Just WHO is God? By Stephanie
(Note from Linda: I know everyone standing for marriage restoration will be truly blessed by this very powerful message from Stephanie, because our failure to REALLY know and fully understand just WHO God is is at the root of our inability to trust Him. If we don’t KNOW WHO GOD IS, we can’t live in peace and we won’t let our spouses go; yet that is the very specific instructions God gives in 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 when our spouses want to leave. And in testimony after testimony, we are reminded that it is seeing our peace and joy in the Lord that so often draws our spouses back home and saves them from the destruction intended by the devil. God’s Word promises consequences in our lives when we are disobedient to His Word and blessings when we trust and obey Him (Deuteronomy 30, Psalm37:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Luke 6:46-49), so there should be great and obvious contrasts between the circumstances of our wayward spouses’ lives and ours, and when there aren’t, something is wrong because God is not a liar and His Word NEVER returns without accomplishing what He desires and the purpose for which He sent it (Numbers 23:19 and Isaiah 55:10-11). The pages of the FAM Fellowship website are filled with examples of how God blesses beyond belief those who put their trust in Him as they stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word, as well as the consequences that befall their spouses as they continue in a lifestyle that is not at all pleasing to the Lord; therefore we literally have pages of proof that God does exactly what He says He will do as declared in Isaiah 46:10-11. So I greatly appreciate Stephanie’s obedience and faithfulness to share what she learned at a women’s conference this past weekend with all of us, because we won’t really grow in our walk and relationship with the Lord without trusting Him, which just isn’t possible without really knowing just WHO He is! So please seriously consider the importance of this message and do whatever it takes to grow in your walk and relationship with the Lord as you learn to trust Him because you know just WHO He is, and then you will without a doubt be blessed and encouraged beyond belief!)
Hello My FAMM family,
I want to share something I believe to be very powerful and important. One of the biggest struggles I experienced on my journey to marriage restoration was the ability to TRUST God, because that was my biggest weakness. Just like most of us, I thought I trusted God and I really believed that I had surrendered my marriage to Him. However, I found that my emotions, attitudes and behavior changed the minute the circumstances in my life were not positive; particularly when I was seeing what appeared to be the exact opposite of what I desired and was praying for. So I prayed for God to help me in that area, which He did. So I didn’t cry as much or get angry as I would have in the past, and I wasn’t as fearful. I would read the promises of God, say them out loud, use them in prayer and do everything I believed was necessary to be a good stander. BUT one thing still stood out; I did not surrender it ALL to God. There were a few things that I continued to hold onto because I believed them to be so IMPOSSIBLE, so INSURMOUNTABLE, so VERY UNLIKELY, that I’d keep taken back what I had given to God. But I didn’t realize that until I was asked to do something that ended up being very powerful and really showed me just who my God is. So I want to ask everyone to take a moment to do the same thing.
Take a piece of paper and write down something you are going through right now; something you believed you have already surrendered and given to God, but truly haven’t or that you have at least taken back. And you know what it is, because it’s always on your heart. Please take a few minutes to do that and then read the rest of this post.
The problem for most of us is that we don’t truly understand WHO we just gave our difficulties, problems, or circumstances to. We gave it to God; our Heavenly Father, Our Lord, our Alpha and Omega, and our Savior. So we need to know his many names and just WHO we are putting our trust in, because the names of God reveal so much about who He is, and what He does and says.
Here are some of the names of our God, so please read them carefully, and thoughtfully consider them and what they REALLY mean:
Elohim – He is our Creator, the one true God and can create something out of nothing.
El Elyon – He is Sovereign and in control. Ultimately, man’s actions play into the hands of El Elyon.
Adonai – He is our Lord and Master. He is the one who guides our actions and commands our obedience. We are his servants forever because we love Adonai, our Lord.
El Shaddai – He is God Almighty, all-sufficient, and enough for us.
Yahweh Jireh – He is our provider. He is able to provide for and supply our needs, whatever they might be.
El Ro’I -He is the One who sees us. We can know that we are always under His watchful care.
Yahweh -he is everything we need. He is the source of meaning, purpose, and ultimate satisfaction in life.
Yahweh Rophe -He is our healer. He is our comfort in times of brokenness, pain, bitterness, affliction and mourning.
Yahweh Nissi – He is our victory and the One to rely on when faced with seemingly insurmountable opposition. He is the One to run to when we are faced with battles that threaten to defeat us.
Yahweh Mekaddesh – He makes us holy. He enables us to live a holy and sacred life that pleases Him.
Yahweh Shalom -He is our peace, gives us His deep and abiding peace in the turbulent trials, and will carry us in our troubles.
Yahweh Sabaoath – He is our deliverer in impossible situations, and helps us overcome the giants in our lives.
Yahweh Roi – He is our shepherd, watches over us, and cares and comforts us.
Abba Father – He is our heavenly father, daddy, papa, and the One in whose arms we can run and ultimately find rest.
Now take that piece of paper, and read what you wrote on it again and ask yourself…”Is He enough for what I face today?” And think about WHO you are surrendering it to and call out the name of God that fits your circumstance. Then TRUST him to take care of it. TRUST is Total Reliance Under Stress and Trial. And God is trying to build trust in the fabric of our souls during this journey, which was my biggest weakness until I knew the God I was giving it to!!
Now, take that piece of paper, crumple it up and remember that as easy as it was for you to crumple up that piece of paper, it is just as easy for your God to crumple up your mountains!
Psalm 9:10 – Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
I love you guys,
Stephanie