Category: Women’s Ministry

A Mother’s Prayer for Her Children from Galatians 3. 2026

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 130, Galatians 3

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of faith, the grace given to me through Jesus Christ, the righteous for the unrighteous. Thank You for the example of Abraham who was counted righteous by his faith, not by his works.

Thank You for the gift of the law as a tutor and guardian to protect us until our eyes might be opened by Your grace to the beauty of that Savior hanging on the cross.

Please help me to be a good steward of Your Word. Let me not breed little Pharisees who take pride in their own good deeds. I don’t want to raise better liars and hiders and sin-concealers. May I diligently and faithfully point my children to the perfect Lamb who kept the Law in every point, teaching them to be quick to repent, to run toward reconciliation with Jesus, with their parents, and with others.

I pray that my children would indeed be made sons and daughters of Abraham, being recipients of Your blessings because of their faith in Your Son. Protect them from believing the lie that they can be good enough to deserve Your mercy or merit Your grace. Help them to recognize that this is a lie sent from that liar, tempter, and accuser, Satan, who tempts us to sin and then accuses us when we fall.

I pray that my children would receive the gift of redemption found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. May they receive that matchless inheritance which is found not in the blood running through my earthly body, but in the blood of Jesus Christ poured out on the cross.

Grant my children the faith to believe that we are each sons and daughters of God by faith in Jesus Christ, that when we are baptized into Christ we are clothed in Christ and made one in Christ.

Help my sons take joy in being boys, and help my daughters take joy in being girls. Protect them from the sin of pride, from thinking they know better than You do.

May they humbly recognize that their eternal inheritance begins and ends in You.

For the glory of Your Name, we pray, Amen.

Jesus Paid it All – Hymns of Grace

The Father Heart of God. Hosea 11-12. 2026

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 126, Hosea 11-12

Have you ever had those days when you want to say to your adult children, “Honey, don’t you forget, it was me who changed your dirty diapers. It was me who nursed you in the middle of the night, and it was me who bathed your naked little body. It was me who sang to you and rocked you to sleep. It was me who washed your skinned knees when you fell down in the driveway. It was me who brushed the knots out of your hair. It was me who taught you to sing the ABC’s and count to ten. Honey, trust me. You should listen to me.”

God has those days with us, too.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

Hosea 11:1-2

God hasn’t given up hope for His children, and we shouldn’t either.

Heavenly Father, please, draw our hearts back to You. Discipline us with Your rod of kindness and woo us with Your love. Lead us with the cords of kindness and hold us fast with Your bands of love. And Father, please, draw our children back to You. Discipline them, too, with Your rod of kindness and woo them with Your love. Lead them with the cords of kindness and hold them fast with Your bands of love. Teach us how to parent them with love and grace and humility and gentleness and courage and firmness and truth. Make us parents after You. Teach us how to be godly mommies because You are the perfect daddy. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Example of all things we pray. Amen.

He will Hold Me Fast – Sovereign Grace Music

As God Adds to Our Blessings, What Do We Do With Them? Hosea 9-10. 2026

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 125, Hosea 9-10

Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.

Hosea 10:1 ESV

God has given us every good gift to enjoy. He has blessed us with heat and sunshine and air to breathe. He has given us homes to live in and children to fill them. He has blessed us with abundant food and wealth. He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to comprehend. Yet, what do we do with all of these gifts?

Do we enjoy them or neglect them? Do we praise Him or take credit for them? Do we use them for good or for evil?

  • When was the last time you thanked God for the children sitting around your table or clinging to your legs?
  • When was the last time you thanked the Lord for dirty dishes and floors littered with clothes and toys?
  • When was the last time you took a leisurely walk outside and thanked God for the blue sky and warm sun?

It seems that the more full our homes and lives become, the less interested we become in the Lord. Why is that? Why would the Lord bless us with more if it will just turn our hearts away from Him?

His mercy keeps us begging for our daily bread. His mercy makes us hunger for the gift of a child. His mercy keeps us dependent on Him for a roof over our head and money in our bank account.

Sunday night I flew home after spending six long days and five short nights with my daughter and her three children under five. It was hard. It was messy. It was exhausting. But, oh, the memories it brought back.

Like all good farmers, this soil-preparing, seed-sowing, plant-tending work requires rising early and working late, but oh does it bear GREAT FRUIT.

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4 ESV

Last week, while I sat on the floor building trains with the 4.5 year old and 2.5 year old, we listened to “Sing the Bible” Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 by Slugs and Bugs on Pandora. “The Ox Song,” based on Proverbs 14:4, croons, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” How true!

The Ox Song – Sing the Bible Vol 4 – Slugs and Bugs

No children = no legos to step on, no trains to pick up, no diapers to change.

But no children also means no little ones to put a smile on your face and joy in your heart and no older ones to help care for you in your old age.

Oh, dear younger moms, like Hannah Harper’s viral “String Cheese” lyrics say,

One day I’ll be alone with a hot fresh cup of Joe
Wishing that someone would just drop by
And I’ll sit and reminisce, the times that I sure miss
Scattered toys and a baby on my hip
I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted
But I’d give anything to go back to being needed

String Cheese – Hannah Harper

Heavenly Father, Help me to be faithful in the little things that You might entrust to me more things. Help me to be thankful for every single little gift, the birds that sing before the sun rises, the wind that blows gently through the trees, the sound of trickling water. Thank You for giving me eyes that see and ears that hear. Thank You for giving me a mind and heart that know You. And thank you especially for the children and grandchildren that you have blessed me with. May I be grateful for every day and every memory. The days are indeed long, but oh are the years so short. Amen.

Brian Sauve – Fruit is Heavy

Loving the Unlovely: Brussel Sprouts, Ice Cream, Jesus, and Me. Hosea 3-4. 2026

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 121, Hosea 3-4

If I asked a class of third grade students, “Raise your hand if you love ice cream.” I bet every hand would shoot up. 🙋🏿‍♀️🙋🏻🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🙋🏾‍♂️

But if I then said, “Raise your hand if you love Brussel sprouts,” I’m quite sure I’d get a very different response. Even if I followed it up with words like, “They are really good for you! They’re high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.” Still, it’s a no. 🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏼‍♀️🙅🏻🙅🏿‍♂️🙅🏻‍♀️🙅

It is only logical to love ice cream. It’s sweet and creamy and delicious.🍦😋 But Brussel sprouts … They are more of an acquired taste, suited for a more refined palate. 🥬 😝

I’m afraid I think of myself as ice cream, naturally easy to love, rather than Brussel sprouts, good for you but a little bitter, stinky, and hard to digest.

When we read the book of Hosea, I’m afraid we tend to picture ourselves as the faithful prophet, when in reality we’re much more like the wandering prostitute. Please, sisters, don’t forget that we are Gomer, that woman who abandons her true love to pursue idols, and God is Hosea, the faithful One who again and again chases after His bride, pulling her out of the pig slop. 🥴🐖

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10 ESV

Don’t forget 1 Corinthians 13.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is not irritable or resentful or rude.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love forgives.

Love never ends.

Love is steadfast and patient and faithful.

Praise God that He loved us while we were yet sinners, and now He calls us to go and do likewise.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your steadfast, patient, faithful love toward me. Thank You for pursuing me, though I didn’t deserve it, though I don’t deserve it still. I’m not worthy, but You are. You deserve better. You deserve chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles and a cherry on top. And yet You have demonstrated Your love by sending Your own Son to be the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice, the substitutionary offering, for my sin. Praise Your Name forevermore. Amen.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Marriage is Exclusive, and So Is Our Relationship with God: Hosea 1-2

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 120, Hosea 1-2

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.”

Hosea 1:2 ESV

How had the Israelites forsaken the Lord? Had they stopped making sacrifices and offerings? Had they stopped observing the feasts and Sabbaths?

No, they had forsaken Him by making Him one god on a buffet of gods. They had forsaken Him by worshipping both Him and Baal. They had forsaken Him by offering themselves to other lovers in addition to the Lord God.

Friends, we can have a dozen coworkers, a dozen children, and a dozen friends, but we can only have ONE husband and he can only have ONE bride.

A good husband refuses to share
his bride with other men,
and our good God refuses to share
His bride with other gods.

It is not enough for us to make God the biggest god in our life, or the most valuable idol that we have. He can’t be our “favorite” husband. He wants to be our ONLY husband. He wants ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He wants to be our everything. He is either Lord of all or He’s not Lord at all.

God despises adultery of all forms, especially adultery toward Him. God wants our whole heart. He is a jealous God. He will not share His glory with another.

  • Exodus 34:14 ESV — (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
  • Deuteronomy 4:24 ESV — For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
  • Isaiah 42:8 ESV — I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Heavenly Father, You are a good husband who loves His bride and refuses to share her with another. I pray that we would be a loving bride, rejecting all other things who vie for our attention. I pray that You would be the apple of our eye, the center of our attention, the singular focus of our lives. May we be found pure and faithful as You, O Lord, are pure and faithful to us. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our redeemer and bridegroom, Amen.

Find us Faithful – Steve Green

To Whom Much is Given Much is Required. Micah 1. 2026.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 117, Micah 1

All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel.

Micah 1:5a ESV

Let us as Christians never think, “I’m not *that* bad. I’m not like *those* people.”

Heavenly Father, please keep us humble. Keep us on our knees. Forgive us.

To Whom Much is Given Much is Required – FormerAtheist58
Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer – Sovereign Grace Music

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share

Would I Rather? Amos 8-9. 2026.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 116, Amos 8-9.

“Behold, the days are coming,”
declares the Lord GOD,
“when I will send a famine on the land,
not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos 8:11 ESV

Would I rather worship or wander through Wally World?

Would I rather scroll through the truth of the Word or the foolishness of Facebook?

Would I rather skip my daily dose of carbs or the daily bread of the Lord’s presence?

Would I rather sit in a pew or sit on a couch?

Would I rather be in the front row of a church or the front row of a concert?

Would I rather listen to the correction of a wise counselor or the consolation of a foolish friend?

Would I rather miss a dinner date with my BFF or a breakfast date with my Heavenly Father?

Would I rather miss my morning cup of java or my morning cup of living water?

Would I rather have an empty belly or an empty mind?

“Sabbath days and sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts, that are always afraid of doing too much for God and eternity.

Can we spend our time better than in communication with God?

And how much time do we spend pleasantly with the world? Will not the sabbath be gone before we have done the work of it and reaped the gains of it? Why then should we be in such haste to part with it?

They were fond of market-days: they longed to be selling corn and setting forth wheat. When they were employed in religious services they were thinking of their marketings …

Those are strangers to God, and enemies to themselves, that love market days better than sabbath days, that would rather be selling corn than worshipping God.”

Matthew Henry, Commentary on Amos 8

Heavenly Father, Align our hearts with Yours. Make us love what You love. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Give us a holy hunger. Make us hunger for what is healthy and right, what is pure and true. Make us sick over what makes You sick. Give us discernment to recognize what is truly lovely and what is a joy stealer. Help us spot the counterfeits, the deceptions, those things that masquerade as beautiful, and give us hearts that hunger and thirst for righteousness for Your Name’s sake. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, the One who meets our every need, the well that never runs dry, the unending source of living water and the eternal bread of Your living presence, we pray. Amen.

I’m Just a Nobody – The Williams Brothers

God has a Plan and You have a Purpose. Amos 6-7. 2026

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 115, Amos 6-7

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

Amos 7:14-15 ESV

God chose shepherds like David, Moses, and Amos and God chose fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. God chose tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus, and God chose well-educated men like Paul and Luke.

It’s not what you do from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday, or what family you were born into, that matters. It doesn’t matter how educated you are, or how much money is in your bank account. God calls and chooses whom He will according to His own plan and purpose.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ESV

God chose Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews and a persecutor of Christians, to write these words,

“[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”

Titus 3:5 ESV

And to the church at Ephesus,

“For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

Heavenly Father, You didn’t choose me because I was rich or powerful or good. I wasn’t. I was a simple college student, a blasphemer and an opponent of the gospel. I was Your enemy, slandering You and hurling insults at Your children, yet You plucked me out of the miry clay and planted my feet on the rock. You called me in spite of myself. Thank You. Thank You. Father, please, help me to love and pursue others like You loved and pursued me. Help me to love my neighbor as myself, loving them even while they’re drowning in sin. For the glory of Your Name and the growth of Your kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord, Amen.

I am Not my Own – Getty, Skye Peterson

Jonah had No Pity for the People of Nineveh. Do We? 2026.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 111, Jonah 2-4

Jonah cared more about the death of a plant that was giving him shade than he cared about the lost souls of the Ninevites. 🥹

Friends, every man, woman, and child has been created by God after the image of God. They deserve our love and care. They are not objects to be used or abused or disregarded. May we be as gracious and merciful and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness as our good God!

If my daily devotionals are a blessing to you, will you please consider sponsoring a student in your local school district to attend LifeWise classes DURING SCHOOL HOURS? It’s only $30/month. Find out how at http://www.lifewise.org

Jonah had No Pity for the People of Nineveh. Do We? – FormerAtheist58
Beloved, Let Us Love One Another – FormerAtheist58

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share

Thinking of Others More Highly than Yourself. Jonah. 2026.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 110, Jonah 1

Who was Jonah thinking about when he refused to go to Nineveh?

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

Jonah 1:1-3 ESV

Who were the sailors thinking about when they didn’t want to throw Jonah into the sea?

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.”

Jonah 1:11-14 ESV

Who was Jesus thinking about when He left heaven and came to earth and suffered to the point of death on a cross.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:4-8 ESV

Thinking of Others More Highly than Yourself – FormerAtheist58
Bless the Lord O my Soul (Psalm 103) – Sovereign Grace Music

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share