Daughter of Increase

Good Morning Gems!!! It's over!!! The final day has arrived and I must say I cried my eyes out last night because of how awesome these last six weeks have been. You ladies have emailed and messaged me via social media about this challenge. It warms my heart to know that a lot of you have enjoyed this challenge. I am grateful to each person that partook in this challenge. Be it the whole 40 days, half the days or two days. I am thankful that each one of us were set on working on improving our prayer lives. This challenge was a heartfelt one. This was about being real with yourself, vulnerable with God and become rooted in a life of prayer. Completely sold out to it. Whether you verbally prayed and/or used a prayer journal -- you took a step in building a stronger prayer life. I pray that you all will continue to build your prayer lives. Continue in your prayer journaling and verbally praying. I can't show my gratitude enough to everyone who joined in! For today,...

Good Evening Gems!!! Just as I mentioned the other day, I'm stumped on what to write. I have a notebook with all my thoughts and scriptures prepared, but we are down to the wire!!! I want today to be a free day of just relaxing on a "routine". Pray freely and openly today. Don't think too hard about what you're saying and/or journaling. Pray to God as your Father, your Provider and your Waymaker. Go to Him with a humble, sincere and make your thoughts, emotions and concerns known to Him. The only thing I challenge you to do today is to pray in faith believing that what you prayed for is already answered . I know it's hard to do...I sometimes fail at praying in faith, but I'm working on it. I want us all to work on it together. As I pray in faith, I want you all to pray in faith as well. Tomorrow is the last day and makes me both excited and teary eyed. I pray you all have had a blessed day and will continue to do so. Blessings,

Happy Sunday Gems!!! A bit late on today's post since I'm not feeling well, but I still wanted to get this post and email out for you all before it got too late. I won't lie -- I am stumped on what to even talk about -- LOL. I think it's hitting me with how quickly this is coming to an end. We only have 2 days left before this challenge comes to a close. I've been reflecting on how this went for me as an individual and as a whole for you ladies. I've learned that I need to just saturate myself in prayer. I know that last two posts and emails pretty much stated the same thing, but as we close the only thing I can think of us is being rooted and saturated in prayer. For me, this challenge has shown me where I'm weak at and where my strengths lie in prayer. I can intercede on behalf of someone easily, but when it comes to myself I can get stumped. I am getting better at verbally praying, but I also have so much more to improve on. When I think back...

Good Morning Gems!!! We talked about prioritizing prayer yesterday. We want to make sure that we are keeping at praying daily once this challenge is over. We don't want to fall back into our old habits of a fleeting prayer life. We want to be rooted in prayer like Jesus was. Yesterday's scripture was Mark 1:35 : Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Not only did He rise early, but He also stayed up all night in prayer according to Luke 6:12 . Jesus understood that prayer: was a priority should be practiced, not talked about adds power  shapes us saves us helps us to tap into God's ability We don't always see the purpose of prayer, but we need to be rooted in it. Prayer can change lives. It can heal. It can make a terrible situation right. Being rooted in prayer is a personal thing so don't compare your prayer life to the next person's. I pray that...

Morning Gems!!! We are in the final week ladies! I can't believe it! Only a few more days before the challenge comes to a close. This week is going to be a light week in terms of content. Now that we have completed five weeks of praying, it's time to keep that momentum going and keep prioritizing prayer in our lives. There is more value in prayer than there is in anything else. Prayer keeps us going because it gives us an outlet to express our feelings, concerns and thoughts to the Father. When we speak to the God we feel lighter mentally. When this challenge is over, don't die down on your prayer life. Rather, keep it going. Keep pushing yourself to pray at your desired time of day. Be sure to give God your first few minutes before your day begins and your last few minutes as your day concludes. Yes, I know it's easier said than done. I struggle myself to stay 100% dedicated to prayer early in the morning and at night, but I do strive to give Him that time...

Good Morning Gems!!! We are on the final day of week five and for today I want to focus on one more "group" of people we can pray for. This one will definitely be the hardest as I know it's extremely hard for me to do. Praying for your enemies. Yes, those people who have hurt you, done you wrong, talked about you and those who mess with you daily. Yes, even the ones that may have cursed you out or told you bluntly and plainly that they hate or dislike you. Yes those very people. You're probably scratching your head right now trying to figure out why in the world you would pray for your enemy. However, let's look to our greatest example ... Christ. He prayed and forgave His enemies, even on the Cross;  Luke 23:34  tells us so: Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. In the midst of them nailing Him to the Cross, playing games with His belongings and while He was bruised on ...

Good Morning Gems!!! Yesterday we talked about praying for believers so today we are going to talk about praying for unbelievers... Why should we pray for those who don't believe? It may seem like a silly question, but I'm sure many have asked that question before. I know I have when I was more new in my faith as a teen. Just like we need to pray for believers to remain strong in the kingdom, God expects us to pray for those who are lost and don't know Him. Christ continually prayed for the lost to be found. We ( believers ) were all once lost and needed someone to pray for us to bring us into the light and kingdom of God. We need to be that kind of person -- that one who prays for the unbeliever. Pray that they find their way to the Father. Pray for their hearts to be softened so that God may enter them. Pray for them to fear God so that they may gain wisdom. There are so many ways we can pray for unbelievers and it's essential that we do so. Be it someo...

Good Afternoon Gems!!! Today has been interesting day! My little guy had graduation pictures today and I almost shed a tear. I also had BSF today and we discussed Proverbs -- it was sooooo good!! Today we are talking about praying for believers. Yes, we need to pray for all believers in the world. Why? Just because we are believers and know God doesn't mean that we don't need prayer for strength, peace, focus and so forth. Take time and pray for all believers. You can pray: strength spiritual growth peace motivation fire to be reignited to be reawakened continue to labor Praying for believers allows us to keep the enemy at bay for each of us and it ensures that we all grow continually. It also keeps us unified which God loves. Sidenote : I know these last two weeks have been mixed with timing and short with posts & emails, but I thank you all for joining in on this challenge and your patience! Journaling Prompt Please be as true to yourself as p...

Good Afternoon Gems!!! Today has been a day of rest for me. I took some time to catch up on a bit of sleep today. I pray you all had a wonderful morning. Let's dive in and talk about praying for friends today. Most of us don't really spend time in prayer for our friends. I know if someone asks for a prayer then I will definitely intercede for them, but majority of the time if I'm not asked to pray for them I won't be consistent in doing so. Praying for our friends is essential to the kingdom of God. Be it praying for their health, their spiritual growth or a better prayer life. Jesus taught us about serving and not being caught up in ourselves. Praying for your friends means you are imitating Christ. It means you are taking dedicated time to step outside of your problems and circumstances to pray for the life of someone close to you. Get specific with your prayer for them. Ask your friends what they need prayer for and set time aside to pray for them. J...

Happy Sunday Gems!!! I don't know about you, but as I'm sitting here writing this I feel like topling over. It's 4am EST as I type this. I have not been sleeping properly for the past two weeks. Granted, I always had a bad sleeping habit ( since middle school -- my school was TOUGH ), but now I'm just not getting much of any rest. I am looking forward to my son's spring break. Prayerfully I can get two days of pure sleep in -- LOL Today we are going to talk about praying for our family members. Just as I did yesterday, I'm just going to give you some ideas of what and who you can pray for: your spouse your children your parents your siblings other relatives healthy relationship be able to be a light to a family member family members that are believers family members that are unbelievers forgiveness for one another peace within the family healing fruits of the spirits focus Pretty simple list, but keep in mind you can get specific in your ...

Blessed Morning Gems!!! Yesterday we talked all about praying scripture when you don't know what to pray. Today we are focusing on praying for yourself. Praying for yourself sounds like common sense, but again, we get to that point of not knowing exactly what to pray for ourselves. One thing that's important to remember is that we need only be real and call out to God for ourselves: " The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. " - Psalm 145:18 Here are just a few areas that you can pray for in your own life: faith prayer life familial relationships romance ( either your spouse, your significant other or for your future spouse )  work future children hobbies talents dreams fruits of the spirits These are just a few things...you can definitely pray over any aspect of your life. You can also incorporate scripture in your prayers. Take time today and pray deeply for yourself. Journaling Prompt Please be as tru...

Happy Friday Gems!!! We are almost down to the wire! Finally starting week five! Only one more week to go before this challenge is completed. Now from start to finish we went through the "basics" and "foundational" points of prayer. This week we are diving into the different things we can pray. Have you ever had a moment where you were eager to pray, but once your prayer time came you sat and asked yourself what to pray? I've been there before ( plenty of times ). It can be a struggle to pinpoint something to pray. Throughout this week we will discuss six things you can pray for, almost like a "routine" of sorts. I pray this helps you! 1. Scripture The best way to pray when you don't know what to pray is by praying scripture . The Bible is God's Word. His Word never returns back to Him void ( Isaiah 55:11 ) and He can never lie ( Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18 ). Therefore, what better thing to pray than His Word. When pra...

Good morning Gems!!! We are at the end of week four. It's unbelievable to me! I pray you are all getting something out of this challenge. Gaining some new insight and a deeper look at your own prayer lives. This Thursday we are going to take it easy. I just want us to reflect on the Lord's Prayer today and really begin to pray it with a new outlook. I pray you have a blessed day! Journaling Prompt Please be as true to yourself as possible when answering the prompt to get the most out of this challenge. What have you learned about your prayer life this week? Scripture Today's scripture comes from  Hebrews 4:16 : Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Prayer Journaling Spend 3-7 minutes journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Use the prompt. Verbal Prayer Take 3 minutes and verbally speak your written prayer. Pray out loud so that He can hear your voice. If your pra...

Good morning Gems!!! I pray you all had a beautiful day yesterday. I also pray that your morning runs smoothly as well. I've been enjoying this week and breaking down the Lord's Prayer because I'm personally taking so much from everything I'm writing in these posts and emails. Today we are going to finish our breakdown of the Lord's Prayer with verse thirteen. Verse thirteen is two sentences that ends the Lord's Prayer so let's get straight into it! " And do not lead us into temptation " - so after we have asked for daily provisions and forgiveness, we then ask Him to keep us from temptation. To understand this verse you would need to understand the Greek meaning of temptation. Greek word  peirasmos meaning an experiment, attempt, trial, proving. In the use of this verse we can see that temptation is used as a trial or test. Therefore, we are asking God to keep us from any testing or trial that is greater than what we can handle. God d...

Good Evening Gems!!! I pray you all had a fantastic day yesterday. Sorry for the late post and email. Found out a relative of mine passed away last night so dealing with that. Didn't think it would effect me as much but it hit me hard. Losing loved ones is never easy. I've lost about 4 people this year so far and it's ridiculous. Every time I think I have a moment to deal with one lost anther seems to come. However, on a good note I'm excited about being a Minister-Elect. This journey is going to be interesting. Today we are going to break down verse twelve of the Lord's Prayer. This is the portion of prayer in which we ask for forgiveness and in doing so we show mercy to others by in turn forgiving them. The scripture starts out by saying " and forgive us our debts " right after we ask for daily provisions. We are to always seek forgiveness from God for the sins we've committed, known and unknown. Let's do some quick word studies t...

Great Morning Gems!!! How was everyone's weekend? I'm extremely sleepy, but alas no rest for a while lol. I hope you are all enjoying this prayer challenge. It's a bit up and down for me, but I plan to re-do this challenge again on a more personal level with God. I think this challenge is awesome though. Continuing on with the Lord's Prayer, we are breaking down verse 11 which says " give us this day our daily bread. " This simply means we need to pray for God to give us our daily provisions. These provisions are not things we desire or want. Rather these are the things we truly need that only He can provide for us. Prayer is for our needs and not our greed. It's not to say that we can't pray for the things we desire and want, but our prayers should not be doused in our wants, material or fleeting things. One thing to keep in mind is that bread can be taken in its literal sense, but we should also look at figuratively. Time for a quick wo...

Blessed Morning Gems!!! I hope you're Sunday is going great. I'm still on the bus, five hours away from NY so my Sunday will be crazy to rush home and prepare for church. I would stay home and sleep, but after a great experience I'll make sure I get to church today. Yesterday we started diving into the well known, quoted and loved Lord's Prayer. We broke down verse nine and today we are going to go into verse ten. When we pray to God need to have passion in our prayers for the things of His heart and not of our own. The verse says " Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. " We need to pray for the things that will bring His kingdom and His will to earth. We need to pray for His power to come to earth. We need to pray for things to go according to His plan and not our own. His kingdom and His will should always have top priority in our prayer lives. Don't focus on promoting your wants and will. Focus on putting G...