1 00:00:02,660 --> 00:00:18,700 Speaker 1: Life Audio. You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 2 00:00:18,739 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 3 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:24,829 Speaker 1: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 4 00:00:24,910 --> 00:00:27,870 Speaker 1: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 5 00:00:27,990 --> 00:00:30,950 Speaker 1: and best response in parenting. And every day we come 6 00:00:30,990 --> 00:00:33,690 Speaker 1: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 7 00:00:34,229 --> 00:00:36,409 Speaker 1: This fall, we are praying through the nine fruit of 8 00:00:36,470 --> 00:00:40,110 Speaker 1: the spirit in nine weeks and we have reached the end. 9 00:00:40,470 --> 00:00:42,350 Speaker 1: This is the last week of the fruit of the 10 00:00:42,390 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: spirit series here on the podcast. And this week's prayer 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:50,379 Speaker 1: focused is self-control. Save the best for last, right? It's 12 00:00:50,420 --> 00:00:52,820 Speaker 1: something that we all struggle with and we see our 13 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,260 Speaker 1: children struggle with it as well. So I'm so glad 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,779 Speaker 1: we're going to spend some time praying through it this week. 15 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: Today's devotion is written and read by Tara L. 16 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: Cole. 17 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: She's the author of Everyday Prayers for the School Year, 18 00:01:03,380 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: which is our book club pick for the fall. In 19 00:01:05,740 --> 00:01:08,980 Speaker 1: today's episode, Tara shares a prayer for our children to 20 00:01:09,030 --> 00:01:12,929 Speaker 1: show self-control. To learn more about Tara, our ministry, or 21 00:01:12,950 --> 00:01:17,430 Speaker 1: to grab a copy of this book, visit MillionPrayMoms.com. After 22 00:01:17,490 --> 00:01:19,650 Speaker 1: a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together for 23 00:01:19,709 --> 00:01:20,170 Speaker 1: our children. 24 00:01:25,250 --> 00:01:29,850 Speaker 2: Titus 2, 11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, 25 00:01:29,990 --> 00:01:34,170 Speaker 2: bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness 26 00:01:34,230 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 2: and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly 27 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,860 Speaker 2: lives in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope, 28 00:01:42,060 --> 00:01:44,620 Speaker 2: the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, 29 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us 30 00:01:47,980 --> 00:01:51,610 Speaker 2: from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people 31 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,770 Speaker 2: for His own possession who are zealous for good works. 32 00:01:56,020 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 2: I stood in front of my bedroom mirror and cringed 33 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,300 Speaker 2: as I stared at my new haircut. Rather than featuring 34 00:02:01,340 --> 00:02:04,050 Speaker 2: the wavy layers of Rachel from Friends, I looked like 35 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,230 Speaker 2: a poodle with short layers that poofed out every which way. 36 00:02:07,250 --> 00:02:10,770 Speaker 2: I dreaded walking into my ninth grade class the next day. 37 00:02:10,790 --> 00:02:13,790 Speaker 2: I imagined the gawks and giggles from the other girls 38 00:02:14,110 --> 00:02:15,870 Speaker 2: whose hair looked like they could be on the cover 39 00:02:15,910 --> 00:02:18,690 Speaker 2: of Glamour magazine. I grabbed at the ends of my 40 00:02:18,730 --> 00:02:21,269 Speaker 2: hair and wrenched the hairbrush through the mess, trying to 41 00:02:21,310 --> 00:02:25,329 Speaker 2: make the layers softer or less voluminous, but they only grew. 42 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: Now I looked like a poodle who stuck its paw 43 00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 2: in the light socket. In frustration, I chucked my hairbrush 44 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,899 Speaker 2: across the room and heard it snap. As I picked 45 00:02:33,940 --> 00:02:36,740 Speaker 2: up the pieces on my favorite brush, tears filled my eyes. 46 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,260 Speaker 2: Now I not only had a Halloween-worthy haircut, but I 47 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:43,060 Speaker 2: had no way to tame it. This was just one 48 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,850 Speaker 2: of many times when my anger quickly boiled to the surface, 49 00:02:46,290 --> 00:02:48,810 Speaker 2: causing me to say or do things I regretted later. 50 00:02:49,450 --> 00:02:53,050 Speaker 2: Growing up, I struggled a lot with self-control. All the 51 00:02:53,110 --> 00:02:55,650 Speaker 2: fruits of the Spirit are hard without the Spirit's help. 52 00:02:56,139 --> 00:02:58,980 Speaker 2: but love and self-control bookend the list for a reason. 53 00:02:59,419 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 2: See Galatians 5, 22-23. As 1 Corinthians 13 tells us, 54 00:03:04,860 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 2: without love the other fruits mean nothing, but as we 55 00:03:07,930 --> 00:03:11,369 Speaker 2: grow in the others, we are growing in self-control. All 56 00:03:11,410 --> 00:03:14,590 Speaker 2: the others boil down to laying aside ourselves for someone else, 57 00:03:15,210 --> 00:03:18,410 Speaker 2: learning to let go of selfishness, and concerning ourselves with 58 00:03:18,430 --> 00:03:20,970 Speaker 2: the interests of others. See Philippians 2, 3-4. One of 59 00:03:21,010 --> 00:03:26,430 Speaker 2: my friends puts it this way, Self-control is wielding and 60 00:03:26,510 --> 00:03:30,389 Speaker 2: yielding our power well. We see this type of self-control 61 00:03:30,430 --> 00:03:34,220 Speaker 2: from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Judas comes 62 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,900 Speaker 2: and kisses Jesus, Peter takes his sword and cuts off 63 00:03:36,940 --> 00:03:38,660 Speaker 2: the ear of a servant of the high priest who 64 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 2: has come to arrest Jesus. Instead of taking up the fight, 65 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,020 Speaker 2: Jesus immediately rebukes Peter saying, Put your sword back in 66 00:03:46,060 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: its place. Do you think that I cannot appeal to 67 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: my father and he will at once send me more 68 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:54,290 Speaker 2: than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the 69 00:03:54,350 --> 00:03:58,970 Speaker 2: scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so? Matthew 26, 70 00:03:58,950 --> 00:04:03,130 Speaker 2: 52-54 Then Jesus reaches out and heals the servant ear. 71 00:04:03,690 --> 00:04:07,690 Speaker 2: See Luke 22, 51 Hearing the word twelve legions of 72 00:04:07,790 --> 00:04:10,330 Speaker 2: angels may not mean that much to us today, but 73 00:04:10,350 --> 00:04:15,070 Speaker 2: that is 72,000 angels. They could have easily set Jesus 74 00:04:15,130 --> 00:04:17,940 Speaker 2: free and even overcome the Roman Empire as the Jews 75 00:04:18,020 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 2: hoped he would. But instead, Christ is self-controlled. He yields 76 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: His power and lays aside His feelings to lay down 77 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,220 Speaker 2: this life so that we can be saved. I wish 78 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:30,740 Speaker 2: I could tell you that as you teach your children self-control, 79 00:04:30,820 --> 00:04:33,540 Speaker 2: they will learn overnight. I wish I could tell you 80 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,659 Speaker 2: that you will see instant answers as you pray the 81 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:39,060 Speaker 2: prayers in this journal. You might, but again you might not. 82 00:04:39,730 --> 00:04:41,610 Speaker 2: What I do know is that as we point our 83 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,830 Speaker 2: kids to Jesus, the One who is for them, made 84 00:04:44,870 --> 00:04:47,310 Speaker 2: them with a purpose, and grows them through His Spirit, 85 00:04:47,810 --> 00:04:49,830 Speaker 2: we will begin to see the fruit of that labor 86 00:04:49,930 --> 00:04:53,250 Speaker 2: over years and decades. Self-control is one of the most 87 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,020 Speaker 2: visible fruits of the Spirit, but it begins to be 88 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,500 Speaker 2: seen as the others are grown. Unlike my strawberries that 89 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,239 Speaker 2: produced fruit the first year, self-control is like my apple tree, 90 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,620 Speaker 2: taking years of care and unseen growth before offering up 91 00:05:06,660 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 2: a harvest. It is a slow process. Keep pressing on, 92 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,300 Speaker 2: dear Mama, as we pray, and due season we will 93 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,659 Speaker 2: reap if we do not give up. Galatians 6, 9 94 00:05:18,660 --> 00:05:22,620 Speaker 2: Let's pray. May our children turn away from ungodliness and 95 00:05:22,660 --> 00:05:25,500 Speaker 2: live a self-controlled and godly life as a way and 96 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 2: hope for Jesus' return. 97 00:05:28,140 --> 00:05:30,220 Speaker 1: As part of our Fruit of the Spirit prayers and 98 00:05:30,300 --> 00:05:33,989 Speaker 1: everyday prayers for the school year book club, Tara Cole 99 00:05:34,110 --> 00:05:37,610 Speaker 1: and I created a free car conversations guide for your 100 00:05:37,670 --> 00:05:41,030 Speaker 1: family to use this fall. The car is sometimes the 101 00:05:41,230 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: best place for our most precious conversations with our kids. 102 00:05:46,020 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: As we are praying through the fruit of the Spirit, 103 00:05:48,460 --> 00:05:51,820 Speaker 1: our hope is that you can have meaningful conversations with 104 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: your kids about what living out these fruit looks like 105 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,469 Speaker 1: in their daily lives. Tara and I created a series 106 00:05:58,529 --> 00:06:00,929 Speaker 1: of quick questions. She wrote some for the older kids. 107 00:06:01,150 --> 00:06:03,430 Speaker 1: I wrote some for younger kids. And we share a 108 00:06:03,470 --> 00:06:06,530 Speaker 1: prayer that you can share with your children about each 109 00:06:06,630 --> 00:06:09,890 Speaker 1: of the fruit of the Spirit. Download your copy for 110 00:06:09,950 --> 00:06:12,500 Speaker 1: free on our website or the link in our show notes. 111 00:06:13,220 --> 00:06:17,220 Speaker 1: Until next time, friends. The Lord bless you and keep you. 112 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,170 Speaker 1: Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 113 00:06:21,890 --> 00:06:24,710 Speaker 1: May the Lord look with favor on you and give 114 00:06:24,750 --> 00:06:25,010 Speaker 1: you peace.