Praying for our husband is one of the most important things we can do as a wife. One day they will stand before God and be held accountable for their whole family, and honestly I am glad that pressure isn’t put on my shoulders. With that said I want my amazing husband to succeed at what he has been put in charge of. He will face many trials and temptations along the way and we are called to be his helpmate in a number of ways including lifting him up in prayer. Here are seven ways you can pray for your husband everyday.

1 Pray he would love the Lord with all his heart. (Deuteronomy  6:4)

Loving God with all his heart will satisfy his soul and keep his heart on the goal. It will help him to make wise decisions and focus on what God would want him to do throughout his life.

2 Pray that he will spiritually lead and that you will follow his lead. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

This is how God commanded it, when it comes to who leads. He has a heavy responsibility to carry and praying for him in this way will help to lighten his load.

3 Pray that he will love like Christ and that you will respect him. (Ephesians 5:33)

If we pray this and are faithful to follow the command God has given us to love and respect each other as he intended, how can our marriage do anything but blossom?

4 Pray that my heart would have grace and mercy when I’m not happy with something he has done. Pray also that he would have grace and mercy when I have done something as well.  (Luke 11:4)

Yes, ladies, sometimes it’s our fault and sometimes we need to remember that no one but Jesus was perfect. So sometimes we need to just have compassion and understanding when our husbands mess up and soak it in when there are times we have failed. Our God has grace and mercy for us and we in turn should poor that out on our spouses in abundance. Even when it’s hard.

5 Pray for him to be strong and faithful against temptation.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God will always provide a way out of temptation and our husbands are bombarded daily by the enemy and things of this world. We need to be their prayer warriors by lifting them up and asking God to show them the way out.

  

6 Pray he would serve God faithfully. (Colossians 3:23-24)

God has heaped so much blessing and salvation on our lives, shouldn’t we serve him faithfully? Of course we should! Sometimes we need a little extra encouragement, because after all we are sinners. Pray this for you and your spouse. We are called to serve Him joyfully and God, even after all He has done for us, loves and rewards us even more for it. We serve an awesome God!

7 Pray that he would work hard and support his family. (1 Timothy 5:8)

Our husbands work hard and could use some encouragement and prayer in this area! I am not saying there are not a lot of hard working wives out there, who not only work hard at home with the kids and keeping the house in order, a selfless job done without pay. I also know many will go on to work another full time job as well. This is why we should understand all the more, that our husbands could use prayer for this as well. It is something they have deeply engraved on their hearts to do, to provide for you and support his family, and from time to he may find it hard, just as we do, so pray for him!

I hope you have found this list helpful and it presses you to pray everyday for your wonderful husband! Praying for him everyday will not only pour out blessing on him but on you as well. As husband and wife we are joined together as one flesh. When you pray everyday for your spouse you will see him flourish and in turn your marriage and love for each other will grow strong and deep. I encourage all of you to develop a time of prayer devoted to lifting him up and watch what God will do!

This of course is not an exhaustive list, just an outline, a starting point, if you will. Feel free to change anything that might be geared more toward your husband. Remember this is a time to lift him up to our Lord, cherish this special time you get to spend with our Loving Father and have wonderful joy in doing so!

~Christine

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Praying for your spouse is incredibly important. If one of the purposes of marriage is to help us each become more holy, (it is! Ephesians 5) then we need to be helping each other along on that journey.

As a husband, part of my responsibility is to spiritually lead my wife and wash her in the Word. In this I’m just going to give you seven ways you can help lead your wife through prayer and some scripture passages to go along with those prayer ideas.

 

1. Pray that she will know God more fully. (John 17:3)

Knowing who God is and knowing him truthfully is absolutely important for any

believer. If we do not know the one who created us and saved us, how can we

really be in His family?

 

2. Pray that she will be fulfilled in love. (Ephesians 5:25)

Your wife will never be happy in your marriage if she does not know she is loved

by you. No, she should not find her worth in your love. All of us find our worth in

the love of Christ. However, your responsibility is to love her and your love makes

her happy.

 

3. Pray that she will serve God everyday. (Luke 16:10)

Whatever time or responsibilities your wife may have, whether that’s work, family,

church, or anything else, pray to help her understand that everything she does

should be an act of service to God. That is what life is about.

 

4. Pray that she will find rest and peace. (John 16:33)

Our lives can be so crazy and overwhelming sometimes and this is at least

equally true for our wives, probably even more so. She needs the peace of Christ

in her life and you can help her with that peace by praying that the Holy Spirit will

open her eyes to see His rest.

 

5. Pray that she will have contentment. (Philippians 4:11-13)

We can all become dissatisfied with our homes, jobs, cars, or other surroundings.

Just as you need to learn to be happy with what God has given you, your wife

needs the same thing. Pray for her that she will see her blessings.

 

6. Pray that she will be safe and protected. (Psalm 61:2)

Women face the danger of abuse and attack frequently and your wife knows that.

Her knowing that you are praying for her safety and protection will help her to

know that you care about her fears, and your prayers to God will help those fears

to go unrealized.

 

7. Pray that she will not have fear. (Psalm 18:2)

This is closely related to the last one. My wife struggles with fear because of

some damage that had been done to her in the past. Her fear sometimes holds

her back from the places God wants to take her. Praying for her to overcome her

fears frees her to move more fully into who God wants her to be.

 

I encourage you to customize this list for your wife if her needs are different than mine. (Which is likely true.) But the important part is to pray for her everyday, and if this list helps you, then Praise God!

 

-Chuck

Ephesians 5:25-28 New International Version (NIV)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

When we consider whether we are good enough, it’s possible to realize that in general we aren’t good enough without God, while still thinking we are good enough in certain areas without God’s help.

I got married a little later in life, in my thirties, and I remember being certain I was going to be a good husband. God had been working on me my whole life, I was actively serving Him in ministry, I could cook, I was a musician, and I wanted a wife and kids. I was sure my kindness, calm, and love was more than ready for the challenge of marriage. Oh man, was I wrong.

I don’t mean that as any kind of insult against my wife and kids, because they are wonderful. But I went into the marriage making the mistake of thinking I was already good enough and not allowing God to fully prepare me to be a husband and father.

When we look at the above scripture in Ephesians we see the true calling of a husband, and if you aren’t a husband, the echoes of what makes a man a Godly man. We are called to love our wife the same way that Christ loved us, up to and including being willing to sacrifice ourselves for her. We are also called to bathe her in the Word of God, teaching, leading, and preparing her to be pure and spotless for the return of Christ. We are called to treat her as well or better than we treat ourselves, because when we love her well we know that we are really understanding love.

The life of a Christian man is signified by his love. Is your love being grown and groomed by Christ so that your love will be good enough for His glory?

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What are some things you have tried to do in life without the help of God? How has God covered your shortcomings with His goodness?

 

2. If you are not married what are some ways you need to be strengthened to be prepared for marriage? If you are married what area are you struggling in that you still need to be grown in? How is God working in your life to make you a better man?

 

-Chuck

Proverbs 31:10-31

A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night;she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable,and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate,  where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity;she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;  her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things,but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done,and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

When I think of what it takes to be a good woman this passage always come to mind. It doesn’t take long after reading it to think, “Wow! That is a tall order. Am I good enough to live up to that?” The truth is on my own, no I am not, and the world and Satan do a good job of reminding me of that. But the bigger truth is that I am not alone, God is with me and working through me and in me. It’s not I who has the power, but He who does.

Sometimes that is hard to remember.  I can think of one time in particular that I found it difficult. My husband Chuck was going through the process of becoming a church elder. I just kept thinking “How on earth could I live up to being an elders wife?” I felt so inadequate. The spiritual warfare was overwhelming me at times, making me debate if I was good enough and if I could live up to the standard. Then I started questioning that about everything, was I a good enough mom, wife, friend, did I work hard enough,were my talents enough? You get the picture. But God gently reminded me that it wasn’t about me, it was about Him. It was always about His great power and grace and how He would mold me and make me good enough. It’s not that He hadn’t taught me this concept already, it’s just that I needed a refresher course.

See sometimes we take our eyes off of what truly makes us a good women, and what God’s standard is. It’s easy to do. Daily we are bombarded with messages about girl power and feminism. We are told if we look a certain way or live a certain lifestyle, never have a Pinterest fail, always do bigger and better than the next woman, then we are at the top of our game. We are women hear us roar! But when we do this we are missing the real picture. We were never meant to do it in our own power and we couldn’t if we tried. There was only one perfect person in this world and it wasn’t you or I. It was Jesus! Because of Him and His perfect power in us, we all can be that good proverbial women. Remember, we  are Godly Women, hear the Lion of Judah roar!

~Christine

Father God,

Help me to always remember who holds the power to do great things! Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to work your power through us and for loving us so much that we never have to do this life alone. I love you, Lord!

Amen

Galatians 6:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

As a musician, there is one very important rule for me to enhance and perfect my art. As much as possible, play with people who are better than you. I always want to be surrounded by better musicians. When I was first starting, playing with other people helped me see what I was doing wrong, see how I could do some things more easily, and gave me confidence in what I was doing well. Now that I’m a little more seasoned, playing with someone better than me still teaches me tricks I didn’t know, but also reminds me I have miles to go before I’ll ever be the best musician I can be.

When we think about being good enough in our Christian life, this same principle applies. We need to be around brothers and sisters who will push us deeper in our studies, further into prayer, and closer to our Father. At the same time, we need to be discipling other believers, working to draw the best out of them.

We are not good enough on our own. Jesus gives us His goodness and the Church makes sure that we are not alone so that, together, we can get closer and closer to His will for our lives.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. Have you ever been restored from your sin by the help of another Christian? How can you bring that restorative power to someone that you know that is trapped in sin?

 

2. What is a good work that you have been able to do, in conjunction with other believers, that you could not have done yourself? What is a mission that God has placed in your heart, that you can ask others to come alongside of you and accomplish, together?

 

-Chuck

John 14:12-14 New International Version (NIV)

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Have you ever been trying to do a project and had to come to a halt when you realized you didn’t have the tools you needed to get the work done? You know, you’re building an Ikea desk, but you don’t have a metric Flüjörb. But you know your neighbor Karl has that tool in his shed. So you go to borrow the tool or get Karl to come and help you, but he says “No, I don’t feel like helping and I don’t feel like finding the tool. I know you could get the job done with what I have, but I’m not going to make that happen.” That’s not a very nice response, Karl.

Now consider this…God has given you the power that you need. You have, inside of you as a believer, the same power that rose Jesus from the grave. When the Holy Spirit is at work in you you are more than good enough to serve God and make a difference in this world. But it doesn’t help anybody or anything if you don’t use your power.

A battery is just a metal tube until you put it in the remote. It has all of the potential in the world but it’s not doing anything unless you use it. God has given you the ability to be salt and light, to stave off corruption and brighten up the darkness. And our world needs those things so, so badly.

If you really want to be good enough, don’t rely on who you were born as, rely on the power you were given at your second birth, and use it.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. How much power do you have? What tools do you have at your disposal to help you understand and harness your power better?

 

2. The Scripture above tells us that we will do great works just as Jesus did. What great works are you being called to by God? What is a practical application of your God-given power that can make a difference in the life of someone right now? How can you go out and do it?

 

-Chuck

Ephesians 1:18-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

There is a classic story trope that I think every one of us dreamed about as a little child. The story of the secret hero. The boy or girl who secretly has super powers and doesn’t realize it until the moment they need it. Then, suddenly, when they are poised to become the hero their powers activate and they save the day. We all want to be the one filled with unbelievable power.

The good news here, is that we can be that one, and many of us already are that one. In fact we are more like the hero of those stories than we realize because we have immense power inside of us and we just don’t know it and we just don’t use it.

We waste tons of time talking about how we are already good enough to be anything we want. The media tells us that we don’t need to be anything more than we already are. But the Bible tells us a different story. For every believer who casts aside who they were born as and is reborn in Christ, we are filled with the same power that rose Jesus from the dead AND seated Him in the heavenly realms.

Take a moment to think about that. Give yourself away and in return be filled with hope and with the power of God. I know what choice I am making.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. How much power do you think you have? If you are not a believer, where do you get your power from? If you are a believer, where you do you get your power from?

 

2. As a Christian, with access to the same power that God used to resurrect Jesus, what kind of good can you do with your power? Why did God give you access to such immense power? What purpose and plan of ministry has He placed on your life?

 

-Chuck

James 1:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Imagine you are hungry one day so you walk into the kitchen. Now this may seem normal, but imagine that you haven’t been in the kitchen for five years and no one has cleaned it out. You decide you are going to make yourself something really good to eat with what is in the kitchen. But all you have is stale, rotten packaged goods, slime that used to be lunch meat, the vomit like remains of years old milk, and various other out-of-date food items. How are you going to make yourself some good, or even edible, food out of this refuse?

If you want a good product you have to use good ingredients. When my wife makes a cake she doesn’t use old eggs, moldy flour, and bug-ridden sugar. She only uses fresh, quality ingredients.

So, in your life, if you want to make something good, what do you need to start with? Can you start with only your sinful flesh, your worldly desires, your limited mind, and your fleshly power and make something truly holy and righteous? What you need if you want to make something really great is to build off of a great foundation. You need a grocery shopping trip to replenish that kitchen, to buy those ingredients, to repair your old, broken oven. You need an injection of the Holy Spirit delivered through the Word of God. When you have that goodness, you will do even greater works than you can imagine.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are some good things you have seen God pour out into your life? Take some time to consider some of the good and perfect gifts given to you by the Father of the heavenly lights and be thankful.

2. How can you reflect the goodness of God more and reflect the sins of the world less? What practical steps are you taking to be transformed in the goodness that comes from above?

-Chuck

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I remember going to my daughter’s eighth grade graduation, excited to see her accomplish this feat of growing-up. I was pretty happy until the speaker from the school took the stage. He spoke about how the kids at the school had always been true to themselves, had always proven they were good enough, and whether good or bad, they had always done what they wanted to do. He presented this as if it were a good thing.

I wanted to jump up and shout the truth. I get why people say these things, I really do. It’s an attempt to empower people and to build confidence. But, is it really a good thing to try to build confidence without a firm foundation?

The Word of God tells us that we are not competent in and of ourselves. Our own power is simply not sufficient to accomplish the great deeds laid out before us. If we are always true to ourselves, do things our own way, and work under our own strength, we are never going to accomplish much. We need a real source of power, something strong, reliable, and eternal.

This message could come across as discouraging but it is not! You see, when we are relying on God’s power then He has made us competent. In our own power we may be able to make money, erect towers, or build an earthly empire, but with the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to be the messengers that bring new life to the world through our ministry of the New Covenant. What kind of power do you want to have?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are some things in your life that you have tried to accomplish under your own power? Which of those things have you succeeded at? Which of those things have you failed at? Which of those things will still be in existence,or even remembered, in a thousand years?

2. What do you really want to do with your life? Do you want to make a difference for eternity? Have you accepted the power that comes to you as a son or daughter of God through the blood of Jesus Christ?

-Chuck