Guest Post: Christine Alfaro ~ "Prayer in Action"

Christine is my Dear Sister in the Lord. We met at our marriage ministry bible study and found out we share the same anniversary, August, 8th. (I married my husband Ray on 08/08/08 and she married Octavio on 08/08/09, Yes, we are both newlyweds) Another thing we have in common is that we both like to blog. I have been taking some time away from blogging recently while I'm in the process of starting a Social Media Managing business, it has taken up a lot of my time as I'm still doing the 9 to 5. Lord willing, one day I will have the opportunity to just work from home. So, please keep that in prayer for me. Friends, I have invited Christine to share what the Lord has put in heart and I hope you will be as blessed and encouraged as I was.


                                             PRAYER IN ACTION

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  ~ Phil. 4:6-7


I’ve seen prayer in action. I’ve been blessed by prayer and even more blessed to pray for others. God is always awake and ready to listen.

One of my biggest jobs as a wife is to pray for my husband. My intercession can help in our relationship, it can help him to cast out fear of failure, negative thoughts, and bind the enemy back who seeks to destroy my husband and my marriage.

God tells us in Philippians 4:6a “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” This literally means to tell God everything. Discuss everything with Him. He is the only one who can help you and He longs for you to ask. If your husband is struggling at work or with the kids, then you're struggling too. Lift him up to the Lord and watch Him heal.

The next part of the same verse is Philippians 4:6b-7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Anything your heart is stressing about will come to peace when set before God. Not everything we ask for will be granted, for God knows what is good for us and what isn’t, but He promises to set your heart at peace. Prayer not only lifts up those we love, but more importantly aligns our heart with God’s will. I’ve prayed and had some amazing things happen. The most amazing has been how God uses it to change my heart.

I challenge you, whether you are in a good marriage or one on the edge of divorce, start to pray fervently (with all knowledge that you will receive an answer) and see what happens. God has joined you as one with your husband. When you pray for blessing in your marriage God is faithful to respond. If you’ve never prayed before, just simply talk to the Lord as you would a friend, tell Him everything even though He already knows. Pour your heart out to God and He will pour His heart into your life.

To read Christine's Blogs go to
http://christinealfaro.blogspot.com/

Building up or Tearing down?

"Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land." ~ Prov. 31:23

At the top of every man's list of needs is "Respect".  A man desires to be respected by everyone including his wife. It is no coincidence that in Ephesians 5:33, God calls wives to respect their husbands. 

Did you know that you have the ability to lift up or tear down your husband?  Yes, our actions and our words have so much power and influence. Many of us are more verbal than our husbands. Well, at least, I know I am,  because I always have a lot to say about anything and everything. Sometimes we can challenge our husband's decision making or make them doubt their leadership skills. Submitting to and encouraging our husbands to be leaders can be very challenging but it is possible if we spend more time listening and less time talking.
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." ~ James 1:19-20

E.V. Hill served for many years as a Pastor at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. When E.V. first began in the ministry, he was a hard worker who wanted to provide for his wife, but he was also a young preacher who struggled to make enough money just to pay for the necessities.

Pastor Hill’s wife appreciated his efforts to protect and provide for her, even though some months there wasn’t enough money to pay all the bills. One night, he came home and noticed immediately that the house was dark. When he opened the door, he saw that his wife, Jane, had prepared a candlelight dinner. He loved the idea, but when he went to the bathroom to wash up, he flipped the light switch and nothing happened. Then he went to the bedroom and tried the lights. Again… there was nothing. The entire house was dark.

He went back and asked his wife why the lights didn’t work. Jane began to cry and said, “You work so hard, but it’s rough. I didn’t have enough money to pay the electric bill. I didn’t want you to know about it, so I thought we would just eat by candlelight!”

Dr. Hill described this experience with deep emotion: “My wife could have said, “I never had this happen in the home I was raised in.” But she didn’t berate or blame him. Instead she said, “Somehow we’ll get these lights back on, but tonight let’s eat by candlelight.”

"Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Prov. 25:24