Making Your Home a Haven, Week 2 - Music

 

It's week two of the Making Your Home a Haven challenge.  Hosted by Courtney at Women Living Well. 

 

Have you been lighting your candle?  We have - the boys are taking turns each morning lighting the candle and praying for peace in our home before we begin family worship time.  We've read Romans 12:9-21 a few times over the last week. 

 

My Holiday Spice Yankee Candle is just about  burned through and before weeks end I'll need to get another.  ☺  I'm not sure if I'll get the same scent or look for a new one. 

 

 

Over the last few months I've purchased a few new cd's and I've been playing those throughout the day.  In years past (and still) I've enjoyed listening to George Winston but I recently found Paul Cardall and downloaded a selection of his music as well as some Fernado Ortega from Amazon and onto my cloud storage.  I can play it through an app from either my computer or my iPhone which is nice because because its mobile and I can listen to it whenever and wherever I want.  :)

 

 I also have two cd's that I purchased from the Revive Our Hearts ministry with Nancy Leigh DeMoss that I love!  The first is a cd collection of Hymns.  The cd title is Be Still.  The second is Hidden in My Heart:  A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture.   Don't let the lullaby part fool you.  These are beautiful Scriptural truths set to music that are soothing to any age.

 

This summer I watched a talk by Michelle Duggar.  She opened by having everyone sing (a capella) a beautiful hymn titled A Christian Hymn.  I am not sure where this hymn originated but over the summer I've taken it as my own and have sung it to the Lord and a prayer for my family and home.

 

 

A Christian Home

(sung to Be Still My Soul)

 

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,

Where Christ is head and counselour and guide;

Where every child is taught His love and favor

And give his heart to Christ, the crucified:

How sweet to know that , tho' his footsteps waver,

His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

 

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,

Who always place their home and trust in Him;

Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,

Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;

A home where each finds joy in serving others,

And love still shines tho' days be dark and grim.

 

O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,

The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;

Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,

And praise is natural speech to every tongue;

Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,

And Christ sufficient is for old and young.

 

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!

We trust to Thee their problems, toil and care;

Their bonds of love no enemy can sever

If Thou art always Lord and Master there:

Be Thou the center of our least endeavor

Be Thou our guest, our hearts and homes to share.

 

 

Isn't it lovely?!  May God bless you this week as you work towards building a haven for your family.

 

Making Your Home a Haven - Week 1 was the #1 read post at the So Much at Home Link up!  How fun and welcome to all the new readers who came through the link-up.  I hope you'll stop by again, leave a comment so I can return the visit.  Please click below to visit and read the posts submitted to this week's link-up. 

  

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Marriage Monday, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Coffee and Conversation, So Much at Home, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Hearts for Home Thursdays, Growing in Grace Link-up,  Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Simple Meals Friday, Making Your Home a Haven,  Thank you to each of the lovely ladies listed above for hosting.

 

Making Your Home a Haven - Week 1

 

Each Autumn I've followed along with the Making Your Home a Haven challenge at Women Living Well.  Courtney gives some practical ways in which we can help make our homes a haven for our loved ones.

 

Here is the challenge for week 1

 

 "Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. I will be starting mine in the morning but you can start yours at dinner time or whenever is convenient for you.  I will be placing mine in the kitchen – the main hub of my home.  Each time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye, say a prayer for peace and patience within your home."

 One of the things I especially love about this challenge is lighting our candle each morning. Although we don't do it everyday, we've continued with this practice all throughout the year.    Our candle is pictured above and is part of the centerpiece on our living room coffee table.  Our living room is open to our school room and the kids spend quite a bit of time here reading and working on school. 

 

One morning this week as we were preparing to have family worship time, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  I was to have the boys each take turns lighting the candle and then praying for peace in our home rather than my doing it.  I think it has made a huge impact on them as they are realizing that we are each responsible to do our part.

 

Here is a picture of my youngest praying this morning after he lit our candle.

 

 

 

I shared this quote earlier in the week in my Daybook post but I'll share it here again because it fits so beautifully. 

 

 

So how do we go about creating a foretaste of heaven in our homes.  First through prayer - pray daily for your marriage - the earthly visible example of Christ and the church.  This relationship is the most important one you will have aside from your personal relationship with Christ.  Next pray for your relationship with each of your children.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you find creative ways to love on and encourage them.  Pray for the relationships of your children one with the other.  If you are noticing conflicts or issues, make them a matter of prayer. 

 

Living peaceably with others begins in our homes, amongst our families. 

 

Romans 12:9-21 (KJV)

 

"Let love be without dissimulation.  Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.  Bless them which persecute you:  bless, and curse not.  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another.  Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.  Be not wise in your own conceits.  Recompense to no man evil for evil.  Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath:  for it is written, Vengenance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in doing so thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

 

I'd love to hear from you in the comments... how do you work to create your home a haven?

 

 

 

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Marriage Monday, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Coffee and Conversation, So Much at Home, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Hearts for Home Thursdays, Growing in Grace Thursdays,  Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Simple Meals Friday, Making Your Home a Haven,  Thank you to each of the lovely ladies listed above for hosting..

 

Confident Husbands

"Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing as the making of a beautiful and happy home. (S)He who does this builds a sanctuary for God and opens a fountain of blessing for men. Far more than we know, do the strength and beauty of our lives depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home, into the world’s strife, temptation, struggle, and duty, is strong – inspired for noble and victorious living."

 

-J.R. Miller, Secrets of Happy Home Life

 

 

This thought... "He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home, into the world’s strife, temptation, struggle, and duty, is strong – inspired for noble and victorious living."  challenges me.  Is my home one that my husband can confidently leave knowing that from within its walls things are well taken care of and that he has the full support and prayers of his wife?

 

 

Praying for our husbands - His words

Words

The Bible says that that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). The Bible has a lot to say on words and so it is an area that we should pay special attention to.  Pray today that your husband would speak God honoring, life giving words that would build up and encourage those around him, both at home and on the job.  

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.” –Matthew 15:18

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearer.” –Ephesians 4:29

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” –Matthew 12:36

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6

There really are so many more verses that speak to us about our words, the tongue and what proceeds out of our mouth.  If you have the time, do a word study and look up all the verses.  It might be a good thing to do as a family too.  There was a time in my life when I really struggled with my words and I began a notebook, or what I call a Victory Journal.  I actually have two of them, one on words and the other on healing. When I come across a verse that speaks to one of these areas I write them in my journals along with any notes I might want to add.  This is a great tool to help you in gaining victory over an area in your life.

Father, today I lift up ______________ and his speech.  I pray Lord that you would reveal to him any specifics in regards to his speech that need to be lined up with your word.  I pray Lord that ______________ would have a right and ready word for all that he comes in contact with and that his words would give life and hope to those who hear them.  Impress upon ______________ that he will give account for every idle word and what might be casually seen by others as insignificant are really a weighty matter that requires our diligence and carefulness.  Give ______________ this diligence to speak life giving truth and blessing and not death and cursing.   Most of all Lord, I pray that ______________ would use his mouth to speak your truth to others, that he would sing the Your praises  and give testimony of your goodness in his life that it might be a witness to those he encounters and that every would bring glory to your name.  Amen. 

30 Days of Prayer for our Husbands ~ Day 3

Fatherhood

Pray today that your husband would be a good father.  Parenting is tough and although we moms spend the greater percentage of time with our children throughout the day our husbands have an accountability before the Lord as to how they have taught and trained their children.  Praying for our husbands will help to support them as they make decisions, set biblical standards and lead our families.  Pray that your husband would love each one of his children unconditionally, pray for his time with each of children individually.  If there is an area of struggle between father and one of the children, cover the relationship in prayer.

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”  -Ephesians 6:4

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” –Proverbs 22:6

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” –Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Father this morning I pray that _____________________ would be a good father.  I pray against any distractions that might draw his attention away from his spending time in the word and in prayer and in spending time with his children.  I pray Lord that you would bless and multiply the time that __________________ has with each one of his children both together and individually.  I pray Lord that he would know the state of each childs spiritual walk and that he would be able to speak encouragement and truth to them in each situation.  Give __________________ godly wisdom and discernment to know if there is something “not right” and to deal with it swiftly.  Give ________________ compassion and understanding and turn the heart of _____________ to his children and the hearts of our children to their father.  In Jesus name, Amen.

30 Days of Prayer for Our Husbands, Day 2

Day 2

Balance… it is something that I, as a wife, homeschooling mom and keeper at home strive to have in my life but not something I often thought about in my husband’s life.  However, it is especially important for us to be praying for our husbands in this area.

God has created and placed the desire in our husbands to be providers and leaders.  This is a good thing!  But the enemy will look for ways to bring about imbalance in this area, thus taking the husband and father out of the home, whether physically, spiritually, emotionally and relationally.  The world’s way is imbalanced, making either work or play, idols in one’s life.  Pray today that your husband will have a healthy balance between work and play and that he will have wisdom to set boundaries and priorities in all areas of his life.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33
“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.  For riches are not forever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?”  Proverbs 27:23-24

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”  Exodus 20:3

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:34

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”  Romans 12:2

Father God, I lift up ______________ to you today and I pray that you would give wisdom to ____________, helping him to set biblical priorities in his life.  I pray Lord against any strongholds and schemes of this world, which would try to sway _____________ heart from You and his family and that he would be quick to discern any unhealthy associations with work and play.   I pray Lord that ______________ would have a heart that seeks after You above everything else and that he would not be conformed to the what the world says and how the world lives but rather would be bold in his convictions, living out his faith sincerely before You and man.

30 Days of Prayer for our Husbands ~ Day 1

Day 1

Daily our husbands are called upon to make many decisions in their lives.  Whether in their jobs, in/for their families, in regards to finances and the future they need our prayers for godly wisdom, discretion and understanding.

Pray today for your husband to have wisdom from the Lord as he makes these decisions.  Let your husband know that you are praying for him and supporting him as he leads your family.  It will be an encouragement to him to know that you trust him and are praying for him.

There are many verses that speak to the importance of wisdom and understanding.  Here are just a few from the book of Proverbs that you can use in praying for your husband

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”  Proverbs 1:5

“Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:”  Proverbs 2:11

  “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”  Proverbs 3:13

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30

Father, I thank you that you have been made wisdom unto Scott and that he is a wise and understanding man that will hear and increase his learning.  Thank you Lord that discretion shall preserve him and your understanding shall keep him on the right path as he makes decisions for his life, our family and his job.  Father I pray that you would bless Scott today as he goes about his day, I pray that he would always look to you and your Word first for counsel about any decisions that he needs to make and that you would show him great and mighty things.  Thank you, Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit who is Scott's comforter and counselor in all things, leading and guiding him into all Truth.

Walking Alone

My husband and I both came to the Lord in our adult lives, me first with him following about 6 years later. Over those 6 years I went through a range of emotions and struggles. In the beginning I was so hopeful and excited to share all I was learning about who Jesus was and what he had done for us. Surely he would see the truth and would soon see his own need for a Savior. How wonderful it would be when we were both on the same page and living as a Christian couple and family. Scott was wonderful in that he listened to all I said and never used words to belittle my faith. He supported me in what I was teaching the children and never stopped me from going to church.

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  As the months moved into years though, I began to lose hope. Years of sitting in church alone, watching all of the other women with their husbands was like someone rubbing salt in my heart wound. The kids each went to their Sunday school classes and I... I sat alone.

Would he ever bow his knee to Jesus? How long was I going to be in this desert of wanting and waiting for my husband? Would I always walk alone? Could I? What if he never saw his need... what if...

It wasn't long before I started to look at all of my friends and their husbands. I thought about how perfect their lives must be to have a husband leading their family. I started to get frustrated with Scott and his lack of interest. I stopped praying and it was at this point that hardness of heart and bitterness really took root in my heart. It makes me sad to think of it now.

Instead of continuing to pray for his salvation and living a quiet godly life with him I used cutting words to tell him all the things he should be doing, like so and so's husband did. Guess what... that didn't work. Ha! But you probably already knew this, right?   Sometimes I marvel that the Lord was even able to work around the mess I created, but He did. 

One day in church, during praise and worship I couldn't stop crying. It was as if  in the spirit I saw all the things I had been doing and saying to my husband. I saw the distance, the hurt and the offense.  I saw the wall that was being built and I saw myself pushing Scott further away.  

During meet and greet, a woman at my church who had been through marriage difficulties with her husband came up to me and hugged me. I lost it and sobbed out everything to her. She shared with me how she had prayed for her husband and she encouraged me to "see" my desire for Scott and then to trust that as much as I wanted it to come to pass, the Lord wanted it even more! I had to put my own expectations away and make his salvation of priority!! She encouraged me to commit the following verse to memory and to thank the Lord for his love and patience towards Scott.

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count

slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any

 should perish but that all should come to repentance."

2 Peter 3:9

 I grabbed that verse and prayed it in thanksgiving daily. I repented of my jealousy, my bitterness and my actions and asked the Lord to give me a new love for Scott and to renew my hope. I shared my heart with my husband and asked for his forgiveness for my behavior towards him and he graciously forgave me.

 It wasn't easy. There were days that I struggled and days that I failed (miserably) but I stopped seeing myself as walking alone because I wasn't alone. 

"... I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Hebrews 13:5

The Lord had been with me all along and it was me who chose to walk it alone.  Through His Word and my brokenness I began to experience growth in my own life and then in our marriage. I continued to pray for my husband and to pray for my attitude. I learned to let go of my expectations of a godly husband and spiritual leader as being the goal and instead focused on his real need of a Savior or he would spend eternity in hell!

Each week as I went to church I would "see" Scott with me. During praise and worship I would close my eyes and slip my right hand down to the side and cup it just a bit, like I was holding his hand. I saw my husband and I together worshipping. I held onto that and it wasn't long after that, that my husband started attending church and gave his life to Christ!!

Over the last few years I've had to let go of my expectations of what I thought he should or shouldn't be doing and trust that God is working in Scott's life and He is. Everyday.

Are we spiritually where other families are? No and that is o.kay, although it is always my desire for us to be growing and moving closer towards the Lord in our lives.  I try hard to remember something my former pastor's wife told me and that is to never see myself as the spiritual head of the home. That is the place that the Lord has given to Scott and I am called along side of him to help. I can take the lead if that is what Scott prefers (and right now he does).

If you are currently the only one in your marriage who is walking with the Lord I would like to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and off of others. The grass really isn't greener at their house anyway and just because someone sits in a church pew it doesn't mean that their hearts are submitted.

Pray earnestly for your husband, for your marriage and for your desires of a godly marriage and family that would bring honor and glory to the Lord. 

 He cares.

He hears.

He perfects.


Sharing with Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Women Living Well, EOA at Deep Roots at Home,