So, who are you? Please take a minute to actually answer that question before you continue reading. The chances are that you didn’t answer “I am a child of God…I am the King’s daughter…or the King’s son.” Or “I am an overcomer!” Yet, that’s exactly who we are and that’s the only identity we have as Christians with any true and lasting significance. Most of us would think of our name, and then something like, “I’m so-and-so’s mother…or father.” Or “I am so-and-so’s wife…or husband.” Or maybe “I’m so-and-so’s daughter…or son.” And those are all important identities and important roles we play as Christians and God’s children, but our single most important identity is the one we have in Christ, as His bride, as His church, as joint heirs with Him in the Kingdom of God, as illustrated in the following passages of scripture:

Ephesians 3:
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Colossians 1:
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 8:
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

These passages have a lot in them to digest, so please take the time to read and study all three chapters to get a better understanding of them in their full context and how they apply to our lives today. Our identities as mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, sisters and brothers and daughters and sons are all temporary roles we play while here on earth, and each of them will present their own unique challenges and difficulties in our lives at some point, especially for those who are separated or divorced. So if our identity is based on any of these relationships, what happens to us when we lose that identity either through death or conflict? Our parents grow old and eventually die. Our children grow up and leave home to start their own families. And as we all know only too well, our husbands and wives can just get up and leave us one day without warning. And death can sever any of these relationships unexpectedly at any time.

When we have our entire identity wrapped up in being our spouses’ husband or wife, and they reject us, saying they no longer love us, that they love someone else and don’t want anything to do with us any more, we are crushed and devastated. So, one of the first and most difficult and important things to do in a marital crisis is to stop focusing on our spouses and their wrong doing, what they are doing or not doing from day to day, etc.), and get our focus on who we are in Christ and what His plan is for our lives. As the above passages of scripture show us, everything that happens to us is predestined in God’s plan, and it is all for His glory and for the expansion of His kingdom. When we take our eyes off of our personal pain and disappointment long enough to look at the whole picture, we can start to see everything SO much more clearly. I like to use the analogy of a tapestry. If we look at it from the back, it is just a jumbled up bunch of thread that makes no sense at all and there’s nothing appealing about it, but when we turn it around and see it as the designer and creator meant it to be seen, we can see its beauty and appreciate it. But, even then, if we are too close and can only focus on one part of the tapestry, we still miss the total picture, so we have to stand back and look at it from a distance to really appreciate it fully.

That’s why it is SO important for us to understand and realize our identity as Christians and who we are in Christ. When we fully understand His purpose for our lives we can look at our marital situations from a totally different perspective and realize that it’s not about us, but it is quite often about the salvation and deliverance of our spouses, and just as often, the salvation of our children, and even the salvation of those who may be watching how we walk through this trial. As Christian men and women standing for the restoration of our marriages, we are without a doubt engaged in very serious spiritual warfare and if we’re unable to understand that and access the powerful weapons of our warfare, we will not win the battle and we can not fulfill and realize our identity or God glorifying inheritance as Christians.

Therefore, Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 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.
13 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.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 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 here are more encouraging reminders that we are indeed going to overcome the world as we stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families:

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 John 4:4
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.

With this in mind, I hope we will all take the following message to heart:
“Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
November 8, 2007: Refuse to sit down or give up. This is no time to get overwhelmed, but rather continue your forward motion in a positive progression. Long-standing problems and dilemmas are about to be resolved, and when this transitional time has ended you will have a greater sense of safety and stability. Trust Me to supply the wisdom and guidance that you need to overcome and conquer opposing forces and circumstances, says the Lord.
1 John 5:4: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world–our faith.”
You can subscribe to receive messages from Marsha and Bill Burns at this link, where you will also find archived messages from them, as well as encouraging and uplifting messages from many others.

Now I pray in the name of Jesus, that we will always remember that we are the children of God and that we can walk in the victory Jesus died to give us, and receive the inheritance we share with Him, which most certainly includes all that we need for the restoration of our marriages and families, namely His love, power and grace. By faith, we are overcomers in the name and authority of Jesus Christ! Amen.

I recently heard a study about the calling of the first disciples by Jesus in Luke 5:1-11, and it amazes me how alive the Word ALWAYS is! This is yet another passage that I’ve heard many times before, but it was wonderfully brought to a new meaning and level of understanding for me this time. I realized that just as Jesus called His first disciples and asked them to lay it all down and follow Him, He has also called all of us standing for marriage restoration to lay it all down and follow Him. In this passage of scripture, Jesus is saying “Go where I say, do what I say, and I will provide the increase!”

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a]with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down[b] the nets for a catch.”

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

In the first four verses, they were “washing nets,” which isn’t what nets are specifically intended and designed for. The disciples were tending to their nets to better prepare them for use, but weren’t using them as they should have been. And that’s when Jesus came and told them how to use them, giving them specific instructions to lower the nets into the deep waters. As standers, we were washing our nets of marriage. We weren’t using them specifically for what they are meant for, which is God’s glory. So Jesus came to us and now He is giving us specific instructions through God’s word about what marriage is truly intended to be and how we can bring God glory through our NEW marriages.

In verse 5, Simon told Jesus they had done all they could do to catch fish and had caught nothing. Simon was the fisherman and Jesus a carpenter, so Simon probably wondered why Jesus thought He knew better than him about how and where to fish. Yet, out of obedience to Jesus, Simon dropped the nets. In our marriages, we thought our way and plans to strengthen and grow our marriages were best and we thought we knew more than Jesus about our own marriages. So we relied on our own understanding and we were very wrong. But now, through our new found faith and obedience to God, we are putting aside what we “think” we know about our marriages and are beginning to follow God’s instructions from His Word concerning marriage. And we are finding that God knows far better than we could ever know, and that He is calling us to just have faith and to obediently follow Him.

In verses 6-7, we see that since Simon Peter acted in obedience and followed Jesus’ instructions, he received abundantly more than he could ever imagine. In the same way, when we follow God’s instructions for marriage, He will bring forth a marriage we didn’t even know was possible, and the blessings of that marriage will be better than we could ever imagine!!! God further confirms this awesome promise in 1 Corinthians 2:9. God rewards our obedient faith and provides the increase!!!

In verses 8-9, Simon Peter received the fish he was looking for in such abundance that he felt unworthy to receive the blessings. As we begin seeing the blessings we have sought for so long, we too feel unworthy and can’t believe it is truly happening. I nearly let the testimony of our marriage restoration slip by, because of that very thing! Praise God that He upheld me and showed me that I was worthy and that it was really happening and that I could claim it! God sees us and our spouses through His eyes of unconditional love, making any and all blessings He pours out to us fully worth receiving. But Satan would love to steal those joys, so it’s very important to continually Praise and thank God for each and every blessing. It’s our Praise that brings and shines His glory in us!!! And in verse 10, Jesus tells Simon Peter not to be afraid and implies He is going to use Simon Peter for God’s glory and to bring men to salvation. Likewise, as our blessings begin to come, we should NOT be afraid but rather receive them with Praise. Our restored marriages will be used as testimonies of God’s power and promise to heal other families and marriages. And with that, we can bring those other families to God and share His Glory with them.

Lastly, in verse 11, we see that the disciples leave everything and follow God’s instructions as He has told them of His plan and purpose for them. And our blessings will come to pass if we obediently follow God and surrender all to Him. He has already promised that His plan is better and it will bring Him glory, so we should just surrender and follow Him. When we step out in faith and obedience, looking to God for guidance, God promises we will not be put to shame!!! Psalm 34:5 says Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. So let us all lay it all down and follow God, He will provide all our increases!!!

(Note: The following SOF post was originally written and published on February 24, 2006, and since keeping our eyes on Jesus is always a very important message, especially when we’re going through difficult times, I’ve edited the original message a little and want to share it here again. So be blessed and encouraged!)

Just as sure as we can count on the sun rising and setting every day, we can count on the “storms” of life coming our way from time to time. And we could weather those times so much more peacefully and with so much more grace if only we would realize their purpose, as so well illustrated in Matthew 14:29-32, which says:
“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

This is another passage of scripture that I’ve read or heard preached about so many times that it doesn’t seem possible to find something new in it; yet I have and it’s so simple and so exciting. First, we see that Jesus called Peter to come to Him, as He does to all of us all the time. But in this case, He asked Peter to come to Him by walking on the water, which in our human understanding is impossible. Yet that’s what Jesus asked and EXPECTED Peter to do, and Peter had the faith that enabled him to do what seemed impossible. Then, as long as he kept his eyes off the circumstances of his life at that time, which was the storm raging around him, and walked TOWARD Jesus, he was able to do the impossible. But once he took his eyes off of the Lord and obedience to doing what the Lord had asked him to do, he started sinking into the water. And that’s exactly what happens to us when we focus on our spouses or any trial or tribulation instead of our determination to be obedient to what we know the Bible teaches us, and that’s when we usually fall down and give up. Even though we falter, as we all do from time to time, there’s a lot more to the story, because we still don’t have to drown.

Peter understood that he was drowning and in his moment of helplessness, he called out to Jesus to save him. And Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out His hand and saved him. I never thought of it before, but if Peter had not started sinking, he would have just walked across the water and even though that would have been an amazing, God glorifying miracle, the difference in the two outcomes in Peter’s life and heart would have been very significant. If he had not started drowning, he probably would have had a big head and been quite proud of himself without much thought of giving the Lord the praise and honor He deserved. But since he was drowning, and the Lord lifted him up and saved him, he was left with very little pride and with nothing but a desire to sing Jesus’ glory and to worship Him, and you know his faith had to grow by leaps and bounds in that moment.

Just like Peter, we CAN walk on water when we step out in faith and obedience to do what the Lord calls us to do, no matter how impossible or difficult it may seem. And based on Jesus’ reply, only a lack of faith and doubt keeps us from doing that, which is what causes us to drown. So maybe it’s important to realize that the storms of our lives are a test. First, it’s a test to reveal to us if we really have the faith needed to do what God calls us to do as Christians, and then it’s a test to see what we will do when we realize that in and of ourselves, we can’t do it. We often start out with very good intentions and with a lot of hope, but the winds and rains of our circumstances tend to wear us down and we get discouraged or tired, so we just want to give up. If we do that, who is glorified? Certainly not Jesus.

However, if we call on Jesus to save us when we’re helpless and drowning in the midst of our storm, He will rescue us, and when He comes onboard, the storms will quiet and the circumstances around us will come under His control. And when that happens and everyone we know sees how the Lord worked to save us in our “impossible” situation, He will be glorified and others will be led to worship Him.

So we know from what these verses tell us that if we’re walking toward Jesus by being obedient to His word and the call He has on our life, the difficult times we face are merely tests of our faith and create opportunities to glorify the Lord so others will be led to recognize Him as the Son of God and their Lord and Savior. Therefore, in addition to being important to consider whether or not we’re keeping our eyes on Jesus, we need to consider who will be keeping their eyes on us; especially when it is our own children and the spouses we so desperately want to be saved and delivered!

Note: The following is a SOF post from February 12, 2007, but since it’s a message of great importance to everyone standing for marriage restoration, I’ve edited it just a bit; because I want to share it again in response to several questions from FAM Fellowship members and a recent response to another SOF post, Is Adultery Grounds For Divorce?

One of the most important first steps when we get serious about standing for the restoration of our marriages is making an intentional and deliberate decision to give up our identity as victims, because as long as we insist on holding onto our pain and disappointment, anger, bitterness and resentment, usually mixed in with huge doses of unforgiveness and self pity, God is unable to do anything in us and on our behalf for the restoration of our marriages. That environment just creates a battle field and is far from conducive to the restoration of our marriages. This is often a big issue for new FAM Fellowship members, but the ones who have been able to make that choice and walk it out would tell anyone that asks how glad they are to finally make it. They have peace and feel better now than they have in a long time, which really makes sense when we think about it. In the same way we know that spouses who are in non-covenant relationships don’t really have peace and aren’t as happy as they’d like everyone to believe, which is what the Word of God tells us is the case, it’s not possible for us to act contrary to what God’s Word teaches and have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit either. So no matter how much we’re hurting, if we can’t access the power of the Holy Spirit that now resides inside of us to help us forgive our spouses and stop judging them and let go of our identity as victims, there is little God can do to help heal our broken hearts, much less our broken marriages.

So how sad it is to see that even men and women standing for the restoration of their marriages often seem unable to say anything good or positive about their spouses; and in fact, are only able to speak in negative terms about them; which certainly doesn’t create the atmosphere of grace necessary for redemption and restoration. And no matter how hard we try to bury it or hide it, if it is there, our spouses are able to feel it. Most of the FAM Fellowship members would tell you that I have warned them at one time or another that if we don’t deal with our issues of unforgiveness, anger, bitterness and resentment; that failure will rear its ugly head at the worst possible moment, because Satan will not miss any opportunity to use it against us. God can not work in us or with us as long as we harbor unforgiveness toward our husbands or wives, or as long as we continue to see ourselves as victims. Remember that in ( John 8:3-11, just as with the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said that the one without sin should throw the first stone, and since none of us are without sin, we shouldn’t be casting stones at our spouses. And in Luke 6:39-42, Jesus also told us not to even look at the speck in our brother’s eye when we have a plank in our own eye, and that after we deal with the plank in our eye, THEN we could help our brother remove the speck in his. Otherwise, he said it is like the blind leading the blind and that both would end up in a ditch. And God doesn’t hold us accountable for what our spouses do; only for what we do or don’t do, so it’s a lot more important for us to focus on what God wants to do in our hearts and lives than worrying about what our spouses are or are not doing. That’s why 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 tells us to let our spouses go when they want to leave and to seek peace; because then we might be able to help save them. If we focus on our walk and relationship with the Lord and creating peace with our prodigal spouses, EVEN AS THEY HURT AND DISAPPOINT US, and encourage our children to have and maintain strong and healthy relationships with them; then God will deal with them and their issues.

And the only way to be men and women of great faith and stand strong for the restoration of our marriages and be the best parents possible is to believe what there is no evidence or reason to believe. If we have a reason to believe or expect something, then that’s not faith. So we can’t let dread and fear overwhelm or paralyze us and keep us from walking in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. And we should never forget that in Job 3:25, Job said What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. And then in Matthew 9:29, Jesus said …”According to your faith will it be done to you”.

And one of the most important things parents standing for marriage restoration have to do when marital problems arise is protect their children from adult issues. And that means encouraging and instructing our children to forgive and seek peaceful relationships with their moms or dads. Children tend to take their parents’ problems upon themselves and feel that they are somehow responsible for the separation or divorce. So we have to make certain they understand that their other parent does NOT have issues with them; that we were not the husbands or wives we should have been and that the issues leading to our separation or divorce are about us and not them. If we don’t help our kids understand that, they will be unable to have and maintain healthy relationships when they grow up and get married. So it is very unhealthy to allow our children to show loyalty to us over their other parent, and something is terribly wrong when our children feel the need to protect us, or when they live in fear that we’re going to be hurt by their other parent. So we have to be strong for our children to help minimize the negative impact this very difficult time will naturally have on their lives. And by our example, we have to teach them how to forgive, and make it clear to them that we were also responsible for the break up of our marriages, and that it was not all the other parent’s fault. And there’s no way to understate the impact this will have on prodigal spouses and parents either, because it is so contrary to how the rest of the world handles similar situations, and it goes a long way toward creating an atmosphere where healing and restoration can take place.

And if we refuse to understand how important it is to let go of our identity as victims, we are not going to break the cycle we’re in, because we can’t keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. The only way to get different results is to do something different and the only way to get God’s results are to do things HIS way, and just as Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, God’s ways are definitely not our natural ways. And as Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 37:5-6 tell us, we’re NOT to lean or rely on our own understanding concerning our circumstances and situations, or even what we THINK is going on in our spouses’ hearts and minds, but we’re to trust God with ALL our hearts and to acknowledge Him in ALL our ways, and THEN HE WILL direct our paths; then he will make our righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of our cause like the noon day sun! And we HAVE to learn to take all of our negative thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ and the Word of God, just as 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us. That’s what we’re here to help each other do, but the work has to begin with us. We have to realize the truth of God’s Word and the power it has to bring us the peace, joy and victory we want so much. In Psalm 119:105, God tells us that His Word is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet, and in Matthew 4:4, Jesus said that man could not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God’s plan for restoration WILL work, but ONLY when we work His plan, and we do that by understanding and putting His Word into practice. In fact, in Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus revealed that the difference between a wise man and a foolish man; one who builds a house on solid rock that can withstand the storms and winds of life and one who builds one that can’t because it’s built on sand, is that one hears the Word and puts it into practice and the other hears the Word and doesn’t put it into practice.

So the goal of this ministry is to promote God’s Word and our TOTAL reliance on Him and HIS Word for the restoration of our marriages and families, and for the salvation and deliverance of our husbands and wives. But the decision to do that ultimately rests with each one of us, and with us alone. And EVERYONE standing for marriage restoration eventually finds ourselves at that place at some point in time, so it’s up to us to make a deliberate and intentional decision to give up our identity as victims, and with the grace and strength of God, we CAN do it. But we have to be willing to let go of everything we’ve had a difficult time releasing up to that point, and when we do, God WILL be there to meet us and to lift us up. Remember, in 1 Peter 5:6-7, He tells us to HUMBLE ourselves (that means quit trying to do it all ourselves, not relying on our own strength and understanding) under HIS mighty hand, and HE WILL lift us up in DUE time. And He tells us to cast ALL of our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. But it’s not possible to cast our anxieties” on God without letting them go. So perhaps some of the people who have already made it through this process will share a little of their own testimonies to let others know how the Lord gave them peace when they did, and how He has since been working to restore their relationships with their spouses. And when Satan tries to convince us that restoration is not possible, especially when we first begin to recognize and understand the mistakes we’ve made, we need to read Isaiah 55, and tell the devil he’s a liar, because our God IS THE GOD OF RESTORATION…and then we WILL be blessed and encouraged!

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before your throne of mercy and grace and ask you to meet us at our place of need. We ask that you help us realize that we have to give everything to you; that you have ALL of the answers and that your plans for us are for good and NOT for evil. I pray that you will help us know that when we call out to you, you WILL answer us and show us great and mighty things we do not know. Fill us with the righteousness, peace and joy that is found only in the power of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus taught is what the kingdom of heaven is all about. Help us find it in our hearts to forgive our spouses and to release any disappointment, pain, bitterness and resentment we still hold against them. Remind us that your Word tells us that you forgive us as we forgive others and that you judge us as we judge others. Soften our hearts and open our ears and eyes, Lord, so that we can hear from you and understand as you pour out your heart to us and make your thoughts known to us. Free us of the pain and anguish Satan intends to destroy us and our families. Remind us that all things are made new in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and that yesterday is gone and we can’t do anything to change it, and that you even tell us to give no thought of tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of its own and tomorrow will take care of itself. Help us find a place of deliverance from all the pain and disappointment of the past so we are free to focus on the things you have for us to do today and to rest in the confidence and assurance of the promises we have in your Word for tomorrow. Help us to first seek your kingdom and your righteousness, with absolute confidence that you will then meet our every need. And teach us what it means to delight in you so that you can give us the desires of our hearts. Show us how to use the awesome influence we have with our children to help bring healing and restoration to their little hearts and minds too; and to work to restore their relationship with their father or mother. Fill us with genuine respect and admiration for our spouses and teach us to pass that on to our children. And we thank you for delivering us from feelings of despair and replacing that with peace that passes all understanding and joy and happiness. Help us to be more heavenly minded and not so focused on the things and ways of this world. Help us keep our eyes on you, Lord, and on your awesome power and majesty. Let us place ALL of our hope and confidence in you. Guide and direct us and send angels to guard and protect us and our families. We love you and give you all praise, honor and glory for the great work we know you’re doing in our hearts and lives now and in the healing and restoration of our marriages and families. And it is in the most powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ that we pray and give thanks. Amen.

Last week in FAM Chat, one of the FAM Fellowship members observed that many people believe in God, but not that many really believe God. Wow! What a simple, but very profound statement! And as soon as she said that, I knew it would be the topic for this post, because just as believing in God is essential for our salvation; believing what God says is just as essential for standing on the power and promise of His Word for the restoration of our marriages and families. And the sad truth is that she is so right; many people believe IN God; they know who He is and that He exists, but they don’t really believe He can or will do exactly what His Word says. And how sad that is, because believing that God can and will do what His Word says is exactly what faith is, and as Hebrews 11:6 tells us, 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 then Hebrews 10:38 even says But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”

All through the Bible, Abraham is held up as an example of faith for us to follow, and Genesis 15:5-6 reveals how God credited him with righteousness just because he believed God’s promise; He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. And there are many verses throughout the New Testament that make that same point about Abraham’s faith. And the following verses are just a few that make it pretty clear how important it is to BELIEVE God and that He WILL DO exactly what He says He will do:

Matthew 9:27-30
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. …

Luke 1:45
Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Mark 5:36
Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Mark 9:23
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Luke 8:50
Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

John 20:29
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 8:31
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

Galatians 3:22
But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

John 11:40
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

Romans 4:17
As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Galatians 3:6
Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

And we know that there is a difference between believing God and believing in God, because believing in God is more about salvation, as the following verses indicate:

John 9:38
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

John 11:25-27
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

1 John 5:3-5
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Acts 16:31
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

But as stated above in Hebrews 10:38, God is NOT pleased when we shrink back from living by faith, and the following verses make it very clear why it’s so important to REALLY BELIEVE GOD as we stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word for the restoration of our marriages:

Jude 1:5
Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

Psalm 78:21-22
When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.

1 John 5:10
Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

John 10:25-26
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

So if we really believe IN God, we should BELIEVE God. And when we REALLY believe God and put our faith and confidence in His Word and His power and faithfulness to bring it ALL to pass, it’s not possible to explain the depression, doubt and discouragement many people standing for marriage restoration continue to experience. Let’s face it; we either believe God or we don’t. And if we don’t, we need to get serious about figuring out why that is and what we have to do to better understand just who God is and that we CAN trust His Word and that He WILL bring it all to pass. And we can be absolutely certain that God will humble us if that’s what it takes to make us recognize that we HAVE to rely on the power and promise of His Word, just as we see in Deuteronomy 8:3, which says He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. And that’s what Jesus told the devil in Matthew 4:4; demonstrating how important it is to use the Word of God when standing against the fiery darts Satan uses when he comes to steal, kill and destroy us and our marriages and families. And that’s further illustrated in Psalm 119:105, which says Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

So the bottom line is that we have to decide whether or not we believe the awesome promises we have from God in Isaiah 55:10-11, which says 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. and 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 once we believe God, all we have to know is that HE HATES DIVORCE (Malachi 2:16 AMP) and that when we are married, God who was a witness, will uphold the covenant made of our marriage vows (Malachi 2:14 NLT), of which HE says So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:6) So WHEN we truly BELIEVE the power and promise of God’s Word, we will have the grace and strength needed to withstand all that the world and Satan will bring against us to steal, kill and destroy the only outcome that glorifies the Lord, which is the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families! So just BELIEVE and be blessed and encouraged!

I just love it when God reveals His word to me, and He has given me a message from Daniel 4:27-37 that helps give great insight into the minds of our prodigals; and it also shows the awesome sovereignty of God and how He brings those who have gone astray back to their senses.

Daniel 4:27-33 says:
Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

In verse 27, Daniel pleads with King Nebuchadnezzar to “break away from his sins and to do righteousness…” But Nebuchadnezzar was full of foolish pride. He was living his life his way and boasting in what “he” had accomplished. The text implies that he was living in sin and not walking according to the will of God. So, God in His mercy sends him a message through his prophet, Daniel, to turn from his ways….or else….

But Nebuchadnezzar, like our spouses, refused to listen to God and a year later, he was standing on his rooftop bragging, and while he was in the midst of his speech, heaven came to witness against him and he was met with judgment. And then, just as prophesied, King Nebuchadnezzar, as some theologians say, became “a mad man.” And he was dwelling in the fields as a beast, eating grass, and hairy, with nails like claws. What a vivid picture!

Our spouses may have spurned warnings from the Holy Spirit; a sermon or a messenger from God, and right now they may be unwilling to turn and repent. But, God has a plan! He will allow them to wander around aimlessly, live in the pigpen of life, roll in the dirt and eat grass, and even live without their senses for a while; but praise God; it’s not “forever!”

Right now our spouses may be living like a beast or someone totally out of their mind; they have taken on a new identity; a new look! The company they keep is different! They are living like the world, boasting on what they are doing and getting away with it; resulting in hearts full of pride. Don’t fret! We are to wait on God, because it is only for a fixed period of time! The bible said that “for seven years” God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to live like a crazy man. So don’t focus on the time, but rather praise God that “this trouble won’t last always” and that “this too shall pass!”

Look at what happens at the end of the seven years! Daniel 4:34-37 (NASB) says:
But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ At that time my reason returned to me and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. Now, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all of His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

I’m sure King Nebuchadnezzar’s loved ones and those looking on had a hard time dealing with it as they watched him live like that, just as we do when we see the lives our spouses are living; but it was and is all a necessary part of the perfect plan and will of God. And the day will come when our spouses, like King Nebuchadnezzar, will look up toward heaven and have their “reason” returned to them and they will cry aloud, blessing the name of our Most High God who lives forever and ever! Prior to his encounter with God, King Nebuchadnezzar would not recognize Him; so God had to help him out a bit! And He allowed all of that to happen to bring Nebuchadnezzar to his senses. Yes, God is most certainly able to HUMBLE those who walk in pride.

It was God who sent King Nebuchadnezzar out there to live like a beast, and only God could bring him back! We may not be able to fathom why God allows our spouses to go out and live as they do, but friends, remember that God is sovereign and we can trust him better than we can trust ourselves. He’s got it all under control. We can do nothing to change our spouses or turn the tide in our marriages. It’s all in God’s capable hands, so we need only watch and pray. All of what we’re going through is ultimately for God’s glory!

And you know what? After that experience and his conversion, King Nebuchadnezzar NEVER returned to that lifestyle. Better still, once his reason was restored, verse 36 says that God returned to him everything! Everything was RESTORED and not just to what it was before he lost his mind, but it surpassed what he had before. Whoo-hoo! God is creating circumstances for our spouses, just like he did for King Nebuchadnezzar, to bring them to repentance and to their senses. So instead of being sad, we really should REJOICE knowing that God is “causing all things to work together for good…”

God is saying to us if we can wait with patience and faith during this period and let him do what He needs to do in us and our spouses, we will be able to say as in verse 35, He does according to His will in the host of heaven….and no one can ward off his hand….

It’s hard sometimes, but I’m willing to wait! Are you?

So be blessed and encouraged by God’s Word and this message to us from King Nebuchadnezzar!

Love you all,
Paula

Since our congregation has recently moved into our new church, we have started a new series of messages titled “Here we are! Are we here?” It has been a great series and application as we step out in faith into our new building. Even greater and more powerful is that God is speaking to ME concerning the great and awesome journey of restoration He’s taking all of us on!

The first message in our series was on the passage of Exodus 14:10-14
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
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. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The first verses are so much like many of us on our restoration journey. We tend to look at our circumstances (our Egyptians) instead of the Promises from God for deliverance. Using the entire story of Moses and the Israelites, we know that God DID come through on His promise! But when He originally brought the Israelites out of slavery, He did not take them directly to the Promise land, because He knew the WHOLE story. God knew that if He fully delivered them right then, when they faced opposition, they would crumble and run back to the things they knew best; they would run back to serving the Egyptians. But God had much better plans for the Israelites that they could not see. He knew that by taking them into the wilderness, He would take them through trials. And each trial they faced would refine and mold them into the people He had always planned for them to be as they entered the Promise land; people that would bring forth the greater Glory for Him. The same is true for all of us as we journey in the wilderness of our marriage restoration. God HAS promised us a great and glorious restoration. But He will take us through trials as we journey; none of them are meant to harm us, but are meant to perfect our future of hope and prosperity as He promises in Jeremiah 29:11. If God were to immediately bring forth our restorations; any time we faced a trial, we might revert back to our old ways. But God has a greater plan for us and He wants to bless and use us for His glory!!! So rather than grumble and be afraid that God will not come forth on His promises, we are to do just as Moses told the Israelites; we are NOT to be afraid! God has us COMPLETELY covered. We should “stand firm” and “be still” during this time. God has great and awesome things for us to learn and grow in. He sees our entire future and already has it all laid out, so HE KNOWS exactly how to get us right where He needs us to bring forth the restoration He promises to deliver!

Yesterday at church, the second part of our study was on Isaiah 43:16-19, which says This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. This is a different generation from that in the Exodus passage. These were not the people that God originally took out of Egypt and then took through the Red Sea. However, the parting of the Red Sea was a miracle that had been talked about and handed down through the generations, and these people knew of God’s awesome miracle. So God begins to speak directly to the Israelites by calling to their attention the power and glory He had previously displayed. And then He tells them to forget it; “forget the past.” With such an awesome and powerful miracle, why would God want them to forget it? Then God tells them why. What He had previously done is nothing in comparison to the NEW THING He was bringing forth.

Picking back up on the comparison of these passages to our restoration journey, God has told us that we were to “stand firm” and “be still” as He leads us through our Red Sea of trials while He “extinguished snuffed out like a wick” our Egyptians of circumstances. Now God is telling us to forget our past; that the past marriage and the miracle of the union between us, our spouse and God should be forgotten. It is in the past and it is no longer attainable. As we see glimpses of what “use to be,” we must remember that it isn’t and we shouldn’t react in the same way! God tells us to forget it because what He is bringing forth new is going to be better than we could ever imagine!!! God has and is taking us through our trials so we will be better equipped to see, receive and glorify Him in the miracle He has waiting for us. As God delivers us, He will bring forth a new and better miracle of union between us, our spouse and God; one that is so wonderful and glorious that we couldn’t even begin to imagine it! So as we get excited when reading all of the wonderful Praise reports from FAM members about how God is moving, that is NOTHING compared to the great, awesome and glorious new thing He is bringing forth! It will only get better and better!!!

As we left church yesterday, our Pastor indicated what passage He would finish out our series with, but all I can remember is that it was in 1 Corinthians; perhaps chapter 2. I was going to wait until then to finish this post; however, I felt a nudge to finish it today. So as I looked in 1 Corinthians 2, I asked God to bring to my attention the verse that completed all that He wanted me to share. within moments, God answered that prayer; the entire chapter sums it all up. Verse 1-5 speaks of how he is just a man that came to them with no knowledge. And that’s probably the truth for all of us as we began our journey of restoration. We knew nothing as to what it truly meant to be married and to serve God and nothing about standing and marriage restoration. Then, just as the chapter continues, the Spirit of God comes forth and teaches us things in our trials, making us one in the mind of Christ. We all share our trials, teachings and the glorious Praises with each other in our posts as we travel the journey. But it is not our words that cause things to move; it is the Spirit of God that is so evident here in FAM that ultimately teaches us and leads us. So as we turn our eyes, ears and hearts toward God, we all must “stand firm,” “be still,” know that God is “doing a new thing” and that it will be just as it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”

I just want to share an article that I came across today. It’s nothing new, but this author sure does an excellent job of saying it clearly.

When Satan comes against your mind with wrong thoughts, you don’t have to concede defeat. Use these practical actions to confront loose thoughts by securing them with the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14).

Action 1: Refuse to feel guilty for wrong thoughts
Imagine you are awakened at 3 a.m. by someone pounding on your front door. More than likely, before you open the door, you’ll look through the peephole to see who is causing the commotion. If it were a neighbor, a friend, or a family member, you would probably open the door and invite him in. However, if it were a stranger wearing a ski mask and carrying a pistol, you would hopefully refuse them entry.

If you were certain the person seeking entry into your home intended to harm you, would you feel guilty over his wanting to assault you? Would you lament to yourself, What is wrong with me that would cause this person to want to hurt me? No, you would call the police immediately to apprehend the would-be assailant.

We are not always responsible for the harmful thoughts that come knocking on the doors of our minds. Although allowing outside stimuli such as certain TV programs, reading material, or internet sites to fill our minds can incite thoughts of immorality or greed, we are not always to blame for the first assault of these ideas. If you were stranded on a deserted island, you would still battle against wrong thoughts.

How do I know that? Consider Jesus’ experience in the wilderness immediately following His baptism. For 40 days Christ was completely isolated. No other people, no newspapers, no e-mail. Yet during those 40 days, Jesus was tempted with thoughts of discontent, greed, and pride.

“Since God hasn’t provided you with what you need to survive, turn these stones into bread.”

“You don’t need to wait to reign over the kingdoms of the world; they can be yours now if you are willing to worship me.”

“You don’t need to follow God’s timetable. Demonstrate you are the Messiah now! Put on a spiritual circus to demonstrate you are the Son of God.”

Where did these thoughts originate? “The devil said to Him” (Luke 4:3) — nowhere in the biblical account of Jesus’ temptation does Luke record that the devil appeared to Jesus. Possibly, Satan spoke to the Lord the same way he often communicates with us: through the mind.

Yet did these ungodly thoughts make Jesus a sinner? Of course not! He remained the perfect Lamb of God whose blamelessness qualified Him to be our Savior. If you and I are going to win the mind games, we need to first stop feeling guilty when evil thoughts invade our lives and, instead, learn how to deal with those unwelcome intrusions.

Action 2: Refuse to allow wrong thoughts to linger
If we entertain and embellish wrong thoughts for any period of time, those ideas have a way of transforming into obsessions. These, in turn, result in overt actions or attitudes of disobedience. Pastor and author Charles Stanley vividly demonstrates:

“The initial thoughts the devil sends to us may be just a toehold the first time we entertain those thoughts and dwell on them or fantasize about them. The longer we entertain the thoughts, however, the more likely we are to start making mental plans about how we might act on them.

“It is then the toehold of an idea becomes a foothold. The more we develop plans for acting on a sinful idea or temptation, the more we find that the foothold has become a stronghold. We come to the place where we feel compelled to try out the idea in our behavior. We come to the place where we want to act on that idea more than we want to banish the idea.”

When we reach that point, we are in trouble. How can we prevent our thoughts from turning into strongholds for the devil?

Action 3: Recognize and replace wrong thoughts with God’s thoughts
My analogy concerning a burglar attempting entry into your home is flawed in one respect. While we may be successful in preventing an intruder from coming into our home, we cannot keep unwanted thoughts out of our minds. The fact that we are thinking about something means that the alien idea has already gained entry.

Nevertheless, we do not need to allow the intruder to sit down in our favorite chair, engage us in an extended conversation, and announce that since he has been so welcomed, he is taking up residence in our spare bedroom! Instead, we need to follow the Apostle Paul’s advice for dealing with an undesirable guest:

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Remembering the words recognize and replace will help you seize control over wrong thoughts. Use the questions we discussed previously to help recognize whether or not a thought could have satanic origin.

Is this thought true? Does this thought motivate me to fear more or to trust God more? Does this thought contradict God’s Word?

But know that simply labeling a thought as harmful and attempting to dismiss it from your mind is not enough. In fact, the more you try to reject an unwanted thought, the more you will find yourself obsessing over it.

To dismiss Satan’s thoughts we must replace them with God’s thoughts, just as Jesus did.

When Satan attempted to plant seeds of discontent, Jesus responded by quoting a verse from the Old Testament. “Man shall not live on bread alone” (Luke 4:4).

When Satan enticed the Lord with thoughts of power and riches, Jesus recited God’s greatest commandment: “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Luke 4:8).

When Satan tempted Jesus to act independently from God, the Lord quoted: “You shall not put the lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12).

Jesus understood that the best way to dismiss an unwelcome thought is to replace it with another, more-powerful thought. The best way to dispel darkness is to confront it with light!

When fearful thoughts try to seize control of your life, you can replace those thoughts with, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV).

When you are tempted with thoughts of discontent, you can replace those thoughts with, “We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:7-8).

When you are tempted by fantasies of sex with someone other than your mate, you can replace those thoughts with, “The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it” (Proverbs 6:32).

I believe it is this process Paul has in mind when he encourages us to gird our loins with truth (Ephesians 6:14). Our success in spiritual battle depends on confronting any loose thoughts with the truth of God’s Word.

(Adapted from THE DIVINE DEFENSE by Robert Jeffress, Waterbrook Press, 2006)

• Pathway to Victory (Wednesday, November 01, 2006)

The above article is available on OnePlace.com at this link.

Based on conversations with some new FAM Fellowship members and others I’ve talked to recently, I’m saddened to discover how many newly married couples have never truly experienced joy or happiness, because their marriages were fraught with petty arguments and disagreements almost from the very beginning. And even though all of these situations center on different issues, the root causes are the same in each; pride and failure to take their issues and concerns to God in prayer.

Unfortunately, few of us fully recognize and understand the absolute truth and wisdom found in Proverbs 16:18, which says Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. And 2 Samuel 22:28 says You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

Since pride was what got Satan in trouble in the first place, it’s no wonder that he’s so adept when it comes to using it to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families. Pride is something Satan knows ALL about, and he knows how to push the buttons in each of us that cause us to lose sight of the things that are REALLY important; which we will often do just for the sake of self preservation and self justification. So it is by no means just a coincidence that the Bible tells us to submit to the Lord and humble ourselves before Him in order to resist the devil and make him flee from us, as we see in James 4:6-7 , which says But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. And then James 4:10 says Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. And that’s further confirmed and amplified in 1 Peter 5:5-11, which says 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. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Sadly, way too many times (if not most or all), When we find ourselves in a dispute over anything, even totally inconsequential things, for the sake of our pride we refuse to give up and demand to be acknowledged as right. But how often do we take the time to actually consider the cost of such a demand? Unfortunately, when we let pride drive us into battle mode against our spouses, we MAY well win the battle, but we will also very likely lose the war; the spiritual warfare Satan is waging to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families. Yet, we have God’s Word that if we will humble ourselves under HIS mighty hand, HE will lift us up and restore us in due time. That’s why it is so important to fully understand the significance of the passage of scripture Peter refers to in the instructions to husbands and wives in 1 Peter 3:1-12 (NASB) as follows:
1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
3 Your adornment must not be merely external–braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;
6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.
7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;
9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
10 For, “THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.
11 HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.
12 FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

Since this is such a VITALLY important passage of scripture for everyone standing for marriage restoration, here’s a link to it in The Amplified Bible. I STRONGLY encourage every husband and wife to read and seriously study this passage of scripture and put it into practice, especially those seeking marriage restoration. Truly understanding these very specific instructions from God for wives and husbands AND putting them into practice has the power to TOTALLY transform and turn around ANY marriage, which is why it is SO important! I have often said that if there were only one instructional passage of scripture available for marriage restoration, this is the one I’d want. But, praise the Lord, we have so much more! However, we can’t possibly fully understand the significance and impact of this passage without reading it in the context of the preceding passage of scripture. Before the instructions for both wives and husbands, we are told “In the same way….” In the same way as what? We tend to forget that the original text of the Bible didn’t have chapter and verse notations, so we often have to read the preceding chapters and verses to fully understand the context of what we’re reading, and in some cases, such as this, that’s very important. So I recommend reading all of 1 Peter 2. But in the particular context of avoiding strife, arguments and disagreements in marriage, there’s no doubt that 1 Peter 2:18-25 applies; making its reference very relevant to the instructions Peter gives wives and husbands. It says:
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Well, that sure does fly in the face of what the world considers “politically correct” these days, doesn’t it? Yet, it’s very much in keeping with what Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:38-45, which says:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’
39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Surely, if God sets such a high standard for interaction with our enemies and those who persecute us; He certainly does not expect les when it comes to our one flesh mates. But there’s NO denying that doing what God expects, especially when our marriages are falling apart and our spouses are determined to leave, requires a boat load of humility! But we only have two choices; we can do things the way of the world and end up with the world’s results, which we know is divorce and a lot of pain and devastation, especially for the children of divorced parents who really suffer the most according to all available statistical data. Or we can DO things God’s way and stand on the power and promise of His Word and get His results, which we know is the restoration of our marriages according to Malachi 2 and many other passages of scripture. And Malachi 2:11-17 (NASB) particularly makes it very clear that it is God Almighty who will uphold the covenant of our marriages when we are faithful, because it says:
11 “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 “As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents an offering to the LORD of hosts.
13 “This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.
14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
15 “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.
16 “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
17 You have wearied the LORD with your words Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

So it is my earnest hope and prayer that something in this message will reach the hearts and minds of every husband and wife, young and old alike, and make us all realize and consider the very high cost of insisting on being right, or of trying to make our spouses see, accept or acknowledge that we are right or that they are wrong. Our stand for marriage restoration is much better served if we would just find a place of resting in the knowledge that God knows we are right and that HE will judge all things in our favor IF we’d just humble ourselves before our spouses and under His MIGHTY hand! But when we fail to do that and are controlled by our pride, God has to actually OPPOSE us, because that’s what His Word says and He will NEVER let His Word be mocked! That’s why it is SO important for us to get this. He’s the one who will vindicate us and lift us up and restore us in due time, so we have to learn to put our faith, confidence and trust in the power and promise of God’s Word and know that He will judge us and those who oppose us justly. If that was good enough for Jesus, surely it is good enough for us, which we know it was according to 1 peter 2:23; When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Oh, what a place to be in our walk and relationship with the Lord when we can TRULY do that! And while I’ve seen and we all know the awesome power of praise, prayer and fasting; I have to say that one of the most surprising and amazing things my experience in marriage restoration ministry has taught me is that NOTHING compares to the supernatural power I’ve witnessed at work when men and women standing for marriage restoration really do humble themselves before the Lord and their spouses. So take time to study all of the scripture verses here, line by line, and learn to put them into practice, because when we truly understand that insisting on having our mates acknowledge or agree that we are right or that they are wrong, we may well be doing so at the cost of our own happiness and a LOT more! When we truly understand how important and powerful the message of humility really is, we WILL BE blessed and encouraged beyond belief!

One of the highest and greatest goals for all Believers, especially those standing for marriage restoration, is living to please God. Unfortunately, most of us are guilty, or have been guilty of living to please just about anyone and everyone BUT God; ourselves for many of us and our spouses for most of us. And living to please anyone other than God can only bring frustration and disappointment when we have truly given our hearts and lives to Jesus. Yet, IF we please God by seeking FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, delighting in Him, trusting Him with all of our hearts and obeying Him; He will bless us with all of the material things we need and give us the desires of our hearts as He makes our paths straight and our righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of our cause like the noon day sun! (Matthew 6:32-33, Psalm 37:4-6 and Proverbs 3:5-6)

When the Lord first put this on my heart earlier this week, I was a bit surprised by the verse He gave me, which was Luke 22:42, which says “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” And then verses 43 and 44 say An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. But that tells me that the only way to truly please God is to be like Jesus and to submit and surrender our own will and wishes to His, even when it requires great personal sacrifice. So that old saying that used to be a lot more popular than today really provides the simplest key to living to please God; which is to ask ourselves “What would Jesus do?”…AND THEN DOING IT.

And Romans 12:1-2 tells us Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 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. But it’s not possible to know the will of God or what Jesus would do without spending a LOT of QUALITY time reading and studying His Word, which is the ONLY way to gain knowledge of God and “renew” our minds. And Colossians 1:9-12 reveals the importance of that, because it says For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Psalm 146:3 clearly warns Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Yet when we seek to please our spouses or anyone other than God, we are in effect putting our trust in them; why else are we seeking to please them? And in Galatians 1:10 Paul makes it just as clear that we can not truly serve God and seek to please men at the same time. He said Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. And then 1 Thessalonians 2:4 saysOn the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for men and women standing for marriage restoration to get too caught up in pleasing their spouses or in being overly concerned with what they think or how they will react to this or that; when the most important thing to be concerned with is what pleases God; what does He think and how does He feel. God has the power to do anything He wants to and He WILL do what His Word promises, so when our focus is on pleasing Him and in delighting Him and in Him; HE will deal with ALL things concerning our spouses, including giving them undivided hearts and changing their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, and turning their hearts back to us. ( Ezekiel 11:19Proverbs 21:1) When we live in fear of how our spouses will react when we do what we know the Lord wants us to do, we are not pleasing God. In fact, 1 Peter 3:5-6 very specifically tells women desiring to see their spouses won to the Lord not to give way to fear. It says For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

And a verse I’ve read many times before, which certainly took on a much greater meaning as I studied it this time is Ecclesiastes 2:26, which says To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.… And putting that with 1 Peter 2:23 should give us great confidence that God will make EVERYTHING right for us if we just TRUST Him, because it says When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Since the Bible is full of promises and blessings for those who please the Lord, we need to know HOW to please Him. Matthew 3:15-17 says Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” And Matthew 17:4 says While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” That’s why we know we will please God if we follow the example set before us by Jesus. And in Matthew 7:24-28, Jesus Himself told us how to please God and afford ourselves His blessings and protection. He said:
“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. 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.
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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

So the surest way to please God is to LISTEN to His Son and DO as He tells us to do. And a simple way to know what pleases God is to ask ourselves what Jesus would do and then do our best to do it. We can not live to please both man and God, but when we live to please God, God assures us that even though we might not think so, we will also be approved by men. Romans 14:17-18 says For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. So when we are not experiencing the righteousness, peace and joy Jesus told us we should have in the Holy Spirit, we are probably NOT living to please God, because we’re too focused on pleasing ourselves, our spouses or others. And when we do that, we are allowing the devil to do exactly what he always comes to do, which is to steal, kill and destroy. And we can not experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us according to John 10:10, which says The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. So let’s all heed the warning in Hebrews 11:6, which says 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. So when we dare to live for God, as the above passages of scripture promise, we WILL definitely please God and most assuredly be blessed and encouraged!

It’s not at all uncommon to receive many wonderful messages and devotionals that FAM Fellowship members want to share, but today I actually received two messages from two different members from the same source and I really loved both of them. And since they are very important messages for all of us, especially for everyone standing for marriage restoration, I want to share them here as well. They are The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional messages for yesterday and today, and they’re both written by John walker. They can be accessed at the following links, where archived messages are also available, as well as an option to sign up to receive them by email. So be blessed and encouraged! They’re both great!

The Holy Nudge – By Jon Walker

Anger Management – By Jon Walker

When I read Glenn Jackson’s awesome Walking In The Fullness Of Our Inheritance message today, I immediately knew that I wanted to include it in a SOF post I’m working on, but I wasn’t able to get that completed. So I was quite pleased to see that someone else really appreciated it as much as I did when one of the FAM Fellowship members shared it with the above title and the following note. And since this is a very powerful message about the Word of God in our lives as Christians, I hope everyone will take it to heart and be blessed and encouraged!:

“I was really blessed today by the message from Glenn Jackson in his daily Walking in the Fullness of Our Inheritance series and feel that it is worthy of being shared. It just confirms that God wants us to claim the restoration and healing of our marriages, so here it is:”

“WALKING IN THE FULLNESS OF OUR INHERITANCE- October 16th

WITHOUT THE CONTINUAL RENEWING OF THE MIND, AND HAVING THEIR HEART ESTABLISHED IN THE REVELATION KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE TO THINK THE WAY THAT THE FATHER THINKS – OR ENTER INTO AN UNDERSTANDING OF HIS WAYS [WILL], AND TRUE PURPOSES….”be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is”…. Romans 12:2b NASB

….”you shall meditate on it [God’s Word] day and night, so that you may take heed to do according to all that is written in it; for THEN you will make your way prosperous, and THEN you shall have success”…. Joshua 1:8 NASB

The first step to one’s mind being renewed is for them to give the Word of God preeminence in their life. Confusion and darkness will never enter or remain in the heart and mind of a believer who has truly put the Word of God first place in their life. For in their pure devotion and obedience their mind will be continually renewed and their heart will be constantly “purified” – and, thus, be found in a “state of readiness” to receive the true, or exact, knowledge [revelation] of God – in and by the power of Holy Spirit [Who is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation]. It should be clearly understood by every child of God that without the renewing of the mind, and having their heart established in the revelation knowledge of God’s Word it is impossible to think the way the Father thinks – or enter into an understanding of His ways, and true purposes. Meditating on the Word of God causes one to rise above the distractions of the world and, thus, enter into the place wherein they can hear clearly the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. As the child of God continually feeds on the “proper” spiritual food they will develop a strong appetite for the Word of God [the Will of God] alone and, thus, as this process of renewal continues, their mind and their thoughts will be continually brought captive to a perfect obedience, and any speculations [lies] raised up against the revealed knowledge of God will be destroyed [cast down] – with a vengeance! Bringing EVERY thought captive to a revelation of the Word is a very important key to one “maintaining” the walk of faith, love, and obedience but it must be clearly understood that one brings every thought captive not just by “thinking” the revelation of the Word, but by SPEAKING it out loud – whenever necessary. When the mouth speaks, the mind ALWAYS has to stop and listen to what it is saying and, eventually – as one is diligent in this practice of bringing EVERY thought captive – the mind is renewed in every area, and they are transformed into the image of Christ in their inner man and, thus, come to abide in the mind of Christ.

How blessed are the children of God who “choose” – through an act of their will – to meditate day and night in His Word! For this is the first step to receiving [appropriating] all of the blessings [spiritual and otherwise] that the Father has for us, in Christ, and it is certain that continual obedience to this command will enable us to walk and live in His “best” here in this earth. As we are faithful to enter into intimate fellowship with the Father and His Word – day in and day out – then we shall be found continually imparting the “essence” of His character and, thus, the minds and hearts of all those who cross our path shall come to be renewed to the reality of the “tenderness and affection” [love] that He has for His precious ones – and also to the fact that all of His instruction and reproof are for our greatest eternal good, that we may share His holiness [become partakers of the divine nature].

Related Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16b; Hebrews 12:10; 2 Peter 1:2-4
*****
Glenn H. Jackson
P.O. Box 1032
Kremmling, CO 80459”

You can sign up to receive these messages by email at www.jtlmin.com, where you can also access archives and audio messages.

Many, if not most, FAM Fellowship members receive the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin from Bill and Marsha Burns, and I have a feeling that today’s message might provide a special word of encouragement for someone who may be struggling today, so here it is:

“The Trumpet by Bill Burns
— October 15, 2007: Come! Come and I will give you rest. Come and I will remove the burdens that you carry. Come and I will heal your brokenness. Come and I will give understanding, revelation and inspiration for these days. Indeed, I am with you and I am for you. I am bringing you into a new spiritual dimension, and I will increase your faith. I will bestow upon you a revelation of the Father’s heart towards you. I will demonstrate My love, My mercy, and My grace to those who believe. You have struggled, but I have watched over you. Even though the enemy has desired to kill you, you are still with Me, you are still alive and you are still here because you have determined to be an overcomer. I have seen the difficulty of your struggle and hardship. You have endured trials, but I tell you that resurrection life awaits. The power of My kingdom will be demonstrated, and I encourage and touch you to bring life to the weariness of your heart and soul, says the Lord. Arise now and walk forth. Walk over the power of death and over the power of the enemy. Arise and come to the trysting place that I have prepared for you in this time. It is a place of communion and a place of the finishing rains. The refreshing has begun, and the rain is falling. Now is the day of My power, says the Lord.”

“Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
– – October 15, 2007: I keep hearing the Lord say, “Don’t give up!” And, the Lord God Almighty says, I see the great effort that you have put forth to break through and come through, to be where I want you to be and to do what I want you to do. The devil is doing all he can to keep you from moving forward, but I tell you, My people, do not give up. Do not give up!
Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”

You can sign up to receive these awesome messages of encouragement from Bill and Marshah Burns at this link, where you can also find many other prophetic messages and years of archives.

Yesterday, Dan reminded the FAM Fellowship members of the following quote from Watchman Nee: “When God desires to perform a small miracle He places us in difficult circumstances; when He desires to perform a mighty miracle with far-reaching effects, the circumstances in which He places us are impossible.” Oh what a difference it would make in the life of all standers, if we’d just keep the truth of that firmly planted in our hearts and minds as we stand on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages and families!

And since we know that the devil is hurled down and defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:9-12), I just want to share some of the many ways God has been PROVING that in the lives of FAM Fellowship members this week!

In the past couple of months, we saw three divorces finalized, which to the natural eye would seem to be very bad news indeed, especially when we were all standing in faith and agreement that these marriages would be saved! But all three ladies kept their eyes on the Lord and did not let the devil steal, kill, or destroy their peace and the faith and confidence they have in the power and promise of God’s Word! And I am very pleased to report just what God has done in all three cases SINCE the ink on those useless divorce papers has had time to dry!

Most dramatically, one husband left the country soon after the final hearing two months ago and the divorce was finalized less than one month ago. But ALL of his plans for a new life and new beginning were TOTALLY turned on their head (the details of which make quite an awesome testimony to be sure!), BUT he’s on his way home as I type this! And even though they have not officially lived together for several years, he will be staying with his wife and kids! Of course, he thinks this is just temporary, but we’ll have to see what GOD has to SAY about that! After all, Proverbs 16:1 tells us To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. And He sure has done an outstanding job of PROVING that so far!!!

And one of our other ladies actually experienced great improvement in her relationship with her husband BEFORE the divorce was final, but the process was not stopped. Even when most people would have given up in distress and despair; she continued to stand on the power and promise of God’s Word and didn’t throw in the towel just because things didn’t go the way she had hoped and even believed. BUT ever since their divorce was final, they’ve been “dating” and this past week, her husband even helped her pick out a new dining set and told her that she probably wouldn’t be needing it very long! So it looks like God is PROVING His Word in Isaiah 49:23, which says …Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

And the third FAM Fellowship member who stood strong on the power and promise of God’s Word even as her husband planned to move the NCP (non-covenant person) into his home and the divorce was finalized, amazed all of us with her quite assurance that God was STILL in control! She even shared how she had been enjoying flirtatious encounters with her husband and really just enjoying his company when he came around! And he started coming around an awful lot right after the divorce was final. In fact, immediately after the NCP moved in, he started calling and making excuses to see her a LOT more; BUT that’s not all! They just had their first REAL date in a VERY long time this past week when he took her out to dinner at a very nice restaurant! And I have NO doubt she would agree totally that God has most certainly been PROVING Ephesians 3:20-21, which says Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. And she’s looking forward to her husband going to church with her and her daughter SOON, which he also agreed to do!

I could go on and on with things like this to describe some of the most awesome things we’ve seen the Lord doing in our midst just this past week; but just these three testimonies are by far more than enough to make the point that we all HAVE to learn to PRAISE GOD EVEN WHEN THINGS LOOK IMPOSSIBLE! That just means there’s a greater opportunity for the Lord to receive more glory when He does exactly what His Word promises He will do! So we all need to be sure that we’re NOT walking by site, because when we refuse to walk in the weakness of our flesh and instead walk in the power of the Spirit; just as so many of our praise reports and testimonies PROVED this week; we won’t be able to avoid being blessed and encouraged! So, let’s praise the Lord for every seemingly impossible circumstance, because we KNOW that WITH GOD…NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Having been so fully delivered from fear, it truly broke my heart to learn that a false doctrine of fear could ever take hold in the heart of a believer as last Friday night’s FAM Chat revealed. So I hope that by sharing some of my story, the Holy Spirit can open all of our hearts to understand that God’s desire is to deliver us from fear rather than enslave us to it. In fact, Romans 8:15 says For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear… And 2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) also says For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

My mother was an untreated schizophrenic, and my father was unable to protect us from her rages and paranoia. And her behavior was worsened by an obsession with the occult. At times the abuse became physical; even though it was always mental and emotional. At the age of twelve, I experienced sexual abuse by a family friend and never spoke of it, because I was afraid I would hear that I deserved it, which would not have been uncommon from my mother. I only share these details, because they’re necessary to provide a full understanding of the impact fear had in my life.

So I experienced and understand the fear defined by Webster’s dictionary as: “a dread or anxiety caused by impending danger or pain.” And I can personally attest that fear is not capable of producing joy or any peaceable fruit in our lives. It is only capable of producing Cain’s fruit, which were jealousy, anger, murder and rebellion. My fear was so intense and so constant that I became very angry, particularly towards my parents. And my anger led me to rebel against them and any authority. Yes, I continued to be a straight A student; I never broke curfew; I never drank or did drugs; and I even continued to do all of my household chores. I obeyed the letter of the law because I was afraid to do otherwise. But my anger had turned inward and I was bent on self-destruction.

As a young adult, my fear-inspired choices even brought me to homelessness at one point. And my anger really manifested itself in the early part of my marriage. I honestly believed that God was watching me; just waiting for me to make a mistake so He could punish me. But obviously, something wonderful happened between that time and the present and that something wonderful was God’s GRACE.

Webster’s defines grace as: “Goodwill or favor, a divine sanctifying, regenerating and preserving influence.” And anyone who knows my testimony knows that it is that influence that has been operating in my life. His preservation of my spirit has seen the restoration of my marriage, and the new peace in my home. His regeneration has brought about my reconciliation with my sister and my father’s salvation. His divine sanctification has led me to work in the mental health field and offer my clients the same thing He offered me–compassion and a belief in new beginnings.

So what is my life a testimony of, if not grace itself? As the Bible tells us, a tree is known by its fruit, and only God’s grace could yield such a harvest of peace and righteousness in a life as tumultuous as mine. So my life really confirms Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:13, when He saidBut go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’…

As evidenced by my past, fear of God had no power to bring about positive change in my life. In fact, it only perpetuated the cycle of anger and abuse. For those who say that we must only fear God and that grace is useless, I ask the question, how was fear not able to produce good fruit in my life? If God intended us to be ruled by fear, then why does Jesus tell us again and again to cleanse ourselves from fear?

Romans 9:16 says It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. So this verse makes it clear that our obedience, whether of pure or impure motives, is not enough to fulfill God’s promises; nor to bring about His perfect will. If fear was a part of God’s ultimate plan for believers, wouldn’t this verse then tell us that all things depended on us fearing God rather than the mercy of God toward humankind? What was the purpose of the crucified Christ, if not to show that God’s very nature is one of love, mercy and grace? The prayers of Jesus in Gethsemane clearly show that He was dedicated to accomplishing the will of the Father rather than spare his own life. What was the need for such a sacrifice if all God required of us was to dread Him? Remember when Moses went to the mountain in order to receive the 10 Commandments and the people were afraid to go near the mountain? Doesn’t Jesus’ appearance on the scene and his ministry clearly indicate that God was not satisfied just to have His people live only in fear of Him? As humans we fear the unknown; but God sent Jesus for the very purpose of revealing the full nature and character of a loving, compassionate God so that our fear could be replaced by love. God doesn’t want us to be afraid of him in that sense.

Proverbs 1:7 in the Amplified Bible says The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline. And Webster defines reverence as a feeling of respect, affection and awe. Worship is defined as a feeling of reverence, respect and admiration, a sense of devotion. These definitions clearly describe God’s will when it comes to proper fear of Him. So our fear of the Lord should not be motivated by a desire to avoid danger or pain by His hand; our fear of the Lord is an act of devotion, born out of love, affection and respect for our Creator.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor to those whom HE loves; not those who fear Him. Galatians 5:6 says …The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. How can faith be expressed through fear? And Romans 5:1-2 says Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

And there’s another important point we cannot ignore when considering the power and authority given to us by God. As it says in 2 Timothy 1:7, quoted above, we have received a spirit of power and love in order that we may be equipped to overcome all evil and bring glory to our Father. Can power be trusted in the hands of those who become angry and mutinous due to sustained dread and anxiety? Let me again use my own childhood as an example. There was no love in my home at all. My parents did not seek to win affection or trust from their children. Instead, they expected us to fear them and obey out of fear. My mother would ignore us for weeks on end if we did something that displeased her, such as leaving a towel on the bathroom floor. Initially, we obeyed only because we hoped one day to win her love. But when it became clear to my sister and me that we would never succeed in doing so, I rebelled and my sister became suicidal. I hate to admit it, but I will be very honest just to reveal the negative impact of fear upon a person’s mind and spirit. If I had believed that I had ANY power as a child, I would have used that power against them to hurt them and to protect myself from them. God can trust us with power and authority when we are in a right relationship with him, because our words and actions are motivated by the trust and love that we have for Him. If we were to fear God as some say we should, wouldn’t we eventually try to use that power to bring Him down? We don’t have to look far into history to see that that is exactly what human nature does; when it feels threatened, it fights back.

So I hope and pray that it’s obvious that my motivation for writing this is love. I long for others to experience the peace and quality of life I now have since being delivered from fear. The evidence is clear; when my heart was full of anger and fear, I led a miserable life and produced no good thing. But when God cleansed me of that fear and brought me to understand love, I was no longer a victim or a victimizer. I was freed to “walk in the land of the living.” As it says in Luke 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Love is the simple answer for everyone, so I pray that everyone chooses to embrace it rather than fear.

Warm Regards,
Alex