Kristi Woods

Encouraging Women to Walk Deeper with God

Are You Praying These Powerful Prayers Over Your Kids?

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Do you offer powerful prayers over your kids? When set before the Almighty, rest assured. Prayer remains a mighty weapon in the battle against evil.

But what if we flounder? Sometimes I find myself groping in the dark for words, direction, or Scripture.

I simply don’t know what to pray.

Prayer books (books containing prayers repeatable by readers) slide in as a helpful tool. I use them. What about you? Today’s review covers two.

The good news for those of us searching for powerful prayers? Both reads focus solely on words and topics for parents to pray over kids. And the couple authoring these two? They’re gems.

“Stranger “Danger”: How My Story Intersects with These Prayer Books

Allow me to give a little backstory first.

In 2015, I attended She Speaks, a Proverbs 31 Ministry conference for Christian women writers and speakers. Attendees flooded a Facebook group, listing flight numbers, days, and times in hopes of finding cost-share “buddies” for cab travels from the airport to the venue. (Conference costs add up fast!)

Two women flying in from different parts of the country were scheduled to land at similar times as me. Enter sweet Joanna Teigen and beautiful Grace. The three of us connected and shared the fare.

(As a mother, I’d be screeching “stranger danger!” right about now. After all, we met online. But this story unfolded in a beautiful way. I found a lasting friendship in these strangers named Grace and Joanna. I thank my Father for them.)

As we conversed, Joanna humbly mentioned writing a book. No fanfare. No “ta-da.” Just the fact that she wrote something on prayer. And that was it.

Favorite Prayer Books

It took a bit to add two and two, but when I did….viola! I realized this cab buddy authored one of my all-time favorite prayer books, a tool I found due to a review just like this one.

My mouth dropped.

Beside me sat one of my favorite authors, and I hadn’t a clue!

I giggle about how goofy I reacted (even if none of it showed on the outside), because Joanna is about as humble and genuine as they come. I love this woman and the spark she has for Christ. She and her husband, Rob, create practical tools to help parents and marrieds sit at the feet of Jesus.

They walk the talk.

I share this backstory so you’ll know my “friendship status” with Joanna. A bit of bias rests here. But I assure you, I’d give these books 5 stars–even without the friendship.

Two books with "Book Review" written above

Prayer Books as Powerful Tools

Both Powerful Prayers for Your Son and Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter enable readers to petition God for every part of our their child’s life.

These two books include prayers covering areas from salvation and pride, friendships, rejection, discontentedness, addiction, dating, and purity–and many more. Rob and Joanna invite us to use them as our own. I love that they list applicable scriptures as well.

(There’s power in God’s Word!)

The topics range wide, covering even hidden heart issues and ones we, as parents, may not consider such as the need for peace or giving.

These books are not surface-level prayer tools, they dive deep into the heart of matters. Thank you, Rob and Joanna, for arming us with these powerhouse prayers and Bible verses.

But prayers and scriptures aren’t the only gems found in these tools. Check out the “Prayer Story” portions. These words from other moms and dads encourage and put a real-life face on parenting and spiritual petition needs.

Threaded throughout we also find helpful insight from Rob and Joanna.

So go ahead, grab your copy of each of these books. Give them to new moms or consider one as a “graduation” gift for the parents. They fit a range of ages. After all, we’re never too young or old for prayer.

Find Powerful Prayers for Your Son/Daughter Here:

  • Christianbook.com (fantastic price as of the writing of this post)
735429: Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter: Praying for Every Part of Her LifePowerful Prayers for Your Daughter: Praying for Every Part of Her Life
735436: Powerful Prayers for Your Son: Praying for Every Part of His LifePowerful Prayers for Your Son: Praying for Every Part of His Life

The publisher supplied a free copy of these books in exchange for my honest review.

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Stephen’s Powerful Witness

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Desk with a book and flower in front of a brick wall
Guest Post by Misty Phillip

A special welcome to guest writer Misty Phillip as she helps us encounter and be encouraged by Stephen’s powerful witness.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit, Christians were called to be witnesses of the gospel message and spread the good news throughout the world. 
The word “witnesses” in Greek is μάρτυρες, martyrs, which is where we get the word martyr. I don’t know about you, but I don’t associate the word “witness” with the potential for death. However, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, a martyr is “a person who is killed because of religious or other beliefs.”


Enter Stephen, the first ultimate witness for Jesus Christ. We read his story in Acts 6 and 7. He is referred to as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and chosen as a man devoted to prayer and the ministry of the word. 
Our modern-day church came into being by a few sold-out believers who were obedient and faithful to God. 


We never know what God will accomplish through us and our obedience to Him.


I love what verse 7 says: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” 


Stephen was preaching to the diaspora Jews. These were Jews who were living outside of Palestine. The scripture tells us Stephen was full of the Spirit and spoke with wisdom. The word of God continued to increase and the disciples multiplied.


Stephen recounts a brief history of the Old Testament to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:1-53. The Sanhedrin was the religious council of the day, made up of the High Priests and Elders. They were considered to be the supreme religious leaders. Stephen concluded his speech by turning the accusation of his accusers in Acts 7:51-53. 


Stephen continued to share his vision of the exalted Christ and, in doing so, enraged the high priests. 


Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and, at that moment, saw the glory of God and Christ seated at his right hand. Stephen remained faithful to Jesus Christ until the very end. He cried out to God as he was being stoned. Right before he died, he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 
Stephen died praying for the very men who killed him. His final prayers were “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit,” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Stephen was an incredible example of a faithful witness! 


Here are three powerful lessons we can learn from the life and death of Stephen.

  1. Being a witness for Jesus means there is a potential for martyrdom. 
  2. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can remain faithful throughout our lives. 
  3. We need to pray for those who mean us harm.

_____________________________

Join me for a further in-depth study on the life of Stephen and many other men and women of both the Old and Testament who exemplified faith in The Struggle is Real: But so is God Bible Study.


Now is the time to know what God says about you and how you can live a victorious life. Discover faith and integrity are the character qualities that are yours as an overcomer. Each in-depth study has thought-provoking questions to journal, so you will be able to see your personal growth.
The Struggle Is Real, But So Is God is a 6-week journey through the Bible that will:

  • Equip you with empowering wisdom.
  • Help you grow spiritually by claiming God’s promises as your own.
  • Teach you how to declare scripture over yourself to strengthen your inner being.
  • Show you how to conquer challenges by activating God’s Word in your life. 


Author Misty Phillip has lived through many difficult seasons of life where all she could do was look to God and His Word for hope. She found biblical solutions and scriptural promises that helped her overcome, and she can’t wait to share with you what she has learned.

For another faith-building read, try this: Is God Prompting You to Step out in Faith Right Now?

The Latest

So what DOES the Bible say about women? It’s a conversation many of us mull around or discuss with friends. Or, perhaps we simply question in silence. Here’s a piece I wrote for Crosswalk. What are your thoughts?

About Misty

Woman with long, reddish brown hair, wearing a black blouse

Misty Phillip is passionate about helping women overcome challenges in life by seeking Jesus, studying the Word and growing in grace. She is the author of The Struggle is Real: But so is God Bible Study, founder and host of the By His Grace Podcast, sought after speaker and blogger at MistyPhillip.com and co-author of Dear Wife and contributor to A Wife Like Me.

Is God Prodding You to Share Your Story?

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This post may contain affiliate links.

Have you ever sensed God prodding you to share a part of your story? I have. And I can assure you, I wasn’t too keen on sharing the part He eyed.

I stood in our country church, pressed between two pews when it came.

No. No, no, no, no. Please, no. I don’t really want to share that, Lord. Folks will think I’m crazy.

My fingernails dug into the pew in front of me.

Hello prompting. Hello God.

The churning inside wouldn’t stop. My story seemed ready to be told.

But I don’t want to share that, Lord. I’m not ready.

Churn. Churn. Churn.

After service, I headed to the Sunday school room…and began to ease into an explanation of my postpartum journey. The story God prompted me to share–my battle with depression and even psychotic thoughts–oozed forth.

The churning stopped. I’m still alive. God is good. And the testimony remains powerful.

Your Story

You have a story too. It’s important. It’s powerful. Why? Because it lifts high the name of Jesus. It points eyes to Him.

We face trials in life. The Bible promises this reality, and many of us know it to be true. Sometimes those struggles include encounters with mental health battles, circumstances we never requested or desired, the sin of others dropped on us, and more.

However life looks, God remains faithful. He delivers. He heals. He imparts wisdom. And More. You and I may be prompted to share these powerful parts of our story.

Book Review

In Growing Forward: When You Can’t Go Back, Laurie Pawlik shares her story. She opens wide the hard parts of her past as well, allowing us to come alongside her as we move through loss–whether it’s due to divorce, death, disease, or a closed door.

Laurie intertwines bits of the Bible within each chapter, overlapping the stories of several women with our own. She also includes snippets of her story and action tips–all helpful as we journey forward.

Her background is hard, folks. She was handed a childhood riddled with difficulty but found a way to thrive–through Christ–and champions readers as they fight to do likewise.

Would I pick up this book from bookstore shelves? Yes. I like how it reads–easy and fast with just enough depth to keep my “bunny rabbit trail” personality focused. I think it’s good for those of us who are facing life circumstances different than what we expected.

Take a peek. Perhaps you’ll like it too.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back can be purchased at Christianbook.com (link below) or at other book retailers.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back
By Laurie Pawlik
GrowingForward book cover