A good connection!

Friends, I've been convicted lately in my primary role as a helper to my husband. Often times, after taking care of the children all day, I'm drained and have nothing to give him but the "leftovers" of my day. Sometimes, I don't know how to bless my husband and I need the Lord to show me how to be the best help mate I can be for him. I find that my relationship with my husband is strengthened and sweeter when I pray scripture over him daily! I'd like to share my findings with you in hopes that it will serve as a valuable resource. 

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31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

“She does him good . . .” (Proverbs 31:12a) Bless your husband by praying for him! The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This includes wives’ responsibility and privilege to pray for their husbands. Earnest prayer for your husband is good for him, for you and the spiritual health of your home (Proverbs 31:11-12).

Satan desires to destroy your husband, especially his character and his leadership in your relationship. Trust God through prayer as you daily surrender your husband and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care.

Day 1 Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

Day 2 Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

Day 3 Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

Day 4 Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage. (Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:19)

Day 5 Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church. (Prov. 20:6; Gen. 2:24)

Day 6 Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

Day 7 Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you. (Prov. 6:23-24, 26; Rom. 13:14)

Day 8 Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:58)

Day 9 Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family. (Prov. 23:4-5; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:5)

Day 10 Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

Day 11 Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord. Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Prov. 15:33; Eph. 6:6)

Day 12 Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love. (Prov. 5:15, 18; 1 Cor. 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:10)

Day 13 Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly. (Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-4)

Day 14 Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of love. Pray that he will not use filthy language. (Prov. 18:21; Eph. 4:29)

Day 15 Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin. (Prov. 13:20; Prov. 27:17)

Day 16 Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as he yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

Day 17 Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength. (Eph. 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 10:11)

Day 18 Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5; Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)

Day 19 Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger, but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses. (Rom. 14:19; Ps. 34:14)

Day 20 Pray that your husband will yield his mind and thoughts to the Lord. Pray that he will not entertain immoral or impure thoughts, and that he will resist the temptation to indulge in pornography. (Prov. 27:12; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Day 21 Pray that your husband will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in his greatest times of stress, find joy and peace in his relationship with God. Pray that he will submit his schedule to the Lord. (Neh. 8:10; Prov. 17:22; Ps. 16:11)

Day 22 Pray that your husband will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others. Pray that he will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

Day 23 Pray that your husband will be a good father—disciplining his children wisely and loving them unconditionally. If he is not a father, pray that he will find a young man to mentor in the things of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:1-2)

Day 24 Pray that your husband will have a balanced life—that he will balance work and play. Pray that he will fear God, but also gain favor with people he knows at work and church. (Luke 2:52; Prov. 13:15)

Day 25 Pray that your husband will be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will stand for the truth. Pray that he will protect you and your family from Satan’s attacks. (Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:13; Ps. 27:14)

Day 26 Pray that your husband will discover and live his God-given purpose. Pray that he will offer all his dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for eternity. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

Day 27 Pray that your husband will understand the importance of taking care of his body—the temple of the Holy Spirit—for the glory of God. Pray that he will practice self-control by making wise food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

Day 28 Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

Day 29 Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)

Day 30 Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

Day 31 Pray that your husband will recognize the lies of the Enemy in his life. Pray that his attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as he brings his thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)

I printed this out and stuck it to my bathroom mirror so I won't forget to pray!! Our spouses need us and prayer connects us when we are apart from one another. There are so many distractions and interruptions in this day & age. Let's fight against those and guard our relationship with our spouse as a precious treasure! 

Find Joy in Him, Beloved!

A prayer to lead!

A prayer for my dear friend and husband - "Father, give him the strength to be everything he's called to be. Oh Father, show him the way to lead me. Won't you lead him? May he lead me with strong hands and stand up when I can't. Don't let him leave me hungry for love; chasing things that he could give up. May he show me he's willing to fight; that I'm still the love of his life. So we can call this our home, teach him to lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone."

It is vital that our husbands receive our prayerful support. I encourage you to make intercession for him a priority. Lift him up before the Lord and pray that he will adopt the character and attitude of Christ. If you find that you have the desire to pray for him but don't quite know where to start, or feel you don't have the right words, I highly recommend and encourage you to get the book "Praying God's Will for My Husband" by Lee Roberts. You can buy it off amazon.com for $10.19. My sister in law gave me a copy when we were first married and it is something that I love referring to!! Praying scripture is always a good thing!! 

"...at all times, they ought to pray and not lose heart." Luke 18:1

"Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

"See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:24

"Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; may Your good spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day." Psalm 25:5

"Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it." Psalm 119:35

"Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray..." James 5:13

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Find Joy in Him, Beloved! 

The Art of Prayer!

Does praying come easy to you, Friend? Where does it rank on your list of priorities? Do you often find it difficult to pray? Maybe you don't know how to go about it, or maybe you feel so "out of sync" spiritually or guilt ridden that you can't find sufficient words to lay before the Lord. To be honest, I often struggle with my prayer life. Being a pregnant Mama of twin 2 year olds & the wife of a night duty police officer, in our house prayer is defined as a brief blessing on the work day, mealtimes & bedtimes. I confess, I even find it difficult to pray & intercede for people that I love & am responsible for. I used to think, in my faulty way, "If I can't give the Lord my all, then I have nothing to say." Sad...Sad way to think, because I've robbed myself and others the many joys and blessings that come from connecting to the Creator on a daily basis. I come to find that my nothing is everything to the God I serve! Even if  all I have to give at the end of a busy day are mere leftovers, He'll take it and make the moments between us beautiful!

I encourage you to ponder this passage with me & see how it applies to your life. 

The Lost Art of Prayer

"Brothers, pray for us." 1 Thessalonians 5:25

In the hustle and bustle of life today people don't take time to pray. There are laymen who will give their money, but they will not give themselves to prayer. There are plenty of preachers who will preach on the need of revival and the spread of the Kingdom of God. But there are many who will do that without prayer which makes all the preaching worthless. To many people, prayer is out of date; almost a lost art. The greatest benefactor that this age could have is the person who will bring the preachers and the church back to prayer. 

"I want to take time for You, God, because I can't go a day without You."

- The Power of Prayer

Do you agree in seeing prayer as a lost art? Isn't it sad to recognize the slow fade? We've been given a great power and have allowed it to slip away from us unnoticed. I don't know about you, but I'm ashamed of myself. How could I let a priceless treasure escape me? The Lord has given us a way to connect with Him on an intimate level, and so many of us choose to disregard it. Some would say, "I'm not deliberately choosing to disregard it, I just don't think about it." Sorry Friend, but the truth of it is, if your prayer life's not  thriving, it's dying. 

If you're hesitant to pray because you are unsure of how to go about it, let me share a couple of hints with you. Prayer seems to come easier when taking a kneeling position. Humbly bowing before the King always helps put things in proper perspective. Remember the "how to" of prayer by recalling this acronym: 

CAST 

C - Confession - before the Lord can hear your prayers & commune with you, sin must be confessed. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me." Psalm.66:18

A - Adoration - tell your Master how wonderful He is. The Psalms are full of worship & adoration. Recite them aloud to Him! "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty," Psalm 104:1

S - Supplication - bring your requests to Your Savior. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

T - Thanksgiving - Thank & praise your Heavenly Father for the wonderful things He has done & is doing. "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." Revelation 11:17

It also brings to mind a simple song that is dear to me; my prayers often end in humming its sweet tune. 

"I cast all my cares upon You.

I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet; 

And anytime I don't know what to do, 

I will cast all my cares upon You."

Prayer should be one of the easiest, most natural things for us as believers to do. Whether by yourself or in a group, we should be striving to lift our voices to the Lord anytime an opportunity presents itself. I encourage you to have courage enough to seize those moments! My prayer for us is that we strive to be prayer warriors and make the art of prayer as natural as breathing. I commit to praying for you, Friend and ask that you do the same for me. 

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."

2 Thessalonians 1:11

Find Joy in Him, Beloved!