God's Promise of a Friend

Hello and good Thursday morning to each and everyone that is read here today. I am going to be participating along with many other women over at Courtney's blog Women Living Well in her Be My Valentine Marriage Challenge...Week 1 starts today and here is the challenge for the week:

Week 1 starts TODAY! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally. Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on face book, tweet it - get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done - in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine's Day arrives!

So today this is what I posted on my Face book page:

My husband has wiped my tears,hugged me tight, watched me succeed, seen me fail, cheered me on, kept me going strong, put up with me, put up with my mood swings & said everything is going to be ok when things got tough. He keeps me sane. My husband is a promise from God that I will have a friend forever. I love you always Cedric Barnes and God placed me here to be your friend forever until the end of this life and then I went over to his face book page and told him that i loved him and that I was so happy that God saw special favor in me that he sent him to me and that I love him always. My plan when he comes home tonight is to tell him face to face that I appreciate him and that I may not say it all the time but from now on Lord will I will be saying it so much I may ever get on his nerves....lol. 

But if you want to follow along with us and Courtney please stop by her blog, she is such a great and wonderful hostess and her challenges are so inspiration please stop by and visit. Every challenge I have done through her blog as blessed my household richly. So with that said here is the rest of the challenge leading up to Valentine's day.


There are 25 days until Valentine's Day so it's time to implement the 25 Day Praise Plan.


Each week the challenge will be the same - to praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband. But each week I will give you different ways to express your praise. Feel free to tweak it for what you think is best for your husband.


JR Miller writes "So it is in the dark hours of a man's life, when burdens press, when sorrows weigh like mountains upon his soul, when adversities have left him crushed and broken, or when he is in the midst of fierce struggles which try the strength of every fibre of his manhood, that all the radiance and glory of a true wife's strengthful love shine out before his eyes. Only then does he recognize in her God's angel of mercy."


Let's be angels of mercy to our husbands. We may think they are filled with confidence and strength but they are only human. They have insecurities, fears, failures, burdens and cares that we do not always slow down to recognize. We lose our tenderness in the hustle and bustle of life and this month let's slow down and really see our husband's with fresh eyes.


It's tempting to make Valentine's Day all about ourselves - but let's pursue being selfless and living according to Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."(NIV)

Week 1 starts TODAY! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally. Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on facebook, tweet it - get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done - in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine's Day arrives!




Week 2 - This week we will be a little more creative with our praise. I will give you many ideas of fun things you can do to praise your husband such as surprising him with a love message on the mirror, a message packed in his lunch, using sidewalk chalk to write on the driveway, write a poem, making a toast to him at dinner with friends etc. Get creative with your selflessness!




Week 3 - Pursue intimacy and place the intimate needs of your spouse above your own. Seek to "kiss him like you mean it" every single day this week! Solomon 5:16 says "His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely." Paula Rinehart says that for many men, "Sex is like a silent cheer." Our men feel stronger, more capable, and built up when we respond to their advances with a smile. "Be available, agreeable and interested" (~Linda Dillow) Give a Foot massage, back rub, shower together, be creative!




Week 4 - Women love romance, chocolate and flowers on Valentines Day. Do you know what your husband wants? Ask him! Let me make a suggestion as to what a majority of men want even if they aren't willing to say it: a great tasting, looking, smelling home cooked meal and home cooked dessert, you pursuing him for a night of passion (remember you are married - HAVE fun! God created passion for us married folk! lol!) or a letter expressing all the things you admire about him. One of these things he would surely enjoy. Which of the three does your husband need from you right now?


"When you touch your husband's deepest need something good almost always happens!"~ Dr. Emerson Eggerich




So I challenge you today to not just show your husband you love him but show him that you LIKE him!


How wonderful is this challenge right, so join and and lets so our spouses that when do appreciate and love them I see you at Courtney's blog.....