Pray for Marriages (The Imperishable Crown)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  This quote from Charles Dicken’s could easily have been talking about marriage and its guaranteed highs and lows over the years. Perhaps the only difference between long marriages and short ones is how one responds to the lows.  When one has slipped from the giddy joy of being a newlywed to the harsh reality of real-life stressors such as children, finances, and waning affirmations, the thought of having to climb out of the valley and back up to the mountain top can be too overwhelming to consider. But just as you train and nourish your body to last a lifetime, do the same for your marriage. For since you were made one in in matrimony, you must support and encourage each other in the journey.

Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus, I do not run aimlessly. 1 Corinthians 24-26

Trust in His merciful love to strengthen and guide you. 

For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare. Proverbs 3:26

Lord, may our collective prayers for marriage provide strength, endurance, confidence, and a strong desire in couples to finish the race.  May their crown be glorious!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that all marriages may end in victory. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Warriors of the Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As a chill enters the air and the summer warmth dissipates, the autumn leaves respond by transforming into warming glow of color.  Seasonal change is so predictable, and even comforting. Yet cultural shifts have been less predictable and often go unnoticed or are dismissed as a fad.  What shift has occurred that you have been too preoccupied to notice?

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?  Luke 12:56

When sex and gender are being challenged and marriage and family are being redefined, do you not see that we are in a spiritual battle?  When lies are called truth and truth is called a lie, not only our children but our entire families can be swept into believing and defending false narratives.

God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.  Genesis 1: 27, 31

To battle the Father of Lies, our recourse to is to ask the intercession of the Blessed Mother, she who crushes the head of Satan.

Blessed Mother, who the Lord has bestowed with the power to defeat Satan, come to our defense! On our behalf, ask the Lord to give our families eyes to see, ears to hear, and a courageous voice to speak out. May we not fear dissent when we defend the truth. May our hearts remain loving and compassionate toward all, as we become warriors for truth, justice, and freedom of conscience. May the choirs of angels guard us and light our way!  Jesus, we trust in your promises!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Recruit more warriors! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Journey to Abundant Life)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10

I find the above interesting when viewed through the lens of marriage. When difficulties arise contemplate in prayer whether you or your spouse have left room for the thief, the devil that seeks to destroy love. The Lord promised the abundant life, yet he never said that the road there wouldn’t have potholes, rocks, detours, and frequent construction.  So, keep the faith and journey on, for our prayers are with you!

He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. Romans 4:20-21

Veni Sancte Spiritus!  Come Holy Spirit!  Fill the gaps in our marital love, and let nothing enter in that may decay and corrupt it. Do not let the sun set on our anger, but give us a firm voice to speak the truth in love. Comfort us in our sorrows, guide us in our steps, and heal each heart too weakened to beat with love.  Increase our faith to believe in your promises, that by doing your will we may give you glory and praise!

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Be a road warrior. Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Renewal of the Mind)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

What’s hip, happening, and trendy in each decade can be quite alluring as one gets swept up in the culture of the day and carried along by its tide. However, what is not trendy or hip, but always consistently present, reliable, and unwavering is the Lord’s call to each of us to walk alongside him. He has a perfect plan for you and asks that we surrender our will to him. Yet we struggle with letting go of our grip, believing we are in perfect control of our lives.

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:2

The will of God?  Ask yourself if discerning the will of God is even on your radar? What is he asking of you? What fills your mind with and what is he calling you to empty it of?

Lord, help us not be seduced by the enticements of the day, but rather come enter in and break the chains that bind us. Open our eyes to the deceptions of this world and grant us wisdom, renewed faith, and a greater peace. We ask this not just for us, but also for our families. May we always seek to be good and pleasing in your sight.  Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Start a new cultural wave and pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Needing a Do-over or two…)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

There are many people who wish they could have a pocketful of “do-overs” in life; Erasing a regrettable action and having a second (improved) chance to act. Perhaps you’ve done something that has impacted the quality of your marriage; improper actions, unkind, cutting words, infidelities, lies, etc. While it may take a while for your spouse to forgive you (if ever), the Lord will always forgive you when you ask with a contrite heart. 

The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning—great is your faithfulness! 

Lamentations 3:22-23

You also have to forgive yourself and seek to make reparations with your spouse. Humility is a great beginning. 

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, [… ] for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.  Ephesians 4:25-27

Lord, bless and sanctify marriages by showering them with unleashed grace. Give each of us forgiving hearts, that we may mirror your merciful love. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”For the most grievous betrayals, bring healing of heart, mind, and soul. For those who wound and betray, provide the grace needed for a full conversion. Lord, you make all things new. Bind and renew all marriages throughout the world, that others may come to know the saving power of your love. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Unending hope.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Seeking the one)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

Some of you may have met your spouse at a young age, others much later, but finding your true love was a great celebration. Yet some may have compromised on their choice, settling for a sure thing versus nothing at all. Others may have married before having the maturity to understand the importance of their choice. In hindsight, any married person past the honeymoon stage understands the importance of finding a good match. Today I feel called to pray for those looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Lord, help single adults to first love themselves. May you become their first true love, so they will know what unconditional love feels like. Help them to understand that they are perfect the way you made them, and that you only create beautiful things.

I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! Psalm 139:14

When filled with self-doubt and numerous insecurities, give them the grace to refrain from immoral behaviors that only momentarily fill their emptiness.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Train them in the virtues, giving them the patient endurance to trust in your plan for them.

Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

May they not put their trust in material wealth, but in the wealth of one’s love to be shared.

Better the meagerness of the righteous one than the plenty of the wicked. Psalms 37:16

May the grace of our Almighty God result in their peace and patience as they await his perfect plan for their lives.

Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:14

Peace, Joy, and Love, 
Janet

You are never alone. The Lord walks with you and our prayers follow you! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Seeking Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Truth. What is truth? Just as Pontius Pilate grappled with this question almost 2000 years ago, today much of society still struggles with the same question. Where does one go and whom do they rely on as a trusted source of information? The mainstream media is no longer impartial. It can be very disquieting to have to question everything. In comparison, internet sites and smart phone social media apps offer artificial, airbrushed realities, guaranteed to make most people feel inferior and inadequate, often leading to anxiety or even depression.

The Lord wants you to know that he loves you and each member your family just as they are. You are precious in His sight. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less or any more. He wants you to draw nearer to Him. 

“Follow me.” Matthew 9:9

Trust in Him, and He will guide you to all truth, for there is no firmer a foundation.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  John 14:6

Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:4

Let us pray for our family members who feel less than, inadequate, and never good enough. May the Lord's voice pierce through all the untruths on the airwaves, on the internet, and in print that seek to destroy, corrupt, demean and mislead.  May your intercessory prayers rise to the heavens and form a shield of protection!

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

The Truth can be found.  He is waiting for your permission. Pass it on!