Five Things Your Husband Wants You To Know

5 Things Your Husband Wants You to Know

1. I want to please you sexually. It's humiliating for men to ask for directions, so help us by giving us a road map for sex.

2. I need you, but I need others, too. When guys want to know what to do, not how to feel, they turn to male friends.

3. I want to find meaning in my work. We derive satisfaction from what we do. So support us as we sort out our goals and gifts.

4. I want to be reconciled with those I love. Contrary to the "take no prisoners" attitude men express, we're still bothered by unresolved conflict. You can help by asking questions.

5. I want to remain young and virile forever. Love us, make us feel we're still sexually desirable, cook us healthy meals, and suggest an aerobic walk around the block.

By James Charis, from 30 Days to a More Incredible Marriage, edited by Ramona Cramer Tucker (Tyndale). Used by Permission.

Reeling With Shock and Amazement!

Wow! I'm sitting here at my computer feeling completely stunned by a call I got last night from my agent. She and I both assumed most of our current business with one another was complete, after we signed with Kregel for my new book. But no...there's more.

Yesterday she received a very unexpected phone call from a representative from the family division of a major motion picture studio. They saw a brief summary of my book online, and think it would has the potential to make an excellent family movie. She requested the full manuscript to be sent to her ASAP for review.

Nothing is certain and no offers are being made, but I'm blown away that they even noticed it! They'll read the MS and decide if indeed it can be made into a successful movie. Last night I wrote a 900 word screen-play treatment...an overview that presented the major scenes through-out the book, and the reasons why this would make an excellent family movie.

Please pray for the entire project. Never in a gazillion years did I think my book would have any interest to the movie industry! God knows what's best and if He wants this book made into a movie, it will be for His glory. I'm praying that lives will be touched...even if it's only the life of the one person who reads my book to review it. It's sitting on her desk right now, and she plans to start on it soon. I'm lifting her up in prayer, that her heart will be touched and the book will find favor in her eyes, God willing.

Listening to God's Voice

Another way the Lord speaks to us is through a gentle ‘nudge’ to our spirit. It might be a quiet voice speaking through our conscience, or an impression that comes into our mind while praying, worshiping or considering a problem.

Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

It’s important to spend time with the Lord in prayer, opening our hearts and spirits to His voice and waiting on Him for direction. Spend time in worship, give yourself totally to Him, asking that Jesus be in complete control of your mind and heart as you seek Him and listen. As children of God, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit will lead us, but as stated in Col. 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” peace must accompany the leading or direction we receive.

God’s peace is the sure sign that the Holy Spirit is directing, rather than our own thoughts or desires. The Holy Spirit is quiet and gentle, but persistent, calling us to wait quietly before Him and listen for His voice. He speaks to us when we take the time to wait on Him, not rushing, not feeling we must always be talking, but patiently waiting for Him to speak.

Sometimes He chooses to speak when we’ve opened our hearts to Him in worship and are simply desiring to serve Him. While worshiping during a Wednesday evening service at my church, I strongly sensed the Lord was asking me to kneel during the balance of the worship service. I felt uncomfortable, as the rest of the congregation were on their feet. He impressed on my heart, that if I would be obedient, He was going to show His power before the service ended.

The ‘nudge’ was so strong, I knew I had to obey. I quietly slipped down to my knees and finished the worship service in tears, more moved than I had been in a long time. When the pastor came up to speak, he shared that someone in the congregation was in physical pain and asked that they come forward for prayer. A woman immediately stepped out, but he didn’t pray for her at once. Instead, he explained that the Lord had shown him there was someone present who had been given a gift of faith for this woman’s healing and asked that they come forward to pray for her. I immediately felt faith well up in my spirit and knew this was why the Lord had asked me to be obedient. I walked forward, laying my hand on her back and praying briefly. She testified that the pain left as soon as my hand touched her back. The Lord chose to do a sovereign work, but in this case it was dependant upon my willingness to listen and obey.

The Lord also speaks to by the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, as listed in I Corinthians 12:8-11. The gifts of wisdom and knowledge are used to help a person apply the revelation of God’s Word to a specific situation. In Acts 5, when Ananias & his wife Sapphira lied to Paul and withheld some of the money they received from the sale of their property, God revealed it to Paul through the operation of a word of knowledge.

The operation of the revelation gifts can help us make Godly decisions in our daily walk. If we are being used in counseling others, a word of wisdom or knowledge can shorten what might otherwise be hours of ministry. 1 Corinthians 14:1, it says that we should ‘Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.’

We need to follow hard after God and desire to be used, keeping our hearts open to whatever gift He might want to bestow on us. Whether it be the prophetic gifts or any other, we must operate in an attitude of love. God seeks people who are anxious to hear His voice and use His gifts in ministry to others, while continually bringing glory to Him.

Are you content to hear God’s voice only through the voice of others, or do you want to hear His voice for yourself? If so, will you pay the price He requires to make hearing His voice a way of life? Romans 8:6 says, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” It takes time and commitment to learn to listen, time quietly waiting on the Lord as well as dwelling in His Word. God is more willing to speak to us then we are to hear, and He will be faithful to answer as we tune our hearts in to His.

Another Word On Prayer

Praying for our Spouse or a friend...Praying the Word.

I was emailing a gal tonight who's been struggling in her marriage. Her husband had fallen away from the Lord due to hurts and disillusionment caused by others. He's allowed bitterness and resentment to rob him of his walk with the Lord and turn him into an angry, hurting man.

She's been hurting too...knowing that the man she married is still in there somewhere, but not sure how to help him, or help to break him free of the pain he's locked in. Here's one suggestion I gave her, that might help you in a situation you find yourself in right now.

Pray the Word.

Pray the Word, you say? How? Why? What good will that do? I already pray every day for him, and I'm not seeing a lot of change.

But you see, the Word is powerful and cuts like a two edged sword...it discerns the heart and mind of a man and it brings light and truth anywhere it's used. We don't understand how it works, or why, but Christians through the ages have proven time and again, that using the Word in prayer, is one of the most powerful way to pray.

Find 5-10 scriptures that resound in your spirit...ones that you KNOW are for the person you're praying for. Write them down, individually, on 3x5 cards, then pray each one of them, every day, for that person. Here's an example of what I prayed for my husband: Ephesians 1:17-20. This is fairly long, so bear with me...but I think you'll see what I mean.

Lord, I'm lifting up Allen before you. I pray that you will give him spiritual wisdom and understanding, in Christ Jesus, so that he might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that his heart will be flooded with light so that he can understand the wonderful future that he has, to those that you have calle. Help him to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has been given. Lord, I pray that he will beging to understand the incredible greatness of God's power for any of us who believe Him...This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realm.

The Definition of Crazy...Do You Fit It?

Our pastor shared something this morning that I thought was very appropriate for this group...the definition of crazy.

Here's the definition....IF you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got. Draw a circle in the air and think about the circle being unbroken and unending. If we keep on behaving in ways we have always behaved, but still believe that we'll get different results than we've gotten in the past, we're crazy! It can't happen. As long as our beviour, attitudes, thoughts, etc., don't change, we'll stay in that circle.

So tell me....what circle would YOU like to break out of? Is there something in your life that you'd like to give to the Lord and ask Him to set you free from? Are you willing to lay it before Him and ask others to help you be accountable?

Try to find one person you trust and tell them...having someone help you be accountable and support you, could make all the difference. Don't stay stuck in your circle even one day longer. First identify the problem, then give it to the Lord and ask Him to break the power it's had over you, and enlist a prayer partner to stand beside you as you break free from your past.