We Fight On Our Knees – Part Three
Well, here I am, once again surprised by God and how He is so good at using my writing to convict myself. ☹️ My intent today was to start putting my thoughts down about ways we should pray for our husbands (or any other men in our lives), and SURPRISE…SURPRISE!!!! A very strong thought hit me….”Glenda, prayer is the most powerful thing you can do for your husband. However, are there things in your life you could or should change that would help him be the spiritual man I have designed him to be? Soul searching begins. AGAIN! I began paying more attention to my attitude, my words, and actions. It did not take long for me to realize, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.”
God has given men a specific role in marriage and it is no small task. They are responsible to love their wives like Jesus loves the church; provide and care for the family; be the spiritual leaders which can mean having to have the final word at times. An assignment in a class I took years ago was to watch what your husband did every day for two weeks and journal it. I was amazed to see the long list. I believe as women we sometimes fail to see that God has put in them a burden to be all He has called them to be and we need to ask, am I making it easier or harder for my husband to be that man? Are my words tearing down or building him up? Our words and attitude can have a profound effect on them. As I’m writing this, I am sadly reminded of someone in my life who confided in me that he never felt that he ever made his wife happy or gave her all she wanted. It was heartbreaking. He worked very hard, was faithful to his family, and was a spiritual leader. However, he did not receive the words of love and affirmation he needed and wanted to hear. Therefore, felt inadequate. Our words can be a stumbling block. Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue can either give life or death.
The world we are living in today promotes and teaches that it’s funny to make fun of men; to emasculate them; and to not look to them as the head or leader of our homes. Sometimes it is even honored to degrade men in order to gain perceived power. Thus, many men just give up trying or pull away and we are left to wonder why?!? Some dig a tunnel and hide. These battles began at the “Fall” and will continue until we die or Jesus comes. However, that does not mean we do not fight those desires. I believe it is imperative that when we pray for our men, we begin by praying for ourselves as well, to be and do all we can to support them in being God’s men. Pray for compassion and ways to affirm and encourage him. Pray for softened hearts toward him. Encourage him and he will flourish.
Here are some important ways we can pray over our men DAILY:
1. Guidance: In his decisions and that he would make godly choices.
2. Strength: When he is feeling weak, that he would rely on God and remember he is not alone.
3. Peace: That he would hold onto God’s promises and remove his worries.
4. Faith: That his faith would increase every day.
5. Avoid temptation: That he would hold strong to God’s Word and flee from any temptation.
6. Leadership: That he would be the spiritual leader in his life and family.
I also recommend going to www.reviveourhearts.com and search “30 Day Praying For Our Husbands Challenge.” I believe if we faithfully do this, we will change, our husband and relationship will be changed, AND GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED THROUGH IT. Another great resource there is the “True Woman Manifesto.” I encourage you to make a copy of this and carry it in your bible so you can review it often. It is a fantastic declaration of being a biblical woman of God and what that should look like in our lives.
I am being open and transparent with you all. When I began thinking about this topic, I had it planned completely different. You know….kind of like when you hear a good sermon and you think to yourself that so-and-so needed to hear that message because they needed it in their life? I realized today this blog has been one of the hardest, and took me the longest to write, and I believe it is because it hits so close to home. This means I have to take responsibility for my actions and make changes. I realize I can and have been all those things that affect my husband’s ability to lead me. Therefore, I am asking God to convict me mightily when I become a hindrance more than a help and that I would be open to accept His exhortation and the conviction of the Holy Spirit with humbleness; followed by true repentance and asking for forgiveness. I pray that this blog helps and blesses you as well in some personal way.
Ladies….we are in the fight of our lives in the world right now and WE MUST CONTINUE TO FIGHT ON OUR KNEES! God bless you all and may God bring you His power as we face the battles of today, knowing the ultimate battle has been already won! Praise be to God!
We Fight on our Knees Poster
When I began writing this series, I felt it was necessary for all of us to have some form of reminder that we do, in fact, fight on our knees in prayer. So, I had this poster designed for you to download for free and print. I hope it offers you hope and encouragement as you face whatever comes your way.