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Joined: Jun 2003
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In "The Power of a Praying Husband", one of the prayers mentions "covering my wife in prayer". What does that mean to you?
For me, I have been saying 2-6 different prayers from the book every day; I say the Rosary and tow days during the week it's for my wife (her salvation and marriage, and for those around her who are an ungodly influence); plus any time I she gets on me or the kids.
I feel though like it is not enough!

Love and Peace in Christ,
ttsmm

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God looks at the heart of a person. The type of prayers He seeks are prayers that are sincere, genunie, and heartfelt. To cover someone in prayer is to be burdened for them... either they are lost or sick or hurting, and perhaps they are also weak in their faith (or have no faith at all). To "cover" them in prayer is to be the one who is interceeding on their behalf.

I have been reading the Old Test. this year and can't remember which book and who it was (bad memory!) but several times, God saved an entire people from destruction simply because one godly person prayed! God hears the prayers of those who are righteous and sincere in their faith... those who earnestly seek Him and believe upon Him.

Our prayers are a weapon used to fight a spiritual battle that is waging war against our souls (and our loved one's souls). We probably have no idea what kind of battles have been won as the result of our prayers.

Has anyone ever seen the painting called "Spiritual Warfare" by Ron DiCianni: http://www.onlineartmall.com/cgi-bi...ted/rondicianni/images/rdc0004.jpgcalled It is of a parent praying over a sleeping child and in the background an angel with its wings spread. Behind that angel is a dark figure (like a dark angel)... and it is clear that the parent's intercession on the child's behalf are protecting that child from evil. We are to intercede on behalf of others, no matter how good or bad or saved or lost those people are.

To interceed for someone is to pray on their behalf... to pray when they don't pray or can't pray. To be willing to take that up for them.

But, our prayers will NOT be answered if we ourselves cherish any sin or have unconfessed sins in our heart. We have to make sure that we are obeying the Lord and confessing our sins if we want our prayers answered.

God bless! Keep praying! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

<small>[ January 29, 2004, 01:06 AM: Message edited by: LoveMyEx ]</small>

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"Pray continually, given thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:17-18

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

"The eyes of the Lord are on the rigteous and his ears are attentive to their cry...." Psalm 34:15-18

"I cried out to him with my mouth; his priase was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but surely God has listened and heard my voice in prayer." Psalm 66: 17-20

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with ALL your heart." Jer. 29:12-13

ALSO...

Check out Acts 12:1-12 where Peter is unjustly imprisoned and the church is together in prayer, all through the night if I recall correctly. They kept praying and believing even though he was tightly locked up. And lo and behold, here is a knock at the door in the midst of their fervent intercession, and who is it but none other than Peter... freed as a result of their prayers! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

AND here's one powerful one for the MEN...

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers!" 1 Peter 3:7

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TTSMM,

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I feel though like it is not enough!</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Do you understand your authority in Christ with regards to prayer? The next question is, do you believe (verb) in your authority?

If you can answer yes to these questions, then your doubt is just a smokescreen to get you to panic and stop focusing on your walk and the object of your intersession.

Good night my friend.

S&C

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s&c/lmx,

s&g wrote:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Do you understand your authority in Christ with regards to prayer? The next question is, do you believe (verb) in your authority?
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yes, I do understand my authority.
I try to believe. I am a true doubting Thomas. I need to see results, even little ones, to know it is working. I even asked God for evidence: "Let my wife come to me and thank me for something I did, that I always do, not for something special". For instance, taking out the garbage, helping our D w/her hmwrk, doing the dishes. I have not heard a "thank you" from her in ages.
It is still hard for me to believe that after my actions, she would want me back. Sometimes that belief, fueled by the devil of course, takes precendence over the authority I know I should have. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" />

Love and Peace in Christ,
ttsmm

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TTSMM,

I see in your last post that you say you "...need to see results, even little ones, to know that it is working."

Hmmm...

May I challenge you to consider something? I found that when I wanted to see results, I was almost tying God's hands to be able to do anything, because I wanted to see results MY way and when I wanted them. This dramatically cut God out of the picture, because I was basically being like a child telling her father she wants THIS thing and she wants it NOW.

May I suggest that you probably ARE seeing results all over the place...they just aren't the results you want them to be. For me, I wanted God to "make" my exH want our marriage and love me. I wanted God to "make" my exH well and desire to seek emotional healthiness of his own accord. BUT...God did not answer my requests MY WAY. He answered them God's way.

God does not see time like we do. What seems like agonizing years to me is a few moments to God because He knows the outcome. So...if He is working in someone's life for YEARS, it seems so long to us, and it seems to quickly pass by to Him. What seems like wasting time and nothing is happening to us, is just another step on the journey that God knows our spouse (or ex-spouse) needs to take to get to HIM.

I don't mean this harshly, TTSMM, but God's goal here is to save the soul of your wife in the way that is necessary to get to her...it is not to save your marriage at all costs. Furthermore, if God does not save your marriage, it does not mean that He has abandoned you or your wife. It just means that His vision of how He's going to work in your life and her life is entirely different from any way you are seeing it right now. Like a parent and a teenager...the parent envisioned the son would grow up to be a college-educated, wealthy, smart businessman and the son wants to drop out of school and be a waiter. Both are fine professions, but having lived a year or two, the parent knows that a waiter will have to work twice as hard for half the pay. HOWEVER, sometimes the way to get a child to see that message is to let them suffer for a while and let them make a choice that hurts them a little.

Do you see??

You ARE seeing results, my brother, I guarantee it...they just aren't the results you want to see.


CJ

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Yeah, what CJ said! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="images/icons/tongue.gif" />

She has an amazing way of putting things into words on "screen" that makes it extremely clear and easy to understand (at least to me). THANKS, CJ!!!

Now, on to YOU, trying.........first of all, from your first post in this thread, listen......I think it's time for you to stop trying to DO for God, and just BE.

Let's see if I can explain myself...........hmmmm. I think you spend a LOT of your time trying to DO for God: Just the right prayer.....just the right amount of time saying the prayers.........BEING the "right" H, so W will "notice." Cut it out, will ya? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" />

As far as "covering" W in prayer: I think it's essential for a H to know that HE's the "covering" for the W......the one God looks to first if there's a problem in the M. THAT's the "covering" the scripture is talking about, I think. Secondly, as LovemyEx said, God looks at the heart...... I think you need to examine yours and make sure there isn't still some resentment against W, which will hinder your prayers. Believe me, if there was, I wouldn't blame you a bit!! But it isn't good for YOUR spiritual health.

Final point, S & C brought it up, and it mirrors my own post about your anointing. Trying, do you REALLY believe you are anointed by God to approach Him, bring your concerns to His Throne, that you have AUTHORITY in Christ's name?

While I cannot "doubt" your faith, your salvation, I sometimes wonder about your belief in God's Word......

As CJ pointed out, we all want to see results, BUT, we have to beleive GOD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING, and it is a kind of insult to ask Him to SHOW us the answers in OUR WAY.

Scripture says a "....wicked generation seeks a sign...."

Now that I've finished "beating up on you" - I'll just add that we can all feel your pain. Really, we can. It's just that if you will just RELAX a little bit, and SHOW GOD YOU TRUST HIM in all aspects of your life, I believe He will honor that obedience and DO what He intends to do sooner. I KNOW that would be to bring your W to HIMSELF. After all, WE KNOW He desires to bring all to a saving knowledge of Himself........

That's not outside of His will to pray for, right?

Remember what I wrote last Sunday.......God's anointing comes when we EMPTY ourselves, give our WILL and WANTS over to Him, and seek HIM ONLY, then we will begin to pray according to His will, and He WILL anoint us to see our prayers answered!!

Love ya, bro.

God Bless,

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Hello All -
How's this for passive aggressive.....I think you all have shared truth. A lot of time "I just don't get it" I can give my problems to the Lord and know without the slightest hesitation He is caring for my every need.
Then being human and on a spirtual journey to grow in Faith and God's love for me, I find I've somehow taken my preceived need back and I'm assumming that what I want is what God wants and what can I do to make it happen.... I KNOW it doesn't work that way but never the less I let it happen. I had asked several days ago how do we know if wanting to save my marriage is my will or God's will. I received wonderful responces and beautiful scripture. In a time of meditation (which is a work in progress for me) Within my internal dialog I heard "What God has joined together no man CAN seperate...God's WILL, will be done!!! was it God's will or my will that joined us together?" Wow that knocked me for a loop. What I came away with was TRUST GOD! Lead a Godly life, do what you know in your heart to be right and trust that God IS taking care of your every need. For myself I have found that praying for greater faith has really helped me. When you cover your wife in prayer Thank the Lord for lovng her and wanting her to experience her greatest good through Him.
You are all answered prayers in my life.
Thank you and God Bless.
PS, Do you thank your wife for taking out the garbage and doing the dishes?


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