God’s amazing faithfulness always astounds me and keeps me in a constant state of awe! In last Friday’s SOF post, I shared how I had intended to write about praise and thanksgiving since that had been such a prevalent topic of conversation in the previous week and how I was led to write about another topic…which the Lord did again today! As I shared then, I meant to listen to Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message from Friday, but inadvertently used the URL for the message from the day before and felt led to write about letting go instead because it was such a powerful message and always a timely topic.

So I just finally had time to actually listen to Friday’s message (I wanted to get the scripture reference I heard by hearing just a bit of the message Friday morning), and I couldn’t believe it when I listened to the entire message just now!!! First, she didn’t say what I thought she said at all, but her message strongly confirmed a situation I attempted to address with one of the FAM members earlier today! So as God is ALWAYS SO FAITHFUL TO DO, He used Joyce’s message to confirm much of what I tried to share with someone who is struggling with the issue of unanswered prayers and the role faith plays as we stand for marriage restoration. And I really appreciated the way she tied the fact that we have to actively search for, seek and pursue peace to what Jesus taught about the kingdom of God being about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So listen to Follow Peace, because it’s a very powerful message about how important faith is as we seek peace and the kingdom of God.

Since the kingdom of God being about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit was mentioned in previous SOF posts, I searched the archives and really wasn’t all that surprised that the first two posts I read, He will Keep you in Perfect Peace and Avoiding Unforgiveness as an Obstacle to Marriage Restoration, just further confirmed the issues covered in my communication earlier today about the importance of faith and forgiveness as we stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for marriage restoration. And since it is God’s Word and ONLY His Word that we can stand on to get HIS results and the restored marriages we want, we can’t afford to lean or rely on our own understanding, feelings or how things seem, so seriously consider the passages of scripture in the above posts and Joyce’s message and ask the Lord to give you HIS wisdom and understanding and you will indeed be blessed and encouraged!

(Note from Linda: This is a very simple, yet powerful message from Lorraine, and one that every man and woman standing for marriage restoration needs to get deep down into the depths of our being, and one that those sharing their Restored Marriage Testimonies always attest to! Be blessed and encouraged and SEEK God with ALL of your heart; after all, He commands us to love Him with ALL of our hearts, minds, soul and strength!)

*****
“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” Psalm 119:2

Everyone is in search of happiness. We search for it in relationships, through knowledge, through material possessions, through entertainment, through pleasure, through activities, through self improvement and so on. In our search to find happiness we often look for it in the wrong places. Happiness found in the wrong places tends to be temporary. Once the “newness” wears off so does the happiness. Once the relationship loses it’s “excitement” we stop being happy with that person. After the event that we looked forward to is over, we begin our search for something else to look forward to. Once we make an improvement with our physical appearance we find something else about us that makes us unhappy and then pursue trying to change it too. It is a never ending cycle.

I have good news for you this morning. There is a “happiness” that doesn’t wear off or fade. The Bible equates this happiness with blessings. These blessings aren’t based on external conditions and they aren’t temporary. To find them you have to look in the right places- not to people, not to things. But there is a condition to receiving them and the condition is written in the verse above. The true source of happiness is found in keeping God’s word – obeying it, applying it to your life, letting it be your guide through all paths of life, hiding it in your heart, renewing your mind with it, letting it transform
you and change your attitudes. The true source of happiness comes from seeking the Lord with your whole heart. A divided heart, half heartedness, seeking only on occasion and turning to Him only in times of trouble, will not experience lasting happiness and true blessings.

Are you looking for true happiness? Are you wanting those eternal blessings? Then make God and living by His word your first priority. Start doing what the scripture
says and stop running to and fro wasting your time looking for the blessing of happiness in all the wrong places.

Have a great day. Finding true happiness is not difficult– just keep God’s word and seek Him with your whole heart and you will find it.
can take the “wheel” and drive you safely through the rest of your life.

*****
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

(Note from Linda: Kelly shared The following on the private website this weekend and I greatly appreciate her permission to share it here as well because I know it will bless others just as much as it has the FAM Fellowship members. And for those who might recall Kelly and Chris’ testimony; after many twists and turns with both having been “prodigals” and “standers” over the past couple of years, their marriage is now restored and they are expecting another baby and will be renewing their marriage vows later this month, which we look forward to celebrating with them as we attend via teleconference! So be blessed and encouraged by this powerful message right from Kelly’s heart!)

The Nearness of God
There is something that exists that is more precious than anything this world has to offer. It is not something that can be bought, or won, or earned. It does not fit in a box, nor can it be hung on a wall or parked in the driveway for all to see. In fact, many do not even know its value or desire to have it.

It is the nearness of God. It almost can not be explained because words are just words and fall short and I am not qualified or eloquent enough to describe its worth. I know I have tasted it. It is the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. It changes you and leaves you wanting more. Once you have tasted it you are never the same. It exposes the mediocre things in life for what they are; just that – mediocre. It is like tasting the finest and most expensive wine. Even just a few sips ruins your experience with the average.

I have never had money. In fact, as the world goes – not much success. I don’t even have a savings account. I wouldn’t know a stock from a bond. I am in my late 30’s and I realize that many of the things I dreamed about–well, I probably won’t get a chance to do them. So as it goes…not well-traveled or well-read or well-anything. I have many faults and flaws. I have made huge and costly mistakes and I am very sinful.

Yet, somehow none of this has disqualified me from experiencing the most wonderful, most valuable thing this life has to offer me – the nearness of God.

I thought I knew Him before; for so many years when I was being all “religious” and such. But I was wrong. This doesn’t surprise me anymore; me being so wrong. I realize now how you can feel so right and at the same time be so very, very wrong.

I have walked through the fire with Him. It was in the fire that I first experienced His nearness. It was STEADY and SURE. It was His everlasting arms underneath. It was waking up to His voice. It was hearing Him in the wind. It was a steady stream of promises that seem to make no sense to me and everyone around me. It was knowing that either I had really heard from God or I had really lost my mind; because after all…“Does God really talk to people this much?” It was lying face down on the floor crying and knowing He was there in the room. It was His calming presence in the middle of a torrential downpour of life’s circumstances. It was a knowing in my heart that He would not fail. It was a hope that could not and would not be shaken – not even by the well meaning voices of reason around me. It was a time in my life like no other. It was like going “All In” in poker, except with your faith. It is that moment when you realize – He either IS or He ISN’T. I went “All In”.

I guess you don’t have to go through the fire to experience His nearness. Maybe He reserves that for the stubborn, self-righteous and slow to learn like me. But it doesn’t matter really.

What I am trying to say is that the most wonderful, most valuable thing, I believe is experiencing the nearness of the living God. It is when a living, powerful, merciful, supernatural God reaches down into your mediocre, flesh-filled, natural life and shows Himself.

It is not reserved for the intelligent, successful or those with degrees and lots of letters after their names on business cards and letter heads. Even your location doesn’t matter to Him. You can be in a Penthouse on Fifth Avenue, in some remote jungle or alone in a jail cell. You don’t need a savings account, you can be smart or stupid, a felon or a pillar of society.

The most valuable thing in life; yet the most undiscovered. We have made so many strides as “the human race” – so many advances, but we have yet to discover the finest pearl, the most costly of all things. Masses of people…busy, going fast through our mundane, meaningless lives, when all the while, we trample the most valuable jewel of all right under our feet.

I am telling you, I have tasted it. I have been undeservingly blessed by it, changed by it, revived by it, found by it, spoiled and ruined by it. In the big scheme of things, it may have only been a sip, but what a sip it was!

Kelly

Letting go is always a topic not far below the surface in the FAM Fellowship on one level or another, and it’s been the topic of numerous conversations again this past week. So I was trying to think of another way to explain letting go to people who have a difficult time grasping what it means to let our spouses go when we’re supposed to be “standing for our marriages.” And the Lord started speaking to me about how letting go really means just surrendering EVERYTHING to Him, and as He is ALWAYS faithful to do; there’s been one message after another about surrendering in the past few days! So I was totally amazed to read Lorraine Ezell’s Coffee Break message this morning, Will or Wheel!

Yet, at the same time, there’s been a lot of conversation on the private site about being thankful for the little things and a need for attitudes of gratitude and appreciation over the past few days as well, which I decided would be the topic for my next Seeds Of Faith post. So when listening to Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast this morning, coming in somewhere in the middle of her message, I really wasn’t at all surprised to hear her talking about praise and thanksgiving! And since I missed the Bible reference, I decided to listen to the program again. But I don’t go to her website to do that, since I usually just pull up the message by using the URL for a particular date and I put in the URL for today’s message…or so I thought! The only problem was that I put in the wrong date and actually pulled up YESTERDAY’S message…and just GUESS what it was about!!! Yep, I bet you guessed it…letting go! Needless to say, that seemed like a pretty good indication that God had something else in mind for today’s SOF post, and that the other one would just have to wait!

Since yesterday’s message from Joyce was the second part of two messages, after listening to that one, I listened to the first one from the day before, and Let Go and Learn to Enjoy – Pt 1, ended up being one of the best messages I’ve ever heard about what letting go really means. So I very strongly urge everyone standing for marriage restoration to listen to it and to take notes if necessary! And then listen to Let Go and Learn to Enjoy – Pt 2, because it’s a very good message too.

When we think of letting go in terms of surrender, the following definitions from www.dictionary.com seem to make the point very well; especially considering that when we ACCEPTED/RECEIVED Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, this is exactly what we agreed to do!
1) To give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.
2) These nouns denote the act of giving up one’s person, one’s possessions, or people under one’s command to the authority, power, or control of another.
Yet, when it comes to keeping OUR end of the bargain, we tend to fall far short of the mark; but what a glorious thing it is that Jesus NEVER has and NEVER will!

So be blessed and encouraged as you read the following Coffee Break devotion; a beautiful illustration of what it really means to have enough faith in Jesus Christ to truly TRUST HIM and let go of the wheel and surrender our will as we LET GO AND LET GOD!

*****
Will And Wheel by Lorraine Ezell
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8

At the Recovery Center this morning one of the counselors played a song entitled, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. If you aren’t familiar with the song it’s about a woman who was living away from the Lord and had been going through a very difficult time. The song takes place as she was driving down the road with her baby in the car and suddenly lost control. As the car started spinning out of control she threw up her hands, letting go of the steering wheel, and cried out for Jesus to “take the wheel”. Here’s the chorus: “Jesus take the wheel. Take it from my hands. Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go. So give me one more chance. Save me from this road I’m on. Jesus take the wheel.”

Let me ask you this morning, “Who’s in the driver’s seat of your life?” Are you driving your own life? Going down the roads you desire to go down? Are you holding on to the steering wheel with a “death grip” not willing to let go and let God have full control of your life? If you keep steering your life in the direction you want to go, you will wind up on a dead end road, a path that leads no where, or worse yet go into a tail spin and crash.

There is only one way for you to “drive” through this world without “crashing”, it’s by surrounding the “wheel” of your life over to Jesus- giving Him the driver’s seat. But that can only happen as you first surrender your “will”. Once you surrender your “will” to His Lordship, then it will be no problem to surrender the “wheel” of your life over to Him and let Him navigate you through this life.

Have a great day. You need to surrender your “will” to God so that He can take the “wheel” and drive you safely through the rest of your life.

*****
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.
*****
Here’s a link to the song, Jesus, Take The Wheel, but I must warn you that it will probably make you cry! However, it’s very important to understand that Jesus will NOT take the wheel until we ask Him to and ACTUALLY GIVE it to Him! So LET GO and LET JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL…SURRENDER ALL TO HIM!

It’s always so exciting when the Lord brings new revelation and understanding through His Word; especially when He uses it to answer and confirm something we just happen to be pondering, which is exactly what He did this morning. I was considering what to write about and drawing a complete blank, when the Lord led me to read Romans 1. I had no idea what I was looking for, but was pretty sure I’d recognize it when I got to it…and boy did I…it’s ONLY BY FAITH that we EFFECTIVELY stand in obedience on the power and promise of God’s Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families!

The FAM Fellowship members were blessed by another Restored Marriage Testimony Tuesday from a woman whose husband returned home last week; barely a month after she joined the fellowship! Yet, when she first came to the ministry, her situation looked just as bleak as many do and she was just as emotionally distraught and hopeless as most men and women are when they first get here. And no matter how much we talked about what she should and shouldn’t be doing, she initially had a difficult time changing her attitude and the way she was interacting with her husband. In fact, she recently shared her testimony about that and the changes God made in her, which was included in a previous Seeds Of Faith post, God WILL Make ALL THINGS New!

Needless to say, everyone is absolutely thrilled that another marriage and family are restored for the glory of Jesus Christ; but the fact that another fairly new arrival to the ministry has been blessed with marriage restoration, while many others who have been in the ministry for a long time “see” little or no change in their circumstances (which does NOT mean that it isn’t happening!) does not go unnoticed or even without comment. And that naturally leads to the question…Why?

Well, my response to that and just about every question or discussion in which FAM members mention struggling with “letting go” or being obedient is and has always been that we just don’t really trust God; that we have a “faith” problem, which most likely means that we need to spend more time in God’s Word so we can truly get to know Who He is and better understand His nature, character, power, and His UNFAILING love and faithfulness (Romans 10:17). Yet, having said that, it’s also important to point out that sometimes the “wait” is just a matter of God’s PERFECT timing, and that even our failure to accept, understand and REST in that indicates a lack of faith as well. When we truly trust God and give EVERYTHING to Him we realize that the details of when, where and how our marriages are restored just don’t matter because we KNOW that God has it ALL under HIS ALMIGHTY, SUPERNATURAL, SOVREIGN control and that He WILL do EXACTLY what His Word declares and promises (Isaiah 46:10-11 and Isaiah 55:10-11)! So knowing the details just doesn’t matter when we really trust God! Yet, even though I knew and understood the connection between faith and obedience in my own heart, mind and spirit, I still hadn’t ever found a passage of scripture that very specifically states that, even though there are many that come pretty close.

So it was really exciting when the Lord led me to read a passage of scripture this morning that I’ve read (AND STUDIED) COUNTLESS times before and revealed something that’s so plainly and clearly evident that it’s just hard to believe that I EVER could have missed it before; especially one that addresses something I had been contemplating over the past couple of days! The passage of scripture I noticed for the first time that clearly states that obedience comes by faith is Romans 1:5, which says Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And that’s further confirmed in Romans 1:16-17, which says I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

We often try to make things SO complicated; yet with God, things just aren’t all that complicated! And there’s NO DOUBT that throughout the Bible we have one amazing example and testimony after another demonstrating the divinely SUPERNATURAL power of GOD ALMIGHTY that is released ONLY BY FAITH! But we still struggle so much to TRULY live and walk by faith, despite knowing that it’s the key to all that we want. So as we stand for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families, we really need to concentrate on developing greater faith in our Lord and Savior, Who in John 15:7, personally promised If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. And considering how we’re instructed to win and overcome the spiritual battles we face every day by taking EVERY thought contrary to the Word of God CAPTIVE and MAKING them OBEDIENT to CHRIST, it’s easier to more fully understand why Jesus told us that we have to “remain” in Him (the Word – John 1:1-3) and that HIS words have to “remain” in us if we want to be given WHATEVER we wish (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)!

The very next day after the following Restored Marriage Testimony was posted, a FAM members shared a devotional from Oswald Chambers, The Transfigured Life, which really struck a cord with many of us because we could SO relate to it; particularly the part that said “…when crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it.” And that’s something we hear time after time from FAM members when they learn to rely on the faith they have in GOD ALMIGHTY and walk obediently in that faith and are then blessed by God’s faithfulness to bless and reward their faith and obedience (Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 37:4-6)! So read the following Restored Marriage Testimony from MNO (member name omitted) of how God blessed and rewarded her faith and has restored her marriage and family in response to what she has been able to do ONLY BY FAITH…and be blessed and encouraged!

*****
Hello everyone,

As I praise God and give Him all of the Glory, I am so excited to share with you the amazing restoration of my marriage! God has moved so mightily since I joined the FAMM family on September 23, 2008. And I want to thank you, Linda, so much for all of your encouraging words. God is truly using you and this ministry to help others, and you are truly a blessing to us all! So please do me the honor of moving SNO (spouse name omitted) and me to the Restored Marriage list! In the past week, God has brought my husband home!

Last Tuesday night, SNO came by to eat dinner, as he has done for the past three or four weeks. Normally, he would get up and leave after dinner, but this time he sat down in his recliner and went to sleep. So I let him sleep and did not disturb him. But it was getting late and I needed to get the kids to bed.

So I put them to bed and decided I would go ahead and get my shower and then I would check back to see if he was getting up and going back to his place or what. I came back into the living room and he was still a sleep so I touched his arm and told him it was getting late and I was going to bed and asked if he was leaving or what his plans were. I was so shocked to hear him say, “I better get up and get a bath then.” Thoughts were going through my head and I could not believe what was happening, but I was still not sure if he was planning to stay once he showered. But guess what? He came straight to bed…but going to sleep was not on his mind! He stayed all night and as he slept, I lay there and praised God for all He has done for me. God is so amazing!

The next day, I was not sure what was going on, but decided I would not let any doubts or fears enter my mind, even though Satan was trying his best. Well, he came back that night and guess what? He stayed again and he has been home every night since then!

This is not at all how I thought or imagined he would come home, but I can tell you that when you least expect it, God will move and do amazing things you do not know. Linda and I had talked about this before and she had told me that sometimes spouses just ease their way back into the home and that’s exactly what SNO did. He did not ask if he could come home or mention anything about it; it just happened. He has stayed at home for the last couple of weekends; but only for one night, and now all of the sudden he is here every night. But after being here for several nights, we talked a little bit Friday evening about what was going on and he said that he was trying and that he does not plan to leave. He is still distant and quiet, but I know he is having a hard time dealing with the hurt and pain caused by breaking up with the NCP, and he said that he needs time to get over everything. He does not talk much about the situation with her and I have learned not to ask. I just thank God that he is at home with me and the kids.

In my talks with God this week, He has revealed to me that my husband needs to heal right now and that I need to back off and give him his space. And I have talked to Linda and Diane this past week about how I thought that the love and affection he use to show me would return when he came back, but it has not. And they told me that I don’t want things the way they were; that God has plans for so much more. So I have taken this to God and know that He will restore more than I could ever ask or imagine, and I can’t wait to see what He has planned!

As discussed in chat Friday night, if anyone thinks that standing for your marriage is tough at times, just wait until your spouse is back home, because Satan is worse than ever. He is truly out to kill, steal and destroy our marriages, so don’t think that the battle is over; it is just starting. I truly believe that while we stand, God is making us stronger and changing us, because He knows all about the battle that lies ahead once our spouses come home and knows what we need. But we have authority over Satan and by knowing God’s word, we can make him flee. God has brought us this far, and He is not going to leave us without the proper weapons; His armor, and He has been preparing us this whole time during our season of waiting.

I have had to eat a lot of humble pie regarding things with the NCP this past week, and have been shocked by how well I have handled things. Normally, I would have lost it and things would not have been good. So I am amazed when I see the changes God has made in me. I don’t want to go back to my old ways and I want to be the wife God has called me to be. And I have realized that I don’t want my old marriage back; I want the brand new marriage that God has for me and the marriage He always intended for us to have. I know that everything will be so much more than I could have ever asked or imagined. There is nothing too hard for God and He is able to do far more if we just let go and let Him have His way. So the next time you worry about the circumstances and don’t see things changing and are questioning what to do or want to give up, stop and praise God that it is on its way. God revealed to me this week, that my marriage was restored the very first day I asked Him; He just needed me to get out of His way and give it all to Him. We only hinder God and hold up our restoration when we try to handle things in our own way. If we will do it God’s way, we will get God’s results! And that will be so much better.

During my wait, God told me many times to be still and wait. Then in the last month or so, He said “Be still and wait, it’s coming!” God is faithful to do exactly what He promises, and His word never returns void. During our wait, we discover God’s purpose and then we are enormously relieved and blessed, and wonder “Why did I worry?” God had it under control the whole time. Also, through my season of waiting, I have learned that how my wait ends is not as important as the changes in me and in my heart during the wait. God has a plan for each of us and for our marriages and we know it is all for good. So let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

So I ask you to continue to pray for SNO and me. And I want to thank each of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. This is an amazing ministry and there is so much love and support here. Just know that what God has done for others, He will do for you also. It is so exciting to see how God is moving in FAMM and know that He will be faithful to restore all of our marriages! Praise God! Again, thank you so much!

One of the most challenging biblical principles to get across to men and women standing for marriage restoration appears to be the absolutely CERTAIN and totally UNNECESSARY consequences of magnifying and validating the works of the devil, which we had another powerful example of in the FAM Fellowship last week.

Yes, the devil attacks and tempts us, and there’s no denying that, which is NOT the point of messages like this. And, yes, he usually attacks even more right before and immediately after marriage restoration takes place…BUT HE IS A LIAR AND A DEFEATED FOE (John 8:44 and 1 john 3:8)!!! So why are we SO willing to listen to his lies and even give him one moment of our time and attention; why are we more willing to validate and magnify his will and way over what we know is God’s will and way? The ONLY way he ever has any power in our lives is when we choose to give his plan and work more credibility and validity than that of God Almighty; because when WE do that, God will leave us to our own devices until we recognize the folly of our way; and that’s usually at a cost we’d much rather not pay. Failure to trust and obey God is sinful and as Charles Stanley and others have often said; sin takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs a lot more than we want to pay.

As I’ve shared here quite a bit over the past few weeks, we’ve seen God moving in ways beyond what any of us have ever witnessed before and it has been one of the most exhilarating times in the history of this ministry. BUT, as he always does and will, the devil turned up the heat, and all it took was for one member to mention being “under attack” by the devil and then one member after another started talking about how they were being attack. I hate devoting ANY time to the devil, but sometimes it is just necessary, so overcoming his attack by SPEAKING the Word of God back to him, taking every thought captive and MAKING it obedient to Christ and the Word (2 Corinthians 10:3-6), was the topic for FAM Chat Friday night. And that was necessary because just as sure as the sun comes up in the morning, the minute we start talking in ANY WAY about the devil and magnifying and validating (by highlighting) what he is doing, it seems like the power and work of the Holy Spirit is instantly hindered and everything just goes flat! So despite week after week of numerous and awesome praise testimonies being posted on the private website every single day; just as soon as members started talking about being “under attack,” everything went almost totally quiet; barely any praise testimonies were being posted and everyone was asking why everything went so quiet all of a sudden.

Well, having been down that road a few times before, I knew the answer, which is why I tend to get so agitated when people start talking about the devil and what he is doing and how they are “being attacked” and “struggling!” So I can’t even recount how many times in the past week or so I have STRONGLY encouraged FAM members to read and take to heart the very powerful messages and lessons we MUST learn from Numbers 13 and 14, because God truly is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He obviously does not take it well when we disregard or discount his power and trivialize His promises because of something we see or hear that leads us to think or believe ANYTHING contrary to HIS Word!!!

And there’s NO doubt about that when we read Numbers 13:1-2, because we see that God PROMISED AND DECLARED BY THE WORD OF HIS MOUTH that HE was giving the land of Canaan to the Israelites; The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” Yet, despite having God’s Word on it, WHO HAD NEVER FAILED THEM BEFORE, in Numbers 13:27-33, we see that upon their return…They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

So in stark contrast to Dan’s Seeds Of Faith post yesterday, Marching into Battle with Praise and Thanksgiving, where the people were SUPERNATURALLY led into an amazing victory because they TRUSTED AND OBEYED God, we see what happened when the people chose instead to discount the power and promise of God Almighty and magnified and validated the power and work of the devil as revealed in Numbers 14.

As Numbers 14:11 reveals; The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? Well, guess what? God still feels the exact same way when we elevate WHAT the devil SAYS and does OBER ANYTHING GOD SAYS AND PROMISES TO DO. So what Joshua and Caleb said to the Israelites in Numbers 14:8-9 is just as important and true to us today as it was to them then…If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

And based on Hebrews 11:6, we know what it takes to “please God”…And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. And that’s strongly confirmed in Hebrews 10:38, which says But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”
But the people didn’t listen to them and they chose to believe the WRONG REPORT, which led to disastrous consequences. And even though God responded to Moses’ plea for mercy and did not utterly destroy them, as described in Numbers 14:20-38, there was a great price to pay for their lack of faith and obedience:
The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But you—your bodies will fall in this desert. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.” So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

So as men and women standing on the power and promise of God’s Word against the will and plan of the devil to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families, we have a choice to make; WHOSE REPORT ARE WE GOING TO BELIEVE? Will we believe and SPEAK forth the power and promise of God’s Word and put our faith and confidence in Him as we learn to TRUST AND OBEY HIM and NEVER forget the awesome things we’ve seen Him do in our lives and the lives of others; just as Caleb and Joshua did, leading them into the Promised Land? Or are we going to magnify, validate and give voice to the work of the devil and hinder the awesome work of restoration God wants to do in our hearts, lives and marriages as He fulfills His promise and upholds His Word; just as the other ten men did, costing them their lives? We can’t do both and when we magnify and validate one, we discount and invalidate the other. And if we ever needed proof or confirmation that our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21), we have a powerful illustration of that in Numbers 14:28-30 (which I never noticed until reading it again now), because it says (emphasis added) So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. So EVEN THOUGH GOD has promised us so much, just as He promised the Israelites the Promised Land, if we fail to trust and obey Him and fail to acknowledge Him in all of our ways (Psalm 37:5-6 and Proverbs 3:5-6), we have no reason to expect that we will ever receive God’s promise of restored marriages. Yet, when we truly turn to the Lord (Isaiah 55) and seek Him FIRST (Matthew 6:33)and genuinely delight in Him (Psalm 37:4), serving and loving Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:29-30), we can rightly insert our names in the verse below, because God will bless and honor us just as He declared He would do for Caleb in Numbers 24…But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. So we have to decide who we want to magnify and glorify; either Jesus or the devil. And that really isn’t a difficult choice to make when we truly accept and believe 1 John 3:8, which is that He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. And when we choose to magnify and glorify Jesus Christ and NOT the devil, we will indeed be blessed and encouraged, because God will be ever so faithful to fulfill every Word and promise found in His Word and we will see our marriages and families restored for the glory of Jesus Christ! AMEN!

At church last Sunday, the message was based on 2 Chronicles 20:1-29 (New Living Translation), when Jehoshaphat was told that a vast army from beyond Edom was marching against him from beyond the Dead Sea. His nation was facing disaster and he was terrified. I was reminded of when my wife announced that she wanted a divorce and my reaction to the news. How differently I reacted than Jehoshaphat! And there’s no doubt that had I chosen the way of Jehoshaphat, I would have escaped many days of restlessness and anguish.

Throughout these scripture verses, Jehoshaphat stayed focused on God; he prayed, requested that his people fast; and then listened for God’s direction and obeyed. He realized the battle was not theirs, but God’s. He recognized their human limitations and allowed God’s strength to work through his fears and weaknesses. By making sure that he pursued God’s interests and not just his own selfish desires, he was led to obedience and God’s purpose. Jehoshaphat asked God for help daily and then he let God fight the battle for him.

Most of us have already reached the point in our circumstances of feeling terrified and at different times for all of us, begged the Lord for guidance and direction. In fact, that is how most of us arrived at standing for our marriages and perhaps came to this site. But wherever we are in our stand and our walk with God, it’s important to let God fight the battle for us.

First, we must commit the situation to God, acknowledging that only God can save our marriage. Most of us have already reached that conclusion because we’ve tried everything humanly possible to accomplish restoration and failed. So we need to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over the situation and let Him bring about peace in doing so. We can praise God’s glory and take comfort in His promises, because as we profess complete dependence on God, we have no option but to focus on His power and not our own.

My minister illustrated three traits that Jehoshaphat demonstrated. One was a “gutsy” trust in God; he believed God would do what He said He would do. Secondly, he said Jehoshaphat was diligent; he did what God called him to do so that God could do what ONLY HE could do. Lastly, he let go of his pride; he talked openly about his weaknesses and confessed them to the Father as he sought Him. And I was reminded that these traits are the same principles we promote and uphold in this ministry.

Finally, the most significant thing I got out of the message was the actual battle. In verse 21 Johoshaphat called for the singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising Him for His holy splendor! They sang, “give thanks to the Lord; His faithful love endures forever.” He truly believed and had faith that the battle was won; not by his doing, but because of God’s promise. Can you imagine the military announcing this strategy today? Okay, troops…we know God is with us, so we will send a platoon ahead of the armed soldiers to sing and give God praises for our victory.” Yet, we are called to do just that as we stand for our marriages and God’s truth.

So as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, let us march ahead, singing, praising and worshipping God for the victory that is ours. The battle is won, our families are healed and our marriages are restored to the Christ-centered unions He originally intended them to be. When we ask for God’s help as we face struggles, God will fight for us and God always triumphs. No one can stand against God!

There’s no doubt that standing for marriage restoration requires us to be overcomers, and that means we MUST have overcoming faith! After all, we know that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and that when we shrink back from living by faith, He is NOT pleased with us (Hebrews 10:38). So faith obviously plays a VERY significant role as we stand against the ways of the world and the work of the devil for the restoration of our marriages and families. And Glenn Jackson’s message, titled ABSOLUTE FAITH, is one of the best I’ve ever read on the topic of faith, so I strongly urge everyone standing for marriage restoration to read it and seriously meditate on it. As God is SO faithful to do, it also confirms a lot of the recent discussion and conversations in the FAM Fellowship over the past few days too. And when we REALLY get the connection between faith and our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word (Romans 10:17) and truly KNOW WHO GOD IS (Psalm 46:10), and learn to rely and operate in the powerful truth of Glenn’s message, we will without a doubt be very blessed and encouraged…AND WE WILL OVERCOME AND BE VICTORIOUS (Romans 8:31)!

Everyone who truly loves and treasures the Word of God knows and understands the thrill of “finding” something in it that even though you’ve read it COUNTLESS times before, you NEVER “saw” it the same way and are absolutely amazed that you could have ever missed something so significant. Well, that’s what happened to me last night when one of the FAM members, Dawn in Illinois, posted the following message in The Family Room on the private site:

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When the devil tries to attack with negative thoughts about our spouses and our circumstances, we have to learn to speak the Word back to him. I had previously read Luke 4:1-13 and I knew about Jesus being tempted, but when I read it today, I had a new understanding. Jesus was tempted and his mind was attacked by the devil, but he fought back with the word of God…and the devil fled away from him. But the devil knew the scripture as well, and he tried to use it to tempt Jesus to jump off of a mountain! And Jesus fought back with scripture. I hope this is a blessing to someone that might be battling negative thoughts. We don’t have to, because we can fight those thoughts with scripture just as Jesus did in Luke 4:1-13.

The Temptation of Jesus
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.'” The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'” The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

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Wow! I could easily write a book on all that comes to my mind as I read this NOW; yet there’s no telling how many times I’ve read the same passage before! When Dawn originally posted this, she didn’t include the last verse, and I thought “Well, why in the world did she leave off the part about the devil fleeing and the angels coming to attend to Jesus?” So I went to get that to add to the post and boy was I surprised, because verse 13 here just says When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Yet, Matthew’s account of this in Matthew 4:11 says Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. And for some reason that’s the picture that’s always stuck in my mind, which is not wrong; it’s just not ALL of the story! And what a significant “rest of the story” this is!

As stated in yesterday’s post, the more awesome miracles we see God performing in the restoration of marriages and families, the more attack by the devil FAM members seem to be experiencing; especially those sharing their awesome praises and Restored Marriage Testimonies. And if I’ve said or written it once; I’ve probably said and written at least a thousand times how VITALLY important it is for us to TAKE OUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE AND MAKE THEM OBEDIENT TO CHRIST AND THE WORD ( 2 Corinthians 10:3-6)! But I have to confess to occasionally feeling a bit frustrated by how difficult it is for some to grasp just how simple and powerful that is and that WHEN AND IF we DO it, the devil loses EVERY time. And then Dawn came along and expressed what I’ve tried so hard to get across in such a simple and clear fashion that it seems like everyone is hearing it for the first time! Now that’s the Holy Spirit at work! And she has it one hundred percent right…we don’t have to battle negative thoughts, because we can fight them with the Word of God the same way Jesus did, and when we do, the devil will flee! BUT it’s obvious that he’s going to come back again…at “an opportune time!” And that means we have to be prepared, which is why the Word is so important to us; it’s one of the most important weapons of our warfare! So it’s definitely in our best interest to make sure we know and understand the Word of God; as Jesus told the devil in Matthew’s account, we don’t live on bread alone, but on EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)! And since we know that the devil is stalking around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:5-8), we also need to do what we’re supposed to do to avoid giving him those “opportune times!” And that’s where God’s promises of blessings and rewards when we just trust and obey Him (Psalm 37:4-6 and Proverbs 3:5-6) and humble ourselves under His mighty hand come in; they protect us from the wiles of the devil and keep us under the shelter of God’s love and protection. And that’s why we get God’s results WHEN we DO things God’s way! So get serious about studying and understanding God’s Word and you will be blessed and encouraged as you learn to effectively stand on the power and promise of God’s living and powerful Word for the full and complete restoration of your marriage and family!

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

(Note from Linda: This is such an important message for every man and woman standing for seemingly impossible marriage restoration, because when we make the choice to stand for our marriages on the power and promise of God’s Word in FAITH AND OBEDIENCE, God will move all of heaven and earth and do WHATEVER IT TAKES to perfect and perform EVERY promise in HIS Word (Isaiah 46:10-11)…His Word NEVER returns to Him void (Isaiah 55:10-11)…and He hates divorce and will PERSONALLY DEFEND AND UPHOLD HIS Holy covenant of marriage (Malachi 2 and 1 Peter 3:7)! So be blessed and encouraged and NEVER forget that with God, NOTHING is impossible!)

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“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

The fact is, there is so much that it is impossible for man to do- the list is endless. But with God nothing is impossible- the list of what He can do is endless. I can’t create a world, but He did- just by the word of His mouth. I can’t part a sea and make it stand up like a wall- but He can and did.

But when we read another passage it says:
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20)
Here is says that nothing shall be impossible unto you. It almost sounds like a contradiction– “with men it’s impossible”; “nothing shall be impossible to you”.

Whatever it is you are dealing with, in your own strength it is impossible- you aren’t strong enough, wise enough, big enough. But the key is- “if you have faith”. Faith
in what, faith placed where? In the God with whom all things are possible. If you put your faith, trust and confidence in God, if you connect with Him, if you invite Him into your life, then because of Him, nothing shall be impossible for you.

Let’s look at a mountain for a moment. A mountain is a powerful thing. It’s stationary, solid, unshakable. In order to move it or effect it at all you have to put a force
against it that is greater than it is. The same when dealing with our “spiritual mountains”, you have to put a force that is greater than it is in order to remove it. I am not a greater force than a mountain, I have no power, it is impossible for me to remove it…. but when I connect with a force that is greater, then it’s not impossible any more for me to remove it. It will remove easily, all I have to do is “speak” to it. That greater force is the All Powerful, Almighty God, who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.

Are you trying to move a mountain on your own- in your strength, in your wisdom, in your ability? You won’t do it- it’s impossible. But if you put your faith and trust in God and connect with Him, it’s very possible. You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you.

Have a great day. What was once impossible for us is now possible when we put our faith in God.

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

As FAM members are blessed to witness the Lord’s hand moving in our midst in such AMAZING and SUPERNATURAL ways, we are also reminded that the same things that plagued FAM members in the past are still at work to plague those experiencing marriage restoration today. But that comes as no surprise, because the devil doesn’t need to learn a new way of doing things since he already has a well established and very effective method of operation when it comes to stealing, killing and destroying our marriages and families. But the truth is not in him and he is a liar and a defeated foe, so we’ve had an awful lot of conversation lately about being prepared for his attack and taking EVERY thought captive and MAKING them obedient to Christ and the Word of God!

As I’ve shared with so many FAM members over the past week or so, we just can’t hold onto the past and expect to receive the miraculous restored marriages God has planned for us, so we have to choose one or the other because we can’t hold onto both. As a previous Seeds Of Faith post, Behold, I WILL DO a NEW Thing!, stated; “we have to let the past go, because we can’t take our failed marriages with us into the restored marriages God wants to give us!” And as that post makes so clear, one of the biggest reasons we struggle with that so much is because we find it difficult to truly FORGIVE AND FORGET, even though that is what God instructs us to do. So please read that post and study and meditate on the scriptures included in it, because the devil will not miss ANY opportunity, especially when they are handed to him on a silver platter, to destroy the word of our testimony and all that God has already done and will continue to do for the glory of His Son. BUT he can’t steal, kill or destroy ANYTHING unless we give him that power and access through our own lack of trust and obedience!

God can and will make ALL THINGS new, but WE have to press on toward the goal of restored marriages, by doing exactly what Tammy reminded us of in her response to the above post, which is what Paul taught in Philippians 3:12-14, where he wrote Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. And it truly is a significantly transformational and powerful step in the restoration of our marriages when We realize that taking a stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages and families is the preordained and predestined ministry that GOD ALMIGHTY has called each of us to and that it is indeed SOLELY for the praise, honor and glory of His Son, Jesus Christ, as revealed in Ephesians 1:4-14! And when we truly grasp and understand the power and promise found in Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 37:4-6, we understand that all we have to do is to trust and obey God and know that He will indeed CAUSE ALL THINGS to work together for our good when we love Him and are called according to HIS purpose (Romans 8:28) and that NO MATTER HOW BAD THINGS APPEAR; what was intended for harm and evil, God ALWAYS intended for good and for the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20); and in our case, the saving of many marriages and families as well; which we know based on Revelation 12:10-11.

As I’ve recently shared, witnessing the total and complete transformation God has been bringing about in the hearts, minds, spirits, lives, marriages and families of so many FAM members lately is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences imaginable, which is so accurately and appropriately described in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, because it says So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

The following praise testimony was posted on the private website a few days ago and I really appreciate MNO’s (member name omitted permission to share it here, because it is a wonderful illustration of how God works in US and the restoration of our marriages and families when we truly let go and put ALL of our hope and confidence in HIM as we learn to stand on the power and promise of His Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families. So read this wonderful testimony of the Lord’s power and faithfulness WHEN we DO as His Word instructs and be blessed and encouraged to know that He will do the same thing for everyone once we give it all to Him and just focus on learning to be the spouses God calls us to be as we grow in our own walk and relationship with Him and stand on His power and His promise to restore our marriages and families.

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Hello everyone, I have not posted anything lately and thought today would be a good day to write a praise report, since it was a year ago today that I found out about the NCP (non-covenant person). As I think back over this past year, I am in awe of the changes made in me and my life. When I first found out, I thought my world was going to end. I can remember crying for days on end, wondering how I would ever live without my husband. What was I going to do? What would happen to my family? I went days without eating and remember pretty much crying for months. I could not believe the things my husband was saying to me; such as he did not love me, he had not loved me in a long time and he would never come home and that we just did not connect the way he and the NCP did. I was so hurt and devastated. But even though I was very hurt and so angry, I still loved him just the same.

Months went by and I would beg him to come home, but he would just tell me it would not work as his heart was somewhere else. He said he would always love me, but was not in love with me. He had even given up time with his kids, and I had the hardest time trying to figure out how a man I had loved for so long could just turn his back on me, the children and all responsibility at home.

But during this time, I turned my life back to God and when I did, things began to change. I have found so much peace and happiness in my life, which I thought I would never have again. I also lost my job in July due to a lay-off and I was given a severance package for three months and during this time, I’ve had a chance to really read and study God’s word. I prayed so much that I would spend the entire day with God, and I’ve come to realize through this time, that it was a time of healing that I truly needed. I can remember God telling me about a week before I lost my job that I needed a break, but I didn’t know that would mean that I’d lose my job. But I have to tell you that it was the best thing! God really does know what we need better than we do. My life with God has changed and he has shown me so much.

Also during this time, I found the FAMM website and on September 23, 2008, Linda was brought into my life. Linda made me realize how I needed to let go and let God handle it all and quit trying to handle things in my own way. I needed to learn to keep quiet and quit begging him to come home because all I was doing was pushing him further away. I have to admit that it was a hard thing to do at first, but once I finally let go and gave it all to God, things started changing. The man that told me he would never come home, and that he never love me has really changed so much in the past couple of months. The NCP is not in the picture anymore, and he has recently talked about coming home, but tells me he just can’t right now. I just praise God, because this is such a big change from “I am never coming home.” He now eats dinner with us every night he can, and last Friday night, he was having water heater problems at the place where he stays and said he was coming over to take a bath and ended up staying and spending the night in our bed. And we have been together numerous times over the past couple of weeks, but he is still somewhat distant and not sure of things. Yet, he tells me that he loves me, and hugs and kisses me. I thought I would never hear those words again or feel his touch again, but look what God has done! So I give him all the praise and glory for what he has done in my life and marriage.

So please know that God can and is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. So many family members and friends told me during this time to get on with my life and to let him go; that I have been through enough. But I am so glad that I decided to turn to God and not to them, because I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I had listened to them. But all of the heartbreak, pain and suffering I have been through has been so worth it. We just have to give it all to him, keep him first in our lives and let him handle things his way. His plan is better than ours! Please keep praying for our family and I am looking for a job right now also. I know God has a plan for me and my family and it is all good!

I am just so amazed by what God has been doing in this ministry lately. He is moving in so many lives here and I give all the praise to him. Linda, I thank you so much for your help and encouragement; we are truly blessed to have you and this ministry. God Bless you.

What an awesome blessing it is to witness the total and complete transformation that takes place when men and women finally SURRENDER ALL to Jesus Christ and let the light of His love and goodness transform them as they are restored to Him and ALL THINGS are indeed made new! The following testimony was posted earlier tonight on the private website, and since it is SO encouraging and such an inspiration, I requested permission to share it here because it is such a powerful illustration and testimony of the power God ALWAYS has in our hearts, minds, spirits and lives when we just LET GO and give it all to Him!

It’s amazing how so many conversations with someone seem to make NO difference and then when it’s least expected, the Holy Spirit works SUPERNATURALLY and that person never seems to be the same again! After ministering to this FAM member for about two months and honestly wondering if she could ever get past her anger and unforgiveness toward her husband, no one could be more surprised and pleased to read the following praise testimony of how God truly got hold of her and restored her to Him and has already taken her so far toward the actual restoration of her marriage and family in the process! Her entire demeanor and attitude are totally different; the things that would have driven her into a tirade against her husband before, just don’t seem to matter to her anymore, so I hope and pray that sharing her experience here will touch a chord in the hearts, minds and spirits of others who are right where she was such a short time ago and that you will be blessed and encouraged!

*****
I haven’t been on in a while, and first want to thank everyone for your prayers during Hurricane Ike. That was the last time I spoke to Linda, but when she called me, Ike was the last thing on my mind and I had no intentions of evacuating. I just wanted to vent my frustrations about my circumstances and what I was feeling. But as always, she stopped me dead in my tracks and put me in my place. Thank you, Linda; I really needed that. But after hanging up with her, SNO (spouse name omitted) called to say that we were evacuating and told me to get some things together. We went to his sister’s, but to be honest, I wasn’t focused on anything but what I had already been going through. Every time he wanted to know what the weather was like, all I could think was that he wanted to get back to the NCP (non-covenant person). But when we came back home, we were blessed to have no damage to the house, even though we were without lights for a little over a week and we had some issues with our cable/internet. My youngest daughter also had her birthday that weekend, but she was so sweet; she told me that she was just thankful that we were together and that her daddy wanted to make sure we were safe.

Secondly, I would like to welcome all of the new members to the family. I haven’t always participated but I can tell you that I’ve been encouraged so much by reading all of the posts. It amazes me that many have felt the same things that I’ve felt; not to mention being in some of the same circumstances. There have been times when I felt like no one could possibly understand what it feels like, and then to read that someone was in the same situation, and that they came through it is very encouraging. So, welcome again, and it is my prayer that each of you be blessed through this awesome ministry, as well as with the wisdom of God’s Word that’s shared here.

So much has happened since September that I don’t even know where to begin. My husband started a trucking business in both of our names, and he is the driver/dispatcher and I wear all of the other hats. So please pray for us in this area, as I’m learning as I go and we still have some things to work out.

I praise God that he has started helping financially and that he actually added my name to his bank account and ordered me a debit card. This is huge because he was not helping me out much before. And it frustrated me to know that he was taking care of someone else and their child better than he was taking care of us. There was a time when I thought we were going to be evicted from our home because he hadn’t paid the rent as promised, and then I found checks showing that he had been paying the NCP’s rent.

When I joined the ministry, my husband was living with one NCP and another NCP was pregnant. I was so focused on his sins that I couldn’t see my own and how I helped tear down my marriage. And I kept a mental note of every wrong he had done to me right down to the most trivial detail. I wasn’t spending time in the Word or with God like I should have been. But it was on September 12, 2008 after speaking with Linda that I had to make the decision to get real about the things of God and let my husband go. I also had done this before so many times that I’ve lost count, but that time I began to ask God to change me…not SNO.

I began to recall, for the last year and a half how God has been the “ULTIMATE PROVIDER and SUPPLIER” of my every need. Although we say it, how many of us really know GOD to be just that in our lives. Honestly speaking, I admit being guilty of taking God for granted. Before March 2008, I never really knew “Jehovah Jireh.” Boy, was I in for an awakening experience of what the name would really mean to me. To date, I have been on a journey, that I thought was going to be a marathon. But you know…a strange thing happens, when you really begin to pray and seek God for truth and with a pure heart. Not only am I beginning to know who God really is; but during this experience, he has begun to show me who He really is in me SPIRITUALLY and what I am in my FLESH (Romans 1:21).

I am calling this period of time “EXPOSURE” because it is during this season, that I am learning that not only did I take Gods goodness for granted; I don’t think I ever truly appreciated and thanked him for what he had blessed me with. LIGHT! There is something very special about LIGHT. As it shines and hits a certain spot, it reveals the Purity and Beauty of a thing. LIGHT also EXPOSES the Darkness and Flaws of a thing. And that is what God has been doing with me. Yes, The Holy Spirit spoke, that he was EXPOSING the DARKNESS of the FLESH in me with the LIGHT of his spirit (Daniel 2:22), as there were things in me that would taint and destroy the VISION of where he was taking me (Matthew 6:22-23)

Let me be real with you all today. I wanted to be used by God without anything about me CHANGING; let alone God EXPOSING me to me. But the Holy Spirit said, “Look in the MIRROR and what do you see? Look deep; beyond the clothes, hairdo’s, nails and perfume.” And when the deep layers underneath started to be EXPOSED, I noticed a lot about me was PURE “UGLY” to say the least. That was not in what I saw visually, but what I felt and knew internally about myself and often over looked.

Most likely, in most if not all cases, the EXPOSURE comes with the COST of losing who we THOUGHT we were and are. It is during that time that we are enlightened to what GOD has placed in us that needs to come out. I call that the BUTTERFLY EFFECT, because that’s where we see, the good, the bad, and the ugly; which in time will be used for GODS GLORY. (Romans 8:28)

Who wants their dirty laundry EXPOSED? I have to admit that I didn’t want to remember all of the dark things from my past that hurt not only my marriage, but my husband deeply; or for it to be revealed. I would have preferred to just suppress most of what had transpired throughout my marriage to which I had contributed. Even more than anything else, I just wanted to forget that any of it had ever happened. So I asked God, “Is this truly the route I have to take on this JOURNEY, and why recall my part? He’s the one who needs to change; not me. Don’t you see what he’s doing; how he’s hurt me and our children? I only cheated out of revenge, so he could feel the pain I felt.” He said “The restlessness you’ve been feeling, scattered distracting thoughts and emotional weariness. is because the light of my spirit inside of you wants out; you’re allowing it to be trapped in darkness and held captive to your circumstances.” (Psalm 18:28)

It was time for me to come to grips with the REALITY of what needed to be PURGED, REMOVED, RELEASED and SURRENDERED and laid at the ALTAR of the Father; Who knows ALL, who sees ALL and can fix ALL, in order to get to the DESTINY I’ve been PURPOSED and POSITIONED for. (Psalm 51) I wish I could tell you that I’ve been totally transformed, but that would be a lie. It is still a struggle for me not to go through my husband’s phone to see the call log, text messages or pass by the NCPs house to see if he’s there. But now when that type of thoughts come up, I quickly try to take them captive. I know I’m on the right track because my oldest daughter (who has been angry with me for a while because she felt like I was allowing her dad to run over me and she didn’t understand why I wasn’t standing up for myself to him) recently told me that she notices that her dad and I are getting along better and we actually laugh together now instead of always arguing. Praise the Lord!! Be blessed everyone and I’m sorry this is so long.

I am personally persuaded that tomorrow will be one of the most important and significant elections in the history of our country and pray with all of my heart that Christians throughout this great land of ours understand what is at stake. Yet I’m sure some of our regular visitors who subscribe to Coffee Break by Lorraine Ezell might have been a bit surprised by the following message from her this morning.

God Has My Heart

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29

Tomorrow we have elections here in the United States. It has been said that this is the most important election in our nations history. If the liberal party is voted in and has the majority rule in this nation there is no doubt that we will lose so many of the freedoms that we have enjoyed since it’s conception- especially our Christian freedoms. Therefore, the main issue is not who will win the election, but what will you do depending on the outcome.

As followers of Jesus we have to remember that we are “kingdom” people before we are “government” people. We have to remember that we are first and foremost answerable to God. That we are commanded to live according to His rule and authority over our lives. How does that play out in the reality of living in this natural world? It plays out in choice. You must choose from your heart who you are– a Christian first.

Before you read any further, don’t misunderstand, I am not talking about rebellion against authority or government, I am saying that when the laws of the land conflict with the laws of God you must make the choice that it is better to obey God, and when the laws of the land don’t conflict with the laws of God you must still make the choice that it is better to obey God and not get complacent and “at ease in Zion”.

Having said that, let me say, while I would love to live in a nation where I could continue to worship the Lord freely, pray to Him in public, testify of Jesus openly, continue to assemble with fellow Christians on the Lord’s day, have laws to protect the unborn, know that marriage according to God’s definition is upheld and be able to keep my hard earned money– I have to decide that even if that is not the case, even if I lose those liberties, I will continue to praise the Lord, pray to Him, lift up His name, fellowship with other believers, continue to give tithes and offerings to the work of the Lord, etc.

The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “What will we do?” Are you still going to serve the Lord regardless of your surroundings, regardless of the direction against God that society is going, even if it is not popular, even if it brings persecution, even if the decree is given as it was in the day of Daniel (no prayer to God) and the three Hebrew children (worship the idol)? The answer should be… “I will continue to do the same thing I have been doing”. My heart belonged to God before and it still belongs to God regardless of who is in office, regardless of majority rule, whether godly or evil men rule in the nation, whether I legally have the freedom to worship or not and I will continue to give Him my heart, devotion and service.

Have a great day. As followers of Jesus we must decide and determine that He has our hearts no matter what is going on around us.”

*****
So I want to add my voice to that of Lorraine’s and further explain to those who do not fully understand what is literally at stake tomorrow and what Lorraine is referring to. The current leaders in Congress (both The House of Representatives and The Senate) have attempted to reinstate “The Fairness Doctrine” and there’s ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that if they’re given complete control of the government and our country, The Fairness Doctrine and many other laws opposing and restricting the promotion and exercise of our rights and what should be the convictions held by all Christians will be enacted and forced upon us whether we want them or not. And since I’m sure some might be offended by the statement that ALL Christians should hold certain convictions, please don’t take my word for that; here’s what Jesus had to say about those who are REALLY HIS disciples in John 8:31-32…To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So, at the risk of offending many, I have to hold true to the calling God has placed in my heart and on my life according to the instruction and warning found in 2 Timothy 4:2-4, which declares Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. And since Hosea 4:6 warns…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children., it’s imperative that as Christians, we make informed choices that reflect the law of God.

That means that we MUST understand and not be blind to the very liberal and radical agenda of those who seek to control all levels of the government of the United States of America and the REAL and LASTING effect and impact that will have on all of us as individuals and particularly as Christians holding to values and principles that don’t coincide with their own. As I said in a previous Seeds Of Faith post, Praise God for Men of Courage and Integrity like Charles Stanley!…“We can not leave our identity and responsibility as Christians to uphold and honor the Word of God at the door when we go into the voting booth. Whether we like it or not, and whether we realize it or not, we are not voting for personalities or political parties; we are voting in support of the positions they hold by endowing them with the legal authority to make their positions the law of this land. It is therefore imperative that we elect men and women who will defend and stand up for our rights as Christians to live according to the beliefs and values we hold dear instead of those whose ideology and votes would serve to endanger, restrict or deny them.”

And for those who think that is an extreme, radical or uninformed opinion, please read what the leaders now seeking total control of all of the governing branches of our country want to achieve by enacting The Fairness Doctrine and why it’s unconstitutional and would mean that even this website would be forced to publish opinions and ideals totally contrary to those currently promoted here and in direct opposition to the written Word of God; in which case we would most likely elect to shut the sites down, which is exactly what those who oppose ANYTHING to do with God and ALL freedom of speech contrary to their personal values hope and expect to accomplish.

And for those who are inclined to vote a particular way with the hope and expectation that the economy will improve and that those in the lower income bracket will be better off financially, please listen to what Senator Obama personally promised to do once he is able to enact his energy plan to combat global warming and climate change, and how it will bankrupt the coal industry, which currently produces FIFTY PERCENT of the power used in the entire United States! And then listen to what he PERSONALLY stated the consequences of his energy plan will be; he said ”under my plan…electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”. And the last thing people like me who live on a fixed income can afford are skyrocketing electric bills! And even though he says that he has to “persuade the American people” to accept the “upfront cost” for the “long term… benefit” before it could be done; without any kind of checks and balances against the current congressional leaders’ control of both houses of the legislative and executive branches of government and ultimately the courts; there will be no way to keep them from enacting this plan and many others that are not in the best interest of this country.

I called Lorraine this morning after reading the above Coffee Break message to make sure she wouldn’t mind me using it in this post, and I found it interesting to hear that she had not listened to Dr. Charles Stanley’s TV broadcast, The Convictions We Live By, because he too noted the similarities between the choices we face as Christians today and the powerful testimony of Daniel in a time when he too had to choose whom he would serve and honor; no matter the consequences! So listen to Dr. Stanley’s powerful message and read along in his Sermon Outline and remember that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and if we will as a nation do what Daniel did, God will honor us just as He did Daniel and those three Hebrew boys if we will take a stand for our convictions and not deny the truth and power of His Word!

No matter the outcome of the election tomorrow, God is in control and He and He alone holds the outcome in His Almighty hand, but as HIS people, let’s follow and rely on the counsel given in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, where God promised…“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

So with the hope that God’s eyes will be open and His ears attentive to our prayers, I’m encouraging everyone concerned about the outcome of tomorrow’s election to join me in a corporate fast beginning at 9:00pm tonight through 10:00pm tomorrow night, and to pray that God will be glorified in the results and that He will have mercy on our country and bless us beyond anything we have a right to ask considering how we as a nation have turned our back on Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne with praise and thanksgiving for the many blessings You have bestowed on us as a nation and as a people. And we come asking for Your great love and mercy to be poured out on us despite the way we have turned our backs on You and all that we know You hold dear and expect us to hold dear as well. We plead for your forgiveness for the millions of babies who have died at the very hands of those who should be protecting them; not killing them. We ask for Your forgiveness that as those called by YOUR NAME, we have NOT taken a stand for the things we know are right in Your eyes and against those things we know are wrong in Your eyes; that we haven’t lived as Christian men and women willing to stand, much less die for the convictions Your Word teaches us to have as we honor and glorify You. Lord, we ask for a GREAT AND MIGHTY SUPERNATURAL move of Your Holy Spirit in the hearts, minds and spirits of the American people. Let our eyes be open and our ears attentive so that WE hear YOUR voice above all others and that our hearts and minds would be inclined toward You. Lord, we accept and acknowledge that NO wisdom, NO insight, and NO plan can ever succeed against You and that NO weapon fashioned against Your people can prosper and that the gates of hell will not prevail against us as Your church. As we enter into a time of fasting and prayer, humbling ourselves under Your Almighty hand, we thank You that the outcome of the election tomorrow and all that follows, rests solely in Your loving and mighty hands and that we can rest and take comfort in that knowledge because we love You and are called according to YOUR purpose, and that You will cause ALL THINGS to work together for good, and that even that which is meant for harm and evil, You mean for good and for the saving of many lives. So we thank You for Your love and goodness, and Your everlasting faithfulness and that You will vindicate and uphold Your people and that when we refuse to lean to our own understanding and trust You with ALL of our hearts, and ACKNOWLEDGE You in ALL of our ways, YOU AND YOU ALONE, will direct our paths. And we pray that they will indeed be paths of everlasting righteousness, which we ask in the most powerful and mighty name and authority in all of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and for HIS glory! Amen!

While FAM members have been so blessed to witness the restoration of three marriages in the past week, we have also had painful and undeniable reminders of the destructive danger and power of pride, and the amazingly predictable way it tends to rear its ugly head just hours before restoration. And since pride is such an obstacle to all that we stand for, it has often been the topic of previous Seeds Of Faith posts; such as Recognizing and Avoiding the Danger of Pride and BEWARE…Satan Comes ONLY to Steal, Kill and Destroy! So I urge everyone to read these posts to get a better idea of just what pride is and how the devil so predictably and effectively attempts to use it against us in the hours leading up to restoration.

The first restoration we celebrated last week would have had a TOTALLY different outcome if the FAM member had allowed her pride to get the best of her when the spouse of a woman who works with her husband called to inform her that his wife was having an affair with her husband! But she responded in unconditional love, respect, and humility and within a few hours her husband was home…even though they were in the process of getting a divorce and he had very recently told her that he just couldn’t come back home! Just like Genesis 50:20 declares; what was meant for harm, God ALWAYS meant for good and the saving of many! But it was HOW the wife responded to this news that finally convinced her husband that she had really changed and made him decide to come home!

And the restoration we were blessed to celebrate yesterday would have easily been blown if the FAM member had not understood the absolute necessity of taking EVERY thought captive and making them obedient to Christ; because just hours before her wonderful breakthrough, she was under intense spiritual attack and couldn’t even believe some of the thoughts that kept invading her mind. But she refused to entertain the devil and give him entrance into her heart, mind and spirit; she humbled herself under the mighty hand of God and He certainly lifted her up in DUE time!

In addition to the above testimonies and examples of how the devil attempts to use pride to thwart marriage restoration at every possible turn; the testimonies/introductions of several new FAM Fellowship members have tragically revealed how the devil had used their pride to literally steal, kill and destroy their marriages and families. But the good news is that we can’t possibly make such a mess of things that God can’t create a miracle out of it; in fact, the greater the mess, the greater the miracle and the greater the glory for our Lord! And we have no doubt that all of these new members will be sharing their Restored Marriage Testimonies one day as well!

So, as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, we can’t afford not to realize that pride ALWAYS comes to steal, kill and destroy. In John 10:10, Jesus said The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. And Proverbs 16:18 warns that Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. And since Satan was cast out of heaven because of his pride (Isaiah 14:12-14), he obviously knows pride very well; not to mention the power it has to bring about the destruction he desires. So it’s no wonder that Satan is able to use our pride so effectively to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families, our hope for marriage restoration and the word of our testimonies! And since God literally opposes the proud and brings them low; yet promises to give grace to the humble and that when we humble ourselves under His mighty hand, He will lift us up in DUE time, the wisdom of choosing to resist the devil and walk humbly should be pretty apparent. And even though it is often overlooked, the fact that the devil uses pride to bring about the death and destruction he comes to accomplish is clearly and unmistakably revealed in 1 Peter 5:5-8, which says:
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
But when we learn to recognize and overcome pride, we will be blessed and encouraged because GOD will lift us up in DUE time!

Without a doubt, this has been one of the most exciting times for FAM Fellowship members, and we are just totally in awe and amazement as we witness the mighty hand of God moving so powerfully as He SUPERNATURALLY and radically changes hearts and renews and restores so many marriages and families right before our eyes!!!

The following After Marriage Restoration testimony was posted just a little earlier on the private FAM Fellowship website, and I thank Kelly for her permission to share it here. Kelly became a FAM member last May as a prodigal turned stander. By the time the Lord convicted her that she had to return to her marriage, Chris had become involved with someone else as well. But Kelly didn’t know that and soon after they reconciled and relocated too another state, Chris decided to return to their home state and the NCP. So Kelly became the stander and soon after joining FAM, their marriage seemed to be reconciled again. But Chris still harbored unforgiveness in his heart and it wasn’t long before he returned to the NCP. But as He ALWAYS does, God had the final Word and used a very strange means to melt Chris’ hardened heart; a letter Kelly had written to Chris’ parents to ask for their forgiveness when she returned home, which his mother thought would help Chris in an anticipated custody battle for the children, and which he had not seen before! That’s why I titled that post NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD!!! What an awesome testimony proving that what is meant for harm and evil, God ALWAYS intended for good and the saving of many lives; just as Joseph declared in Genesis 50:20! So read Kelly’s beautiful testimony and be blessed and encouraged!

*****
Hello FAM family,

It has been awhile since I have posted and it has really been on my heart lately to get on here and post what God has done and is doing for his Glory. Let me start by saying that on my desk sits a document from the court that confirms that ALL divorce proceedings have been withdrawn and that our marriage has been reconciled. When I read this I was so amazed that EVEN THE COURT had to declare THE WILL OF GOD! It is so true that nothing and I mean nothing can stand against the will of God, not the enemy, not my selfishness, not Chris’ selfishness, no NCP, NOTHING!

Chris and I have been together with our children now for almost three months, and I must tell you all that God has done EVERYTHING that he promised to do to the letter. And He continues to rebuild and restore our lives, our family, our marriage and our children; all for his Glory.

A scripture the Lord spoke to me during my wait was that he would “add to our number.” Well, he has! I found out about a week ago that I am pregnant! Our baby, who will always be a symbol to Chris and I of God’s unfailing mercy and grace, will be born sometime in June, 2009, and we are both so excited! In addition to that, Chris and I have plans to renew our vows before the Lord some time in November and we will be exchanging new wedding rings too!

The Lord promised me that his Spirit would fall upon Chris and that he would give him a new heart and he would be changed into another man, and he did exactly that. Chris has been wonderful. We pray together almost every day; he is attentive, loving and supportive and very committed to me and the kids and our NEW life together. I am a changed woman and he is a changed man. That is for sure.

I am writing this all to give thanks and Glory to Jesus and Jesus alone. This was all Him and most certainly not me or Chris. He is mighty and faithful and we can take him at his word; believe me. I am also writing this to encourage all who are still “pregnant” with his promise; DO NOT GIVE UP! He CAN NOT AND WILL NOT fail. He will do EVERYTHING that he promised you. I know it is hard to wait, but he is a wise and patient gardener. He knows when the fruit is ripe and ready to be picked and he will not be LATE. You can trust him. He is doing things that you can not see. He is weaving a tapestry of blessings for you that you can not understand right now. But trust that he is good. If you believe, you WILL see the GLORY OF GOD!

I love you all and thank you all for your prayers and support. I will continue to pray for you all as well and look forward to rejoicing at the news of YOUR restorations. THEY ARE COMING!!!

In Him,
Kelly