God WILL Make ALL THINGS New!
As FAM members are blessed to witness the Lord’s hand moving in our midst in such AMAZING and SUPERNATURAL ways, we are also reminded that the same things that plagued FAM members in the past are still at work to plague those experiencing marriage restoration today. But that comes as no surprise, because the devil doesn’t need to learn a new way of doing things since he already has a well established and very effective method of operation when it comes to stealing, killing and destroying our marriages and families. But the truth is not in him and he is a liar and a defeated foe, so we’ve had an awful lot of conversation lately about being prepared for his attack and taking EVERY thought captive and MAKING them obedient to Christ and the Word of God!
As I’ve shared with so many FAM members over the past week or so, we just can’t hold onto the past and expect to receive the miraculous restored marriages God has planned for us, so we have to choose one or the other because we can’t hold onto both. As a previous Seeds Of Faith post, Behold, I WILL DO a NEW Thing!, stated; “we have to let the past go, because we can’t take our failed marriages with us into the restored marriages God wants to give us!” And as that post makes so clear, one of the biggest reasons we struggle with that so much is because we find it difficult to truly FORGIVE AND FORGET, even though that is what God instructs us to do. So please read that post and study and meditate on the scriptures included in it, because the devil will not miss ANY opportunity, especially when they are handed to him on a silver platter, to destroy the word of our testimony and all that God has already done and will continue to do for the glory of His Son. BUT he can’t steal, kill or destroy ANYTHING unless we give him that power and access through our own lack of trust and obedience!
God can and will make ALL THINGS new, but WE have to press on toward the goal of restored marriages, by doing exactly what Tammy reminded us of in her response to the above post, which is what Paul taught in Philippians 3:12-14, where he wrote Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. And it truly is a significantly transformational and powerful step in the restoration of our marriages when We realize that taking a stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages and families is the preordained and predestined ministry that GOD ALMIGHTY has called each of us to and that it is indeed SOLELY for the praise, honor and glory of His Son, Jesus Christ, as revealed in Ephesians 1:4-14! And when we truly grasp and understand the power and promise found in Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 37:4-6, we understand that all we have to do is to trust and obey God and know that He will indeed CAUSE ALL THINGS to work together for our good when we love Him and are called according to HIS purpose (Romans 8:28) and that NO MATTER HOW BAD THINGS APPEAR; what was intended for harm and evil, God ALWAYS intended for good and for the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20); and in our case, the saving of many marriages and families as well; which we know based on Revelation 12:10-11.
As I’ve recently shared, witnessing the total and complete transformation God has been bringing about in the hearts, minds, spirits, lives, marriages and families of so many FAM members lately is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences imaginable, which is so accurately and appropriately described in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, because it says So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
The following praise testimony was posted on the private website a few days ago and I really appreciate MNO’s (member name omitted permission to share it here, because it is a wonderful illustration of how God works in US and the restoration of our marriages and families when we truly let go and put ALL of our hope and confidence in HIM as we learn to stand on the power and promise of His Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families. So read this wonderful testimony of the Lord’s power and faithfulness WHEN we DO as His Word instructs and be blessed and encouraged to know that He will do the same thing for everyone once we give it all to Him and just focus on learning to be the spouses God calls us to be as we grow in our own walk and relationship with Him and stand on His power and His promise to restore our marriages and families.
Hello everyone, I have not posted anything lately and thought today would be a good day to write a praise report, since it was a year ago today that I found out about the NCP (non-covenant person). As I think back over this past year, I am in awe of the changes made in me and my life. When I first found out, I thought my world was going to end. I can remember crying for days on end, wondering how I would ever live without my husband. What was I going to do? What would happen to my family? I went days without eating and remember pretty much crying for months. I could not believe the things my husband was saying to me; such as he did not love me, he had not loved me in a long time and he would never come home and that we just did not connect the way he and the NCP did. I was so hurt and devastated. But even though I was very hurt and so angry, I still loved him just the same.
Months went by and I would beg him to come home, but he would just tell me it would not work as his heart was somewhere else. He said he would always love me, but was not in love with me. He had even given up time with his kids, and I had the hardest time trying to figure out how a man I had loved for so long could just turn his back on me, the children and all responsibility at home.
But during this time, I turned my life back to God and when I did, things began to change. I have found so much peace and happiness in my life, which I thought I would never have again. I also lost my job in July due to a lay-off and I was given a severance package for three months and during this time, I’ve had a chance to really read and study God’s word. I prayed so much that I would spend the entire day with God, and I’ve come to realize through this time, that it was a time of healing that I truly needed. I can remember God telling me about a week before I lost my job that I needed a break, but I didn’t know that would mean that I’d lose my job. But I have to tell you that it was the best thing! God really does know what we need better than we do. My life with God has changed and he has shown me so much.
Also during this time, I found the FAMM website and on September 23, 2008, Linda was brought into my life. Linda made me realize how I needed to let go and let God handle it all and quit trying to handle things in my own way. I needed to learn to keep quiet and quit begging him to come home because all I was doing was pushing him further away. I have to admit that it was a hard thing to do at first, but once I finally let go and gave it all to God, things started changing. The man that told me he would never come home, and that he never love me has really changed so much in the past couple of months. The NCP is not in the picture anymore, and he has recently talked about coming home, but tells me he just can’t right now. I just praise God, because this is such a big change from “I am never coming home.” He now eats dinner with us every night he can, and last Friday night, he was having water heater problems at the place where he stays and said he was coming over to take a bath and ended up staying and spending the night in our bed. And we have been together numerous times over the past couple of weeks, but he is still somewhat distant and not sure of things. Yet, he tells me that he loves me, and hugs and kisses me. I thought I would never hear those words again or feel his touch again, but look what God has done! So I give him all the praise and glory for what he has done in my life and marriage.
So please know that God can and is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. So many family members and friends told me during this time to get on with my life and to let him go; that I have been through enough. But I am so glad that I decided to turn to God and not to them, because I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I had listened to them. But all of the heartbreak, pain and suffering I have been through has been so worth it. We just have to give it all to him, keep him first in our lives and let him handle things his way. His plan is better than ours! Please keep praying for our family and I am looking for a job right now also. I know God has a plan for me and my family and it is all good!
I am just so amazed by what God has been doing in this ministry lately. He is moving in so many lives here and I give all the praise to him. Linda, I thank you so much for your help and encouragement; we are truly blessed to have you and this ministry. God Bless you.