What My Mother Taught Me

By April Osteen Simons

In this book, April Simons shares wonderful nuggets of truth and wisdom passed to her by her mother, Dodie Osteen. Her entertaining stories combined with heart-warming humor and practical wisdom will not only impact your personally, but will inspire you to pass on a Godly legacy to your children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483560717

Book preview

Faithful

1

Mama Taught Me…

How to Pray

Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition(definite requests); with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. (Philippians 4:6, amp)

I honestly can’t remember a day of my school life that Mama didn’t pray over me.

It was part of my morning routine…get up, get dressed, get fed, and get blessed! She prayed with a confidence in God that got my attention, and I absolutely knew these prayers would make a difference in my day and in my life.

I loved the way Mama prayed. She prayed specifically—I mean, she had me covered from head to toe! She would pray that a hedge of protection would be round about me and that I would not be in an accident.¹ She spoke God’s favor over my life.² She prayed that I would have the mind of Christ and that I would excel in every subject.³

Mama confessed that I would never have a broken bone.⁴ Right before I would leave in the morning, we would confess out loud that I had authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means would harm me.⁵ Even when we got in the car, Mama would pray for angels to keep us from accidents.⁶ And believe me, when Daddy was driving we needed extra ones!

When I left my house in the morning, I knew that my God was with me. There was no doubt in my mind. How could there be? The Word of God had been spoken over me with such authority. I knew Mama believed what she was praying, and I believed it, too.

I knew I was protected.

I felt God’s favor on my life.

I was convinced those prayers made a difference in my life. And I never wanted to leave home without them. The words she spoke over me day after day dropped down into my heart and shaped me into who I am today. And they weren’t just any words…they were God’s Words.

The Word of God is alive and it is powerful.⁷ Isaiah 55:11 declares that the Word always produces fruit. When the Word of God is spoken, powerful things will transpire. In a world full of such uncertainty, one thing remains forever stable—the Word of God.

I encourage you to speak the Word of God over your life and your family. What I’m talking about here isn’t simply speaking what you see at the moment. It’s about speaking what you want to see take place.