Hello beautiful and welcome to day seven.

Every year, from January, I observe and take note of things happening in marriages around me. Some things I learn, somethings I cry about and somethings I wonder why. When I hear stories of happenings in some marriages, sometimes I don’t have an answer to give the wife telling me because, I don’t know what to say.

Marriage is to be enjoyed and not endured. Marriage is one where the wife should enjoy the protection of the husband not be protected from him. There are so many christian wives that are being abused in their marriages. Some women in a bid to protect face have remained in abusive marriages.

Today we would be praying against all forms of abuse in marriages.

Single and Engaged joining in this challenge, please pray, your life depends on this.

PRAYER POINTS

Genesis 29:27,28 ERV – Continue for the full week of the marriage ceremony, and I will also give you Rachel to marry. But you must serve me another seven years.” So Jacob did this and finished the week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

A man who loves his wife will go the extra mile for her. Jacob worked another seven years because he loved Rachel. He didn’t just go away after he was tricked. Rachel to him was work every sweat he was going to put in for those seven years.

• [Husband’s name], I pray for you today that when life aims at you so hard, your love for me will keep you going. When you have to do extra, you will happily do extra because you love me. Lord I declare upon this altar today that circumstances of life, unfavorable situations and challenges will never evaporate the love my husband has for me. For me, he will stay strong, for me he will press on, for me he will face the challenges and you oh Lord will give us the victory in Jesus name.

A natural man would hold those seven years of extra labor over the wife’s head and any little thing she does, he would remind her of how much he had to work to get her. This is called emotional blackmail. We have this happening in homes and it is not good, it is not Christlike.

• [Husband’s name], when challenges come and you have to labor more because of me, I pray that you will selflessly do it and not hold it over my head. Instead whenever you remember, you will share of how much you love me and how your love for me encouraged you. I pray your love for me is not circumstantial. I pray your love for me is as described in 1 Corinthians 13.

I remember the story of King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther. He was drunk and listened to his so called experts and sent his wife – the queen – out of the palace because she refused to go him him when he sent for her in his drunk state. Some of you, your husband was all you dreamed of. in fact the first few weeks or months, everything was so fine. Then suddenly, he started listening to some so called “marriage experts” and started changing towards you. He starts to get offended at every little thing.

Esther 1:12 ERV – But when the eunuchs told Queen Vashti about the king’s command, she refused to come. Then the king was very angry. It was the custom for the king to ask the advice of the experts about the law and punishments. So King Xerxes spoke with the wise men who understood the laws. They were very close to the king.

Vs. 19,21 ERV – “So if it pleases the king, here is a suggestion: Let the king give a royal command and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media. The laws of Persia and Media cannot be changed. The royal command should be that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Let the king also give her royal position to someone else who is better than she is. The king and his important officials were happy with this advice, so King Xerxes did as Memucan suggested.

• Father, every friend or “expert marriage counselor” to my husband who is a bad influence in his life, I send an eternal scissors to cut off the ties that bind them. I ask today that any friendship that exist now or is scheduled to exist in the future that will affect the peace and stability of my home, Lord dissolve them and make them strangers to my husband in the name of Jesus.

• [Husband’s name], I plant in your life, godly advisers who will tell you how to treat me in a good way. Friends, Counselors, Advisers that would tell you how to love me better. Friends that would fight for me when you think less of me. Godly friends who will call you up on your acts when you are acting non-Christlike.

When Mary was pregnant with our Lord Jesus, Joseph found out and because he was a good man, he wanted to divorce her secretly. God saw what he was planning to do and sent an angel to him to tell him not to. In every marriage, there is or will be a time when we would do something to offend our husband. Sometimes these offences may be unintentional and sometimes they may be intentional to get attention. A man that fears the Lord will be able to handle it through the help of God, but a natural man can snap and react in a way that we as wives will wonder, “What did I even do? Was it just this thing?”

Matthew 1:20,24 NCV – While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife.

• Father, send your sweet calm and peaceful spirit to my husband ahead of me for the times when I would unintentionally step on his toes. I receive an understanding and tolerant spirit for him for those days when I would offend my husband. [Husband’s name], I pray that the Love of God will always rule your heart everyday of our lives and you will be forgiving of every of my offenses in the name of Jesus.

Boaz protected the identity of Ruth when she went to the threshing floor that night as directed by her mother-in-law Naomi. For some women, they do a little thing and their husbands are quick to embarrass them and it can be so traumatic when the one person who should protect you doesn’t.

Ruth 3:8-15 NCV – About midnight Boaz was startled and rolled over. There was a woman lying near his feet! Boaz asked, “Who are you?” She said, “I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me, because you are a relative who is supposed to take care of me.”…So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too dark to recognize anyone. Boaz thought, “People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor.” So Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring me your shawl and hold it open.”So Ruth held her shawl open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on her head and went back to the city.

• Father, anything in my husband that makes him to snap and be quick to embarrass me when I make a little mistake, I ask that you remove it from him in the name of Jesus. [Husband’s name], I declare that you will be considerate with me and patient with me and understanding with me in Jesus name.

Some husbands don’t know how to correct their wives, so they result to abusive methods. Some attack the self esteem of the wife, shout her down and make her feel like nobody or someone who they are doing a favor. The bible admonishes to correct in love.

• [Husband’s name], when I err and you have to correct me, I declare that you will use constructive words, building worlds, edifying words. You will correct me lovingly and positively in the name of Jesus. I declare that the Holy Spirit screens your every word and only that which is acceptable to the Lord comes out of your mouth in the name of Jesus.

Lastly, Ephesians 5:28 NCV – In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself.

• Lord I pray for [husband’s name] that he will love me as part of himself and will cause or bring me to no harm in Jesus name.

DECLARATIONS

• I decree and declare, you [husband’s name] are patient with me and kind to me always. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
• I decree and declare, you [husband’s name] does not keep scores of my wrong doings. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
• I decree and declare, you [husband’s name] are aligned with wise friends. (Proverbs 13:20)
• I decree and declare, you [husband’s name] will love me every day better than the day before. (1 Corinthians 13:8)

All these I have declared in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!!!

Thanks for staying with us on this challenge. See you tomorrow.

God bless you.

It’s day five here on the beautiful wife prayer challenge.

Today we will be praying for a HEALTHY LONG LIFE.

Personally, I pray about this as much as I pray for any other thing. Not just for long life, not just for health but for a long life that is healthy. I’m sure if I ask who wants same for their husbands, everyone present here would raise not just one hands but both hands.

For many of you who will be joining in this prayer today, your answer will come from a change to your lifestyle. The bible made us to understand that Faith without works is dead. We can’t pray for a healthy long life and then your daily lifestyle is one that doesn’t promote health.

Early on in my marriage, I knew deep within me I needed to make some changes to my husband’s diet. Even though he loved juicing and having smoothies, he never liked eating vegetables and some other healthy things. Getting him to change was difficult. So after praying about it, I went to him and asked him how much he loved me. After saying how much, I told him how much I needed him to be healthy and live to a ripe old age with me. This was the turning point for us.

I shared this story with you so you know that beyond praying, there is work that needs to be done as well.

3 John 1:2 TLB – Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is.

PRAYER POINTS

It is so easy to assume that because we are sound and fine spiritually, other areas of our lives don’t need so much attention. But 3 John 1:2 tells of the prayer of John the apostle to Gaius. He knew that for the spiritually sound man to remain relevant in this world, he needed to be well physically and mentally. He needed to be healthy.

• [Husband’s name], I pray for you today that as you pay so much attention to other areas of your life, you will not forget to pay attention to “yourself.” God wants you hale and healthy, I want you hale and healthy, our children want you hale and healthy. So I pray for you today that a realization happens and you choose to live healthily from this moment on in Jesus name.

1 Corinthians 6:19,20 CEB – Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don’t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don’t belong to yourselves? You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body.

Let’s see it this way. You give someone a very expensive designer bag and put some clean dollar bills in them. This person doesn’t care and fills the bag will all sort of dirt and rubbish. How would you feel seeing this? Bad right? How about God who gave you a precious body and all you fill it with, is junks upon junks upon junks.

• Father, on behalf of [husband’s name] and I, we are sorry for the way we’ve handled this body you gave us. We are sorry Lord for not appreciating this body you paid for and gave us free of charge. From today Lord, we will honor our bodies, we will feed our bodies, we will clean up our bodies with that which will make us whole, healthy and well in Jesus name.

For anyone who is sick or has a sick husband here as a result of bad choices, let us please pray together for them

• Lord, I lift up as many sick wives or husbands(to beautiful wives) who are participating in this challenge. Let your healing hand come upon them. I pray that whether this sickness was as a result of their choices or of natural cause, you heal them and make them whole again. These are your children Lord and they love and obey you. You said in your word in Deuteronomy 7: 12 and then verse 15 that if we pay attention to your laws and follow them, You oh God will keep your covenant of love to us. You said that You will keep us free from every disease. And for this we pray oh Lord that you keep your covenant of Love to these ones in Jesus name. I declare that there is healing flowing from Calvary to them wherever they are and they are whole from the crown of their heads to the sole of their feet in the name of Jesus.

Romans 12:1 CEB – So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service.

Ideally, when you want to bring a sacrifice to God, you bring your best of best and not a sickly one or one that is about to be sick. In general, you bring a clean animal to offer. If we were to look upon you through a microscope, will we find you clean enough to be a sacrifice or we will find you sickly. For this, we pray for ourselves and our husbands.

• [Husband’s name], from today, you and I will be a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. I declare that we will make healthier choices no matter how inconvenient or hard they make seem. Every time the Lord looks upon us, he will be happy and pleased with us in Jesus name.

Genesis 1:29 CEB – Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food.

If we want to look at this verse literally, we can say, God wants us to eat fruits and vegetables.

• [Husband name], you and I will make better choices regarding what we eat, what we drink and what we feed our bodies in general. Lord, fine tune our taste buds to love these rich provision you have made available to us in the food you’ve created for us in Jesus name.

For many of us, we are the enforcers of healthier habits in the home and we sort of get panicky when we are not there to enforce such. While this is sometimes not our fault, it would be gladdening to know that our husbands will always make a better choice as regards their health even in our absence.

• Father, I give you permission today to redirect my husbands choices when he is away to those that are healthy. Whether I am there or not, he will choose life and health over a moment of unhealthy enjoyment in the name of Jesus.

• Lord as we make lifestyle changes regarding our healthy, I pray that you preserve our lives and help us to stay committed to it. We will not fall sick  and even when we do, the balm in Gilead will be available to us and we will come to a full recovery in the name of Jesus.

DECLARATIONS

I want you to make some personal declarations regarding your health and life. Write them down and let them serve as a reminder of your part to play as God plays his path in fulling his word regarding your health.

It was nice praying with you today again.

Tomorrow, we will be interceding on behalf of those who have sent in their request.

I want to mention that you can pray these prayers over and over again. Even after praying these points and you are still lead to pray more, please do pray. I have found out that when we pray for people other than ourselves, we pray more.

See you tomorrow by the grace of God.

God bless you.

Welcome to Day three of this prayer challenge.

Today, I wanted us to pray about something totally different but God would have us pray about something else and that we would do.

You see, when God created Man, God made everything man would need to survive first. Food, Water, Job and also a Home – Garden of Eden. You may wonder, what is Phebe talking about. Well you see, the original plan of God at creation was for man to be “Responsible”. After God had created all things (man inclusive), it was then He created woman. Let me take you back to creation a little bit. (Genesis 3:16-19) Within those verses, God said to woman, you will be ruled my man. Some other versions said, man would be your master. Invariably, it means before the fall, man and woman were equal, woman was a partner, an ally, a companion, someone who could work with man. But after the fall, woman became a subordinate to man. Man was meant to provide and fend for woman.

So while we are to still assist our husbands, support them, bear children, we are meant to be provided for. Because, when man fell, God’s punishment to man was for him to work. The equality that was, was reversed; and as far as the word of God is concerned, It remains so. Remember, heaven and earth will pass away but the word of God will remain.

Now for some reason, we now have three categories of women. Those who have acquired the role as head of the home, those who have acquired the role as “slave” of the home and those who are partners, allies, while still being a “subordinate.”

For situations beyond our controls, some women have had to wear the belt of breadwinner and this got into their head. So even now that their husbands are fine and okay to run the home, they still see themselves as head. The other category of women are those who unconsciously enables their husbands laziness. The husband doesn’t want to do anything to provide but wants to control what is being provided with little to no regard for the provider. Now the last category of women are those whose husbands provide and welcomes their contributions with gratitude and even supports their quest to become better in every area of their lives, but these women still know their place – as not the head. (This is the category we should all belong to)

Are you in Category 1 or 2 today? This will have to change. How about those in category 3? Just before you say these prayer is not for me, You will want to reconsider praying to not fall into Category 1 or 2.

PRAYER POINTS.

1 Timothy 5:8 EXB –  Whoever does not care for his own relatives [own], especially his own family members, has turned against [denied; rejected] the faith and is worse than someone who does not believe in God [an unbeliever].

• I pray for [husband’s name], all the times you have being an unbeliever according to the word of the Lord, I ask for mercy on your behalf and I receive mercy in full on your behalf. I pay for you today that God will open your eyes to see what you have become by not providing for us. Every spirit of laziness that has taken hold of you and caused you not to see that you are meant to be providing for us, I cast that spirit out of you through the power in the name of Jesus.

Its one thing for the spirit of laziness to leave a man, but it can return if he doesn’t get busy. For some of you, you have enabled this habit for so long simply because “you want to keep your home.” If I may ask, “are you really keeping your home? How many times have you, under your breath, out of frustration “cursed” your husband for allowing you suffer.” It’s time we ask God to put fire in his bosom, in his bones, and in his mind.

• Father, I take back my rightful place as one my husband is meant to be providing for. [Husband’s name], I put fire in your bosom, in your bones and in your mind. From today, this moment, begin to burn with ideas, burn with great desire to work and provide for us. I declare that the scales are fallen off your eyes and at dawn the bed becomes uncomfortable for you to sleep in and the chairs become uncomfortable for you to sit in while I am out working.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10 EXB –  … [For] You yourselves know that you should live as we live [follow our example; imitate us]. [Because] We were not ·lazy [idle; undisciplined] when we were with you. And when we ate another person’s food [bread], we always paid for it. We worked very hard [with labor and toil] night and day so we would not be an expense [financial burden] to any of you. We had [It was not because we do not have] the right to ask you to help us, but we worked to take care of ourselves so we would [in order to] be an example for you to follow [imitate]. [For even] When we were with you, we gave you this rule [instruction; command]: “Anyone who refuses [is not willing] to work should not eat.”

• I declare that you will not feel comfortable spending the hard earned money I bring in when you have contributed nothing. For all the years I have labored, I receive my reward Lord. I receive my reward Lord. I receive my reward Lord. I decree that this time next year I will share of how I have had to make a choice whether to work or not because you [husband’s name] has taken full-on your designed role as provider for our family.

Now, I’ll want you to pray a selfish prayer irrespective of the category you fall under.

Colossians 3:19 AMP – Husbands, love your wives [with an affectionate, sympathetic, selfless love that always seeks the best for them] and do not be embittered or resentful toward them [because of the responsibilities of marriage].

• Lord, from now till when my husband begins to provide for our family, I declare upon this altar that He will appreciate me, He will love me, He will be everything to me. He will think highly and speak highly of me. I refuse any thing less that a loving treatment for my hard work.

We know some women are financially, in better standing than their husbands and due to this, their husbands don’t have so much say in the marriage. The fact that they can pay the bills and do so much has made them become a pain in the life of their husbands.

• Father, I am sorry for looking down on my husband. I am sorry for disrespecting my husband and making him feel like nothing. I am sorry for exalting myself to become the man of my home because you have blessed me. I am sorry for using the blessings you have given me as a weapon. Lord have mercy on me. Have mercy Lord. Today I make the choice to be a blessing off of the blessings you have give to me freely. Today Lord, I submit to your correction. Please work on me. I come down from my high horse and I ask that you please help me embrace a humble spirit in Jesus Name.

Now some women have not only rubbed it in their husbands nose on how much they contribute a large portion to the purse, they have gone on to tell friends, families and even the whole word. Just imagine being a man in those shoes.

Proverbs 12:4 CEV – A helpful wife is a jewel for her husband, but a shameless wife will make his bones rot.

• Lord, I pray for me today that you help me to be a supportive wife and helpful wife. I pray that I will be submissive to the authority of God through my husband over me. Where it is I have brought shame and disgrace to my husband and my family and to you oh Lord, I ask for your mercy and I ask that you soften my husbands heart to forgive me.

• Lord I pray that you who made my husband my provider, will continue to provide for him. I pray that you open many more doors and windows of opportunity that we will not lack or have want for anything. Give my husband and myself uncommon ideas and wisdom and knowledge to execute them. For every work we do, immediate blessings and continuous blessing we receive in Jesus name.

DECLARATIONS

• I decree and declare, our businesses, our work and all that we lay our hand on to do are successful. (Deuteronomy 28:3-10)
• I decree and declare, my God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Even our wants are supplied and met. (Philippians 4:19)
• I decree and declare, we have so much and are blessed on every side that we have enough to share. (2 Corinthians 9:10,11)
• I decree and declare, the favor of the Lord is upon us and we prosper in every way. (Psalm 90:17)
• I decree and declare, as the Lord blesses and prosper us, we will enjoy the blessings of God in joy and peace. (Proverbs 10:22)
• I decree and declare, my husband is a provider and he has all that he needs to continually provide for us.
• I decree and declare, whether I contribute plenty or little, my contributions are a blessing to my husband and my family and to you my God.

All these we decree and declare in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!!!

Finally, Deuteronomy 28: 12 – The Lord will open the storehouses of the skies where he keeps the rain, and he will send rain on your land at just the right times. He will make you successful in everything you do. You will have plenty of money to lend to other nations, but you won’t need to borrow any yourself.

Thank you for joining in today. See you tomorrow.

God bless you all.