Day 27: His Obedience

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied.

"There is only One who is good.

If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

- Matthew 19:17

Lord, You have said in Your Word that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, You will not hear (Psalm 66:18). I want You to hear my prayers, so I ask You to reveal where there is any disobedience in my life, especially with regard to my husband. Show me if I'm selfish, unloving, critical, angry, resentful, unforgiving, or bitter toward him. Show me where I have not obeyed You or lived Your way. I confess it as sin and ask for Your forgiveness.

I pray that You would give my husband a desire to live in obedience to Your laws and Your ways. Reveal and uproot anything he willingly gives place to that is not of You. Help him to bring every thought and action under Your control. Remind him to do good, speak evil of no one, and be peaceable, gentle, and humble (Titus 3:1-2). Teach him to embrace the stretching pain of discipline and discipleship. Reward him according to his righteousness and according to the cleanness of his hands (Psalm 18:20). Show him Your ways, O Lord; teach him Your paths. Lead him in Your truth, for You are the God of his salvation (Psalm 25:4-5).

Make him a praising person, for I know that when we worship You we gain clear understanding, our lives are transformed, and we receive power to live Your way. Help him to hear Your specific instructions to him and enable him to obey them. Give him a heart that longs to do Your will and may he enjoy the peace that only come from living in total obedience to Your commands.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.

Walk in all the ways I command you,

that it may go well with you.

- Jeremiah 7:23

*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.

Today's prayer for your children: Walking in Repentance

Day 25: His Repentance

If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just

to forgive our sins and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

- I John 1:9

Lord, I pray that You will convict my husband of any error in his life. Let there be "nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Matthew 10:26). Cleanse him from any secret sins and teach him to be a person who is quick to confess when he is wrong (Psalm 19:12). Help him to recognize his mistakes. Give him eyes to see Your truth and ears to hear Your voice. Bring him to full repentance before You. If there is suffering to be done, let it be the suffering of a remorseful heart and not because the crushing hand of the enemy has found an opening into his life through unconfessed sin. Lord, I know that humility must come before honor (Proverbs 15:33). Take away all pride that would cause him to deny his faults and work in his soul a humility of heart so that he will receive the honor You have for him.*

(I think I need this prayer for myself as well. Read back through this prayer again, substituting "me" for "him".) In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

He who covers his sins will not prosper,

but whoever confesses and forsakes them

will have mercy.

- Proverbs 28:13

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

try me, and know my anxieties;

and see if there is any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting.

- Psalm 139:23-24

And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

- II Timothy 2:24-26

*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page. Don't miss the GIVEAWAY this week: The Power of a Praying Wife Prayer Cards!

Today's Prayer for your Children: Finding the Perfect Mate

Day 24: His Talk

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

- Proverbs 18:21

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For our of the abundance of the heart

the mouth speaks.

- Matthew 12:34

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Lord, I pray Your Holy Spirit would guard my husband's mouth so that he will speak only words that edify and bring life. Help him to not be a grumbler, complainer, a user of foul language, or one who destroys with his words, but be disciplined enough to keep his conversation godly. Your Word says a man who desires a long life must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (Psalm 34:12-13). Show him how to do that. Fill him with Your love so that out of the overflow of his heart will come words that build up and not tear down. Work that in my heart as well.
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May Your Spirit of love reign in the words we speak so that we don't miscommunicate or wound one another. Help us to show each other respect, speak words that encourage, share our feelings openly, and come to mutual agreements without strife. Lord, You've said in Your Word that when two agree, You are in their midst. I pray that the reverse be true as well - that You will be in our midst so that we two can agree. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth,

but what is good for necessary edification,

that it may impart grace to the heavens.

- Ephesians 4:29

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page. Win a copy of The Power of a Praying Wife Prayer Cards this week by leaving a comment on any post dated September 23-29!
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Today's prayer for your children: Rejecting Sexual Immorality

Day 16: His Priorities

Seek first the kingdom of God

and His righteousness,

and all these things

shall be added to you.

- Matthew 6:33

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God, I proclaim You Lord over my life. Help me to seek You first every day and set my priorities in perfect order. Reveal to me how to properly put my husband before children, work, family, friends, activities and interests. Show me what I can do right now to demonstrate to him that he has this position in my heart. Mend the times I have caused him to doubt that. Tell me how to prioritize everything so that whatever steals life away, or has no lasting purpose, will not occupy my time.
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I pray for my husband's priorities to be in perfect order as well. Be Lord and Ruler over his heart. Help him to choose a simplicity of life that will allow him to have time alone with You, Lord, a place to be quiet in your presence every day. Speak to him about making Your Word, prayer, and praise a priority. Enable him to place me and our children in greater prominence in his heart than his career, friends and activities. I pray he will seek You first and submit his all to You, for when he does I know the other pieces of his life will fit together perfectly.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,

but also for the interests of others.

- Philippians 2:4

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.
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Today's prayer for your children: Learning to Speak Life

Day Five: His Affection

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her,

and likewise also the wife to her husband.

- I Corinthians 7:3

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Lord, I pray for open physical affection between my husband and me. Enable each of us to lay aside self-consciousness or apathy and be effusive in our display of love. Help us to demonstrate how much we care for and value each other. Remind us throughout each day to affectionately touch one another in some way. Help us to not be cold, undemonstrative, uninterested or remote. Enable us to be warm, tender, compassionate, loving and adoring. Break through any hardheadedness on our part that refuses to change and grow. If one of us is less affectionate to the other's detriment, bring us into balance.
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Where any lack of affection has planted a negative view of marriage in our children, or taught them an incorrect way of relating to a marriage partner, help us to model the right way so that they can observe it. Show us how to openly confess our errors to them and demonstrate our commitment to live differently.
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Change our habits of indifference or busyness. May we not take each other for granted that we don't make the effort to reach out and touch one another with affection. Help us not to weaken the marriage through neglect of this vital means of communication. I pray that we always "greet one another with a kiss of love" (I Peter 5:14). I know that only the transforming power of the Holy Spirit can make changes that last. I trust You to transform us and make us the husband and wife You called us to be.* In Jesus' name I pray these things, Amen.
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Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,

but also for the interests of others.

- Philippians 2:4

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His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me.

- Song of Solomon 2:6

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.
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Today's prayer for your children: Establishing an Eternal Future

Day Four: His Sexuality

The wife's body does not belong to her alone

but also to her husband. In the same way,

the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.

Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time,

so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.

Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you

because of your lack of self-control.

- I Corinthians 7:4-5

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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, business, 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.
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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" (I 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 thing about seeking fulfillment elsewhere.
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I realize that an important part of my ministry to my husband is sexual. Help me to never use it as a weapon or as a means of manipulation by giving and withholding 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.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Drink water from your own cistern,

running water from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets,

your streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
May your fountain be blessed,

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer-- may her breasts satisfy you always,

may you ever be captivated by her love.

- Proverbs 5:15-19

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.
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**Today's prayer for your children: Feeling Loved and Accepted

Day Three: His Finances

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,

that there may be food in my house.

Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty,

"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven

and pour out so much blessing

that you will not have room enough for it."

- Malachi 3:10

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Blessed is he who considers the poor;

the Lord will deliver him in time f trouble.

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

and he will be blessed on the earth.

- Psalm 41:1-2

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Where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

- Matthew 6:21

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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 finance and not decrease them unwisely. Help us to remember that all we have belongs to You, and to be grateful for it.
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I pray that my husband 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 to 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).* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink,

not have an anxious mind.

For all these things the nations of the world seek after,

and your Father knows that you need these things.

But seek the kingdom of God,

and all these things shall be added to you.

- Luke 12:29-31

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My God shall supply all your need

according to His riches in glory

by Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:19

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

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Today's prayer for your children: Securing Protection from Harm

Day One: His Wife

Who can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her;

so he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good

and not evil all the days of her life.

- Proverbs 31:10-12

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Better to dwell in the wilderness,

than with a contentious and angry woman.

- Proverbs 21:19

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Do not be rash with your mouth,

and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

therefore let your words be few.

- Ecclesiastes 5:2

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My soul, wait silently for God alone,

for my expectation is from Him.

- Psalm 62:5

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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.
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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, and 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 that 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 judgement" (I Corinthians 1:10).
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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.
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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 a new wife, and let it be me.*
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Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands

so that, if any of them do not believe the word,

they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,

when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,

such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self,

the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is of great worth in God's sight.

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God

used to make themselves beautiful.

They were submissive to their own husbands,

like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.

You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

- I Peter 1:1-6

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Ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives,

and he who seeks finds,

and to him who knocks it will be opened.

- Matthew 7:7-8

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Praying for your children, Day One: Becoming a Praying Parent
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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

** AND THE WINNER IS... ** Thanks to everyone who left comments to enter the giveaway for the book, The Power of a Praying Parent! The winner is a mother of 7! Congratulations to Laura from Laura Williams' Musings.

Day 31: Wrap It Up

Thanks to all who've been praying along with me this month. We've now made it all the way through The Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartian. The book has 30 chapters, so today we'll review.

1. Lord, I begin the journey of prayer for my child by praying for myself. Show me how to pray for David and Elizabeth. Give me wisdom & insight into what they need. Give me patience with them and help me to be a godly example before them.
2. I cast all my cares upon You, Lord, and my children are the biggest care I have. I release them to you and trust in You to keep them safe.
3. Hide them in the shadow of Your wings and keep them safe from those who want to harm them.
4. Help us, their parents, to show them Your love and may they feel love and acceptance all around them.
5. I pray that my children will come to know you at a young age and will continue to trust in You all of their lives.
6. Help me to successfully teach them to respect parents, elders, and anyone who is in authority over them. I bind rebellion from their lives in Jesus' name.
7. May they continue to have strong and loving family relationships within our immediate family and the larger extended family.
8. Draw them to godly friends & relationships, and help them to be one also. Supply endless godly role models throughout their lives.
9. Put deep within them a hunger for Your Word and the things of You. Help me to do all that is in my power to lead them to You.
10. Reveal their gifts and talents at a young age so that we can encourage and nurture them to be all that You created them to be.
11. Develop a hunger for the truth deep within them and let them be repulsed by lies.
12. Give them a long and healthy life, but let them also see Your role as Healer.
13. Help me to teach them to take care of their bodies so that they will stay healthy.
14. Let them enjoy learning about everything around them and about You. Give them lots of opportunities to improve themselves through learning.
15. Help us and them to identify the gifts and talents that You've given them at an early age so that we can nurture them and they can begin walking in them.
16. May they speak only words of life that edify others and not tear them down.
17. Draw them to the things that are right, holy, and pure.
18. Show me how and remind me to periodically pray through my children's rooms so that we can remove any hindrance that may have crept in unaware.
19. May they have enough trust in You, and in us, that they walk through life free from fear.
20. Give them the mind of Christ, a sound and strong mind, ready to learn.
21. Let them experience the joy of the Lord and hunger for it to be a part of their daily lives.
22. Break any stronghold that has been passed down through our families. Let them be free.
23. May they always have strong convictions about and stay free from alcohol, drugs, pornography, and other addictions. If they have a tendency toward addiction, let it be an addiction to You.
24. Protect them from the temptation of sexual immorality. Protect their purity.
25. Lead them to the perfect mate that You have for them in the right time. I pray that my future in-laws are also praying for their child right now and that we would be able to have a good relationship with them.
26. Help my children to see forgiveness and be able to forgive freely.
27. May they be able to repent when they do wrong and ask for forgiveness as well.
28. If any stronghold ever gets a hold of their lives, I pray that it would be broken quickly.
29. Fill them with wisdom and discernment and help them to hunger for those things.
30. May they grow in their faith in You and never question that You are God, that You saved them, that Jesus is their Lord.

Then little children were brought to Jesus

for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.

But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me,

and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

- Matthew 19:13-14

Tomorrow I will start praying for my husband, following the pattern in another of Stormie's books, The Power of a Praying Wife. I will also include a reminder of which prayer to include for your children on that day.

Today is the last day to WIN IT! One lucky winner of this book will be announced tomorrow, when I start going through The Power of a Praying Wife. Make sure to leave a way to contact you through your blog or email address, and while not required for entry, invite your friends to pray with us every day! You are welcome to use the button I've created in the sidebar. Thanks for reading and I hope you and your children have been blessed this month by our prayers.

Day 28: Breaking Down Ungoldy Stongholds

You know my folly, O God;

my guilt is not hidden from you.

- Psalm 69:5

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Be sober, be vigilant;

because your adversary the devil

walks about like a roaring lion,

seeking whom he may devour.

- I Peter 5:8

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Lord, Thank You that You have promised in Your Word to deliver us when we cry out to You. I come to You on behalf of David and Elizabeth and ask that You would deliver them from any ungodliness that may be threatening to become a stronghold in their lives. Even though I don't know what they need to be set free from, You do. I pray in the name of Jesus that You will work deliverance in their lives wherever it is needed. I know that although "we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (II Corinthians 10:3-5).
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Give me wisdom and revelation regarding them. I know there are areas of enemy operation which I cannot see, so I depend on You, Lord, to reveal these to me as I need to know them. Speak to my heart. Show me how to pray when there is something deep in my spirit that is unsettled, disturbed, or troubled about them. Show me anything that I am not seeing, and let all that is hidden come to light. If there is any action I need to take, I depend on You to show me. Thank You that You help me parent these children.
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Lord, I put David and Elizabeth in Your hands this day. Guide, protect and convict them when sin is trying to take root. Strengthen them in battle when Satan attempts to gain a foothold in their hearts. Make them sensitive to enemy encroachment, and may they run to You to be their stronghold and refuge in times of trouble. May the cry of their heart be, "Cleanse me from secret fault" (Psalm 19:12). According to Your Word, I say that the Lord will deliver them from every evil work and preserve them for His heavenly kingdom (II Timothy 4:18).* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,

and whatever you bind on earth

will be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth

will be loosed in heaven.

- Matthew 16:19

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Call to Me, and I will answer you,

and show you great and mighty things,

which you do not know.

- Jeremiah 33:3

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.

Day 26: Living Free of Unforgiveness

One thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind

and reach forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize

of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 3:13-14

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Lord, I pray that You would enable David and Elizabeth to live in ongoing forgiveness. Teach them the depth of Your forgiveness toward them so that they can be freely forgiving toward others. Help them to make the decision to forgive based on what You've asked us to do and not on what feels good at the moment. May they understand that forgiveness doesn't justify the other person's actions; instead, it makes themselves free. Help them to understand that only You know the whole story about any of us, and that's why they don't have the right to judge.
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Lord, Your Word says, "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes" (I John 2:10-11). Show me places where I walk in the darkness of unforgiveness. I don't want that in my life. I want to see clearly and know where I'm going. And I pray that for my children as well. May they always walk in the light of love and forgiveness. Enable them to forgive family members, friends, and all others as well. Teach them to release the past to You so that they can move into all that You have for them. Don't allow them to harbor resentment, bitterness, and anger, but rather help them to turn these feelings over to You immediately whenever they creep in.
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I pray that they will forgive themselves for times of failure, and may they never blame You, Lord, for things that happen on this earth and in their lives. According to Your Word I pray that they will love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute them, so that they may enjoy all Your blessings (Matthew 5:44-45). In Jesus' name, I pray that they will live in the fullness of Your forgiveness for them and walk in the freedom of forgiveness in their own hearts.* Amen.
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Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,

and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,

forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

- Ephesians 4:31-32

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The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,

and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.

- Proverbs 19:11

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.

Day 22: Destroying an Inheritance of Family Bondage

If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation;

old things have passed away:

behold, all things have become new.

- II Corinthians 5:17

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Lord, You have said in Your Word that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children (Proverbs 13:22). I pray that the inheritance I leave to my children will be the rewards of a godly life and a clean heart before You. To make sure that happens, I ask that wherever there is a sinful trait in me that I have acquired from my family, deliver me from it now in the name of Jesus. I confess my sins to You. I ask for forgiveness and restoration, knowing Your Word says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). I know that cleansing from sin through confession lessens the possibility of passing the habit of sin on to my child.
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Jesus said, "I give you the authority... over all the powers of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). If there is any work of the enemy in my past that seeks to encroach upon the lives of my children, I break it now by the power and authority given me in Jesus Christ. I pray specifically for the lack of desire to attend church (name something you see in yourself or your family that you don't want passed to your child). Whatever is not Your will for our lives, I reject as sin.
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Thank You, Jesus, that You came to set us free from the past. We refuse to live bound by it. Thank You, Father, that You have "qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (Colossians 1:12). I pray that my son and daughter will not inherit any sin trait from their earthly family, but will "inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Thank You, Jesus, that in You the old has passed away and all things are new. In Jesus' name, Amen.*
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Stand fast therefore in the liberty
by which Christ has made us free,
and do not be entangled again
with a yoke of bondage.
- Galatians 5:1

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** Please pray for the Fry family today. At 2pm they will be having the funeral for their 22 year old son who died in a motorcycle accident on Sunday. Mr. Fry is a pastor in my home town. Aaron was a senior at Abilene Christian University and left behind Mom, Dad and one sister, Brittany (who attended the birth of my first child). **
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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Day 16: Learning to Speak Life

He who guards his mouth preserves his life,

but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

- Proverbs 13:3

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For out of the abundance of the heart

the mouth speaks.

- Matthew 12:34

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Lord, I pray that David and Elizabeth will choose to use speech that glorifies You. Fill their hearts with Your Spirit and Your truth so that what overflows from their mouths will be words of life and not death. Put a monitor over their mouths so that every temptation to use profane, negative, cruel, hurtful, uncaring, unloving, or compassionless language would pierce their spirits and make them feel uncomfortable. I pray that obscene or foul language be so foreign to them that if words like that ever do find their way through their lips, they will be like gravel in their mouth and they will be repulsed by them. Help them to hear themselves so that words don't come out carelessly or thoughtlessly.
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Keep them from being snared by the words of their mouths. You've promised that "whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23). Help them to put a guard over their mouths and keep far away from adversity. Your Word says that "death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). May they speak life and not death. May they be quick to listen and slow to speak so that their speech will always be seasoned with grace. Equip them to know how, what, and when to speak to anyone in any situation. Enable them to always speak words of hope, health, encouragement, and life, and to resolve that their mouths will not sin.*
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May I be an example of a pure mouth to my children and all I come in contact with. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Let the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord,

my strength and my redeemer.

- Psalm 19:14

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But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak,

they will give account of it in the day of judgement.

For by your words you will be justified,

and by your words you will be condemned.

- Matthew 12:36-37

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information at the bottom of this page.

Day 15: Identifying God-Given Gifts and Talents

Each one has his own gift from God,

one in this manner and another in that.

- I Corinthians 7:7

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Lord, thank You for the gifts and talents You have placed in David and Elizabeth. I pray that You would develop in these gifts in them and use their gifts for Your glory. Make their gifts apparent to me, their dad, and to both of them, and show me specifically if there is any special nurturing, training, learning experience or opportunity I should provide for my children. May their gifts and talents be developed in Your way and in Your time.
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Your Word says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them" (Romans 12:6). As they recognize the talents and abilities You've given them, I pray that no feelings of inadequacy, fear, or uncertainty will keep them from using their gifts according to Your will. May they hear the call You have on their lives so that they don't spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it is or miss it altogether. Let their talent never be wasted, watered down by mediocrity or used to glorify anything or anyone other than You, Lord.
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I pray that You would reveal to them what their life work is to be and help them excel in it. Bless the work of their hands, and may they be able to ear a good living doing the work they love and do best.
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Your Word says that, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). May whatever they do find favor with others and be well received and respected. But most of all, I pray the gifts and talents You placed in them be released to find their fullest expression in glorifying You.*
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May I be a good example by using the gifts and talents You've given me, as well. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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To each one of us grace was given

according to the measure of Christ's gift.

- Ephesians 4:7

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As each one has received a gift,

minister it to one another,

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

- I Peter 4:10

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Day Nine: Developing a Hunger for the Things of God

The fear of the Lord prolongs days,

but the years of the wicked will be shortened.

- Proverbs 10:27

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Lord, I pray for David and Elizabeth to have an increasing hunger for more of You. May they long for Your presence - long to spend time with You in prayer, praise and worship. Give them a desire for the truth of Your Word and a love for Your laws and Your ways. Teach them to live by faith and me led by the Holy Spirit, having an availability to do what You tell them to do. May they be so aware of the fullness of Your Holy Spirit in them that when they are depleted in any way they will immediately run to You to be renewed and refreshed.
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I pray that their hearts will not have any allegiances or diversions away from You, but rather that they would be repulsed by ungodliness and all that is in opposition to You. May a deep reverence and love for You and Your ways color everything they do and every choice they make. Help them to understand the consequences of their actions and know that a life controlled by the flesh will only reap death. May they not be wise in their own eyes, but rather "fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:7).
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I pray that they will be reliable, dependable, compassionate, sensitive, loving and giving to others. Deliver them from any pride, laziness, slothfulness, selfishness, or lust of the flesh. I pray that they will have a teachable and submissive spirit that says "Yes" to the things of God and "No" to the things of the flesh. Strengthen them to stand strong in their convictions.
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I pray that David and Elizabeth will always desire to be an active member of a Christian church that is alive to the truth of Your Word and the power of the Holy Spirit-led worship, prayer and teaching. As they learn to read Your Word, write Your law in their minds and on their hearts so that they always walk with a confident assurance of the righteousness of Your commands. As they learn to pray, may they also learn to listen for Your voice. I pray that their relationship with you will never become lukewarm, indifferent or shallow. May there always be a Holy Spirit fire in their hearts and an unwavering desire for the things of God.*
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In Jesus' name, I ask these things for my children, for my husband, and for myself.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

- Matthew 5:6

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Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

unite my heart to fear Your name.

I will praise You, O Lord my God,

with all my heart,

and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

- Psalm 86:11-12

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I have been crucified with Christ;

it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself for me.

- Galatians 2:20

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information can be found at the bottom of the page.

Day Four: Feeling Loved and Accepted

I have chosen you and not cast you away.

- Isaiah 41:9

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I have loved you with an everlasting love.

- Jeremiah 31:3

Lord, I pray for David and Elizabeth to feel loved and accepted. Penetrate their hearts with Your love right now and help them to fully understand how far-reaching and complete it is. Your Word says You loved us so much that You sent Your Son to die for us (John 3:16). Deliver my children from any lies of the enemy that may have been planted in their minds to cause them to doubt that. Jesus said, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9-10). Lord, help David and Elizabeth to abide in Your love. May they say as David in the Bible did, "Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for in You do I trust" (Psalm 143:8). Manifest Your love to these children in a real way today and help them to receive it.

I pray also that You would help me to love my children unconditionally the way You do, and enable me to show it in a manner they can perceive. Reveal to me how I can demonstrate and model Your love to them so that it will be clearly understood.

I pray that all my family members will accept them, and may they find favor with other people as well. With each day that they grow in the confidence of being loved and accepted, release in them the capacity to easily communicate love to others. Enable them to reach out in love in a way that is appropriate. As they come to fully understand the depth of Your love for each of them and receive it into their soul, make them a vessel through which Your love flows to others. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The love of God has been poured out in our hearts

by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

- Romans 5:5

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In this the love of God was manifested toward us,

that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,

that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God,

but that He loved us and sent His Son

to be the propitiation (sacrifice) for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another.

- I John 4:9-11

Day Two: Releasing My Child into God's Hands

For this child I prayed,

and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord;

as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.
- I Samuel 1:27-29

Lord, I come to You in Jesus' name and give David & Elizabeth to You. I am convinced that You alone know what is best for them. You alone know what they need. I release them to You to care for and protect, and I commit myself to pray for everything concerning them that I can think of or that You put upon my heart. Teach me how to pray and guide me in what to pray about. Help me not to impose my own will when I'm praying for them, but rather enable me to pray that Your will be done in their lives.

Thank You that I can partner with You in raising David & Elizabeth, and that I don't have to do it alone. I'm grateful that I don't have to rely on the world's unreliable and ever-changing methods for child rearing, but that I can have clear directions from Your Word and wisdom as I pray to You for answers.

Thank You, Lord, for the precious gift of these children. Your Word says that every good gift comes from You, and I know that You have given them to me to care for and to raise. Help me to do that. Show me places where I continue to hang onto them and enable me to release them to Your protection, guidance and counsel. Help me to to live in fear of possible dangers, but in the joy and peace of knowing that You are in control. I rely on You for everything, and this day I trust my children to You and release them into Your hands.*

For you shall go out with joy,

and be led out with peace;

the mountains and the hills shall break forth

into singing before you.

- Isaiah 55:12

They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble;

for they shall be descendants of the blessed of the Lord

and their offspring with them.

- Isaiah 65:23

*Make this prayer your own. From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartian. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Day One: Becoming a Praying Parent

I'm going to mention more points from the chapter of the book today than I will normally mention, because this might be our most important chapter.

I got this little pair of boxing gloves a few years ago at a Women of Faith Conference. They remind me that it's my responsibility to fight for my family in prayer.

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

- Matthew 18:18

Stormie reminds us how important it is for us to pray God's will for our children, not just what we want. Rather than praying that my son marries my best friend's daughter, I need to start with this simple prayer, "Lord, show me how to pray for this child. Help me to raise him Your way, and may Your will be done." And that can be a hard prayer to get started.

Becoming a praying parent will affect our lives as well as our children's lives. We are depending upon and inviting God's power to move in our family.

He has blessed your children within you.

- Psalm 147:13

Scripture will also play an important role in our prayers. It is a powerful tool and never returns void. (Isaiah 55:11)

If anyone else is reading along with me this month, I invite you to leave any special requests you may have in my comments/discussions section. Moms (and Dads too) joining in prayer is a powerful thing.

If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask,

it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

- Matthew 18:19

And now on to the prayer. I will be using the prayer that is in the book each day, but inserting my children's names. When you read it, use your children's names. Here we go...

Lord, I submit myself to You. I realize that parenting a child in the way You would have me to is beyond my human abilities. I know I need You to help me. I want to partner with You and partake of Your gifts of wisdom, discernment, revelation and guidance. I also need Your strength and patience, along with a generous portion of Your love flowing through me. Teach me how to love the way You love. Where I need to be healed, delivered, changed, matured, or made whole, I invite You to do that in me.

Help me to walk in righteousness and integrity before You. Teach me Your ways, enable me to obey Your commandments and do only what is pleasing in Your sight. May the beauty of Your Spirit be so evident in me that I will be a godly role model. Give me the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I must have. Make me the parent You want me to be and teach me how to pray and truly intercede for the lives of my children.

Lord, You said in Your Word, "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22). In Jesus' name I ask that You will increase my faith to believe for all the things You've put on my heart to pray for David & Elizabeth.

A Righteous Life

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.
Proverbs 20:7

righ·teous: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin

I want my children to be blessed. I know I can not be completely free from guilt or sin, unless you count the fact that my sin has been covered by Christ's blood, but I can live a moral life.

Lord, help me to live as righteous a life as I possibly can and bless my children.

Preparation

Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands
toward Him for the life of your young children.
- Lamentations 2:19

Prepare my heart to be poured out like never before. Move in my life and in my children's lives as a result of this next month. Let someone else be blessed by finding this record.