It is the cornerstone of the church.
It is the foundation of the future.
It takes two to tango, for sure, but often times I observe ONE doing the work of the two. Both adults signed up for this, both should remain faithful to keep their vows.
It's very much easier said than done, right? I know. So an accompanying discipline that ALL married individuals should remain faithful in then would be: PRAYER.
Imagine if you will, a marriage where BOTH husband and wife were equally committed to praying for themselves, their marriage, their children, their finances, and their ministry. Can you imagine what a powerful team that would be? They would be on track and winning people to the Lord, right?
Which is exactly why Satan, the devil, the believer's archenemy hates praying, God pursuing people. Consider a family. A mom, a dad, and oh, two kids. If the dad won't fulfill his role of a godly role model for his kids, if the dad won't encourage and love his wife unconditionally, the wife is overwhelmed with chores and lonely. She can easily become bitter and resentful and then very disrespectful. Five years of this will kill hope. Five years of no counseling will leave them both unequipped to deal with the problems that all the complacency began. Five years of NO SPIRITUAL WARFARE will leave the couple defeated and bound under the lies of the enemy. One of the devil's favorite lies: IT'S NOT WORTH IT!
The devil. The liar. If you read your Bible often, you will see where God trains us to know that the devil is a liar, he goes around like a roaring lion looking for some to devour.
His favorite delicacy: MARRIAGES!
Now, I don't know what kind of teaching you have sat under for the last few years of your walk. I don't know your church-teaching background. I don't know if you read your Bible. I don't know if you even have a prayer life. But I can say this, if you are married - then you need to learn to pray and do SPIRITUAL WARFARE.
At the end of this I will list out verses for you to study to support this prayer discipline. But for now, let's look at life of families and I will give you prayer words that I would use in my life in each scenario. And for this post today, let's assume both husband and wife are Christians.
NOTE: When we are believers in Christ, we have the authority to rebuke the devil. Our authority is in Christ and the devil is under the authority of Christ. And the devil must bow down to commands IN JESUS' NAME!
Scenario 1: Spouse has an addiction and it is wreaking havoc in the home. They become consumed with this "thing" so much so that they neglect their family, no affection, no conversation, no responsibility...they are lost and drowning in it.
- First, my main thing that I would start praying for my spouse is 1) his/her spiritual walk. The Spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. A phone's battery will go dead if it never plugs into the charger right? So then, pray that they will be convicted to spend time with God. It is God who can do a work in our hearts. Intercede for their walk with God.
- Second thing I would do is 2) take authority over the spirit of addiction, rebuke the bondage that the enemy is entrapping them in. Also, include praying against the flesh that is trying to rule over them. I just need to list an example prayer below....
"Lord, I lift up my husband to you...and in Jesus name I pray that you would begin a work like never before. God I lift up his heart, do heart surgery. Heal the brokenness, heal the hurt, and soften his heart. Soften his heart to You. God cause his heart to be so sensitive to Your voice, Your conviction, Your authority. God, I pray a submissive spirit over my husband today! Cause him to be unable to avoid you. Invade his life. Invade his dreams, his thoughts, and day. God, send people to him today that will be speakers of truth, speakers of Your Word. In Jesus name. And I take authority over this bondage of sin. The addiction/bondage that is controlling him, I pray in Jesus name that you would release the captive. God set him free, in Isaiah 61 is says you bring liberty to the captives, please God free my husband from this addiction of NAME IT: (alcohol, sex, pornography, internet, food, games, gambling, Facebook, YouTube, - whatever it is that he is in). Break off the control it has. Take authority over the pull, the pleasure it brings him. Make him physically ill when he sits down to it, put a knot in his throat and convict his heart for his family God, in Jesus name. God give him a vision of what he is doing to us. But give him strength to overcome it. Give him strength to pray and agree with the work You are doing....And in Jesus name devil, I rebuke you. I rebuke you off my marriage, I rebuke you off my husband. I command every spirit of darkness to flee in Jesus name. Satan, you will not steal my husband and my marriage. I command you to take your claws out of my husband in Jesus name. I rebuke your addictive spirits in Jesus name. I rebuke the lies my husband is under, in Jesus name. I rebuke your work in our lives - Devil you have no authority in Jesus name, so be gone, leave, and stop it in Jesus name."
The prescription is: Do this daily. Yes, continually intercede.....because, this prayer will morph. As you intercede for your spouse, God will show you more to the problem. Perhaps, your spouse has this addiction, you start praying over them, and maybe really, they are struggling at work, but not sharing this. Maybe someone is harassing them, or tempting them, or something....something bad enough to push them to want to escape to that vice, that addiction. If God is to show you something like this, then you start praying over that situation, ask for confirmations, and even pray for a new job/opportunity.
Scenario 2: I hear this often in marriages. People who have been married 1 year, 3 years, 5, 7, 10, 20....those aren't magic numbers....just arbitrarily picked to point out, it happens at any point....But what do I hear? Those dreaded words: "I just don't love you anymore". People are funny. People are so fickle. Obviously, I am a HHHHUUUUUGGGGGEEEE advocate for PREMARITAL COUNSELING. This weeds out a lot of potential spouses that will desert you and who are not ready to really marry. But, often many bypass this in the name of SOMETHING: lust, convenience, pressure from parents, pressure from peers, pressure from the calendar saying 'you're getting old'....SIDE NOTE: If you're not ready to marry - DON'T. Period. That's a whole other topic..... So how would I pray if my husband, God forbid, came to me and said, "I just don't love you" or "I'm not in love with you". Anyone who knows me, knows my husband better watch out because I would go to my knees and pray, and pray and pray.
- First, I would pray for myself in this situation. Pray for God's protection over my heart and mind, and a myriad of things like: God protect my heart, keep me confident. Show me my identity in You Lord....along those lines for sure.
- Second, the key thing I would take authority over is the lie! The lies of the enemy trying to rob my marriage of it's purpose. Again, the devil is a liar. It would go something like this....
"Lord, in Jesus name, come minister to me. My heart is wounded from my husband's words that he's not in love with me...never will be, never was. Lord heal my heart. Give me the mind of Christ. Take authority over my thought life....take authority over depression and give me your strength to endure this season of prayer and intercession for my marriage and husband. Protect my heart from bitterness and hopelessness. Increase my faith and do a work in me through this. Give me endurance to pray until we come out on top, and keep me mindful to continually pray. Protect me from the lies of 'just find someone else', 'it's not worth it', 'tap out', 'give up'. God, put a determined spirit in me to intercede for my family. I know that you have a plan for me and my husband. God help us get there....and devil, I rebuke the lies you are speaking to my husband. I rebuke the lie of 'no love'. I rebuke the lies of hopelessness you are speaking to him. I rebuke you devil off my marriage in Jesus name. I take authority over any generational curses from our past ancestors, I rebuke the curse of divorce. I bind and tie any words of death spoken over our marriage in Jesus name....Devil, leave and stop in Jesus name...and so on..."
With this one you can pray all kinds of things, and yes, again God will begin to reveal things of their past that is influencing....lies from counselors or worldly friends...lies, lies, lies.
Why do I know these this works...outside of my personal testimonies of this kind of prayer working...the WORD!!!! Again: Read your Bibles, daily.
Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
John 8:44: ....(The devil) He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Matthew 16:23: But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan". (Jesus simply told Satan what to do...the devil has to bow down to Christ and our prayer will execute Christ's authority over him.)
Matthew 17:21: (Jesus said)...."But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Study this section, it's when the disciples were unable to cast out demons....search my blog for a post on fasting...I'm pretty sure there is one.)
Isaiah 61:1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners...
To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners...
1 John 5:14-16: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death...
I leave you with this last verse w/ the underlined being what I stand on always when praying for the success of my marriage.
IT IS GOD'S WILL THAT
OUR MARRIAGES SURVIVE & THRIVE!!!!
So then...will YOU partner with God and intercede on your spouse's behalf and for your marriage, for your sake and your kids?
Consider this...the enemy loves to lure us to sleep and be complacent in prayer so that he can rip us off of our family and our walks with God...our children's salvation. The devil will use ANYTHING to keep us from serving the Lord in our fullest potential - by the Spirit of God!
So now...what's on your agenda DAILY? PRAYER!
****Note: This is not an exhaustive list of verses, nor are these exhaustive prayers...nor is this the only tool in the toolbox for scenarios like this....although: THIS IS A STARTING POINT...because I know that when you show up to prayer, God will show you great and mighty things to lead you down the path of victory. (Read Jeremiah 33:3 - this is why I pray so much!)
