Fruit of Righteousness

Day 6

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11

Jennifer's prayer:  Lord, grant to my descendants an abundance of true knowledge and deep insight, and enable them to discern the best in every situation.  Let their lives be the branches that display your fruit--the righteousness of Christ.  Jennifer Kennedy Dean

My prayer: Lord, my mind can hardly take in all that these two verses express--let your Holy Spirit even now teach me what these verses really mean and how they can be appropriated in my descendants' lives.

I pray that they will give full access to Your love to grow inside them until they are filled with wisdom beyond their chronological and spiritual birth years. I pray that this will lead to discernment in every situation they are placed in throughout their earthly lives thereby leading them to develop Godly habits and practices--actions that will lead others to know this great fruit of the seed of Jesse--Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. 

Father, your Word says that the fruit of righteousness is Peace--we know true peace comes only from you and Jesus is that Peace. I pray that the Peace of Jesus would envelop the world at this point in time. I pray for a great revival throughout the earth--for Your name to be lifted high. I especially pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel. Blessed be Your Name.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted

 We finished decorating our tree today--just thought you might want to take a peek!

An Undivided Heart

 For an explanation of the posts this month, please go here.

Day 5

 "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your Name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, I will glorify Your Name forever." Psalm 86:11,12

 Jennifer's prayer: Give my descendants an undivided heart. May they love you with their whole hearts, with their whole minds, with their whole souls. Draw them so strongly to you that nothing else can lay claim to even a corner of their hearts.~~Jennifer K. Dean

My prayer: I pray, Father, that my children and descendants will walk wholeheartedly in Your Way only. I pray that they would turn neither to the right or left but be steered by Your precious Spirit in the Way Everlasting, the Way of Jesus.

In all their activities, vocations, hobbies, interests--I pray that every one of these leads toward You.

Help them to use all the capabilities, talents and gifts they possess for Your glory and Yours alone.

As the landscape and sky are two separate entities but flow seamlessly into one, I pray that each of them will be one with you, O Lord. I pray that each one would embrace You as the lover of his/her soul.

In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted
this photo taken by my good friend Marianne--a view from her backyard in the bayous of Louisiana

The Real Guiding Light

Day 3 

"Send forth Your light and Your truth. Let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God." Psalm 43:3,4

Jennifer's prayer: "Let my descendants be guided by Your Light and Your Truth. May they know Your Son, Jesus, as the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Lead them into such sweet intimacy with You that You are their joy and delight."~~Jennifer K. Dean

My prayer:  "Lord, as you led the Wise Men so many years ago to the earthly place where Jesus was born, I pray that you will lead my descendants to the place where You dwell--there may they drink fully and completely of You until they are saturated with Your light and Your truth.  May all their days be filled with praise and thanksgiving to You, Father."

Dear Friends, just for the month of December, I am publishing prayers for our children, grandchildren, and all of those descendants of ours who will be born in the years ahead. Would you kindly consider leaving a prayer here today that helps interpret the scripture in today's post. I value your wisdom and insight and am looking forward to having many prayers besides mine to pray for my descendants in the days ahead. Thank you so much.

To access Jennifer's website featuring her book, Legacy of Prayer, and prayercards, go here.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted 


 an edited repost from past pages

Horizons of Mercy

For an explanation of the posts this month, please go here.

Day 2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Jennifer's prayer: "I pray that my descendants will always stand in full view of your mercy--that your mercy will fill their horizon--and that they will joyfully offer themselves as thank offerings, a pleasing aroma to you. May they be transformed from the inside and become living proof that your will is good, pleasing, and perfect."~~Jennifer K. Dean

My prayer: "Oh wow, Father, I have read this scripture so many times but when I start thinking about it in the light of praying for my descendants, I am overwhelmed with all it contains and all that my heart wants to pray for my children and my children's children.

First of all I pray that they will always understand and acknowledge just how merciful you have been to them--to all of us. I pray that my descendants will live out all their days glorifying you, sacrificing their will to yours in obedience thereby fulfilling scripture which says 'obedience is better than sacrifice.'

I pray that they will renew their mind daily Father so that they will not be conformed to the world's ways. I pray that they will depend upon your Word daily for the cleansing, the washing, the renewing of their minds.

Father, we know that all you have planned for them is ultimate good, is pleasing and perfect because that is Your nature.   We trust You to bring this to pass in their lives."

To access Jennifer's website featuring her book, Legacy of Prayer, and prayercards, go here.

© all photographs and text property of Dianne Hogue unless otherwise noted


a repost from past pages

A Blog Advent

I have been thinking, pondering, praying, meditating--

Such a special time of year! How can this blog bring glory to God, make the season more meaningful and celebrate family?

My idea is this:

With the gracious permission of Jennifer Kennedy Dean, the author of numerous books including one of my favorites, Legacy of Prayer, I would like to feature Jennifer's 30 days of prayer for our families and descendants.

Each day for 30 days I will share a scripture that she suggests in her book and a short prayer from her to go along with it. I will also share a prayer of mine.

Here is where your presence and comments come into play. On the days that you are able to read and comment, I would like for you to also meditate on the scripture and share a prayer in your comment. At the end of 30 days, I plan to print these off and bind them, having my own special prayer book to pray repeatedly for my descendants. I hope you will do the same.

If you are not comfortable voicing a prayer in the comment section, that is fine.  I want no one to feel any pressure but I will only be sharing prayers for the next 30 days.

One paragraph cannot define a person or a book but I would like to share one portion of Jennifer's book that I think is so important, especially in light of the prayers we pray for our descendants.

"In praying for our children, our grandchildren and our descendants, we must learn to pray in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Our mother-flesh and our father-flesh is protective and possessive. The love we have for our children, in its flesh form, would like to control their lives and keep them from any pain, disappointment, or discouragement. Our flesh wants to rescue them and shield them and run interference for them. Our flesh will pray, "Don't let anything bad happen." To which the Lord will say, "I need to allow disappointment, pain, and failure so that I can give him the treasures of darkness and the riches stored in secret places." If we pray for our children from our flesh rather than the Spirit, we may think that God is not listening when our children do have difficulties."  ~~Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Day 1

"If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you."  Proverbs 1:23

Jennifer's prayer: "Lord, may my descendants respond to your love, even when it comes in the form of rebuke.  Pour out your heart and cause them to know your thoughts."

My prayer:  "Lord, I want to know you more--I want to know your thoughts and your heart--Oh God, I pray that you will turn my descendants thoughts to you, I trust you.  I know you will deal as gently with them as they will let you."  Thank you that I can pray in confidence resting assuredly in Romans 8:28 and the ramparts of your faithfulness."

If you do not have children, please take this opportunity to pray for your parents' or grandparents' descendants, friends of yours, or the lost and dying of the world.

I hope by Christmas day, the birth of this precious Son and Savior will have become even more meaningful to all of us.

Loving all of you,
Dianne



To access Jennifer's website featuring her book, Legacy of Prayer, and prayercards, go here.

An edited repost from past pages.