“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
A Life of Love . . .
Jesus rose from the table, where He had just eaten the Passover meal with friends, and He removed His outer garment. He took a towel and tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to do the work of a lowly servant.
Jesus bent low, before each of the men who had spent three years following Him, and He washed their grimy feet. Jesus knew He had only a few hours left. He knew the cross awaited Him in the morning. So He used this time to impart His last words, while demonstrating the truth of the what He spoke.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
As Jesus uttered these words, He illustrated its core meaning. Love is more than warm feeling. It’s an act of selflessness.
Today, the word disciple has become somewhat antiquated. A disciple is a student — a serious student, learning a specific field or trade.
A disciple of Christ is a student of Him and His ways.
To be a disciple of Christ, we practice spiritual disciplines. But here again, the word discipline means something different than what we typically think of. In this usage, discipline doesn’t mean punishment, it means practice.
The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices.
Through the discipline of studying God’s Word, we learn more about Him as we fill our minds and hearts with His truth.
Through the discipline of prayer, we invite the Holy Spirit to move in our lives as God’s desires become our desires.
We can practice many spiritual disciplines — solitude, gratitude, simplicity, giving, serving — all of which lead us closer to the heart of God.
If these practices become a law, however, something we must check off our to-do list, then these practices can lead to legalism, which leads to death. Yet, if these practices become a time of purpose-filled joy, something we learn to love doing because it draws us closer to God, then these practices will lead to a life of love.
A life in Christ is exemplified by a life of love.
To be a disciple of Christ means that we bend low, just as Jesus once did, and we serve others with a heart filled with His love.
Here at (in)courage, one of our greatest privileges is practicing the discipline of prayer
and interceding on behalf of our readers. How can we pray for you today?
[linebreak]
- As you leave a prayer request in the comments, be sure to pray also for the person just before you.
- You can click on “Sort by Newest” to see the most recent prayer request.
- Click on “Load More Posts” to be able to see everything.
- If you log in to Disqus, you’ll then be able to receive all the responses to your prayer request directly to your inbox.
Direction
Kimberly,
Praying and lifting you up right now to be open to God’s leading for direction in your life. He is there just wanting you to ask…ask and it shall be given and that includes direction. Blessings, Bev xx
Kimberly,
Prayers for God to guide in the direction He wants. Here are some scripture to help you out and to pray over yourself!
Jeremiah 29:11 “for I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you”.
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
In the name of Jesus direction lord you said ask and we shall receive we need you… I believe it is done thank you amen
Kimberly, I feel ya! 🙂 Praying God will give you clarity and wisdom as you seek his direction and that you will feel his presence in a powerful way in the waiting.
God is faithful! He will guide you.
I prayed for you in the wee hours this morning, Kim! For God to give you direction and to reveal His plans for you. In the mean time, in the waiting, can you trust that He is good and will make all things good for you? He is so FOR you! Trust in God’s goodness as you wait.
Praying for God to reveal himself to you as you seek direction. Just remember that the Bible says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” He doesn’t always show us the whole staircase, but one step at a time. I am praying, believing in God to show you your next step.
Not to worry for/about my kids. For peace to replace anxiety.
Sarah,
It is so natural as a mom to worry about our kids, but I pray that you will remember that they were God’s children long before they were yours and be able to trust them in the loving hands of their Heavenly Father who has their very best at the core of His heart. Praying that you can cast your anxiety on the Father that cares for you too! Praying that you can leave all of it at the foot of the cross. Praying for His peace that passes all understanding to be yours… Blessings, Bev xx
Thank you, Bev! I can feel it today :).
That is exactly my prayer too! Clinging to Jer. 29:11. His plans are always for the good.
Thanks Joanna. Jer 29:11 is my life verse. 🙂
I encourage you to meditate and memorize Psalm 139 and begin to declare many of the passages over your children. Our God is watching over your children.
Working on Psalm 139 tonight!
Praying for peace for your mind and Gods will for your family! Let your worry turn into prayer!
God bless you. Thank you for the reminder!
First, thank you to all who have been praying many months/years for my son. He is showing some signs, albeit small, that his heart if softening. We were able to have some good discussions. Please keep praying for the many, many doubts he still has and that Jesus would continue to pursue his heart. Also would like prayers…I am worrying about enough donations coming in to make Christmas happen for a group of destitute orphans in Pakistan. They are so innocent, but yet so persecuted. I know Christmas will still happen without gifts, but I would so love for them to be able to have one present to open this Christmas, to have a warm meal, and to know they are not forgotten. Thanks…
Blessings,
Bev
Amen
((hugs))
Bev,
I am super pleased that God is working on behalf of your son! Keep praying fervently and it will happen!! P.S. a good book to read is Fervent by Priscilla Schirer-about making prayer a war and winning that war!! Comes from War Room movie!
Blessings 🙂
Thanks, Beth, for so faithfully being a prayer warrior for me and for my son!!
Blessings sweet friend,
Bev xx
Praying, Bev…May He who is so good to us continue to lift you and your son and all orphans into His compassionate heart. Amen 🙂
Thanks…xx
I would ask for prayers of peace and to not worry so much.
It is hard sometimes, especially with the world’s problems, to not let it get you down. I’m praying your request for both of us.
Numbers 6:24-26New International Version (NIV)
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
Praying for Gods love to overcome your worry!
My constant prayer is always the same…to pray for the salvation of my husband and our two grown sons. All three of these men have turned away from God. I don’t seem to be “winning them without a word” however using my words always angers them.They also have specific needs like renewed health for one and a job for the other, but none of that will matter if they never turn their hearts to Christ. Thank you all for your prayers!
Carol Ann,
God please turn the hearts of these men back to you! Help them with renewed health and a great job that can only come from you! Shower them with your love, grace and mercy!! Give Carol Ann the patience and perseverance she needs!!
Praying for salvation and joy for your entire family!
Carol Ann,
I am praying for you. As a mother and wife, I understand the frustration and grief you must be feeling trying to minister to these men in your life you love so much, delicately, in wisdom and love, always ending up with anger from them. I’m most certain it is Holy Spirit working within them, convicting them–they know you love them and that you are right. But our loved ones are the last ones to hear from us. I am in agreement with you, praying that God will meet your husband and sons where they are, will show up for them in mighty ways, heal them, give them jobs, meet their needs. Men have real needs but most have difficulty believing in a God big enough to meet them. Our God is mighty enough to deliver. He knows the heart of a man and exactly what each of your guys needs to bring them into a real relationship with Him. I pray that he will put angels in each of their paths who will say to them the words they need to hear, that Holy Spirit will continue to pursue their hearts, even wake them in the night to counsel them. Jesus knows every one of his lambs and does not leave even one behind. These men are going to have wonderful testimonies when Jesus has finally won them over! And I am praying for you to have the faith in His promises and His goodness as you wait. I am waiting, too, on my son to be released from bondage from a Jezebel spirit he has married. And waiting for Jesus to deliver him back to our family. It is hard.
I have a best friend living in a difficult situation. No one knows me here so I will tell u her name is Dot. Please join me in prayer about her situation and may the Lord lead her, guide her, and keep her safe physically , emoitionally, and spiritually. And may her house always be filled with the very presence of our a Lord Jesus Christ. Amen thank you sisters in Christ
Linda,
Father please help Dot in this situation. Lead and guide her in the direction you want! Keep her safe from all harm and keep her mind on you and the presence of God! Help her to make wise decisions and bless her family!
(((hugs)))
Praying for your friend, Linda, that she knows God’s direction and peace for her life, to provide all that she needs out of His glorious riches. Amen 🙂
Gods direction and protection for Dot!
Please pray for my 10 month old grandson Elijah. He has many medical tests coming up due to the stroke he suffered at birth. Please pray for God’s grace and mercy for perfect healing. God bless you kind friends.
Oh my. Father Elijah needs your healing touch on his little body. Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself is my strength and my defense…Sue praying for you. Ask the Holy Spirit what chapter or portion of scripture he desires for you to meditate and memorize. The Living Word will be your source and your strength. God is moving in his life.
Sue,
Father,
Please help Elijah! Heal his little body from the stroke he suffered. We need a miracle here and no major surgeries! You will be done!!!
AMEN! 🙂
Please pray for safety and safe travels for my daughter who is studying abroad in Europe. She and her 4 roommates there all turn 21 while there and it is hard to be here and wonder if they are staying safe and making the best decisions during this time. There has been some recent tension between us and I need prayers for calm and peace.
Denise, I’m not often able to read here on Sundays, but I’m glad I did. All you say here about spiritual disciplines reinforces something I taught in a journaling class yesterday on personal revival to a group of thirsty-for-God women. I said the same thing–to think of disciplines as spiritual practices which free us and draw us nearer to God. ANd journaling . . . . and prayer are very special ones. So how may you pray for me? ….that God will continue to equip me as a good disciple to teach journaling to women who long for deeper intimacy with Jesus. PPF a Christian journaling revolution.
Bless you dear one.
Love
Lynn
Praying for you now, that Jesus will be all the wisdom and grace you need!
I am praying for restoration of relationships with two of my children. Praying God will shine his light into their darkness and woe them to himself. Also for wisdom and strength and humility in pursing them.
Sue, I am praying for that restoration for you! My son married a woman with a Jezebel Spirit and she has brought chaos & division to our family and is manipulating, controlling and abusing him. She has isolated him from all of his family and friends and he is living in complete darkness, far from all we have taught him. So, I understand the “darkness” you speak of that your 2 children are living in. Remember that you have taught your children in the way they should go. God promises they will return to it. I cling to that. I stand in agreement with you before the Lord, that warring angels will surround and protect your children from any danger they may be in, that light will shine in the darkness, that your children will return to Him, that God will protect them as they find their way back to Him and that your family will be restored. And I will pray that God will give you the faith you need to trust Him with your children. A counselor once told me to envision my son with Jesus, instead of with the woman he had married, because I had entrusted my son to Him. It has given me peace. Perhaps that will help you. Because Jesus has not left either of your children, and even though they may not be with you right now, He is right there with them.
I am in the early stages of pregnancy after experiencing two consecutive miscarriages. I would greatly appreciate prayer for peace and freedom from fear and anxiety. ❤️
Danielle,
Father
Please help Danielle with this pregnancy! Help her to carry it to term and not deal with another miscarriage! Give her the peace and free her from anxiety!! Lord I ask that you give this family peace of mind, body and soul!
AMEN!
Would appreciate prayer. After living 20 years in a destructive marriage , the Lord has called me to separate from my husband. I have chronic illness and 5 kids…by His grace and stepping out into the waters. Pls pray for grace, peace and healing. Thank you!
Polly, after 28 years in an abusive marriage, I was able to escape. I can assure you the worst day of my life since my divorce has been better than the best days of that marriage. God has protected me and provided for me in ways I could never have imagined. He is faithful, He loves you, and He wants a Father’s best for you and your children. I am going to pray for you every day and trust that He will lead you to safety, just as He sheltered me. There are still hard times – I work three jobs and just woke up this morning to an email saying my account is overdrawn because the electric company apparently drafted my payment a day early, but I know it will be okay.
Polly
God wants His children to be happy and safe! Prayers that you can find a “safe haven” to go to and people willing to assist you!! Prayers for protection and for understanding with your 5 children!!
(((((hugs)))))
Thx so much!! It’s not physical, but neglect and extreme passivity. Thankful Jesus cares!
Standing with you in faith and prayer, Polly. Jesus will make a way for you and your children. I am praying that He will put angels in your path to provide exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. He has His eye on you every step of the way. You are the Bride of Christ! His Beloved! He loves you and has such a beautiful future planned for you and your children. Full of hope and healing. He will not fail you, Polly.
I asked a few months ago for prayers that our house would sell as we were being stressed by finances and it finally sold. I can breathe again. Thank you for your prayers and support. I appreciate it more than you know.
Lyn,
Praise God that your house sold!! May God supply ALL your needs!! Keep on praying and trusting God for the plans of your life!!
(((hugs)))
It’s a good reminder that God cares for us in the small things as much as the giant spiritual things. God is good.
Please pray for my Husband, Leigh, he just had emergency eye surgery Friday right after his mom’s funeral. We have been having attack after attack in every way possible. We are praising God and claiming all these things are going to work out for our good one day!
Kimberly,
AMEN!!
Father,
Kimberly and hubby seem to be having a lot of attacks! Please shower them with your grace and mercy! I pray in fervency for the devil to leave this couple alone! Surround this family with your loving arms! Help them to grieve and heal!!
AMEN!!
God I ask that you hear each of these women’s prayers. That you comfort them and let them feel your love. I ask that you touch each of their lives in these difficult time and help them lean on you. I ask in specific cases that you lead them to those who will offer wise counsel, and for those with medical issues, gifted doctors. I also ask that you create in them a sense of calm and peace and confidence that they are heard and their needs honored. I thank you for willingness to open their hearts to you and the blessings you have to offer them. In your son’s precious name, Amen
My husband has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He is 61 and was extremely strong and athletic all his life. We pastor a church in Fairfield, Ca. Now he says every step is a struggle. Praying for a healing for his body. Grace and courage too.
Marilyn,
Prayers for you and your husband. I pray God will send some relief to him! I pray you seek medical help and with medication the pain can be lessened some! He will have good days and bad days & I pray he has more good ones!!!
Father,
Send your healing touch to Marilyn’s husband! Help him to have more good days than bad! Bless them now as they decide what the next step in life should be!!
Blessings 🙂
Marilyn
I’ve been praying for you daily! May your husband have more good days than bad. I pray they can find the right medications to lessen the tremors!!
Blessings:)
Please pray for our travels driving my daughter to college this Thursday. We will be taking a 16+ hour drive down the East Coast to drop off my eldest for the first time. I will miss her loving, kind, helpful spirit and I pray safety and security as she branches out on her on.
Please Pray for Salvation for my 2 grown sons, and my son-In-law. My oldest son even professes to be an atheist! Pray that my son-in-law will be faithful to my daughter as well, (they have 2 precious children 2 1/2 and 5 months).
Also will you Pray that I will be delivered from overwhelming worry, fear, and anxiety…thank you!
I have two more chemo treatments for early stage breast cancer. God has already removed the one lump and affected lymph node. I just need encouragement as my body is tired. Ready for my regular self back, if you know what I mean.
Monica,
Prayers for God to encourage and heal you mind, body and soul!! I pray for strength, courage to endure your final treatments and get your “regular” self back!! Working hard to end cancer! I work with Relay for Life in Carter County TN–May we end Cancer all together!!!
AMEN!!
I pray for you Marilyn, blessings to you both in this tough time. The scripture that comes to mind is psalm 23. Through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I shall fear no evil. God is with you both. You have been and are faithful servants. Rain falls on the just and unjust. You are precious to our father in heaven. He smiles apone you for your love of others, longivity, perservence, diligence and long suffering.
He assures you ,he has you in the palm of his hand and he loves you very much. You have both served and supported many. Now ,it’s your turn to see The Lord’s amazing and unfailing love, His amazing grace. Even if your circumstance doesn’t change, God is with you and he will carry you through, with many people supporting you and your husband. You will not be alone in this difficult journey, his mercy and compassion will come to you like a flood. You are very valuable and important to him. Well done Good and faith servants.
Matt 5:16 ” let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven. ” God says you have both lived out this passage as living testimonies. You have been faithful with so much. May the love of God surround you like a blanket of peace and comfort. May you be covered By His unfailing love, comfort and mercy.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
*I would appreciate prayer for healing of a women’s health issue and in the selection of song choices and the ability to sing them for next Sunday Worship. Thank you
Rebecca,
Prayers for complete healing for you!! May God send his perfect Healing touch!! I pray He provides the right songs and the ability to sing them in church! May God continue to bless you in all you do!!
Monica,
Two scriptures for your encouragement.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.
John 14:27
Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Lord, I lift Rebecca’s body up to you, bind up any attacks, sicknesses from the enemy and throw them out to sea. Protect her mind as you heal her body. And sweet Jesus she has a desire to follow you and worship you, grant her your decision on which songs to lead at Sunday service. Bkess her service to you and show up for her. In Jesus name we pray amen.
*my marriage has fallen apart yo the point of me moving out in Tues. My kids are happy and I’m bittersweet about it. Funds, emotions, peace, God’s will & protection are what I’m praying for.
Diane,
Prayers for you as you move out of the house! May God be there to provide peace & contentment! I pray He guides you to the right place and gives you the protection you and your family needs!!
Father,
Please provide peace, your loving will & protection to Diane! Shower her with financial blessings and your sweet love!! Help her find a good place to go & give her contentment about this situation!!
(((hugs)))
Please pray for both of my daughters as they are living with their dad who is emotionally/mentally/verbally abusive. Pray they would have a mature Christian to talk to and share their hearts with since they feel they can’t talk about it very much to me. Pray that Christ would guard their hearts and minds and that He would reveal truth to them so they aren’t constantly confused anymore. Thank you!
I pray Lord that Julie’s daughters experience Your truth. The Truth that frees and gives Strength. That any lies they are being told be shown for what they are- Satan’s doing. That their circumstances are not a reflection of your vast unending love and that you would bring into their lives a Christian who reflects your truth and love back to them. Give them hope and be their shelter form the storm.
The need is a second job that will help heal my family finances
I pray the Lord bless your family’s finances with wisdom and courage and give you the means -through a second Job- to enable healing.
Lord, I pray that you would please provide and care for Xiomara as the stress of finances is always so difficult on family. I pray that you would lead her to that 2nd job you have for her or provide in another way if that would be your will. Please give her wisdom & guidance as she seeks after what you want and bless her family.
Xiomara,
Father,
Please provide financial blessings to Xiomara and family! Help them see your great love for them! Provide a second job or whatever your will is for them!
AMEN!
Father, I praise You for these beautiful women who had the courage to be vulnerable with their life issues and their heart issues. For the woman who is in the early stages of pregnancy after two consecutive miscarriages, I understand the pain she’s endured and the anxiety that fills her heart. Flood her with Your peace so that she may carry a healthy child to term. For the woman who’s had a bad marriage and now senses You guiding her to separate from her husband, I pray for a spirit of humility and repentance to come upon him. Because it’s true that hurting people hurt people, I ask You to heal him from the inside- out; and then, in Your time, bring them back together in a loving marriage that honors You. For all those worried about their children, I ask You to enable them to cast their cares upon You. Finally, for the man who suffered a heart attack following his mom’s funeral; I ask You to bring healing and comfort to him and His family. Remind them that You are with them in the midst of this trial, that sometimes You calm the storm and sometimes You calm us, and enable them to accept with praise and worship on their lips and from their hearts however You choose to move because You are worthy regardless of how we feel. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen
Please pray for a young family. The are struggling and suffering.
Father,
Please meet the young family right where they are. Meet every need. Would your presence be thick and would they lnow without a doubt you are with them, protecting them and guiding them. Amen.
Dear Father, please take care of Julie’s daughters in these difficult times. Change that heart that needs a touch of your loving hand. Make them living testimonies of your grace and power. In Jesus name
I pray for each person here, Lord, that you continue to answer these prayers put before you. Please, Lord, lift each person in Your loving grace and mercy today and all days. Please pray that the Lord will continue to heal and change me inside with His great love and mercy, to heal the wounds that are so deep. Holy Father in heaven, may Your name be praised forever 🙂
Touch and agree
I need direction which way to go. Strength to keep going and not give up or get distracted. Be all God has ordained me to be… give up my selfish worldly ways..
Please pray for me as I wait for a child to foster and adopt. It has been a long period of waiting and heartbreak. Thabk you.
Praying for you … For patience and that God may show you his love while you’re waiting
Thank you Anne!
Eyes to see the next right step to take. I know God is grooming me for leadership, but I don’t know if it’s in my workplace (education) or ministry (youth). I want to patiently wait on him but I’m chomping at the bit to know which direction to go. I tend to be all or nothing, so the small steps in trust are hard for me. Thanks!
Please pray for me, battling depression and financial curses. I am feeling very unworthy and disconnected from God’s prescious Holy Spirit.
Bev, I am praying for you as you intercede for many, God continously pours back into you and undergirds you in love
I pray that the veil of depression be lifted by God’s mighty power. I pray for financial security and God’s will in your life. Be strong, Tomma. You are very worthy and absolutely loved.
Praying for you Tomma.
Numbers 6:24-26New International Version (NIV)
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
Praying for Sarah and Kimberly,
MAY our LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE GOD OF ALL WISDOM, LOVE, PEACE AND COMPASSION, POWER AND JOY, GRANT you HIS SURE DIRECTION, PEACE, AND TAKE CARE of every single one of your needs, your families and loved ones, your vocations, your homes, your comings and goings, your relationships, your finances, your Churches, and every whispered need and prayer of your hearts, minds and souls.
Please do Pray for the Most Precious Person in my life,
my GOD-GIVEN Beloved Vivin Mathew Easo.
He I do believe, IS GOD’S Chosen Precious One for me.
Through family issues, we have not been able to get married as this is what we’ve been Praying for and TRUSTING GOD ALONE for.
I prayed asking GOD TOR PROVIDE A True Christian Man for me, A GODLY pure Man, AND JESUS GAVE him to me. This is a huge trial of FAITH IN GOD AND HIS FULFILLING HIS HOLY WORD to us. Please Pray that we will be Patient AND GOD WILL KEEP us both secure, steadfast, at peace, Holy, Pure And Blessed, AND THAT GOD WILL UNITE us in Holy Matrimony AS HE HIMSELF HAS PROMISED, IN JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS NAME ALONE, HALLELUJAH, AMEN!
We
Please pray for me… For a husband (am divorced after my ex- husband clung to his affair) … And wisdom when finding a Job which is difficult (could have one but that wouldn’t pay enough)
Praying for you Anne. That God would provide a great God loving man and an amazing job.
Thanks Beth. That’s exactly what I want…
Tomorrow I am having a filling done and, while I am no stranger to dental work, 3 years ago I had a bad reaction to the numbing medication (which usually contains epinephrine). Ever since, going to the dentist fills me with paralyzing fear. I found a dentist that has a numbing med that does not use epinephrine, and it has usually worked well for me, but lately I have found I don’t hardly stay numb long enough, which creates more anxiety. The dentist has suggested that we try again with the epinephrine, given that when the reaction happened, I was 10 months postpartum and hormones might have been in play at that time. He also thinks it may have just been a fluke (like it was injected into a blood vessel by mistake). I have been trying to decide what to do tomorrow–use the epi or not?–and fearful of choosing “wrong.” Please pray for me, that whatever med we opt for, I won’t have a scary reaction and that the Lord will guide the dentist’s hands, making sure everything that needs done is taken care of. I just want to get over my fear, and to be able to use the epi if needed, because it does keep the gums numb more effectively (and longer).
I could also really use prayer for having the peace of Christ fill my life. I don’t know what it’s like to not be afraid every minute of every day about something (ISIS, the Iran deal, or basic things like every little bump or symptom, primarily).
And finally–I give God the glory for what he’s doing restoring our marriage. We recently went through rocky times, and while we have a way to go yet, I thank Him for not letting us go. We’re still trying to get our finances under control too. But He is there. <3
Praying for you and every aspect of your life and family. Have had issues with medications before, so I understand you being unsure there. Praying for right choices and peace.
Numbers 6:24-26New International Version (NIV)
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
Thank you, D. It’s very scary to have reactions that make you want to crawl out of your own skin, and scarier to have to face that potential risk again and again (whatever the “risk” might be). I appreciate your prayers. 🙂
My seventeen year old daughter was recently released from two different facilities, came home yesterday and began discussing new suicidal ideations. She would be in a new school and seems very afraid. Please pray for strength, guidance and direction that she might follow God’s path. Thank you . . .
Angela, I pray for God’s healing over your daughter. I pray too for comfort for you. May you both be held by our loving Father and be given the strength and love you both need. Blessings to you and your daughter.
Would you please pray for my addiction to food? I am struggling to use food as a source of nourishment and not to use it to cover emotions and personal issues. Thank you.
Jessica,
I pray for you to bring this struggle to God who longs for you to be at peace with your body. I too, struggle with this issue and I pray daily for the strength to come closer to God through this struggle.
Thank you, Ann.
For all those who are listed on the Wall of Prayer that I am a part of. Also, for our intercessors and their lives. God Bless.
Please pray for me to be courageous in sharing my faith. I also need your prayers as I work on developing the spiritual fruit of self-discipline. I struggle to deny myself in the areas of food and money and I know that God has called me to deal with these issues now.
Ann,
Prayers for you to overcome this.
Penny
Thank you, Penny.
Prayers for all the women here! May God supply all your needs! I pray your family comes back to Christ wholeheartedly!! Prayers for His healing touch, financial blessings and showers of love, grace and mercy upon each one of you! Blessings 🙂
My request is for my aging dad. He is doing good for 90. We put him on hospice July 17th this year. He seems ok most days, but has dementia, sundowners, paranoia, etc. Prayers for good days and that he would use his walker all the time–no more falls!
Thanks everyone! 🙂
Hugs and have a blessed Sunday!!
Beth, my mother turns 90 tomorrow, She is in overall good health, except for Alzheimer’s, and still lives
alone with me visiting daily to be sure she eats, gets her meds,
etc. I understand the struggle of caring for your father, and will add him to my prayer list. I understand the “no falls” prayer, as I pray that daily for my mother! Hope he has more good days than bad, and that God will give you peace, strength and encouragement as you ride those waves with him. Hugs from Texas!
Texas Aggie Mom
Prayers for you mom also! BTW dad is 90 also!! I get the eating part. My dad didn’t eat much from April 2015 till July when hospice was called in. Now he seems to eat better!! Prayers for you for strength and endurance to handle your mom daily!
Blessings 🙂
Beth,
My thoughts and prayers are with your dad. I pray that he will be comforted and find peace during his times of unrest.
Penny
Thanks Penny!
Please pray for me and my husband. He has filed for divorce and does not want to work on our marriage. I am believing for God to bring us both to a place of surrender to HIM and restore our marriage in Jesus, name Amen.
May God hear your prayers and bring you back together.
Thank you!
I had breast cancer back in 2014 and am cancer free. However, I found a new large lump in the same side but in a different area of the breast. I’ve had a mammogram and ultrasound and two doctors told me they thought it was nothing. I have a MRI this Thursday at 8:15 am and get anxious sometimes. I’m needing prayer that the test is negative and that I’ll trust God for the outcome and have supernatural peace no matter what.
I pray in Jesus name for those whose families have turned away from You Lord that they would see the truth and repent. Amen
praying for complete healing for Robin in Jesus’ name Amen! Lord, fill her will Your peace and comfort.
Robin my prayers are with you.
Penny
Please pray for my husband and I. We are going through a difficult time. I’m praying for forgiveness and reconsiling our marriage.
Lord, soften her husbands heart and show them Your will for their marriage! What GOD has joined together let no man separate. Matthew 19:6 STAND ON THIS VERSE! Keep praying for your husband and your marriage. God is faithful!
Thank you!
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Isaiah 43:18
I have been in a job at a state university for almost 20 years, and have generally loved almost everything about it, even though I work very hard. I also work two part time jobs, but I am grateful for all three of them. On Friday I was notified by a brief email that the one person I don’t get along with in our entire operation is now my direct supervisor in my primary job. This is bad on so many levels. Please don’t think I am a lazy worker, or a problem employee. Last year I won the award for Outstanding Employee in our unit of about 200 people. I have good relationships with literally every other person on our campus. I can only hope and pray that God is trying to teach me something and that he will protect me from this person, who is widely known to dislike me. In the past year she already adjusted my job duties so I no longer do the things with students that have been my ministry for over a decade. I feel scared, discouraged and lost. I am single, taking care of my 90 year old mother and working three jobs to try to pay down significant debt so I can retire before I am 70. My current position pays better any other job for which I would be qualified. If I was able to transfer to another job on campus, I would probably take at least a $15,000 pay cut. Leaving the university so close to retirement would not be a smart move financially. If I can stay, my health insurance will be continued at no cost to me through my retirement. Please pray that I can somehow work with this person and that God will protect me from her. She is powerful, but I know my God is greater.
Aggie,
My prayers are with you that you will be able to continue on with what you are doing. And that it will be a peaceful and enjoyable experience for you.
Penny
Maybe God has put this person in your life for a specific reason. Can you show her God’s love and grace? I pray God will strengthen you and take your fears on Him and give you peace as you seek His wisdom and guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6
Lord, may your PERFECT PEACE fill Aggie’s heart and mind as she trusts in you to move in this situation with her new supervisor. Help her to keep her eyes firmly focused on You. Please go before her and thwart any plans of the enemy against her and keep your promise to turn ALL things, including this situation out for her good and Your glory. Be her defender and her deliverer and her provider. Please also strengthen her in all that is on her plate in taking care of her mother and paying down debt. Lift the burdens from her back and let her feel You shouldering these burdens for her. All this I pray in the precious and powerful name of the MOST HIGH, the name above all names, JESUS!
Texas Aggie Mom,
Prayers for you my sister in Christ! I understand having a boss who doesn’t like you! I had to quit a good university job myself due to a boss who didn’t like me. Like you I loved my job early on, but it changed to much!
May God provide financial blessings to you! I pray you can stay put in your current job till retirement! I pray God gives you the strength to carry on working your jobs and caring for your mother! May God give you grace, mercy and love! I pray for peace of mind, body and soul!
Blessings 🙂
Texas Aggie Mom,
I’m praying for you daily! May God help you at work & change the heart of supervisor! I pray also for financial blessings so you have more time to care for your mother! Prayers for Spiritual Whitespace to breathe in the breath of God and relax some!
Blessings 🙂
My husband has Stage IV osteosarcoma. There is a very large tumor on his hip which protrudes into his abdomen and lower back and has displaced his kidney. He also has one on his sacrum. Doctors have said there are no surgical options and that chemo and radiation cannot save him. We’ve scheduled a radiation treatment next week in order to try and quickly shrink the tumor and provide significant pain relief (he’s in a LOT of pain), but we are also employing some natural healing methods with the help of an integrative medicine specialist who has dealt extensively with cancer patients with success–even those who were given death sentences by their primary doctors. Please pray for healing for my husband, financial provision (insurance doesn’t cover the alternative care, supplements, specialty diet, etc.), and continued peace.
Dear Lee, I pray today that God will comfort, strengthen and provide healing as He sees best. In 1968 my father died of cancer when I was only 17. It left a big impact on my life. In later years I lost a husband, so I know a bit of the fear, pain, anxiety you are experiencing, but even more so God knows! God is there with both of you and those who are providing care for you. Your Good Shepherd is walking WITH you through this difficult and dark time. He is the Light of the World and you can lean on Him and trust in His strength and love. God Bless you both!
Lee,
I pray God will provide supernatural healing! May the radiation and natural healing methods work wonders!! Prayers for strength and peace to endure!! I pray one day soon we will find a cure for ALL Cancers!!
Blessings 🙂
Hi Lee
I am so so sorry. I will be praying for you. Please join me in a fast if you can this coming Thursday. My family and I have received the gift of healing. If you live in AZ we have a man who has the gift of healing and miracles. His name is David Turner. God healed my neck and back after years of severe pain and my 15 year old of new onset uncontrolled seizures. With the number of seizures she had she should not be in school or back at dance but He has healed her and her life is an honor to His grace and mercy. Please reply to me if you desire any more information. I will be praying for you dear sister in Christ. He will reign
Mary and Corena, thank you for your prayers for my husband and me and your encouragement! Corena, I don’t live in AZ, but would still be interested in receiving some more information. Thanks!
Hi Lee
My personal email is honeys5us@yahoo.com. Please write me and I will be happy to send you additional information. God bless. In Him always Corena
My prayer today is both of thanksgiving and need. I am grateful for God’s love and healing and the vision I have, but I have glaucoma and it is proceeding even with treatment. I pray God will stop its progression and give me peace and not fear. Also that my husband’s heart will be changed with his addiction to smoking, which he gave up when courting me and then went back to. He is good about not smoking in the house or enclosed spaces with me, but I know this is killing him. Please keep us both in your prayers that this issue will not destroy our love. thanks
I am asking for God to continue to use us as a family to honor Him because He lives and heals like He did when the people could see Him. He is my great I AM so I am humbled by His love.
Dear Father you know the specific details of this precious Family. You chose them to be your salt and light to this ever darkening world . May Your love flood them to overflowing that others will see and experience your life changing Love and desire to tap into the power of Jesus name. That in repentance and rest they will see your salvation pour into the lives of others that you bring into their lives.
That in quietness & trust you would be their strength as they move into those tasks you have carefully crafted got them.
(Isaiah 30:15)
In Jesus name amen
I’m still asking prayers for this intention: My young husband passed away last summer. I have been praying and praying that God would send the right man into my life. I have no children and no family. Thank you. I will remember everyone here in my daily prayers.
I am asking that God will continue to heal my family- spiritually from the many unintentional wounds inflicted by several churches. The main source of problem is the loudness level of the music and bass boosters. This has caused physical issues which make it impossible to worship with congregation. When we asked if something could be done we were offered earplugs, medicine for migraines and suggested we just sit outside til it was over- then come in and worship. This has occurred at several churches making me feel insignificant and unwelcomed. We have watched as many have experienced the same thing so we know we are not alone.
The aftermath of this issue is a tool God is using to restore us to a deeper relationship with Him- However we still yearn to find community of believers who would respect and desire our fellowship. A community who would be simply willing to turn down the volume so we could participate
Please pray for me to forgive everyone in my past and to let go of the hurt and upset. Pray for God to heal my heart and emotions, etc.. Pray for God to heal my rests. Pray for release from the past and its hurts and for me to be free and whole.Thanks.
I’m having a really hard time letting go of a certain someone who is actually detrimental to my mind and soul. We accidentally became best friends through hooking up, but then I developed feelings for him. He’s never wanted more than a friendship, but I’m not sure I can be his friend much longer. I pray for the ability to be strong enough to let go and move on.
I’m praying for you, Averystar907. That God will gird you up and give you strength. God please protect her and guard her heart and mind. Please give her courage to do what you have equipped her to do and made available through Your Son JESUS. Let God give you a renewed mind and reflexes, to reach out to God and not this man. Replace the impulses with His Word. Memorize, study, pray. All you can. GOD would not have you, so precious to Him settling for less.
Pray Philippians 2:14–15 for me. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
I want to be a light to the mission field around me: family, work, community. I’m feeling weary and grumbling comes far to easy these days!
Please pray for my family. We need to forgive and keep moving forward with our lives.
Ms Jane. I pray for your family that you all may forgive each other like God has forgiven us. May you show each other agape love. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Please pray for my family and their salvation. Thank you in advance.
Please pray that I land the job that I have been working and praying hard for. It has been a struggle for me to find the right job through the years. I believe this one is what will create a positive huge difference in my son’s and my life. Each day draws me closer to it and I want to stay positive that not for long, I will find myself in it. In Jesus’ mighty Name, please help me pray. Amen.
Kristine, I pray that God will open the door for the right job for you, that He will give you peace throughout this season of waiting, and that He will grant you the strength to keep moving forward and thinking positively!
My husband recently accepted a job, which requires us to move out of state, away from both of our families. Please pray that I will find peace throughout this season and acceptance of God’s plan and His will.
I’m feeling lost. This year God had opened so many doors and blessed me with riches beyond what I deserved. Now it is all falling apart. Truth is I feel deserted. I pray and try to mediate on His word and truth, but my heart fails within me. I am barely holding on to His promises; my strength is depleting. I need His divine intervention and guidance. Pray for a restored relationship…
Self doubt and low self esteem are robbing me from courage and freedom 🙁 I could really use prayer and encouragment for that…
Father impress upon Yosheva’s heart that she is the daughter of a King! She is chosen and accepted and loved by you without reservation! Please help her to listen to your voice that stills, leads, reassures, enlightens, encourages, comforts, and calms and reject the lies of the evil one that rushes, pushes, frightens, confuses, discourages, worries obsesses, and condemns. Amen.
Prayers for my 24 year old daughter who needs to find a full time job. She has been out of college for 18 months and still working part-time and living at home with us. She is very discouraged and feeling like a total failure. She just had a networking meeting with a woman who was presented some hard truths about the employment environment, particularly in our town. We have committed this to prayer for the whole 18 months and I must say… Lord, I believe, help my unbelief…
My husband is currently unemployed. Thus far the Lord has provided for us, but as time goes on we’re getting a tad nervous, especially with the holidays coming up. We have faith that God will open the door for employment, but of course only He knows when that will be. And in the meantime, we need prayer that we will stand together as a couple and not let the stress get to us.
I serve overseas in Asia, and my boyfriend lives in the U.S. We’ve been planning to marry for months now but the longer I’m here, the more reluctant I feel. Please ask for wisdom, clarity and the power to obey.
Also, please lift up anxiety, intrusive thoughts and fear. For strength to cling to precious promises.
I am praying for your peace, discernment, grace, and an out pouring of a fresh revelation of the Love of God that drives out fear. I will continue to life you up to the Lord until I feel the release from the Holy Spirit .
Please pray for the revelation of truth that Jesus is God and the only way, truth and life for my brother and other family member who are not believers.
Praying with you! I have a family members who do not believe as well. I love Ezekiel 36: where God says He give us a heart of flesh instead of stone. May God soften and move in the hearts of your family!
Healing for my mom dealing with cancer and my dad with a heart condition. Bring us all closer to you, Lord, and to each other, whatever your will may be.
Melissa, God bless your mother with God’s healing power to rid her body of cancer! Also, God bless her dad with healing for his heart. In the mighty healers name, Jesus! Lord may they draw near to you and know that you will draw near to them! James 4:8
Please pray for my mother who had esophageal cancer. She will undergo a PET scan Tuesday to see if it has spread. Praying for a miracle of healing.
Andrea,
Prayers for you mother and the family! May God provide His healing touch! I pray the scan goes well and it hasn’t spread!! Know that I am working with Relay for Life trying and praying for and end to ALL cancers!!
Blessings 🙂
Beth God bless you! Thank you for the work you are doing to end cancer! Praise God!
Praying for you Andrea and your mom for a miraculous healing!
Sheree Thank you! Praying for you as well that our Lord, Jehovah Jireh will provide for you!
Please pray that I get the right job for the season I am in. I have parenting commitments and ministry commitments that are priority for me right now. Please pray that the Lord provides!
Heavenly Father please have mercy on Sheree and help her find a job.
Please pray for my daughter. She is being diagnosed as having a boarder line personality disorder. Please pray that she be healed. Pray also that our family will be healed. Mental disorders can shatter lives. However, nothing is too great for Jesus.
Dear Lord almighty Father – please reach out to Joan’s daughter and family, please bring peace to them all and surround Joan’s daughter with the proper help she needs to deal with this mental illness. May she feel loved in the dark times, to feel you my Lord, give her comfort and healing. In His Precious Name, Amen.
Thank you so much Jas. Some days I feel very lost. Im glad our Lord can see our tomorrows and will never leave us
Pray for me please. I need prayer for certain relationships, not to take offense, when to speak, when to be silent, when to let go. Pray also that won’t obsess over the hurt feelings and be able to freely forgive and walk with head held high in strength and dignity.
Heavenly Father please help Judy. Help her hear your guidance through the Holy Spirit. Forgiving is so very hard Lord, please grant her your mercy as she follows you knowing she is your precious daughter, A daughter of the King of Kings.
Please pray for my husband who lost his job last week when his company closed due to financial mismanagement. He is 61 years old and this is his third job loss in eight years. Being out of work really affects his sense of self worth, and he struggles with anxiety and depression. Both of his parents died suddenly within two weeks of each other last year, and he is still grieving.
Dear Lord, Please reveal your blessings for this family. Keep them in your grip, please continue to house, feed and clothe this family. Please show your love for Chris husband and keep all sadness in perspective, let him know you are there to soothe any anxieties and keep depression away. Help him to take this time to grieve the loss of his parents and please Lord create another job opportunity for him when it is your will, IJN Amen.
Oh Heavenly Father I pray for your mercy and grace for this man. I pray that your hand would direct his path. Oh Holy Spirit fill him with your courage and strength,,,peace and rest.
Please pray for me that the Lord will fix this carpal tunnel in my wrist, I ask that it will be short lived and He will heal me quickly without having to have an operation. Help me to become healthier in my body, mind and spirit and for the Lord to reveal his love and presence to this inconsistent daughter. Thank you.
I need prayer for everything. I feel my life is out of sorts and have no purpose. My health is poor to fair. I need help financially, in my relationships and especially a closer walk with God. Thank you.
Dear Lord,
Please watch over Cecily . Please keep her safe and secure in your arms through this time of uncertainty. We know all things are possible through Him who strengthens us. Please put situations, people and resources in her life that with bring her closer to you. Open her eyes and heart to resources presently available but unseen. We ask this in your name. Amen!
Please pray for a job opportunity for me. I will be 60 soon and need to work after years of being a stay home Mom. There is an opportunity that I will find out about at the end of the week please let this internship if I get it open up to a permanent position. We are managing after 4 year of unemployment for my husband but need the extra work from me to try and prepare for retirement maybe at 72. Also, please pray for healing for a child who feels we have been unfair. Asking this in your precious name…amen.
Lord please lift Lynny up. I pray Lord that you will show her a good job opportunity. Lord thank you for your faithfulness and grace
I would like a husband. I’m becoming weary of doing life alone. I would love to love and be loved. A companion to do God’s glory with. I am tired of dead ends and would love a miracle to happen.
I ask for prayer for my 13 YO daughter who is now questioning her faith & the beliefs of our church. And for me to do as God would have me do as she sorts it out. We are just escalating in our tempers as we navigate this along with the other teenage angsts – her identity in general, boys, hormones, school work, friendships, chores & respect of my answers to her requests, etc. This girl is just amazing, and my world, but I can’t seem to say or do the right things at all & it breaks my heart that she is questioning her faith & me.
Thank you all.
Abba, I thank you that you are with K in this and that you are strengthening her heart as she walks with you. Thank you for your peace that passes all understanding that is surrounding this family right now even when they can’t feel it and I pray that in the midst of this battle that they will draw close to you and become more aware of your presence as you draw in close to hold them and surround them with your love.
I’m praying for you to find faith to work through the teen stage the lord will guide you
Please pray for our special needs, adopted daughter, Michelle. She has always struggled developmentally but now is also struggling emotionally. My husband and I need discernment and people to come along side us in knowing how to best meet her needs. Blessings
A month ago, I found out my dad is not my biological father. I now have 9 other siblings that I didn’t know existed. I am still looking for my purpose in this situation, but would like prayer for my siblings, especially my brother to find Christ.
praying for you to have faith. the Lord will direct you in your path and purpose
Please pray for my health, and job where I would be able not to worry about my future. Thank you.
Praying for you
Thank you for your prayers. I appreciate them. Please also pray for my spiritual and financial situation, for God`s protection for my life. Often in my life I`m between the upper and nether millstone. So much worry, so many problems. Almost nobody to ease my burden. My mother was deceived by credit union. My heart both spiritual and physical is hurting.
I’m praying for Tetyana for health and your job. I’m praying for CMP to have faith the Lord will direct you in your path and purpose. I’m praying for Rachelle that her daughter and both mom and dad work through the teen stage using your faith to guide you! I’m asking for prayers that we trust the Lord’s direction for us during this hard time. Last week we were hit pretty hard with a lot of bad news/situations. We received a 60 day notice to move; our landlord is selling or home. My husband was arrested at work for something he did not do. After a lot of calls to family, lawyers and a bondsman he was let go 12 hours later. We have court Thursday to sort through this. And then my husband lost his job. Satan is working in him and around him. We need to not question but to have faith and trust. We have 3 littles at home, 8yr old, 19 month old and 8 month old. Please pray for me and my family.
I just prayed for you and your family, Sarah, and I will continue to pray. I can see God’s care for the deep things in your heart; I can see it in the desires he’s given you for faith and trust. I hope for those to be met, and for you receive every thing—big or small—that you need.
Thank you Ana! I need this. I appreciate you!
Could you pray that I would walk by faith in the fog I am in?
Lord, I thank you that you never leave us nor forsake us. I lift up Ana and thank you that you that you are a good God, that she can trust you, that you go before her and you ARE working everything out for good in her life. I pray that as she leans on you that she will feel the peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray Lord that you will surround her with people to encourage her and to mentor her. I pray Lord that she will see a blessing in every single day and know that you are with her. Amen.
Sorry Ann I’m just seeing this. Yes I’m praying for you. Please Lord help Anne in her journey right now, help her see and feel you Lord. Guide her through the fog and help her trust in you Lord.
Pray for a changed heart, need a joyful heart & positive attitude. I used to love God very much. Recently have a change in circumstances, feeling very disappointed in myself, others and God. know that God still loves me but cannot feel his love. Not sure if it is because of the depression that I have.
Yoyo – I can relate to everything you are saying. Dear Lord – I pray for this dear sister. I thank you that there is no condemnation and she doesn’t have to feel disappointed in herself – we can all only do the best we can. I thank you Lord that you can and will help her out of this pit. Lord I pray for good friends for her right now – that can speak truth and love and encouragement into her. Lord I pray for her heart and ask that it be open to receive everything you want to give her. I thank you Lord that you came so that we could live an abundant, joy-filled life and that you have a good plan for her life. Amen.
Could you please pray for me. I spend a lot of time ministering to other people and I am exhausted. It seems like no-one has had a conversation with me in months other than when they want something. I need to rest and refill and I need to know if this is God’s plan for my life and how to keep it all in balance. I need help to find my joy and laughter and some true friends for the journey.
My husband and I lived with his mother for years.. A very cramped situation, with us using the open dining room as our bedroom. Finally, in April of this year, we were able to get our own home.. A place where our boys could feel free and have their own spaces. My husband was temporarily laid off from work early October. This wasn’t a big deal as we expected it with his type of job and had planned for it. On October 21, he had a motorcycle accident. He broke his leg in two places and had surgery. Now he can no longer get unemployment since he isn’t physically able to work and we are struggling to get medical coverage in place as well as any other help we can get. His surgeon has said he’d be off work for a year.. I have a sonography degree but I work in a pregnancy center with full OB clinic, it’s a non-profit ministry so I don’t get paid what I would in a “regular” job and finding one of those, even to supplement, is proving to be quite taxing. Our utilities have been paid this month, but our rent is due in two weeks and it takes more than two of my checks to pay it, not to mention gas, etc I already have to pull out of my checks. We are at a loss at what to do. We will always be welcome to move back in to his mother’s home, but it is truly a toxic environment for all of us. We are desperate to find a way just to pay rent.. $550/month, that’s all I’m asking. The rest I can handle on my salary. My prayer request is that we find something to help us pay rent until he’s back on his feet again so we don’t have to put ours and our children’s lives in upheaval yet again. Also, that this situation will draw my husband closer to God and that we can learn something from all of this.
Thank you
Hello,
Three years ago my son met a girl we thought was the perfect girl. In fact, we could find absolutely nothing wrong with her. As a Mom who relies on Holy Spirit for discernment, this was unsettling for me because no one is perfect. I knew Nothing was wrong, but something was wrong.
Within one year after they began dating, cracks began to show. She began to verbally abuse my son in front of our family, correcting him, calling him stupid, telling him he didn’t need a second roll at dinner. My son would quickly change his behavior to suit her, like he was afraid of upsetting her.
I knew things weren’t right and my son did, too. He had talked about asking her to marry him but right before he did, he said he didn’t want to because she was abusive to him (he actually said, “She’s verbally abusive to me, Mom,” with such a downcast face) and later told his sister that she had even used intimidation to get him to buy the ring and set up the proposal, trip and all, in New York City. I begged him not to go through with it, but he did anyway. She even said to him, “You won’t go through with it. You don’t have the guts.” So much for romance.
Not long after the proposal, the physical abuse started. At 2:00 in the morning, in a drunken rage at a college party, she punched, scratched and kicked him, leaving bruises and bloody marks on him. My son, also intoxicated, was afraid she was going to leave him and started crying. She laughed at him and mocked him. And all of this took place in front of their friends. The police were called and she was able to act completely sober when they arrived. The police ended up asking my son if he “had a safe place to go” and offered him a ride back to his apartment. My daughter, who shared the apartment with our son but was home for the weekend, happened to see a post he put on FB about being punched in the face and getting a police escort home and she woke me up. I made her contact him, we found out what was going on, and my husband called him to tell him to come on home.
Although his heart was broken, he decided to break the engagement. But when he went to take the ring back and pick up his guitar and the paycheck he had left at her apartment, she somehow managed to talk him out of it and the engagement was not called off. That’s when things got really ugly. We had only begun to see the beginning of the manipulation and control, the chaos and division she would bring to our family and his life.
The first thing that happened was when my son told us he had something “big” he needed to share with us that “we weren’t going to like.” For things like this, we use our Christian counselor so that we are in a safe environment, she is able to keep the communication on topic, and Jesus has room to work. It’s a good thing we chose to do it there because Lindsey showed up to this family counseling session with my son, but our counselor, in her anointed wisdom, would not let her join our session since she was not a part of our family yet and did not have history with us. (That was a spiritual fight outside that doorway, to say the least, listening to her trying to manipulate her way over that threshold.)
In the session, my son announced to us, loudly and boldly, I suppose so that Lindsey could hear him through the door, that she had helped him realize that WE were the source of all of his problems. That we were the worst examples of parents he’d ever seen. That his father had never been there for him. That he would NEVER treat his kids the way we had treated him. He told us we should be ashamed of ourselves, of the terrible job we had done as parents and of the terrible example we had set for him of what marriage is supposed to look like.
We didn’t even know this girl. And furthermore, she knew nothing about us. We had raised our son in a Christian home, sent him to college, paid for his tuition, a nice apartment, all of his expenses. Ethan had worked summers and on Saturdays since he was 16, but his father and I had struggled so that I could stay at home with him and his sister. His Dad had worked very hard in his career to reach a well paying income that afforded us good vacations (cruises, Disney World, the Bahamas), and all that our family needed and most of what he and his sister wanted (computers, video games, iPhones). He had also been at all of his ballgames (I had been Team Mom for EVERYTHING he and his sister were involved in), had taken him hunting and fishing, had taught him how to fix cars, even helped him buy his first new car, the Camaro he wanted so badly, and had been making the payments for him, insurance and all, while he was in school. Yes, my husband and I had fought. Yes, we had had problems, sometimes really bad problems. But our son’s life had not been a bad one. In fact, he had been abundantly blessed, loved beyond measure by both of his parents and extended family, grew up hearing the Word of God, having regular conversations with me, his father and other family members about Jesus, knowing that His God loved him and that his Savior died so he could be free. Now he wasn’t.
But those lies she fed him about us were just the beginning. She soon convinced him to drop out of college just a few classes short of graduating with a degree in Physics and into living together in an apartment with her, something he knew we were always against. Since the moment she met him, she has managed to convince him to compromise every one of his ethical and moral beliefs. And, like her, he has become entitled, disrespectful, rude, unkind, selfish, and self-absorbed. Only focused on and only concerned about her. He worships her. His entire personality has changed. He is absolutely nothing like the boy we knew for 18 years.
As for the abuse, in the beginning, she would do things like leave my son at restaurants and he would call us from an hour away to come pick him up for a ride back to his apartment, but he would lie to try to cover for her, saying a friend left him. She would play mind games with him, telling him if he didn’t keep her “entertained,” she would “get bored and find someone else.” But she doesn’t limit her abuse, control and manipulation just to my son. She had a restraining order from her last boyfriend, has hit her own mother and within months of their first date, she began to demand apologies from each of our family members, one by one, for ridiculous, imagined slights. But, unlike our son who gave into her every demand, none of us would concede.
Everyone on our side of the family and, according to my daughter, most of their friends, believed their marriage was wrong. My husband, my mother, my daughter, and I all tried to tell him (with “truth in love”) before the wedding that this was not right, but he would not listen. We prayed for God to intervene and stop it, but it happened anyway. On their wedding day, she was drunk — she told my daughter, who was one of her bridesmaids, she had to have the 3 shots so she “could order to smile during the ceremony.”
We all tried to honor their vows once it went through, but the chaos and control and division escalated. He final demand was that we have two Thanksgivings and two Christmases because she didn’t like my mother, Ethan’s Grandmother, at whose home he had spent the better part of his life and whom he was very close to. (Every female in his life is a major threat to her.) My husband and I refused. He told my son we had worked very hard — even through a 2 week separation when he was 16 — to not be a divorced family and that we were not going to celebrate the Holidays as a divorced family. We would have one Holiday. One. He persisted on her behalf to demand separate gatherings. We would not acquiesce. On Christmas Eve, Lindsey unfriended me on Facebook and had Ethan do the same, having Ethan explain to me that “boundaries needed to be set.”
When the day itself came, they did show up briefly and gave my daughter a nice gift, my mother a very small gift, and gave me a token gift, but gave my husband a very, very nice gift and when he opened his gift, Lindsey was inappropriately showy and excited — not like a daughter-in-law at all — as she watched him open it, then talked to him about it and how she picked it out especially for him. It was really obvious. The whole family noticed that the glaring inequality in gifts and whole performance was clearly intended for me.
Now, just two years into their marriage, she has managed to separate him from all of his friends and everyone in his family. He was never allowed to visit without her and now isn’t allowed to visit at all. He has even blocked my number from his cell phone and instructed me to only send emails to their joint email account. He has not seen his other Grandmother, who is dying of Alzheimer’s, or been to any of our family gatherings since his wife made that decision. All of this is especially heartbreaking because my son and I have always been close and he has always loved being a part of our family Christmases and gatherings. In fact, the year before they started dating he had to be away at Christmas and he said to me, “I don’t ever want to be away from home at Christmas ever again.” And the very first year they were dating, she would not let him come to our house for Christmas because, as he told my mother at the time, who his then girlfriend/now wife was allowing him to have a relationship with then, “they needed to work on their relationship and they could not do that if he was around his parents.” That was only a little over 9 months into their relationship!!
We believe we are dealing with a Jezebel Spirit and that our son is oppressed by an Ahab Spirit. It has caused so much grief for me as his mother, to lose my only son whom I cherish to someone who does not cherish and treasure him, especially after having hopes of a Godly daughter-in-law who would love my son, build him up, and become part of our family, not try to tear them everything apart. And as his mother, I am the one who she feels most threatened by and, therefore, the primary target of her lies, accusations, and schemes.
But all of this has also disappointed his father, who expected so much more from his son as the leader and head of his own home and marriage. His sister, who was very close to her brother and even shared an apartment with him in college and witnessed first hand the beginning of this abusive relationship while they lived together, misses the close relationship she had with him. And it has broken his grandmother’s heart, who was still accustomed to seeing her grandson every weekend. We all feel like a thief has robbed us and enslaved a member of our family and we don’t know how to get him back.
We have interceded the best we know how, but none of us have ever encountered this Jezebel Spirit before. She has proven to be the most controlling, manipulative, hateful, greedy, entitled, unforgiving, spiteful person I have ever known and the only person I have ever been afraid of.
I recently sent my son an email telling him how much I love him and filled it with scripture. In case he was not able to see the truth before I left this world or decided to never reconcile with me, I just wanted him to know how much I loved him. Because children are children, but parents love them no matter what. Nowhere in the letter did I mention his wife or past conflicts or anything negative at all. It was all entirely about my love for him. The next day I received an email from his wife that left me physically shaking. It was evil, accusatory, full of lies about me and what a bad mother I was, how toxic I was to my son and how bad he felt when he was around me…and it was all about her. Her importance, her place, her power to take him away from me, telling me they were moving out of the house he had chosen to build just 5 minutes from us to a home near her family, away from me. She made a point of letting me know that, in the end, she had walked away with everything. I did not respond to her email. I know the battles we fight are not flesh and blood. This one certainly is not.
I have struggled with hate, unforgiveness, grief, disappointment in God for not stopping this, and so much more. And I have very little faith our family will ever be whole again. I still pray for my daughter-in-law’s salvation — we raised our son to be a Christian, in a strong Christian home, praying for one another, laying hands on one another, with Jesus at the very center of our home and our daily lives. In the email she sent me, she told me he is preparing to be baptized into her faith, Catholicism. Our son has always had very strong convictions — knowing what I know after our many talks with him concerning different faiths, I simply cannot understand his decision to convert.
So, while I do pray for her salvation (I cannot believe her profession to be a Christian), I do NOT pray for her reconciliation to our family, but instead, freedom for my son from her bondage and abuse. I plead the blood of Jesus over the situation and dispatch warring Angels to their home to engage the evil principalities reigning in it. I pray for the scales to fall from my son’s eyes and for him to see the truth. I pray for God to expose the lies and shine a light on the wickedness and evil. I intercede on my knees. I ask my friends to pray for me.
I don’t know what else to do. I guess I need prayer for faith…and that the jar He saves my tears in will actually hold them all.
Thank you to whomever takes the time to read all of this.
Kim Smith
castlekeep_1066@yahoo.com
Please pray for protection, safety, and God’s shield around me at work- especially over a very stressful situation last week.
That God would be near and keep me from harm. Thank you