Witnessing God’s power and faithfulness to change hearts and the course of FAM Fellowship members’ lives has without a doubt been one of the most awe inspiring and humbling experiences of my life, and that’s never been the case more so than with two of our most recent members. Just as Isaiah 55:10-11 declares and promises, God’s Word NEVER returns to Him WITHOUT accomplishing what HE desires and the purpose for which He sent it, and FAM Fellowship members have certainly been reminded of that quite powerfully by getting to know MNO (member name omitted) as she has humbly shared the word of her testimony over the past month and a half; some of which I have requested and received her permission to share here as well.

But before sharing MNO’s most recent Prodigal Perspective post below, I want to share some of the conversation I had with our newest member yesterday; during which we both cried as we recognized the work God was doing in his heart and life. Soon after our conversation began, he acknowledged that the marriage he was standing for began in adultery during his first marriage, so I told him that I would refund his membership dues because we could not support his stand; that if his first wife were to join the ministry to stand for the restoration of their marriage, she’s the one we would support and stand in agreement with based on the Word of God.

Contrary to what many believe and sadly what even most churches and ministries believe and condone, GOD NEVER SEES ADULTERY AS ANYTHING BUT ADULTERY! And since no law passed by man can or will ever change that, anyone believing otherwise is either deceived or not aware of God’s Word because 2 Samuel 12 makes it abundantly clear how God views marriage rooted and established in adultery; particularly based on what God very unequivocally told David in 2 Samuel 12:9-10. Of course, the response I always get from men and women in such circumstances when I tell them that FAMM can’t stand with them for the restoration of their adulterous marriage is that they have repented and know that God has forgiven them. My response to that is to simply ask them if the Lord used them to lead someone they worked with to salvation and they later learned that they were living in a homosexual relationship, would they then tell that person they could continue in their homosexual relationship under any circumstances? Needless to say, I’ve never had anyone say that they would tell someone they could continue in a homosexual relationship; yet their adultery somehow seems to fall into a different category of sin. Sadly, it won’t be too surprising to see the answer to that question change now that homosexual marriage is also becoming “legal.” Yet further proof that God does NOT recognize adulterous marriage as anything but adultery is even included in the Bible’s account of Jesus’ geneology because Matthew 1:6 says, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, which makes it undeniably clear that GOD did not acknowledge David and Bathsheba’s “marriage” as such. So in the eyes of God, EVEN AFTER URIAH’S DEATH, God still saw David’s marriage to Bathsheba as adultery and something he should NOT have done. And just as with David, there’s NO REPENTANCE when we continue in our sin because repentance requires the acknowledgement that we have sinned and a commitment NOT to continue doing so! And God’s absolute refusal to condone or acknowledge adulterous “marriage” is further confirmed in Mark 6:17-18, in which Herodias is referred to as “Philip’s wife (Herod’s brother) even though she was “legally” married to Herod (she is also referred to as “Philip’s wife” and NOT Herod’s wife–though they were “married”–in Matthew 14:3 and Luke 3:19).

Getting back to my conversation yesterday, the response I got from the young man I was talking to was quite unexpected and something I’ll never forget. He said, “linda, all this time, I’ve thought my wife (his partner in adultery) was the “prodigal”…but I’m the prodigal!” Just as with MNO, this young man’s heart was broken with the realization of what he had done and the level of his own deception, but I confidently assured him that God was about to do something so miraculous in his life that he couldn’t even begin to imagine what’s coming. His covenant wife is a strong Christian woman and based on a recent attempt to reach out to her, he has reason to believe that she’s been standing for their marriage even though it’s been more than five years since he left and had his first child with the NCP while still married to her. He was also finally able to understand why the problems began in his current marriage after his current wife got saved, which he didn’t understand before because he expected that to make things better. This is a young man who knows the Lord; he just turned his back on him because of disappointing church experiences and now God is bringing him back to his senses and back to Him and his covenant wife! But that’s no surprise when we understand that God’s Word NEVER returns void and God’s Word says that adultery NEVER comes to a good end…but there is an END according to Proverbs 5:4!

So I hope and pray that every man and woman standing for marriage restoration will indeed be encouraged by these testimonies and make certain to be ready when God does as Jesus described in Luke 15:10-32, and brings your spouse back to their senses just as He portrayed in Luke 15:17-18.

So here’s MNO’s Prodigal Perspective post, which she titled, The Enemy’s Grip is No Where Near as Strong as the Lord’s Power to Break it!:

Hello Everyone,

I’ve wanted to write this for a while now, but have to fight back the tears just to discuss it because no one ever could have convinced me that I’d ever be in this position…divorced, pregnant by the NCP and standing for the restoration of my marriage! I got married “until death do us part”…FOREVER, and not to be divorced after three years because of my infidelity.

Yet I want you all to know that I deeply loved and still do love my husband. Our marriage wasn’t perfect, but I loved my husband dearly. I cooked, cleaned, packed his lunch and even washed his hair. I’m not saying this to say that I was a perfect wife; rather because I want you, my fellow standers, to know that it is not “truly” your spouse in their right mind who gets involved with the NCP. The enemy comes to kill and destroy and he is the one who encourages and condones your spouse’s infidelity.

I saw signs that I should end the relationship with the NCP, but I allowed Satan to convince me that my husband didn’t appreciate me, that the NCP loved me more, that we would have a long lasting relationship, that I wasn’t compromising my salvation, that my husband didn’t care and that I really wasn’t hurting him. The enemy knew exactly how to convince and reassure me that I was doing the right thing, that I didn’t love my husband, and that I deserved more than I was receiving in my marriage…so I was only giving my husband what he wanted and deserved since he didn’t appreciate me anyway.

Today, when I look back to that time in my life, I am in utter disbelief. WHO WAS I? I literally wake up in the morning and have to remind myself what my life is today. And my dealings, mind-set and relationship with the NCP feels like an out-of-body experience now. I don’t even know that person! In my right mind, I never would have hurt anyone; especially not my husband.

So, as a prodigal turned stander, I want you all to know that if your spouse is involved with an NCP, they WILL turn around! The enemy is powerful (for a short time), but our God is so much stronger, so reality does and will eventually come to your spouse; and they do still love you, even if they think they don’t. It’s only temporary, so keep the faith and continue to pray. The enemy’s grip is no where near as strong as the Lord’s power to break it! And prodigals really do come home!

Posted Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 at 7:05 am in Seeds Of Faith.