Ivy

Lately I'm discovering that life is just one continual lesson. Each individual is being taught at their own speed. Different lessons. Different levels of difficulty. Each one exactly what we need at that specific moment. Our Teacher is patient and with us every step of the way. Sometimes He is silent, but He has never left our side. He knows when to step in a help and when to allow us to struggle as we face the problems ourselves. 

Today is a beautiful day in Oregon. The sun is out. It's a crisp 59 degrees. Fall. Oh how I love it! Today is also my first Saturday not working in at least 2 months. I am enjoying all aspects of what today holds. Alas, part of what I get to do today is yard work. The joys of living in a duplex and not an apartment. I have a yard!!!! :) I also have a lot of trees which results in a lot of leaves that need raking. After borrowing a rake from a friend I set out this morning to tackle the yard. I was looking forward to the labor. What I didn't know is that really it was a divine appointment from the Lord. 

I started off by raking all of the leaves in the front and side of the house. I added them to my compost pile. Then I took a look at the side of my house. Ivy. I knew at some point I was going to have to deal with it, but today? Really? Why not! I mean, how much is there really?

So I started the process of pulling it out. Surly it wouldn't be that bad. After two minutes my hands hurt. Where were those silly gloves that I have? The ivy was tearing my hands apart. This is where the lesson started for me. The Holy Spirit started working over time in my mind. Ivy is just like sin in our lives. Sure, it looks enticing and seems like a good idea, but as soon as you start it will spread and cover more area than you anticipated. The roots will go deeper than you want them to. The act of removing it from your life will not be simple. It will hurt. It will wear you out.

I put on the gloves. A tool that I had to make the process less painful. God does the same thing for us. He won't call us to deal with something and leave us unequipped. He provides all that we need. This doesn't mean that the process will be any easier. Some of our sins are so deep within us that we don't even recognize them as sin. We just think they are a part of us, the way we do things on an everyday basis. But as we start viewing things in light of the Word we see the truth: sin is sin no matter what form it takes in our life. 

By no means is dealing with sin a simple fix. Neither is getting rid of ivy. It was killing my back. My arms started to feel like jello. I asked God to give me a knight in shining armor (well, at least someone with more muscle than me)! No one came. This was my battle to go through. He was there with me, but I needed to do some of the work myself. Interestingly enough, as I'm thinking through some of the areas of sin that have recently come to light in my own life, I started to rationalize the reasons for not dealing with the sin. What could possibly be wrong with that? It was then that the cord to my headphones got entangled with the increasingly annoying ivy.

It didn't take me long to get untangled, but the reality of the picture struck me. We try to rationalize keeping sin in our lives, and it starts to take hold of us. If we're not careful, we'll become stuck again. All the hard work we have gone through will be swallowed up by the sin continuing to spread and grow over the area we just cleared. There is no room for leaving sin in our life. Just like the ivy, it has to be destroyed to the depths for it to not come back. Matthew 5:29 ESV says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." If Jesus takes the sin in our life so seriously, why don't we?

I labored for what felt like hours. Truly, it was 45 min. The point is, that sometimes the process seems as though it is never ending. Don't give up. No matter what, don't give up. Each life is different. Maybe you have a little bit to clean up. Maybe you have a lot. It doesn't matter. You just keep plowing ahead until you are done. 

I filled an entire trash can. No wonder I was so exhausted! I was sweaty, covered in dirt and grime. I dealt with spiders, snags and the strong desire to give up. Yet that was not an option. Just like the lessons God is taking me through at the moment. They aren't easy. They aren't enjoyable. Truthfully, they suck. However, I know that the result is going to be my finding true freedom in Christ. A freedom that no one can take away from me. A freedom to be myself in Christ. So even if the process is hard and not enjoyable, I wouldn't change it for anything. The result will far out weight any hardship along the way. 

Now, it's also important to remember that we can't do it alone. I did get the majority of the ivy. However, part of it is beyond my control. The only way to fully get rid of it is use some ivy killer chemical stuff. So I will be getting that soon. God doesn't call us to do it all by ourselves. There are parts that only He can take care of. That is when we have to let go of the control and turn it over to Him. Allow Him to get down deep the roots we can't get to. To destroy them and bring about the healing that only He can do. I promise it will be worth it. 

Rejection

Do you have a fear? Something that causes you to hesitate at critical moments in your life, possibly even through the mundane moments of life? Why is that fear present? What type of control does it have over your life? Do you have any control over it? 

Recently I have been going through some things (I'll be talking about those at a later date). Through this journey I have been going through all aspects of my life. Sometimes these journeys are not pleasant at all, but I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still in control and that He has a purpose for it. So, while the journey may stink at the moment, I wouldn't trade it for anything because I know that God is using it to draw me closer to Him, and nothing else matters. 

I was having dinner with a friend the other night. She was sharing her thoughts regarding all that was going on. Tears were shed. Laughs filled the air. Frustrations and venting came forth. It was an emotional night. More questions formed in my head than answers. One that keeps going through is what am I so afraid of? What stops me in so many different situations? Causes me to hesitate and then back away. To hide. To stop moving forward. Why is it so hard for me to be vulnerable? One word: Rejection. One of my biggest fears is the fear of being rejected. 

My personality is off beat. I don't follow the mold of others. In fact, if at all possible, I'm gonna go against the flow. Yet I find that in being true to myself I am often afraid of the rejection of others. Will they accept me for who I am? Will I be judged for being different? How can I be true to myself and yet still be unique? Is it even possible? Is there any safety in doing so? 

I don't have the answers. I only have my experience through it. We just finished teaching a series by Francis Chan: Basic God. http://basicseries.com/ It has been great to go through, and really causing me to evaluate the realness of my relationship with God. Do I have the proper perspective? Am I living how He wants me to live? Or am I living life according to my own accord? Tonight we finished with a focus on the Holy Spirit. Allowing Him to work freely in our lives and to follow where He leads us. To be willing to allow God to remove the layers of whatever it is in our lives that are keeping us from walking in the Spirit. I realized that my fear of rejection is one of the layers I have to turn over to Him. To allow Him to peal away all the pieces of that fear until I find my complete healing in Him. 

One of the areas I struggle with is the area of my signing. I have no idea what God is doing with this part of my life as it has been put on hold. I am striving to trust Him and His timing and purpose for this portion of my life, and trust me, it has not been easy. Truthfully, I was in tears over it on Sunday. Why would God give me this passion to sign and then I don't ever get to use it? Is it impossible for me to use? Can I possibly sign with the worship team? Do I get to go back to school? Pass that silly test? Even talk with someone who is deaf? I know He has a reason and a purpose, I just don't know what it is!

Now, this doesn't always happen, but tonight He worked in such a way that I was able to do some signing at the prison. Truthfully, it scared me to death. When I am signing there are no walls. No falsities. No pretenses. My soul is free for all to see. I am at my most vulnerable point. Needless to say, I made it through the song. I know that God used it to touch lives (which I am thankful for), but honestly, that isn't that important to me. It was a moment of God showing me that it is OK to be vulnerable. To stand up there when He calls me to knowing that some will reject me. It doesn't matter. What matters is following where the Spirit leads and being willing to be used by Him for His glory. That is the greatest acceptance there is.

So I know this journey is no where near finished. I'm also aware of the fact that I will more than likely have to continue on with this lesson in many areas before I fully get it. But that is the beauty of Gods grace and mercy. He meets us where we are. Walks with us step by step. Helps us when we fall, to get back up and get going again. Is patient with us when the journey is slow. There is no rush. It is a beautiful relationship that is here for the rest of eternity. He will never leave our side. He will cheer us on every step of the way. The good, the bad, the easy, the tough, the fun, the sad. Every step of the way. Each journey is different, but He is the same: meeting us right where we are. No matter what our fears, He knows. If we allow Him to have control, He will work to help us peal the layers away and find the healing we are so longing and searching for. Embrace the moment. Treasure His love and kindness. Know you are not alone. Also keep in mind isall good because isall God. (Romans 8:28).

Change

Do you like change? I like the type of change that I can control. When change is all around me and 90% of it is out of my control, I don't like it. In fact my reaction is to fight it. To come out with arms swinging until I am completely exhausted and broken to realizing the change just might be the best thing for me right now. 

Recently one of my best friends asked me if I had read my last entry in my blog recently. I hadn't been on here in forever so I had no idea what my last post was. I find it funny that I last wrote about Trials. The changes in my life are just a bunch of huge trials. How is it we can learn a lesson and then forget it so easily? My body is still battling the issues with food. Still rejecting so much of it. My journey with school is over for the minute. I did not graduate the program, but I did finish it. I'm working full time. I moved and love my new place, it's within walking distance of the church (and many other things.) Yet I feel as though my life is crumbling in pieces all around me. The reality, I'm learning that it's not falling apart but rather, I am not in control.

As I struggle to even express what I'm feeling I try and pour out my heart to God through writing my prayers out in a journal. Even my words aren't flowing smoothly. The past couple of days I have been given a verse of scripture that is clearly from God. Yesterday it was Isaiah 65:24 "I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!" (NLT) What a comforting reassurance. To be reminded that God already knows what is going on and He is working it out. He is answering our prayers according to His will and purpose. My problem is that too often instead of looking to God and seeing the situation through His eyes, I am too busy looking at the situation around me and seeing it from my perspective. So while I'm not the biggest friend of change, I'm learning that a change of perspective is exactly what I need. 

Awesome God, please help me to see things through your eyes. To look at the situation and seek Your will and guidance for every step of the way. Help me to not see it as change but to see it as a new direction that You are leading me in. I am trusting You. And when I doubt or question, "help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). Do what is necessary to draw me closer to You and in a way that brings You glory and honor. _lml

Trials

Ever gone through a tough time? Questioned why you were going through the struggle? Ready to give up and call it quits? Trying to figure out what point this could possibly have in your life? What are you supposed to be learning?

There are a few things that I have been struggling with. Why would God create me with such a strong straight forward personality and yet ask me to live in a meek manner? Why is my body still continuing to reject food after months of the battle becoming worse? Why would God allow us to be drawn to something/someone if that something/someone was not what we were to be drawn to? What could He possibly be doing in our lives?

As all these questions fly through my mind I pray that God will change the situation. Change my heart. Change my body. Take away the pain. Take away the struggle. Take away all that is keeping me from You. The reality is I should have been praying, "Lord, teach me. Teach me whatever it is that I need to learn during this time. Even if it hurts, teach me. Draw me ever closer to You."

This morning as I was reading in 1 Peter. I was focused in on v.6 & 7, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes through it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Did you catch that? I am to rejoice in my trials. Why? I only go through trials when it is necessary. Necessary for what? For Christ to receive the praise, glory and honor due Him through what happens in my life.

How can I argue with that? God loves me so much that He is willing to put me through the trials when they are needed. And no matter what happens I know that isall good. Why? Because isall God (Romans 8:28). He is in control. Through Him I can make it through whatever He has in store for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 & 10, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Lord I am willing to go through whatever you want to take me through. Please be glorified in my life. _lml

Cravings

Have you ever had a craving that wouldn't go away until you gave in to it? For me it's more like when have I not had a craving and given in to it. I often struggle with this. Why would God create me in such a way that caused me to continually go against what I'm supposed to do? What is the point in that?

I've been reading a book called Made to Crave: Satisfying your deepest desires with God, not food by Lysa TerKeurst. Now, most of my struggle is with food, which is rather annoying considering all the things I can't eat due to allergies. But when viewing those struggles in light of scripture there is great comfort and hope to be found. If you think about it, the very first sin that happened revolved around food. (I was not the first person to give in to that temptation!) All throughout scripture there are verses upon verses that talk about food. This is not by mistake. Rather, it is a reminder that no matter what we are going through, God understands. Not only does He understand, but He has also given us the tools (scripture) we need to be able to overcome those temptations. Now, there may not be a verse that specifically names the sin that you are struggling with, but there is scripture that will deal with your heart issues in the matter, or that is general/specific at the same time that the Holy Spirit points out to you in connection with your sin. God's word is alive and available to us, we just need to tap into it. I strongly encourage you to check out Lysa's book. I have learned so many lessons not only connected to food, but just the reality of how we are designed in general. http://madetocrave.org/

We are designed to crave. Our problem lies in the fact that we often fill those cravings with things/people and not God. In Exodus 20:3 God says, "You shall have no other gods before me." Anytime we put something before God in our lives, it has taken His place, it has become a god to us. Unfortunately this isn't often just a one time thing, it usually spreads from there. Joshua 23:7 says, "...that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them." Once we have placed something before God in our lives we have started to mix with it. Then we will probably mention it in some way or form, and before you know it we have started to swear by it, serve it and in a sense are bowing down to it. It has become a god in our lives. It is a progression that needs to be stopped. I think that we go through life thinking of little idols carved and sitting somewhere and us bowing down and worshiping them as our god. The reality is though that anything that comes before God: TV, sports, food, music, friends, family, money, coffee, books, cars, work, Facebook, Twitter, things, etc, all of that can become a god in our lives. It can start small and spread from there. Look at Adam and Eve. One piece of fruit and their lives were forever changed. A piece of fruit. A bite of fruit. Sin is sin, no matter how big or small. Satan just needs a way in, a way to get our focus off of Christ and onto something else. We do the rest ourselves.

I gave up Facebook for lent. Honestly? I LOVE IT! I have found so much more time in my days and I am making the conscious effort to spend that time with God and not filling it with other things. I do miss being connected with people, but I have learned how much time I waste on there. So when I do re-activate my account there will be more limits to how much I'm on there. And when it starts to become an issue again, I will abstain from it for a while. It's all about the moderation and priority something has in our life. God needs to have the most of our life, not the leftovers. When I'm craving those french fries, am I really needing them? Or is my body craving something deeper, richer, more fulfilling? Do I even have that type of a longing for God? I should. Oh that our lives would be like Psalm 63:1 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dray and weary land where there is no water." God help me to crave You more!

Lent Day 5: Faith

Today started off in Romans Ch. 5:1-5, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Now Faith here is the Greek word: pistis~the Gospel truth. This was exactly what I needed to hear this morning. On Friday I got the results back for a test I took to get my internship. I did not pass the test. How could I fail God like that? Or really did I feel like God failed me? No, I felt as though I failed Him. He placed me on this journey and I failed. I didn't make it to the next step. So now I hesitate. I'm questioning. What happens next? Is my dream, my passion over? Is this a suffering? Am I past that and this is endurance? Or is this building character? Do I have the hope of what is to come? I believe it is all of the above. There may be suffering ahead as I continue down the path God has placed me on, I just have to keep enduring on this journey until God tells me to go elsewhere. This is changing my character and I do have hope for what's ahead.

I was encouraged by the simple word pistis: Gospel truth. Our lives are centered around the Gospel. Encompassed in every aspect by the Gospel. This is where our faith comes from. Faith is the center of all that I am in Christ. Faith, simple and yet so vital. Going back into Ch. 4: 20-21, "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised." Giving glory to God through our circumstances causes our faith to increase. The book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp discusses the concept that a life full of God stems from eucharisteo: to give thanks. We glorify God by giving Him thanks. No matter what direction God takes us, we give thanks. Where God leads you, He will make it happen. He doesn't make promises lightly. He will bring it to pass in His time, I just need to have faith.

During church today we learned about having our refuge be in Him, in the Gospel. Hebrews 6:18, "so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us." Taking refuge in Him will give me strong encouragement and help me to hold fast to the hope that I know is ahead: I will obtain the internship in His timing, not mine. Or if the internship is not in the plans, I will still become an interpreter, just not in the conventional way. God has a plan, I just need to say strong in my faith and know that the hope is ahead of me: God's plan awaits me. No matter what it is, this is all a part of His plan. His ways are not my ways, and there is nothing wrong with that. It simply means I don't have all the answers. What I do have is faith. Nothing else matters.

Lent

This year has been all about listening to the direction in which God is pointing me. The most recent journey is centered around Lent. Now Lent is something that most associate with Catholicism. Originally Lent was practiced by early Christians as a way to prepare for Easter. As I began to dig into this practice even further I started to realize that there is great significance in following some of the principals of Lent. I purchased a wooden Advent Wreath that can also be used for the 40 days of Lent. Then I brought the idea to my girls. So now our girls CORE group is working on preparing our hearts for Easter. Preparing ourselves to be completely open and raw and focused in on the Gospel. Each of us prayed about what we should give up as a sacrifice for Him. I gave up pop and Facebook. The journey has been worth it so far. We have three parts of our journey, three Biblical principals we are following as we strive to draw ever closer to our Savior. 1) Fasting: Give up something for God. Fasting is not a means to "earn" something from God, but rather a way to learn to curb your appetites and focus more completely on God. 2) Prayer and Meditation: Read over the Gospel accounts of Christ's arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Reflect on His suffering, and the tremendous love that is represents. Reflect on your own sin and what it cost Him. 3) Giving to the poor: Use the money that you save by not eating to help the poor. For more information: http://reflections.cyberpastor.net/bible/what-is-lent/

On my first day I decided to start reading in Romans Ch1. What I found there just further solidified this journey. v.1 states, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God." As a follower of Christ my life is set apart for the Gospel. I am saved by the Gospel. The Gospel is a vital part of who I am. v.9 says, "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son." My service to God happens in the Gospel. To serve Him without the Gospel is pointless. Then in v.15 "So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome." Every chance I get I should be sharing the Gospel with both those who know Christ and those who don't. Eagerly sharing the truth within the Gospel. Next v.16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel" There is no shame in the Gospel. I should not ever shy away from the Gospel or from sharing it.

As I go through this journey I pray that I will draw ever closer to God through the Gospel and the gift His Son gave by dying on the cross for my sins.

Power of a Praying Wife

Recently I found myself burdened to pray for my future husband. As the weeks went by and I rolled the idea over in my mind, the passion within my heart grew even stronger. I talked with a few friends and then decided to use Stormie Omartian's book "The Power of a Praying Wife" and create a challenge for women everywhere and of all ages. My challenge was to spend 30 days praying for our husbands. I also encouraged the women to keep a journal of this journey that they could one day present to their husbands (Christmas, birthday, anniversary, wedding, father's day gift). Something special to show him the journey that God took them on while lifting him up in prayer daily.

I have posted the 30 prayers in 30 different posts following this one. My hope is that this encourages you in some way and deepens your walk with God as you lift up the one He has given you to spend the rest of your life with. May your time of prayer be sweet and full of blessings. Enjoy the journey!

_lml
T

Day 1 Prayer for His Wife

"Lord, help me to be a good wife. I fully realize that I don't have what it takes to be one without Your help. Take my selfishness, impatience, and irritability and turn them into kindness, long suffering, and the willingness to bear all things. Take my old emotional habits, mindsets, automatic reactions, rude assumptions, and self-protective stance, and make me patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. Take the hardness of my heart and break down the walls with Your battering ram of revelation. Give me a new heart and work in me Your love, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22,23). I am not able to rise above who I am at this moment. Only You can transform me.

Show me where there is sin in my heart, especially with regard to my husband. I confess the times I've been unloving, critical, angry, resentful, disrespectful, or unforgiving toward him. Help me to put aside any hurt, anger, or disappointment I feel and forgive him the way You do - totally and completely, no looking back. Make me a tool of reconciliation, peace, and healing in this marriage. Enable us to communicate well and rescue us from the threshold of separation where the realities of divorce begin.

Make me my husband's helpmate, companion, champion, friend, and support. Help me to create a peaceful, restful, safe place for him to come home to. Teach me how to take care of myself and stay attractive to him. Grow me into a creative and confident woman who is rich in mind, soul, and spirit. Make me the kind of woman he can be proud to say is his wife.

I lay all my expectations at Your cross. I release my husband from the burden of fulfilling me in areas where I should be looking to You. Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him. I realize that in some ways he may never change, but at the same time, I release him to change in ways I never thought he could. I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands, fully accepting that neither of us is perfect and never will be. Only You, Lord, are perfect and I look to You to perfect us.

Teach me how to pray for my husband and make my prayers a true language of love. Where love has died, create new love between us. Show me what unconditional love really is and how to communicate it in a way he can clearly perceive. Bring unity between us so that we can be in agreement about everything (Amos 3:3). May the God of patience and comfort grant us to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5). Make us a team, not pursuing separate, competitive, or independent lives, but working together, overlooking each other's faults and weaknesses for the greater good of the marriage. Help us to pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another (Romans 14:19). May we be "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).

I pray that our commitment to You and to one another will grow stronger and more passionate every day. Enable him to be the head of the home as You made him to be, and show me how to support and respect him as he rises to that place of leadership. Help me to understand his dreams and see things from his perspective. Reveal to me what he wants and needs and show me potential problems before they arise. Breathe Your life into this marriage.

Make me a new person, Lord. Give me a fresh perspective, a positive outlook, and a renewed relationship with the man You've given me. Help me see him with new eyes, new appreciation, new love, new compassion, and new acceptance. Give my husband and new wife, and let it be me."

From "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian

Day 2 Prayer for His Finances

"Lord, I commit our finances to You. Be in charge of them and use them for Your purposes. May we both be good stewards of all that You give us, and walk in total agreement as to how it is to be dispersed. I pray that we will learn to live free of burdensome debt. Where we have not been wise, bring restoration and give us guidance. Show me how I can help increase our finances and not decrease them unwisely. Help us to remember that all we have belongs to You, and to be grateful for it.

I pray that (husband's name) will find it easy to give to You and to others as You have instructed in Your Word. Give him wisdom to handle money wisely. Help him make good decisions as to how he spends. Show him how to plan for the future. I pray that he will find the perfect balance between spending needlessly and being miserly. May he always be paid well for the work he does and may his money not be stolen, lost, devoured, destroyed, or wasted. Multiply it so that what he makes will go a long way. I pray that he will not be anxious about finances, but will seek Your kingdom first, knowing that as he does, we will have all we need (Luke 12:31)."

From "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian

Day 3 Prayer for HIs Work

"Lord, I pray that You would bless the work of my husband's hands. May his labor bring not only favor, success and prosperity, but great fulfillment as well. If the work he is doing is not in line with Your perfect will for his life, reveal it to him. Show him what he should do differently and guide him down the right path. Give him strength, faith, and a vision for the future so he can rise above any propensity for laziness. May he never run from work out of fear, selfishness, or a desire to avoid responsibility. On the other hand, help him to see that he doesn't have to work himself to death for man's approval, or grasp for gain beyond what is a gift from You. Give him the ability to enjoy his success without striving for more. Help him to excel, but free him from the pressure to do so.

I pray that You will be Lord over his work, and may he bring You into every aspect of it. Give him enough confidence in the gifts You've placed in him to be able to seek, find and do good work. Open up doors of opportunity for him that no man can close. Develop his skills so that they grow more valuable with each passing year. Show me what I can do to encourage him.

I pray that his work will be established, secure, successful, satisfying, and financially rewarding. May he not be "lagging in diligence, [but] fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11). Let him be like a tree planted by a stream of Your living water, which brings forth fruit in due season. May he never wither under pressure, but grow strong and prosper (Psalm 1:3)."

From "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian

Day 4 Prayer for His Sexuality

"Lord, bless my husband's sexuality and make it an area of great fulfillment for him. Restore what needs to be restored, balance what needs to be balanced. Protect us from apathy, disappointment, criticism, busyness, unforgiveness, deadness, or disinterest. I pray that we make time for one another, communicate our true feelings openly and remain sensitive to what each other needs.

Keep us sexually pure in mind and body, and close the door to anything lustful or illicit that seeks to encroach upon us. Deliver us from the bondage of past mistakes. Remove from our midst the effects of any sexual experience - in thought or deed - that happened outside of our relationship. Take away anyone or anything from our lives that would inspire temptation to infidelity. Help us to "abstain from sexual immorality" so that each of us will know "how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). I pray that we will desire each other and no one else. Show me how to make myself attractive and desirable to him and be the kind of partner he needs. I pray that neither of us will ever be tempted to think about seeking fulfillment elsewhere.

I realize that an important part of my ministry to my husband is sexual. Help me to never use it as a weapon or a means of manipulation by giving and withholding it for selfish reasons. I commit this area of our lives to You, Lord. May it be continually new and alive. Make it all that You created it to be."

From "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian