Many families are dropping off their precious children to colleges this week. I hope these articles bless you to trust God with your children and to pray diligently for them. Prayers matter tremendously and so DO NOT allow the enemy to take away your faith in prayer. If you need help with your faith then please go to a corporate prayer meeting for the sake of your children and grandchildren. You can also increase your faith by reading the Bible, listening to good sermons and testimonies. As I reflect upon my younger years and even today, if someone would ask me what I’d like; I’d would ask for prayers to God through the name of Jesus Christ. 

https://www.christianparenting.org/articles/push-the-basket-from-the-shore/

There’s great advice in here for all believers in transition, not just the college freshmen. Let us pray that your children and grandchildren “stick the landing” during their transition into college. 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/college-freshman-land-well/

This podcast about prayer was very good. I think I faced each one of those internal struggles…and still do at times. When my faith is small and unstable, that’s when I rely upon the prayers of my Christian friends and church leaders by asking them to pray for me. Our prayers are so, so important.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vlad-savchuk-podcast/id1523087128?i=1000664756562

During corporate prayer meetings, the Holy Spirit gives me a specific assignment to pray about for a while. During the summer I was assigned to pray for the Olympics in Paris, specifically about terrorist threats. I breathed a sigh of relief when the Olympics ended without any major incident, and there was only one minor attack on the train system without any injuries. Praise God! As I was paying attention to the Olympics this year, I was pleasantly surprised that many Christian athletes who won were acknowledging and thanking Jesus Christ! (By the way, I discovered that secular news will not cover these stories, only Christian news media do.) That made me so happy. Let us pray for these Christian Olympic athletes to keep on glorifying God with their talents and public platform. 🙏

Currently our group has been praying a lot about the upcoming election in our country. It’s interesting to hear how each person has a different burden to pray about. For me, I have been focusing on the unity in the body of Christ, the church. Francis Chan’s message about unity in the church was so, so good. If you are struggling with unity in your church, family and friends; please listen to this message for great guidance and insight:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-love-podcast/id1007053996

When I was commissioned by the Lord to start the prayer group in 2016, I clearly heard this guidance from the Holy Spirit – he told me that as long as I maintain the unity in our prayer group, there will always be blessings flowing down from heaven (Psalm 133). That’s something that I am very mindful of when I’d rather be offended and fight to be right, or push away. It’s very challenging and it’s even harder in today’s divisive environment. Let us pray for ourselves, our churches and family too. We need all the blessings and favor we can get from heaven!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20133&version=NKJV

As I’m trying to figure out unity during this divisive election; this doesn’t mean that I keep my head in the sand. Like many people, I’m trying to understand where the parties stand on key issues and policies. Here is a good summary by the Gospel Coalition. 

Where the Political Parties Stand on Social Issues in 2024

Here is another good article on how some pastors are navigating this divisive election in their church:

Amid Tense Election, Ministers Remind Christians of Allegiance To Kingdom of God

This was a good article for parents on how to engage with their children who are voting for first time. I thought their advice was very good and could be applied to other family members and friends. 

https://www.christianparenting.org/articles/first-time-voter/

I order to minimize the enemy’s attack on our family and church relationships, let us be proactively praying for the unity in our family and church community. (Recall how I was praying proactively for the Olympics against terrorism throughout the spring and summer.) Even if we disagree, we can do this without severing our family and church relationships. Please don’t forget that there are blessings and favor in the unity of God’s people. I also think it’s wise to take a break from social media since they seem to offer edited short content that are more biased. 

This podcast was very interesting. This church did a digital detox as a whole church for 40 days! It’s not what I thought it’ll be. It’s very reasonable to do as well. I’m praying about it for myself. Since last year, I’ve been reading too many news articles because I was assigned to pray more internationally. I’d like to scale back in my news reading. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-bevere-podcast/id1744019971?i=1000661770762

Here is the book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQD95HG6

Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God! – Matthew 5:9 (AMPC)

The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.] – 1 Peter 4:7 (AMP)

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. – 1 John 5:14 (NKJV)

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.” – Corrie Ten Boom

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/40-powerful-quotes-from-corrie-ten-boom.html