JAMES DAY 26 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will live for today with a healthy vision and planning for tomorrow. Pray that as he provides for his family and plans for his future he will not lose site of the moment of “now” and see today as a gift and give all his future plans to the Lord.
James 4:13-14 (New International Version)
13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
JAMES DAY 26 CHALLENGE
Today’s verse makes me think of the verse in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
I think there is a lesson in this passage for all of us. For us as wives I see this passage challenging us on our trust in the Lord. Often we depend on our own works and those of our husband to give us security for our future. We can put unnecessary pressure on our spouses about retirement, savings, future dreams and visions, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong, each of us should be planning for our futures so as to not live aimlessly without a plan or vision, but when this gets out of balance, we find ourselves trusting on others or ourselves more than on the Lord.
Not only does this affect our relationship with the Lord, but it also causes us to miss out on the joys in the moment and the blessings of today because we are so worried about hording up for the future. When our motive is fear based, we are not trusting in the Lord.
So, as we support our husband’s plans for the future, let us never forget that we are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. That each and everyday is a gift that could be gone in a single moment. Let us cherish our families as such gifts with no regrets as to wishing we would have spent more time with them or said more words of love to. Go do it now, you never know what tomorrow may bring!
JAMES DAY 25 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will not slander others nor will he judge his neighbor. (James 4:11-12)
James 4:11-12 (New International Version)
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
JAMES DAY 25 CHALLENGE
Slander – a false or malicious statement that can harm someone’s reputation. I know very few people, if any, who are able to completely avoid slander. This can especially be true in a marriage.
Slander is stemmed from unforgiveness. It is when we feel violated, threatened, unappreciated or mistreated that we choose to fall into the trap of slander or judgment of others.
When we get to a point in our lives where we accept that fact that we all fail and on this journey we call life, failure is where we learn, grow and humble ourselves the most, we accept ourselves and people for who they are and not for what they do.
When we get to a point in our lives where we realize more and more the unconditional love and the incredible gift of salvation that has been given to us in spite of our failures, grace and mercy flows in and out of us.
So, let’s take this to our marriage. How forgiving are we to our spouses? My daughter just got married last summer. A great friend of ours married her and her husband and made them repeat the following words to each other, “I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” and “I forgive you.”
Ladies, when we talk about our husbands maliciously or talk to them with a bitter, resentful and unforgiving heart, we are judging them and as James says, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.” So, who are we to judge?
JAMES DAY 24 PRAYER
Today pray that your husband will submit himself to God and come near to Him, resist the devil, wash his hands and purify his heart. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict him of any sin he is unaware of in his life so as to grieve, wail and mourn over it. Pray that he will fully humble himself before the Lord knowing that He will lift him up! (James 4:7-10)
James 4:7-10 (New International Version)
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
JAMES DAY 24 CHALLENGE
Ladies, if you do not receive the daily prayers for women in addition to these prayers for your husband, let me highly encourage you to read today’s! It will give you a good understanding of what James is talking about here.
Our husband’s faith walk is built, strengthened and solidified best when he is one on one with God. I think that is true for all of us. Of course, we all have friends, loved ones, fellow believers and our spouses to encourage, challenge and walk along side of us, but I think we can all agree that our most powerful spiritual growth happens when we have a personal encounter with the Lord.
The verbs listed in this passage are personal action verbs. Submit yourselves, resist the devil, come near to God, wash your hands, purify your hearts, grieve, mourn and wail, change your laughter, and humble yourselves.
As important it is for us to be a partner with our spouses, we can see from this passage the value of us allowing our husbands the opportunity to personally obey God and His commands and to respond to Him individually. So, I am challenging you to prayerfully ask God to reveal to you those times in your husband’s spiritual walk where you need to “let go and let God” and allow your husband to run to Him more and run to you less when necessary.
JAMES DAY 23 PRAYER
Pray today that your husband will not have “friendship” with the world so that he will not become an enemy of God. (James 4:4-6)
James 4:4-6 (New International Version)
4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
JAMES DAY 23 CHALLENGE
Being a friend of the world is hatred towards God? Ouch! I hope that we are all able to understand what the Word of God is saying here and not confuse this verse and twist it as Satan would love to see happen.
This verse does not mean that we are to isolate ourselves from the world, ignore the world, or never be a part of it. Sadly enough I have seen Christians behave this way and it’s a shame. This friendship James talks about is loyalty and dedication. When we are loyal and dedicated to things of this world, we cannot be dedicated and loyal to God.
As wives, we have to be solid partners with our husbands on this. We have one of two situations. 1. Our husbands do a great job at staying loyal and dedicated to the Lord and not those false things offered by this world or 2. We find our husband needing improvement in the area of becoming more of a friend of the Lord and less of the world.
I find in either situation that our continuous prayers and ongoing support and encouragement (without nagging) are vital. We need to be relentless in our prayers and encouragement ladies because there is a relentless enemy after our men and our marriages. So, let us have a gut check on how we are doing in this area and make any adjustments needed.
JAMES DAY 22 PRAYER
Pray that when your husband comes to God he will ask for all of his needs and when he does ask, he will ask with the right motives. (James 4:2b-3)
James 4:2b-3
You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
JAMES DAY 22 CHALLENGE
Today’s challenge is straight-forward, as we pray for how our husbands will ask God for things, let us encourage him to ask with right motives. Often in a marriage you will find one person with intentions to do the right thing until the other person sways them otherwise.
We can often be our own worse enemy in our marriage by luring our spouses to do things that are not honorable to Him, but are because of our own selfish motives. We can often use manipulation to coerce our husbands to do things that are of the wrong motives.
Let us truly be partners with our husbands on this one ladies and encourage our husbands to take things to the Lord always and to encourage Godly motives in his and our own requests.
JAMES DAY 20 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will gain his wisdom from the Lord and that through that wisdom he will be peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17-18 (New International Version)
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
JAMES DAY 20 CHALLENGE
Once again ladies, I’m going to turn today’s challenge on to us. Now, in a similar way in which we try to work on the “fruit of the Spirit”, we too will find ourselves working on the “fruit of wisdom” listed in today’s verse. This “working” will ultimately lead us right back to our fleshly ways and fail us. Just like the fruit of the Spirit is just that, “fruit of the Spirit” not of our great works or habits, the “fruit of wisdom” can only come from heaven above. So, here’s the gut check, how are we doing with being peace-loving, considerate, submissive, fully of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere in our marriages? If you are like me, I think we can all say we have failed somewhere in each of these areas.
So, we can attempt to work on each of these things one at a time, trying to improve, but guess what? We will once again fail. We can certainly make improvements or behave for a while, but let’s go back and read the passage again. These things are the fruit of wisdom that comes from heaven that is first of all pure. Our wisdom is not pure and either is our fruit. So, what do we do? We do what James 1 had told us to do, we ask God for His Wisdom. From that Wisdom is a wonderful list of things James 1:17 tells us that I think each of us would agree would make a huge difference in our marriages! James also tells us that, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” This is a beautiful thing we could all use in our marriages! So, let’s get on our knees ladies and continuously beg God for His Wisdom and pay attention when we see our fleshly fruit come slipping in.
JAMES DAY 19 PRAYER
Pray that any bitter envy or selfish ambition that remains in your husband’s heart will be revealed today. Pray that forgiveness will replace these things to free his life of disorder and any evil practice. (James 3:14-16)
James 3:14-16 (New International Version)
14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
JAMES DAY 19 CHALLENGE
I could have gone two ways with today’s challenge, and I’ll just lightly touch on both.
The first way is our partnership with our husband in helping him release any bitter envy or selfish ambition. Often there are times in my marriage where my husband is willing and able to forgive, enjoy other’s success and be truly selfless which is wonderful and what we are praying for today. But there are times where I’m not happy with that. I mean, how can you just forgive and forget so easily? How can you let someone just take that position from you when you should get it? How can you still be so nice to them? etc. So, on one hand I desire my husband to not have bitter envy or selfish ambition, but then I turn around and criticize him for it when he doesn’t.
Why do we do this? Let’s pay attention to any temptations we put in front of our husbands to cause them to stumble in this area.
The second way is for me to challenge us is on our own bitter envy and selfish ambition in our hearts towards our husband. Are we ever jealous of their careers, their friends, their talents, the privileges that men have, their family, or their education? Do we ever envy the freedom from certain “tasks” men have that are expectations we have as women? What about selfish ambition? Do we choose all the clothing, the home décor, the cars, the restaurants, the friends, when and where we have sex, the hobbies, the neighborhood, the television programs, or the type of food we prepare, all to our liking?
Ladies, we can do this. We can not only pay attention if our own hearts carry envy or selfish ambitions, but we can be full blown supporters to our spouses in this area as well!
Once again, I have a little work to do! How about you?
JAMES DAY 18 PRAYER
Pray that as your husband becomes wiser and more understanding that he will show it by his good life. Pray that his good life will consist of deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13)
James 3:13 (New International Version)
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
JAMES DAY 18 CHALLENGE
Isn’t it great that we want to pray for our husbands to be wise and understanding and with that wisdom and understanding we want him to show it by his good life?
Well, are we a wise and understanding wife? Do we desire to be such a woman? I think deep down we do. So, what does that mean? It means we show our wisdom and understanding to our spouses by our good life, by deeds done in humility.
So, are our deeds done in humility? Are we bitter about the chores we do on a regular basis? Do we complain often of the things that we ALWAYS have to do because NO one else EVER does them? Do we grumble and complain or remind our spouses of ALL the work we have done and maybe even of all the work they have YET to do or NEVER do?
Love serves. It serves unconditionally. It serves with a heart of compassion and understanding always keeping in mind the goal of a great marriage. Love “keeps no record of wrongs” or all the right things that we do. Let’s do a little gut check on our deeds today and look at the attitude we do them with. Do we need a little improvement here? I know that I often do.
JAMES DAY 17 PRAYER
Pray that today your husband will be free to fail no matter where he is or who he is with. Pray that when he stumbles, he will get back up. Pray that his tongue will be full of praise and not cursing. (James 3:2-12)
James 3:2-12 (New International Version)
2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
JAMES DAY 17 CHALLENGE
I love how today’s scripture starts out! “We all stumble in many ways.” Let us not forget that ladies. Let us continually remember that we ALL stumble, that none of us are perfect. If we give our spouses and ourselves freedom to fail, there is a great releasing of tension and bondage in our marriages.
It is when we expect perfection from ourselves and our spouses that we are tense, uptight, continuously disappointed and never satisfied. God gives us free will and freedom to fail over and over again without condemnation. Shouldn’t we offer the same? Do a little experiment in your day. See what kind of atmosphere is created when you just relax about things and let go of the little mistakes and errors that people make in your home including yourself. We all know what it’s like to be around someone who is the first to point out and zoom in on our mistakes. It’s nerve racking and we become even more inclined to make mistakes.
Let’s work on how we respond to the mistakes of our spouses and ourselves. Let’s set up an atmosphere to where people are free to fail and will be accepted for who they are rather than what they do. Let’s bring freedom, peace, forgiveness to the table today like never before.
JAMES DAY 16 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will take his role as a teacher seriously. Pray that any time he teaches or mentors others; he will understand the responsibility in that teaching. Pray that he will continue to grow and learn for himself so that he will teach others facts and Truth. (James 3:1)
James 3:1 (New International Version)
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
JAMES DAY 16 CHALLENGE
I have often seen marriages with wives who will continually correct and overstep the “teaching” boundaries of their husbands. With my type of personality, this is an area that I must continually monitor. I have found that any time I desire to butt in and correct my husband with little details, facts, etc. when he is teaching, explaining or guiding, I diminish his credibility. It also portrays me as this overbearing, controlling wife. An image I am not interested in having or maintaining.
So, what can we do for our husbands in this area? Well, do we really give him the opportunity to teach and teach things HIS way? Are we open to have our husbands teach us things as well? Sometimes we will go to other people or even other men to get wisdom, advice or direction when really it’s our husband we should be asking for this help. Let us help our husband become the teacher that God created him to be by allowing him to do so with confidence, trust, willingness and freedom to do just that.
JAMES DAY 15 PRAYER
Pray that your husband’s faith will be accompanied by action, that his faith will not be without deeds, but one that is outwardly apparent to all he comes in contact with. (James 2:14-26)
James 2:14-26 (New International Version)
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
JAMES DAY 15 CHALLENGE
We all know what it’s like to be around someone who talks a good talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Hearing someone say I love you is one thing, but having him or her play those actions out in their life is a confirmation of those words.
So, today I challenge you to do some digging. I challenge you to go back to your wedding vows and find the words that you spoke to your husband in front of family, friends, each other and your God and do a little evaluation on how you are doing in your daily walk in your marriage in regards to those vows. Are you living out those promises you made to your husband? Did you say them and truly mean them? Were your commitments and promises on that day going to be accompanied by action, or were they only dead air?
If you cannot find your vows, then maybe you can rewrite them together. Maybe you can have them renewed and post them up somewhere in your house as a daily reminder of the commitment you made to one another. Let’s put our faith in our marriage, in our spouses and in our Lord into action today!
JAMES DAY 14 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will be a merciful man. Pray that mercy will prevail throughout your marriage. (James 2:12-13)
James 2:12-13 (New International Version)
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
JAMES DAY 14 CHALLENGE
To receive mercy is to not receive punishment that one deserves. It is often confused or used in place of grace, which is receiving something one doesn’t deserve. God gives us His mercy when He does not condemned to hell for eternity because of our sin and He gives us grace when he forgives us through His Son which gives us eternal life with Him.
So, how can we apply this to our marriage? Do we show our husband mercy when he has made a mistake, hurt our feelings, forgot something that we felt was important, not done something to our standards, embarrassed us, or made a mistake as a father? Or are we quick to make sure they get what they deserve? Ladies, we have been given more mercy from our Heavenly Father than we can even imagine! Our challenge today is this, in our marriages, let’s see if we can practice more mercy towards our husbands at times when we would normally not.
JAMES DAY 13 PRAYER
Pray that any sin in your husband’s life will be revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Pray that no matter how small the sin, he will do whatever it takes to remove it out of his life to gain the intimate relationship with his Heavenly Father that he was created to have. (James 2:10-11)
James 2:10-11 (New International Version)
10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery, also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
JAMES DAY 13 CHALLENGE
There always seems to be this line that is often crossed for wives. On one side there is a partner, friend, lover and helpmate and all too often we cross over this healthy line as a wife to a line of being his mother! We, more than anyone, know our husbands. We know their habits, their “behind the door” actions and any imperfections they may have. With that knowledge we can either be a great asset to their spiritual growth and development or we can become a hypocritical nag that will condemn him for his sin thinking it’s so much worse than any sin we commit.
One thing I have learned as a wife is if I start playing the comparison trap, it’s nothing but trouble! Ladies, our challenge today is to take a step away from being our husband’s sin police and realize that we should not be so quick to condemn. As wives we can lovingly show concern for anything we may see in their lives that is hurting them or others and get on our knees and pray for them! Now remember, I am not talking about sin that is doing great harm in their lives or the lives of others. These types of situations need to be handled directly or maybe even by a professional. But those sins we find our spouses doing on a regular basis are the things we are speaking of today. Let is make some adjustments, if needed, on how we react to our husbands and some of his imperfections and maybe make some adjustments to a few things in our own lives.
JAMES DAY 12 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will not show favoritism to others. Pray that he will love his neighbor as himself so as to be doing right. (James 2:1-9)
James 2:1-9 (New International Version)
Favoritism Forbidden
1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
JAMES DAY 12 CHALLENGE
This is a very difficult topic. I have seen few people do what James calls us to do here well. I fall into this trap more often than I’d like to admit. Trying to impress people who have fame, money, a higher position, intelligence, success, or whatever is something we all struggle with whether we want to admit it or not. We can’t possibly in our flesh love everyone as ourselves equally all the time.
One of the places we can see this happening is in the home. Do we favor one child over the other? Do we favor our family over our spouses? Are we quick to entertain someone who we can gain from as opposed to someone who has nothing to give in return? As wives we are partners to our husbands. Today let’s sit down with our husbands and determine if favoritism is present in any area of our lives. You might be surprised to what you hear!
JAMES DAY 11 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will stay strong in the fight to keep himself from being polluted by the world. Pray that his heart will be moved to look after the orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:27)
James 1:27 (New International Version)
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
JAMES DAY 11 CHALLENGE
One of the greatest things we can do for our husband is to pray, especially in the area that is mentioned here in today’s verse, “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world!”
Once again, my heart just pours out for my husband. As I said before, I know he is continuously bombarded with temptations to do and say ungodly things. Prayer for my husband is not an option for me. He needs the full armor of God to fight in this world we live and he needs a wife that will give him encouragement to do so.
So, let’s just take a quick look at our own personal lives and homes and see if there is anything we possess, do or say that will lead our spouses to be polluted by this world. To me, I deeply desire my home to be a place where God resides. I am diligent about my home being a place of peace, love, joy, and to be honorable to Him. Everything that is in our home (including myself, my habits, and my attitude) needs to be focused on the things I just listed. Every conversation, everything shown on the TV, every song played, word said, picture hung, image or conversation on the internet, everything! If I claim to live the verse, “As for me and my home, we will serve the Lord,” (Joshua 24:15), then that applies to everything in my home, including myself. God is a God of order, not clutter. He is a God of peace, not chaos or dissension. God is a God of freedom, not bondage. He is a God of Truth, not deception and lies. God is a God of love, not hatred. He is a God of forgiveness, not bitterness and payback.
Ladies, take a look at your home, how is it that you can take a step forward to create an atmosphere that will encourage your husband and others to “keep oneself from being polluted by the world?” I challenge you to look with the eyes of God today.
JAMES DAY 10 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will keep a tight rein on his tongue. Pray that his obedience to do so will help him to not be deceived and therefore his religion will not be considered worthless. (James 1:26)
James 1:26 (New International Version)
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
JAMES DAY 10 CHALLENGE
Once again, today’s challenge is going to fall onto us ladies. As we pray that our husband keeps a tight reign on his tongue, today’s challenge is going to be about our tongue and our ability to keep a tight reign on it. In your marriage, what kinds of words are coming out of your mouth?
Are we quick to correct, criticize, complain, condemn, judge, hurt, exaggerate or demean? Do we withhold words that edify our spouses? What about our tone of voice or the “words” we use with our body language? Eye rolls, silent treatments and huffs do speak!
Let’s make a grand effort today to pay attention to our tongues. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you strongly when your words are hurtful to your husband and harmful to your marriage. Our words can either strengthen or weaken our relationship with our husband, I’m sure each of us are cheering for the former. Let’s dedicate our tongue and our words to the building up of our husband and when they don’t, let’s use the words “I’m sorry.”
JAMES DAY 9 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will respond to God’s Word. Pray that he will be a man that does not merely listen to the word but does what it say so that he will be blessed. (James 1:22-25)
James 1:22-25 (New International Version)
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
JAMES DAY 9 CHALLENGE
Praying for your husband to grow spiritually is such a responsibility. I look at it as one of the most important things I can do for my husband. Where my own challenge lies is with my patience with my husband’s spiritual growth.
I want to challenge each of us today to let go of our control over our husband’s walk with the Lord and know that God will ultimately do with our husbands what needs to be done. Our strong suggestions or nagging are not helpful or motivating to our spouses. Our reciting scripture to show him his wrongs or pointing things out to him that are ungodly on a regular basis rarely lead our spouses to desire to know His Word, follow His Word or come to know His ways. In fact, it often has the opposite affect. So, today our challenge is to pray and to encourage, as usual! When we find our husband following God’s Word in a practical way, let’s share with him that we noticed.
JAMES DAY 8 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will be slow to anger. Pray that he will desire to get rid of all moral filth and evil that is prevalent in his life. Pray that he will humbly accept God’s Word that is planted in him. (James 1:19-21)
James 1:19-21 (New International Version)
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
JAMES DAY 8 CHALLENGE
I don’t know about you, but as I read James and pray for my husband I feel a deep compassion for him. This compassion stems from my thoughts about my husband’s daily battle in life. As a man, he must be tested in this so much. Think about it. How often is a “real” man portrayed as being one who is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry? What James shares with us here is quite a daunting task, but James goes on, “get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent.” Wow, talk about counter-culture!
I believe it is more culturally acceptable for us women to do the things that James asks us to do. So let today’s challenge move us towards compassion. Let it gain a broader understanding and softer heart for our husband seeing, maybe for the first time, that being a man in this world is far from an easy task. Today, maybe you can actually share with your husband your new understanding and compassion for him.
JAMES DAY 7 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will believe with all his heart in the unchangeableness of God. Pray that he will come to know God’s Word and His promises to be absolute Truth. Pray that he will firmly plant his beliefs on God’s Word and on His promises to a point that his trust in Him is unshakable! (James 1:16-18)
James 1:16-18 (New International Version)
16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
JAMES DAY 7 CHALLENGE
Trust and faith go hand in hand. We are all susceptible of having our faith shaken. With the ongoing attacks of the enemy, there is ample opportunity for our husband’s faith to get rocked. One of the best things a person can do for me when I begin to question God, His Word, His promises, or His plan for my life is to help me remember. Help me remember all He has done in my life.
Ladies, who knows our husbands more than we do? Not too many people, if any. One of the best things we can do for them at a time of doubt is to remind them of all the things God has done in their lives and throughout your marriage. I’m sure there are many things God has done, yet often we struggle to remember such occasions. My challenge to you today is to remember the God moments and work on ways to help you do so. One idea is to create a journal together with your husband on the God victories in your lives and in your marriage. It could be an ongoing book that sits by your bedside that is added to regularly, maybe a nighttime routine you do together. When things get rough, break out the book to help you remember all that God has done. This could be a great tool to help us be partners with our spouses, the encouragers we were created to be!
JAMES DAY 6 PRAYER
Pray that when your husband is tempted that he will be able to turn away from that temptation so that he will not be dragged away and enticed. Pray that he will be surround with Godly men who are passionate about not conceiving any evil desire and that his only desire will be to deepen his relationship with the Lord. (James 1:13-15)
James 1:13-15 (New International Version)
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
JAMES DAY 6 CHALLENGE
Our husbands have such a battle in this world. Daily they are being tempted and enticed by lust. They are being tempted sexually, visually, for the need of material goods, by food, success, awards, self-image, with money and more.
So, how about when he gets home? How about in his marriage? How about in his relationship with his wife or family? Are more temptations being put in front of his face? When our husband makes healthy stewardship choices with how he spends, do we then tempt him by asking for gifts, things for the house or going out to eat when we can’t afford it? When he provides a home, furniture, clothing, etc, for us and our family, do we complain about “this old crap, this tiny house, how we live in the “ghetto”, how we never get to go anywhere, how our car is a piece of junk and an embarrassment?” Could you imagine after working day after day, hour after hour hearing these things? He is now tempted to buy more and more and to have the latest and greatest because that’s what he feels is going to give him value not only from this culture, but from his very own family. How about his work? Are we ashamed? Do we complain of how little he makes, if he is even working at all?
When we think of women being tempters to men, I think we all immediately think of us tempting men sexually. Let’s take it a step further ladies and ask, “In what ways may we be tempting our husbands? In what way could we be contributing to him being dragged away and enticed? If you think that this isn’t a very important topic then think again after hearing from James, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” All lust leads to sin that ultimately leads to death. Are we killing our husbands? In addition to praying for our husbands to not fall into temptation, let’s partner with them to not lead them to temptation as well.
JAMES DAY 5 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will persevere under trial. Pray that he will stand the test and love Him so that he will receive the crown of life that God has promised. (James 1:12)
James 1:12 (New International Version)
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
JAMES DAY 5 CHALLENGE
I’m sure that each one of us desires that our husband will be blessed. The Greek word for blessed here is “makarios”, which actually means happy in this context. Do we really want our husbands to be happy? Ultimately we do. So, what brings happiness to him? Is it money, sex, success, alcohol, toys, our corrections? According to James, for those who love God, it’s the man who perseveres under trial. Hummm, it doesn’t say anything about what I listed or anything that we as wives can give to our spouses, except the one thing we have been focusing on, and that’s encouragement and in this case, encouragement through trials.
When our husbands go through trials, what is our response? Our goal as a helper should be to motivate, encourage, and support him to persevere! Does your husband know that you believe in him? Do you even know if you really believe in your husband? I watch the words and actions of women everywhere tear their husbands down. It’s so heartbreaking to me. It’s especially heartbreaking when I catch myself doing it.
Our body language, tone of voice, questions, criticism, gossiping to others and sarcasm are all examples of how we discourage and destroy our husbands Ladies, if we don’t believe in our husbands, then why should they believe in themselves?
The next trial our husband faces, let’s watch our response. Beg God to give you a spirit of encouragement and let your husband know you truly believe in him and trust him. Imagine what a blessing that would be, literally!
JAMES DAY 4 PRAYER
Today pray that your husband will have trust in those things that really matter. Pray that he does not count on material items or any occupational position as his means of value or personal worth. (James 1:9-11)
James 1:9-11 (New International Version)
9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
JAMES DAY 4 CHALLENGE
One of the most important things we can do as a wife is to edify our husband for his character, to let him know that we value him as a man not because of what he does, how much he makes or for any position that he has achieved at his work.
It is vitally important that our husbands know we love them unconditionally for who they are. So often we as wives base our security on their achievements or their income that we are led to having a false dependence on those things. From this we end up being very focused on their performance often being critical of them as a man when they fail at something they do. This is a performance driven attitude and can get ugly.
In what way can we edify our husband’s character? What attributes, personality traits or gifts can we complement them on? It isn’t easy to avoid putting a high amount of focus on performance when we choose to complement people. It takes a little more insight to see value in a person for who they are and how God created them to be. Let’s really look at our husbands with new eyes to see the characteristics that God has given them and let them know how much we appreciate those characteristics.
JAMES DAY 3 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will always seek wisdom from the Lord. Pray that he will believe with all his heart that God’s wisdom will be given to him and that he will not doubt. Pray that your husband will not be a double-minded man. (James 1:5-8)
James 1:5-8 (New International Version)
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
JAMES DAY 3 CHALLENGE
Oh ladies, maybe I’m just talking to myself here, but how often do we question our husband’s decisions? How often do we correct our husbands or want to throw a little reality at them of what might happen if they go with a decision they have made? Now it is certainly vital that our input is given when making family decisions, but something is telling me there is never a lack of input on our end!
Isn’t it funny how we deeply desire our husbands to lead us and how we truly want them to be the man of the house, the one who wears the pants, the ultimate decision maker (so we say), but yet we have to control everything by having the final say? Do we ever think that if we are wearing the pants, that that means he has on the skirt? Ouch! Now, trust me, I’m all about wearing the pants and I would like nothing more to be completely in charge. But if I have learned anything in my current marriage, it’s this; the more I lead, the less my husband will. The more I lead, the less my husband can. The more I impart MY wisdom, the less God can impart His. Hummmm. So, what’s my role? Support, encouragement and prayer!
Men are sharp ladies. They are not the dumb couch potatoes that the media portrays them to be. They will make mistakes, guaranteed. But imagine this, imagine when they do make mistakes we are supportive, understanding and forgiving. This is when will look to God for wisdom and maybe be pushed to ask other Godly men for council. I would much rather the last situation happening than my wisdom and council because I want him to be filled with God’s wisdom and not mine and to be sharpened to be a better man, not a better woman. Believe in your husband, let him know you do and show it. Apologize for the times you have not and move forward. We all want to live in a place where we are free to fail, where we are free to be who we were meant to be. Let that place be our homes and our marriages.
JAMES DAY 2 PRAYER
Pray that in the midst of your husband’s trials he will consider it pure joy. Pray that he will see and understand that this testing of his faith will develop perseverance. Pray that throughout all of his trials he will become mature and complete, not lacking in anything. (James 1:2-4)
James 1:2-4 (New International Version)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
JAMES DAY 2 CHALLENGE
Well, what a way to start off a prayer series! The book of James does not play around and there is something refreshing about that. Now let’s see, our husband’s trials. Consider it pure joy? Now that challenge seems hard enough as it is for a man, but could you imagine the added difficulty if his wife added complaining, moaning and discouragement on top of all of that?
One of the greatest privileges we have as a wife is to be an encourager. We choose how we affect our husbands; we either lift him up or tear him down. Trials can bring out the worst in us or the best in us. Often we revert back our childhood when it comes to dealing with trials. In some cases this is a good thing, but in others, not so much.
Ladies, how is it we are responding to the trials that our husband has to face. Do we show compassion? Do we ignore? Do we listen with a believing heart of hope? Do we pray for and with him? I have seen this done poorly and it’s heart breaking. Sadly, rarely have I seen it done right, but when I do, I take full note and learn! Let us catch ourselves in how we respond and encourage our husband, but today let’s especially be aware of our response to him in the midst of a trial.
JAMES DAY 1 PRAYER/CHALLENGE:
Before we begin with our daily prayers I think it’s worthwhile to spend the first day understanding some things about the book of James and reading through it one time.
Most scholars believe that the book of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus. His purpose was to instruct and encourage believers while facing trials as they were dispersed throughout the land. The constant theme that runs through James is that real faith produces authentic deeds. So, this book will challenge us in many ways. It will challenge our walk with the Lord. It will challenge the “all talk and no action Christian.”
Our prayer for today?
Pray that God will open up your heart and mind to what His Word has to say in James. Pray that this small book will impact you, your husband and your marriage in anything but a small way and there will be transformation by its words.
Our challenge for today?
Read the complete book of James! It’s barely four pages long. This is not a big deal, but by doing so, you will have a better understanding of the parts as we go through them day by day.
Psalm 13 Prayer:
Pray diligently that your husband will trust in His unfailing love and rejoice in his salvation! Pray that he will sing to the Lord.
Peace on Earth!
It is done! There can be great relief, yet sadness when Christmas is over. Christmas for me is a mix of very strong emotions, incredible thanksgiving and gratefulness for God and for my salvation! It blows my mind that I am a child of God. I am truly honored and humbled and there is no stronger time than Christmas that reminds me of my journey as a believer. I also find great joy in being with my kids and their newly growing families. To watch a new legacy move forward touches me to no end! With all this, for me there is also great sadness. I really grieve for those who don’t know Him. For my family, friends and neighbors who are hurting, lost, grief stricken, chasing false happiness, critical, angry and consumed with pleasing others and being accepted. I am often greatly saddened and hurt by the actions and words of others during a time when my heart just wants to celebrate His birth and all that has been done on this earth because of it. It can be even offensive to me. I feel quite alone at times in my thoughts and my beliefs and will question where God is at Christmas.
Then today, I read our scheduled psalm! Once again perfect timing!!!
Let’s read:
Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.
Some of us may feel so much of this in our marriages. We feel like God has abandoned us, that our marriage is hopeless, a daily battle and causes us great sorrow! If you are there today, let the trusted words of our God encourage and uplift you! Let His words penetrate through your heart where it has hardened and bring you new Hope, new Joy and new Love!! “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”
DAY 10 PRAYER:
Pray that in your marriage there will be open, honest and continuous communication between you that is based on trust and love. Pray that there will be a mutual respect and understanding towards each other that you both have become one and there will be no secrets or acts of rebellion. (Philemon 1:13-14)
Philemon 1:13-14 (New International Version)
13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.
DAY 10 CHALLENGE:
What a beautiful picture of respect this is! Look at what Paul says to Philemon. He says that he would have liked to keep Onesimus as his own to help him, but he didn’t, he had too much respect for Philemon, his position and their relationship, which led him to not want to do anything without Philemon’s consent! WOW!
What an incredible example Paul gives us to apply to our marriages! Ladies, how often are we sneaky about things? Do you ever buy something and hide it from your husband? Do we ever go places that may make our husband’s a little uneasy? Do we keep information hidden from our husband? Do we go off on our own taking leadership roles in our family or marriage without our husband’s consent?
Now, as I have often said, this doesn’t mean we are women in chains having to ask permission for every little thing we do as if our husband’s are our parents. This is about a partnership, where we have no secrets, selfish motives or hidden agendas and are open and honest about decisions that we make in life. This builds trust amongst one another and trust is a grand foundation for a solid marriage. What things may we be keeping hidden from our husbands that need to be brought out to the forefront?
DAY 9 PRAYER:
Pray that your husband will be one who is your very heart and that you are one who is his very heart. (Philemon 1:12)
Philemon 1:12 (New International Version)
I am sending him – who is my very heart – back to you.
DAY 9 CHALLENGE:
This is a beautiful verse about the love that Paul has for his new “son” Onesimus. (him) and the beginning of his plea to Philemon (you), to welcome Onesimus back.
Charles R. Swindoll gives us an incredible picture of this verse in “The Living Insights Study Bible” by saying “A heart kept permanently closed keeps people at a distance. A heart that risks being open invites them in, has nothing to hide, promotes generosity, prompts vulnerability, demonstrates love. If you wish to leave this earth a better place than you found it, bringing out the best in others, you’ll want to give your heart.”
Paul takes a huge risk here and opens his heart wide open to be attacked, but also to be a blessing and to be blessed. There is so much sacrifice here and isn’t that what love is all about?
Remember ladies a great marriage is full of risk of failure and hurt and full of sacrifice. It’s what makes the difference between a good marriage and a great marriage. Past hurts can harden our hearts if we choose that path and lead to a marriage that is lifeless, mediocre and empty in some way. Jesus didn’t just give us part of His heart to be safe, or because He had been hurt by us in the past, He gave it all. He risked it all to gain it all. His victory came at a huge price and there will be a time that has to happen in a marriage, we have to pay a huge price for someone else’s mistakes. We must take a risk based on love to open our hearts up just like Paul did for Onesimus and Jesus did for us.
I made a commitment to my husband on our wedding day. I looked him into the eye and told him I loved him in front family, friends and God. I said I’d be there for him for better or for worse. My heart is his and we are one. I was willing to risk it all then and I choose to continue that risk for the better of our marriage regardless of the little mistakes each of us makes. Crazy? Maybe……….crazy like a fox! It’s never too late to make changes. It’s never too late to say I’m sorry, it’s never too late to decide to move forward. The other option…well, you know, some of you are there………to do nothing and remain. But I think each of you is here for the better option. Let’s move today ladies!
DAY 8 PRAYER/CHALLENGE:
Today’s prayer is for both the married and unmarried woman. Today I want us to seriously look at the book of Philemon and the powerful story of redemption it tells. It gives us all a wonderful picture of hope, forgiveness and love. Let us today not forget the over all picture the book of Philemon paints. Remember, Onesimus is a run away slave, one who is to be punished by his master by death or by searing an “F” on his forehead for ‘fugitive.’
As we read on we see that Paul and Onesimus meet and Paul leads him into a relationship with Jesus (while Paul was imprisoned in Rome.) See Onesimus had a huge debt to pay to his master Philemon for his behavior. But now, Onesimus and Philemon have a common faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Onesimus realizes he had wronged his master and needs to make things right with him. Paul becomes the middleman who appealed to his friend Philemon on behave of this recently converted slave.
As we read Philemon closely, we see how wonderfully this story matches what Jesus has done for us. See all of us have betrayed the master, each of us have run away from Him, and just like Onesimus, we all have someone who is willing to step in on our behalf to beg for mercy, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
See just like Onesimus, we too were once useless but now we have become useful, we have been redeemed with the Father through Jesus!
God let this small little book of the bible hidden in the midst of the New Testament, easily to be overlooked, but yet to be a powerhouse story of hope, redemption and grace! Don’t let the size of this book deceive you, because it is full of the greatest story that God gives to us! Once we were lost, broken, runaway slaves separated from his master but now able to turn around to be reunited to God and to receive the gift of forgiveness He offers! This new relationship will affect all relationships that we have. The relationship with ourselves and with others. It’s a wonderful thing, so let’s stop running away and be free of the bondage that we may be living in!
DAY 7 PRAYER:
Pray that love will fill your husband to the full and because of that love, instead of being bold and order others to do what they ought to do; he will appeal to them on the basis of love. (Philemon 1:8-9a)
Philemon 1:8-9a (New International Version)
8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love
DAY 7 CHALLENGE:
Have you noticed that there is a difference in the outcome of the way we approach our husband with an appeal or request? Ladies, I think Paul teaches us a great lesson here on how to approach our husbands. We need to appeal to them on the basis of love.
Now, maybe I’m just the only one, but has anyone else ever been bold and order their husband to do what they ought to do? And in the words of Dr. Phil, how’s that working for ya?
I have found that when my approach to my husband is on the basis of love, he is very responsive. I find that when I speak from my heart, he listens and responds in the same manner. So, how do we do that? Well, for me, there are a few things that work.
- I wait – I often jump to conclusions and let my emotions run high. I need to step away, relax and think my words through
- I must pray. I cannot come to my husband with an appeal based on love if I am not filled with His love. I need to ask for it.
- I don’t play games, I am direct, and I share how I feel, not point out all the things that my husband has done wrong and how he needs to change.
- I make sure I share my love for my husband and the gratefulness I have for our marriage.
Now, trust me. I am not able to do this every time. I, like everyone else, blow it. Just ask my husband! But, I do my best to catch myself and do the above steps. So, the next time you approach your husband, pay attention to what that approach is based from.
DAY 6 PRAYER:
Pray that your husband’s love will grow and refresh the hearts of saints and from that love he will give others around him great joy and encouragement. (Philemon 1:7)
Philemon 1:7 (New International Version)
7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
DAY 6 CHALLENGE:
Well ladies, can our husbands say this about us? “Honey, your love has given me great joy and encouragement!” I’ll tell you, I have been disappointed in myself for the last few weeks. With my daughter’s wedding, trying to edit my books, maintaining the prayer site and groups and mentoring others I have allowed myself to fall in the area of refreshing the heart of my husband!
How? How can someone who has the audacity to write to women about marriage fail?? Simple! I’m human! Let me tell you the huge lesson in all of this. It’s about knowing we will fail and accepting that, getting over it and then making changes, period! I don’t have to make up for mistakes, dwell on them, feel like a failure, beat myself up, quit, stop trying, or get discouraged. I need to realize, this is what is called life! I accept myself for who I am, recognize my strengths and mistakes, say I am sorry, ask for forgiveness and make a change for the better!
When Paul mentions that Philemon’s love has given him great joy and encouragement because Philemon had refreshed the hearts of the saints, I take that as an application to my marriage, to my husband. I ask myself how can I refresh the heart of my husband that will give him great joy and encouragement? A note, a hug, an affirmation, a favorite meal, a special night with just the two of you, a walk, a laugh, a card, a grand greeting or even a smile! Let’s see if we can do something today to refresh the heart of our husband!
DAY 5 PRAYER:
Pray that your husband will be active in sharing his faith so that he will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. (Philemon 1:6)
Philemon 1:6 (New International Version)
6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
DAY 5 CHALLENGE:
The Greek word for sharing here is: Koinonia. The words used to define this word are: contribution; fellowship; participation; sharing. That takes me to our faith walk and our marriage. These two things are intertwined, faith walk and marriage. They go hand in hand. They should not be mutually exclusive from one another. Our faith needs to be a vital part of our marriage if we want to live it to its fullest.
So let’s go back to the four definitions of “sharing;” contribution; fellowship; participation; sharing. Notice when we do these things the “reward” in a sense is that we will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ! WOW! For me this was an ah-ha moment. I thought if we were regularly contributing to our marriage, in fellowship with our husband, continually participating and sharing in it as well, this could lead to a full understanding of every good thing we have in our marriage and in our spouses!
How often do we hold back on our contributions to our marriage feeling that we do more than the other? Or are we in full fellowship with others, our children or our jobs or ministries more than we are with our spouses? Are we continually participating in our marriage or only when it’s convenient? What are we sharing about our marriages, to others and to our husband? Are we sharing that it’s a train wreck, a drag or burden for us or that it is hopeless?
Today, let’s work on contribution, fellowship, participation and sharing so that we will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in our marriage!
DAY 4 PRAYER
Pray that your husband will have a solid prayer life. Pray that he will develop a strong faith in the Lord and a steadfast love for all the saints. (Philemon 1:4-5)
Philemon 1:4-5 (New International Version)
4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
DAY 4 CHALLENGE
Let’s apply this to our personal lives and our marriages shall we? So, do you think your husband could say this about you? Could he say to you, “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints?”
Too often as a wife, I have higher standards and expectations on my husband than I do on myself. I expect him to behave in certain ways with certain habits yet the standards for myself are not set quite as high, especially when it comes to his faith walk.
Also, do we always thank our God and continuously pray for our husbands? I commend you greatly for taking these daily prayers and challenges for your husband! What a blessing you are to him and your marriage.
For those of you whose husband does not have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or a love for all the saints, your prayers are vital! Don’t ever underestimate the power of your prayers. Just be patient and diligent and let God do the transforming.
For those of you whose husband does have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus and a love for all the saints, do you thank God for that? Have you thanked your husband personally for that? I hope you have and if not, I challenge you to do so because there are a whole slew of women who would yearn for their husband to even have a faith at all! Today, let’s thank God and thank your husband.
DAY 3 PRAYER:
Pray that your husband with be full of grace. Pray that he will be open to receiving the grace God has to give and the peace that is offered to him from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philemon 1:3)
Philemon 1:3 (New International Version)
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
DAY 3 CHALLENGE:
GRACE – it is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Ahhh, Amazing Grace…….how sweet it is! Without it, we would be doomed to Hell. So, with the grace we have received, how open are we to offer it? How willing are we to give our husbands grace, especially when he doesn’t deserve it?
Isn’t it funny how we desire or even expect our spouses to give us grace, but when it’s the flip side of things, we want justice? Isn’t it funny how we can overlook times when we are given grace, but unwilling to overlook times we have been unappreciated or condemned?
Now, again as I always mention, we are not to take abuse or be walked on like a doormat to inappropriate behavior towards us. If that is happening, you need to seek outside help. What I speak of is the everyday things that are done to us sometimes intentionally but usually out of ignorance or busyness. What is our response to our husbands during and after these things? Is grace evident?
To be aware of the fact that we are not graceful beings is the first step, to know that the only way we can be is to receive that grace from our Loving Father! He gives us grace! We can’t get good at grace, we need to receive it first! And what else comes from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? PEACE!!! Ladies, you want to make a huge change in your marriage? Do you want to have long lasting grace and peace in it? Then continue to be a humble, teachable student to God’s Word and open yourself up to receiving His Love, Grace and Peace and it will flow out of you like never before! To be honest, the option to do nothing, to refuse help and admit no wrong or hold grudges will guarantee a marriage of destruction.
DAY 2 PRAYER:
Pray that your husband will take on his role as a prisoner of Christ Jesus as needed, that he will be surrounded by brothers, dear friends, sisters, fellow soldiers and the church as his walk with the Lord moves forward. (Philemon 1:1-2)
Philemon 1:1-2 (New International Version)
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:
DAY 2 CHALLENGE:
As in the first day’s challenge, I would like you to take an evaluation of your marriage today with the characters in today’s scripture in mind and see if their characteristics are evident in your life.
Can you see yourself in the descriptive words that Paul uses here for the people mentioned in these two verses? Are you a prisoner of Christ Jesus? Would you be willing to be a prisoner of Christ Jesus? Really? In your marriage are you and your husband able to be a brother and sister in Christ to each other? Are you a dear friend to your husband? Are you a fellow worker with him or do you expect him to carry most of the load or have the attitude, “It’s not my job?” Are you a fellow soldier or when things get rough you fall back and bail or blame? Is your home a place where the “church” would meet? Does your home focus on the Lord, worship Him, is it your sanctuary, does it fill others with peace, is your home surrounded with things that honor the Lord including pictures, magazines, music, television, your conversations, etc?
Today’s challenge can be a tough one, but it can certainly be an eye opener! Let today be an encouragement to you to do a gut check and make some changes.
DAY 1 PRAYER:
Lord, let the words of Philemon penetrate our hearts! Let this small book impact each of our marriages like never before! May we and our husbands find new life, new hope and new direction in the next 30 days, AMEN
DAY 1 CHALLENGE:
Philemon: a very small book with more than a very small message! Philemon is written by the Apostle Paul as he was imprisoned in Rome to Philemon, a wealthy slave owner to forgive Onesimus, his run away slave, and warmly accept him back as a Christian brother. It’s an incredible story of grace and forgiveness and I think we can all use a little of that! We can each relate at some period of our life to each of the characters in this book! Today, I want us to read Philemon, yes the entire book (ok, it’s only 1 chapter with 25 verses!). Read it with the characters described in mind to get the overall feel of the book and we will tear this book apart one verse at a time and learn much about ourselves, our Lord, and our relationship with others in a whole new way!
Philemon 1 (New International Version)
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
17So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
