1. Unconditional love – The apostle Paul commands husbands to love their wife with an unconditional way. Pray for God to guide husbands to have humble and loving hearts toward their wife (Ephesians 5:25).
2. Focus on the best things – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Lord, show me how to care for the widows and orphans in my life and to keep myself pure.
3. Love in strained relationships – Unfortunately, divorce strains relationships and squelches love. Pray for God to strengthen fathers and stepfathers to love their children’s mother as God leads (Matthew 5:44).
4. Overcoming old self – Sometimes men succumb to the pressures of supporting a household by allowing anger, rage, and filthy language to flow from them. Pray that these husbands and fathers will put on love as a demonstration of their trust in Christ (Colossians 3:14).
5. Self-care – A healthy love for one’s self is an important part of loving their family. Pray that God will impress on husbands and fathers the need for spiritual, emotional, and physical self-care (Mark 12:31)
6. Godly perspective – Oh Lord, You said that evaluating things based upon my human senses is ineffective. Your Heavenly Father, who is one with You, enabled You to judge righteous judgment. And now You have made me one with You. As the righteous judge, I ask you to cause me to evaluate things correctly. (John 7:24)
7. Victorious living – Lord Jesus, sometimes when I look at my life, I feel so miserable, and so wretched. I want to do good but instead I find myself doing evil. I hate it! Thank You Lord that You have delivered me from the body of this death. I trust You Lord to live Your victorious life through me. (Romans 7:24-25)
8. Stability in God – Dear God, in a world that is shaking and breaking all around me I need stability. Thank You for making it possible for me to have an unbreakable bond with You. You are the unshakeable, unbreakable One and I can find stability in You. Thank You for giving me true solidarity through my union with Christ! (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)
9. Fear not – Dear Lord, the perilous times in which we live can give me a sense of fear. But then You remind me not to succumb to fear. Your Almighty presence is within me. And You are here to protect and sustain me. Therefore, as King David did, whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. (Isaiah 41:10)
10. Become a true worshiper – “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). Help me Lord never to forget who you are in your utmost might and awesome holiness. I want to surrender my will and my life to you in heartfelt adoration.
11. Obey from the heart – “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1Samuel 15:22). Keep me Lord from meaningless religiosity and from following my own understanding. Help me to know and obey the truth you have revealed in Scripture.
12. Accept responsibility – “He who is faithful in very little things is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in very little things is unrighteous also in much” (Luke 16:10). Thank you, Lord, that you expect from me no more than I can give. Teach me to be responsible in what I say and do in order to develop a Christlike character.
13. Absolute truth – “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2Timothy 3:16.17). Thank you, Lord, that in a time of relativism and contradiction your word is absolute truth. Please write it on the tablet of my heart.
14. Bless and be blessed – “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:28). Thank you, Lord that you want me to have a happy marriage. Help me to love my wife with respect and understand.
15. Fatherly duty – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Thank you, Lord that you have become my dear, heavenly father, when you made me a child of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to care for and bring up my children in such a way that they to will seek you with all their heart.
16. God gives only good things – “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11). Thank you, Lord for demonstrating your love through the ultimate sacrifice of your Son. Help me to trust you in any circumstance, knowing that you give only good gifts to your children.
17. Prayer is ordained – “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension” (1Timothy 3:8). Lord, I confess that I live by sight and so easily limit you to my understanding. As your word tells me to tune my heart to you and to be a man of prayer, I ask you, please teach me to pray.
18. A fearless witness – “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). Dear Lord, forgive me when I try to please men more than you. Burden my heart with a true love for the people I live with and for a world for whom you died. Make me a fearless witness for you.
19. Change my affections – ”Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) Father, change my heart so I value spiritual maturity so highly, that I count it pure joy when I face trials of many kinds.
20. Gain godly wisdom – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind…Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:6-8) Lord, grant me your wisdom for handling matters in my personal, home, church, or work life.
21. Accurate self-evaluation – “Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation–since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.” (James 1:9-11) Lord, thank you for using me to bring you glory regardless of my circumstances.
22. Pursue the crown of life –“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12) Lord, when things get tough, help me to cherish the crown of life more than temporary comfort and rest.
23. God does not tempt me to do evil – “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15) Lord, alert me to my own evil desires that could drag me down the road of death.
24. Challenge self-deceptions – “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:16-17) Lord, show me the goodness and perfections of your gifts so that I am not distracted by counterfeits.
25. He chose me, I didn’t choose him – “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:18) Lord, thank you for saving me. I know I would not have made the right choices if you had not enabled me.
26. I can control my emotions – “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20) Lord forgive me for using anger as a weapon to get my way at home or at work.
27. I can control my thoughts – ”Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1:21) Lord, show me how to guard my thoughts so that I am not so easily enticed by images and impressions that distract me from pure and healthy relationships with you and others.
28. I can be a doer of the word – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. …Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it–not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it–they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25) Lord, open my eyes so I can see opportunities to apply your word to my daily life.
29. I can control my tongue – “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) Lord, help me to keep a tight rein on my speech so I do not speak too hastily or allow myself to engage in ungodly conversations.
