John in the stripes with a bunch of our friends (Hechs & Wurths)! |
"Isolation is not healthy. We all need the influence of good people to keep us on the right path."
Once John started seeking Christ we got heavily involved in Bible study at church, and the first thing I prayed about was for godly men to surround John to hold him accountable. I knew that becoming a Christian is no easy task when all your friends are worldly, and so the first thing I did was recruit a strong Christian man whom was more like a father figure to me (Bill Weaver) I asked Bill to come alongside John and answer any questions he may have. And sure enough within weeks Bill and John became good friends and once John committed his life to Christ you could find them meeting weekly to read the Word together.
Bill and Christy Weaver and our families. |
This has proven to be the best thing we could have done for our marriage. Not only have we sought out godly couples to mentor us, but God has allowed these couples to become our family. The Coyles, The DiMares, The Guevaras, The Weavers, The Hechs, these are all couples that we look up to and admire. They love the Lord and are seeking to honor Him not only in their marriages but in their daily lives. It is a blessing to get together with them and be able to not only share our faith but share our struggles and prayer requests. These are families who love us and support us at birthdays, and births, holidays, and lazy days. We can call or text any time of the day and know that they are available. They are the first to hear about our problems, and the first to hear about our joys (I can still remember calling them or visiting them to tell them about our pregnancies) .
"Being around such people is edifying, enriching, balancing, and fulfilling, and it helps us keep perspective when things seem to grow out of proportion."
Rosemarie Dimare and Mark |
"We much pray that such people will come into our lives." "We should also pray the bad influences away. The Bible says we must "not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers." (2 Corinthians 6:14)
This doesn't mean that we can't reach out into the world and share the gospel, or get close to unbelievers, this means we should not become so close to them that our lives and attitudes can't be distinguished. We are to be in the world but not OF the world. We need to pray that we choose our friends wisely. I've been praying for Mark and Julia since birth that God will surround them with godly friends and that they will choose their friends WISELY, because "bad company corrupts good morals."
The Weavers |
"Pray also for your husband to have godly male friends, and when he finds them, give him time to be with them without criticism."
Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
When John tells me he has lunch or golf with one of his friends like Bill, or Adam, or Steve, or John, or Ev, I am happy because I know these godly men will sharpen each other and John will be blessed by his time with them. Even if sometimes I would much rather him home with me! We all need friends and our time with them should not be a time of guilt, but we should be able to freely enjoy their company!
Me and my Christy |
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend does so by hearty counsel." Proverbs 27:9
How about you? Do you have godly female friends that bless you, encourage you, and give you hearty counsel? Oh my, I sure hope so! I would not have survived the beginning stages of motherhood without my godly female friends. I'm so thankful, and I continue to pray for wise women in my life to guide me and show me how to be a godly wife and mother. But did you ever notice that it is MUCH easier for us females to find godly friends than it is for our spouses? When John first became a Christian 9 years ago, the first thing he had to do was separate himself from a lot of his ungodly friends, now do you see why I prayed so hard for him to have godly friends? I knew I couldn't be his only Christian friend. I knew he needed male godly role models to look to. And God was so faithful to provided friends, and still is. Just recently in NYC God has provided godly men to cross John's path and allowed us to be close to these couples as a family. God can provide godly friends in the strangest of places!
Let's pray for them this week!
*Pray for all of your husband's relationships.
*Pray that none of his relationships be marred by an inability to forgive.
*Pray for him to have good, godly male friends with whom he can openly share his heart.
*May these men be of wisdom who will speak truth into his life.
*Give him the discernment to separate himself from anyone who will not be a good influence (1 Cor 5:13)
Love Dare:
Encourageyour spouse to hang out with one of his good friends and put the time on the calendar so he is sure to remember and keep it and look forward to it!
This has been a prayer of mine for a while and just recently, God has begun answering. I love the idea of having two godly couples to walk along side of us.
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