Single Woman’s Marriage Prayer

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Embracing Through Prayer – MM #60

Single Woman’s Marriage Prayer

Something amazing happens to our hearts when we pray for another person. The hardness melts. We become able to get beyond the hurts, and forgive. We even end up loving the person we’re embracing in prayer. It’s miraculous! It happens because when we pray we enter into the presence of God and He fills us with His Spirit of love. (Stormie Omartian)

We want to revisit the subject of prayer once again because it’s so important. We’ve personally seen the power of prayer transform our lives in so many positive ways. One way is that the Lord has brought unity into our relationship despite the walls we created through our hardened hearts.

Embracing Through Prayer

We would to share with you a point that Stormie Omartian makes in her wonderful book, The Power of a Praying Wife (Harvest House Publishers). She addresses the question, “I don’t even him —how can I pray for him?” Keep in mind that even though she is addressing wives, concerning husbands, the same can be said and prayed by the husband concerning his wife. She writes:

“Have you ever been so mad at your husband [or wife] that the last thing you wanted to do was pray for him [or her]? So have I. It’s hard to pray for someone when you’re angry or he’s [she’s] hurt you.

But that’s exactly what God wants us to do.

If He asks us to pray for our enemies, how much more should we be praying for the person with whom we have become one and are supposed to love? But how do we get past the unforgiveness and critical attitude?

“The first thing to do is be completely honest with God. In order to break down the walls in our hearts and smash the barriers that stop communication, we have to be totally up front with the Lord about our feelings.

We don’t have to ‘pretty it up’ for Him. He already knows the truth. He just wants to see if we’re willing to admit it and confess it as disobedience to His ways. If so, He then has a heart with which He can work.

Pray and Confess

“If you’re angry at your husband [or wife], tell God. Don’t let it become a cancer that grows with each passing day. Don’t say, ‘I’m going to live my life and let him [her] live his [or hers].’ There’s a price to pay when we act entirely independently of one another. “Neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.’ (1 Corinthians 11:11)

“Instead say: ‘Lord nothing in me wants to pray for [my spouse]. I confess my anger, hurt, unforgiveness, disappointment, resentment, and hardness of heart toward him [her]. Forgive me and create in me a clean heart and right spirit before You.

Give me a new, positive, joyful, loving, forgiving attitude toward [my spouse]. Where [my marital partner] has erred, reveal it to him [her] and convict his [her] heart about it. Lead through the paths of repentance and deliverance.

Help me not to hold myself apart emotionally, mentally, or physically because of unforgiveness.

“’Where either of us needs to ask forgiveness of the other, help us to do so. If there is something I’m not seeing that’s adding to this problem, reveal it to me and help me to understand it. Remove any wedge of confusion that has created misunderstanding or miscommunication. Where there is behavior that needs to change in either of us, I pray You would enable that change to happen.

Don’t Hang Onto Anger

“‘As much as I want to hang on to my anger toward him [her] because I feel it’s justified, I want to do what You want. I release all those feelings to You. Give me a renewed sense of love for [my marriage partner] and words to heal this situation.’

“If you feel you’re able, try this little experiment and see what happens. Pray for your husband [or wife] every day for a month. Ask God to pour out His blessings on him [or her] and fill you both with His love. See if your heart doesn’t soften toward him [or her]. Notice if his [or her] attitude toward you doesn’t change as well. Observe whether your relationship isn’t running smoother.

“If you have trouble making that kind of prayer commitment, think of it from the Lord’s perspective. Seeing your [spouse] through God’s eyes —not just as your [spouse], but as God’s child, whom the Lord loves —can be a great revelation. If someone called and asked you to pray for his or her son, you would do it, wouldn’t you? Well, God is asking.”

Embracing Through Praying

I (Cindy) pray the Lord ministers to your heart through these thoughts. I know that nothing draws me closer to a right attitude about my husband than praying for him. As Stormie also said:

“I’ve seen women with no feelings of love for their husbands find that as they prayed, over time, those feelings came. Sometimes they felt differently even after the first heartfelt prayer.”

I know this to be true in my own life. There was a time when I didn’t think I had any love for Steve. But as I began to pray that God would “renew a right spirit in me,” and I laid my dead feelings at the feet of Christ and prayed for Steve, God resurrected that, which was dead. God helped me to love Steve for who he really is instead of who I thought he needed to be.

As I (Steve) re-visit the subject of praying, I’m drawing again from the book, The Power Of A Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian (Harvest House Publishers). As Cindy said, it’s sometimes difficult for our wives to pray for us because there are times they don’t even “ us.”

Embracing Reflection

As I reflect on her statement I can’t help but think that those times usually happened when I was either apathetic or too controlling in our relationship. Neither of those behaviors modeled Christ behavior. I found Stormie’s book enlightening in a number of different ways regarding having the proper “prayer attitude” when praying for Cindy.

Let me cite an example. In The Power Of A Praying Husband Stormie wrote:

“Whatever you don’t pray about in your life you leave up to chance. And that’s not good enough when it comes to your marriage. The problem with chance in marriage is chances are there will be difficult times. Chances are there will be disagreements.

Chances are there will be misunderstandings and hurts. And chances are there will be selfishness and hardness of heart. That’s because we are, after all, human.

But if we leave the outcome of these things up to chance, we’ll wind up in trouble down the line.”

Stormie maintains that all of these things can be turned around through prayer.

“If busyness, work-aholism, unforgiveness, strife, childrearing, careers, separate interests, boredom, miscommunication has crept between you and your wife, God can work through your prayers to bring down the wall that separates you, and mold you together in unity. Praying for your wife will not only soften her heart, it will soften yours as well.”

Embracing Hope Through Prayer

Doesn’t that give you hope? No matter what’s happened in your marriage, God can bring healing. You have Him on your side. And if God is on your side, you become a winner in the end!

We encourage you to pray for one another and love each other as God loves you. Please know our prayers are with you as together, we strive to make our marriages the best they can be because of the love of Christ,

Steve and Cindy Wright

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: pray for unity, pray together, prayer for spouse

Источник: //marriagemissions.com/embracing-prayer-mm-60/

30-Day Prayer Challenge for Your Marriage

Single Woman’s Marriage Prayer

  • Michelle Lazurek
  • 2019Jun 14

Every marriage needs prayer. Without it, the relationship can quickly become stale, each spouse’s heart hardening with every passing day until they are on the brink of divorce. If you are in that position, there’s still hope. Pray every day for 30 days and see what God does in your marriage:

Day 1: Help us to know you more

A strong marriage is built upon two people moving in the same direction trying to become more Jesus. In order to do that, they must be connecting with God through the Word and prayer, among other spiritual disciplines. Each person must gently encourage the other when they are not engaging in these practices regularly and celebrate each other when they feel they are growing spiritually.

Day 2: Help us to love you love

It is hard for a couple to contemplate divorce when they are busy making sacrifices for the other’s welfare. Make a covenant with your spouse to love each other the way Christ loved His church.

Sacrifice often. Forgive freely. Live to help your spouse achieve joy and purpose. Not only will you discover a newfound love for your spouse, but you will be living the abundant life Christ promised.

Day 3: Help us to see each other the way you do

It is easy to get down on each other when we’ve allowed busyness and other distractions to detract from the relationship. Marriage takes work.

Reflect and ask God to help you see your spouse the way He sees them. Consult Scripture and pray regular blessings over your spouse.

This does not have to be done directly to them, but you certainly can if you choose. When you take time to bless your spouse, the blessings will come back to you in a deeper love and appreciation for them.

And you will see your spouse for who they trule are—a perons wholly loved by God.

Day 4: Help us to forgive you forgive us

Matthew 6:15 says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”  

Forgiveness is hard, especially if your spouse has wronged you through infidelity or another grievous sin. But there is nothing that can’t be forgiven because it is all covered under the blood Christ shed for us on the cross.

When a marriage functions with this reality in mind, you can (with Christ’s help) free your spouse from the prison of sin—and free yourself from the burden of unforgiveness.

Day 5: Help us to be slow to anger

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15) 

God shows compassion toward those He loves, and so should we. Pray and ask God to help you see your spouse with His eyes and not your own. It will revolutionize the way you see and act in your marriage. Practice compassion and be slow to get angry. The less angry you become, the more love you’ll display.

Day 6: Help us to be slow to speak

God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason: He wants us to listen twice as much as we speak. There are times in marriage—especially during conflict—when we want to fix the other person or say something encouraging.

There are times that God wants to use us as His mouthpiece, but sometimes, He just wants us to remain silent. Part of spiritual maturity is discerning when God wants us to speak and when He wants us to zip our lips.

Day 7: Help us be quick to love

Loving Jesus also means we need to be quick to love others—and love them deeply. When we are in conflict or feeling distant from our spouse, it is difficult to love them, or even ourselves. The more we practice loving others as ourselves, the better off our hearts and our marriages will be.

Day 8: Help us to be rich in compassion

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

If Jesus had compassion on others, we should too—especially when it comes to our spouse. When your spouse is hurting, do you hurt too? Compassion allows us to feel concern and pity for others’ misfortunes. The more compassion you have for your spouse, the more you can help them carry their burdens.

Day 9: Help us be faithful to each other

In marriage, there are many ways to be unfaithful. For example, giving work priority over your spouse can severely damage your relationship.

A healthy marriage is one where both partners can hold each other accountable. If there are areas of unfaithfulness, get real and honest and repent of it. Don’t let anything master you or your marriage.

Day 10: Help us live out our individual purpose

Each person in a marriage must know who they are as individuals in order to thrive together. Spouses should encourage each other to fulfill that individual purpose.

Purposes don’t unfold all at once, and you might not know what your spouse’s is. Still, be the cheerleader who encourages your spouse to be the best person they can be.

Day 11: Help us raise kids that grow up knowing you

While it is good to take your kids to church and Sunday school, it’s also important to teach them how to develop their own relationship with God. Kids need to know God intimately just as much as we parents do.

Teach them how to pray, how to be authentic in their prayers, and how to listen to the Holy Spirit. This will help them build a strong foundation of faith and give them the gift of an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Day 12: Help us empower our children to discover their purpose

Many kids leave the faith as adults because they have trouble finding their place in it as they grow older. They may attend youth group and other activities only to find that when they outgrow it, they don’t have a place within the church body.

Be parents who prepare your kids to find their place within the church long before they grow up. Encourage and support them in finding ways to connect with others and build relationships.

Day 13: Help us discover our spiritual gifts

Every Christian has spiritual gifts given to them at the time of conversion. But not everyone uses them to their full effectiveness.

As partners in life, it is important for spouses to help each other discover their gifts and use them. Take a spiritual gifts inventory for a refresher on what your gifts are.

Then, help each other find a way to use those gifts, both inside and outside the church.

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction.”(Proverbs 29:18.)

All marriages need a vision statement. If you don’t have one, create one. Encapsulate the goal of your marriage in one sentence. Write it down and put it where you can be reminded. Then work toward that goal.

Day 15: Help us have intentionality in our marriage

Marriage takes work and sacrifice. Be intentional in your marriage. Do what you can to put your spouse’s needs first. anything else, being intentional pays dividends when it comes to the overall health of your marriage.

Day 16: Help us to be equally yoked

Scripture says we should not be unequally yoked, meaning two people cannot walk together unless they agree on a direction.

Can you be unequally yoked in your marriage? Yes! A yoke is used to tie two oxen together so they go in the same direction.

For believers, that means both people must be going in the same direction as Jesus. As spouses become unsatisfied in marriage, they tend to veer off in a different direction.

Make sure you and your spouse are moving in the same direction mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Day 17: Help us to bear your image

Both males and females bear the image of Christ. When two people marry, they mirror the relationship Jesus wants to have with the church—His bride. It is important to help your spouse bear the image of Christ so others see Jesus in them. Complement your spouse when they exhibit the fruits of the spirit and speak the truth in love when they don’t.

Day 18: Help us be missionaries to each other

Mission work is not only done overseas; it is also done in the home. If there are any areas where your marriage needs healing, let each spouse do the work of uncovering the parts of the marriage Jesus needs to heal. And help each other to heal where needed.

Day 19: Help us be a positive influence on others

While no marriage is perfect, we can certainly hope that the way we treat each other in public is a positive light to others—especially to those whose marriages are in trouble.

Everything we do in this life matters, including how we speak and react to our spouse, both in public and in private. Be cognizant of how you speak to each other; you never know who might be watching.

Day 20: Help us to value and discover each other's dreams

It is important to help your spouse discover (and fulfill) their dreams. Marriage should not be a codependent relationship but rather an interdependent one: each person should have the space to achieve their personal goals while also helping their spouse do the same.

Day 21: Help us pray daily for our children

For kids who grew up in Christian homes, some of the most valuable memories are of their parents on their knees praying for them. Be a couple that prays for your kids from birth. Give your kids the confidence that no matter what they are going through, they can come to you with their problems knowing that you, in turn, will go to God.

Day 22: Help us to be better people

Ask yourself how you can help your spouse be a better person. And do what you can to be someone they can honestly say they are better for knowing (and marrying).

Day 23: Help us to analyze our hearts regularly

As spouses, we need to 'play doctor' with our hearts. A weekly heart check analyzing your behavior and how that behavior has affected your relationships with those around you is vital to the health of your marriage. Ask the Lord to reveal anything that might be hindering you from having a good marriage. Confess your sins and seek repentance.

Day 24: Help us to have intimacy in our marriage

So many marriages only reach a surface level. This is because many people are either afraid to go deeper in their relationship with God and others, or they don’t know how. It is not enough to merely believe in God; we must engage in the intimate communion He desires with us. When we can go deep in our relationship with God, we will, in turn, go deep in our relationship with our spouse.

Day 25: Help us to be honest with each other

In the first years of a marriage, partners often communicate at a superficial level. As each person matures, however, they learn how to communicate their deepest, darkest fears and doubts.

If you are ready to talk at a deeper level with your spouse, establish some ground rules and ask your spouse to listen freely without feedback or criticism.

Take turns communicating deeply so there can be freedom in your marriage.

Day 26: Help us have no secrets

Secrets in a marriage are a tool the enemy uses to keep us bound to sin. To experience true freedom, secrets must be confessed.

If you can’t confess your secrets to each other (which is ideal), find someone whom you trust to confess them to. Walk in the light so you can walk with your spouse in freedom.

Day 27: Help us to stay strong against the enemy

What Scripture says is true: the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The only way you can effectively protect each other is by getting on your knees. Pray against the enemy daily. Keep him away from your marriage so it stays strong.  

Day 28: Help us want wisdom over wealth

Solomon prayed for wisdom from the Lord (1 Kings 3:4-14). Because of this, God blessed him with both wisdom and wealth.

In a marriage, it is better to have wisdom than wealth. Pray and ask God to give you both wisdom so you can apply biblical principles to everyday situations.

Day 29: Help us restore the parts that are broken

Every marriage is broken because we are all broken people. Although partners can’t always objectively help each other heal, they should both push each other to purue healing so they can be the best people in their marriage. Christian marriages can find comfort in the fact that God always wants healing and health for every marriage that puts Him first.

Day 30: Help us to put you first

This is the final and most important part of a marriage. A marriage that doesn’t have God at the center is a recipe for disaster. Seek God first in every aspect of your marriage. Spouses who follow God will find not only a successful marriage, but a joy-filled one.

Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife and mother.

Winner of the Golden Scroll Children's Book of the Year, the Enduring Light Silver Medal and the Maxwell Award, she is a member of the Christian Author's Network and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

She is also an associate literary agent with Wordwise Media Services. For more information, please visit her website at michellelazurek.com.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/freedom007

Источник: //www.ibelieve.com/relationships/thirty-day-prayer-challenge-for-your-marriage.html

8 Ways to Pray For Your Love Life (Or Lack Thereof!)

Single Woman’s Marriage Prayer

A prayer for love has to be something you do no a regular basis. Love and relationships are one of the most important aspects of our lives, because our relationships will either lift us up, or tear us down.

Yet praying for love tends to be something that we don’t often do. Maybe we’re afraid to go to God with our love life. Maybe we’re getting discouraged that our prayers aren’t being answered. Or maybe, just maybe, we don’t know how to pray for love.

Prayer For Love Vs. Worry About Love

It took me a while to grasp how to pray for love. Because I’ve always had a tendency to think about love, and worry about love, rather than pray about it.

I’m quick to analyze, figure out, and try to put the pieces together. But it takes me a while to turn to prayer. 

I’m realizing that my tendency to over-analyze is the opposite of what God’s word tells me to do.  All through Scripture Jesus is challenging us: Don’t just dwell on things, pray about them. 

Prayer is the act by which we mentally hand over our problems, concerns, fears, desires, and dreams to someone who actually has the power to control. 

And it makes so much sense, because if we’re going to allow these things to fill our brain, we are better off doing it in a way that has the power to impact the things that are weighing us down, rather than simply allowing them to consume us. 

If you find yourself consumed by your love life – or lackthereof, here are some ways to mentally and prayerfully hand those things to the One who can actually do something about it. Here are 8 ways to pray for love. 

#1: Pray that God would give you a relationship (Matthew 7:7)!

God’s word challenges us to ask and bring our needs before God.  Anything and everything. As long as our hearts are aligned with His, there are no limits on what we can ask.  What are your deepest needs and desires when it comes to a relationship? What do you need God to do in your relationship? Let Him know.

#2: Pray that He would grant you patience and insight to wait for a good one(Isaiah 40:31).

Waiting on God is never easy, because once again, it is a reminder that we are not in control.  But through the time of waiting, ask God to change you, nourish you, and fill you so that you are empowered and prepared to take the next steps when the timing is right.  

#3: Pray that He would be working out anything unhealthy in your life (Jeremiah 33:8).

Some of our baggage and sin we can recognize, and some we can’t.  As you seek to enhance your love life, be sure to ask God to help you recognize and heal all the things in your life that aren’t lining up with His best.  Seek to get to the bottom of your sins, and ask for His healing power to be at work in your life.

#4: Pray that He would shape your heart for nourishing interactions with others (Colossians 3:12-14).

It’s important to learn how to love, rather than simply longing to be loved.  When your heart is open to loving and edifying others the way it was meant to, your relationships will be enriched and empowered.

#5: Pray that He would bring healing into your past so that you are free to embrace the present (Philippians 3:13-14).

We are called to move forward, and forget what is behind.  Sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck on our past and be paralyzed from living in the present.  No matter what kinds of things your past may hold, ask God to be at work in your past so that you are free to live in the moment and embrace your present.

#6: Pray that He would protect your emotional world and give you wisdom of how to set healthy boundaries (Proverbs 4:23).

I talk a lot about guarding our hearts and how to practically do that, but how often do we actually pray about our hearts and emotional worlds?  God longs to be a part of our emotions just as much as our spiritual life. He is a holistic God, who longs to interact with our mind, body, and soul.  Give Him a chance by opening your emotional life to Him through prayer.

#7: Pray that He would open your eyes to the joy of doing sex His way (Hebrews 13:4).

It’s so easy to focus on what we can’t do before marriage, and end up harboring bitterness and resentment.

 But what if we were to ask God to open our eyes to doing life His way? What if we were to plead with Him to download His heart onto ours, so that we could truly understand what is best for our lives?  Rather than struggling with His plan, let’s ask Him to reveal His heart to ours, particularly in the area of sex and sexuality, so that we can be freed to trust Him without bitterness or regret. (More on this in Chapter 8 of True Love Dates)

#8: Pray that God would be the focus of your life now and forever (Psalm 37:4).

At the end of the day, no matter how we view it, there is no gift that is greater than the Giver.   Whether we feel that or not, it doesn’t cease to be true. May we continue to bring this request before God, so that He can turn our hearts to Him as our greatest delight and desire, because perspective has the power to change everything.

This week, rather than focus on your problems, worries, or what you don’t yet have, focus on what you do have: a direct line to the One who controls all things, including your precious heart.  It’s time to actually do some real work in the area of our love life and relationships instead of wasting our mental energy away.  It’s time to pray for love.

Want to learn how to REALLYpray for your future love life in a way that will change everything? If you enjoyed this article, you’re going to LOVE my new in-depth program, guiding you into21 specific days of praying for your love life along with a detailed prayer journal with activities.

Don’t waste another day. Continue to invest in your prayer for love. Join thousands of other singles and begin your prayer for love TODAY.

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DEBRA FILETA is a Licensed Professional Counselor, national speaker, relationship expert, and author of Choosing Marriage and True Love Dates.

 She’s also the host of the hotline style Love + Relationships Podcast. Her popular relationship advice blog, TrueLoveDates.com, reaches millions of people with the message of healthy relationships.

Connect with her on , Instagram, or ! 

Источник: //truelovedates.com/8-ways-to-pray-for-your-love-life/

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