Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage (20 page)

This is the Scripture God has called me (Dineen) to pray for my husband. I personalize it by praying, “Lord, You make everything beautiful in its time, and I know You are doing that in my husband’s heart and life. You have set eternity in our
hearts, and I ask that You awaken a yearning for Your eternity in my husband’s heart.”

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you, _____________, with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, ___________, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you, __________, may befilled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:14-19)
.

A woman who had been spiritually mismatched for more than 12 years prayed this for her husband every day. I (Dineen) have used it frequently since.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you, _____________, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you, _____________, may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you, _____________, may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:17-19)
.

This is a great prayer not only for our husbands but also for our loved ones, as are the following prayers from our readers.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his life, and he shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Ps. 23:6). [Bridget]

But blessed is the man who trusts in the L
ORD
, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit (Jer. 17:7-8). [Tracy]

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Rom. 12:2). [Rosheeda]

Finally, _____________, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you, _____________, can take your stand against the devil’sschemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you, _____________, may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you, _____________, can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Eph. 6:10-18). [Stacy]

For I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and
relied on), and I am (positively) persuaded that he is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed (to him) until that day (2 Tim. 1:12, AMP)
.

I know this Scripture isn’t talking about this, but I like to think that the Lord entrusted me with my husband . . . and as I commit him back to God, He will guard and keep him safe until he comes to the realization of the truth. [Karen]

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matt. 16:18)
.

Lynn and Dineen, I am a wife of almost 34 years who has walked through a marriage road littered with explosive land mines, but because God is faithful, He and I were able to overcome my husband’s drug/alcohol/pornography addictions, a long-term affair with another woman, and my husband’s emotional, verbal and financial abuse and unrelenting controlling nature.
We
are now on the other side of this! And have been for several years now. My husband loves the Lord and spends much time in Bible study, seeking godly relationships in church and prayer. Our story is truly a miracle. Our four wonderful grown children have forgiven him and have a healthy relationship with him. I claimed many, many Scriptures through the years, but the one I still use and hold onto every day is based upon the principal of Matthew 16:18. The words are slightly different, but this is what I say and claim in Jesus’ name: “
Upon the Lord I have built my life, my home, and my marriage and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Not this day.”
God is sovereign, merciful and faithful, and it is only because of
Him
that I have a life being rebuilt on His foundation. He is truly restoring to us the years the locust ate away. [Cathy]

The following are Scripture prayers that you can use to plead for the salvation of lost people. Each prayer is based on Scripture and can help you offer powerful intercession for those who need the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
¹

Father, in the name of Jesus, I plead that You will draw ________to Jesus Christ in true faith and repentance (John 6:44)
.

In the name of Jesus, I ask You, Father, to quicken ___________who is dead in sins and trespasses (Eph. 2:1)
.

Father, I ask You to bind and remove Satan’s work in _______’s life and to open _______________’s eyes to the truth of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4)
.

Holy Spirit, I pray that You would convince _____________that he/she is lost, separated from God, and headed to hell (Rom. 3:23)
.

Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, I pray that You would destroy any false ideas that _______________ has about Jesus Christ and salvation through Him (Prov. 14:12)
.

Lord Jesus, I plead that You will seek out ________________and save him/her from his/her sins and eternal condemnation (Luke 19:10)
.

Father, I pray that You will open ________________’s heart so that he/she will receive and believe the gospel (Acts 16:14)
.

Holy Spirit, I ask You through Your power and __________’s circumstances to prepare him/her to hear and receive the Word of God (Matt. 13:1-9,18-23)
.

Holy Spirit, I plead that ______________ will understand the gospel when it is presented to him/her so that the devil cannot snatch it away (Matt. 13:5,9)
.

Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, I plead that the Word of God will take root in ____________’s life and bring about true salvation in ____________’s life (Matt. 13:6,20-21)
.

Father, I ask that the pleasures of this world and the pressures of life will not choke the Word of God that has been sown into _______________’s life (Matt. 13:7,22)
.

Father, I plead that You will deliver ________________from the kingdom of darkness and place ________________ into the kingdom of Your dear Son (Col. 1:13)
.

Father, I pray that _______________ will receive the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord (Rom. 6:23)
.

Lord Jesus, I ask that _________________ will not trust in himself/herself, but that ________________ will completely trust in You as his/her Savior and Lord (Gal. 2:16)
.

Holy God, I pray that You would grant genuine repentance to ______________________, a repentance that will cause him/her to hate sin and to turn from it (Acts 11:8; Luke 13:1-3)
.

Lord God, I plead that You would grant ________________genuine faith, a faith that trusts in Jesus alone and surrenders to Him as Lord and Savior (Eph. 2:8-10)
.

Holy Spirit, I pray that You would stir _______________ out of his/her indifference and complacency concerning his/her condition and his/her need of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 6:2)
.

I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that ______________ would surrender himself/herself to the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 14:9)
.

Father, I pray that You will send people continually into ________________’s life who will share the gospel with him/her (Rom. 10:14)
.

Father, I plead in the name of Jesus that You will put a new heart in ________________ and that You will place Your Holy Spirit in him/her (Jer. 42:30; Ezek. 11:19-20)
.

Holy Spirit, I pray that You will cause _________________to hate sin and that You will break the power of those sins that are hindering him/her from coming to Christ (Mark 9:43-47)
.

Lord Jesus, I ask that _______________ would surrender to You, denying himself/herself, take up the Cross, and follow You (Luke 9:23)
.

Father, I plead that _____________ will understand that his/her only hope for forgiveness and acceptance with You is through Jesus’ work on the Cross (1 Cor. 1:18)
.

Father, I pray that _____________ would not neglect the glorious salvation that is available through Your Son (Heb. 2:1-3)
.

Lord Jesus, I pray that ________________ will feel and know the burden of his/her sin and will come to You for forgiveness and salvation (Matt. 11:28-30)
.

Father, I plead that _________________ will make a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of his/her life (Luke 14:24-33)
.

Lord Jesus, I plead that ____________________ will not be content with the appearance of righteousness but will seek You for the transformation of his/her whole life (Matt. 23:27-29)
.

Father, I pray that ___________________ will see that his/her good works are as filthy rags in Your sight and that they will not save him/her (Isa. 64:6)
.

Father, I ask that _______________ would believe and trust Your Son that You sent to be the Savior of sinners (John 5:24)
.

Lord Jesus, I ask that _______________ would not die in his/her sins but would trust You and receive eternal life (John 8:24)
.

Because You came into the world to save sinners, I plead with You to save _____________, who is a sinner and in need of Your grace and mercy (1 Tim. 1:13-16)
.

Holy Spirit, I pray that You would humble ______________so that he/she sees his/her need of Jesus Christ (Ps. 18:27; Prov. 8:13,29:23)
.

Another way you can intercede for lost people is by praying through the following questions. These questions deal with the most basic issues of life. By praying for these items, the lost person can be prepared to hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1.
Why:
Ask God to cause this person to wonder why they reject Jesus Christ and His salvation. Call on Him to show this person the foolishness of rejecting Christ and of living life without Him.

2.
What:
Ask God to cause the person to start asking the question, “What is the purpose of my life?” Plead with God to plant in his or her heart an urgency concerning this question.

3.
When:
Pray that God will grant this person an emptiness of heart. Ask God to show them that sin and selfishness will not satisfy. Call on God to cause this person to start asking the questions, “When will I really be free? When can I find true peace and hope?”

4.
Whom:
Pray that God will cause this person to doubt all the lies that he or she has concerning Christianity. Call on God to cause the person to ask, “Whom can I trust? In whom can I find hope?”

5.
How:
Plead that God will plant this question in the heart of the person, “How can I cope with my problems?” Pray that God will grant hopelessness in the heart of this person. Ask God to show this person that he or she cannot cope in his or her own power or strength. Pray that he or she will be forced to look to God.

6.
Where:
Call on God to cause this person to contemplate the question, “Where will I go when I die?”

Pray these Scriptures for yourself, or just read them and affirm that God is truly the wild-hope maker. Our greatest asset aside from our salvation is our hope. Keep it alive and strong so that the enemy’s darts will bounce off your shield of faith.

But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you (Ps. 39:7)
.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God (Ps. 42:11)
.

Show me the path where I should walk, O L
ORD
; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you (Ps. 25:4-5, NLT)
.

No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame (Ps. 25:3)
.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love (Ps. 33:18)
.

Remember your promise to me, for it is my only hope (Ps. 119:49, NLT)
.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the L
ORD
. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11, NLT)
.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Rom. 5:5)
.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4)
.