Pray for Marriages (White Ops)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

Recently, someone was asking me about my new job.  When describing it to others, its goal sounds impossible, so this person remarked, “It’s like Black Ops, you have to be totally stealth!”  I chuckled at this image, as I am always up for a good challenge. 

Sometime later as I was replaying this humorous conversation in my mind, it reminded me of another part of my life, prayer. As prayer warriors, it’s like “white ops”, a battle for souls (ours included).  Stealthily, but consistently we sow seeds of good by our collective prayers, branching out further and further, as we remain in Him, the Vine. We are continually pruned and fertilized in our daily life seemingly by those around us, but the Lord does the pruning and causes additional growth, allowing us to bear more fruit for His Kingdom. Yes to others, our life just looks difficult, for they cannot anticipate the springtime that will occur.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

As a “White Operative,” believe in the power of your prayer, be it a short plea, the Our Father, or a long rosary. 

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. James 5:16

Believe in the power of offering up your crosses for the good of another. Believe that change does happen, but in God’s perfect timing. Do not lose hope! 

They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings. Isaiah 40:31

Continue to be a spiritual warrior for marriage and family, and recruit new soldiers, as we need to increase the volume to be heard over Satan’s black operatives.  

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. John 14:13-14, 16-17

Unbelievers will not believe in the power of your prayer until their hearts are converted by the ability of your prayer to call down the Holy Spirit. Pray for marriages this week, especially those in most need, that the Spirit of Love and Truth may wash over them and plant new seeds of hope.

May Peace, Joy, and Love envelop the whole world and create a tidal wave of change!

Janet

It’s open recruitment time!  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Hidden Treasures)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Family is often a treasure taken for granted.  Because we assume they will always be there for us, it is easy to relegate them to 2^nd or 3^rd tier in our lives, especially as we get older. Yet, when push comes to shove, they truly are the ones we turn to.

Conversely, those we know the best (family) can at times be the most irritating. It is within the family be learn patience, love, acceptance, humility, generosity, candor, selflessness, and, well, long-suffering, all in God’s perfect plan.

So, let’s continue to pray for the family, in all its shapes and sizes, in all it’s dysfunctional ways, and in its unshakeable bond of love.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. Colossians 3:12-13

Lord, you willed that all of us be created within a family. We have even managed to muck that up, but still you love us just the same, guide us to greener pastures, and remain perfectly patient with us. Bless each of our unique situations, and help us to grow in virtue, especially when we have the least desire to do so. May we love the family you have given us for the blessing that they are. Open our eyes to this precious gift, and bless our families, both now and forever. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love

Janet

Search for hidden treasures. You don’t have to look very far! Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (A Weapon Worth Using)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.  James 5:16

What are you waiting for?  The Lord gave you a voice, which can be a powerful weapon. Now is the time to go into battle and pray for someone’s (or everyone’s) marriage!

O God, hear my prayer. Listen to the words of my mouth!  Psalms 54:4

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Every day is a good day to pray. It is where your true power lies. Weapons ready? Raise your voices and pass it on!

Pray for Families (Sacred Traditons)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

There’s something so special about family traditions, be it holiday traditions, or annual vacations to the same destination. Or maybe it’s a monthly visit to a grandparent or other relative. These traditions bring us together, bind us tighter, give us a sense of belonging, and form unforgettable memories. 

Just as important, are the more frequent traditions such as “good morning” greetings, family dinners together, or a goodnight “I love you.” All express love and caring and keep us tuned-in and connected to each other. However, if you are not vigilant, they can easily erode away.

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

While this scripture passage isn’t referring to family traditions, it is detailing the importance of learning both through the spoken word and the written word, which are how sacred traditions are passed down. We learn by watching, hearing, and reading. One first understands love by experiencing it within the family. Similarly, we learn about faith by hearing about and experiencing Christ’s love and mercy through others. Yet we as a society are dwindling in faith. Youth are not hearing the “Good News” and many adults have forgotten it.

Instead, we let other things (sporting events, children’s team schedules, television shows, etc.) intrude upon the family dinner hour, eclipse Sunday worship time, and interfere with family quality time.  

Lord, help us! Ignite our hearts with love and a passion for our faith and our family. May we be your face and voice in this darkened world. Grant us a holy curiosity to help us to grow further in our faith. Help us be bold when talking about our faith, and not be shy about passing it on, beginning with our family! May we hold tight to the traditions that bring us together as a family.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Today is the day. Encourage the sacred. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Hope, Trust, & Faith)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

One may work and struggle and drive, and fall short all the same. Others go their way broken-down drifters, with little strength and great misery—Yet the eye of the LORD looks favorably upon them, shaking them free of the stinking mire. He lifts up their heads and exalts them to the amazement of the many. Good and evil, life and death, poverty and riches—all are from the LORD.   Sirach 11:11-14

Let’s us pray for those marriages that struggle the most, desperately grasp at hope, yet hold tight to the faith.  May their trust in God exponentially increase!

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Rejoice that you are never alone!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be generous in your support. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Unintended Journeys)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever gone on an unintentional e-journey? The kind where you are reading an email or perhaps you are on social media and you click on one thing and before you know it you have followed link after link after link? One certainly learns some enlightening things! It’s not all bad, but I’ve come to realize how disconnected people are from Truth. I was laboring over finding the words to describe this, when I stumbled upon this quote from G.K. Chesterton, a writer, philosopher and lay theologian:

"When people cease to believe in God, the danger is not that they will believe nothing, but rather that they will believe anything."

I suppose when you banish God, there is a vacuum to be filled and it lacks a good filtration system! What would have seemed to be obviously wrong, immoral, blasphemous, destructive, disordered, etc. a generation or two ago in a predominantly God-fearing society, is now, in our increasingly un-churched culture, considered a right, a viewpoint, a lifestyle, or a choice which should be respected.  Not that there haven’t been past wrongs to be corrected, but love isn’t defined as total acceptance of anything or anyone. Nor should disagreeing with someone be called “hating”. 

Judgment is turned away, and justice stands far off; For truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter. Fidelity is lacking, and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. Isaiah 59:14-15

At this point I am feeling an urge to proceed with a number of disclaimers, so as not to hurt offend, or be misunderstood, but I will fight that cultural urge.

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:13-15

My ask is that we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fill the emptiness in so many hearts, including those spaces in our own hearts that are closed off to God. Then let’s journey in reality.

Lord, help us, our families, our friends, and our neighbors awaken to our need for you.  Open our hearts to your presence, so that you may infuse us with prudential wisdom, kindness, and merciful love.  May we not go mute when we experience offenses against your laws, but help us be charitable in speaking the truth.  Equip us so that we may become steadfast soldiers that go into battle not with weaponry, but with a heart that disarms with your beckoning Love.  We pray: Veni, Sancte Spiritus!  "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.”

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Allow the Lord to ignite you as a torch of His Love!  Pray “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” and pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Stepping Toward Holiness)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Christian marriage. If it were easy, everyone would do it! But the Lord never promises an easy road, only his accompaniment on the journey and an incredible destination.

Just as Christ in his earthy life poured himself out in fidelity to the Father for our benefit, we too are called to surrender our self-focused desires, to whatever God wills for our lives, be it marriage, children, or other. Mary, his mother is a perfect example of a perfect “yes” before God.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

As the two become one in marriage, Jesus shows us the path to a holy marriage. While he wasn’t married, he did live in perfect fidelity to the Father, mirroring for us how to live a life for another, that “other” being us. He endured love and hate, adoration and humility, community and desertion. He remained steadfast in faith, hope, love, repeated forgiveness and mercy, sacrifice, surrender, prayer, encouragement, perseverance, endurance, and poverty of spirit, (just to name a few). Marriage is the perfect boot camp to such holiness, and holiness is what we are called to.

Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16

Feeling a little paralyzed at the thought of holiness?  Mercy and forgiveness begin the dance, a perfect two-step to get you in the rhythm. Join us as we pray for marriages, that every spouse can at least commit to at least trying the “two-step” toward holiness. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Put some rhythm into your marriage with the two-step!  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (New Power Source)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The effects of human touch can vary greatly, but there is always power involved. When there is a laying on of hands, the intent is for transformation, either to heal, bless or comfort, or to hurt, curse, or agitate. 

“In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. Acts 3:6-7

They laid hands on them [Peter and John] and put them in custody. Acts 4:3

The difference in the result is on whose strength/power we are relying upon. When we rely on our own strength, our pride opens the door to the devil, allowing the power of evil in. In contrast, when we acknowledge our powerlessness, we allow the Lord to be our strength and He can then bless others through us.

So ask yourself. Are you getting in His way or out of His way? Are you working for Him or against Him?

“By what power or by what name have you done this? It was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean […] this man stands before you healed. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” 

Acts 4:7, 10, 12

Lord, we acknowledge our frequent lack of awareness as to the impact of our actions when we are not grounded in you. Our unworthiness is magnified in your greatness, so come be our power source! Fill us with your love and mercy so that we may share it with others! Be the gentleness of our touch, the sweetness of our voice, and the tenderness of our heart. Help to rely on your more (decrease) so that you may increase in us! May we carry your virtues into our families, workplaces, and communities, so that your healing graces may flow through us. Jesus we trust in you!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Plug in to the best Power Source. Pass it on!