Pray for Marriage (The Fruit of Prayer)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

 

I’ve still savoring some family time.  Did you remember to pray for marriages yesterday without the reminder?   It’s never too late to pray!

 

We do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.  Colossians 1:9-12

 

Continue as His worthy prayer warriors, advocating for the preservation of marriage and bearing fruit!

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet 

 

Share the love and pass it on! 

 

Pray for Families (Listen and Grow)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Enjoy your family time. Time together can bring about a range of emotions. Listen twice as much as you talk.  Then pray for a growth in the virtues that have been exposed as lacking.

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

Pray for one another and pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Assessing the Offering)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Some of you are really struggling in your marriages. You are doing the best you can, and it takes all your spiritual strength to continue with your prayers and efforts to heal or elevate your marriage. You may feel exhausted, as you cling to your hope, persevere in faith, and trust in the goodness of the Lord. One day at a time, you tell yourself. 

How the Lord honors you for giving all you have to give! You are like the poor widow who offered to the Lord the last 2 coins she had.

When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” Luke 21:1-4

Which begs the question, do you give an appropriate amount of your wealth of time and energy to the health of your marriage? Or do you give a little of your surplus time to your spouse?

Each must reflect on their own situation. How might the Lord view it? Lots of impoverished lip service, or an ongoing, generous labor of love? Pray to see as the Lord sees, that you may come to accept the truth. Whether you are the “widow” or the “wealthy” humbly pray for strength for the journey or guidance on how to heal and enrich your marriage through a more generous spirit. As a warrior, you never walk alone.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Continue to support each other in prayer and pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Needed: Prayer on Steroids)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you reflected on why so many of your family members, relatives are struggling with their relationship with God?  Or perhaps they aren’t struggling, they never even think of Him!  Maybe the one struggling is you?

How can one not be  disheartened when they look with eyes wide open? Our world has changed so much over the decades.  While the country was largely Judeo-Christian in its views and values 50+ years ago, that is no longer true.  Immorality is not just rampant, but the accepted norm.  Churches were shut down for 2 years and the reception of the sacraments was severely restricted. Morality has been banished and even mocked. Divorce and the breakdown of the family, once rare, is now  a contingency plan discussed before marriage. Protection of life is no longer considered sacred. Speech is no longer free. Sin is no longer discussed and many no longer believe in hell. Christianity is no longer affirmed but attacked. Is there any surprise that Satan’s power has grown as the presence of God in our hearts and public squares has diminished?  Does any doubt remain as to why so many people have lost or are without faith??

We Christians know that our citizenship is not here on earth but rather awaiting us in heaven. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:18-20

Hold tight to your faith!  Whether you have been praying with us for days, months, or the last 13 years, you are being prepared for a deeper relationship with the Lord, one where he more urgently requests of you increased prayer for humanity.  Remember, the Lord doesn’t want to lose any of his children, but many will reject Him without the transformative grace needed for conversion.  Your prayer rooted in love, releases the grace from heaven.  Your prayer is a beautiful daily sacrifice that can be offered up for the conversion of all your relatives. 

Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.  2 Corinthians 4:15

"Many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them and make sacrifices for them." -Our Lady of Fatima to Sr. Lucia

Pray for humanity, especially the restoration of the family, and each precious soul in it.

“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” - Pope Saint John Paul II

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray, pray, pray and ask for more prayer by passing it on! 

Pray for Marriages (A Call to Action)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

As we persevere in life and in marriage, we can feel pretty good about ourselves.  And perseverance is a great thing!  Yet as I read this passage in Revelation, I was forced to reflect.

 

Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent and do the works you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5

 

While love is often equated with feelings, love is an action.  Feelings keep us looking inward, while actions focus our attention outward.  The decision to love requires a daily, if not hourly commitment.  Early in the journey of love, we are giddy with excitement, in love with the feeling, and excited about the future.  We would do anything for our spouse.  But as feelings wane, and the rigors of life manifest, we must still act as Christ would; with unwavering love, endless kindnesses, and encouraging words, versus bitterness, anger, and slaying sentences.

 

Lord, we praise you for your unwavering love and patience. Help us with those virtues!  We acknowledge our love can be inconsistent, for we are easily distracted, prone to self-centeredness, and attached to our wounds.  Lord, we open the door of our heart. Heal the wounds that reside there. Help us to keep our eyes on you, so our love may become transformative as we conform ourselves to you. Stoke the fire of our love, enabling us to be a light in our marriage and a beacon of love for all marriages.  Amen.

 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I enter his house and dine with him and he with me.  I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne as I myself won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.  Revelation 3:20-21

 

Come in and guide us to victory Lord!

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet 

 

Help another hear Him knocking so they might act! Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Consistency and Perseverance in Prayer)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Do you remember to pray without reminders?  

Hopefully you prayed yesterday or today for a veteran, their families, our county, or the soul of one who has passed. No prayer is ever wasted, but used by God to fortify a soul.

First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

There is MUCH to pray for.  I’m praying for your perseverance!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that all of us may persevere in prayer. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Take it to Jesus!)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Whether you’ve been married for 1 year or 50+ years, there is a good chance you’ve had a few challenges in your marriage.  Perhaps there have been a few less-than-kind words exchanged.  You have wounded and been wounded.  A natural reaction would be to become very defensive or withdraw. But what benefit is that?

Perhaps St. Teresa of Calcutta’s advice is worth considering. If someone (such as your spouse) says hurtful things to you, promptly go to Jesus and ask Him if it's true. (That takes courage!)  If it is, it is a grace that light has been shed on a potential blind spot. If it isn’t, let it go and walk in freedom.

We need to turn to Jesus often for truth and comfort.  He is gentle and kind, and will give us the courage to accept the truth, if only we are open to his grace and choose to cooperate with it!  His arms are always wide open, waiting to embrace us. But often we turn away in pride, thinking, “I can handle this” (without Jesus). Perhaps we need to take the lies we tell ourselves to Jesus too! 

I am struck by Jesus’s humility, as he did not make any decisions without the Father.  He confidently surrendered completely to the Father to guide Him. 

“Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing;  for what he does, his son will do also. For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does. 

John 5:19-20

The Father loves us!  Jesus loves us!  So go to Jesus!  Be consoled by His embrace.  Listen to His heart!  Absorb His words!  You will then be able to approach your spouse again, to speak the truth in love, perhaps apologize, and even show some mercy. 

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

Continue to uplift each other in prayer, especially for those too weary and defeated to pray.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for more grace!!  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Heartfelt Gratitude)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

We constantly petition the Lord with prayers of supplication on behalf of our families. However, we can lose sight of the need for prayers of adoration and thanksgiving.  Who hasn’t experienced the kindness of the Lord?!  Stop and contemplate all the ways God has blessed you and your family!  Which prayers has the Lord answered for you?  He knows what you desire and will answer in his perfect timing, even if it takes years!  Never lose hope!  Let us not forget to delight and comfort the Lord with our overflowing gratitude.

Delight and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Joel 2:21

Lord, graciously hear our endless prayers of petition for our family and the families of others.  May our prayers of adoration and thanksgiving be so beautiful that they reverberate with a harmonic resonance throughout the heavens, delighting even the angelic choirs!  Empower us to share your praises with others, giving them hope and encouraging them in prayer.  May our words be a testament to your goodness, and our lives be a witness to your fidelity.  Thank you sweet, Jesus. Your mercy endures forever!

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.”  Luke 1:46-47, 49-50

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Let us imitate the proclamation of our Heavenly Mother and pass it on!