that wisdom which comes from above is only obtained through the fear of the Lord.  Since our profession requires that we stay in tune with the latest idea, innovation or research based practice to ensure optimal learning for our students, we plunge (sometimes kicking and screaming) into conferences, PLC's, and degree and certification programs to gain more knowledge. 

If we confuse the aquisition of knowledge with having Godly wisdom, it can lead us down the path where we will begin to lean on our own understanding trusting in what we know versus what God wants us to do. To truly be effective, we have to come to Him as an empty vessel, ready and willing to be led however, wherever, and to whomever His Spirit leads us.  

So, before we begin our school year, before we set up our classrooms and plan our lessons, before we begin our work weeks, before we begin each and every school day, before we begin teaching each subject and every class, before we hold a meeting, before we call a parent, before we go home for the day, before we walk in our homes after work, before we go to bed at night...let's honor Him by acknowledging that we need to be led and guided by His Holy Spirit in every decision of our lives, whether big or small.  (We don't know it all! - smile)

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on page 13 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, Matthew 5: 3 NKJV. 

Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice as you empty yourself by acknowledging your dependence on Him for everything.

Day 4: The Fear of the Lord

Section 1- Prepare Your Heart

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.   

Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.          

- Proverbs 9:10 NLT

Fear:  "respect, reverence, piety"

Every educator has to go through training in order to be qualified to teach or lead.  We learn through college level classes, the advice of our mentors, and more than often from our mistakes.  It goes without saying that the best teacher is often the best student; one who is always learning and eager to listen.  

However, even with all of the book knowledge and "get knocked down, stand back up" experience we may attain, it will never compare to having the wisdom which comes from above.  This God given wisdom only comes from having "respect, reverence, and piety" for God.  

Our prayer for today is for us as educators to develop and maintain the fear of the Lord. Because we are not only His representatives, but also His change agents, we must be mindful of our words, what we look at and what we listen to.  When this is developed in us we will better be able protect what we allow our in our classrooms and schools which can negatively influence our students and coworkers.

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on page 12 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, Proverbs 9:10 NLT. 

Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice as you ask Him to alter what you say, hear and see to show your respect for His sovereignty and holiness .

Day 3: I Surrender All

Section 1 -Prepare Your Heart

I SURRENDER ALL

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.     - 1Peter 5:6-7 NIV

Dear Heavenly Father,


Today, we want to express our total need for You. As educators, we understand that we cannot
truly make a difference in the physical or spiritual lives of our students unless we surrender our
lives to You first. 

We lift up before You every desire and need that we have for ourselves and the youths in our lives. We acknowledge that what we believe to be a need or a desire may not actually be in Your will. Therefore, we surrender our thoughts and actions to You.
Before You, we lift up our concept of time. We surrender what we consider needs to be fixed now. We surrender what we believe needs to be accomplished now and accept Your infinite, timeless wisdom and trust You to manifest things at Your release and in Your own time.


We surrender all to You in the name of Jesus, who we declare as Lord over every aspect of our lives,


-Amen

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on page 11 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, 1Peter 5:6-7. Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice as you ask Him to reveal those you need to surrender so as not to impede the activation of His will for you this school year.

Day 2: We Agree

 Section 1 -Prepare Your Heart

WE AGREE

 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

Isn't it good to serve such an awesome and loving God?  Over and over in the bible, He shows us evidence of His desire for intimate relationship with mankind, as well as a desire for us to worship Him with others. He created us for relationships and intertwines our lives with countless people like a master weaver to create a beautiful tapestry of life.

Today's prayer focuses on the power of agreement; not just with one another, but the power that comes with being in agreement with Jesus first and foremost.  Our Kingdom assignment as educators links us to many people day after day.  How can we be effective if we don't know His will?  How can we agree if we don't know what we are agreeing about?

Pray with me today "for the finished works of His crucifixion and resurrection to be made manifest in every Kingdom assignment He places before us this school year". Acknowledge His sovereignty and your willingness to be attentive and obedient to His voice. Admit and repent of anything that has hardened your heart to following His ways and receive His forgiveness and guidance.


Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on page 10 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, Matthew 18:19-20.  Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice as you ask Him to show you how you can continue praying for unity in your school or school system.

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni

Day 1 - Take Out Your Sword

Section 1 -Prepare Your Heart

TAKE OUT YOUR SWORD

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.                                       - Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

Thank you for joining me today on our first day of prayer for education!  It is imperative that the children of God understand that education is one of the primary avenues of attack that satan (And no, I will not capitalize his name.) uses to turn people away from God. His attack on education became evident when prayer was removed from schools, our children were chided for promoting their religion in anyway shape or form and Jesus' name was stricken from school gatherings for fear of offending others.  

Our children are allowed to be inundated with lessons on evolution and atheism from teachers and text books from from the time they begin school until they graduate from college, while the phrase "one nation under God" rapidly loses its meaning.

My dear educator, we are in a war!  We war in the spirit against the enemy's attack on our schools, our students and their families, our curriculum, finances, health and our sanity. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for things to get better.  We can't even try to make things better on our own.  We need the wisdom, protection and favor of the Almighty God!

Therefore, in today's prayer, we will exalt the One and Only, True, and Living God. We will prepare ourselves to stand with God as we repent of our sins and we will use our unified power to declare and decree those things that need to be bound or loosed. 

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on pages 8 and 9 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, Ephesians 6: 10-18.  Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice.  What does He want YOU to do this school year? 

Armor up ladies and gentlemen.  This means war! 

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni

Pool, Prayer... It's All the Same

During our recent family trip to Durham, North Carolina, my girls and I ventured towards the hotel swimming area. The indoor pool was connected to the outdoor pool via a little tunnel for swimmers and a door and sidewalk for those like me.  (I do swim, but with a head full of heavy dreadlocks, I just normally choose to keep my head above water.)
After a day of watching my kids' track and field competition in record breaking heat, this visit to the pool was most welcomed, but I still eyed it warily. As I cautiously tiptoed to the steps entering the indoor pool, my daughters boldly walked over to the edge of the deep end.  When I stuck in my big toe and shuddered, my middle child saw me and yelled, "Grandma said,  'Just jump iiiiiiinnnnnnn!'" SPLASH!   Uh-uh, no way girlfriend. Toe, feet, ankles, and calves for me... I just can't take the shock.

How we as educators choose to prepare for heading back to work for a new school year is much like entering a pool on a hot summer day.  Some start with a flying jump having refused to look at anything educational during the summer while others choose to do the slow submersion technique, a purchase here, a purchase there with a visit in the classroom a few hours every so often to spread out their sanity.  There's so much to do to get ready;  room arranging and rearranging, decorating, planning, and trying not to spend all your money in Wal-Mart or on Teacher-Pay-Teacher.

Hmmm. Where should one start? What's the best technique- jump or one step at a time?

I got it!

Let's jump right in and take a slow, deliberate journey of prayer to get ready (that way everyone is happy)!

Truthfully, as a child of God, prayer should always begin any assignment. (Boy, do educators need to pray!) Our assignment is very special in that its success directly ties into the success of the youth and families of our nation. Our assignment spreads out from the classroom into homes, communities and governments.  It develops self awareness, confidence and ingenuity. Its success matures through the years and harvests its results in every sector of life.

Download here

In order for us to reap these greatest rewards, we need Jesus for He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  So I am asking you to join me for the next forty days in prayer as I post a daily prayer from my book, Forty Days of Prayer for Education.  Together we will pray for every aspect of our assignment and leave no stone uncovered.   Please fill free to subscribe to receive a daily email, visit our page on Facebook, or download the my Google Drive link to access the e-book in a PDF.

Have a great school year.

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni