Prayers for Your Adult Children: A Thirty-Day Devotional

By Lisa Hodgins

Our families need prayer now more than ever. The US Census Bureau has determined that one-third of American millennials (ages 1834) still live with their parents. Almost daily we are hearing reports on the news about the rise in drug use. Are you worried about the life choices your adult children are making? Are you helping or enabling your children? Do you question if Gods at work in their lives when you dont see your prayers being answered?

This thirty-day devotional will help you learn to draw strength from God one day at a time. With over two hundred scriptural references, you are guided to rethink your approach to helping your adult children. By seeking Gods guidance, meditating on his promises, and having an open heart and open ears, let God give you direction in your relationship with your children. Each daily devotional covers a relevant topic, provides correlating scriptures, includes a sample prayer, and a Meditation Moment section. Then reflect on what you read, record in the Meditation Moment section what God is prompting you about, and pray how you can apply what you learned. God loves your children more than you do. Let him help you develop stronger, healthier relationships. We cant change them, but God can! Be encouraged as you use this thirty-day devotional tool to help you grow in your faith and inspire you with new ways to improve your relationship with your adult children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512798418

Lisa Hodgins

Lisa y su esposo, Jim, son muy parecidos al Brady Bunch, mezclando dos familias con seis hijos. Sin ser ajena a la tragedia y los desafíos, Lisa aprendió a sacar su fuerza de Dios y confiar en las promesas de su Palabra. Lisa es miembro orgullosa del Space Coast Writers Guild y del equipo de redacción de devocionales diarios de Calvary Chapel Melbourne. Además, Lisa y su esposo están involucrados en varios ministerios en su iglesia. Lisa reside en Florida y disfruta pasar tiempo con su familia y sus ocho nietos, viajar, hornear y ser voluntaria en su iglesia y en la comunidad.

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Copyright © 2017 Lisa Hodgins.

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Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9840-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9841-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017911917

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/15/2017

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 CHOICES

Chapter 2 COMFORT

Chapter 3 COPING

Chapter 4 DISTANCE

Chapter 5 EMOTIONS

Chapter 6 ENCOURAGEMENT

Chapter 7 EXAMPLES

Chapter 8 EXPECTATIONS

Chapter 9 FEAR

Chapter 10 FINDING JOY

Chapter 11 FINDING REST

Chapter 12 FORGIVENESS

Chapter 13 GRACE

Chapter 14 GUIDANCE

Chapter 15 GUILT

Chapter 16 HOPE

Chapter 17 HURTS

Chapter 18 JUDGING

Chapter 19 KINDNESS

Chapter 20 LETTING GO

Chapter 21 LISTENING

Chapter 22 LOSS OF A CHILD

Chapter 23 PATIENCE

Chapter 24 PEACE

Chapter 25 PROTECTION

Chapter 26 SELF-CONTROL

Chapter 27 STORMS

Chapter 28 TRUST

Chapter 29 WAITING

Chapter 30 WISDOM

BECOMING A CHRIST FOLLOWER

INSPIRATIONAL BIBLE VERSES

PRAYER TIPS

PRAYERS FOR OUR CHILDREN

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

The illusion is that when you have a child you will love them, raise them right, and after high school they will go to college, get a job, live independently, and get married. You can then enjoy your life surrounded by a wonderfully-large family of kids, spouses and grandchildren without any more worries.

The reality is that we live in a fallen, sinful world. There may be many happy, memorable times parents of adult children experience while watching their children live out their lives. However, too many parents experience difficult and painful times as they watch their children make bad choices with devastating consequences.

We are not perfect people. We are not immune to making bad choices. We struggle with our own choices and the consequences of those choices every day. Our children will do the same. It is human nature. With each generation, we are seeing our society getting further and further away from God and his values. From early childhood, our children are bombarded with worldly things and Satan’s schemes to draw them away from God.

Is there hope? YES! Can their lives be changed? YES! But not by you; that’s God’s job! Change can come about and God can use you, if you are willing. How does God use us to reach our adult children who don’t know God or who have strayed from their godly upbringing? He uses us primarily through prayer and by our own godly example of living and loving. While that sounds very simplified, it’s a life-long practice with eternal rewards. (Isaiah 40:31; NLT) reads …but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. Never underestimate the power of God and his ability to reach the lost.

What if we made lots of mistakes raising our kids, or we weren’t living for God at the time we raised them? What about those times we were not being a godly example? It doesn’t matter. God knows this and still has a plan for them. God wants to provide our kids with even more blessings than we could imagine or ever wish for them. Our God can restore broken hearts, broken relationships and even broken dreams. Our God can heal our hurts as well as theirs. (Revelation 21:5; NLT) states, He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Our God can make all things new.

You will find at the bottom of each page a Mediation Moments section. Don’t just read the page and walk away. Ask God to show you what he wants you to learn from each lesson. This section is where you record what specifically