Pray for Marriages (Staying the Course)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Lent is  now behind us, and I imagine many have now gleefully gone back to their old habits, and stopped any penitential behaviors. The question is, should you have? Now if you gave up coffee and your spouse has begged you not to go off of caffeine again, then perhaps that’s worth noting. But did fasting from TV, video games, junk food, etc, have a positive secondary effect on your marriage? Did the extra prayer time, Mass attendance, partaking of sacraments, or other help your disposition? Only you know the answers.  

I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.  1 Corinthians 7:35

Reflect on your Lenten practices and determine what behaviors you should pull through to benefit your marriage.  If you are unmarried, consider the impact of ongoing prayers for marriages.  Drawing closer to God will always help your marriage, even when at times it seems to have the opposite effect!  God works in mysterious ways, so stay the course!  

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Loving the Lord will help you to love one another. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Chasing Away Anxiety and Worry)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

We live in a go, go, go culture. It is why it takes days to unwind on a vacation. And the younger one is the longer it takes them to transition. But what happens on a daily basis? When you are feeling anxious do you open your phone, tablet, or laptop? OR do you close your eyes?  It’s worth pondering.  Do you look for distractions, or pray for the peace of Christ?  Do you marvel at the wonder of his creation, or fret regarding the state of the world, of which you have no control.

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

Control what you can control: your prayer life.  Ditch anxiety. Deep-six worry.

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

Let positivity blossom by praising God.  Thank him for everything. Your worry and anxiety will dissipate and your family will be better for it.  

Talk about prayer in action!  Your family will begin pondering!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray prayers of praise, and you can change the world one person at a time! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Hope for Love)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Nothing is more uncomfortable than witnessing a couple bickering, throwing barbs at each other, and looking quite miserable, totally at odds with each other. 

You may know of marriages that greatly struggle no matter how hard they try. Satan hates love and will look for opportunities to derail it, redirect it, and crush it. A life centered in Christ and elevated by prayer is the best defense. 

I want you to be wise as to what is good, and simple as to what is evil; then the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  Romans 16:19-20

Please continue in prayer for all marriages, especially those losing hope.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Increase the hope in this world. Pray for marriages. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Surrender to Love)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.  Isaiah 53:5

The Lord showed us what love looks like: laying down one’s life for another.  While the Lord died to save humanity, our “death” is often a dying-to-self. That could be in the form of self-denial, frequent caregiving for a family member, increased prayer for others, or anything that involves a total surrender to God’s will.

Christ's Passion destroyed the futility of suffering.  Let’s not be afraid to suffer for another. 

In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The path to life is total surrender to the Divine Will. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (A Witness to Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

It’s Holy Week, the final journey as we enter into Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. It’s not too late to begin, continue, or increase your prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Perhaps it’s time to read more scripture or for the procrastinator, open that bible that may be collecting dust. If nothing else, spend time contemplating Christ’s Passion or watch the Passion of the Christ.

I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. John 6:38

Enter into the tortured heart of His Mother and Him for her as she stood by Him. 

Consider the heavenly prayers of St, Joseph for his Son, praying with God the Father in heaven. 

Whatever struggles or annoyances you have in your marriage, unite the alms of suffering with Christ’s and offer them up in prayer for the good of all marriages.

How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to  me? The cup of salvation I will raise; and call on the LORD’s name. My vows to the LORD I will fulfill before all the people. Psalm 116:12-14

Remain in Peace, hold on to your Joy, and witness His Love,

Janet

Mirror His Love and pass it on!

 

Pray for Families (Armaments for Battle)

 Greeting Prayer Warriors,

The world is in crisis. Truth seems to be lost. Too many people have lost a sense of reality.

“What is truth?” John 18:38

Losing a grasp on reality, the truth of who you are and whose you are, is the fallout of eliminating He who is Truth not only from all public arenas and discussions, but often from our own lives. Common sense and logic are slipping away. Pride and vanity are on the rise and Satan is gaining power, and that, dear warrior, is an understatement.  

Telling signs:

• People are beginning to believe sex and gender are fluid,  some parents aren’t assigning gender at birth, and society is accepting this
• Evil is being celebrated
• Good is being prosecuted
• Media is selling you lies
• We are being divided by being told everything including inanimate objects are racist
• Laws against pedophilia are being loosened
• The definition of marriage and family has been rewritten
• Sin and hell are considered fiction
• Satanism is now out in the open and being celebrated
• Christianity is being persecuted
• The Voice of Truth is being drowned out by a lack of silence and stillness

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14

Unfortunately I could make this list longer. You and your family are under spiritual attack whether you realize it or not. Seek the light of Christ to see what is true. Persevere in prayer for family and self and become equipped!!

Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 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. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:10-18

You’ve got this! The Lord be with you!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The best way to protect your family is through prayer. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Support in the Last Leg)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage is a journey over hills and valleys, filled with roadblocks and detours. Nothing prepares you for the unexpected. It is at those moments we are forced to admit  that we are not in control. The Lord beckons us to trust in him and surrender to his will. While it may seem easy, it requires humbling ourselves and accepting his merciful embrace and loving assistance. Unfortunately, sometimes we say, “No thank you, I’ve got this!”, while in  hindsight, we now laugh about our overestimation of self. The Lord patiently awaits our call. 

Little is discussed however, about the last few miles of life’s journey when many endure the slow or rapid decline of their beloved. It is a much more frightening leg. One is more humble and often underestimates what they can handle. Let’s pray for these couples in a special way this week.

One’s spirit supports one when ill, but a broken spirit who can bear? Proverbs 18:13

Lord, bless all those married couples that are struggling through ill health, chronic disease, or terminal diagnoses, as well as the weight of caregiving and managing the necessities of life. Pour your grace upon those worrying about going through life alone, those already grieving their future. Help these couples to reconcile all old hurts rather than create new ones through their pain. May mercy and forgiveness spring forth from their hearts. Lord, send them earthly angels to walk beside them to comfort, uplift, encourage, support, and gladden them. Give others  a heart to see those suffering spouses who could use an encouraging word, a coffee date, or an open ear. And for those among us experiencing this situation themselves, give them the courage to ask for what they need. And when words don’t come, may all of our prayers bring them a sense of peace, that they never walk alone. Send your angels in abundance, for Jesus, we trust in you!!

I rise before dawn and cry out; I put my hope in your words. My eyes greet the night watches as I meditate on your promise. Hear my voice in your mercy, O LORD. Psalm 119:147-149

Peace,  Joy, and Love,

Janet

Compassion and presence. Pass it on!