As I consider all there is to give thanks to the Lord for this Thanksgiving season, the magnitude of it all is almost overwhelming! He has blessed Faith And Marriage Ministries with so much in the past year that it truly is more than we ever could have asked or imagined! So I want to offer my deeply heartfelt thanks and praise to the Lord by sharing just some of the most amazing things FAM members have been blessed to witness in the past year for the praise, honor and glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

Since this time last year, we have been blessed by the Restored Marriage Testimonies of fifteen more couples, including the first remarriage of a FAM Fellowship member after divorce, which we were blessed to witness via teleconference (and for those who are deceived into believing the devil’s lies…they were just in their early twenties when they separated over two and a half years ago and have no children and no contact much of the year before their SUDDEN restoration just a few months ago)! We have literally watched in amazement as the inexpressible power of God’s Word has radically renewed and transformed the hearts and lives of one man and woman after another. And we have witnessed physical healings and heard testimonies of deliverance from alcohol and drug abuse; including the testimony of a new FAM member delivered from Methamphetamines after years and years of being in and out of jail and treatment programs…all to no avail! We have been blessed to witness the Lord quickly and radically change the hearts and attitudes of one spouse after another when standers learned to claim and stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of their marriages and were blessed as their spouses’ hearts and attention miraculously turn back to them and their children. We’ve seen financial blessings come through at the very last minute to meet the financial needs of one FAM member after another. In fact, just yesterday, despite the terrible real estate market and very unlikely odds, one of our members shared that her house was sold within days of putting it on the market for the amount needed and that she and her newly restored husband were able to buy their dream home, which they will be moving into next month! And we’ve seen one FAM member after another blessed with God’s SUPERNATURAL favor and protection when seeking housing, employment, promotions and in many other ways; including when one of our Board members was TOTALLY unharmed in a head on collision with a truck that so demolished his car that he had to be cut out of it…and even though items all around him (including his glasses) were crushed and he was covered with glass, he didn’t have a scratch on him and had NO injuries other than some possibly fractured and definitely bruised ribs, which healed very rapidly! And out of all of the marriages FAMM has been blessed to see restored over the past few years, as far as I know, with the possible exception of two, they are all going strong and getting better and better with passing time. We even have two new babies on the way After Restoration…plus one on the way even BEFORE restoration! And one of our new members this past year was actually persuaded not to have another abortion, which she was ready to do when she found out that she was pregnant again soon after her husband left. She was assured that the medical bills would be taken care of if necessary and that we would find a good home for the baby…BUT GOD! She kept the baby and fell madly in love with her as soon as she was born and now she and her husband are actually working on restoration! We’ve even had new members realize that they needed to stand for their covenant marriages instead of the non-covenant marriages that were the result of adulterous relationships, and FAMM has truly been blessed by the insight brought to the ministry through The Prodigal Perspective! Simply put; we have seen the great and mighty power of our loving and ever so faithful God Almighty moving in our midst in biblical proportions and we know that He is far from done yet!

Additionally, one year ago, FAMM was transferred from a privately owned and managed entity to an incorporated non-profit organization that is now under the leadership and direction of an international Board of Directors to insure its longevity and that it continues long beyond those of us currently involved in the ministry. And thanks to the very generous support and contributions of the FAM Fellowship members, our websites were finally upgraded and updated and we received the funds needed for our 501(C)3 tax exempt application with IRS. And in the past year, we’ve added ONE HUNDRED new FAM fellowship members to our family, and out of those new members, nine have already experienced restored marriages and many others are definitely moving in that direction! (The other six restored marriages over the past year were two FAM members who joined in 2006, two members who joined in 2007 and two men we ministered to and prayed for even though they didn’t have computer access and couldn’t join and participate in the fellowship.) And we’re looking forward to even more BIG changes in the coming year as we make getting some books published a higher priority, and I prepare to accept speaking engagements as the Lord leads. So please keep Faith And Marriage Ministries in your prayers as we step out in faith to see where the Lord intends to take the ministry in the year to come.

On a more personal level; it’s really not possible to express the utter joy and amazement I’ve experienced this past year and the work the Lord has done in my own heart, mind and spirit! For the first time in my life, I know and understand the inexpressible joy of truly being sold out for Jesus and that when we are, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS…and nothing else will ever bring the same kind of satisfaction or joy. So I hope and pray that everyone will come to realize and KNOW just how faithful God truly is to His Word and that we will NEVER go wrong or be disappointed when we learn to surrender EVERYTHING to Him and to FULLY rely on the power and promise of His Word. And I encourage everyone to learn to thank and praise God for EVERYTHING; including every seemingly unanswered prayer. When I look back over my life for the past twenty years or so and recall some of the prayers the Lord did not answer, I can truly praise His Holy name for that now; because if He had answered them, I would not be where I am today and FAMM wouldn’t exist. And just as many of our members with restored marriages would agree; we can save ourselves so much grief and heartache if only we would realize that God’s plans for us are for GOOD (Jeremiah 29:11-12, Romans 8:28-33 and Genesis 50:20); that He CAN AND WILL bring them to pass (Isaiah 46:1011Isaiah 55:10-11 and Proverbs 21:30); that EVERYTHING that happens in our lives is EXACTLY as it MUST be for God’s will and plan to be perfected in our lives(Ephesians 1:4-14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18). And let’s never forget that God will never withhold any GOOD thing from us when we seek Him with a pure heart and simply trust and obey Him! So seek the Lord with your whole heart, learn to truly trust and obey God, and PRAISE HIM IN ALL THINGS, and you WILL BE blessed and encouraged beyond belief!!!

Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? (Lamentations 3:38)

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. (Psalm 84:11-12)

Posted Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 12:36 pm in Seeds Of Faith.