One of Satan’s most effective and destructive weapons against men and women standing for marriage restoration is doubt, so it’s very important for all of us to know HOW to deal with and overcome doubt. An article Dan shared on the private FAM Fellowship website yesterday addressed the fact that many Christians erroneously have the idea that as Christians we’re not supposed to doubt in the first place, which is a very important point to make, but I was really even more impressed and struck by something Dan said, which was “We are not going to be without any doubt, so it is how we handle the doubt that matters.” And it’s SO IMPORTANT for us to understand how true that is as we stand for the restoration of our marriages!

First, we know we are going to experience doubt, because that’s one of Satan’s most effective and destructive weapons; one of the weapons of HIS warfare. And 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 verifies that, because it tells us 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. And EVERY “argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” IS doubt. And, just as Dan said, experiencing moments of doubt is NOT the problem; which Ephesians 4:26-27 illustrates as well, because it says “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. So in the same way what we do when we get angry determines whether or not we sin; what we do or DON’T do when we struggle with thoughts filled with doubt is the issue we have to deal with as we stand for our marriages. And based on the above instructions, the way to deal with doubt, anything contrary to accepting and believing the power and promise of God’s Word, is to TAKE those thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to Christ and the power and promise of His Word. And since there are so many archived SOF posts on that topic, I’m not going to address that again here, other than the reminder we have in Philippians 4:8-9, which says Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Another important point to make about doubt is that it is ALWAYS the result of being deceived, which we also know because to believe ANYTHING that sets itself against the knowledge of God is deception. And Satan’s attacks ALWAYS begin with deception, because he’s “the father of lies” as John 8:44 makes very clear:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

And the reason it’s important to be aware of that is because John 14:6 says Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So believing the lies of the devil and doubting the power and promise of God’s Word is not Jesus’ way, which means it can (and probably will) keep us from experiencing the victory over the devil and the abundant life Jesus came to give us; as He promised in John 10:10 (AMP), which says The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

And we find some of the most important instructions for all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, especially about how to guard our minds against doubt and discouragement, in Philippians 4:4-7, which says Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. IF we would make PRACTICING the instructions in these four verses a HABIT, we would not continue to struggle with doubt, because there just isn’t any room for it in our lives when we are REJOICING, GENTLE, NOT ANXIOUS, and present our requests to God in PRAYER with THANKSGIVING concerning EVERYTHING! And for those who say they can’t do that; you’re already in trouble, because Philippians 4:13 (NJKV) also says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

So let’s rely on the power and promise of the two following passages of scripture as we stand for the full and complete restoration of our marriages, just as we see taking place in the lives of other FAM Fellowship members, because doing so requires us to overcome doubt when Satan sends it to assail us:

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 37:4-6
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

The next time doubt threatens to steal our peace and joy, and the faith and confidence we so rightly placed in our Lord and Savior, we just need to remember the above passages of scripture and that as Dan said “We are not going to be without any doubt, so it is how we handle the doubt that matters.”

In closing, I want to share something posted on the private website by one of the FAM Fellowship members this morning, along with some of the responses, with the hope that everyone will be as blessed and encouraged as I was!

“I want to praise God this morning for all the things He is doing in our lives and marriages! I am truly amazed at His ways. And I always try to think about how God uses different things in each of our marriages. I even try to “play” God, by thinking this could lead to that, and so on. As I sit here this morning, and think about it, He is so much better than I can even imagine! It is funny; as much as I dislike being away from my wife, I don’t know that I would trade this for anything. God has opened my eyes to Him, and His miraculous way of doing things. Would I have ever seen the true beauty of God if all this hadn’t happened? Maybe, but I know that I see it now, and for Him to choose me to experience His love is amazing. Sure, every day is sometimes a challenge, because of what I don’t have. What I do have, though, is so much better! I’m not sure even why I am writing this post. It just felt like something I was suppose to do! That is what is so great about God! We don’t have to understand! We just have to love, trust, obey and praise Him! How simple is that, and He’ll love us no matter what. TODAY IS THE DAY, AND HE IS THE WAY!”

Response by Dan on August 31st, 2007 at 7:58 am
“Amen Joe. I bet everyone in this group can claim the same spiritual growth, because we have turned to God for strength and understanding. We know He is the only way we can have victory over our struggles. He gave us the Word for a reason and like you said, trusting and obeying brings victory in our lives, now and forever.

Lord, I pray that You would allow everyone who is struggling with this “restoration” stuff to have peace and joy as they try so hard to wait, believe and trust in You to heal their marriage. You know it is tough and sometimes the emotions and feelings prevent us from giving You everything we need to. We seek that peace and joy that You promise, so I pray with all my heart in the name of Jesus, that You would cleanse us and let that peace flow through every inch of our minds, hearts and souls as we attempt to trust and obey the Word You have sent to us. Father, I thank You for listening and praise You for all the things that You are doing in our lives, marriages, and families. I ask that You would work in a most powerful and supernatural way this weekend to bring prodigals home and to renew faith and belief in those standers who are having a difficult time understanding why their marriage has not been restored or even looks hopeless. I pray for encouragement for them; make it very clear, Lord, what You want them to do. Make their hearts full of Jesus so that they can go on. Like a water fall, Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would wash over them and take away all doubt and fear. I pray for their breakthrough, Lord. I lift up my fellow standers, who I love so much, and ask for Your grace and mercy to be poured over them. In Your Precious Son’s Name, Amen.”

Response by Joe on August 31st, 2007 at 8:13 am
“Amen, Dan! May God’s Love shine in and through us, today and in the days to come. May His peace and joy surround us, and attract others to us. May His will be done in our lives and the lives of other people struggling in their marriages. May there be an overwhelming conviction on the hearts of prodigals, and may they come “home” to Jesus and their waiting spouses! We praise you for your unconditional love, Lord; may everyone experience it today!”

Response by Linda Wattu on August 31st, 2007 at 11:52 am
“AWESOME prayers, guys! I could literally feel their anointed power too! I bet Diane’s legs will tingle when she reads them, and I bet we see some manifestation this weekend too!

And right on, Joe! AMEN AND AMEN! I love what you said about trying to figure out how God is working in every situation and even trying to “play God”! I know you didn’t mean that disrespectfully, because that’s exactly what I do all the time! That’s what I mean when I say we are to LOOK for God in everything. We should look at everything from His perspective to see HOW He is working or the evidence that He is, because He’s ALWAYS WORKING! And based on His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28, we know that’s ALWAYS good news for us! So thanks so much for sharing what the Lord had put on your heart — it is at the heart of our stand for the restoration of our marriages and one of the most important messages for all of us to get deep into the marrow of our beings. And this and the prayers posted since you posted it, will go along perfectly with my SOF post and FAM Chat today, which is “Dealing with Doubt!” TODAY IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, SO LET’S BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN IT! And when we devote ourselves to prayer, as Colossians 4:2 says, and as this demonstrates, let’s be watchful and give thanks…for all we know TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

Dear Lord, let us see your love and power manifested in our midst this weekend as countless marriages and families are restored for the glory of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray! Amen!”

Posted Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 6:06 pm in Seeds Of Faith.