He Said, She Says: The Power of Praying God's WordSample

What God Wants for You: God’s Non-Existent Whiteboard

I suppose a child is around the age of 3 or 4 when “official” discipline starts. That was the case in our family, as Michael and I were trying to decide the best way to correct Cole when he threw a tantrum or ran away from us in the middle of Walmart. Spanking? A behavior chart? Time out?

At some point, though, you no longer have time to decide the best method, and that parental gut the hospital packed in your diaper bag kicks in. “I’m going to give you an X!” I exclaimed after one of Cole’s screaming fits.

An X? What on earth was an X and where did that statement even come from?

I didn’t know what an X was, but apparently Cole did. That’s all it took. I would threaten with “an X” and he would straighten up, quieten down, and obey my every word. Wow… parenting was going to be easy! Or so I thought.

Cole and I were curled up watching old cartoons one Saturday when I noticed something. Every time the animated coyote ran headfirst into the dynamite, his eyes turned to big, black Xs. Ugh. Y’all, my kid thought I was threatening to kill him.

Last I checked, God doesn’t give out Xs. God doesn’t own a thick, red marker for putting checkmarks by your name on a heavenly whiteboard. He’s not basing His love of you on what you did or didn’t do, have or haven’t done. Romans 5:8 tells us that “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

His Word doesn’t say, “The Lord will withhold no good thing” from us unless we’re former addicts. His word doesn’t say, “The Lord will withhold no good thing” from us unless we’ve just been diagnosed with cancer. No, Psalm 84:11 says “The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”

God wants good for you, His child, and every promise in His word is yours. He’s your biggest cheerleader. He’s leading the “You’ve got this!” shout.

Consider saying and proclaiming the following verses out loud as you read them. Remember, the Bible says the power of life and death are in the tongue – the very words we speak.

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From He Said, She Says, by Allyson McElroy of On3Ministries.com