"You look just like your father!" 

We, as God's children, should favor Him. 

> What does that mean? 

> Do you?

> Who do we act like? Look like? Resemble? Who do we favor, as we go about our day, go about our lives?

We often think of favor when we come to God and ask for favor. We want God to do good to us, ("God, give me a special privilege, benefit. Do something for me on my behalf or lift a burden.") 

* But God's favor is about giving God the opportunity to move in our lives so that every action and reaction resembles Him. 

God, I want to resemble You. I want to favor You. 

When you became a child of God, He really began working His goodness in your life, to make you rememble Him. So everything that comes into our lives -- what God is working in our lives, what God allows to come into our lives is good because the end result is so that we resemble Him. We look like Him. We favor Him. 

God, from Your perspective, what is "gracious to me"?  

The Hebrew word means to show favo...

God is good. That means that God Himself looks down into our lives, into our situations, and He sees what we need to make all things well around us. 

God never lets anything touch you that's not intended to make you better. 

God wanted to show me my heart -- my selfishness, my self-sufficiency, pride. God truly was my source - He was my sufficiency. He wanted me to run to Him, to embrace His good in the moment. I needed His favor, His grace. 

A gift from God is truly an opportunity for a greater vision of God. 

I got such a visitation from God that it woke me up to my self. I was satisfying myself by living in the world with God just tacked on. I was living for the things of the world and allowing my flesh to dictate my desires and my motives. 

* It was an opportunity to have a holy visitation with God because He has so much more for each one of us. 

Where did God find you this morning? 

In your rejoicing, go help someone else get there. It doesn't have to be perfect, just be wi...

What is success? What is life supposed to look like? What does a home life look like?

Your aim is to please God. It doesn't matter what stage of life you're at 

* Visual: Driving. Dark night. Person waving a flag. You have choices: go around them; stop and find out what is wrong; see it ahead and turn around to a different path.

When we draw closer to God, He gives us His vision of success.

Success is wisdom that leads to a fulfilling life that pleases God; wisdom that grants you soundness, the competence to live life well for the Lord.

Sydney: Success is not just knowing but following the Lord.

Jo: That is a strong foundation. It's based on the Word of God. So we can all stand on that.

Sydney: Scripture -- being a daily part of our lives (not always structured, sitting down) -- putting Scripture in our every day -- what we listen to, what I and my husband are studying, passing on the wisdom God gives us to our children + being rooted in a faith community

Jo: You have to be int...

Jo: "Lord, what do you require of me?" 

Judi: "Lord, I'm just too busy right now to talk to you about that. I'm fine doing what I'm doing." God to Judi: "Look, there's a different direction we're gonna go. And, just trust Me in this. You're gonna take care of people, just not in a medical office." 

Jo: God takes us through seasons of life. You didn't just see to their health needs, you helped them with their heart needs -- ministering to their hearts. In that season, you were still pursuing God. You were faithful to God. 

* Know the season that you're in -- And the season that you're in, don't try to be in another season. Be there with God. 

Judi: I was in a drought. There came a time: There's really not any joy or excitement in what I'm doing. But I know that's what I'm supposed to do, so I'm gonna do it. ... I don't want to ever get out of the Word of God. I want people to know what I've been taught and how I got to where I am. 

Jo: We get tossed. We look for the quick fixes. Ye...

We're in a preparation stage -- getting ready for the Bridegroom. And the Bride/we are making ourselves ready. We want to be beautiful. We want to be pure, clean, bright, radiantly white for the Bridegroom. 

Everyday we need to be attentive -- not waste time on unnecessary things -- lusting after the world, lusting after the flesh.

It requires a pure heart. We need to be intentional. Periodically, we need to examine the heart -- allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to circumcise our hearts. 

Ask God: Would you take your flashlight, and would you shine that flashlight all over my heart? And, if there's anything that needs to be cut away, anything that is (unholy, unrighteousness) inhibiting me from freely loving you, God? Would you cut it away? 

And where He cuts, also ask Him to heal that cut. Heal it with righteousness. 

Take a moment. Focus on giving God the time to circumcise your heart. Willingly expose yourself so that you can confess (acknowledge, agree) the sin. 

You want t...

I'm making my wedding garment -- my spiritual garment. I want it to be right. 

Every day I'm paying attention to the details.

"Fine linen" refers to the righteous acts of the saints. "Bright, clean" refers to purity. 

A wedding is coming.

Jesus is the Bridegroom. God is the Father of the Bridegroom. We, that have received Jesus (that's the Church, the believers), are the Bride. And, we're making ourselves ready -- for the wedding ceremony, the marriage.

The Custom of the Jewish Wedding

First, there's an arrangement -- usually the parents of the bride and groom agree. There would be a price to pay for the bride. The next phase is a betrothal ceremony. There is a cleansing. They would promise to one another and would be legally married, even though they still lived in separate houses and had not consummated the relationship. The next phase is a preparation period. The bride would go back to her home and prepare herself for the bridegroom. She didn't know when the groom would be co...

God has a plan and purpose for our children and grandchildren. 

Be intentional to pray for your child - and pray with them.

Prayer is a privilege. It's the most important thing you will ever do. 

1. Be intentional to pray for them. Do it! Consider it as essential as eating a meal. 

We're seeking Him because we need Him -- inviting God in. Otherwise, we are being presumptuous; we are taking Him for granted. 

2. Pray specifically. The more specific your prayers are, the more the Holy Spirit will move according to your prayers. 

3. Pray the Word. That is God's will. Pray it aloud. 

As you pray that Word over that child, do you know the Holy Spirit can take that Word that is spoken, put it into action, and when that child needs that Word to keep themself pure in a moment, the Holy Spirit can use that Word with power to help keep that child pure in their way. Why? Because you were faithful to intentionally pray the Word. 

4. When you pray, pray believing. 

God is on the move to bri...

Sydney: What is our purpose? What are we seeking? What are our eyes fixed on? It's crucial. 

To what end are we doing _____? Maybe it's a sport, a commitment. Maybe as a parent it's something you're committed to, something you're gone for a good amount of time -- whether it's a job or just a volunteer. 

Jo of Sydney: Make sure you trace it all the way back to truth -- that you get truth to your children. 

Sydney: Is this draining or will this give us some life? It goes back to knowing them -- will it help them? That takes discernment from God, and He'll give it. 

Again, predeciding -- having thought this through before the signups get sent out. Take the time to pray and think it through before you have to make the decision -- have the time to think it through with your husband. 

Jo: You don't let the outside voices distract you from what your aim is. 

Sydney: Stay confident. God will give you that confidence when it's in Him, trusting in Him.

You don't have to play the compariso...

In seeking to point our family in God's ways, "No one has it all right but your heart is to seek what is right and right for your family." (Jo)

Jo: What is your schedule going to be to educate your children so that you raise them up in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord? 

Sydney: Three points: Our Gaze (What are we focusing on?), Staying Anchored, Finding Freedom 

Our Gaze = choosing a school and extracurriculars and schedules > To what end are we doing these things?

Aim for what is bringing Him glory. It's hard to connect at home, to have discipleship, to have peace in the home if there's too much scurrying, busyness, and I think the enemy loves to use it to have families drift away from His ways. You can have good aim, but what are we doing to stay anchored?

Jo: The enemy will always be working behind the scenes to steal, kill and destroy what you've decided -- the aim. What about these things that come along the way that busyness creeps in? that competition creeps in? What do...

Let the Word of God sink deep down into your heart. 

Jesus is at the right hand interceding for all of us. 

"You are just waiting for us to come to You and join with Jesus and Your heart to seek You, Father, with all our heart on our behalf.

I pray right now, Father, that You would reach down with Your righteous right hand and You would put Your right hand on this beloved one, and they would know Your presence, they would sense Your presence, they would know You are all in for them."

God loves us with an everlasting love.

There is nothing that we have done, there is nothing that we will ever do that can separate us from the love of God.

"Lord, I thank You for just the thought that You love us with an everlasting love.

You are the God of all hope.

God, right now, would You give us the grace to take our eyes off of those [things that aren't You will for us] and put our face like flint before You, that we see You as we know You, that we hunger and thirst for righteousness and that...