the power of prayer to change your marriage

so i've been reading a lot. i mean, a lot! i've never been a huge reader but lately i've had the time and the drive to read. a book i just finished was called "the power of prayer to change your marriage" by stormie omartian. i had heard of her "power of a praying..." series but never read any of them. this book just jumped out to me.

it was an excellent book and i think i have over half of it underlined! each chapter covered an different area that marriages can face. the topics included:

Communication
Anger, Rudeness, Abuse
Forgiveness
Depression/Negative Emotions
Children
Finances
Additions/Destructive Behaviors
Outside Influences
Hardness of Heart
Priorities
Divorce
Infidelity
Leaving Home
Needing a Miracle

each chapter was filled with incredible truth and jam packed with scripture to back up those truths. regardless of your marital status, it is a powerful book that can change your relationship...and the Lord knows, we all need to change!

here are some of the nuggets of wisdom i gleaned.

-it is not only about praying through struggles to find healing, restoration, and change. it is also about praying to prevent these struggles from ever developing into anything serious in the first place.

-getting married is just the very beginning of your relationship. being married frees you to feel secure enough to let your true self show-for better or for worse-so you can see where you need God's healing and transformation. staying married depends on you both being able to communicate with one another.

-forgiveness doesn't make the other person right; it makes you free.

-God has given you a way out of them (situations) through the power of prayer, praise, His Word, His presence, and His love. bask in all that until you are free. and don't lose hope. be confident of this, that "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6) God won't give up on you, so don't give up on yourself or your spouse.

-any secret life of lust grieves the Holy Spirit. it makes a mockery out of a Savior who laid down His life so that we can escape sin and its consequences. it's as if He set you free in vain because you don't want what He died to give you. it offends God when His children choose to open up to that which separates them from Him.

-when you keep your marriage vows, God stands behind your marriage. that's why your prayers for the preservation and strengthening of your relationship have such power. they are already God's will before you even speak them. praying puts God's will into action. it means God's power will stand against any enemy you face-whether the enemy comes from the outside or it is actually one or both of you.

-because God is a God of miracles, He can bring back what has been lost or resurrect what has died. the greatest thing you can do while waiting for your miracle is to let the joy of the Lord rise in your heart.

WOW! some powerful statements there. it's a challenging book! definitely a read for those who are looking for God's best in their relationship.

selah