[ Return to the Page Directory ] [ Return to the Home Page ]
[ MP3 Audio Teaching ] [
Receive God's Gift of Salvation ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Partner Giving ]


"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
Ezra Bufford

Whether your children are young and innocent or older and struggling with a rebellious nature, whether they're living at home or are away and out in the world, our children need our prayers like never before. Oftentimes we feel so helpless, especially when they've gone astray and seem so lost, so angry and so unreachable. But the good news is that prayer works, especially when it's based upon the Word of God. I love what Isaiah 55:11 says about this: "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Oh, get a hold of this truth.

When we take hold of His Word that's been given to us as fact and receive it as our promise, mix our faith with it and return it to Him in believing prayer, thanking Him for His covenant Truth - things in the Spirit begin to happen! One of my favoritie Scriptures and it should become one of yours as well is Jeremiah 1:12. I love it especially in the Amplified Version as it brings out the depth of the original intent in the Hebrew language: "Then said the Lord to me, you have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it." I love it - He's waiting for us to believe as covenant fact His promises and speak them out in believing faith, returning them to Him in prayer.

Know this: As a born-again Christian, you are the establishing witness of the Word of God on the earth. In Matthew 18:16, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 by stating: "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." God spoke it, the Word reveals it, and YOU are the establishing witness. This is such a powerful revelation. Almighty God has already sent forth His Word, and when we take hold of it by faith, laying claim to it within our hearts and make the quality decision to give it voice, we are then establishing His Word onto the earth. Wow! What a powerful people we are as born-again believers - if we only had an understanding of this to its fullest sense. I pray that the Lord will begin to open your eyes to this wonderful truth.

Look also at Psalm 103:20-21 that enforces this truth and reveals a benefit of giving voice to the Word of God: "Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure." Do you want to put the angels of God to work in your behalf? Then boldly begin to proclaim the Word of God in prayer. It activates the heavenly hosts to minister effectively in the situations that concern you.

On September 3, 1987 I gave my life back to the Lord after many years of rebellion, drug addiction, lawlessness, womanizing and hard-core living. I had walked away from the Lord at 17 years of age and finally came back to the Lord when I was 33. During those wayward years, in my parents eyes, I seemed so hopeless and lost with no way of ever coming back to the Lord. I had lived a life outside of the law, was very prosperous financially and had influence amongst some very bad people.

In fact, the week before I gave my heart back to the Lord, during a confrontation that my parents initiated regarding my lifestyle, I took hold of my father and aggressively shoved him up against a wall and told them both that if they didn't back off and leave me alone I would have them both killed and that it wouldn't cost me a cent! I looked them right in the eye and told them they were nothing to me. Can you imagine how they must have felt? However, within the span of about four days a miraculous event took place in my life and I was saved and back with the Lord. Yes, it got worse in their eyes before it got better, and that's something that you must remember. When you begin to pray for your children things could "seem" to get worse before the breakthrough comes. Don't be moved by that, just continue to stand your ground and believe God! The devil usually likes to kick up his heels a bit in the hope that it will bring discouragement to you and that you will cease in your prayer and believing. Don't you fall for it. Allow it to be a sign to you that it's working!

The very morning that I gave my heart back to the Lord, a demonic spirit approached my bed and spoke to me - yes, I was able to see him clearly. He told me who he was and that he was sent to take me to hell, and to hell I would go! As he spoke, in an instant, the Bible and salvation made perfect sense to me, it was like a light had been turned on in my understanding. I looked at him and thought, "he is a demon, and a creation of God - this is proof that God is who He said He is." It's interesting to me that this demon's presence actually proved the Bible to me, and suddenly it just made sense to me. I looked at him and said, "I know someone much stronger than you!" He said "Who?" I said, "Jesus, that's who!" At that moment I lifted my hands and asked Jesus to forgive me and I asked him to come into my heart, take control of my life and change me.

Right then, the Lord spoke to me audibly and told me to step out in faith. So I got up, went to the place where I stored my drugs and took every one of the large containers of drugs and flushed all of the contents down the toilet. To make a very long story short, I never went through any withdrawals from the drugs, I was healed of the addiction from that moment forward. You see, I had a revelation of the Word of God that became so clear because of the many people who were praying for me. If you were to think of a seemingly impossible person to reach, someone so full of anger and so full of self, a person that seemed to be too far gone to ever turn around, that person would've had to have been me. But I wasn't too far gone for the Lord. We need to always remember what Jeremiah 32:27 says; "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"

Before I had repented, my mother had me on so many people's prayer lists. She contacted ministry after ministry and told them to add my name. One day while she was speaking with a pastor regarding my situation, he told her to pray Ephesians 1:17-21 over me, inserting my name in that very prayer that Paul had prayed: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."

What's interesting is, God honored that prayer exactly on the morning of September 3, 1987 - because in an instant the eyes of my understanding were enlightened. Yes, it's true they prayed many years for me, but they stayed with it and didn't give up, thank God. You see no one would knowingly choose to go to hell. We need to understand that when a person is in rebellion they are deceived, and they need enlightenment from the Lord to know the way. I often tell people that I am a victim of prayer and am greatful for those that knew its power and stayed the course. They partnered with God, giving Him substance to work with to bring about His will for my life - I am so humbled by this and grateful for it.

The following is a combination of the two prayers that the Apostle Paul prayed that are taken out of Ephesians 1:16-21, and 3:14-19. This is a good place for you to begin in your intercession for your loved ones. Simply put their name in the blank and pray it by faith! (You may want to highlight, copy and paste the following prayer into your word processor, then print it out)

Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I ask that you would give to ____________ the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, that the eyes of _____________'s understanding would be enlightened; that ____________ may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe, according to the working of Your mighty power which You worked in Christ when You raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And that You would grant to ____________ , according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in their inner man, that Christ may dwell in their heart through faith; that ____________, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that ____________ may be filled with all the fullness of God.

You might also want to pray this prayer over yourself from time to time and over your mate. As born-again believer's we are all children of God and need the understanding and continued revelation of God and His Word.

Know that the Lord hears us when we pray according to His Word which is His will (1 John 5:14-15), so when praying this over our loved one's we only need to ask it once if we ask in faith from the heart. You may want to tailor it to be a prayer of thankfulness after your initial asking of the Lord. You may want to pray something like:

Father, I thank you in the Name of Jesus Christ, for giving to ____________ the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, thank you that the eyes of _____________'s understanding are being enlightened... It will serve as a reminder to you of what God is bringing about because He is faithful to His Word.

I think you get the idea.

Helpful Tools Of Intercession

Before going on to the many Scripture Promises regarding your children, I want to take a moment to arm you with some helpful Scriptural tools for successful intercession regarding someone who is rebellious and away from or does not know the Lord.

Luke 10:19 - Jesus said: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." NOTE - Get a hold of this: you have been given delegated authority over the devil and his demons. They are under your feet. So you have the God given right to command them to take their hands off of your children. In fact Verse 20 reveals to us that these spirits are subject to us! Use your authority!!!

Matthew 18:18 - Jesus said: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." NOTE - Again, you can see how much authority has been given to the believer. As the establishing witness of the Word of God, the Lord wants us to begin to forbid some things with His delegated authority. Put your foot down and forbid the enemy to ravage your children. "Devil I bind (forbid) the spirit of addiction, I bind the spirit of lust, I bind the spirit of confusion etc. in Jesus' Name!"

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age (the devil) has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." NOTE - See how the devil has placed blinders on them causing the deception. Take your authority and command the devil to take the blinders off of your children so that the light of the gospel can and will shine on them.

Mark 11:23-24
- "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." NOTE - Don't just speak to God about the mountain, Jesus said here that YOU must "speak" TO the mountain. A mountain represents an obstacle that is in your way, or in this case in your children's way. Call out what ever the problem is in your children's life and command for it to be removed. "Spirit of addiction, spirit of rebellion, spirit of lust, spirit of homosexuality - I command you to leave my child in the Name of Jesus Christ - NOW!"

Matthew 9:37-38 - "Then He (Jesus) said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NOTE - Jesus said for us to "ask" the Father (Lord of the harvest) to send out laborers. So take Jesus at His Word and ask the Lord to send someone to your loved one that they will respect and listen to that will be able to speak the Word to them in love. This is so very important. I guarantee that you will be amazed at the Christian laborers that your loved one will tell you about one day that God had sent to minister to them.

Ezekiel 36:26-29 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses." NOTE - This is the will of God to take out hardness of heart and replace it with a soft heart of loving understanding and surrender. So ask Him to take out the hard heart and give your loved one a heart of flesh and deliver them from all uncleanness.

Remember James 4:2 tells us that we have not because we ask not. There is no better way to receive from God than when we come to Him on the basis of His Word.

 

The Promises of God Regarding Our Children
These are promises that you can lay claim to personally as you proclaim them in prayer or as faith declarations over your children. Remember, the Bible tells us in James 5:16 that the prayers of a righteous man or woman avails much or as the Amplified version says: The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. Know this, you are a righteous person if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life. I will continue to update the list of Children Scriptures as I come across them.

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (salvation, deliverance and healing), you and your household (this includes your children)."

Psalm 115:14 "May the LORD give you increase more and more, you and your children."

Psalm 112:1-2 "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed." NOTE - Keep yourself sensitive to the things of the Lord and His ways and the blessing will flow to your children.

Proverbs 14:11 "The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent (dwelling place, household) of the upright will flourish." NOTE - As you continue to serve the Lord and walk in His ways, begin to speak out daily, "According to the Word of God, I say my household will flourish in Jesus' Name!"

Proverbs 20:7 "The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him." NOTE - Here again we see that the blessing flows to the children of those who walk in the ways of the Lord. So if you haven't been, start today!

Isaiah 49:25 "For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save (defend, preserve, rescue, deliver) your children."

Proverbs 11:21 "Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity (children, descendants) of the righteous will be delivered ( rescued, released, escape)." NOTE - Parents, this is a powerful promise to you if your child is in bondage to drug addiction, alcohol, pornography etc. The Lord is wanting to give you hope, they will be delivered as you continue to mix your faith with the Word of God in prayer! If you are born-again, then you are the righteous, that is your God given inherited position in Christ. See 2 Corinthians 5:21. So there is no doubt that this Scripture is for you!

Jeremiah 31:16-17 "Thus says the LORD: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work (raising of your children, prayer) shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they (your children) shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope (something you can expect) in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border (place of peace and safety and well being)." NOTE - Don't place your focus on how bad it may be now, instead look to the the promise of the Word and the power of the Lord to bring it about and begin to rejoice - their coming back!!!

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." NOTE - They may stray from time to time, but eventually they will return to what they know is right. Godly parenting is giving God substance to work with in their latter life.

Psalm 25:12-13 "Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity (at ease, cheerful, free from worry) and his descendants shall inherit the earth (blessings)." NOTE - As you take time with the Lord, He will teach you His ways and you will live at ease free from worry knowing that the Lord will take care of and bring about the blessing of salvation to your children.

Isaiah 61:8-9 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed."

Psalm 128:3 "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants (symbol of anointing) all around your table." NOTE - Begin to see your children in the light of the Word that you are believing for them. In your prayer time begin to call them blessed, begin to see them in your minds eye as anointed by God, anointed to carry out the call of God on their lives and live as a blessing unto the Lord and all they come in contact with.

Isaiah 54:13 "And all your children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of your children. (And their undisturbed composure) Amplified Version NOTE - Begin to call your children peaceful, composed, steady, and constant in what is right in Jesus' Name!

Psalm 36:7-9 "How precious is Your lovingkindness (covenant remembrance, love & favor), O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness (fatness, abundance) of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain (outflow, spring) of life; In Your light we see light." NOTE - This verse is so full of revelation and power! Look at the heart of God toward us, nothing but goodness and blessing. I love the phrase, You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. What is interesting is the Hebrew word for pleasures here is the word "Eden," The same word as the garden of Eden - a paradise, perfection. That's right, He wants to satisfy His children with His very best - holding nothing back. Take a look at Luke 12:32 which confirms the Father's will for His children: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." So know that He's holding nothing back, and will provide His very best in bringing your children back to Him and keep them safe, pouring His life into them. Rejoice - this is the will of God!

Isaiah 44:3-5 "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 watercourses.' One will say, 'I am the LORD's'; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; another will write with his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel (Prince having favor with God)." NOTE - Wow! I love this verse of Scripture. Are you weary believing for your children, do you feel dry in your spirit? The Lord wants to bring refreshing to you - right now lift your hands to Him and take a moment and allow Him to bring the refreshing that He has promised to you. Know that this is His desire to pour out His Spirit on your children - believe it and receive it now!

Psalm 102:28 "The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You." NOTE - Established in righteousness!

Deuteronomy 7:13 "And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb." NOTE - The word "bless" if you do a word study, literally means empowered to succeed.

Isaiah 29:22-24 "Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now grow pale; but when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of Israel. These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine." NOTE - Begin to see your children in your minds eye worshiping and praising the Lord. Begin to thank the Lord for correcting your children and bringing them into the blessing.

Psalm 138:8 "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me (my children);Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands."

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (be whole, be nourished up) that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

Psalm 127:3 "Behold, children are a heritage (inheritance) from the LORD." NOTE - Your children do not belong to the devil, as this Scripture clearly states, they are an inheritance from the Lord. So command the devil to take his hands off and begin to proclaim that they belong to the Lord!

Isaiah 59:21 "As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: [the people of God] My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore." NOTE - Accept this as a promise, and begin to see in your minds eye, your children and your entire family line serving the Lord and proclaiming the Word of God. Instead of fear or dread because of what might be happening in the natural, begin to look beyond to the eternal, and begin to praise Him for bringing this promise to pass - after all, it is a covenant!!! Remember, it takes just as much energy to worry as it does to believe God. So aim it in the direction that will do the most good - worry is always unproductive and operates in the realm of unbelief.

Deuteronomy 30:6 "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. NOTE - Because of your dedication and walk with the Lord, because of the covenant in which you have entered into with Him, His favor and grace goes out to your children and He will draw them in.

 

Dan Downey
All Rights Reserved (c)
Dan Downey 2006

Proceed To The Site Directory

Back to the Directory Page

Recommend This Site "Abiding In The Healing Word"
To Your Friends!