While there’s little that compares with the level of excitement we all have when we see a marriage restored in our midst; when a spouse returns home or decides to make a commitment to working on a marriage they were previously determined to abandon; there’s really no greater joy for me personally than the opportunity I’m blessed with to see the lives of men and women totally transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is not by coincidence that these are also the same people who have already experienced the restoration of their marriages or who are now seeing the Lord working in their circumstances beyond anything they ever imagined when they first embarked on the tumultuous journey of standing for marriage restoration.

As often seems to happen, a recurring and very important theme in the ministry lately has been the absolute necessity of relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, instead of striving in our own strength and ability or relying on our own understanding. In fact, that was perfectly expressed in a response from Melissa in Michigan to yesterday’s SOF post as follows:
“Those were such great testimonies and confirm what are pastor read to us this Sunday from Psalm 46:10; Be still and know that I am God. or in another translation; Cease striving and know that I am God. Every time I begin looking at my circumstances, which appear hopeless, I quote this verse and see that God is bigger than my circumstances and way more powerful than Satan. If God is on my side, I already know we have won the battle and now I just need to be patient and wait for God’s perfect timing, which isn’t one minute late or early. Praise the Lord!!”

But the recurring question is HOW we get to that place of being able to TRULY AND CONSISTENTLY trust in God with absolute confidence that He IS IN CONTROL and that HE WILL RESTORE OUR MARRIAGES. And there is only one answer to that (and all questions for us as Christians), and that’s getting SERIOUS about reading and studying the Word of God so that we really enter into an intimate relationship with God Almighty and are able to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us so we can walk in the power and promise of God’s Word. And NONE of that is even remotely possible without KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING the nature and character of God and His INFINITE and NEVER CHANGING love, power and faithfulness. So, if we don’t KNOW the Word of God and truly understand His nature, character and ways, what hope do we have of ever recognizing thoughts, attitudes, opinions and teachings as arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God? And how will we be able to make such thoughts obedient to Christ and the Word if we don’t know and understand what the Word says? And we know how important being able to do that is based on 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which says 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. That also confirms one of my favorite sayings, which is that we can’t get God’s results without DOING things God’s way, and that when we do things the world’s way, we WILL get the world’s results. And the ONLY thing that separates us from the world is our ability to live by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So it’s very exciting to see the transformation that takes place when the FAM Fellowship members start SERIOUSLY studying God’s Word and get so excited about what the Lord is showing them that they want to share it with others. And pretty much without exception, the ones doing that are the same ones who now have their marriages restored and/or those who are now seeing the Lord moving in their circumstances so powerfully. In fact, most of our members with restored marriages are still quite active in the ministry, and the Lord just continues blessing them and making their marriages better with every passing day! But I don’t often have such a powerful written illustration of just how the Lord does this in our lives as the one I’ve graciously been given permission to share today. The excerpts from the following Heart To Heart post and Prayer Request below were written by one of our members almost six months ago, which he titled “Dazed and Confused but Love the Lord.” But in the intervening time, he has really been digging into the Word of God and we have all seen him transformed before our very eyes, and now he’s a great source of encouragement and inspiration to all of us. So even though the first post below is not all that encouraging or uplifting; it’s necessary to demonstrate what a difference it makes in our hearts, minds, spirits and lives when we get serious about God’s Word and allow it to change and transform us through the power of the Holy spirit, as so clearly apparent by the last Heart To Heart post below, which was shared by the same member just a few days ago! And we should never forget the very important warning found in Matthew 13:12, as stated below, and we would all be very wise to pray just as he does, because that humble prayer is bound to touch the heart of God! So it is my sincerest hope and prayer that we’ll all continue to be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, because there’s no better way to be blessed and encouraged!

Dazed and Confused but Love the Lord –

Okay, I have struggled today, because my son left after a wonderful week and I praise God for his visit; God’s timing was good!) SNO once again made it clear that she will meet with her attorney in a few days, so the end is near. I shared the news with our friends this morning, but I told them that I was still praying that she would change her mind. He said that it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. Of course the first thing that pops into my mind, because I have programmed it that way, is that Saul didn’t look like he was headed to Jesus either until God knocked him on his butt, and the hard road bounced him. But the second thing that popped into my mind was “Yeah, you are probably right.” That was not programmed by God, but Satan has power too. I know we have to stay in God’s Word, so I am asking that you all pray for me to stay focused on Him and not the situation or circumstances, because right now that seems hopeless. I have prayed fervently today for God to reveal any thing in me that is preventing my marriage from being restored. And I have gone from His mercy to his wrath; and from I am not deserving to He has washed me clean. He knows I am trying my best; He knows I love Him more than anyone; He knows I have studied His Word until I turn blue. And I have changed prayers for specific stuff to “Here she is, Lord. I know Your will is going to be done without my suggestions on how to do it.” Then…”God, maybe You have someone for SNO who is better for her than I.” I know she did not receive the best of me that I have to offer, and I think maybe this is my consequence for not being the husband God intended me to be. Then I heard David Jeremiah say this morning that he sometimes hears people say that just maybe they married the wrong person. He says he always gives the same response; if you are married, you are married to the right person! I know SNO was meant to be my wife and I know that she is still meant to be my wife.

Linda, I know there are things I need to hear; the truth. And I know the truth and I know how I should feel and think. I know the faith that I should have; unfailing and unwavering. I know all that and I would be the first to tell the rest of you that too. So, why can’t I wait patiently and joyfully for God to do what I know He is going to do?

God knows my heart; He knows that I didn’t want the NCP to get hit by a truck when I prayed that and I know it wasn’t in His will. God knows that I want my marriage restored; and not just any wife; not just any relationship; not just any intimacy – I want my wife. Regardless of what I slip and say, does He ignore my heart and say “Well, you don’t care enough or you wouldn’t have any doubt.” Paul said he did what he didn’t want to do, and I feel like that – I try to do what I know is pure and righteous, but I do what I don’t want to do and feel how I don’t want to feel. That was from Friday night’s chat and something that was said that still bothers me.

I guess that is all for now. Just please keep me lifted in prayer. I need strength to keep Satan in his place and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, because I know stronger attacks are headed my way this week. Also, pray for SNO. I’m sure the Holy Spirit is working in her. But just when I am so fulfilled, I seem to lapse back into the flesh.

Okay, because I am one who bounces from one thought to another, because there are one hundred million of them going through my mind at any one given time; some of this didn’t make any sense. So please try to pick out what you can and pray however you think I need to be prayed for! You guys are great and just a HUGE blessing and important part of my life right now. I have never been blessed by such sincere, loving individuals. Have a great week and know that I am praying my heart out for you and your spouses.

The Holy Spirit Guides Us

We know from God’s Word that He is with us; the Holy Spirit is within us because we believe in Jesus Christ. After Jesus was crucified and ascended to Heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in each of us who believe in Jesus. So we must always remember that God did not send Jesus to die for us and then leave us orphaned. The Holy Spirit can fill every aspect of our lives to the fullest, and He comforts and guides us. That means we should always have the hope and courage to live our lives here on earth; knowing the wonderful and eternal future that is waiting for us some day.

John 14:16-18, 26 (NLT)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Ephesians 3:14-20 (NLT)
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

We have all been spoken to in some way to stand for the restoration of our marriages. Some of us have had scriptures speak to us; dreams that came to us in our sleep; visions at particular times; and maybe God has even spoken directly to us. But as we continue in our daily walk, true wisdom and discernment requires us as believers, to let the Holy Spirit be our guide and not lean on our own understanding. Then spiritual discernment will enable us to draw conclusions based on God’s perspective, make wise decisions in difficult circumstances, recognize the activities of God’s spirit and distinguish the truth in scripture (the correct or incorrect use of His Word).

As the Holy Spirit speaks to us; guiding us through visions, dreams, prophecies, angels, trances, etc; we must always turn to the Word to verify that it aligns with God’s directions. And we must not harden our hearts with unbelief, because we have to receive God’s Word by faith and then trust and obey what God, through the Holy Spirit, directs us to do. We must not waver in our obedient faith. (Acts 5:19-20; 7:55-56; 8:29; 10:9-13; 11:9; 21:10-11)

As we listen and respond in obedience to His Word, God will give us more and more understanding. As a direct result of my letting everything go to God; I do believe He is taking me to the next level in our relationship. I can tell you that I praise Him and I am so excited to be where I am today!

Hebrews 4:7 (NLT)
So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
“Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”

Matthew 13:12 (NLT)
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

In the past several weeks, the Holy Spirit has spoken to me in unbelievable ways. Never before in my life have I felt so close in my relationship with God. He wakes me during the night and gives me encouragement through the Word. I have never been one to just open my Bible and let God speak to me from wherever it falls open! Actually, I always thought those people were a little weird. But three times in the last ten days, I have been awakened, certainly not at all enthusiastically, and opened my Bible to read scripture – where ever it fell open to. And it has been incredible how each time the message was right on target with what I was feeling or fit right in to the circumstances of that particular day. I mean truly amazing! I always believed in His supernatural ability, but this is mind blowing for me. Consequently, I have had the peace and joy I’ve seen in others, which I have so coveted in the past. God is in control, folks, and there is absolutely nothing that we can do to change that; nor should we ever want to; His ways are far superior to ours! God is going to keep His promise in all of our situations, so I encourage us all to stand firm in our stands for God and our marriages. In Him we have victory every single day.

Father God, I thank You for your unfailing love and the unlimited faithfulness You have shown me. Lord, I thank You for the most powerful and supernatural way that You have worked in my life to change me into the person that You want me to be and that my spouse will desire. God, You are truly awesome and all I want to do is please You and worship You with all my heart, soul, and mind. Use me to shine Your light and encourage others as we go through the struggles of life. Continue, Lord, to teach me Your ways; guide and direct me. Amen

Posted Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 5:31 pm in Seeds Of Faith.