Pray for Families (Grace and Peace)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:2

This Christmas Season, may your prayer of action be spending quality time with your family AND bringing forth your best self. Say some prayers to de-stress yourself, or do whatever you need to in order that all your family sees in you is a center of joy and peace. Yes, it can be a tall order, but let’s pray for each other!

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

Blessings of peace, joy, and love on this pre-Christmas weekend! 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Send a message of peace to someone. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriage (Gifts of Joy)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As we enter the  third week of Advent, we are reminded on “Gaudete” Sunday, to “rejoice”, for the Savior is near.  The pink Advent Candle of this week represents joy.  

"And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

When we allow Christ in, we can’t help but be joyful.  Think of the most joyful person you know.  They may not have the perfect life, but I can guarantee you they know the Lord!  Every day we make a decision to be vessels of joy or not.  What are you choosing? 

Are you missing the moments of joy Christ brings each day to uplift you?  The Lord adores you and wants to be adored, so He will send little signs of His love to let you know He is there, if only we pause long enough to recognize the whispers, gestures, and smiles that arrive through unexpected means.  For example, today when I opened a mail order package, slipped inside was a sticker with my “special word” on it.  I know it was the Lord’s message to me, and it brought me great joy.  However,  I am not to just keep that joy for myself, but carry it into the world, beginning in my marriage.

Be joyful, for the Light is coming into the world, and chasing away the darkness.  Awaken to the special  moments, and pray to be a vessel of joy in your marriage.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Send sparks of joy!  Pass it on! 

P.S.  Since I missed last Friday’s prayer reminder, pray for joy to abound in your family too!

Pray for Marriages (Emanating Peace)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Happy second week of Advent! The second advent candle represents peace. What a perfect focus for marriage this week!  

Maybe you have a peace filled marriage, maybe not. Either way, the holiday season can destroy your peace, making you sing, “Oh tidings of comfort and joy!” just to bring back some hope!

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

This week, work on avoiding triggers, diffusing unavoidable tensions, and becoming a better version of yourself. That alone should bring more peace into your marriage. As you know, nothing is possible without prayer, so keep praying for all marriages, that they may be strengthened with the bond of His peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.  John 14:27

Blessings of peace upon your week!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be a peace-bearer. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Tidings of Comfort and Joy)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Recently, I met with a friend who fell away from her faith a long time ago. Our conversation wandered into faith and she questioned how God can let bad things happen to good people, yet some evil people are left unscathed. Particularly on her mind was the loss of her young adult son a couple years ago, which is a pain she carries daily. Yet for me, the right words of comfort always seem out of reach…can words alone fill the breach?  I cannot fathom the pain of a lost child, but I do know that those with faith can eventually find some peace. 

My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. Psalm 62:6

We all experience loss to different degrees, and each type causes its own unique pain.  I think of the one who cares for their spouse with dementia.  They experience the emotional loss of the person they fell in love with, but now who no longer knows nor recognizes them.  Some have family members who have severed their relationship with them, or vice versa because it was toxic.  An irreplaceable loss however, still exists.  Others grieve the passing of a parent who died all too soon, feeling untethered for the first time.  All of these people struggle to regain their former joy.  Luckily,  we were given a promise.

 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

What all these have in common is that they are all part of God’s perfect plan, yet understanding or explaining the “why” can leave us at a loss for words at a time we are trying to bring comfort to another. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the LORD.  Isaiah 55:8

Let us pray for those who are feeling the loss of a loved one and an immense void, only heightened by the thought of a holiday gathering with an empty chair. 

Lord of mercy and love, while we can’t fathom your ways, give us the desire to accept your Holy Will. When we see someone in pain, give us the words, the glance, the touch, to comfort them. Give those who mourn the faith to trust in your love and compassion for them, that they may turn toward you rather than run away from you. May your healing graces flow even more abundantly this time of year, reigniting joy and bringing about a renewal of faith in You. Dearest Savior, save them with your love!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Spread some joy and compassion to someone who is struggling. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Keep it Simple)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Tis the season to feel a bit overwhelmed, and it is all too easy to squeeze out one’s scheduled prayer time.  Never the intention, but…  Still, one can always feel the effects of NOT praying!

Sometimes it takes a new approach. Everytime you trim the tree, drape the garland, hang a wreath, wrap a present, etc., Pray “Bless my marriage (or bless _____’s marriage, praise the Lord!”

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

 Keep it simple!

Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.  Romans 12:12

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The message is simple: Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Focus and Perseverance)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

As Thanksgiving comes to an end, I am reminded that gratitude should never be limited to just one day, but should become a daily practice.  Gratitude is important, because what weighs heavily on one’s heart (all that we pray for) can overshadow all the good in our lives.  By beginning each day with prayers of praise and thanksgiving, we challenge ourselves to focus on all our blessings.  With a heart now filled with trust, we can enter into prayers of petition, working towards surrendering all that negatively consumes us to God.

Seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.  Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.  Matthew 6:33-34

Drawing closer to the Lord and seeking eternity with Him will bring us the peace we desire. Worrying about what is out of our control will only shatter our peace.

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?  Matthew 6:27

As we ready ourselves for Advent, let us banish worry and quiet our minds as we prepare our hearts to welcome the Savior.  Not so easy you say?  Thinking that perhaps  you may need some  assistance to focus on Advent, as you are consumed by Christmas prep?  Pray with a friend, challenge a family member, find a book with daily meditations, or join a community of prayer such as Hallow to help you stay disciplined.  We all need help, so continue to pray for your family, and this extended family.  May God bless you for your perseverance!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Ask a friend to help keep you focused.  Pass it on!! 

Pray for Marriages (Daily Thanksliving)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

“The art of thanksgiving is thanksliving. It is gratitude in action”.* 

This quote has stuck with me since I first heard it, probably 25 years ago. It is the perfect picture of how we should live each day; not in negativity, but in gratitude; not a feeling but an action. When we fill our hearts with gratitude, there is only room for the positive, such as the beauty that surrounds us, the kindnesses of others, the blessings we have been given, and the people that enrich our lives.  Only then are we in a position to pour out our love, kindness, and compassion on others who so desperately need it. (Especially our spouses). Often those who present the greatest challenges in our lives, are the ones who need love the most.  

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.  Romans 12:9-10

Take some time to thank the Lord for your marriage. Thank him for the crosses, the challenges, and the fruits of your marriage, as they were designed just for you. Then, in humble gratitude, vow to live that thanks (thanks-living) in your marriage. (If you are not married, thank Him for a marriage that has been a positive witness to you.)

Lord of love, grant all spouses the grace to live each day in thanks, in their thoughts and in their words, in their attitudes, and in their actions. Lavish them with your graces! Amen.

In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

I am thankful for all of your prayers! Pray and give thanks for a marriage and pass it on! 

*Peterson, Wilfred A. (1961). The Art of Living. Simon and Schuster, New York, 44-45.

Pray for Families (A House of Prayer)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,  

The Lord loves to communicate with us, and one way we can hear Him is by reading the bible. What I love about scripture is that the passages are so much deeper than they initially appear.

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’” Luke 19:45-46

This seems crazy that anyone would do this, right? It’s hard to imagine someone entering a temple or church and setting up shop.

While the temple was the center of religious life in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, while we have physical churches, we are the church, we are the temple. 

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

Contemplate that. Then consider the first passage, “My house shall be a house of prayer”. And then the second passage. Are you glorifying God in your body? Ask yourself, are you honoring your temple!? 

Do a self-inventory; a self-reflection. Get your “house” in order, then pray for the rest of your family. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is the foundation for rebuilding the house. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Lost Love)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever pondered the life of the apostles? As we seek to be disciples of Christ in our lives and in our marriages, we should take time to ponder what the apostles were commanded to do.

“Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Luke 9:3

Our personal journey as disciples may be only within the home, or within our community. Having nothing in the cupboards or closets isn’t the directive, however the unifying message is: Surrender to God’s plan for your life, trust in His grace, and have faith that he will provide for your every need. Lead with the love of Christ!

I have no doubt about you holy warriors reading this, but you know that even the apostles and their disciples stumbled…a lot! As you labor in love, consider the following scripture passages, especially when applied to marriage.

“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked […] Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. 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 2:2-5

Who cannot remember the depth of their love early on in their relationship? Love notes. Romantic gestures. Yet, with each passing milestone, the journey's difficulty increased and unexpected challenges arose. Those were easy to overcome early on. However, when one becomes weary, energy and desire wanes and it shows.

Read the above scripture slowly and take some time to prayerfully meditate on the Lord’s words. Does this apply to your marriage in any way? Enter into a heartfelt conversation with the Lord and ask him how. Quiet yourself and listen. 

No challenges apply to you? Then prayerfully intercede for another’s marriage. 

Lord, lovingly listen to the prayers of each heart. Grant the graces necessary to journey on,  and help each retrieve the love that imperceptibly dissipated. Take our hearts and rekindle in them the fire of your love. May the sparks create an inferno of renewal in marriages, for your greater glory. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be the fire that sparks another into prayer. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Walking in the Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Life is one long journey! When it’s good, it’s good, but when it’s not, we need to stay mindful of our intended destination, heaven! How easy it is to complain about our disappointments and heartaches, but if we call to mind the home the Father has prepared for us, we will recognize them as gifts, serving to move us closer to conforming to His Will. He will fuel us for the journey with the Bread of Life.

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth just as we were commanded by the Father. 2 John 1:4

However, our hearts ache for our children and relatives that have been schooled in the truth, yet strayed into the many cultural landmines propagated by the Evil One. Harder still is when they don’t see the landmines as dangerous.

Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. 2 John 1:7

While all are tempted, prayer can protect the faithful and bring about miracles of the heart and mind of the unfaithful. 

Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full recompense. 2 John 1:8

Remain in prayer for yourselves and your family.

Anyone who is so “progressive” as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9

Lord, many are the lost sheep. We call upon your merciful love to continue to seek your little lambs and call them by name. Hear our prayers and pour out your Spirit upon them. Send your angels to guide their paths.  Finally, protect us from the Father of Lies, so that we may remain in the truth, being a light in this darkened world. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Change begins with love. Love one another! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Seeking Understanding)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

In today’s culture, it is often hard to reconcile scripture passages with how we may currently think and act.

Consider Ephesians 5:22: “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord”.

I used to cringe at that passage not understanding it and certainly not even hearing “as to the Lord”. My visual was too focused on my own independence and thinking that subordinate meant slave or doormat to my spouse. Yet, it doesn’t say that. As to the Lord, I am subordinate because He loves me so much that he died for me. I completely trust him. Contemplating that marriage should be a mirror of that relationship, is something both spouses should ponder when evaluating their relationship.

Scripture even captures how we are to be as we age. Men continue to be defined as spiritual leaders. 

As for yourself, you must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance. 

Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. 

Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves, showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be criticized, so that the opponent will be put to shame without anything bad to say about us. Titus 2:1-8

We shouldn’t measure our behavior against the current culture, (we'd look better than we are) but against what faith and tradition have preserved and passed down through scripture and Christ's church. Are we rising to our roles?  Men, are you embracing spiritual leadership, or letting it default to your wife? Are you striving each day to imitate Christ? Women, are you allowing your husbands to lead?  Encouraging them when they don’t step up? Supporting them when they do?

Everyone will need to look at these scripture passages through the lens of their own marriage. I have no doubt that in doing so, you will enter into a long conversation with God!  Listen. He will guide you on how to be a better spouse, a better example to engaged couples, younger couples, as well a better child of God. Then…pray for marriages, especially your own!!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Understanding begins by submitting yourself to God. Pass it on!  https://simplyinspiredprayer.blogspot.com/

Pray for Families (Reconnecting through Grace)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

If I have learned anything, there is no such thing as the perfect family. We are all flawed people, dealing with other flawed people, and the others’ flaws always seem more annoying and intolerable. Perhaps now is a time to do some self-reflection as to how we can become our best selves. What personality trait or characteristic should we consider dialing down? How might we expand our hearts to love more? How do we become less reactive to those who trigger us? How can we better reflect Christ? 

As face mirrors face in water, so the heart reflects the person. 

Proverbs 27:19

Lord, help each of us to become a perfect reflection of you. May we encourage others as well in their spiritual journey, with gentle invitations, allowing the Holy Spirit to move through us. Increase your grace to the most hardened hearts, including ours. Mend relationships that have withered and broken over the years and be the bridge that is needed to reconnect the divide. May we never waver in our prayers for our family, and those of others. Keep the Evil One at bay, as he seeks to rob everyone of, joy, hope, and charity in an effort to lead them to despair. But you Lord are the victor! May one day we all exclaim, “Jesus, we trust in You!  Christ is King!” 

The blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:15-16

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Build community by inviting another to prayer. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Elective Actions)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Life is filled with choices and one major choice was who to marry. It reminds me of our current election. You only have their past behavior to judge them by. You weigh the pros and cons and hope your choice of candidate keeps their promises! In marriage, we too are obligated to keep our vows, as our pledge was made before God.

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Philippians 2:1-4

These are hard words to live by unless you rely on “the Rock”, our Lord and our God, and the gifts of grace that He showers over you and your spouse.

Lord Jesus, we look to you, and your earthly parents, as perfect examples of love, sacrifice, and mercy. Help us during all those times (each day) that we falter in our love, shun inconvenient sacrifice, and lack mercy and compassion. We are weak; You are strong. Come to our assistance so that our actions, words, and decisions may be wholly acceptable to you. Send your Spirit and the help of your angels as we battle all the forces that seek to discourage us. Jesus, we trust in You!

Let the words of my mouth be acceptable, the thoughts of my heart before you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:15

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Encourage one another to fight the good fight, beginning with prayer! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Chasing Sainthood)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Sleep deprivation got the best of me yesterday, and I am hoping with my increasing lapses that you are already in the habit of habitual prayer for marriage and family! (Frankly, by now you should be!)

With the duo of All Saints Day and All Souls Day upon us, we are reminded once again to PRAY! First of all, that we boldly choose a goal of sainthood and strive to attain it while on earth, and secondly, that we pray for the souls in purgatory, so that we have a whole league of new saints praying for us when/if we land there! 

For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

 “The person will be saved, but only as through fire.” Purgatory exists for the saved, that they may be made clean.

All who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 

(CCC 1030, page 268)

So let us join in prayer to pray for sainthood, or at least that we and our families die in God’s grace! Let us also pray prayers of atonement for our relatives that have already passed.

Good and gracious God, you love each of us beyond our comprehension. Forgive us for the many times that we have taken such love for granted, ignored it, mocked it, and rejected it by choosing to sin against you. Help us with our daily choice to become holy and pleasing to you. Hear our prayers for loved ones who have strayed far from you and grant them the grace of conversion of heart. For those who have passed before us, lessen their time of purgation so that they may enter into eternal life. Hear our prayers for their souls, and in your mercy, bring them into your loving arms. Amen.

Eternal Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be bold! Be a saint! Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (A Heart to Heart)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,  

I am on vacation, but not too busy to remind you to pray. But since I am on a completely different time zone, time schedule, etc. AND because I just sent you last Friday’s “Pray for Families”, I will keep this short, as long as you keep your prayers for marriages, long!

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12

Jesus’ prayer was nothing other than a conversation with God. Have a long heart-to-heart with the Lord and share all that troubles you, all that delights you, and all your prayer intentions, especially those for marriages. Take some time to listen too!

God bless you all!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

God never tires of your voice. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (A Fortress of Protection)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The Lord wants nothing more than to gather His children with Him in heaven, yet we often don’t listen to His words or try to hear His voice. Sometimes, we even spurn His gift of love. So why are we surprised when our own children treat their earthly parents that same way?

Children don't usually appreciate their parents until they gain perspective. Then what they spurned at one time, they seek with open arms.  So it is in our relationship with God.

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Luke 12:49-53

Have we not experienced this in the last 5 years? Vaccine polarization, political division, racial conflicts, etc.?  It is difficult to understand God’s plan for good in all of this.

He also said to the crowds, “When you see [a] cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. You hypocrites! 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 12:54-56

Contemplate these scriptures and what the Lord might be saying to you, personally?  How might He be weaving a beautiful tapestry from the messiness of your family life?

The greatest weapon of our times is prayer.  As Satan seeks to destroy the family by increasing divisiveness, he again will misjudge the Master’s plan. Keep your hearts united in prayer, and together we will create a powerful fortress. Keep the prayers coming and trust in the Good Shepherd to find all the lost sheep. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Unite more hearts in prayer to strengthen the fortress! Pass it on!