1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 2: You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, where 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 2: we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for their 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 2: families in the areas they need at most. I'm your host, 5 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 2: Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped thousands of 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 2: moms make prayer a priority for their families. Our mission 7 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 2: is to help you do the same. Prayer is not 8 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 2: a last resort. It's our first and best response to 9 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: the challenges of parenting, a partnership for the hearts of 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 2: our children that God invites us into. Today's devotion is 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 2: written by Shelley Tomlinson, author of the new book Don't 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 2: Try to Pray Like Her. To learn more about Shelley, 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 2: or to learn more about how you can get involved 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: in the ministry of Million Praying Moms, visit today's show 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 2: notes or Millionprayingmoms dot Com. After a quick word from 16 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 2: our sponsors, we'll pray together for our children. 17 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: Matthew four four. But he answered and said, it is 18 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: written man shall not live on bread alone, but on 19 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,919 Speaker 1: every word that comes out of the mouth of God. 20 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: It was a beautiful Louisiana evening, and my family and 21 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: I were spending it in a gym. Nothing new there. 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: There was a time when my husband and I spent 23 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: a great deal of time in basketball gyms with our children, 24 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: both as their coaches and as their proudest supporters. Now 25 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: we're back riding the pine and cheering for the next generation, 26 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: and we are so here for it. We're a highly competitive, 27 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: sports loving bunch who loved nothing more than rooting for 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: our people. On this particular day, our older grand girls 29 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: were playing volleyball. The opponents were tough, the score was tight, 30 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: and tension was building. Meanwhile, their baby sister and our 31 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: youngest grandchild, five year old Kennedy Lee, was sitting in 32 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: the bleachers with us, and she was facing her own 33 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: mounting challenge. Kennedy's mamma was enforcing the you must eat 34 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: your food before you can have any candy from the 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: concession stand roll blessed Kenny Frenny, as she is known 36 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: in our circle of family and friends, due to her 37 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: gregarious personality, gets very little candy. As a general rule, 38 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: we're mostly sugar free advocates, so the prospect of forfeiting 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: a rare chance for sweets was weighing hard on her. 40 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: Kenny looked at her Pops and I to intervene, but 41 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: we were towing the parental line. In the end, Kenny 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: obeyed her parents and ate her dinner, but that candy 43 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: was her obvious motivation. Here's a hard truth we all 44 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: need to hear. Sometimes we believers can approach scripture in 45 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: much the same way. We'll take in a daily dose 46 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: of God's word like its medicine we know to be 47 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: good for us. Then we hurry to the next thing 48 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: on our schedule, expecting the blessing for participating, when that 49 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: haste does nothing to deepen our relationship with God, and 50 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: it literally robs us of the value we're meant to 51 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: get from his daily bread. Science tells us that our 52 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: health suffers when we rush through our meals. This is 53 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: why we're taught to slow down and chew our food 54 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: thoroughly to get the nutritional benefits. Dining on the bread 55 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: of Heaven needs similar attention. We can eat from the 56 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: bread of life without ever building the habit of meditating, 57 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: digesting if you will, what we've consumed. We can consume 58 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: sermon after sermon, and we can complete our daily Bible readings. 59 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: But just as physical food can't be assimilated into our 60 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: bodies to become ourselves, our skin, hair, nails, and blood. 61 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: Unless it's digested, God's word does it become a part 62 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: of us, of our minds and souls, and impact the 63 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: way we live. If we merely hear it without meditating 64 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: on it and digest testing it, our souls fail to thrive. 65 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: If we only skim through verses without thoughtful reflection. To 66 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: be nourished by the word of God, we need to 67 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: slow down and meditate on what we're reading. Then, as 68 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: we go through the day, we can ask God to 69 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: help us bring that word back to our minds so 70 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: it can echo in our hearts while we work, play 71 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: and love on our people. Today, less you and I 72 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: determine not to simply take a bite of God's word 73 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: and move to the next thing on our agendas. Let's 74 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: chew on the bread of life, pack it in our hearts, 75 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: and carry it with us. For it's in bringing truth 76 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: back to our hearts, living with it and thinking on 77 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: it that the word becomes a part of us, transforming 78 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: us and the way we live. Oh and here's a 79 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: bonus for those of us who meet ourselves coming and going, 80 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: whose days look more like a three ring circus. Practicing 81 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 1: good spiritual eating is the type of heavenly nourishment that 82 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: helps us jugglers juggle. HI call that o w n ween. 83 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: Let's pray, Heavenly Father, forgive me for all the times 84 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: I snacked on your word like it's just another part 85 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: of the food pyramid. Instead of acknowledging that your words 86 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: are lives. Remind me that I'm not eating the bread 87 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: of life as a service for you. I'm reading it 88 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: so I can know you better and love you more. 89 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. 90 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 2: Are you a visual learner? Would you like to receive 91 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 2: our daily devotions and written form Write to your inbox 92 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 2: then join our Patreon community of Praying Moms. Not only 93 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: will you receive the transcripts of each podcast devotional, you 94 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 2: will also receive a monthly prayer calendar and surprise bonus content. 95 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 2: Learn more about our Praying mom community in today's show 96 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 2: notes or at million Prayingmoms dot com. Till next time, friends, 97 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 2: the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face 98 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 2: shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the 99 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 2: Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.