Last week, one of the FAM fellowship members shared his testimony of how the devil had led him astray and the extraordinary means by which God finally got his attention on the private website. His testimony just serves to prove that God is NOT a liar and that He WILL do exactly what His Word says He will do and it reminds us that we had better learn to take that very seriously! And whenever I think about what God did, I can’t help thinking of Adam and Eve and how they tried to hide from God. And I sure would want to hide from God if He did something so amazing and incredible just to get my attention! So make no mistake, GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED!

But another very important and powerful insight gained from reading MNO’s testimony is just how cunning the devil is; he NEVER comes up to us and taps us on the shoulder and says “Hey, I’m here to tempt you, and this is what I’m doing to steal, kill and destroy all that Jesus Christ died to give you.” No, he always tempts us through the thoughts we fail or refuse to take captive and make OBEDIENT to His Word; every pretension and thought that sets itself up against the knowledge of God based on His written Word; the Bible! So after MNO shared bits and pieces of his testimony through responses to various posts by other FAM Fellowship members, I asked him to put it all together so I could share it here. And I fully intended to post it this past Monday, but due to an encounter with a new and totally different type of pruner than I’m used to (and I guess you could say the pruners won! LOL), I wasn’t able to type for a few days. Naturally, I was disappointed and even wondered why God allowed that to happen. But after several events that occurred today, I have NO doubt that for reasons known only by God on Monday, MNO’s testimony was meant to be posted today instead. And one of those things was Lorraine Ezell’s Coffee Break devotional this morning and how it so perfectly ties in with the message of this powerful testimony. So I’ll post that as a response so everyone can read it as well! I hope and pray that by sharing his testimony, many can learn from MNO’s experience and will beware that the devil will NEVER come up to any of us and tap us on the shoulders to announce what he’s up to. Just as MNO stated, he just whispers his deadly and deceptive lies into our ears and when we listen, we leave ourselves open to his attack and will most likely fall for them. So I greatly appreciate MNO’s willingness to share his testimony and I have no doubt that many who read it will be blessed and encouraged!

*****
I was asked by Linda to share a few things about my stand, or more accurately I should say how God brought me back to standing after my fall. First, I must say that I have been standing for my marriage for over one year now. God has revealed a lot to me during this time, and He has given me many miraculous signs during the past year. But I have to admit that when I first started my stand, it was more about getting my wife back and what God could give me. As I asked God for His help, He gave me His word to read and I grew, and grew in the knowledge of Him. God was true to His word; He was helping me, just not the way I expected and planned for Him to help. He proved His love and faithfulness over and over, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted my marriage, my wife, and my family back, and that had become my idol! I believed, and loved Him, and was obedient, but in the back of my mind as Satan whispered to me, I deserved better and shouldn’t have to wait. My wife didn’t even filed papers for eleven months, and after she did, I didn’t even get an attorney because I knew God could handle the situation. He did, and the first court date went better than expected. I just want to express that I did have faith and love and I knew God’s will for me and my marriage.

Now skipping ahead to one week after my first court hearing; I thought everything went great, and that God was moving, but when it didn’t happen in my time, Satan whispered, “You’re almost divorced; time to move on.” When you’re lonely, those whispers from Satan, friends, family and everyone else start making sense. My faith was even used against me, because Satan whispered “Even if you screw up; if it’s God’s will, He will fix it no matter what you do.”

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; (John 10:10)

Needless to say, I went to the one place where you can meet someone fairly easily; the bar. And it seemed like every detail that led up to me meeting this person was given by God. Everything fit, down to the smallest of details; except one thing, God wasn’t a part of any of it. The more I drank the more things seemed great. We met a few more times, and she was everything I wanted; so I thought. She was attentive, caring, pretty, financially secure, had a nice house, a nice car; she had all I needed. But as I remind you again…except God…and she wasn’t my wife!

During the day, God would speak to me and ask “What are you doing?” And I still read my devotionals and prayed and talked to God; but at night when I was with her, it didn’t matter; she was helping me forget. But even then, every other thought was about my wife, or God, but I would push it away and continue in my disobedience. The guilt of it all was excruciatingly painful…but I deserved to have someone, and not be alone. I started to feel embarrassed about God, and I decided to trim down two bumper stickers on the back window of my car so that they were less noticeable. One said “Got Jesus?” and the other one said “Smile, God Loves You.” I knew it was wrong, but I had to do what I had to do so I could continue to have “fun.” As I started trimming the bumper stickers with a straight razor knife, it shattered into a million pieces. I talked to a few guys and asked what happened, and they said they have never heard of that happening before, but I knew. I knew as soon as it shattered; God wanted my attention! He wanted me back; all of me!

So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:3-4)

The next day, I asked God to have my wife call me if it was truely His will for me to stand for my wife and marriage. Yep, she called! And it had been over a month since I had heard from her.

Time with the other person seemed more demanding; I no longer had time for God, friends, or for being with just me. I had become a prodigal! Needless to say, after God showed me and spoke to my heart, I knew that all I needed was Him. I had already spent a year with just Him; well my kids and friends too, but really just Him. Unfortunately, I had all I needed all along and had to lose it to realize it. When I say that, you must remember that I left Him, but He never left me.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:8-39)

I do thank God, because He did allow this person to be an instrument of His teaching, and that she is a good person, and that at least the physical sense of adultery was never crossed. If it had been, the guilt would be even more overwhelming. In the short time together, there was not only guilt from God and my disobedience, but the guilt of what I was doing to her. And I didn’t know how to get out of the mess I had gotten into. How do you tell someone that you are with that you are still in love with your wife, and that God wants you to wait for her, and not make it sound like a dump line? And what about all of the other things I said to encourage the relationship that weren’t lies at the time? I can tell you that the truth is the only way. God has a purpose, and the only way to fulfill it is with His guidance. If your spouse is with someone, believe me, even if they might want out, it is very hard to do, and we weren’t even that serious. God will get His way, though.

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

I am sharing all of this to stop and/or encourage all who read this; don’t judge your spouse. We can all fall into Satan’s trap, and if you think you need someone other than your spouse and especially God, you are wrong! The only one who can take the loneliness away is God. He is truely all we need. It has taken a while, but I actually believe that now when I say it! If my wife comes back, that’s okay; if not, that’s okay too! But I know she will be back! That’s God’s promise to me, and I guess that is why it no longer matters when. But honestly, God has given me what He promised, the rest are benefits of being His child! It is never too late to turn from our ways and let God reign in our lives. He brings the peace we all search for, and when we are in His will, our hearts and lives are finally free. Let God free you from the guilt, and the pain! God gave me Psalm 32, which says :
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

God bless, and praise God, because Today is the day!

Posted Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 11:58 pm in Seeds Of Faith.