Out Loud Faith

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I want to live Deuteronomy 6. 

When speaking about God's Words, it says:

 "7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.


I'm thinking about this topic because of a friend's blog.
Feel free to read it yourself. 
She says, "Its a long one. Get a drink first."
http://livininaboysworld.blogspot.com/

It WAS long...but it challenged me.
Stephanie survives life by clinging to scripture. 

She is weak, but God's Word makes her strong...and she is passing this knowledge to her children.

While homeschooling them, she uses the Bible for her textbook as much as possible.
I love that. 


I want my boys to turn to Scripture for answers to EVERYTHING.
I want them to know the Word of God and meditate on it day and night.
BUT...how can they learn this habit if I am not modeling it for them?
How will they know to find answers in God's Word if I don't SHOW them?

Right now, my children are immature in their faith.
Honestly, they experience the Holy Spirit most often through the faith of their father and I (or other church leaders). When I focus on that fact, I feel an urgency to SHARE my Holy-Spirit-moments with them more often.
We encourage our boys to listen for God's direction on their own (and sometimes, God does move in "forced-to-be-alone-with-God-by-Mom" moments), but that is not the "norm" right now.
It's OK , we are still discipling them toward God.

This week, I am challenged to SHARE every time I experience God (even subtly) in my day.
I am also challenged to admit moments when I depend on self (rather than God) - when everything explodes.
I am challenged to spontaneously PRAY OUT LOUD in front of my kids - not just quietly in my head or at the dinner table or before we start our day.
I am challenged to QUOTE SCRIPTURE in the face of weakness or conflict (which means I need to know and learn scripture!).

My faith needs to be visible.
When I see the faith of others, I get exhilarated.
God wants to use me to motivate others as well. He wants me to have an "Out Loud" faith.

Now...to do something about all these challenges.
Am I up for it? No.
Good thing I'm not alone in this.
.
Lord, help me live my faith OPENLY.
Please give me a thirst for you, a unquenchable desire to KNOW you (and your Word), and the wisdom to always seek your will.
Only through YOU is it possible.
Thank you that it IS possible.
Amen.