Since this is such a special time of year for all of us as we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our beloved Lord and Savior, as we celebrate the love and victory we have in Him, I can’t help thinking how blessed the FAM Fellowship is to have so many wonderful men and women of God as members! The following message, which was posted on the ladies’ private site Saturday, is a perfect example of why; and reveals the awesome, loving, supportive and uplifting ministry that takes place among our members. And so true to how the Lord ALWAYS works, this message really spoke to many of our members very personally and was confirmation of several other conversations as well. And you all know how much God’s awesome power of confirmation totally amazes me! So I really appreciate Alex’s permission to share the following message here too, along with the other members whose responses I’m sharing as well. And I have no doubt many others will be just as blessed and encouraged as we all are! Thank you, Alex, for your faithfulness and obedience and the loving service you render in the name of Jesus!

This is an awesome week, so I know that many are fasting and consecrating themselves and their households to the Lord. And the excitement and joy I feel goes beyond what I desire in terms of our restorations. I feel that this week holds explosive spiritual growth and healing for a lot of members, their spouses, and their children.

We have been talking this past week about the Holy Spirit’s power within us and the need to first believe our prayers and then speak them forth. Again and again, we have had personal confirmations of this in our lives. Through the teachings of those such as Glenn Jackson and Marsha Burns, we have received even more confirmation that we are moving with the flow of the Holy Spirit on these subjects. And what an appropriate time to take hold of this truth; during this special season of Easter and God’s power made manifest through the victory of our risen Savior.

This morning, I was reading in 1 John and I came across some scripture that sheds even further light on this subject; something to strengthen and edify each one of us. 1 John 3:8 gives us so much confidence in God’s plans for us, Because it says The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. Jesus didn’t just come to conquer sin; he came to conquer the effects – the consequences of sin in our lives!!! Let that sink in for a moment. Jesus didn’t just come to save me from the sins that destroyed my marriage; He came to destroy the devil’s work that resulted from my sin-that means I can have total confidence that He came to restore my family and my broken marriage. He came to restore me by cleansing me and causing me to be whole again. I am not depressed; I am not an adulteress; I am not fearful; I am not ashamed-PRAISE GOD! My study bible says this about the above passage: Satan cannot lay hold of the believer to harm him, on the contrary, the Christian will overcome him and Christ will destroy his work.

And here is a word of comfort for those whose spouses are not walking in fellowship with God right now; verse 9 says No one born of God will continue in sin, because God’s seed remains within him, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. And for those whose spouses are not saved, this is an important reminder to continue to pray daily for their salvation, and I will be praying this week for the salvation of all prodigals who do not know the Lord.

I sound like an infomercial – but wait there’s more! Verse 12 says Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do you feel like your marriage is a body and your spouse is walking away; letting it die while you try to give it CPR? So many in the fellowship are dealing with spouses who, like Cain, are consumed with jealousy, fear and anger because they feel inadequate-that what they have to offer is not enough. Their feelings of unworthiness have led to anger which has been sustained and produced sin. This feeling of unworthiness is compounded in them when they see the growth and light within us that they so desperately want for themselves. And sometimes, they lash out at us because they don’t know how else to take their anger out on God. Jenn and Amy, as I write this, your situations just come so strongly to my mind. In this season, you are enduring the wrath of Cain from your husbands, but praise GOD, this season will pass and God will make peace with them and they will make peace with you. We know God will do this, because as the Word says, we are one flesh with our spouses and as we have received forgiveness and deliverance, so shall our spouses. We are halves of a whole.

I also received comfort from verses 18-20, which say Let us not love with words but with actions and in truth…this is how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. My study note says this: An oversensitive conscience can be quieted by the knowledge that God himself has declared active love to be evidence of salvation. He knows the hearts of all-whether in spite of shortcomings, they have been born of him. I myself have struggled with an oversensitive conscience, and I know others here have as well. I found the following word from Bill and Marsha Burns website, Spirit of Prophecy, which so speaks to this feeling that I will share it here:

On those days, beloved, when you “feel” that you just do not measure up, remember that I, your God, will take up the slack. Don’t be mournful about your shortcomings, but remember: That your God is well able to take up the slack. I am well able to give you the beneficial help that you need to keep going on the path that I have selected for you, that path that you long to walk with Me.

I am a good God Who is always working on His dear children’s behalf, always taking up the slack in their lives and bestowing the benefits that serving Me brings to a heart that is willing. Now isn’t that reassuring, beloved. Isn’t it reassuring to know that I am always there with you, always making those nips and tucks in your walk, establishing you in your walk, sending you forward into that promised success in your walk for which your heart longs? Isn’t that reassuring? Of course it is, beloved. Of course it is! So when you are feeling a bit down or feel that you are floundering a bit in your walk, look to Me and see the light of My eyes smiling on you, and know deep within that you serve a masterful God Who is more than able to give you that extra boost in your walk, sending you forward into the wonders that I have provided.

And that word is just confirmation, because I didn’t find it until after I had read 1 John this morning! Now comes one of the best parts of what I found in the word this morning. Again, same chapter, verses 21-23 say Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, WE HAVE CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD AND RECEIVE FROM HIM ANYTHING WE ASK BECAUSE WE OBEY HIS COMMANDS AND DO WHAT PLEASES HIM. And this is His command: to BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST and to love one another. Isn’t that what we have been talking about this week. Believing, believing, and believing. Asking with confidence. My study note says this about these verses, This command has 2 parts, the first is to believe in Christ and the second is to love. Again, we get so focused on love and we forget the necessity of believing and the power that comes through believing.

Father, may we all have the joy of seeing our faith strengthened this week. You can bring us out of disbelief and into the realm of truly embracing your Word and we ask for that transformation during this Easter season. Lord, we pray for the salvation of all prodigals who have never known you. Father, we thank you that those who have not been walking with you, will do so again because your word promises it. We thank you that you “pick up our slack” and that we will no longer listen to the accusing voice of the enemy but rather will bring our thoughts into captivity to you. As a result, we will have no fear that we are undermining your efforts or that we are hindering your work. We will have renewed love and patience for our spouses because we understand that their anger, though directed toward us at times, comes from deep wounds which you have promised to bind up and heal. Thank you Father because you look on our spouses with deep compassion and because of that, we do too. You will draw them out of deep waters and we will have joy when we see your glory in their faces. We rejoice in our victories Lord that are coming and coming soon! We thank you that we are commanded to have confidence before you and to ask with the expectation of receiving! How awesome is that truth from your Word! We love you Lord and we praise you. May you receive thanks, praise, glory and honor from your children this week. Sweet Jesus, make it so. Amen.

Response by Linda Wattu on April 1st, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Alex, thank you so much for sharing this with all of us – it’s awesome! And you know I’ll use it in my SOF post tomorrow! But another neat thing about it, is how it confirms a conversation I had last night with Kathy in Oregon. That was the first time we had a chance to get to know each other and I know she’ll appreciate the confirmation that you provided (well – the Holy Spirit) for so much of what we talked about! As always, you are such a blessing and this is a very important message for all of us, especially as we approach the day we set aside to honor the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Love you lots!

Response by Diane on April 1st, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Yes, Thank you for sharing this Alex, this is truly a special time. The prayer is so great; I will pray it this week for us all. Have a great Lords day. Diane

Response by Kathy in Oregon on April 1st, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Alex, — this is such an awesome post and like Linda said, so amazingly confirms what Linda and I were talking about last night!! God speaks in such amazing ways, and you are such a shining example of what the Lord will bring when we are fully yielded to Him! Thank you so much for sharing the insight that the Lord gives you — it ALWAYS carries such blessings and encouragement, and for that, I KNOW the Lord’s blessings are and will continue to be showered upon you and your family! Love, Kathy

Response by Janet in Maryland on April 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 am
Alex, your words had to be God sent!! I promised myself that this Holy week I was just going to be still, not post anything, just reflect on the Word and try my best to become more of what God wants me to be as a wife. After an exchange with (husband’s name omitted) yesterday, it was readily apparent that I had not totally forgiven him for some of his past actions; that I had not totally let him go and that I was not loving him based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. The result was I threw a little pity-party for myself, and then I fell on my face and poured out my heart to my God, asking for forgiveness for the entire exchange (husband’s name omitted) and I had. I asked God to help me be more forgiving and loving and to give me the strength to totally let my husband go. After reading “The Slack”, I felt so much better about the situation. I knew then that I did not have to worry about my shortcomings. I knew that I did not measure up to what God wanted me to be, but I also knew that my Savior will pick up that slack for me. I know that He just has to see the sincerity in my heart, for He knows how much I want to change and get right with Him. It was so reassuring to know that I serve a God who is “always working on His dear children’s behalf, always taking up the slack in their lives and bestowing the benefits that serving Him brings to a heart that is willing.” My heart is willing, but right now my flesh is weak. I would certainly appreciate your prayers at this time. I want nothing less than to be like Christ in my everyday life.
May God bless you all. You have all been so inspiring to me. Love Always, Janet.

Posted Monday, April 2nd, 2007 at 7:58 pm in Seeds Of Faith.