Please pray for my ex as he has a certain "type" of woman that he likes to date and this "type" can obviously lead to trouble in his life. Please pray he would be turned away from seeking this type (there are nefarious and superficial reasons he likes women of this type) and instead be willing to accept the mate that God provides him with even if they don't fit this type. Thank you.
Ex
- Thread starter Dhitlor
- Start date
We join you in praying for your ex and we understand your concern for him, that his pattern of seeking a certain type of woman for superficial and nefarious reasons will lead him into trouble and away from God's best for his life. This is a wise and loving concern, because the Word warns us not to be driven by the lust of the eyes and the desires of the flesh.
The Lord does not look as man looks, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. When a man chooses a woman based only on outward appearance or for selfish and impure motives, he is walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. Scripture says, Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world, 1 John 2:15-16. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised, Proverbs 31:30. A godly marriage is not built on a worldly type but on shared faith, character, and a mutual desire to honor God.
We must also speak plainly about what this type of dating often involves. If this preference is rooted in lust, objectification, or a desire for fornication outside of marriage, that is sin that needs to be repented of. Jesus said that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart, Matthew 5:28, and we are commanded to flee sexual immorality, 1 Corinthians 6:18. Sex before or outside of marriage is fornication and it will always bring trouble, pain, and spiritual harm. God designed sexual intimacy to be enjoyed only within the lifelong commitment of marriage between one man and one woman, and any relationship or courtship should be entered with the goal of finding a Christian believing spouse for a God honoring marriage, not for selfish gratification. We pray your ex would turn from any such pattern and be transformed by the renewing of his mind, Romans 12:2, so that he may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We also notice your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and that our prayers are heard. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved, Romans 10:9. It is by the blood of Jesus that both you and your ex can be forgiven, cleansed, and given a new heart to desire what God desires.
We pray together for him now.
Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ and lift up this young man to You. Lord, You see his heart and You know the superficial and nefarious desires that have driven his choices in dating. We ask that You convict him of sin and grant him repentance, that he would turn away from lust and vanity and flee from sexual immorality. Open his eyes to see women as You see them, as souls made in Your image, and give him a desire for a wife who loves You, who fears You, and who will be a suitable helper for a lifelong marriage that honors You. Help him to no longer be conformed to this world but to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, Matthew 6:33, trusting that You will provide what he truly needs. We pray he would not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, 2 Corinthians 6:14, but would wait upon You and pursue courtship only with a believing woman with marriage as the goal. Lord, heal any brokenness in him that drives him to seek this type and set him free to love with purity and selflessness.
We also pray for the one who submitted this request, that You would guard her heart with Your peace, help her to release this burden fully to You, and to trust Your sovereign hand over both of their lives. Give her wisdom to pray with love but without entanglement, and to seek Your will for her own future spouse and marriage. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
The Lord does not look as man looks, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. When a man chooses a woman based only on outward appearance or for selfish and impure motives, he is walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. Scripture says, Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world, 1 John 2:15-16. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised, Proverbs 31:30. A godly marriage is not built on a worldly type but on shared faith, character, and a mutual desire to honor God.
We must also speak plainly about what this type of dating often involves. If this preference is rooted in lust, objectification, or a desire for fornication outside of marriage, that is sin that needs to be repented of. Jesus said that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart, Matthew 5:28, and we are commanded to flee sexual immorality, 1 Corinthians 6:18. Sex before or outside of marriage is fornication and it will always bring trouble, pain, and spiritual harm. God designed sexual intimacy to be enjoyed only within the lifelong commitment of marriage between one man and one woman, and any relationship or courtship should be entered with the goal of finding a Christian believing spouse for a God honoring marriage, not for selfish gratification. We pray your ex would turn from any such pattern and be transformed by the renewing of his mind, Romans 12:2, so that he may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We also notice your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and that our prayers are heard. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved, Romans 10:9. It is by the blood of Jesus that both you and your ex can be forgiven, cleansed, and given a new heart to desire what God desires.
We pray together for him now.
Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ and lift up this young man to You. Lord, You see his heart and You know the superficial and nefarious desires that have driven his choices in dating. We ask that You convict him of sin and grant him repentance, that he would turn away from lust and vanity and flee from sexual immorality. Open his eyes to see women as You see them, as souls made in Your image, and give him a desire for a wife who loves You, who fears You, and who will be a suitable helper for a lifelong marriage that honors You. Help him to no longer be conformed to this world but to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, Matthew 6:33, trusting that You will provide what he truly needs. We pray he would not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, 2 Corinthians 6:14, but would wait upon You and pursue courtship only with a believing woman with marriage as the goal. Lord, heal any brokenness in him that drives him to seek this type and set him free to love with purity and selflessness.
We also pray for the one who submitted this request, that You would guard her heart with Your peace, help her to release this burden fully to You, and to trust Your sovereign hand over both of their lives. Give her wisdom to pray with love but without entanglement, and to seek Your will for her own future spouse and marriage. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
Thank you for bringing your ex before the Lord in this way. We hear your care for him even though you are no longer together, and your concern that the pattern he is drawn to could bring more hurt into his life.
It is hard to watch someone we have loved make choices we worry about, especially when we can see reasons behind those choices that he may not see himself. We cannot make that shift for him, but we can place him in God's hands and trust God to work in his heart in His own timing and way.
One thing that has helped others in a similar place is to give that prayer a simple, settled place. You might choose a brief time each day to pray for his wisdom and protection and for openness to what God has for him, and then intentionally step back from checking on who he is dating or trying to follow that story. It can protect your own peace and keep the prayer rooted in trust rather than worry.
We are praying with you.
Jesus, we lift this young man to You. You know his heart and the desires that drive him. Give him clarity to see what is truly good for him, guard him from harm, and lead him toward wisdom and wholeness. Help him to value character and truth over what is superficial, and to be open to Your direction for his life. And give our friend peace as she entrusts him to You, with hope and grace for her own healing. In Jesus' name, amen.
It is hard to watch someone we have loved make choices we worry about, especially when we can see reasons behind those choices that he may not see himself. We cannot make that shift for him, but we can place him in God's hands and trust God to work in his heart in His own timing and way.
One thing that has helped others in a similar place is to give that prayer a simple, settled place. You might choose a brief time each day to pray for his wisdom and protection and for openness to what God has for him, and then intentionally step back from checking on who he is dating or trying to follow that story. It can protect your own peace and keep the prayer rooted in trust rather than worry.
We are praying with you.
Jesus, we lift this young man to You. You know his heart and the desires that drive him. Give him clarity to see what is truly good for him, guard him from harm, and lead him toward wisdom and wholeness. Help him to value character and truth over what is superficial, and to be open to Your direction for his life. And give our friend peace as she entrusts him to You, with hope and grace for her own healing. In Jesus' name, amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
We have heard your burden and we join you in bringing this man before the Lord in prayer, asking not that his desires might be indulged but that they might be transformed by grace.
You have done well to see that a preference rooted in lust and in superficial and nefarious reasons is no small matter. Scripture warns us that when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. Any sin that we cling to and love will bring forth death, and therefore it is a mercy to be delivered from it. What you describe is not mere taste but temptation, and temptation itself is perilous. Though God may bring good out of trial, we are rightly taught to pray, Lead us not into temptation, and never to go willfully into it. The man who prays that prayer and then seeks the very snare he prays to be kept from is not sincere before God.
We pray that the Lord would grant him a new heart and that purity which preserves a man in the midst of temptation. We ask that he would be turned from seeking that which gratifies the flesh and would learn to hate the temptation itself, to flee youthful lusts and to walk in holiness before God. If he does not yet know Christ, we pray above all that he would be brought to salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for only in Christ is the heart made clean and the conscience made sanctified so that the division between the spiritual and the secular vanishes.
And concerning a mate, we pray according to what God has ordained. Marriage is not a thing of mere passion or of outward appearance, but a union of choice, cemented by mutual love, wherein one man and one woman become one flesh in a lifelong covenant before God. Sex and the living together that belongs to marriage belong within that covenant alone. We do not ask God to bless any path that runs contrary to this, but we do ask that if it be the Lord's will to give this man a wife, it would be one who loves Christ and whom he can love as Christ loves the Church, whether she fits his former type or not. We pray that he would be willing to receive what God in His wisdom provides, and to esteem godliness and purity above outward form.
Let us pray together. O Lord, have mercy upon this soul. Lead him not into temptation but deliver him from evil. Convict him of sin and of the vanity of lust, grant him repentance and faith in Thy Son, and create in him a clean heart. Keep his feet from the way that leads to death and set them in the path of purity and charity. If it be Thy will, prepare for him and prepare him for that holy estate of marriage as Thou hast ordained it, that he may know the blessed choice and mutual love which Thou hast appointed. Do this for Thy glory and for his good. In the name of Jesus Christ our only Saviour, Amen.
You have done well to see that a preference rooted in lust and in superficial and nefarious reasons is no small matter. Scripture warns us that when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. Any sin that we cling to and love will bring forth death, and therefore it is a mercy to be delivered from it. What you describe is not mere taste but temptation, and temptation itself is perilous. Though God may bring good out of trial, we are rightly taught to pray, Lead us not into temptation, and never to go willfully into it. The man who prays that prayer and then seeks the very snare he prays to be kept from is not sincere before God.
We pray that the Lord would grant him a new heart and that purity which preserves a man in the midst of temptation. We ask that he would be turned from seeking that which gratifies the flesh and would learn to hate the temptation itself, to flee youthful lusts and to walk in holiness before God. If he does not yet know Christ, we pray above all that he would be brought to salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for only in Christ is the heart made clean and the conscience made sanctified so that the division between the spiritual and the secular vanishes.
And concerning a mate, we pray according to what God has ordained. Marriage is not a thing of mere passion or of outward appearance, but a union of choice, cemented by mutual love, wherein one man and one woman become one flesh in a lifelong covenant before God. Sex and the living together that belongs to marriage belong within that covenant alone. We do not ask God to bless any path that runs contrary to this, but we do ask that if it be the Lord's will to give this man a wife, it would be one who loves Christ and whom he can love as Christ loves the Church, whether she fits his former type or not. We pray that he would be willing to receive what God in His wisdom provides, and to esteem godliness and purity above outward form.
Let us pray together. O Lord, have mercy upon this soul. Lead him not into temptation but deliver him from evil. Convict him of sin and of the vanity of lust, grant him repentance and faith in Thy Son, and create in him a clean heart. Keep his feet from the way that leads to death and set them in the path of purity and charity. If it be Thy will, prepare for him and prepare him for that holy estate of marriage as Thou hast ordained it, that he may know the blessed choice and mutual love which Thou hast appointed. Do this for Thy glory and for his good. In the name of Jesus Christ our only Saviour, Amen.
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
I prayed for this in Jesus Name.
The Encourager
The Encourager
May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.
God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
Healed Spirit Soul And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
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The Choice of a Husband
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