The following prayer was shared over the weekend on the men’s private website and it’s so powerful that I want to share it here:

Father God, I pray that You would use each one of us in this ministry to launch a renewed faith in marriage restoration around the world. Lord, we have so many promises from You that we know will be manifested in our lives as we believe, totally and unwavering in faith, what Your Word says. Guide us and direct us; fill us with the knowledge and understanding of Your Word and give us the discernment, Lord, to know it is You and Your Word. Help us to have such strong faith and presence of the Holy Spirit that we humble ourselves and hand over every aspect of our lives to You – the Savior. Father, deliver us from anything and everything that Satan tries to seduce us with; help us to surrender all to You. Lord, as we come to You on our knees, forgive us for any doubt and unbelief that keeps us from knowing that You have already restored our marriages in the spiritual realm and that earthly manifestation is just a moment away. Let us completely and wholly give our lives to You. Lord, I pray that You would bless each member of this family ministry. Fill us with the Spirit that we would do everything humanly possible to further Your kingdom in the healing and restoring of families, and by sharing our faith, unleash the supernatural power of our mighty God in every marriage and family represented by this ministry. Help us to reach out and touch more and more lives as we strive to worship, praise, honor and glorify You and spread the Word – the truth about the covenant of marriage and Your faithfulness to that covenant. You are awesome, God, and I pray that You would continue to work in a most powerful and supernatural way in bringing about to this world a commitment to marriage that has never been witnessed before. And let us be the start of that, Lord; not for our glory, but for Yours. In the Mighty Name of Jesus – Amen

This past Monday, Pastor Doreen shared a very powerful and personal message straight from her heart in Doreen’s Daily Delights, when she acknowledge being very discouraged and ready to give up her ministry of encouragement to those standing for marriage restoration. I was deeply touched by Doreen’s message, because I know it wasn’t easy to admit to those of us so accustomed to relying on her encouragement that she too had experienced such discouragement. But the truth is that we are ALL prone to discouragement; and it always begins with thoughts contrary to the absolute truth of the power and promise of God’s Word and our failure to take those thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to Christ and His Word. That’s why one of the most important passages of scripture for everyone standing for marriage restoration is found in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, which says:
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Since this is such an important passage of scripture to all of us and one I’ve written about many times, I went back to the archives to find previous Seeds Of Faith posts concerning it and encourage everyone to read The Importance Of Taking EVERY Thought Captive, which goes into an in depth study of this passage, BEWARE…Satan Comes ONLY to Steal, Kill and Destroy!, and Don’t settle for Less Than Abundant Life.

But what I want to focus on today is something Pastor Doreen wrote in her message Monday, which really made quite an impression on me; she said (person changed) “Clearly, when we are weary, discouraged and at wit’s end; that’s a time when either our faith will move the mountain or the mountain will remove our faith. In any event, we must turn to God to encourage ourselves. It is then we can come and stand in His presence, worshiping Him with the attitude that says “Lord, regardless of the circumstances, I will trust You.” I’ve meditated on that and considered it all week, and it’s amazing what a powerful and simple truth it is to realize that either our faith will move the mountains we face, or the mountains we face will remove our faith! And that’s SO true; because when our faith comes up against the mountains we face as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families; with the passage of time, only one will be left standing! Hopefully reading the above Seeds Of Faith posts and really thinking about what Pastor Doreen said will help us realize that in the end there are only two outcomes as we stand for our marriages; either our unwavering faith in the power and promise of God’s Word will see us through to victory and the restoration of our marriages and families for the glory of Jesus Christ; or our faith in the awesome power and faithfulness of our Lord Jesus will be shattered. So there’s a lot more than our desire for restoration at stake when we’re standing for our marriages, which is why Satan will ALWAYS do his wicked best to bring us down with thoughts contrary to the power and promise we have in God’s Word. And two awesome promises concerning the power of God we can rely on as we stand for marriage restoration are Proverbs 21:30, There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.; and Romans 8:28-33, which says:
More Than Conquerors
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

So the next time we’re in a battle where our faith versus our mountains, let’s remember and rely on the assurance we have in 1 John 4:4, which says You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. And let’s keep in mind that only one will be left standing, and it’s up to us to decide whether it will be our faith or our mountains, because without God we can’t lose, but we have to BELIEVE and EXPECT that! As Mark 9:23 (NKJV) says, “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” So BELIEVE and be blessed and encouraged, because no mountain can stand against us when we put all of our hope, faith and confidence in the power and promise of God’s Word!

Everyone standing for marriage restoration knows all about getting tired and discouraged, and wanting to give up, and some of us even have to confess to times when we DID. But, no matter how we feel, no matter what we think, no matter how much it hurts, and no matter how hopeless and discouraging our situations may seem, the Lord ALWAYS brings us right back to the realization that we can do nothing other than stand for the restoration of our marriages. That’s why it means so much to encourage other standers to find the indescribable place of truly resting in the love and power of our Lord and Savior; with the CERTAIN knowledge that He has EVERYTHING under control. NOTHING is too difficult or impossible for God; He CAN and WILL work it ALL together for our good and for His glory!

The Lord has so personally revealed His infinite faithfulness, mercy and grace to me in the past year and a half that it’s almost overwhelming! I’m in total amazement and awe of how He works, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE TIMES WHEN WE CAN’T SEE IT AND EVEN DOUBT IT! And in the past few weeks, several FAM Fellowship members have discovered that the reality concerning situations involving their spouses (or other family members) is totally different from everything they certainly had every “earthly” reason to believe. All of their amazing testimonies serve as powerful reminders of why it’s so important to resist the temptation to lean on our own understanding and trust God with all of our hearts instead; NO MATTER HOW BAD OR HOPELESS THINGS LOOK IN THE NATURAL.

When the Lord promises that He WILL cause ALL things to work together for our good, He really wants us to BELIEVE and EXPECT that. And the following Seeds Of Faith post, Trusting & Relying On God…No Matter What, which includes what I call my “apartment testimony” is an awesome example of why it’s so important to trust God and look for His totally omnipotent, powerful hand in EVERYTHING; most especially when we wonder what the Lord is doing, or if He’s doing anything at all. One thing that experience taught me is that when it looks like the Lord isn’t working on our circumstances or if it looks like everything is going the WRONG way, that’s when we have to trust Him the most. And that’s probably when we should start getting pretty excited, because more than likely, He’s just doing what is absolutely necessary to perfect His plan for us. Since I’ve come to rely so much on the awesome promise found in Romans 8:28 (NASB), which says And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose., I now regret all of the tears, energy and emotion wasted crying and worrying about things that I later came to recognize as blessings, and God at work in my life! When we REALLY believe Romans 8:28, and what seems like the worst possible thing happens in our lives, we can assure ourselves that it has to happen EXACTLY as it is in order for God’s perfect plan for us to be perfected. When we rely on that promise, and always try to look at seemingly bad situations through “kingdom eyes”, which means applying what we know about how the Lord works and biblical principles which are certain and never changing, we’re more likely to see what the Lord might be doing. After all, that’s what Colossians 4:2 tells us to do, because it says Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. So instead of giving up, we just need to wait for the Lord to act on our behalf as we put our faith and confidence in the power and promise of His Word and rely on Isaiah 64:4, which says Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. So just remember that God IS working everything to our good when we love Him and are living according to His purpose, which we are when we trust Him and stand for the restoration of our marriages and families; and be blessed and encouraged!

While there are many very good reasons NOT to lean or rely on our own understanding, the most important is that God tells us not to! Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Even though that’s a whole lot easier said than done, it is something we all have to make a real effort to do while we stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages. And one passage of scripture that helps make it easier, when we truly understand and believe it, is Isaiah 55:8-11, which says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God’s ways are infinite, so it’s just not possible for us to understand His thoughts and ways when we ourselves are so finite. God operates in a divine realm of the supernatural and as humans, we are limited and bound in the natural realm. In that respect, we’re not unlike goldfish kept in a small fish bowl; their entire realm of knowledge, understanding and experience is restricted to the bowl in which they live. Yet there’s a whole wide universe beyond what they could possibly understand or relate to. As Romans 11:33-34 puts it; Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”

That’s why it is so vitally important to learn to TRUST God and to put our hope and confidence in the power and promise of His Word, as we rely on His ability and faithfulness to carry it out. We even have God’s personal assurance that we CAN do that in Isaiah 46:10-11, which says I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. And Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? So putting all of our faith, hope and confidence in the power and promise of God’s Word is actually easy when we understand this about His nature and put it together with Proverbs 21:30, which assures us that There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Once we truly understand God’s power and faithfulness to carry out His Word and accept that we can’t ever fully understand His thoughts and His ways, the only thing left for us to do is our best to acknowledge Him in all we say and do. And that’s not possible without seriously studying His Word to learn everything we can about Him and His ways. For instance, we need to know that God opposes the proud, especially since most of us naturally tend to be controlled by our pride. Yet, 1 Peter 5:5-6 instructs 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.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

And it certainly takes a lot of humility to resist leaning on our own understanding, because we think we NEED to know what’s going to happen, what is happening, and even what might happen. But where’s the trust in that? There isn’t any, because the only reason we thing we have to know or need to know is because we think there is something we can do IF we know, and in almost all cases, that’s just not true. And as many of us can testify, most of the things we “worry” about never come to pass anyway, and so much of what we think we know or have “figured out” ends up being totally wrong. So besides being evidence that we don’t truly trust God and that we are not putting all of our hope, faith and confidence in the power and promise of His Word, leaning on our own understanding and trying to “figure everything out” on our own can get us in a lot of trouble. And that’s because we tend to act on what we think we know, whether it’s true or not, and unfortunately many of us also have testimonies of the devastating results caused by leaning on our own understanding.

The best way to illustrate the danger of leaning on our own understanding instead of trusting God with all of our hearts is to share some testimonies that prove it, which I’ve requested permission from two of the FAM Fellowship members with restored marriages to do.

First, soon after being served by her husband with legal separation papers, one of our ladies heard that her husband and the NCP (non-covenant person) had just been to Disneyland and she was VERY upset to say the least. She told me that he never did anything like that with his family, because he always said they couldn’t afford it, so she was very hurt and angry. Relying on Romans 8:28 and God’s promise to work everything out for our good when we love Him and are called according to His purpose, I suggested that a trip like that might just be what it took to make him realize that he couldn’t afford to keep a “kept woman!” We discussed it quite a bit for a few days, but I kept reminding her of god’s Word and that she had to put her trust in the Lord and NOT look at the circumstances; and on top of that, she didn’t even know for certain that this was true, even though she knew he was out of town that weekend. Even to this day, she doesn’t know what happened that weekend, but her husband immediately started talking about how broke he was and making a lot of comments about wanting someone to love him just for who he was and we never heard about the NCP after that! So look how much time and energy was wasted fretting over something that God so obviously used for good – if it even happened! They are now restored and God has given them a wonderfully blessed relationship and a totally NEW marriage! And she is constantly sharing encouraging praise reports of how the Lord is working in their relationship and what a total romantic her husband has become!

And only hours before her marriage was restored, one of our ladies came VERY close to TOTALLY blowing it, because she had let her mind run away with her and was reaching all sorts of wrong conclusions by leaning on her own understanding. She was cleaning out some stuff that her husband had just thrown in his car when he had to clean out his desk at work, and she found some OLD notes and cards from a woman at work. By the time she called me, she was on the warpath and her pride was in full control and humility wasn’t even a remote possibility. We even had harsh words as I tried to convince her how wrong her attitude was and how dangerous it was, but she would have NONE of that! She felt totally justified and entitled to demand an explanation, which seemed even more difficult to understand since she was the one who had been unfaithful in their marriage and had been standing for restoration for six years! I gave it my best, but when we finally hung up, I was not convinced that I had persuaded her to take a different course of action than her flesh wanted; I had suggested simply putting the things in a box and telling him that she had cleaned out his car for him, and that his stuff was in the box. Well, in the end, despite a terrible battle with the devil and her flesh, that is what she ended up doing; PRAISE THE LORD! And that very thing is what led to the restoration of their marriage! After she told her husband she had put his things in the box, he came to her a little later and wanted to explain the cards and notes, and it was through that conversation that he told her that he loved her and they were able to make a renewed commitment to their marriage! And there’s no doubt that if she had given in to her flesh and not humbled herself and trusted the Lord instead of leaning on her own understanding, the outcome would have been VERY different, because she would have made all sorts of accusations that were totally untrue! And what a blessing it is for all of us to see that they’re like newlyweds now, and how their marriage is so much better than ever before! And there’s no way of knowing if that would even be the case today if she had not recognized the dangers of leaning on her own understanding instead of trusting the Lord with all of her heart and acknowledging Him in all of her ways!

God just wants us to trust Him and rely on the power and promise of His Word and not our own understanding, and when we humble ourselves that way and deny the pride of our flesh, HE WILL LIFT US UP IN DUE TIME and we will most definitely be blessed and encouraged, because His Word will Never return without accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it!

I recently shared from Pastor Dave Williams’ books about the steps in developing faith, and now I want to continue with what Dave considers to be enemies of faith. He presents eight “enemies” to achieving and maintaining the faith God gives each of us.

Faith’s first enemy is the failure to understand that faith is a process. And the process begins with finding the specific promise in God’s Word that covers our need and then speaking the promise to activate supernatural forces to work on our behalf. He suggests that we then continue the process by visualizing a faith movie in our minds and seeing our promises realized. And then we praise God in advance for what He is doing in answer to our need or problem. And finally, we take action to receive our miracle and endure with patience while believing and receiving the promise from God. So there are definite steps to releasing our faith.

Romans 4:16 (NIV): Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

The second enemy is failure to have a specific promise from God. For faith to function, it must have a specific Word, a concrete promise from the Bible. So when trying to exercise faith, we must not stand just on the general Word of God; we need to learn to focus our faith for miraculous results. And that focus begins with a firm promise from God. When Jesus faced the devil in the wilderness, He drove him out with simple and specific words from the Father. So ALWAYS obtain an unconditional promise from God’s Word before trying to muster up enough faith for miraculous results.

Thirdly, failure to understand the power of God hinders our faith. With God, NOTHING is impossible. But we limit God’s power by our unbelief. We can rely on our own resources, find out what we can do, and then plan accordingly; or we can step out in faith and make our plans based upon what God said He will do for us and through us, as clearly stated in His Word.

The fourth enemy Pastor Williams discusses is unbelief and disbelief. And he spends a great deal of time discussing each of them. He describes unbelief as the absence of faith, even though it doesn’t necessarily deny the truth. Disbelief on the other hand, blatantly denies the truth. Disbelief expresses itself in disobedience, whereas unbelief expresses itself in lack of obedient action. Unbelief may understand the promise, but will do nothing about it. But both unbelief and disbelief limit God. Unbelief is responsible for the seeming inactivity of God and it operates in fear. And fear can be removed only by unwavering confidence in the love and power of God. So when unbelief is at work in our lives, all spiritual power is paralyzed, because unbelief blocks the path through which God works in human lives. And that path is faith. So Pastor Williams warns us not to let disbelief or unbelief rob us of God’s best for our lives. Faith enables us to treat the future as the present, and the unseen as seen. So faith is the power that turns promises into realities. But faith grows through exercise and if neglected, it stagnates.

Mark 6:5-6 (NIV): He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Matthew 13:58 (NIV): And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV): Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

The fifth enemy of faith is not understanding the role of hope, because faith cannot function without hope. Hope is the image of what faith sets out to achieve; hope is the “faith forecast.” It is the future, seen by faith in the present. And with Hope, faith has a framework on which to build, because hope anchors our minds on the promise of God and causes us to see ourselves with the promise. The devil wants us to keep our minds on the problems, challenges, struggles, or anything negative that will keep our minds off the promise; but hope allows us to focus on what is possible with faith in God. So hope is vital to genuine faith.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV): Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see

Considering the situation is enemy number six. Pondering, observing, considering or focusing on the situation instead of the promise of God is another enemy that robs us of faith. Meditating upon the problem will always cause the problem to grow. Likewise, meditating on God’s promise will always cause faith to grow. So we must believe what God’s Word says regardless of how we feel or what we see.

Romans 4:19 (NIV): Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead

The seventh enemy of faith is staggering when it comes to the promises of God, which is the opposite of patient endurance. Faith has steps, and if we stagger up the steps, we will fall. Staggering is double-mindedness. We start out believing God for a specific promise, and then we focus on the situation and begin to waver. Focusing on the situation just drives out hope and destroys faith. Pastor Williams states that faith is a fight, but that it’s the best fight because faith always wins.

Romans 4:20 (NIV): Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV): Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Finally, the eighth enemy is not being fully persuaded. Faith is the assurance of things hoped or. And Pastor Williams says that the only way to be “fully persuaded” of this fact, is to meditate on God’s Word and talk with God in prayer until a sense of peace and confidence that we understand God’s will floods our hearts. And when we are fully persuaded, faith will carry us over any obstacle.

Romans 4:20-21 (NIV): Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
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This is obviously a great time to focus on the power of praise and thanksgiving in our hearts and lives, so I want to share a link to a previous Seeds Of Faith post from the same time last year, The Awesome Power Of Praise And Worship, which has a lot of very good scripture references for all of us to meditate on and put into practice in our daily lives, as well as a link to great around the clock praise and worship music online..

And I also want to share a link to a VERY important message from Bayless Conley, which Dan shared with me as a perfect message to go along with Wednesday’s SOF post, When the Devil Comes Calling. Bayless really brings home the point that our lives ARE and WILL BE WHAT OUR WORDS SPEAK INTO BEING…FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. So please listen to and STUDY Lord, Touch My Tongue. (And you can read or print it at this link.) And it really does make the point as described below on Bayless’ website:
“Our words can bring death or life, curse or blessing, peace or chaos. If we put the devil’s words in our mouth, it opens the door for the devil’s works in our lives. But if we put God’s words in our mouth, it opens the door for God’s works in our lives!”

So it’s up to us to determine whether we will open the doors of our lives and futures for the works of the devil or for the works of the Lord, which is why it’s SO important for us to understand that our words really do hold the power of life and death, and that we WILL eat the fruit of them…for either life or death; for blessings or curses. (Proverbs 18:21)

And finally, when I was looking for the above SOF post, I also found the following prayer, which I’ve updated just a bit to share, because it truly is timeless! So be blessed and encouraged and make a renewed commitment to SPEAK only life and blessings, which we do by keeping praise and thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips as we speak the Word of God in all circumstances, take every thought captive and make them obedient to Jesus Christ and the Word of God!

Dear Lord,

There’s SO much to give thanks for today, but most of all we give thanks for your amazing love and your willingness to demonstrate it by sending your precious son to die on a cross for us so we could be forgiven for our sins and spend eternity with you in heaven! We thank you for your presence in our lives every day and for the power of the Holy Spirit and the work He does in and through us. We thank you for your word and the wisdom and understanding we gain by reading and meditating on it. And we thank you for all the angels you send to guard and direct us and all the ways they assist and minister to us at all times. We thank you for the people in our lives that we love and who are very special and significant to us in so many ways. And we thank you for those who love us and that you’ve allowed us to be significant in their lives as well. We thank you for your infinite mercy and grace and for the capacity you give us to forgive and love unconditionally. We thank you for peace that passes all understanding and that we can be content in all circumstances, because we know you work EVERYTHING out for good when we love you and are called according to your will and purpose for our lives. And we even thank you for the difficult times in our lives when you taught us what it means to be fully reliant on you and for the many things you teach us in such times and that they’ll ultimately be used for our good and your glory. We thank you for our abundance of material blessings, and we ask for your forgiveness for our lack of gratitude for how truly blessed we are in comparison to those who suffer from lack of things we consider essential, like clean drinking water and nutritious food, good health and a roof over our heads. We truly are blessed beyond belief, but we often fail to realize just how blessed and fortunate we are and to give you thanks for all that your hand has provided.

Thank you so much for the awesome privilege of seeing at least ten marriages and families restored in the past year by the power and promise of your Word. Please continue to give us YOUR wisdom, patience and guidance in all that we say and do, and let it ALWAYS lead us back to your word and a greater reliance on your power and love. We pray for your special blessings in the homes that are missing dads or moms this year and thank you for the work we know you’re doing in the lives and hearts of absent husbands and wives to bring healing and restoration to their families. Thank you for the work we’ve already seen you do in the lives of so many in our family, Lord, and thank you in advance for all we know you will be faithful to complete in the coming year, and for all of the families that will be restored by this time next year!

We love you and give you all praise, honor and glory, and ask you to lead us to live our lives as yielded and willing vessels so that your work can be accomplished through us and others will be able to see your love and goodness in us. Be Thou glorified in our lives today and always. In the most awesome and powerful name and authority of Jesus Christ we pray and give thanks! Amen.

Put on your favorite praise and worship music and sing to the Lord! He loves you and His plans for you are for good and to give you a future with hope, so claim that and tell the devil to get lost! We have to keep our focus on the power and promise of God’s Word, and NOT on the problems! They’re just the works of the devil and nothing he brings against us and our marriages can succeed! He’s a defeated foe! But God is a jealous God and He commands us to put Him first and promises that when we FIRST seek His kingdom and His righteousness; THEN He will give us what we want and need. So delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart! Remember, the joy of our salvation is our strength and the Word tells us that His grace is sufficient and that we CAN do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us! So let’s read and PUT INTO PRACTICE what Philippians 4:1-20 instructs us to do, and there’s no way we won’t feel better and blessed and encouraged in the Lord!

Dear Lord, we know the holidays and special occasions are difficult at times, so we pray for your joy and peace to flow in abundance in the hearts, minds and spirits of all of those who might be struggling this holiday. Put a song in their hearts, Lord, and praise on their lips! Give them the peace that comes only when we believe and put our faith and confidence in the awesome, supernatural power and promise of your Word! Surround them with the shield of your love and goodness and let them shine for your glory! Bless everyone with an abundance of joy and happiness this Thanksgiving and help them truly understand the amazing power of genuine praise and thanksgiving! We love you, Lord Jesus, and we praise your Holy name as we ask this in your name and authority and for your glory! Amen.

Perhaps one of the most difficult things to learn to do as we stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages is to CONSISTENTLY respond appropriately when the devil comes calling…and MAKE NO MISTAKE, HE WILL COME CALLING! Most of us have probably seen the email message going around in various forms, with the punch line that says something like “When Satan knocks, just send Jesus to the door!” But the problem with that is two-fold. First, we don’t seem to recognize when Satan is knocking; and secondly, we tend to forget to send Jesus to intercede on our behalf!

Yet, 1 Peter 5:8 warns: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And based on what we know about hungry lions stalking and devouring their prey; There’s a great deal to be learned from this warning. First, just as with a lion’s prey, there is safety in numbers. So when we remain in close fellowship with other Christians, and probably even more so with fellow standers, we are not such easy prey for the devil. And in the same way we know that a hungry lion looks for isolated or weak prey; the devil is more likely to attack us and take us down when we are having a difficult time either physically (tired, hungry, sick, too busy, over worked, etc.), emotionally (angry, bitter, depressed, lonely, prideful, resentful, frustrated, etc.), spiritually (in sin, not in the Word, out of fellowship with the Lord and like minded Christians, etc.) or financially. And since we will most likely experience at least some of this during our stand for the restoration of our marriages and families at one time or another, we certainly need to be on the lookout for the devil and learn to recognize his attacks when they come. And one of the easiest ways to recognize the works of the devil is to keep in mind that when our reactions, emotions or behavior are negative and contrary to the Word of God in any way; the devil is almost certainly involved. So that’s our cue to pay attention, because we know he comes only to steal, kill and destroy according to what Jesus said in John 10:10 (AMP); The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). And since we’re standing for the restoration of our marriages and families, we already know the devil is bent on stealing, killing and destroying them.

So when the devil comes calling, what do we do? How do we send Jesus to the door to intercede on our behalf? The answer is pretty simple, yet we tend not to realize or believe just how simple and powerful it really is, so we often fail to DO it. But as 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And since we know that God is the Word and the Word is Christ (John 1:1-4), that means we have to take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ and the Word of God. And what an awesome assurance we have in Psalm 138:2 (NLT), which says I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. Wow! That’s how we KNOW we CAN stand and rely on the power and promise of God’s Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families; it’s fully backed up with all of the honor and glory due the name of Jesus Christ!

As with everything else in our lives as Christians, we have no better example to follow than that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the example He gives us in Matthew 4:1-11 for dealing with the devil when he comes calling is a perfect illustration of Paul’s instructions to take our thoughts captive as stated above. And it’s interesting to note that Jesus’ first response when the devil was trying to steal, kill and destroy the victory and glory of His divine destiny, as revealed in Matthew 4:4, was …”It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” That’s really how simple it is to defeat the devil when he comes calling; by BELIEVING, CLAIMING and SPEAKING the power and promise of God’s Word! So, just as Jesus did, we have to SPEAK the Word of God back to the devil and just as he did when Jesus continued speaking God’s Word back to him, the devil will eventually flee and the Lord will send His ministering angels to take care of us! (Matthew 4:11)

Since most of us seem to have the SAME battles over and over again, it’s pretty evident that the devil doesn’t usually need to try something new when he comes to steal, kill and destroy. And why should he when he already knows what works so well against us; what our weaknesses are and where we’re most vulnerable. And when it comes to standing for marriage restoration, pride and unforgiveness are definitely two of the most common areas of weakness. Yet, the Bible is full of passages of scripture warning of the dangers and hindrances caused by pride and unforgiveness, as well as the bountiful blessings of forgiveness and humbling ourselves before others and under the mighty hand of God. That means we need to study those verses and MEMORIZE them so we’ll be ready to speak them right back to the devil when he comes to use our pride and unforgiveness to steal, kill and destroy the work of marriage restoration God has promised.

By looking at the way the devil came to tempt Jesus in the above passage (Matthew 4:1-11), we can learn a lot about how the devil works. Satan said, “IF you are the Son of God…” Well, of course, the devil KNEW that Jesus was the Son of God, just as he also knew that Jesus knew who He was AND that the devil knew exactly who He was; but did that stop the devil? No; because he thought he could tempt and provoke Jesus to react in pride and prove who He was. But that didn’t work, because Jesus truly understood the power of humility and He knew to put His faith and confidence in the power and promise of God’s Word, and He relied on its wisdom for guidance and instructions concerning how to effectively deal with Satan’s attacks. And even though Jesus didn’t take the bait the first time, Satan came right back with the exact same approach; which is exactly what he does with us! The minute we think we have overcome his attacks, he’ll come right back with the same thing! So we have to get in the HABIT of consistently talking back to the devil with the Word of God. And oh how tricky the devil was with his final attempt! What boldness and audacity he had to think he could trick Jesus by offering to give Him something that was already His! Yet, that’s exactly what he does with us as well! He just wants to make us lose site of the power and promise we have in God’s Word. Or just as he did with Eve in the Garden; he loves to ask “Did God REALLY say…?” Unfortunately, just as with Eve, simply asking the question is often enough to sow seeds of doubt in most of us! That’s why it is SO VITALLY IMPORTANT TO TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE AND MAKE THEM OBEDIENT TO THE WORD OF GOD!

Yet, even though the Bible provides very clear and concise instructions concerning how to deal with the devil when he comes calling, the sad truth is that many men and women standing for the restoration of their marriages and families fail to do it. In fact, I’m always surprised to learn how many never even THINK about taking their thoughts captive and making them obedient to the Word; much less do it! But every time we fail to do that, we just make it easier for the devil to steal, kill and destroy the power and promise God provides through His Word and the sacrifice of His beloved Son, because we give the devil entry into our hearts, minds, souls and spirit, and he will not fail to take full advantage of such opportunities. So it’s my hope and prayer that we will all seriously consider these passages of scripture and recognize when the devil comes calling (such as not experiencing and walking in the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23) and then CONSISTENTLY rely on the power and promise of God’s Word to take captive every thought Satan sends to steal, kill and destroy the promise we have of marriage restoration, MAKING them obedient to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! That’s HOW we send Jesus to the door to intercede on our behalf! And when we learn to do that CONSISTENTLY, we’ll truly be blessed and encouraged beyond what we could ever ask or imagine!

When facing the challenges of standing for marriage restoration, there’s a very important truth that we need to believe and understand, which is found in what Jesus said in John 10:10 (NKJV), where He said The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. That means we don’t have to settle for the death and destruction Satan wants for us and our families, or let him steal the abundant life Jesus came to give us, because Jesus came to give us victory over Satan and so much more! But we have to understand that there is a choice to be made, and that it is ours to make. If I were to give someone a million dollars, and they took it without spending it, they might as well not take it in the first place, because it won’t do them a bit of good. And it’s the same way with Jesus; if we have accepted Him as our Savior and made Him Lord of our lives, something is wrong if we’re NOT experiencing abundant life, or lives filled with the fruit of the spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23, which says But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Most of us have heard (probably repeating it ourselves) and believe that the Bible says “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.” But like so many other verses in the Bible, that’s not even close to the whole story, because John 8:31-32, actually says 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 the REAL truth is that we can’t KNOW the truth and be set free unless we BELIEVE Jesus, HOLD TO HIS teachings, and are REALLY His disciples. So we can’t just leave out the important words “If” and “Then” when proclaiming this awesome promise! But when we believe Jesus, hold to His teachings and really are His disciples, we WILL truly understand and experience the fulfillment of His promise in Luke 4, which says:
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

So it’s difficult to understand how men and women who profess a close walk with the Lord remain under so much bondage to pain, anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, self righteousness, and despair. That’s why I’d love to be able to do that mind link thing Mr. Spock used to do! But it always comes down to the same decision we all have to make at some time or another in our lives. And that’s whether or not we REALLY believe and trust God, and have a hunger to understand His word. Because we have to believe it’s ALL true; or it’s ALL a lie. And when we read the Bible, expecting the Lord to speak to us; to show us His REVEALED word, we’ll always find something we hadn’t seen or understood before, which makes it VERY exciting to read and study. Yet, the truth is that not many of us are very serious or even that interested in reading and STUDYING the Bible. It’s a lot easier to have someone else read it and tell us what it says or what it means. But receiving the word that way never has the same impact as when we read it for ourselves and the Holy Spirit speaks to us through it.

Yet, on the other hand, whenever we have conversations with our spouses, or receive letters, email messages or text messages from them, how much time do we spend trying to understand them by trying to read between the lines; desperately looking for a glimmer of hope, analyzing, hanging onto and remembering EVERY word, or even considering the tone of voice? We don’t miss anything they say, or even what was NOT said. So when was the last time we read God’s love letter to us the same way?

One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 37:4-7, which says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. As we stand for the restoration of our marriages in obedience to the Lord, everyone of us wants the desires of our hearts, our righteousness to shine like the dawn and the justice of our cause to shine like the noon day sun, but what are we doing to delight ourselves in the Lord? What are we doing that proves we’ve committed our way to Him? And is there evidence in our daily lives that we trust Him? The bottom line is that we can NOT claim that awesome promise from the Lord without looking for the “ifs” and thens” in that passage, just as with ALL scripture. Other than God’s unconditional love, there are no special blessings, promises, protection or provision from the Lord that are Not conditional. And since I say that so often, I’m sure someone would let me know if they find something contrary to that! So it’s very important for us to understand that many verses are often misquoted or quoted without their complete context, and it’s not really possible to fully understand them without reading them in context or in the context of the entire Bible.

For example, Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us a much better understanding of the battle Jesus spoke of in John 10:10, as well as providing the instruction we need to be victorious as we stand in HIS mighty power, because it says Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. And it’s not possible to truly understand the destructive nature of this kind of warfare, or that in most cases, our spouses and children are Satan’s intended targets, much less the power and proper use of our armor without reading, studying and understanding our owner’s manual; the Bible, as it was written by our Manufacturer, our Creator, our loving Father…God!

Then, even though Paul’s instructions concerning spiritual warfare in 2 Corinthians 10:2-5 seem very simple, most of us know how difficult they are to practice, because he said I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. While that sounds simple, we all know that it’s definitely a lot easier said than done, and most of us wouldn’t have a clue how to begin doing it. But like everything else, we find the answer to that in God’s Word when we read Philippians 4:4-9, which says Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. This passage of scripture holds the key to living the abundant life Jesus came to give us, because If we’d learn to CONSISTENTLY practice the instruction it provides, we’d have the peace of God and we’d be victorious in EVERY battle the devil wages against us! And before saying it’s not possible, we need to read Philippians 4:13 (NKJV), which says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So, in the end whether or not we live the abundant life Jesus died to give us is a matter of whether or not we believe, study and understand His word, as given and taught in our Bibles. Based on the praise reports and restored marriage testimonies in the archives of the FAMM private websites, There is a very direct and undeniable connection between those who experience victory as they stand for their marriages and how much time they spend studying God’s word. And that’s because the power of God’s word transforms us as nothing else can; it has the power to renew our minds, which we know pleases the Lord according to Romans 12:2, which says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. And it’s through the process of that transformation that we experience the freedom we seek, AND glorify our Lord and Savior, as revealed in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, which says Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. So let’s not lose out on the victory and abundant life Jesus came to give us by neglecting and ignoring His love letter to us, because the more we read, study and understand the Bible, the more blessed and encouraged we are!

As we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, we have all sorts of negatives to deal with and overcome; the pain and anger of past hurt and betrayal; everyday disappointments (especially when our spouses fail to do what we expect and even what they should do); the physical loss of family and the lifestyles we are accustomed to; the heartache of loneliness (especially during holidays); and so much more. But when we learn to truly put our hope and confidence in God Almighty and rely on the power and promise of His Word, we will realize that just like a bunch of lemons, we have the option to change all of that; the same way lemons can be changed from something naturally very sour and unappealing when we squeeze them and add a little sugar to make lemonade; resulting in something very tasty and refreshing!

Genesis 50:20 says You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. And when we study the life of Joseph in Genesis 37 and Genesis 39-50,
and see how God took the trials and tribulations of his life and turned them all into something so awesome and God glorifying, we have to be encouraged! His life is certain evidence that no matter what others might do to hurt us, God can and will turn it all to good if we love Him and are living in accordance with His will and Word; in fact He INTENDED it ALL for good before any of it even happened! And we know that based on God’s awesome promise in Romans 8:28-34, which says:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
And that’s further confirmed in Ephesians 1:1-14, which says:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

When we read the above passages of scripture and see just how God worked in the life of Joseph, we can rest assured that NOTHING that has happened or ever will happen in our lives is a surprise to God; He had it ALL predestined for our good and for the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! So no matter how bad things seem; no matter how hopeless and pointless everything looks; no matter what comes against us and the restoration of our marriages and families, we have two choices. We can ignore the awesome power and promises we all have in the Word of God and continue to suck on a bunch of sour lemons or we can take hold of God’s love and goodness toward us and squeeze out every bit of hope found in His Word as we stand on it in faith and confidence for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families; knowing that He CAN AND WILL bring it all to pass! But as with everything else in the kingdom of God, it all comes right back to whether or not we really believe the Word of God and whether or not it is written on the tablets of our hearts and whether or not we accept and acknowledge the truth and wisdom of Psalm 119:105, which says Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path., and that we live by EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God; just as Jesus reminded us in Matthew 4:4

However, we’ll only be able to change the lemons in our lives to lemonade when we truly believe and understand that There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. And that since no power that comes against us is greater than the power with us, just as 2 Chronicles 32:7 says, we can be strong and courageous instead of afraid and discouraged! And when we REALLY get that so deep down in our souls and spirit that we can’t be moved from it by any circumstance or situation, instead of fearing or dreading the negatives we can’t avoid, we will see them as just more opportunities to squeeze through the filter of God’s Word for even more lemonade! So let’s all put our faith and confidence in the awesome promises we have in god’s Word and be blessed and encouraged as we take every lemon thrown our way and trust God to bless us as we filter them through the power and promise of His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit!

Naaman was the commander of Syria’s army. He was a powerful man, but he had a problem that no one could do anything about; He was afflicted with leprosy. His wife’s maid was the only person who offered him any hope. She told him that the prophet Elisha could heal him.

Even though Naaman tried to buy his healing, Elisha refused his gifts and didn’t even acknowledge him personally. Instead, Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to “go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River.” (2Kings 5:10)

Obviously Naaman had anticipated Elisha’s personal attention and an immediate cure, because his reaction was that of anger; Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!” (2 Kings 5:11) So he went away in a rage because his expectations were for an instant healing and individual attention. And his disobedience almost cost him the restoration of his flesh. Had he not been surrounded by his officers who cared for him and influenced him to follow Elisha’s instructions, he would have been afflicted for the rest of his life.

Often in our desire for marriage restoration, we want God to wave His magic wand and instantly “fix” our situations, and there is no doubt that He could indeed do just that. We also want His individual and undivided attention until we get what we want – and what He has promised us. And we sometimes even think we can make deals with God – restore my marriage and I will do…….! But the fact is that we already have God’s Word to direct and guide us; He provides us with His promises and reveals His will for us through His Word. And all He asks is that we put Him above all else, trusting and obeying Him.

Let us also look at the “process” of Naaman’s healing, because there’s much we can learn from that as well. Each time he emerged from the water, he must have looked down at himself to see if the old skin had been washed away to give way to the new. He must have questioned and perhaps even doubted, especially as he progressed through the first six washings, and frustration must have really set in toward the end! But Naaman continued to do as Elisha had instructed. And finally, obedience brought the desired outcome; the restoration of his flesh and he was cleansed of the leprosy.

What would have happened if Naaman’s doubt had become so strong that he quit after the fourth cleansing, or the fifth, or even the sixth? How disappointing it would have been to learn later when in Heaven that had he cleansed just one more time as instructed, he would have led a life fully healed!

In the same way, we must trust God for the restoration of our marriages. When, and only when He has cleansed us and changed us into the husbands and wives He wants us to be, will our restorations take place. That may be tonight for some; next week, next month, or even next year, but He gives us His promise and we need to trust and obey as we put our faith in Him to do what He says He will do. How awesome it will be some day to look at how God has blessed us and how we have grown spiritually as He restores and heals our marriages to be something more incredible than we ever could have imagined. I certainly don’t want to reach Heaven and have God say, “If only you had waited and trusted me one more day!”

Love and blessings!

2 Kings 5:1-14 (NLT)
The Healing of Naaman
1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.[a]
2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. 5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,[b] and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,[c] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!

Reading what David wrote in Psalm 143, it’s pretty easy for men and women standing for marriage restoration to understand and relate to his despair. But we need to take time to read it line by line and seriously consider what each verse means, especially David’s wisdom concerning overcoming despair as found in the following verses:

5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
When we reflect on the glory of God, all of the awesome stories of deliverance and blessings found in the Old Testament, and the absolute wonder of all of God’s creation, along with our personal testimonies and those of others, it is totally awe inspiring and uplifting! That’s why it is vitally important to keep our focus on God’s omnipotence and the power and promise of His Word instead of our problems.

6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
God wants us to acknowledge our absolute helplessness and to surrender our lives to Him, desperately longing for what ONLY He can give.

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
There are many Bible verses confirming that God uses and even orchestrates difficult situations in our lives to make us totally dependent on Him or to bring us back into His will for our lives, and that He will be moved to compassion and mercy toward us when we so desperately acknowledge our need of Him.

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
We can always count on God to respond and acknowledge us when we are in despair, and we put our trust in His UNFAILING love And give our deepest concerns to Him, and rely totally on His leadership and guidance. And He will never fail us or disappoint us!

9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.
When we trust God and do things HIS way, He will ALWAYS rescue us!

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
When we ask and surrender to Him, the Lord is faithful to teach us to do His will, for which He gives us the Holy Spirit to help make us more consistent in our walk and faith. So we just need to ask God to give us a more steadfast heart when we despair and falter.

11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
We are always saved and delivered for the praise and glory of God, and when we seek to live in His righteousness, according to what His word teaches, God hears and answers our prayers. That’s why we MUST know what His Word, the Bible, tells us. We have to know what it means to live in His righteousness and we have to know what brings praise and glory to His name, as well as what does not. God is never going to answer prayers that do not bring praise, glory and honor to Jesus Christ and when we’re living in accordance with His Word and will, and love Him above everything else, He absolutely WILL fulfill EVERY promise found in His Word!

12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
When we give our lives to the Lord by truly making Him the Lord of our lives, and live in accordance with His Word and will, the gates of Hell can NOT prevail against us, or our marriages and families, because we are His church; we are His bride, and He died for us! He died to give us victory over Satan and every weapon fashioned against us and our families, and to give us hope and confidence in every word and promise we find in His love letter to us; the Bible! Is it even remotely possible that our spouses could send us a love letter and we wouldn’t read every word of it; NO matter how long it was? Of course not! It’s totally ridiculous to even suggest something so absurd! So I pray we will all remember that the next time we say we love the Lord and the next time we open our Bibles!

Based on my experience in marriage restoration ministry, I am convinced beyond ANY doubt that there’s a very definite and discernable link between the amount of time we spend reading and studying the Word of God and the way His hand moves in the restoration of our marriages; probably because it’s just not possible to have the faith and steadfastness needed to stand for marriage restoration without getting serious about reading and understanding God’s Word. Even though that’s backed up and proven by the private website archives and countless pages of testimonies confirming it; it’s up to each of us to determine how committed we are to the restoration of our marriages and if we’re willing to do something as life transforming and yet as simple as reading and STUDYING our Bibles!

We know that reading and studying the Bible is VITALLY important for all Christians, but that’s especially so when we need a supernatural move of God’s hand in our lives; such as in the restoration of our marriages. And since the Lord provides so much encouragement and instruction in the Proverbs and Psalms, it really is a great blessing to read through them every month, which can be done by reading one chapter of Proverbs and five chapters of the Psalms a day. And the easiest way to plan to do that is to read the Proverb that coincides with the day of the month; like Proverbs 14 for today. Then read the Psalm that coincides with the date; Psalm 14 today. And then read four more chapters from the Psalms in increments of 30; such as Psalm 44, 74, 104 and 134 for today. And since Psalm 119 is so long, it’s probably easier to read that with Proverbs 31 in the months with 31 days. And using online Bibles, such as BibleGateway.com, makes it a lot easier to read a different version each month, which also helps provide even more insight and interest. In addition to that, it’s very important to have a planned reading schedule of a set number of chapters each day to take us through the ENTIRE Bible. Many Christians think reading the Old Testament is too difficult or boring, but the modern versions make it a lot easier to read and understand the Old Testament, and that really helps build up our faith and trust in the Lord. It also teaches us so much about the character and nature of God, which is why it’s so important to seriously read and STUDY the Bible. I personally believe it’s best to read the Old and New Testament in order rather than skipping around as a lot of people do, so I suggest starting in Genesis and Matthew and reading a set number of chapters from each of them every day in addition to the Proverbs and Psalms, and going straight through the Old and the New Testament in order. It was Jesus Himself who reminded us that man does not live on bread alone, but by EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God ( 1. Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4). And we can better understand why that is when we read 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which tells us that All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. And there’s no doubt that standing for the restoration of our marriages and families is a “good work” and that we need to be equipped for it, and the only way to do that is to know and understand EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD! And when we do that, we will have the faith needed to overcome any kind of despair, because as Romans 10:17 says So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And when we hear and understand the Word of God, we can’t help being blessed and encouraged!

I want to share some of the wisdom and insight I have gained from reading a book written by Dave Williams, the minister at Mt Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan. The book is How To Be A High Performance Believer… In Low Octane Days. I have read several of his books and they are very enlightening. But I want to focus on sharing what he says about faith since he presents faith so clearly and simply. Much of it will sound familiar, but perhaps with a different twist and understanding the same way it spoke to me.

He uses Romans 4:12-25 for the basis of most of his text, and he begins by stating that once we have salvation through faith in Jesus, the whole spectrum of God’s promises is open to us. Every day we face struggles and problems; but for every struggle and problem we encounter, there is a promise and a solution in God’s Word. So armed with our faith and diligently seeking to exercise and grow in our personal faith, we can search the Word for His promises.

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 10:24 (NLT)
The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.

Mark 11:24 (NLT)
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it,
it will be yours.

He continues to say that faith is the main substance that activates all the promises of God. In other words, a promise will never become reality until it is appropriated by faith. Faith hears a promise, believes the promise, and acts upon the promise to claim it for its own. There is only one thing that moves the hand of God on our behalf, and that’s faith.

Furthermore, he states that faith is the substance and essential ingredient- for receiving anything from God. Faith is the evidence that the promise is on the way, even though unseen by the human eye and unheard by the human ear.

Pastor Williams explains that faith must be developed; it appears and is developed by hearing the Word. The way we develop faith is to increase our intake of God’s Word. Faith is developed by hearing God’s Word, hiding it in our hearts, and verbally articulating the precious promises as our own. In other words, speak out the promises that He has given us and expect them to be answered. He also goes on to say that faith will provide us with more stamina, more resiliency, and more radiance. He tells us to find the promise in God’s Word and take it by faith. Faith is dead if we never act upon it.

Romans 10:17 (NLT)
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Dave presents the following six steps of developing faith:

1) Get God’s Word on the Matter First
Find a promise that covers your need.
Don’t be swayed by the voice of man.

2) Speak Faith Words According to God’s Word
Speak the promise, not the problem.
Faith words activate creative forces.

3) Make a Faith Movie
Faith is the substance of things you hope for.
Hope is a picture of the end result of receiving a promise of God.
Produce an internal movie starring YOU after the promise is realized.

4) Exercise Your Praise Muscles.
Praise God in advance for what He is doing, according to His Word, in your life.
Praise Him for the answer to your problem.

5) Take Action.
It takes action to receive a miracle.
Laziness will never get you anything from God.

6) Patience
Patient endurance is the bridge between believing a promise from God and
receiving the promise from God.

Romans 4:12-25 (NLT)
12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[a] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[b]
19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.
23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Based on conversations with FAM Fellowship members, the email I receive and search phrases that bring people to Faith And Marriage Ministries (FAMM), it’s obvious that one of the most challenging issues for many standing for the restoration of their marriages is standing itself. More than likely, the search phrases that often bring people to FAMM express a question many “standers” have, even when not verbalized. And that’s how long we should stand for the restoration of our marriages. And as always, the best way to address that is to see what the Bible says about standing.

First and foremost, just asking such a question indicates that we probably need to seriously examine our reasons and motives for standing for the restoration of our marriages in the first place, and that they are probably not what they should be. So it’s important to take a minute to HONESTLY answer this question. Why are you standing for the restoration of your marriage? Since that’s something I often ask men and women, I know what the typical answers are. And based on what James 4:3 tells us about why our prayers are not answered, they are often cause for concern, because it says When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

The ONLY answer to the “why” question that keeps us from asking the “how long” question is that we stand “in obedience and submission to the Word and will of God.” That’s why everyone standing for marriage restoration MUST first determine the will of God for their situation through serious and diligent Bible study and prayer and fasting. That’s the ONLY way we can ever stand firm for the restoration of our marriages…NO MATTER WHAT. And as Isaiah 7:9 tells us …>If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'” When we stand for the restoration of our marriages in obedience and submission to Christ, we make HIM the priority in our lives, and NOT our husbands or wives and not the restoration of our marriages. In fact, many of us made the mistake of putting our spouses and marriages above our walk and relationship with the Lord, and the Bible is full of passages clearly warning us that GOD will take anything we place before Him away from us. We know God is faithful to bring His Word and will to pass (Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 46:9-11, Isaiah 55:10-11), and the very first commandment from God is that we put no other god before Him; yet many of us are guilty of doing exactly that in terms of our spouses and marriages. But we shouldn’t expect the Lord to restore relationships we want or think we need more than Him, because it just won’t happen! However, we CAN rely on the promise found in Matthew 6:32-33, which says For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So our PRIMARY focus should be seeking the Lord and His righteousness, and then HE will give us everything we need and what we seek after, including the restoration of our marriages.

The bottom line is that obedience and submission to the Word and will of Christ through our faith and confidence in Him is the ONLY foundation strong enough to withstand the storms and trials of standing for marriage restoration, and the ONLY thing strong enough to hold our marriages together once the Lord restores them. And Jesus gives us a very powerful illustration of that in the following verses from Matthew 7:
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

So be blessed and encouraged by the following verses and remember to stand firm in faith and confidence in the Word and will of God, and in the knowledge that HE is the one who WILL restore our marriages.

Proverbs 10:25
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Exodus 14:13
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

1 Samuel 12:16
“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!

James 5:8
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

We often hear the terms “pressing in” and “pressing on” used as expressions meaning don’t give up, but searching for a biblical understanding of these terms is quite interesting. First, it is interesting and encouraging to note that all of the terms like ”pressing hard”, “pressed all day”, “pressed” and presses” ALWAYS produced something good or a definite result. For instance, olives were pressed to produce oil to light the lamps, grapes were pressed to make wine, figs were pressed and used for sustenance, numerous battles were won by pressing on, and the woman with the issue of blood was healed when she pressed through the crowds to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.

So it stands to reason that the only way we can press on to the victory of marriage restoration in Christ is to continue to stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages and families! And the following verses illustrate why it’s so important to press on to victory, no matter what obstacles we face in the natural realm, if we want to see the restoration of our marriages.

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
That tells us that we have to press on toward the goal to win, and it is in the strength of Christ that we press on, knowing that our stand for marriage restoration is in accordance with His call on our lives, and that we WILL win when we stand on the power and promise of His Word.

Leviticus 24:2
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.
That says that we have to press on and stand CONTINUALLY, which doesn’t mean some times we do and some times we don’t. And consistency is very important, especially in terms of our interactions with our spouses as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.

2 Samuel 11:25
David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
This reminds us that either side can win in the spiritual battle now being waged against our marriages, so it’s important not to be upset or moved by circumstances and to press on to destroy every weapon Satan brings against us and our marriages.

Hosea 6:3
Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
How awesome this verse is! ALL we have to do is acknowledge the Lord and His power and might. Even when circumstances arise to discourage us, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus and know ABSOLUTELY that He will show up and refresh us and meet our needs!

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
I’ve always thought of this only in terms of tithes, but when I read it recently,, it took on a whole new meaning, as the Lord showed me that this also applies to the measure of faith we use and the measure we use to press on. So if we ever need a reason to press on to victory and the restoration of our marriages and families, this should do it! So be blessed and encouraged!