 Okay, welcome back. We've been focusing on the spiritual nurturments of one of the elements needed in a Christian marriage and family and the last hour we looked at the role of the church, the how Why would it be necessary for a family to be part of a local church growing children in nurturing them in serving, nurturing them in in missions, in tithing and also just being focused with the kingdom of God. Right now we are looking at another aspect of of spiritual nurturments, which is the family altar and intercession. Okay, so we did talk about the significance of maintaining a family altar. Now, there are certain suggestions that we can look at when we are having a family altar. Specifically, what does it mean a family altar is just a place where you come together where you spend time with one another in with God. Right, it's just taking time to worship, to pray, to speak God's word, to manifest the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, the how can it be done? It is it's something that can be that can be created by every family. It could be at any time of the day and keeping it as regularly as possible so that everyone comes together and also making it meaningful and in a way that can can make it connected, connecting to even children of the depending on the age group of the children. Right, if you're having smaller children to make it a time where they're also engaged, maybe with singing, with worshiping, with doing something that helps to really build the knowledge of God. Right, it doesn't have to be very ritualistic, but it can be a time of open learning and open sharing hearing from God's word. So it can be constructed in any way that a family decides. Right, it can be just using scripture, it can be using a devotional, it could be listening to some message together or a listening to a devotional, whatever is useful for the family. Right, and as the family grows, as children also grow, making it more interactive, where there is time for discussion, where there's time for conversation, looking at answering questions that may there in God's word. So just ensuring that everybody participates in contributing to that family altar and also making sure that you're praying for one another, praying for each other. Okay, so even when a family member may not have a personal commitment to Jesus, it's good to ask them to join in prayer, keeping it you know, keeping it as loving and as welcome as possible. Right, one important part of family of spiritual nurturance is interceding for one another, which is to pray for one another. Okay, when we look at the way, you know, the life of Jesus, we see how Jesus prayed for others and one of that is recorded here in Luke 22, 31 to 32. It reads, and the Lord said, Simon, Simon indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Okay, so one of the important things we do is to intercede for one another, pray on behalf of our family members. Okay, now what does this do? What is what is a praying or interceding for others do? Okay, we understand and know that God has a purpose and a plan for each one of us. So we can stand alongside with God, hold on to that to those promises and pray that the purpose of God is fulfilled in the lives of others. Okay, there so that that's one that we call out or we call forth the plan and the purpose, the destiny of God in the lives of the people we're praying for. Also, there may be different situations people may be going through, some difficult circumstances or difficult situations and they may really they may really require wisdom or direction or a certain way of dealing with that at that point of time. So you pray over that that they have the strength, they have the wisdom that God would work with them and establish them in the faith to go through whatever challenges they may have. Okay, we also pray that they may be faithful, that they continue the walk of faith, that at times when their faith may be weak, that we continue to pray that it will be restored and they will return to walk with God, to be committed to journey with God despite the kind of circumstances that they may be going through. We can also pray that the power of the darkness, the power of darkness or the way of the vials of the evil one, it doesn't hinder people, it doesn't discourage them, it doesn't make them discouraged, but they would be able to put out God's armor and fight through those instances where they may be tempted. We also pray for strength, we pray for protection, we pray for provision over people in our family that they will continue to walk according to God. So these are certain things that we could stand in the gap as we pray for our family. Now if you notice in the next couple of pages, it's specific things that you can pray for, for your spouse, for your children or for those that may not be in the Lord. So there are many scriptures that you can see in this and we'll probably go through all that. We may not be able to take each verse in detail, but maybe collectively we can look at this and use this practically to pray for the spouse or to pray for your children or to pray for other members in the home. So I'm on page 172 and we look at praying for the spouse. So there are different areas that you can choose to intercede. So just taking some time to pray scripture over these members of the home. So let's look at the first one. It's to pray for your spouse's spiritual growth according to then there are certain scriptures that's given over there. So when you're praying according to the scripture you could pray that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation to have a knowledge of who God is praying that the eyes of their understanding will be open, that they will see the hope that they have been called for. This is all as part of the scripture. Also pray that they will really know and experience the working of the mighty power of God, that they will be strengthened with power in their inner man by the Spirit, that the power of God that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith or they will really understand and comprehend what the love of God is over their lives. You can pray that they will be filled with the fullness of God, that they will be filled with the knowledge of who he is, knowledge of his will in wisdom and all spiritual understanding. Pray that they will walk worthy of their calling and they will walk in a way that fully pleases God. Pray that they will be fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened in his power. So when you're actually praying scripture, you're praying according to the will of God, you're praying according to what God desires that we pray for. So taking that, just opening up the scripture and just putting the names of these people in that in itself is a way that you intercede. So you pray for this spiritual growth, you pray for the purposes of God in their lives, whatever purpose that God has called them to. You pray for that, praying that whatever gifting, whatever grace or anointing that God has put into the lives of the people in your house, the members of your home, that they would fulfill that. They will walk according to what God has put into their lives. You could also declare what God says over them and in this portion, it's highlighting what God's word says about a wife. But you could also bring about scripture that talks about what God desires in a husband. So just reading out the point three, declaring that your wife is a wise woman and she builds up your home, that she's a prudent woman and she's your pride and joy, that she's a fruitful wine in your home, bringing blessing, joy and protection. She's a virtuous woman and her price is far more than rubies. She's blessed in all that she does, your heart trusts in her. Your children arise and call her blessed. She opens her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is gentleness, her own work bring her honor and respect in the city. So you're declaring what God has spoken about your spouse. You also pray that they will be blessed over whatever work they're doing, over the ministry that they're doing, that God would establish the work of their hands, that they would prosper in all that they do in every decision that they make that God would bring about wisdom. So these are some things, I mean these are just certain pointers, certain suggestions, there are much many more things that you can pray for, but this just helps to build certain ideas and certain scriptures given for you to work through with. Praying over children, there is a format that you can also pray for the children. The first one is similar to the one we spoke about with the spouse is praying for the spiritual growth. Again, the same verses can be used where you're praying for the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding that the fullness of God is that they will be filled with the fullness of God, they're in a man's open to the wisdom of God, to the power of God, that they will know the working of the mighty power of God. So you use the same scriptures to pray this even for the salvation of your children. Again, similar to the point above for the spouse, praying that the purpose that God has for each of their lives will be fulfilled and the giftings or the callings or the anointing that there is, they will fulfill and they will walk in each of that as God has ordained. The next is to pray and declare the word of God over other areas of their lives, whatever they may be in, maybe in their academics or in their work or in their choices that they make, the career paths that they choose, the friends that they have, the decisions that, the everyday decisions that they make, their health, their safety, their spiritual growth, they walk with the Lord. So just declaring the word of God over their lives. Also praying that you, that they will fulfill the destiny with what God has placed into their lives, based on what is God has for them. Also you could pray that God would bless all their capacities, their capabilities, whatever skills they may have, whatever things that God's put into their hearts, that they would use each of them for the glory of God and for the purposes of God. Pray for their future, pray for their career and their profession, praying for their marriages, the people that they are going to marry, their families, praying for the way that their work will impact very many others, pray for opportunities to open up, pray that they will continue to serve God and the ministry. And we can also pray that, pray and bind and keep away and renounce every work of the enemy in the lives of our children or any schemes or attacks that Satan has planned, prepared for them, we can break it as we continue to pray for them. Okay, so praying for us fowls, praying for our children. The next we could have in our families, there could be members in our families who do not believe in God and who are not yet saved, or they have not yet made a personal commitment to God. And here are some scriptures that we can use to pray for them and contend with God for their salvation. So as we're doing this, we continue to pray and as we do, we're also allowing them the time that they need to come to make that decision. It's not forcing them and taking over the place of the Holy Spirit to ensure that they come to salvation, but it is for us to faithfully intercede for them, express our love, express our concern over them and continue to do this in the background, which is to continue to praying, engaging in prayer and ensuring that you hold on to the promises of God over their lives. And there are certain scriptures that's given over here, so we'll just go through that quickly. So one is to bind and cast down every spirit of deception, every spirit of lies, every spirit of false religion that could colour their minds and coming to the place to declare what the Gospel does for them, that the Gospel, light of the Gospel, the Word would shine in their hearts and they would come to the knowledge of God and say, Jesus Christ. You're also praying that and casting down every stronghold, every imagination, reasoning that may contradict any truth of God's Word in their lives and cast down thoughts that are that are that are disobedient, cast down thinking patterns that may not be in line with God. So bringing it all under the captivity and submission of Christ. You can also pray that the Holy Spirit will bring about, he is the convictor of sin, of righteousness and judgment, that the Holy Spirit will convict them of sin and of righteousness and judgment. Also praying that God would bring them to him, that they would draw near to God, they would seek after him, they would abide in him, praying that God would bring them to a place of repentance and that they would have the knowledge of the truth and they will be able to escape the trap of the evil one. The sixth one is to ask the Lord to grant them spirit of wisdom and revelation so that their eyes may be opened, their eyes may be enlightened to know the Lord and to know what his Word is and what the purpose of his calling is. Alongside with this you can pray with them using the other things that we did speak about, praying for their future, their present as well as whatever may be current in their lives. There are other promises that is bought about here that you can speak over your home and there are scriptures that you can use to pray and declare over your home. Now these are just some suggestions that has been put down but you can add in as many as you want and just it's so beautiful as we're thinking about our homes, this is something that we could probably do right away and it may be good that we remember the people of our homes and continue and pray for them. So rather than us just reading these verses I think that let's use the scripture and probably get practical and actually intercede, we can't learn about intercession, we have to intercede so rather than maybe reading out the scripture maybe I'll just take some time to pray maybe the next portion where we are praying or declaring over our children I'll probably ask somebody else to do it. I think there are just a couple of people here who are parents nevertheless okay so let's pray together, we have a have a time in class that we are going to pray together so I'm going to be you know just so that I don't miss out on anything I'm just going to read out and pray as everything you could follow through, you could just be in a time of prayer or worship or you could just follow with me through the books okay so let's start. Heavenly Father we just thank you and we just pray over our homes, we thank you that you have established our homes, you have given us children, you have given us spouses, you've given us the elderly. Thank you Lord for establishing us in a home, we are privileged that you have blessed us Lord and we just speak your word and we just pray that the voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tense of the righteous Lord that we will hear Lord praise and worship and the voice of salvation in our homes. Thank you that you have promised that Lord. Lord your word says that happy are those who obey the Lord and who live by your commands Lord thank you that you will provide for our needs and you have promised that you that we as a result of your blessing will be happy and prosperous. Thank you God that our spouses or for those of us who are husbands, our wives are like a fruitful vine in our homes and Lord that our children will be like young olive trees around our table. Thank you Lord that we who obey you will be blessed like this. Lord we just declare the blessing of the Lord come upon us Lord from Zion that Lord we will see prosperity of the days of our lives. Lord that we will live to see our grandchildren. Lord thank you that your word says that you will bless the home of the just, that you will bless the home of the righteous and the righteous, the home of the righteous is what will stand through every storm, through every affliction, through every difficulty. Thank you Lord that our homes Lord will flourish, Lord that there will be great wealth and there will be great treasure in the home of the righteous. Father we just declare what your word says about our homes that we will dwell in peaceful habitations, insecure dwellings and in quiet resting places. Thank you that we can speak your word that is truth over our homes. Father we just pray that whatever we have prayed for and declared for about our homes will come to pass as you have spoken Father. Lord we thank you, we give you praise in Jesus name. Amen. All right what would any of you like to use the prayers that's there over children and pray and so there are many verses you know you can just you can just read them out just like I did just read them out and just just pray over over children. So those of us who aren't married you can pray for the children that will be birthed to you, birthed to you. Okay would somebody like to do that? I'm on page 174 in the book and I think it's the same in the notes as well, page 172 okay page 170. Will someone like to do that? Jaclyn would you like to pray? Yeah so thank you Lord for the gift of the children Lord, they are from the whole world that you have blessed us with children Lord. Father thank you for this blessing Father. Father in Psalm 37, 25 and 26 we read, I am old now, I have lived a long time but I have never seen good people abandoned by the Lord or their children begging for food. Father just like your word says Lord, we know Lord that you will not leave our children, your word says I will never leave you not first thank you Lord. Father that you will take care of our children Lord and all their spiritual longing and what they are called for. Father we submit it at your feet. Father we read in Psalm 112, one to three praise the Lord, happy is the person who honors the Lord, who takes pleasure in obeying his commands. The good man's children will be powerful in the land, his descendants will be blessed, his family will be wealthy and rich and he will be prosperous forever. Father thank you Lord for this rich promises that we have Lord as your children. Father we pray this for our children Lord that they will be powerful in the land Lord and Father all our descendants generations to generation will be blessed because of what you have declared Lord in your word Lord because your word says Lord and you will do it for us Father God and you will take care of our children and all that they need Father to grow in you and Father have and fulfill their calling and move in their destiny and all that you have for them Lord because of your word. Father we also read in Psalm 127, one to five unless the Lord bins the house they labor in vain who build it unless the Lord guards the city the watchman stays awake in vain it is vain for you to rise up early to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows for so he gives his beloved sleep behold children are a heritage from the Lord the fruit of the womb is a reward like arrows in the hand of a warrior so are the children of ones who happy is the man who has his river full of them they shall not be ashamed but shall speak with their enemies in the gate here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me we are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts dwells in Mount Zion Lord thank you Lord for all the verses that you have declared Lord for our children Lord help us Lord to declare these verses every day Lord over our children and pray diligently for them Lord Father this is the only protection that we have Lord for our children Lord to be mighty warriors in your hand Father they are mighty warriors in your hand Father God Father your words this Father God and you will do it Lord for your glory Father we read in Isaiah 1 44 3 and for for I will pour water on him who is thirsty and floods on the dry ground I will pour my spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring they will spring up among the grass like willows by the water courses yes Lord your word says that you will pour out your Holy Spirit on our children and children's children Lord Father we commit this promise for all of us Lord our children and the next generation Lord all who have gathered here Lord Father we pray Lord those of us who have children and those of us who are Lord waiting for marriage and those who will have in the future Father you will bless them Lord and the children Lord will carry on the rich heritage what you have put in us Lord and as we speak your word and by the power of the Holy Spirit they will be able to stand in this wicked generation Lord as the light Lord as this Lord as whom you have called them to be Lord not because of who we are but because of what you have told us and by your word we declare each and every promise that we have in the Bible for our children Lord in Jesus mighty matchless namely praise Amen thank you thank you so much Jackie thank you thank you very much right yeah so this is just you know one way that we can actually come before God just intercede in different things so whether it's praying for a spouse praying for our children praying for people who who are lost who don't have salvation praying over our homes praying over our elderly you know we could just continue doing that using the word okay all right any questions is there anything any thoughts any testimonies you know as you may have seen how much just coming together in prayer interceding has really done you know many things for us and that's what we are really looking at how important what is the significance of family alter and intercession in our lives so any testimonies something that I would like to share is when I was very small so it'll be like more like a tradition that they will read the verse and no long prayers will be said then most of the time my sister she'll doze off by the time the family prayer ends when my mother prays and closes the prayer so while I was thinking of family prayer in my house I was thinking how to make my daughter join in so mostly it was like based on her needs like during an exam or like I told her like you just pray whatever is or whatever you need you just present it to God so to involve her was a challenge but then sometimes it's like it's more like her involvement now she's like no the time is when we both are busy it's like he calls us like see we have we have not prayed today so I think it all all the three members or like whoever is there in the family everyone it just if we involve each and every person rather than just you know the one person praying or you know just taking the thing like all the three or something like they can read or they can share a thought or how they went through a challenge sometimes my husband shares his workplace situation so if we give that initiative or involve everyone that helps rather than you know that I know as I told him though in my times where only my mom will pray long prayers and so that is one thing that it helped us grow as a family yeah that's true thank you thanks Jack and I think that's an experience that probably most of us had but yeah to make it relevant even for young children or teens so just maybe some things that we used to do earlier was we used to take a topic and each of us we're you know a contemporary topic and listen to you know short messages about it or there were times when we started a book we would look at Bible project and watch that entire thing so that you know there is a introduction to the entire book and the children also are able to you know grasp it so those were some of the things that we did was helpful and the children were a little younger we used to have role plays we used to debate about certain things you know we used to tell them okay suppose you meet someone who doesn't know Jesus how would you talk to them and you know we just like have role plays and that itself you know were interesting experiences where they learned we learned and you know it it encouraged each I think each of us to know that family alters can be can be new ways of how we can connect with God and make it more personal and more applied rather than having you know very very strict read prayer saying close so just doing some of these mixes especially when there are children can be very helpful yeah okay anyone else okay if not I think we close we'll close for the day and we'll meet back next week thank you all for joining in and we'll meet next week for a new new entire new unit we finished with elements we'll be looking at other other chapters through the weeks for it okay thank you god bless and meet you all next week thank you