(Note from Linda: What a blessing it was when Mark shared the following post on the private website! And since everyone really loved it, I greatly appreciate his permission to share it here as well. It really does provide unique and applicable insight, and it helps us understand that God really does have a kingdom purpose for this time of testing and remolding in our lives as He prepares and equips us to stand for the restoration of our marriages and families. So let’s not be distracted or deterred by the process, and instead be blessed and encouraged as we focus on the purpose and promises of God and trust in His power and faithfulness to bring them to pass (Jeremiah 18:4 and Jeremiah 18:6!)

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I was reading some posts and responses this morning and something hit me. This whole restoration process is kind of like God’s boot camp for our souls. I am not sure if any of you have ever served in the military; but I was in the Marine Corps, and I can still hear the voice of my drill instructor telling us that the Marines were going to tear us down and make men out of us. You see, the whole purpose and process of boot camp is meant to change a person; to take someone from civilian life and the ways of that world and to completely tear them down and rebuild them in the way of the military. While this process is extremely physical, it is actually more about changing the mind than anything else. It is about changing the thought process of an individual, and about changing the way they look at life and their surroundings. And you realize that you can never become the new person until the old person is broken and rebuilt.

So I would suggest that we look at the marriage restoration process as God’s boot camp. It is a time where God is breaking us down and helping us to break away from the ways of the world and to be remade in His image. He is training us to walk in His ways and He is equipping us to fight the good fight. And just like boot camp, it can be a hard, scary road to travel, and filled with many challenges and trials, but the end result is that we are stronger, and better prepared to face all challenges that come our way.

And just like joining the military, we all made a commitment. We have committed to walk with Christ, to learning His ways, to be under His authority and to allow Him to be our “Commander in Chief.” We all joined God’s service and became HIS warriors.

And make no mistake, my friends…we are at war; we are at war with Satan and his dominions. They want to destroy everything that God has given us. This is NOT a battle with our spouses, or even the NCPs (non-covenant person); they are not the enemy!! We need to realize that it is not a physical battle that we need to win, but a spiritual battle. As 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us; For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.

Therefore, I would suggest that we all look at this time as a period of tearing down, a time of rebirth; a time to grow stronger in the Lord and His ways. We need to be of good courage because God says I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) But God’s boot camp is not a physical one; it is a spiritual one where God is preparing us for war. And we can Praise God, for unlike our military personnel, this is a war that we don’t have to fight.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is 2 Chronicles 20…be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

I can assure you that I have never met anyone who said they liked boot camp. However, every single person will tell you that they are glad they went through it. They are a better person because of it, and I praise God that we will be as well.

Posted Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 9:29 pm in Seeds Of Faith.