I have come to wonder just how many of my Christian friends have a strong and dedicated prayer life. This came to my mind as yesterday I had coffee with a dear friend whom has recently returned home to his family after a year deployment in Afghanistan. I was quite shocked when in our conversation I discovered that his family, whom I consider faithful lovers of Christ, don't pray as a family.
I challenged my friend to step up his game if you will, to be the Spiritual Leader of His family as God desires him to be. I asked him to start by leading the family in saying a blessing at meal time. I asked him to start praying together with his wife as I believe that is what God is calling a Husband to do when he is responsible for being the family leader. I think Paul really made it very clear in Ephesians on how a husband and wife should act.
Ephesians 5: 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
It states right there in verse 23 that the husband is the head of the house. It also goes onto say that the husband must lead the wife and family in Love as Christ Loves the church. How does a husband do that? I believe the foundation of that is in a strong prayer life. Teaching the children by his example to always say thanks to God. I also believe to have a strong marriage centered around Christ that the husband must pray with his wife and give thanks to God for her love and all that she means to him in their family.
I know if I had stepped up and been a man of Christ during my marriage and been the spiritual leader of my family I would have had a different outcome. Instead I chose to tear down the kingdom of God and do the work of the Devil. It should be no surprise to anyone that our marriage was going to get worse and continue to deteriorate until we couldn't stomach the sight of each other. That is what happens when you choose a lifestyle that promotes Satan and ignores the pleas of God.
Now be careful to pray from the heart. This is also very clear in the scriptures. Don't pray to impress others as He knows your true heart and thoughts as clearly as the words you pray. Read the Word of Jesus.
Mathew 6:5-7
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
Now this on the surface can sound confusing as Jesus told the Disciples to go pray in private yet Jesus himself led them in prayer many times. He went onto teach us how to pray. I believe when a husband prays with his wife and lifts her up to The Lord in prayer giving thanks to God for the wonderful blessing his wife is, that not only pleases God but also builds up the esteem of his wife. The end result is going to be a wife that knows how appreciated she is and knows this as she hears words from the heart of her husband when he thanks God Almighty for the blessing of his wife and family.
Dear Lord,
I thank you for this lesson you have once again reminded me of. I thank you for the opportunity to share your Love with my friend about how important strong communication with you is. I thank you for life, love, grace, friendship, loyalty and always listening to our prayers to you Lord Jesus. I pray that I can be an example to my Friends, family and strangers of your Love and Goodness by living the Word that you taught us through your Son and our Savior. Thank you God for your Righteousness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
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