Pray for Marriages (Renouncing Demons)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Stories can really have an impact. They cause a strong response, either positive or negative.  Consider this one from scripture:

The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, he said: “Tell me how you judge this case: In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. Of what little he had she ate; from his own cup she drank; in his bosom she slept; she was like a daughter to him. Now, a visitor came to the rich man, but he spared his own flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him: he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” 2 Samuel 12:1-4

Your reaction? Here was David’s.

David grew very angry with that man and said to Nathan: “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves death! 2 Samuel 12:5

Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man! 2 Samuel 12:7

David had slept with his faithful servant’s wife, Bathsheba and she subsequently became pregnant.  To cover his sin, he then sent her husband, Uriah, to the front line of the battlefield, ensuring his death.

How easy is it is to look at the evil of others versus our own. Do you have any hidden shame? Actions taken or words said prior to or during your marriage? Have you buried your missteps deep inside, portraying perfection on the outside? Is it affecting your relationship with your spouse, acting as a subtle poison, a demon within?

“For his part, the LORD has removed your sin. You shall not die.  

2 Samuel 12:13

How merciful is our God! While David paid a price for his sin, the Lord forgave him. Because God loves all his children, he wants to heal your pain too. In humility and repentance, express your sorrow before the Lord. Ask him to take away your anxiety, fear, shame, and self-loathing.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me! Psalm 51:10

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Forgive yourself and ask for God’s mercy.  Then pray for all marriages and pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Real Pleasure)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I’m in Vegas and frankly it’s a bit overwhelming. Scents and sounds are everywhere, all part of the design to pull you in and stimulate your pleasure receptors. People throng to places where they feel they can enjoy themselves without judgment, because “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. But fragrances and cadences that descend you into decadence truly aren’t good for the soul. 

I probed with my mind how to beguile my senses with wine and take up folly, until I should understand what is good for human beings to do under the heavens during the limited days of their lives. But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the fruit of the toil for which I had toiled so much, see! all was vanity and a chase after wind. There is no profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:3,11

Conversely, “Smells and bells,” references to incense used during Mass and the bells announcing both the descent of the Holy Spirit and the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, are used to awaken your senses to the holy. They are to awaken you to the miracle at hand and the love that Jesus has for us. The beautiful art within the church is to draw you in to the holy scenes they represent.  The light streaming through the stained glass reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors is to give you a glimpse of the heavenly realm. If we are receptive to all that awaits us here, then our pleasure will be immense.

I probed with my mind how to beguile my senses with wine and take up folly, until I should understand what is good for human beings to do under the heavens during the limited days of their lives. But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the fruit of the toil for which I had toiled so much, see! all was vanity and a chase after wind. There is no profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:3,11

We haven’t addressed the fear of being judged by others though. Perhaps we prefer to judge instead.  This is where we all need help. A church is its people, and if it’s people are judgmental, who would want to flock there? We are to love as Christ has loved us and forgive as Christ has forgiven. Leave the judgment seat to God!

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?  2 Corinthians 13:5

As for Catholics, you have a fount of grace awaiting you in the confessional. What’s said in the confessional stays in the confessional! It’s the counterpoint to Vegas!

Lord, help each of us and each member of our family to make good choices each day. When we go astray, help us to right ourselves.May we love others rather than sit in judgment. Help us to forgive ourselves as well. May we encourage and assist those who derail and love them back to you. You are the pleasure, joy, and happiness we seek. Give us the wisdom to understand that. Amen.

I, the LORD, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. Isaiah 42:6

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

True pleasure, a lasting treasure, is only found in Him. Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (A Union for Life!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

60,000,000. That’s sixty million in case you are having trouble with all those zeros. A large number by any count. What could there be 60 million of? Stars in the sky? Grains of sand? The population of Romania? What it represents though is heartbreaking; 60 million unwanted children were killed in the womb since the legalization of abortion in the US.

There was a time, when children were considered the ultimate gift from God, for people realized exactly who the Author of Life was. They would fall to their knees and thank the Lord for such a blessing. Little could they have imagined that there would come a time when such a gift was rejected and killed off. 

I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live!  Deuteronomy 30:19

Where did society derail? 

Let’s look at marriage. The conjugal act was designed to be unitive and procreative, within the security of a marriage between a man and a woman. Man was to be the protector and provider of his wife and his children. But with the advent of birth control, sex was thought to be without consequence and began to move outside of marriage with more regularity. Women could now be objectified with men bearing no responsibility. Women’s “freedom” often led to unexpected pregnancies. With more women now working outside the home, pregnancies were viewed as either an inconvenience or, without a secure union, the thought of single parenthood was overwhelming.  “Freedom” now felt like “imprisonment". Thus, the “get out of jail free” card was to terminate the life of the baby.

Since today is the national Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn, let us lift up our voices in prayer. 

Lord, we have sinned against you, both for what we have done and what we have failed to do. First we ask your blessing on marriages. Help those entering marriage, those in marriages, and those who don’t see the need for marriage to understand the wisdom of marriage. Help each partner be all-in.  May we not shrink from its sacrificial nature, but learn that it is giving we receive. Secondly, we ask for the courage, strength, gentleness, and faith to speak up for the unborn. Too often we have fallen silent. Help us to protect your greatest gift-life itself. Be merciful Lord to all those who have had abortions, for often they were sought out of despair. Bring emotional healing to post-abortive women and men. 

The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22-23

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The greater the sin, the greater is God’s mercy!  Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Gifts of Compassion and Forgiveness)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I prayed to the LORD, my God, and confessed, “Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your covenant and show mercy toward those who love you and keep your commandments and your precepts! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and turned from your commandments and your laws. But to the Lord, our God, belong compassion and forgiveness.  Daniel 9:4-5, 9

Lord, you are so kind and compassionate.  Then why do we have such a hard time following you?? Is it because we are not? Is it because we are stubborn?

Good and gracious God, help us to see our sin and grant us the desire to turn away from it and follow you.  For you are our hope, our joy, and our eternal respite. Grant us faith and trust in you, as well as the gifts of compassion and forgiveness. We ask these gifts for our entire family. Meet each member where they are at in their spiritual journey and guide them to truth. Alleviate the weight of their crosses that they may see your compassion. May we all praise you endlessly, our Lord and our God!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is the answer, so don’t shy away from the questions in life!.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (A New Dream)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observed

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “March on Washington” in 1963 was to “dramatize a shameful condition.”  He shed a light on the fact that the US Constitution promised that all “would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  He continued, “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note” and was not honoring its “sacred obligation.”

While MLK was describing the plight of “citizens of color”, a battle later won, today America continues to default on its “sacred obligations” only now in other ways.

I have dream too…

• That marriage, a sacred bond between a man and women, the basic foundation for family and the building block of society, is renewed in our country
• That including God in one’s wedding ceremony doesn’t become “old-fashioned” but rather is refashioned into a realistic necessity
• That emotional intimacy will precedes physical intimacy in relationships
• That a child’s right to have both a mother and a father will be recognized
• That a child in the womb will once again have a right to life, so that it may enjoy life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness  
• That God will not be permanently removed from our classrooms, work places, town squares, and many homes, but will once again be honored and praised
• That we don’t end up with generations that are never taught about God, Jesus, and the Good News
• That we don’t return to a time of Christian persecution, whereby if you hold fast to the teachings of Christ, you are a “hater” not to be tolerated

Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.  So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all. Galatians 6:9-10

Lord, acknowledge these dreams and hear our prayers for marriage and for family.  Sometimes it feels as if we are approaching spiritual disaster at warp-speed. Give us the grace to be your advocates and speak up, speak out, and speak the truth. You are our Truth. You gave all for us, so grant us the courage to give all for You. We pray that we are never put to the test.  Grant us courage and peace. Amen.

They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.  Isaiah 40:31

Thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr., for witnessing faith and courage.  Lord, may his eternal reward be great.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Never stop dreaming…. and praying!  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Back to Reality)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

“Fallen human beings try to refashion reality”. 

This is what jumped off the page at me this morning as I was doing devotional reading. Perhaps it hit me so hard because it is a harsh truth. I immediately tried to apply it to others, but then I stopped myself and knew I must apply it to myself because all of us are fallen.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?  Matthew 7:3

The more we sin the more blinded we are to sin and it’s effects on our lives and those around us. We refashion reality to explain away our sin, mainly to ourselves. Multiply “altered realities” within a family, city, state, country, world and it’s not hard to understand why our world seems like a ship sailing off course.

Yet the Lord offers us a font of grace and mercy. We must reacquaint ourselves with what sin is and turn to Him in repentance with a desire for reconciliation, and ask for His mercy. 

“Child, your sins are forgiven.”  Mark 2:5

Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5

Once we are reconciled, the Lord does ask us to help others. Be reconciled, and then pray for your family, that in gentleness and loving kindness, you may assist them in removing the splinters from their eyes.

“The LORD, the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity.”  Exodus 34:6

May our eyes continually be reopened to the true reality of His love, mercy, and peace.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Help restore one’s view of reality. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Seeking Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to give advice but how hard it is to take it?  Everything is clear when it affects someone else, but looking in the mirror and looking at one’s own life is much more difficult. Do we believe all the hope we give to others who are struggling in their marriages or are we more prone to all the counter-advice so prevalent in all media sources?  “Do what makes YOU happy.” When one hears something repetitively from multiple sources, they tend to believe it.  Just what sources are reliable though?

While you may often believe what you hear in the media, do you believe what the Lord promises in Scripture?

Fear not, for I am with you. Isaiah 43:5

Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate. Mark 10:9

Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”  Hebrews 13:5

Know that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:8

I am the way and the truth and the life.  John 14:6

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.  John 6:63-64

But do you believe?  What if you are struggling, perhaps in your marriage?  Do you still believe? Just what is the truth? 

If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater.  1 John 5:9

Lord, you tell us do not be afraid, I am with you.  Help us when we feel abandoned in our struggles and grant us a peace that signals your presence. Free us from loving “things” more than we love You.  May we not be caught up in the culture of “more”, until that time it shifts to a culture of craving “more” of You.  Come, be our strength throughout all stages of marriage, through all its difficulties, and through all its joys.  Jesus, we trust in You!

 “I do believe, help my unbelief!”  Mark 9:24

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

His word is spirit and life!  Pass it on.