Life

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 KJV)

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 can be seen as a promise of a long and prosperous physical life. (See Psalm 91:14-16.) But more importantly, it refers to life in the mental, emotional, and spiritual sense. Anger, pride, lust, depression, fear, rebellion these attitudes will take you and your children away from God's best for your lives. A home dominated by these attitudes is very dark and full of death indeed! When parents choose life, they tend to walk in attitudes that are the polar opposite: love, humility, selflessness, joy, faith, and obedience to God. These life-giving attitudes of the heart are then passed on to their children, and the life of God embraces them also. 

Pray the following prayer for your child, inserting his/her name in the blank, and believe that God will be faithful to His promise. 

Lord, I claim this promise from Deuteronomy 30. Because I choose to live for truth and for God, I believe spiritual life will be passed to my child. I pray that he/she will continue the family tradition of choosing life and be filled with the very life of God. In doing so, ____________ will escape the destructive results of a life of sin. I confess that the life-giving attributes of God's nature-love, joy, peace, righteousness, and goodness will fill our home, our lives, and our relationship. Yes, I choose life for myself and for my offspring. In the name of Jesus, amen (let it be so)!