Prayer Strategy #4 – Family
Step 1. Watch This Week’s Video by Priscilla
Step 2. Review the Lesson Below
Step 3. Join the Group Discussion
Join Us in Person – Join our group discussion on the first and Third Thursday of every month July 18th through Dec 5th from 7:30 am to 9:00 am CT at:
Salem United Methodist
1200 S Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63131
Join Us Virtually – Join our group discussion on the first and Third Thursday of every month July 18th through Dec 5th from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm CT via Zoom video conference call.
Our marriage is very special to God. It is a living example of Christ’s relationship and deep love for us—His bride. Our marriage is a symbol of covenant, love, and unity. There are few things the enemy hates more. He would love nothing more than to destroy our marriages and family. He uses strife, discord, disunity, and poor communication to destroy the testimony of Christ in our home.
“If I were your enemy, I’d seek to disintegrate your family and destroy every member of it. I’d want to tear away at your trust and unity and turn everyone’s love inward on themselves. I’d make sure your family didn’t look anything like it’s supposed to. Because then people would look at your Christian marriage, your Christian kids, and see you’re no different, no stronger than anybody else – that God, underneath it all, really doesn’t change anything. ”
— Fervent By Priscilla Shirer
Key Scriptures: Ephesians 5:22-33 Review the Amplified version of this scripture.
Key Points:
“So when you and I begin feeling pressure and tension and splintering and conflict at home, when little trifling things start bunching together to become this one big thing – when nitpicking turns into bickering; the bickering into outbursts; the outbursts into rude, below-the-belt unkindness and bitterness; the bitterness into slow, seething pullbacks of silence and isolation – these things bear all the marks of an outside enemy.”
— Fervent By Priscilla Shirer
Our Family
Instead of trying to change each other, we need to focus on allowing God to change us.
One of the biggest areas the enemy will cause discord is over the topic of submission.
Individual Journaling Activity (This will not be shared with anyone):
- (Skip if you are not married)List out the areas where you are struggling in your marriage. Get it all out. Be honest. You will not be asked to share this with anyone. But if you want to see victory in your home, you must be willing to go to hard places in your heart. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be praying fervent, specific prayers that defeat the enemy. This may take some time; don’t rush.
- (Skip if you do not have children)List their strengths and weaknesses of your children. List the areas where you currently see them struggling. List out your desires for their future.
- If you have other family relationships where there is disunity, begin listing each family member.
- if you desire to be married or have children, take the opportunity to begin praying for those relationships for the future. List out the qualities you want for your marriage or the characteristics you desire for your future children. Be specific.
Prayer Strategy
Write Your Prayer:Use your prayer cards and write a prayer asking God to heal and bless your family!
Here are some scriptures you might consider adding into your prayer strategy for family:
- Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)
- Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
- Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)
- You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 1 Peter 1:22 (NLT)
- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 (ESV)
- Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
- Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10 (NLT)
