I apologize for not keeping up with this on my blog as I intended to.  There is just so much I *want* to do!  I have been doing this Challenge; however, I just have not been faithful to blog about it. 

:)  If you have completed this 30-Day Challenge, leave me a comment and let me know how it went!

It's been wonderful in my home.... me seeking the Lord and how I can encourage, support, respect, and love my husband!  It has given me a greater sense of appreciation for the gift that he is!

Blessings,

~LISA

Day Eleven:
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Eph. 5:22

I know the world balks at this Scripture.  Even some Christian women do.  I remember years ago when I led a woman's bible study group, and we were going through the book, The Excellent Wife.  When we got to the chapter on submission, many of the women in our group were angry.  They did not want to hear what the Scriptures said on this subject.  It is so opposite of what we learn from the world.

However, there was a tremendous blessing from God on this group of 18 women!  Such growth in their (and my) spiritual life from this study.  We all began to embrace submission as God had ordained.

People who do not understand our God do not understand submission.  They think it is a welcome mat to be a pushover or they think it means we can never say what we really feel.  However, that is not biblical submission.

God is a God of order.  There cannot be two heads... there must be an order within the home.  A wife submitting to her husband is simply God's order in the home.  Notice the Scripture above says we are to submit as to the Lord.  When we submit to our husband, we are really submitting to the Lord.  When we go against our husband, we are really rebelling against the Lord.  That puts a new look on things, doesn't it?

What is not submission?

• Submission is not never speaking your mind
• Submission does not mean we are of no value or worth
• Submission does not mean to follow our husband if he asks us to sin

What is submission?

• Submission is a heart attitude - one of respect towards our husband
• Submission is sharing our heart and thoughts with our husband on an issue; however, if he disagrees and makes a decision different than the one we would have chosen, submission means trusting God to work it out.
• Submission is praying for our husband regarding his decision making, etc.  Think of the responsibility our husband has of being head of the home?  God holds him accountable for the decisions he has made!

Do your actions and heart attitude towards your husband show a submissive heart?  A submissive heart towards God?  I know it is difficult sometimes; however, I believe wholeheartedly that God blesses us when we follow what His word says, and He is glorified in the process.

Blessings,

~LISA

For more on The Challenge, click HERE

"Behold you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant!..." Song of Solomon 1:16a

When we spend time focused on what our husband is not, we miss out on the blessing that he truly is!  Have you told your husband how handsome he is lately?  What drew you to your husband in the first place?  Be sure to look for the good in your husband today and then tell him what you see. 

Blessings,

~LISA

For more on the Challenge, click HERE

Day Nine:
"...be swift to hear, slow to speak..." James 1:19b

Today's Challenge is to listen well.  Do you find yourself sometimes tuning your husband out as he talks?  I know I have done this a time or two.  However, God has given us two ears and one mouth... maybe we should be listening twice as much as we speak! 

If you are following along on this challenge with me, let us focus today on being swift to listen to our husband.

Blessings,

~LISA

Please note:  I copied and pasted the following directly off the Revive Your Hearts website.

Day Eight:
How are you doing with the "30-Day Encouragement Challenge"? In case you've forgotten, here's the challenge:

* You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone else, about your husband.
* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...and to someone else, about your husband!

"...but who can find a faithful man?" Prov. 20:6b

Faithfulness is a wonderful but rare quality today, especially in regard to marriage. Do you understand how important this quality is? Your challenge is to continue to root out all negative speaking, and plant seeds of encouragement instead. You may be amazed at what will grow.

Contemporary culture often entices men to be unfaithful to their wedding vows and spiritual commitments. Appreciate your husband's faithfulness - how he is loyal to you. Let him know that you are glad he has "stick-to-it-iveness" in your marriage. Appreciate his faithfulness to God. (If you have an unfaithful husband, this is a difficult area for you. Pray, speak the truth in love, remain faithful yourself, and discover ways to encourage faithfulness in your mate. The Bible says that husbands may "...be won by the conduct of their wives" [1 Pet. 3:1]. You may also want to seek counsel from a mature, godly individual or couple.)

I am so incredibly thankful for a husband who is faithful.  More than that, he is often forthcoming to me about how much he loves me and enjoys coming home to me and how thankful he is for me as his wife!  Goodness.... I don't want to take that for granted!  I will be sure to thank my husband today for his faithfulness in our marriage and to our family.  May the Lord be glorified and blessed because of it!

Blessings,

~LISA

"Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!...for riches certainly make themselves wings..." Prov. 23:4-5
"That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries." Proverbs 8:21

Day Seven challenges us to find ways to encourage and help our husband in the area of finances, as it is often the cause of many troubles in a marriage.  I am thankful that this is an area we do not normally have difficulty in.  My husband is very wise with money.  I don't have to worry if the bills will be paid or if our money will be spent foolishly.  Praise God!  I try to help my husband by shopping smart, using coupons and sales for grocery shopping, etc.  I see that as my way of helping his income stretch farther.  He is a hard worker, and I'm thankful for a husband who desires to take care of his family in this way.

Blessings,

~LISA

Okay... so I started this 30-Day Challenge, but I have a bad habit of piling too much stuff on my "want-to-do" list and get overloaded and end up doing none of it! 

So, since we are about to start a new month, I'd like to re-commit to this again.  I did the specific actions suggested through Day Five already.  I've read through Day Six and prayed this evening asking God to help me see and recognize my husband's creativity tomorrow and then for Him to remind me to actually SAY something positive to my husband about it. 

I think we wives don't realize sometimes just how much our husbands need our words of affirmation just like we do.   May our marriages be strengthened and God glorified as we seek to encourage and love our husbands.

Blessings,

~LISA

Okay!  So,  now that I have the new category for "Happy & Holy Marriage," why don't you join me for the 30-Day Challenge?  When you click on that link, you will go to a page with free downloads.   The fourth one down says "30-Day Challenge."  Click on that and print or save so that you, too, can join me in blessing our husbands for 30 days!  Be sure to comment here or share on your blog how God is using this in your marriage!  (Be sure to let me know that you've posted on your blog by leaving me a comment!)

Thanks to my fellow blogger over at Life With Boys for the link to the 30-Day Challenge!

May God bless our efforts as we seek to honor and glorify Him in loving our husbands.

 ~ Lisa