Be a Light on Halloween Night!

It’s the time of year our prayers and the light of Christ can make a very special difference in our communities. Though Keith and I do not celebrate Halloween, we are intentional on October 31^st. We pray, our porch light goes on, and we give away goodies AND a fun bookmark—on one side there is an interesting animal fact, and on the back it says “Our family prayed for your family”, along with a Scripture. To get your FREE printable bookmarks (created by my daughter-in-law, Audrey Gillies) PLEASE CLICK HERE. 

 She’s also offering a nice little sign to print out and display near your door that reads “Thanks for stopping by! Please let us know if we can pray for you!” Obviously that’s optional, but imagine the conversations that will happen (and hopefully the prayers). To visit her website and get all of your FREE printables, CLICK HERE.

 It’s my fervent hope that you will join us as we share the light of Jesus on Halloween—more people ring our doorbell that night than any other day of the year, so let’s “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:16). It is also our sincere desire that every child and family member who shows up at our door to trick-or-treat will sense God’s peace and that their hearts will be touched by the verse and the fact that we prayed for them. Just think how many little lives we can touch and bless through our prayers and these sweet little bookmarks. 

A PRAYER FOR HALLOWEEN NIGHT

 Lord, I pray Your blessing over every child and person who comes to my door today. Lord, may they sense Your peace. Please stir and soften their hearts. Bring godly friends into their lives and put books and materials into their hands that will lead them to You. May each child (and person) who comes to my door tonight come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 May they walk in light, embrace Your truth, and experience Your love for themselves. May they know their future is in Your hands (Psalm 31:15), and always take delight in You, Lord (Psalm 37:4). May they understand what is just, right, and fair, and find the right way to go (Proverbs 2:9). May wisdom enter their hearts and knowledge fill them with joy (Proverbs 2:10). May wise choices watch over them and understanding keep them safe (Proverbs 2:11).  Lord, show them Your unfailing love in wonderful ways (Psalm 17:7a) all the days of their lives. It is in the precious name of Jesus that I ask these things, knowing You are good and You are able, Amen.

Did you know that I have devotional and prayer videos on YouTube? Below are my two community focused prayers. Subscribe to my channel for more refreshing content!

 

How to Pray for Your Husband (And When Not To) - Free Printable Prayer Resource

The “Not To” Part 

(or, What I Learned When I Stopped Praying for My Husband)

Twenty-three years ago God clearly impressed on my heart to stop praying for my husband. And as contrary to scripture as that probably sounds, I did.

For about a year I did not utter a single prayer for him. And while I'm certainly not advocating that you cease praying for your husband (or anyone), I do believe that God sometimes leads us to do things that don't necessarily make sense initially. However, when we are led by the Holy Spirit and trust the Lord instead of leaning on our own understanding (see Proverbs 3:5), God moves.

Not praying for my husband for one year turned out to be the beginning of a breakthrough...for me. During that time, I learned:

My heart was truly selfish and self-centered. At the time, every prayer I prayed for my husband revolved around wanting something for myself. God not only wanted to expose my selfishness, He wanted my prayers for my husband to come from a pure heart--one that desired what God desired. He wanted me to pray according to His will, not mine.

My motives were often wrong. I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted my husband to be, and by golly, I was going to pray until that happened. Now part of that was good, because my husband did not yet know the Lord. And although God desired for my husband to give his heart to Him, my motives in praying for his salvation were more about how it affected my life instead of my husband's spiritual destiny.

I was immature. Because of this, when I prayed and did not see or sense change, resentment built. I didn't have an accurate understanding of God's timing, or appreciate that He often works behind the scenes. I also needed to grow in grace, allowing time for my prayers and the Holy Spirit to soften my husband's heart, instead of demanding that he get with the program now.

My reactions were sometimes completely wrong. Too often, I allowed my husband's bad reactions to trigger mine. And while God did not want my husband's words or actions to hurt me, the Lord gently showed me that my reactions were just as wrong. It was incredibly difficult to apologize for reacting wrong when I felt that my husband's actions were far worse, but that's not how God saw it. I was the believer, and I was called to be like Jesus.

The year I spent not praying for my husband allowed me to completely shift my focus away from his inadequacies and instead focus on the Lord and the work He was doing in my own heart. It also relieved the pressure I had placed on myself to personally usher my husband into God's kingdom. Yes, God uses our prayers, but He goes where we cannot go--into the heart--and ultimately He does what we cannot do--brings godly change and transformation.

While not praying for someone (especially your spouse) for a year is probably unusual, that year turned out to be exactly what I needed, and I'm convinced my husband was spared untold distress. I learned serious respect for the Lord's ways and developed a deep desire to pray in agreement with Him--even when that meant not praying for a season. When it was all over, my prayers started up again, only now they emerged from an entirely different perspective. God's.

And as long as I draw breath, my prayers will thus continue.

Click here to download this devotional and several scripture-based prayers to help you pray for your husband.

May God strengthen, comfort and encourage you as you pray.

Through my books I love to help readers know God, know Scripture, and know how to pray. Click on the images below to learn more about each book.