The Lord has really put it on my heart in the past few days that as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, it’s very important for us to know and keep in mind that the battle IS ALREADY WON, and that EVERYTHING we see in the meanwhile is just the process by which the Lord will get it accomplished, and NEVER evidence or an indication of the outcome! Yet, almost without exception, we tend to lose sight of that, because we are too focused on what’s happening “in the meanwhile”! So the following passages of scripture are just a few that came to my mind or which I found as I contemplated that further:

1 Samuel 17:47
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

2 Chronicles 20:15
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:17
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ “

2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Romans 8:28-31
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Isaiah 55:10-11
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 46:11
From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

So it’s up to us to make a very intentional and deliberate decision to take God at HIS word and put our faith and confidence in Him and the promises found in the Bible, instead of allowing every word or incident concerning our husbands (or wives) to make us believe otherwise. Either we believe in the power of God, or we don’t. Either we believe what His word says or we don’t. And there are NO options in between. And if we don’t make a determined decision to believe and trust the Lord and to put our faith and confidence in Him and what His word teaches, we won’t be able to trust Him and commit to doing things HIS way, and that means we can NOT rely on the awesome promises found in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV), which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths., or Psalm 37:5-6, which says Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Any time the devil uses our circumstances or the actions and words of our spouses to convince us that God will not or can not do what His word promises, we have to take those thoughts captive IMMEDIATELY, just like Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 10:5, which says We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And the best way to do that is to follow the example Jesus set when the devil tempted Him. No matter what Satan said to Him, He just answered back with scripture and told Him “it is written”. And that’s certainly an awesome demonstration of the power of God’s written word and the power we access when we learn to answer Satan with it and speak it into our situations; because Satan just gave up and left! So when we want Satan to leave us alone and stop torturing us with thoughts totally contrary to the word, we have to speak and affirm applicable passages of scripture, because that releases awesome power into our lives and situations. And we have to STOP speaking words contrary to everything we say we’re standing for and trusting the Lord to bring to pass, because Proverbs 18:20-21 (AMP) tells us A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. And Romans 4:17 (AMP) says As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.

Hopefully, the following verses will help remind us of whose will is going to be done in the end, because there’s NO WAY it will be that of our husbands or wives when their will is so contrary to the written word of God, and we can’t ever let anything they SAY OR DO convince us otherwise! So we need to memorize some of these verses and speak them out loud the next time Satan tries to convince us that God can not or will not win this battle, because it IS HIS battle and not ours:

Proverbs 20:24
A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?

Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:1
To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.

And since “The Valley Of Dry Bones is an awesome illustration of what it means to stand on God’s word when trusting the Lord to breathe life into our dead marriages, we might need to read Ezekiel 37:1-14 often, so we can understand the significance of phrases like “This is what the Sovereign LORD says…Then you will know that I am the LORD” and “Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.” And we don’t EVER want to forget Proverbs 21:30-31, because it says There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. The battle IS already won, so be blessed and encouraged as you rely and STAND on the written word of God!

Posted Thursday, December 21st, 2006 at 7:46 pm in Seeds Of Faith.