Month: September 2020

‘The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.’ Proverbs 27:9(NLT)

‘As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.’ Proverbs 27:17(NLT)

‘So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:11(NLT)

Heavenly Father, “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17), please send godly mentors and friends to my husband. You have placed us on earth in the context of community because it is our interaction with each other that promotes our growth and helps to develop our character. As Your Word says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I praise You for the wisdom of relationships and thank You for the godly men You have put in my husband’s relational circle throughout his life. Please deepen these relationships and bring more spiritual men to him in order to mentor him into a person who exhibits Christ’s character in all he does.

Use this portion to thank God specifically for any godly friends that your husband has or has had over the course of his life. These can also include family members. Ask God to bless these men and enrich their lives because of the impact they’ve had in your husband’s life. If your husband has not had many godly male friends, ask God to bring a couple of them into his life and to cause your husband’s heart to be open to receiving them. Also ask God to open your heart to sharing your husband with them.

Gracious Lord, please surround my husband with men and mentors who guide him in the ways of wisdom, right living, kindness, commitment, and a deep love for You and for his family. I pray that You bless him with like interests with these men and provide them with learning experiences that they can share together, as well as occasions of fun and fellowship. Help me to be willing to share my husband’s emotions and time so that he can develop and sustain relationships with these men, and I pray that the richness of their relationships will overflow into our marriage and into our home. 

In Christ’s name, amen.

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband

‘A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.’ Proverbs 15:1(NLT)

‘Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.’ Ephesians 4:29-32(NLT)

Heavenly Father, disagreements are bound to happen in our relationship. Conflict is a normal part of being human. Rather than pray to avoid disagreements, God, I ask that You equip us to handle our disagreements with honor and respect for each other. Help our marriage to reflect Your instruction found in Ephesians 4:29-32: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” I praise You for giving us the blueprint for how to communicate in our marriage and in our home so that You are always pleased.

Use this portion to repent of any times you have spoken harshly to your husband or have used critical tones or words. Examine any times he may have hurt you when you had a disagreement or faced conflict. Ask the Lord to help you forgive one another. Then ask God to infiltrate your thoughts and words so that they are pleasing to Him, even in the midst of conflict.

Gracious Lord, let the words of my mouth and the words of my husband’s mouth bring life to each other rather than death. Words are powerful and so are our tone and body language. I ask that You give us examples in the lives of godly couples to see what healthy communication in the midst of conflict is to look like, especially if we have not witnessed it before. Please help us not to shut down or run from disagreements either. You tell us not to let the sun set on our anger, so please give us a willingness on both our parts to resolve our disagreements in a timely, respectful, and kind manner. 

In Christ’s name, amen.

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband

‘All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ‘ 1 Peter 1:3-4(NLT)

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many ways You’ve equipped my husband for the work he does. Thank You for the skills, gifts, insight, and character You’ve developed in him to be employed and perform his work well. His work is valuable not only to him but also to us as a family. But, God, You have also reminded us in Your Word to keep an eternal mind-set so that we are not only working for tangible benefits on earth but also for an eternal inheritance. First Peter 1:3-4 tells us through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have an inheritance in heaven that “can never perish, spoil or fade.” Thank You for the opportunity to increase our inheritance in heaven based on what is done on earth for Your glory and kingdom.

Talk to God about specific situations regarding your husband’s work that could use God’s intervention. In the areas where you have witnessed an eternal mind-set influence your husband’s thoughts regarding work, thank God for them. Ask Him to develop an even greater eternal perspective in your family, your marriage, and your husband’s view toward his own work as well as yours. Look for ways you complement each other and can work together to bring about eternal benefit in the lives of others. 

Gracious Lord, open my husband’s eyes and heart to understand the eternal consequences of the choices he makes. Cultivate in him a desire to store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust will destroy them. Help my words and conversations with him to be seasoned in such a way that encourages him to fully adopt an eternal mind-set with regard to his work, and life in general. Show us how best to serve You with our time, talents, and resources. Thank You that You bless us with an abundance of joy when we do seek to use what You have entrusted to each of us for an eternal impact. Thank You God for giving us this time on earth to prepare for eternity. 

In Christ’s name, amen.

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband

‘If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.’ Proverbs 13:18(NLT)

‘Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.’ Proverbs 9:9(NLT)

Heavenly Father, Your Word tells us in Proverbs 9:9, “Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.” When my husband has a teachable spirit, he will be positioned to grow even more with each experience in life. A foundation of humility leads to a teachable spirit, Lord. Undergird his mind and emotions with courage—courage not only in You but in who You have made him to be. That courage will give both humility and a teachable spirit the opportunity to flourish. Thank You for the confidence and courage You provide to all who look to You and trust You completely.

Pray about any concerns you have regarding your husband’s ability to possess a teachable spirit. If there are no concerns, then praise God for the development He has done in your husband’s life in this area and for the favor shown to you for marrying a man with both humility and a teachable heart. If, however, your husband has an arrogant or prideful and demanding attitude, then you know God will be working deeply to break that stronghold and develop inner humility. Give your husband extra grace when God is busy reshaping him to be more like Christ, and intercede for him with the Lord. 

Gracious Lord, fear, insecurity, and a need to feel in control can sometimes get in the way of the ability to learn from others and from You. I pray You will give my husband a healthy amount of courage so these things don’t stand between him and his high calling of living with humility and a teachable heart. Let him understand that being teachable is an honorable way to live and reflects tremendous personal significance. Help him to see my respect for him when he does demonstrate humility and a teachable spirit. Help me never to withdraw my respect for him as my husband even when he demonstrates a lack of humility and courage, as we are all in process. Let my respect encourage him so that he longs to maintain a humble mind-set in all he does. 

In Christ’s name, amen.

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband

‘A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.’ Ephesians 6:10-12(NLT)

Heavenly Father, my husband’s strength and courage are to come directly from You. You teach us that we are to be “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Courage and confidence are rooted and grounded in a love relationship with Jesus Christ. I praise You that through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, my husband has direct access to You in order to tap into all You are and all You are willing to share with him. Thank You for Your abundant power and the reality that You are the one who is ultimately waging warfare in the spiritual realms on our behalf. I praise You that my husband is not fighting for victory but rather he is fighting from a position of victory—the victory You have already achieved on our behalf.

Reflect on areas where your husband has shown courage in your home, in your marriage, at work, or in any issues that he has faced. Thank God specifically for these times and ask God to strengthen your husband in any areas where you feel he may still need to grow in obtaining greater courage. Be sure to focus on specific areas where you believe your husband may be under spiritual attack and intervene on his behalf to ask the Lord to give him the tools, wisdom, and strength he needs to face it and overcome it well. 

Gracious Lord, I pray You will give my husband wisdom and courage to put on the full armor of spiritual weapons rather than try to fight the issues and circumstances he faces in his own strength. Help him understand that it takes great courage to wage war with unseen forces. Remind him faith is an act of courage. My husband’s struggles are not seen, but are struggles against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil. He must battle with Your might to overcome them. Make me his encourager. Help us both walk in the courageous victory that is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

In Christ’s name, amen. 

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband

{Use these guided prayers to pray purposefully for your husband. Start with a prayer of praise, a prayer specifically for your husband, and follow it by praying for blessings and intercession in your husband’s life.}

‘But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!’ Galatians 5:22-23(NLT)

‘But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.’ 1 John 4:8(NLT)

Love Is the Greatest
‘If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.’ 1 Corinthians 13:1-13(NLT)

Heavenly Father, You are love. First John 4:8 tells us, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Your essence and totality are made up of love. You embody the traits of love that we should live out—traits such as patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, and self-control (1 Corinthians 13). I praise You because of Your commitment to love me and to love my spouse in spite of the many ways we may have failed You. I praise You because Your love tempers Your anger toward us and we can appeal to Your faithful love when we need it the most. Your love enables us to experience Your forgiveness and blessing, along with Your mercy and favor. Thank You for Your love and for giving us the opportunity to model Your love to each other.

Share with the Lord your specific situation related to love. You may want to ask God to open your eyes to see where your spouse may need to grow with regard to loving Him and loving you more fully. Ask God to give you insight into the ways your husband is loving you but you may not be aware of. We all understand love through our own grids of perception. Ask God to help you recognize those times when your husband is showing you love that you may not be recognizing on your own, and ask Him to develop in you an appreciation for the ways your husband shows you love. 

Gracious Lord, I ask that You bless my husband with a spirit of love. Bless his actions, thoughts, and words with Your love so that he reflects Your love to himself, to me, and to others. Help him to love You with all his heart, soul, and mind. Help him to love me more deeply, more passionately, and even more spontaneously. Revive and restore the “first love” he once felt for me when we began to date or started our relationship together. Expand his understanding of what true love looks like. Bless my husband with the ability to love himself purely as well. 

In Christ’s name, amen.

from 7 Guided Prayers For Your Husband