1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Life Audio. You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 2 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: where we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: their families in the areas they need at most. I'm 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: your host, Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: thousands of moms make prayer a priority for their families. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: Our mission is to help you do the same. Prayer 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: is not a last resort. It's our first and best 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: response to the challenges of parenting. A partnership for the 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: hearts of our children that God invites us into. Today's 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: devotion is written by me, written originally for Everyday Prayers podcast. 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: To learn more about Million Praying Moms, visit today's show 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: notes or Millionprayingmoms dot com. After a quick word from 13 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray together for our children, a prayer 14 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: for the new year Hebrews tenh nineteen through twenty five. Therefore, Brothers, 15 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 1: since we have confidence to enter the holy places by 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way 17 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: that He opened up for us through the curtain, that 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,199 Speaker 1: is through his flesh, and since we have a great 19 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: priest over the House of God, let us draw near 20 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, with 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our 22 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the 23 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised 24 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,960 Speaker 1: is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up 25 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: one another to love and good works, not neglecting to 26 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging 27 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: one another. And all the more, as you see the 28 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: day drawing near, this is a season of new in 29 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: my life. Not only a new year, but we've just 30 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: welcomed a new baby to our family. Everything is changed. 31 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: One of my favorite characteristics about God is that he 32 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: is unchanging. He is steady, He's immovable. I find a 33 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: lot of comfort in that. Another one of my favorite 34 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: characteristics about God is that He's always doing something new. 35 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 1: In Isaiah forty three nineteen, God says, see, I am 36 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you 37 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: not perceive it? I am making a way in the 38 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: wilderness and streams in the wasteland. These can seem like 39 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: two characteristics about God that don't necessarily go together at all. 40 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: How can he be unchanging, unmoving yet also a God 41 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: who is doing something new. I think we're invited to 42 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: not see it as one or the other, but instead 43 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: as a both. And God's ways are higher than our own, 44 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: and his thoughts are higher than our. His abilities and 45 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: capabilities are far above us. And that's what makes him God, 46 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: what makes him divine or other than us. He can 47 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: be both unchanging and unmoving while also working something new. 48 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: It's remarkable. In our key passage today, the author of 49 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: Hebrews writes that there is a new and living way 50 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: that has been opened up to us by the blood 51 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: of Jesus, the opening up of his flesh the curtain. 52 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: The writer encourages us that because this new way has 53 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: been opened up, we can draw near to God with 54 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: the true heart. In verse twenty two, we have full 55 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: assurance of our faith. We can have our hearts sprinkled 56 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: clean and our bodies washed with pure water. We can 57 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: hold fast to hope without wavering, and we can be 58 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: assured that He who promised us is faithful. What an 59 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: incredible list of truths that we are given as a 60 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: result of this new and living way Jesus has given us. 61 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: This something new reminds us of God's unchanging nature in 62 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: his steadiness. This new way offers us assurance, steadfast hope, 63 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: and confidence in who God is and how He is 64 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: at work in our lives. The passage concludes with the 65 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: challenge in verse twenty four and twenty five. They say this, 66 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: let us consider how to stir up one another to 67 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as 68 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and 69 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: all the more as you see the day drawing near. 70 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: We read these verses and we often think about it 71 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: in the context of the church or the Body of Christ. 72 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: But as I read it today, I am thinking about 73 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: it in the cond text to family. In our families, 74 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 1: how are we stirring one another to love and good works? 75 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: How are we not neglecting to meet together and offering 76 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: more and more encouragement to one another? How are we 77 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: encouraging our children, stirring them along to love and good works? 78 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: And this hits me different with a newborn right where 79 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: I'm sleep deprived and tired, and things may not be 80 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: going exactly the way that I want them to go, 81 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: and I'm having to be flexible. How am I encouraging 82 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 1: my family even now in this new year. How can 83 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: we make this a priority for our families. What it 84 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,479 Speaker 1: looks like for my family may be different from what 85 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: it looks like in your family. But God wants us 86 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: to live in to this new and living way that 87 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: he has given us through his son Jesus. Let's pray together, Father, 88 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: help us to embrace the new that you want to 89 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: work in us. Help us to not neglect meeting together, 90 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: but to encourage one another in love and good works, 91 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: stirring each other along. Help us to do this even 92 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: when things are hard, and even when it takes extra 93 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: time and extra energy. We want to honor you with 94 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: our words and actions. Help us to believe that you 95 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: are both steadfast and sure, immovable, unshakeable, but ready to 96 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: do something new in our lives. Help us to be 97 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: open to it in Jesus name. Amen, friends, We have 98 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: completely revamped our Patreon tears. Now with a ten dollars 99 00:06:54,720 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: monthly donation, you automatically receive our favorite monthly downloadable prayer 100 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: calendar of curated scripture inspired prayers that complement the devotions 101 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: and prayers from the podcast. You also receive each day's 102 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: devotion and prayer in written form, including reflection questions to 103 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: accompany your quiet time. Many of our members enjoy having 104 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 1: the ability to read the day's devotion or to save 105 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: the prayer for future use. Lastly, when you become a 106 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: Praying Mom, you're invited to a monthly mom chat with 107 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: me and surprise guests from our other Million Praying Mom authors. 108 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: You can learn more in today's show notes or at 109 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: Millionprayingmoms dot com. Until next time, friends, the Lord bless 110 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: you and keep you. May His face shine upon you 111 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: and be gracious to you. May the Lord look with 112 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: favor on you and give you peace.