Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  Curses! Foiled Again!


Have you ever burned your hand?  Caught a couple of fingers in the car door?  Flunk an important math test?  Yes, sure we have!  When things like that happen, more often than not, cuss words come rushing out of our mouths like a gushing river. Sometimes, without even thinking about it!  Someone recently asked, "Is cussing really that big of a deal?  The Bible doesn't really say that much about it!"  Oh, contraire!
   
Check this out... Eph. 4:29 - "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good and necessary for edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."
       
Col. 3: 8 - "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth."
       
Cussing can become a problem.  The best thing to do is not to start.  Words can be devastating, especially profane, vulgar words.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:22, "And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool' shall be in danger of hell fire."

Words matter.  Do all you can to ensure that the words that come from your mouth are words of life and not words that may bring you close to "hell fire."

[Soldier4Christ]

  Cost Of Being A Disciple


Luke 14:25-33: Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying "this fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty-thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

God say's in Luke 14:27 "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." God wants us to take up our cross daily. Meaning we need to stand up for what we believe in and take everything that comes with it.
Some people want to be Christians, but don't want to give up their cussing, drinking, premarital sex, smoking ... etc. In order to be a good strong Christian we need to give up those worldly things we want. Because how can we say we are a Christian when we still cuss and doing other wrong things? Isn't that a little hypocritical? Yes, and that's why people wont come to church because of all the hypocrites in church. We need to start setting an example and be who we say we are. Take up your cross daily and set an example.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Reliving Old Sin


"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

How many times have you prayed to be forgiven of a particular sin from your past and find it keeps coming to mind?  You stop and wonder why?  There have been nights before I go to sleep that I will think of something that I have done in the past and really feel ashamed of myself.  I carry around unnecessary guilt while trying to clear my conscience at my nightly prayer time.  I know I have prayed to God, (many times even) to forgive me but it comes back into my mind at times.  All of the sudden the guilt and shame of that sin comes pouring in. I feel I must not have been forgiven for that one or it wouldn't be on my mind.  Or maybe I'm are not the Christian I think I am.

Well God firmly states that when we sincerely ask forgiveness for a sin that He will forgive us and remove it as far as the east is from the west.  If God does not remember our sin then why do we?  God will never prompt us to feel shame and guilt over sins that are past and already forgotten.  This is a scheme of Satan to turn our focus away from God and start doubting ourselves.  Satan likes nothing better than to see us confused, ashamed and hurting.  Next time you want to dig in that bucket of old forgiven sins reliving the shame and guilt, stop because this isn't what God wants you to feel because he tossed that bucket away a long time ago and buried it with forgiveness.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Daily Battles



For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

We, like Paul, are merely weak humans, but we don't need to use human plans and methods to win our battles. God's mighty weapons are available to us as we fight against Satan's "strongholds." The Christian must choose to either use God's or the world's methods. Paul assures us that God's mighty weapons (prayer, faith, love, God's Word, and the Holy Spirit) are powerful and effective!

These weapons can break down the proud human arguments against God. When dealing with the pride that keeps people from a relationship with Christ, we may be tempted to use our own methods. But nothing breaks down these barriers like God's weapons.

God won't do anything until you ask Him. Ask God for help on your daily battles.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Sufficient Comfort


You've had a horrible day. Nothing has gone as you had hoped. You looked everywhere for some help, some gentle words. But, you found none. Defeated is the only word that comes close to describing your hopelessness. You sit on your bed and sigh, ready to go to sleep and forget all about your day. Then you remember your devotions. Who has time for devotions anyhow? You don't want to extend this day any longer. After all, if nothing has helped all day, how could God make any difference?

But, you feel compelled to pick up your Bible anyway, so you do. You are reading in the book of Job. Ironic, isn't it that Job feels a lot like you do? You read as Eliphazs was trying to talk some sense into Job. He sure wasn't being very nice. Then the verse hits you. "Is God's comfort too little for you? Is his gentle word not enough? What has captured your reason? What has weakened your vision?" (Job 15:11-12)

You had been searching in all the wrong places. How dare you think that God, the God of the universe, wasn't enough for you? Yet, that IS what you were thinking. And, what HAD captured your reason and weakened your vision? Why didn't you turn to God first? The answer was simple...you are human...and you hurt.

Why do we look everywhere else for help instead of to God is beyond my understanding? But, I do know that He is there for you...always. Take comfort that He IS enough for you. His gentle words will sustain you. Don't let your vision be weakened, or your reason captured. You have God on your side, what opposition could possibly defeat you? Seek Him today...and let Him be sufficient for you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Don't Waste It


And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. (Deu 28:2) KJV

But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. (Psa 81:11) KJV

So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. (Psa 81:12) KJV
    There are those of us who are born into this world with every physical blessing. A lot of us have families who live comfortably and are financially secure, and we possess bodies that are in near-perfect physical health. I was one who was born with much to be thankful for.

    Like a lot of people in my social circle, I spent as much time as possible wasting my blessings on drugs, alcohol, lust, and laziness. I had good health, and I spent a big piece of it on a tobacco habit that still has effects today after a year of being tobacco-free. In school, teachers always marveled at what an intelligent, imaginative brain I had - and what a knack I had for not applying it in class. I spent years without caring what my grades looked like, or whether I even went to school. What is usually a great time of life for teens (school, friends, first jobs, and sports) I squandered on drugs and bad attitudes, living in isolation with only a few friends who were like-minded.

    Later, though, after I gave my life to Christ, all the residue of my bad decisions got wiped clean from me. I got free from all the addictions and lusts that held me. I realized I had been given a bright new future, and that God had a lot of blessings yet to come for me, if I would just follow his ways. Before, I had been left to my own counsel, not ever asking or caring for God's direction in my life, and because of it I had wasted some very potentially good years.

     Once saved, I lived a very happy life for a while. I knew I was forgiven! God was always smiling on me; things were good. I knew that following God would result in more happiness. But like the nation of Israel did so many times, I began to consider following worldly ways instead of the ones that were promised to bring happiness. On situations involving money, relationships, attitude, recreation, and entertainment - among other things - I started to ignore God's voice. In situations which God clearly foresaw to counsel me on in passages all over the bible, I decided to take the risk each time on ignoring His commands.

    Without going into the dozens of VERY IMPORTANT blessings that are probably now out of my reach for life because of my failure to listen to God, I will stress to everyone reading: God's commands aren't maybes, they are for REAL. Each one has you in mind for a situation you have not yet come to, and ignoring even the smallest of them can make very real, attainable blessings disappear from your sight.

    Remember all the ailments and hazards of this world are the result of the sinful nature of people? God's commandments are not handcuffs placed by a power-drunk deity, but they are guidelines for turning a diseased, sinful environment into a happy and abundant place for the short time we are in it. God's love for us is so great. Instead of being angry and vengeful, letting us wallow in misery in a sick world that our own sin created, he chose Israel to be his Holy people. He gave them all the commandments so they might be an example to the world how to live obedient to God and obtain His blessings.

    PLEASE…if you are a young Christian, ALWAYS remember God when making a decision, and do what your heart says He would want. Don't let the world around you influence you to the point where you want to be left to your own counsel (your freedom to make decisions without God's approval). By doing that will always result in you missing some of the most IMPORTANT blessings of your young life. God DOES have good things in mind for you! If you are waiting for someone to spend your life with, don't compromise, save yourself until marriage! If you have given up drugs or alcohol, but are feeling the urge to take them back, DON'T COMPROMISE! Wait for God to give you a wholesome substitute! If you need money and are thinking of taking on an UN-Godly way of making income, DON'T DO IT! Trust in God to bring you something, and he will honor you for it! The passage above where God says He will overtake His people with blessings is talking about YOU! Through his commands you have the knowledge of how to obtain happiness and peace that millions on earth seek…Don't Waste It!

[Soldier4Christ]

  So Blind

I grew up in a Catholic school, and we had a class in religion where we memorized a lot of doctrine - prayers, mysteries of the rosary, the beatitudes, etc. One thing we had to learn was the seven deadly sins. The most deadly of the seven deadly sins is excessive pride. Well, that's no big deal to you, right? You know you're not perfect and that you need Jesus to forgive you for your sins, so you're ok. Well, maybe not.

I grew up in a church, however I never really accepted Jesus as Savior until recently. The problem is that I thought I was a Christian for the longest time…but gradually in high school I pulled away from religion because my life was going so badly; no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anything to turn out right. I could not understand why God would let these things happen to me. So look at those last two sentences I wrote, and understand the two major flaws in my thinking back then:

1) "No matter how hard I tried" - All my life I gave 110% of my effort into making my life better. But it didn't work. You know what I did? I prayed that God would help me…but then I would act on my own instead of waiting for Him. Pretty silly, huh? Why did I even waste my time asking for help if I never intended to let Him do anything?

2) "Let these things happen to me" - Because it's all about me, obviously. I never thought about what God wanted…just what I wanted.

This is what I finally had to understand about pride before I could believe. Things had turned out so bad that I finally got down on my knees and told God that I had tried so hard to fix these problems. I had given it my best. But my best isn't good enough. Left on my own I will always fail. So that night I finally found the peace that comes from really actually trusting God to take care of me.

It doesn't mean that things will get magically wonderful at once…it just means that instead of seeing your whole world fall apart, you see God's hand saying "No - I have something better for you" or "Wait - it's too soon". You're life doesn't change; your perspective of life changes. Instead of focusing on what you want, you begin to see the big picture - God's picture. Sometimes we all really have to step back and say, "the universe doesn't really revolve around me." As much as God loves us and wants us happy, He is much more concerned with doing His will then bending to our every wish. And he's also much more concerned with us wanting Him above all things. Think about that the next time you don't get something you asked Him for - maybe it was because you were pursuing that thing more than you were pursuing your relationship with Him!

So in my life, pride exhibited itself in two forms - me placing all my trust in myself, and me focusing on my own personal needs. But I learned to place my trust in Him, and that He really is the very top priority in my life. Why is pride so deadly? Well, it creeps in so slowly, and because of this it is so hard to detect. So today I would ask you to really spend some time examining your life to see where you stand. Are you praying to God for help, then acting on your own? Are you pursuing a relationship here that's taking priority from your relationship with God? Are you blinded to God's presence in your life by pride?

[Soldier4Christ]

  My First Credit Card


"The borrower is a servant to the lender."  Proverbs 22:7

Oh wow, your first credit card just came in the mail.  The mall is the first place to go and get those things that you can't really afford but really want.  Those designer sun glasses instead of the $12.99 specials in the booth at the mall.  Real silver ear rings instead of the costume jewelry you've been wearing.  Now you can put anything on your card, gas, food, even a pack of gum. 

Debt is an uncomfortable word, the sound of it can cause anxiety and stress.  It all sounds easy to use and pay off.  But in reality it isn't at all.  The interest rates that you will find on most first time credit cards are unbelievable.  You will pay for your goods and services many times over if you just pay the monthly payments.  The best way to use a credit card is to purchase what you need and pay off the total due each month, then you won't have a finance charge.  When you just pay the amount due each month they tack on a finance charge that just grows and grows. You need to have a clear plan for using and paying for a credit card. Accumulating large debts can really damage you for the future when you are ready to purchase bigger things like a new car or a house.  God does not what you to be deceived by the advertisements of buy now, pay later.  When we submit our lives to Jesus we must place high value on the importance of obedience.  God wants you to stay free from the bondage of debt.  If you want to read of what God says about debt, read Romans 13:5-10

[Soldier4Christ]

  God's Little Butterflies


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) NKJV

When I was a child we raised butterflies. We had a huge netting cage and we would receive caterpillars in the mail. I used to watch with fascination. These ugly little creatures would inch their way across the branches of tree or leaves. After they had done this for weeks, they would build themselves an even uglier home. Then, after another long period of time, the cocoon would start to shake. It shook for hours. Then you'd start to see little parts of the creature. I always wanted to help it so badly! Eventually it would come out. Then it would sit on the cocoon and stretch its wings for a while. And when that moment came, it would fly! I always squirmed in excitement as it started to fly! After we knew it was stable enough we would let it go outside of our house. For years we had so many butterflies in our neighborhood!

We are sinful creatures. On the spiritual realm we are ugly and gross. We sluggishly move through life without purpose, similar to a caterpillar. But, then we start to see the light. Some of our cocoons are built by experiencing God's love through others. Others are built to shelter us from pain. Either way we become more open to God's love. In that secret place God helps our hearts develop and open until we can see him. Then, there is a battle of wills, spiritual warfare. God wants us with Him in the light, Satan doesn't. The fight continues and eventually we break free and go with God. We sit in the newfound light and stretch our wings. We grow in Christ, until one day, we fly. We soar in Christ and experience his joy. Then, when we are fully rooted in him, he sets us free to go into this world and show others His light. Caterpillars don't have it easy and becoming a butterfly is hard work. But the beauty that comes after the transformation is incredible! No matter where you are in your journey, remember that you are God's little butterfly, and He has amazing plans for you!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Free of Shame


Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth...will
be remembered no more. (Isaiah 54:4) NLT

Shame. We've all felt it. We've all done stupid things that leave us beating
ourselves up emotionally. Consider your day at school. Did you take every
chance to encourage or share the good news? Did you say something that tore
someone down? Did you fail to do what God wanted? Shame.

Some of us have experienced false shame--that is, shame that has come from
an experience out of our control. A father on trial for embezzling money, a
mother who does drugs, past or present sexual abuse, divorce...the list goes
on and on. We know that it was not our fault directly...but for whatever
reason we are filled with shame anyway--shame that is not our burden to
carry.

But God has given us hope. He promises that we can let go of this shame. He
promises that in His eyes it will all be forgotten. Can you take courage and
rid yourself of that burden today? Will you let go of the past shame, and
take on the joy awaiting you? Will you end the fear? Will you accept His
promise as one for you? I challenge you to follow Him today.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Watch And Learn


The Saturday before I was to become a Godfather to my brother's baby daughter, we had gone to the church to borrow some tables and chairs for the baptism party later that evening. As we opened the side doors to the church, a little boy crossed the alley and approached me. He asked me what we were doing and I replied that we were going to load some tables and chairs onto a truck. He asked me if he could help, to which I agreed.

All the while, he was admiring my digital watch. I had bought it at a local department store for about $15.00. He asked me if I was interested in selling it. He had a digital watch as well, but the cloth band was tattered. He went on to say that his younger brother wanted his watch, but that then he would be left with none. This touched me because I am a big brother to a younger brother and sister and I know the importance of being the 'hero' to the younger ones. I asked him to help me load one more table. Afterwards, I called him over and gave him my watch.

I told him that he had earned it by helping with the tables and chairs, but I urged him to make sure to give the old watch to his brother. He was thrilled! My brother, who was on the truck, gave me a strange look but said nothing. We took the tables and chairs to the party site and set them up. Afterwards, we went to my brother's apartment. He and his wife asked me to sit down. They pulled out a box and proceeded to tell me that they had gone out days before and bought me a gift in appreciation for being the baby's godfather. What was the gift? A brand new Fossil watch that cost about $85.00.

My brother told me that when he saw me give the boy the watch, he knew that they had bought the exact gift that God wanted them to buy for me. We both learned a lesson that day from a little boy and a watch. Matthew 6:25 says, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

  With All Your Heart

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, your entire mind, and all your strength. (Mark 12-30)

Can you describe your relationship with Jesus like that? Can you say that you love your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength? Lots of Christian’s wonder why their relationship with Jesus is not going as well as they would like. They wonder why they are not as spiritual as so and so. In fact, I have had Christians tell me that they cannot be on fire for God because all they do is fail. I think the problem lies in Mark 12-30, can you describe your relationship with Jesus, as you love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? If you cannot that is the problem.

First, all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, that is pretty much everything. To give some of your life to God and not all is just not worth it. In addition, I think it very important to notice the “must”; you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, your entire mind, and all your strength. This is not a request this is a command. Therefore, when you do not give God your all, then you are disobeying God, there is the problem. Disobeying God is a sin and sins separate us from God. Separated from Jesus is one place that I do not want to be. I do not make too many promises but I can make this one. When you give God all of your life, I promise you, that you will not go away disappointed. God will satisfy you. What is holding you back?

[Soldier4Christ]

  Magnify The Lord


"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." (Psalm
34:3) KJV

What does it mean to magnify something?  It means to make it bigger so you
can see it better. When we magnify something, we look at it very closely so
we can see the details of its nature more clearly.  Those details seem to
grow bigger in our view.

Let us magnify the Lord today. Let's look very closely at the details of His
nature and make Him bigger in our lives. Let us praise Him because He is God
and thank Him because He loves us.  Let us honor Him for His holiness and
worship Him for His mightiness.  Let us seek His compassion and mercy, and
see them so clearly that we can understand what they mean.

Then we can exalt His name forever.  We can lift Him up so that others can
see the details of His nature.  Whosoever sees the Lord Jesus can have life!
Look closely.  See more.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Changing Sin


Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him. (Psalm 37:24)

The sky is black, the rain falls hard, and it seems like nothing in this life is going for us. I'm not talking about physical raindrops, but emotional down pours on our spirit. Another assignment is late for class, your friends don't seem to want to hang out anymore, or the coach just doesn't understand your need to be on the playing field.

So many times we get down in the dumps and it doesn't seem like we will ever get out of our depression. It's during these times that we all to often get caught up in the sin that we hate the most. The apostle John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (1 John 1: You see no matter what, there are going to be times that we fail and fall down. But, it's not falling down that matters, it's about how we get back up.

"These things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 2:1-2)

Friends, no matter what problems we face, no matter what trials come our way, and no matter how hard things seem to get, we can always turn to Jesus and go to Him for help. Even though tough times will come, instead of letting them tear us apart, how about this week letting them build us up. Remember that we are still "more than conquers, and can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us." Let's run into the arms of Christ and be forever changed. God Bless and Keep The Faith!

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Mother's Prayer


It was 3:25 am and something must have startled her cause she immediately sat up in bed. Here heart was pounding and she sat in silence with a fear that overcame her entire body. She waited to see what was going to happen next. She heard nothing nor saw nothing. Was it a dream? She didn't even know if it was a dream or a sound or a movement that caused her to wake up. As she calmed down she slipped out of bed, not to wake her husband. She walked into the hall where she looked into the bedrooms of her children. Jesse laid quietly in his crib covered by his favorite blanket with the teddy bears on them. A crib nightlight lit up his face with a soft glow. A few of his favorite toys lay around him. She bent down to kiss his cheek and watch him breath. She adjusted the blanket and walked out of the room and pulled the door half shut. She walked to the next room where Jerry and Jason slept in their bunk beds. The light from a night light in the corner let her see their faces; she stood looking at them watching them breath and thinking how fast they were growing up. She wished time could stand still at this period of their lives. Those boys where her whole life and she whispered a prayer thanking God for the miracles of having them for her children. She walked into the kitchen and got a glass of water. As she drank she looked at the all the doors and windows making sure they were all secure. She almost choked on the water when she saw the door was open just a few inches. She or her husband checked and locked the doors every night. As she went closer to the door, she stepped on what she saw was tiny splinters of glass on the floor. She gasped at the pain of the glass cutting into feet as well as the fear she was overwhelmed with thinking someone was in her house. She froze in her tracks not knowing what to do. She knew she needed to call 911, but she had to go into the living room to get the phone. She walked with the glass digging into her feet, as quietly as she could to the living room to get the phone. She wanted to yell out for her husband but suddenly remembered he was away on business for a few days. She was alone in this house with her babies. It was up to her to protect her family. She went to the cordless phone charger and saw the phone wasn't there. She could hear her heart beating in her chest. She felt sick, dizzy and nauseated but the adrenaline pumping through her pushed her on. She walked and listened the best she could as she tip toed back up the steps, she silently went into Jesse's room and picked him up and took him to the older boys' room. She sat with the baby in her arms on the edge of the bottom bunk bed. She never did find the phone. She sat for what felt like hours thinking of what she should do. She listened but never heard a sound. Only the sound of the clock ticking mixed with her heart beat could she hear. She had to protect her children, that was all she could think about. She prayed prayer after prayer for God to please protect her children. She didn't care if they robbed her of everything she owned, just don't touch my babies. She laid Jesse in bed with Jason and walked to the door, she peaked though the tiny crack she made by pulling the door open. She didn't see anything, only darkness. She had to do something, she went back to the bed and knelt before it and prayed to God out loud in a whisper. "My God, I am desperate right now and need you to watch over my babies. Someone is out there and may hurt them. I pray with all my might that you give us your protection and help me find what I need to do. I love my boys and would die for them, please help me. I beg for this in Jesus name. Amen"

She got up and walked back to the open door and saw a figure move by. At first she was scared but then something told her it was all right. She walked down the hall and saw a movement in another corner then it was gone. She went into the family room and found the phone and called 911 in a whisper. She went back up to the boys' room and sat on the bed watching the boys sleep until she saw the flashing lights from the police car outside. She heard their doors open and shut so she walked down the stairs to the front door to let them in. She hadn't turned on any lights out of fear. She flipped on the light as she let the officers in. They did a thorough search of the house and found that she had been robbed. Someone broke in through the back door and had taken her VCR and stereo. Her dining room was ransacked as well. She sat with one of the officers as she picked the glass out of her feet. One of the officers put a piece of wood from the garage in the broken window frame. They photographed all the rooms and the outside of the house. When the officers where through, they left and said they would patrol the outside. She went back upstairs for what was left of the night and lay in the bottom bunk with Jason and baby Jesse. None of the kids woke up and she was so thankful for that, they never had to know what happened, they would never have to be scared because of this. She called her husband in NY, where he was for business and told him what happened. He said he would get the first plane out and be right home.

She must have fallen asleep because the first thing she knew Jesse, the baby was touching her face and laughing. Jason woke up then and with a sleepy face wondered why everyone was in his bed. Jerry popped up and hung over the edge of his bed on the top and started laughing. He climbed down and all 4 of them snuggled in bed. What a wonderful day it was and thank God her children were safe. She asked each of them to say a prayer with her, thanking God for each other and his protection over them every day. She would have sacrificed anything even her life to protect her children.

The day went as usual, Jerry went to school, he was in the first grade and Jason went to preschool. Just after Jesse went down for his afternoon nap, a police officer came to the door. He told her they caught the man who had robbed their home, they found the goods on him and he confessed. The man was insane and kept saying that a monster was in that home, her home? He told police that he went up to the bedroom and saw the mother kneeling on the floor praying. With that he suddenly felt something on his shoulder pull him away from the room, this supernatural force pulled him all of the way into the living room. She felt the blood run out of her as she listened to this. The officer said this man had done prior break-ins and had actually hurt a few people in the process. His MO was to knock out the adults and tie up the kids and take his good old time looking through things to steal. While they she talked with the office, her husband came in. They held each other and cried. The officer assured them that they were safe and the man would be put away for a long time. But what puzzled them was what pulled him away from the door; with on one else home that frightened him so bad?

God heard the prayer of the mother. A terrible thing was happening and the mother's prayer was going interceded this evil act, causing God to send his angels down to protect them. How many evil acts can you intercede in with a simple prayer? We just don't know. But as the mother loves and protects her children, Jesus loves and protects us. He intercedes on our behalf to protect us from evil. He paid for it with his life, like a mother would for her child. Remember Jesus' love on Mother's Day. We are all God's children; God is our Father and Mother. He loves us so many He sent Jesus to intercede to protect us from evil, that is the ultimate sacrifice. Take Mother's Day to thank and love your Mom and to thank and love God for loving us enough to sacrifice His son to protect us from evil and give us everlasting life.