A Reminder To Pray For Your Beloved

I know it's been a while since I've posted a Pray for your beloved post. Sorry! Things are crazy around here right now with football ~ we've got 3 games a week for the next couple or three weeks.

However, I just want to remind you to be in prayer for your beloved. He needs your prayers! You can pray more effectively for him than anyone else in the world. You know him, his strengths, his weaknesses, his needs intimately, so lift him up! Be his Aaron and Hur(Exodus 17:8-13), and uphold him before the Lord. Be his support and help him live victoriously.

So far, we have prayed for:

• Spiritual Growth
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Sacrificial Love
• Trust in the Lord
• Generosity (There are 3 posts on this, I have only linked to the first)
• Turning His Heart Toward His Children

If you know your beloved specifically needs prayer in any of these areas, go ahead and reread my posts on them ~ they all contain Scripture that can help as prayer prompts.

Song of Solomon Devotion #7

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Song of Solomon 2:7

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Song of Solomon 3:5

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Song of Solomon 8:4

We’ve already talked about some of the ways that we awaken love before it should be. We are willing to take a cheap imitation, that is attractively packaged, rather than waiting for the most beautiful, holy gift of married love. We also talked about regaining a position of purity before Christ.

Perhaps, you’re thinking, “No, it’s too late, you don’t understand.” Maybe you lived with your husband before you were married. Maybe you lived with more than one man before you were married, or you’ve been married more than once. Maybe you had one or more children out of wedlock, or had an abortion. It doesn’tmatter. Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” that means that Christ’s blood covers those sins. If you have asked for forgiveness, you have it! (I John 1:9) Does that mean you won’t have to live with the consequences of those decisions? No. God never promises to spare us the consequences of sin, but, we can live free from the guilt and condemnation.

Maybe you’re reading this and realize that you do not know Jesus as your Savior. You desire forgiveness. You are grieved by the sin in your life. You try hard to live a good life, but your past haunts you. First off, know that you can never do enough good to get you to heaven. Romans 3:10 says, “as it is written:“None is righteous, no, not one;”

You have to realize that you are a sinner, and that there is nothing you can do to earn entrance to heaven. But, there is good news! Romans 5:8 tells us, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross ~ as a perfect sacrifice for your sins. But, it doesn’t end there. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead! He conquered sin and death, so you can have eternal life. His sacrifice on the cross, is a free gift. It’s being offered to you, will you take it?

Ask Jesus to come into your heart and to be your Lord and Savior. Tell him you know you’re a sinner and ask forgiveness for those sins.You now need to tell someone you’ve received Christ as your Savior. Romans10:9-10 states, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Now, according to scripture, you are a new creation, the old has passed away! (2Corinthians 5:17)

Congratulations, and welcome to the family!

PRAYER

Father God,
I am awed by how deeply You love me. That You would love me and pursue me even when I was dead in sin and Your enemy is unbelievable to me. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for me. I praise You that He was raised from the dead. Thank You, Father, for choosing me to be Your child. Enable me to learn from Your Word, and bless me with godly women to mentor me.

Amen

Pray For Your Beloved ~ Turning His Heart Toward His Children

"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." Malachi 4:6

God's desire is for a father's heart to be turned toward his children. I wondered what that meant exactly, and as I looked through the Scriptures, I found that fathers are told to instruct (Deut. 6:5; Eph. 6:4), give testimony to the workings of God (Ps. 78:1-8), and to discipline their children (Pr. 13:24, 29:17; Eph. 6:4). While they are doing this, they are to avoid provoking their children and causing discouragement (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21).

I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds like a full-time job! Some fathers are in the blessed position of owning their own business and being able to allow their children to work alongside of them. Many more work for others and don't have that freedom. Making it more difficult to do what God requires of them. Often we Moms will step in and take care of these things. While we obviously have a role in the training of our children, we need to be careful that we don't usurp our husband's responsibilities. We need to be in prayer that our husband's heart will be turned toward his children. We need to pray that God would inspire him in how best to fulfill his role when he is home. And then we need to step out of the way and let him.

Perhaps your children are grown. You can still pray for his heart to be turned toward his children. Adult children are still in need of love and support from their parents! If you have grandchildren, Grandpa can be a tremendous blessing in their lives. I am so thankful for the relationship that my children have with their "Pak" (Grandpa to the rest the world. ;-) ). He has so much that he is able to teach them, from hunting and trapping to public relations. I value the time they are able to spend with him.

Even if Dad or Grandpa are not believers they still have important things to impart. While being an unbeliever would make it difficult, if not impossible for him to fulfill some of the responsibilities mentioned, he is still responsible for instructing and disciplining.

One last reminder: don't nag, but pray! Let the Holy Spirit do His work in your beloved's life.

Some verses for meditating on as you pray for your beloved this week:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 6:5-7

"Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God." Psalm 78:1-8

"Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." Proverbs 13:24

"Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart." Proverbs 29:17

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

"Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." Colossians 3:21

Pray for Your Beloved ~ Addendum

After posting this morning, I got to thinking about those of you who may have a husband that is so good at giving his time elsewhere, you never see him! You, his wife and family may be the ones in need. I just wanted to encourage you that it's okay for you to pray that he would see the need at home, and be generous with his time there. I do believe that our families are to be our highest priority after God, and that our family should be our first mission field.

Don't hesitate to make your needs known to your beloved, but don't nag! Mention to him the needs of your family, but then take them to the Lord, and let Him take care of the rest.

Pray For Your Beloved ~ Generosity, Part 2

I wanted to add some thoughts on generosity. Yesterday was more from a monetary perspective, and I think that when we think of generosity, money is often where our thoughts automatically go. However, we can be generous with more than just our money. We can be generous with other resources ~ fire wood, hay for animals, food out of our pantry, clothing, the list goes on. Another thing we can be generous with is our time. Either helping someone with projects they may have, meeting needs, or just spending time visiting. We can even be generous with our children ~ sending them in our stead to minister to folks in need.

As I mentioned yesterday, I think that it can be easy for wives to be stingy. Especially if we place family time/activities as a high priority. I can be extremely protective of the time we have with my Beloved. There have been times when he worked long hours, or when he's working two jobs, and when he's not working, I want him with us! Certainly there are many times when we can minister as a family, but there are also times when it is not possible, and our husband may need to go by himself, or just take a son or two. We need to give them the freedom to do that. While we certainly don't want to give up all our family time, or drop family as a priority, we need to be flexible and allow for time to minister - be generous as well. Sometimes, that may mean a whole day away ~ perhaps cutting wood for a family in need, or helping to rebuild a shed that's burned in a fire, or any number of things.

I think of the Apostles, who freely shared the two most valuable things they had ~ their time and the gospel. Do we encourage our husbands toward that kind of generosity? Do we encourage them to go and help? To take food to a hungry family? To spend time with the elderly gentleman who has no family near by?

Pray for your beloved to be generous, in all things, to all men.

Pray for Your Beloved ~ Generosity

Generosity is not an option for a believer. Time and again, in both the Old and New Testaments we are told to lend, to give, to be generous. God, Himself, sets the bar, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8 God gave His only begotten Son.

In Psalm 112:5 we are told, “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.” That Psalm goes on to say in verse 9, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his horn is exalted in honor.” This entire Psalm talks about the righteous man, and being generous is mentioned twice in the 10 verses that make up the Psalm.

A righteous man does not hold tightly to his possessions, but freely gives of them to those that have need. “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” Proverbs 14:31 A righteous man desires to honor God with his actions.

I often find at our house, that my Beloved is the one who is truly has the generous spirit. I love to give, and often am generous, but my tendency is to look at the checkbook and decide that we can’t afford it. But my Beloved would give the shirt off of his back if someone was in need of it. When he worked at our local grocery store, he often would loan money or pay for someone’s groceries if they were short on cash. People knew that if they were in need, they could go to him and if able, he would help them. As wives, we should be careful not to curb the generosity of our husbands.

We need to lift our husbands before the Throne and pray that they would be godly, righteous men. We need to pray that they will be generous. That they would give joyfully. “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And god is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” II Cor. 6-11

Some other verses that deal with generosity are:

“It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.” Psalm 112:5

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” Proverbs 25:21

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Luke 6:35

Use these verses as inspiration as you pray for your beloved this week.

PRAYER

Father God,
I lift my Beloved before You today. I ask Father that You would give him a generous spirit. I pray that he would honor You in all his actions, but especially as he reaches out to those in need. May others see You through him.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Pray For Your Beloved ~ Trust in the Lord

Trust and obey
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
(John H. Sammis & Daniel B. Towner)

What blessed words, and wonderful truth are within this old hymn! The only way that we can get through this life is by walking in trust and obeying the Word of God.

This week we are going to focus on praying for our husbands to grow in their trust of the Lord. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” I pray that my beloved would seek the Lord. That he would know who God is, and trust in Him.

Our husbands are charged with the leading of their families. There are times when the way seems difficult – the direction unclear. Or possibly the way seems to be crystal clear, but contrary to Scripture. It is at those times when our beloved husbands must, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 This is not easy to do, especially when those around them are encouraging them to take the easy way or to “use the brain God gave them”.

As wives, we need to be in the Word, so that we know how to pray for them and how to encourage them to follow after the Lord. God calls to His children to know and trust Him. May we ever encourage our husbands toward that end.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4

Pray For Your Beloved ~ Sacrificial Love

This week, we're going to pray for our husband to love us. I have often wondered at Scripture instructing husbands to love their wives. Why would it state what would seem to be obvious? Well, maybe it's not as obvious as it should be, or perhaps godly love is not so naturally attained. We will discuss and pray about the passionate love later, but this week we are focusing on sacrificial love.

Scripture gives specific instruction to husbands on loving their wives, but as I was reading through various verses, I was impressed with the example that God gives husbands in Joseph. The Gospel of Matthew gives us an account of this amazing man. "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit'...When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus." Matthew 1:19-20, 24-25 ESV. What a testimony of sacrificial love! Here is a man who must have felt betrayed and deeply wounded when he found out that Mary was with child, and yet he didn't want to bring shame upon her. Once God had made His plan apparent to Joseph, he willingly took Mary for his wife, and "knew her not" until after the baby was born. Now that's sacrificial love! He was married without the physical benefits of the sexual relationship for the duration of her pregnancy, plus the 33 days of purification after the birth of the baby (see Lev. 12:4).

God intends for the husband/wife relationship to be a model of the relationship between Christ and the church. Christ loves His church sacrificially, having given up His life for her. This is how God wants men to love their wives. "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV

I think it is not an easy task for our husbands. I know that often I am not very loveable, and yet, that is what he is called to do. He is to love me in a way that sanctifies me; in a way that shows the world what Christ's love looks like. What an awesome responsibility!

Perhaps it is made easier for them if we fulfill our responsibility to be submissive and honoring to them. If we graciously accept the place God has given us, as co-heirs of grace ~ yes; but following joyfully, embracing our role as his helpmeet. "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are co-heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." 1 Peter 3:7 ESV

I will gently remind you at this point, that this is not about *you*. The point of this week's prayer is not to cause you to be discontent. Nor is it for you to suggest to him how he might behave, or just plain nag at him. Our desire should be to see our husband become more Christ-like, for God's glory and for his good. We will benefit, that's true, but that is a blessed side effect, not the purpose. So lift him before the Throne of Grace, fully believing that God will draw him to Himself, and refine him further into the image of Christ.

Pray for Your Beloved ~ Leadership

This week we are praying for our husband's leadership abilities. God expects His sons to be leaders. They are to take the lead at home, in the church, and at work. They are not necessarily going to be *in the lead* in all those areas, but to be kept from being led astray, they should have the qualities of a leader.

In Genesis, we have the dominion mandate, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" Genesis 1:28 From the beginning, God has expected His sons to take dominion. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines dominion as: "1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling. 2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose of at pleasure; right of possession and use without being accountable; as the private dominion of individuals." Telling man to take dominion was another way of saying, "Be a leader."

At home, God expects men to lead. This is clear from the order given to us in Scripture. 1 Corinthians 11:3 tells us, "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."; and Ephesians 5:22-23, "Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior." The "head" of the wife is her husband. He is to lead her, and that is difficult to do if he's following from behind. He is not only to lead his wife, he is to lead his children as well. Psalm 78:5-7 says, "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children," and Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." God speaks directly to the fathers in the teaching of the children. Even if Daddy cannot be there to physically teach, he should be the one who is directing the education of the children.

We also need to pray for them to be leaders at work. For instance, where my Beloved works, there are only a few Christians, and so it can be difficult for him to stand firm. Not because he is especially weak, but because he is a sinful human, and we often sink to the lowest common denominator. I make it a practice to pray for him regularly to be a godly man, to be a witness to those at work, and for people to notice a difference in him and the way he lives. These are all a part of being a leader and not a follower. I want to encourage you to pray with confidence! These are prayers that God will answer. Although my Beloved does stumble, he is known as someone who people can go to when they are having problems. If they are short of money, and need groceries or gas, they know that they can go to him, and if he can, he will help them. He is a man of "good repute." While his personality plays into this, I believe that much of it is God's faithful answer to a wife's humble prayer.

May God bless you as you lift your husband before Him this week.

Scripture references taken from The English Standard Version

Pray for Your Beloved ~ Integrity

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines integrity as: "The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others.

It has been said that the true test of character is how we behave when no one is watching. The believer knows however, that someone (God), is always watching. Integrity entails more than how we behave when *no one* is watching, it specifically refers to how we behave in dealing with others. God desires for men who belong to Him to walk in uprightness and honesty. He thought so much of Job, that He directed Satan's attention to him. "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.'" Job 2:3 ESV (emphasis, mine).

How often do we hear someone talk about Christians and they are derogatory, because the people they have come into contact with have been dishonest, or disloyal, or any number of negative things. How this must grieve the heart of God. Everyone admires a man of true integrity, and yet, they are rare. This week, I want to encourage you to pray for you husband to be a man of integrity. Many Christian men have good intentions, but often life gets in the way of them following through, and thus, exhibiting true integrity. Pray that God would enable them to be more than good intentions, but that they would be men who follow through. Pray that they would have integrity in every area of their lives; at home, at church, at work. Pray you husband would be characterized by integrity; that when people think of him they would think of someone who is morally sound, pure, incorruptible, upright and honest.

"The righteous who walks in his integrity - blessed are his children after him!" Proverbs 20:7 ESV What a precious things that our husband's integrity brings blessings on our children! This is something that even non-Christians can recognize. Whether your husband is a believer or not, pray for his integrity. The effects will be far-reaching.

Pray for your Beloved ~ Spiritual Growth

We live in society crippled by an epidemic of boys in men's bodies. Somewhere along the line, we quit raising men. Oh, they grow physically, but in their actions and emotions, they remain boys. Where are the real men?

The church is not immune to this epidemic, but it affects the men in the church spiritually as well. It is imperative that we pray for the spiritual growth of our husbands. The church is suffering terribly because the men within her are lacking in maturity. There are few men who truly are mature in Christ, and there are so many who, having come to Christ, remain as spiritual juveniles, because there is no one to mentor them and feed them, bringing them to spiritual maturity. We see the results in weak doctrine, and even weaker families. It is heartbreaking, and we must lift our men before the throne of grace and plead for the Lord to bring them along to maturity.

God calls for men to be mature. "And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ." Eph. 4:11-15 ESV

Spend time each day praying for your beloved to grow and mature in his relationship with Christ. Following are verses for you to use as prayer prompts throughout the week.

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation." 1 Peter 2:2 ESV

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14 ESV

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature." 1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV

May God bless you as you lift your beloved husband before Him.

Giving up habits

My Beloved began a journey today to give up smoking. He's smoked for 20 years and has at various times tried to quit, but has never been successful. I determined a while ago, to make an effort not to nag him about it ~ it's difficult. I have never liked his smoking, and I know that it's not good for him. I just keep praying that every time he smokes a cigarette he will have less and less desire for the next one.

If your husband has a bad and/or unhealthy habit, join me today in praying for him. Pray for victory, for him to lean on the Everlasting Arms for his strength. Pray for yourself to be able to support him and not nag. Praying with hope that soon you will be able to rejoice in his conquering whatever his bad habit is!

Father God~
I lift my Beloved up to You now. I pray that he will turn to You, and rely on Your strength to get him through the nicotine withdrawals. I thank You that he has the desire to quit. I pray for patience and love, for the children and myself as he deals with kicking this long-standing habit. Father, I pray for the ladies who read this. I ask that they too would see their husband's have victory in their lives ~ not because they are such strong men, but because they have relied on You. Thank You that You care about the littlest details in our lives.
In the precious Name of Jesus, Amen.

Journey of prayer #1

I will be posting prayer prompts soon! I have a vision of a year of prayer for our dear husbands. I don't have the first one ready yet, but I thought I would encourage you to begin by praying for yourself. Ask God to prepare your heart, to enable you to allow your husband to change, as the Holy Spirit leads him. How difficult it can be for us to just pray and keep our mouths quiet. To step out of God's way, and let Him work. We say we want a husband who will lead, a husband who will pray, who will do this or that, but do we really? Or are we terribly comfortable with things as they are? Some of us like to control things, and if our dear husband decides that he is going to do x, y, or z are we ready to let him? Let me remind you that God calls us to honor and submit to our husbands. "Likewise, wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives - when they see your respectful and pure conduct." 1 Peter 3: 1-2 ESV


What greater priviledge can a wife have than to lift her husband before the Throne of Grace? I know from personal experience what an encouragement it is to my Beloved when I pray for him ~ especially if he knows I am praying for him! I so desire to see him grow in his relationship with the Lord, to become more Christlike, to be the man that God would have him be. And to think that God would use my feeble little prayers, overwhelms me.

James 5:16 tells us, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." ESV

Are you ready? Are you excited? I am! We serve a faithful God, ladies! Let's pray!"