Happy week 19 of 2023!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers reading this here today. This past week, I was able to be attend our local National Day of Prayer rally, and one of the pastors spoke about the verse below. It got my spirit fired up, and so I want to dedicate this blog to my mother, Shelley Futrell, for holding a righteous standard for her children and her future children’s children. I also want to dedicate this to all the mothers holding a stake in the ground saying, “not on my watch.”
So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
-Isaiah 59:19 NKJV
I have a question for you: Will you STAND as a STANDard bearer in these tumultuous times in your home for your bloodline?
“It’s for the kids”, as Veggie Tales likes to say!
(For those of you who might not know what Veggie Tales is, it’s a faith based cartoon.)
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard. Do you see that the Spirit is the lifter of our hearts and a lifter of our heads? We as mothers are given the great honor and responsibility to teach and show by example the standard of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Our hearts have to be so sensitive to the Spirit to handle our children differently than what the world is projecting and enticing us and them to become. We are raising God girls and boys to be world changers and trailblazers. These children are given to us by the Divine for this day and time to bring change and to raise up a standard. It’s our heavenly mandate to raise them well by drawing from his eternal life-giving well.
This brings me to another passage that pastor Jill Dillon quotes often:
When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.
-Judges 2:10 NKJV
These standards will not remain unless we instruct and embody these deep truths within.
If we don’t raise them to seek, see and serve their Heavenly Father, then who will? God entrusted them to us. I have to say, for me and my house, were going back to the, “leave it to beaver” days. We are going old school, for the new school just ain’t cool. 😎 Identity is in question. Authority is in question. Education is in question. Parental roles are in question. Bathrooms are in question. The voices to mentor them are in question. Safety is in question. Gender roles are in question. Political correctness is in question.
The only man who can handle all our questions is the Man who created us all, and that’s not in question for me. So, we as mothers must be grounded in truth to be able to plant seeds with eternal fruit. These kids are our seeds, and they move and breathe and can be molded into all God created them to be, but they need us to help and guide them as they grow into mighty men and women of God.
May we raise standard bearers who understand their heart’s purpose is to honor the King. May they be brave to stand up for their faith. May they see those less fortunate and lend a hand. May they honor authority. May they seek to serve. May they honor their fathers and mothers. May they love, for they have received the revelation of just how much the Father truly loves them. May salvation be on their lips and not just hidden away in their hearts. May they be given authority in the marketplace by cultivating a higher standard of care and concern. May they innovate. May they find their place in political reform. May they understand their place by seeking their Heavenly Father’s voice. May they never believe it’s their giftings that brings forth the increase, but surrender to the One above to trust and obey even when He uses unconventional ways to communicate His grace. May they have passion for His Word. May they have an understanding that the Word breathes life into their heart and bones to propel them towards their eternal rewards. May they love their neighbor. May they understand how to receive love within. May they hear “well done thy good and faithful servant.”
Standard Bearers
May we be them
May we grow them
May we know them
This song found me today, and so I want to end with another song that grips my heart so deeply. His tender offering makes me just want to lay prostrate on the floor and cry for our children to understand the depth of what this man is able to express through a melody. May his poetic vibrations awaken your heart to an eternal melody that beckons.
It’s two songs meshed together.
Jason Upton
You are home, home to me
You are patient and kind
You are peace, peace to me
You are never failing
Until next time,
Keep gliding 🪁
Abiding 🙇🏼♀️
& Smiling 😁