God's Plans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7vsjQo2NYY&list=RDI7vsjQo2NYY&start_radio=1&t=0

You’ve Always Been ~ Unspoken

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in  the  thing for which I sent it. ~ Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

I popped onto Facebook and saw a teacher’s prayer request that she’d be receptive to what God wanted to teach her students, this year. It touched my heart to pray for her. It also reminded me that we all need to be hungry for God to lead through us, whatever the capacity or circumstance. 

In 2016, when our church in Florida launched another satellite campus, our family was called to go. A friend asked where I was going to serve. While I knew all the places I could serve, the only thing I felt called to do was to lead a small group for women. This group, however, intimidated me because I wasn’t just following one book. I was teaching from several sources, as inspired by God, and I had to get my lesson plans approved, first. But after preparing and presenting my outline and sources, I was approved.

When the semester started, I wrote out all the lesson plans and was ready to go; or so I thought. About 30 minutes before the first meeting, God said, “No, no. Do this, instead.” So, I scrambled to make the changes, just as God said. But it was the most beautiful thing, because I could see Holy Spirit touch the lives and hearts of the women present. The following week, the same thing happened. Except this time, He told me 10 minutes before group began. But still, I made the changes. Again, I could see and feel Holy Spirit in the room, ministering to us. After that, all I wanted was for God to “change my plans,” to be what He wanted to say. And He did not disappoint! He often changed what I planned; and I looked forward to it! I knew He was doing it to touch their lives. And mine.

Principals, Teachers, Pastors, and Small Group Leaders, this is my prayer for you:

God, I pray that you would touch each teacher’s and leader’s life, heart, and mind. Give them peace. Lord, I pray that they would turn over their plans to You. Father, help them feel a touch from You, as You work through them. Lord, I ask that their hearts would be open to hearing—and speaking—what You want to say to each adult and child that they teach, encounter, and encourage. Lord, I ask that their words would be Your words, and their thoughts, Yours, as well. Lord, I ask that You touch the lives, hearts, and minds of each child, parent, and person with whom they come in contact. And Lord, I pray that the students’ hearts—whether adult or child—would be moved, softened, touched, and overwhelmed by You, Lord.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

©Heather Potts 2020

Greatest Impact

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. ~ Psalm 18:2 NLT

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. And while we don’t appreciate our school teachers enough for their countless hours, efforts, and prayers for our children, I think we also fail to see the impact that our church’s children’s ministries have on the whole family. If you have kids that still live at home, regardless of age, I encourage you (if you don’t already have one) to find a church with an emphasis on raising up the next generation. The children’s pastors, teachers, and countless volunteers at our church home partner with us to teach our children about God’s love for them, raising them up in the way that they should go, (Proverbs 22:6).

A partnership means that we, the parents, have a role, too. The first of which is a healthy relationship with God, then our spouse, and finally, our children. One of the pastors at our church wrote a curriculum for parents, which we were supposed to lead the semester that Brad hurt his back. Praise God we are through that season! This year, however, with the struggles we’ve had with Savannah, we went back to that curriculum, this time as the students. We needed HELP and, thankfully, that’s what the curriculum was called and gave us. Of all the things we learned, the most impactful was having daily Bible reading and prayer as a couple. While we’d been having individual God-time, we’d never done it as a couple. Reading scripture and praying together had the GREATEST impact on our marriage and, as a result, on our parenting and relationships with our kids.

First, I want to thank our pastor for the emphasis he puts on the next generation. I also want to thank all of our next generation pastors, leaders, teachers, and volunteers who partner with us in raising up our girls in the calling that God has placed upon their lives.

Second, I want to encourage you, if you are married—regardless of having children in your home—to start a daily Bible reading plan with your spouse. It will impact your marriage in ways that you could never have imagined and will be the greatest gift you give yourself.

©Heather Potts 2017