21 Days to Building a Faith Filled Family - Audio DevotionalSample

Welcome and Introduction

Dear Friend,

Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey.

I'll begin by saying the BEST way to enjoy and participate in this journey is to join through the audio. Click the listen button, and you'll hear a narration and audio that was custom-created for this devotional. Listen and follow along with the text for a rich experience. If you are unable, that's okay, this is still a powerful experience, so read on!

I'm willing to bet you have a one-of-a-kind family, am I right? I'm convinced, 'cause let's face it, every family out there is totally unique.

Families are an amazing mix of personalities, experiences, traditions, and so much more. They can bring us incredible joy and fulfillment, yet they can also bring pain and heartache. Nevertheless, our families are where our personal identity and perspective of God begin to take shape.

This audio devotional is going to walk us into an experience with God, revealing some of our spiritual strongholds related to ourselves and to our family. We’ll explore some topics and situations that almost every family deals with, and each day will focus on a different aspect of building a strong and healthy Christian faith in your family.

Ultimately, I believe God has put your family together on purpose for a purpose. Let’s discover more about that beginning today.

********

I am so glad that you've decided to join us on this journey, and I believe that by the end of these 21 days, you will have a deeper understanding of what it means to live out your faith as a family.

Before we begin, let's take a moment to pray together.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today with open hearts and minds, ready to receive your guidance and wisdom as we embark on this faith journey. We ask that you be with us every step of the way, and that you help us to grow in our faith as individuals, and as a family. We pray that you would reveal yourself to us in new and powerful ways, and that you would bless us with the strength and courage to follow where you lead us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

I encourage you to make yourself comfortable and give these next 15 minutes your full attention. If you’re listening to the audio, you can close your eyes and let the sound of my voice guide you on this journey.

Over the next 21 days, we will be applying the ideas of identity, purpose, and direction to family. Specifically, how these apply to your family. These three concepts are essential for building a strong and healthy faith within your family.

A few things to keep in mind as we dive in: throughout this process we’ll be talking about different types of families. We’ll cover different topics and even give various examples surrounding family dynamics. It is possible that along the way, there might be a topic or an example given that doesn’t seem to directly apply to you or your family life. If this happens to be the case on a particular day, I want you to do the best you can to relate to the topic.

For instance, if today’s topic is on raising kids but you currently don’t have kids at home, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the current mindset or approach you have on raising kids. Use this time to consider and offer up your mindset and approach to God, asking for His wisdom and guidance.

Another thing to keep in mind, when I say “your family” I mean the family you currently share a home with. I may also reference your “family of origin”, which is the family you were born into. It is important to differentiate the two.

For you, those might be the same thing because you currently live with your family of origin. Or, your family today might consist of you and your spouse, or you, your spouse and children. Maybe you are currently raising children that aren’t your own, or raising children on your own. You might have extended family members that also add different dynamics and challenges to your family, for this journey, we’ll be focusing primarily on the family you currently share a home with.

I encourage you to approach this journey with an open mind and a willingness to learn. God has amazing things in store for you and your family, and I believe that by the end of these 21 days, you will have a deeper understanding of what it means to live out your faith as a family.

For today, I’m going to ask a seemingly simple question, and I want you to spend time reflecting on your answer. So, here it is: What are you and your family all about?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

You might be surprised to learn that most people struggle to answer this question.

I have the opportunity to ask families this question often, and they usually don’t know what to say. They fumble around and eventually say something about loving God, loving each other, being good people, or being generous. Those are really good things to be about. I’ve found these types of answers reveal something much deeper: passive and unintentional living.

Very few people can share what their family is all about with sincerity and clarity. I, myself couldn’t answer it until just a few years ago. It wasn’t until a dear friend asked me a similar question that I began to think through how to describe my family. So, if you aren’t able to answer the question, you’re in good company.

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

We, as a society, put such little effort and focus on clarifying the most fundamental environment that we are born into. So many of us just ‘wing it’ as a family, without a great plan and a clear vision. I, myself, did this for many years.

Proverbs 29:18a says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish..” Without a clear vision, we can’t lead our families in a meaningful direction. So, let’s do everything we can to ensure that your family has a vision and thrives.

As Christians, we have the privilege of seeking God about who He sees our family to be, and His purpose for our family. He can provide us with a powerful vision that leads to life, and peace.

Let’s pray for that right now:

Lord, You care deeply about the details of my life. So much that you intentionally brought my family together. Thank you, that out of all the people you could’ve chosen, you picked my family members to journey through life together. I trust that You have an incredible plan for us and I ask that you share that plan with my family. Father, help me to raise and lead my family according to your will and by your design. Give us courage, wisdom, and a fresh passion to lead my family to living out our faith in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Before I leave you with Jesus, take time to reflect on what it means for you to build a strong and healthy faith in your family, and to ask God to guide you on what you hope to gain from this journey. Take all the time you need.

I’ll see you tomorrow.