B004TGZL14 EBOK (2 page)

                      
Lord, I pray that You, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give to
Michael
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of You, so that the eyes of
Michael’s
understanding will be enlightened; so that
Michael
will know what is the hope of his calling, that
Michael
will know what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints.

The Bible says a husband and wife are one, and an unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife. Because of this, the wife of an unbelieving husband can pray all the same prayers and speak the same Scriptures over him as a wife could over a believing husband, and expect to see answers to prayer. The most important and ongoing prayer, of course, is that your husband’s eyes be opened to the truth of God and he be led to receive Jesus as his Savior.

Your role is to become an intercessor for your husband.
An intercessor is one who prays for someone else and makes possible the ability of that person to respond to God.
What a great privilege to be used by God in that way!

Read “The Power” and chapter 1:
“His Wife”
from T
HE
P
OWER OF A
P
RAYING
W
IFE
.

Remember as you answer the following questions that God already knows the truth. He is not going to be shocked or disappointed in your answers, so don’t you be either. Don’t condemn yourself for the areas where you need improvement. We all have them. Simply take each question before the Lord and ask Him to show you the truth and help you become the woman and wife He wants you to be. Believe me, I know how hard this chapter is, but when you get through it, the rest will be easy. What happens to your heart here will pave the way for success in seeing answers to your prayers.

  
1. Read Matthew 19:3-6 in your Bible.
Underline verses 5,6. Do you believe that you and your husband are one in the sight of God? Are there places in your marriage where you and your husband are not working together as a team? List those areas. Write a prayer asking God to make you and your husband more unified in these areas. Ask Him to show you what you can do to facilitate that unity.

  
2. Read Luke 10:19 in your Bible and underline it.
You don’t have authority over your husband, but whom
do
you have authority over?

  
3. God has given you the authority to take a stand against any negative influence in your marriage. Is there any area in your marriage where you see that the enemy has gained or is trying to gain a stronghold? List below.

  
4. Are there any places in your marriage where you feel hopeless? List these below. Bring them before the Lord and confess your hopelessness. Remember, confession is not to make you feel condemned; it’s to help you acknowledge your error before God so He can free you from it, and so the devil can’t paralyze you with it. Write a prayer asking God to give you the faith you need to believe that He is your hope and will answer your prayers.

  
5. Read Joel 2:25 and underline it in your Bible.
What things do you see depleting life out of your marriage? What does God promise He will do when things have been eaten away from our lives?

  
6. Do you believe in God’s ability to heal wounds? To renew love in your heart? To restore your marriage relationship to all it should be? Why or why not?

  
7. Read Matthew 10:39 and underline it in your Bible.
Do you trust God enough to answer His call to lay down your life in prayer for your husband? Why or why not? If not, write a prayer asking God to help you trust Him enough to make this commitment.

  
8. Read Matthew 12:25 and underline it in your Bible.
Is there any issue over which you and your husband are seriously divided? How do you feel about it?

  
9. Do you have any anger, unforgiveness, hurt, or disappointment toward your husband? Explain why. Even if you have good reason for feeling the way you do, confess those negative thoughts as sin and ask God to set you free from them. I know this is hard if you feel justified in your feelings, but this prayer of confession and repentance must come first before you can begin praying for your husband with a right heart and see answers to your prayers.

10. Do you ever feel like you don’t want to pray for your husband? Explain why. Write a prayer asking God to help you desire to pray for God’s best to be poured out on your husband. (This may be a prayer you have to pray every day for a while, so don’t worry if you haven’t sensed an immediate answer.)

11. Is there anything for which you need to ask your husband to forgive you? Ask God to show you if there is anything for which you need to repent (an attitude, action, are of neglect, and so on). As He reveals it, write it down. Write a prayer asking God to give you the courage, strength and humility, to ask your husband for forgiveness and to communicate your love and a desire to change.

12. Tell your husband you are going to start praying for him every day in a new and positive way, and ask him to share with you any prayer requests he has. Write down what his reaction was and what requests he shared.

13. Do you see your husband as anything less than a beloved son of God? Explain. Write out a prayer asking God to help you see your husband through His eyes.

14. Look up Proverbs 21:19 and underline it in your Bible.
Are there any issues in your marriage where you find yourself registering the same complaint or criticism over and over? List those. Write a prayer asking God to show you when to speak about each matter and when to just keep silent and pray.

15. Is there any sensitive matter that you know you need to speak to your husband about, but you fear what his response might be? What is that? Write a prayer asking God to show you what you are to say and when to say it. Ask God to prepare your husband’s heart to hear it.

16. Read Psalm 62:5 and underline it in your Bible.
Are there any expectations you have of your husband that he is not living up to? What are they? Write a prayer asking God to show you where your expectations of your husband don’t coincide with the reality of who he is. Tell God you will put your expectations on
Him
so
He
can meet your needs.

17. Read Ephesians 5:33 and underline it in your Bible.
Is there any area in which you have lost respect for your husband? Explain. Write a prayer asking God to reveal ways you may have demonstrated a lack of respect for your husband. As He reveals them, confess them as sin and ask God to help you see your husband the way
He
sees him.

18. Read Galatians 5:22,23 and underline it in your Bible.
Do you have any habitually negative ways of responding to your husband that need to be changed? What are these? Write them down. Ask God to give you revelation about this. Then write down next to them which fruit of the Spirit you need in order to eliminate the negative mindset and habits of response.

19. Read Proverbs 31:10-31 in your Bible. Ask yourself the following questions without expecting perfection:

     
Are you a trustworthy wife?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Are you an asset to your husband?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Do you work diligently to make a home in which he can be comfortable and happy?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Are you careful and wise with money?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Do you take care of your physical health and appearance?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Are you a giving person?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Are you prepared for the future?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Do you make sure your family members have their needs met?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Do you generally move in wisdom?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Are you always loving and kind?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Is your relationship with the Lord alive, intimate, growing, and strong?

Yes _______ Need Improvement _______

     
Without being hard on yourself, write a prayer asking God to help you with each area in which you need to improve and enable you to become the wife He wants you to be.

20. Pray the prayer out loud on pages 44–46 in T
HE
P
OWER OF A
P
RAYING
W
IFE.
Include all the specific needs, desires, and hopes from your own heart.

Whew! You got through chapter 1. If you are at all like me, you will probably have to keep referring back to this chapter whenever you find your attitude less than what it should be. For months I had to keep confessing my bad attitude every time I prayed for my husband, so don’t feel badly if you have to do that, too. In fact, according to the mail I have received since T
HE
P
OWER OF A
P
RAYING
W
IFE
first came out, we are not alone in this. So don’t give up, and you
will
see good results.

Read chapter 2:
“His Work”
from T
HE
P
OWER OF A
P
RAYING
W
IFE.

  
1. Is your husband successful in his work? Does he need to find work? Does he need to find work that is more suitable for him? Explain. Write a prayer asking God to open up doors of opportunity for him to be successful in the work God created him to do.

  
2. Does your husband have a tendency toward laziness? Workaholism? Somewhere in between? How could his work habits improve? Explain. Write a prayer asking God to remove any obstacles from your husband’s mind or emotions that cause him to be unbalanced in his work habits.

  
3. Is your husband a good provider? How could you better support his efforts to provide for his family? Explain. Write a prayer asking God to bless the work of your husband’s hands so that his work will increase and he will be rewarded accordingly.

  
4. Read Ecclesiastes 3:13 in your Bible and underline it.
Is your husband’s work fulfilling to him? Does he enjoy the good of his labor? Why or why not? Write a prayer asking God to help your husband find fulfillment in his work, whether it means moving him into something different than what he is doing now, or giving him a new sense of purpose about the work he already has.