In his sermon this week, Dave Stone, of South East Christian Church, uses Romans 8:18-30 to minister on suffering. And I strongly recommend listening to this awesome message, which you can do at this link.

But I want to share with you one of the stories that really spoke to me. It’s a true story from the sermon. A man, W.T. had recently had a heart attack. His friend, Bob, asked him, “How did you like having your heart attack/”

“Well,” the man responded, “How did I like having a heart attack? It scared me to death.”

Bob then asked, “Would you like to have another one?”

“No!” said WT.

The friend went on to ask, “Would you recommend others have a heart attack?”

“Definitely not” answered the man, a little perplexed and puzzled.

His friend then changed his line of questioning. “Does life mean more to you now than before your attack?”

“Yes”, replied the man.

“I know you and Fran have always been close but are you closer to your wife now that you have suffered your heart attack?” he asked.

“No question about it,” said the man.

“Do you hold your granddaughter tighter now than before?” the questioning went on.

“Better believe it,” the man replied.

“Do you have more compassion, deeper understanding and sympathy towards others who are or have suffered?” the man asked.

“Absolutely!” the man answered.

“I will ask you again, how did you like having your heart attack?” the final question being asked.

This last question was met with silence – the point had been made.

Of course I cried, like I often do when God finally gets me to understand – especially something that hits so close to home and I realize how often I have felt sorry for myself instead of praising God for what He is doing for me.

Certainly not that we enjoy suffering but the point that I would like to stress to go along with Pastor Stone is that God promises suffering, but He also promises that it all works for our good and the glory of the Lord. He also shares in the message, that we can go through the exact same situation as someone else, and that one person can grow from it and the other can be destroyed. One can be knowing; one can be simply wishing; one can be hoping; one can be moping!

We all know the pain and suffering of a troubled marriage. The question is, do we embrace what God is doing in our lives, and Lord knows that isn’t easy, or do we let it destroy us? Do we grow in our relationship with God? Do we know what His promise is for restoration? Do we wait expectantly with hope, or do we let evil destroy us?

The following verses tell us what God wants us to do and what He has and will do for us. He provides the Holy Spirit in us to do the things that we can’t and to bring to Him the thoughts and concerns that we may not even know are there or for some reason cannot get them lifted at particular times. God has us covered, no matter what the circumstances are in our lives. We just need to know, believe, trust and obey!

Romans8:18-30 (NLT)
The Future Glory
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,[a] including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope[b] for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers[c] in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together[d] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

The following was shared on the ladies private website by Janet in Virginia, which I’m sure will be a blessing to others as well. Thanks for sharing this, Janet! And let’s all be blessed and encouraged as we consider the grandest wedding of all!

“As standers, I know we may tend to focus more on our spouses and circumstances than our Lord, because it is so easy to fall into the trap of making marriage restoration our idol. I’m sure all of us, as I have, have thought about our wedding day and remembered the excitement of preparing for that special day. And I have no doubt that those standers who are divorced are looking forward to renewing their vows. However, we all have another wedding coming soon, that is so much more important than any wedding we can ever have here on earth. It is our wedding with the Lord. We are His Bride. Our Lord is our groom. If we want to be our Lords’ Bride, we must prepare ourselves and turn our hearts and life completely over to Him. I have joy in my Lord, knowing that He is coming soon for us, His Bride. We will have a beautiful wedding with our Lord!

A friend asked me if I knew of any songs about the Bride of Christ. So, I did some research and stumbled upon this website from Bride of Christ Ministries. This song, The Wedding of the Lamb, brought me to tears. It is absolutely beautiful and I encourage everyone to listen to it. This song helps me to keep my focus on the Lord, rather than on my marriage restoration. The song is on the Bride of Christ Ministries website, and all you have to do is click on “Launch Audio” at this link, and here are the words:

The Wedding of The Lamb

In fine white linen, and the robe of righteousness,
We walk in unity, we walk in holiness;
No spot or wrinkle, there’s nothing we can hide,
Jesus Christ is coming, He’s coming for His bride;
The fires of life are rising, the last days have begun,
Through trials and tribulation, the testing time has come;
The Spirit of the harvest, is working out His plan,
The bride is getting ready, for the wedding of the Lamb.

CHORUS:

We shall rise, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb;
Lift your hands, holy hands, in worship of the Lamb;
Dance for joy, sing for joy, to the Father of the Lamb;
Lift your eyes, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb.

Signs and wonders follow, those who do believe,
The world shall see You, in all Your majesty;
We’re looking for Your coming, we’re watching at the door,
Jesus Lord and Master, our King forever more;
Entering the kingdom, and walking in the light,
Preparing for the wedding, we are the Bride of Christ;
The Spirit of the harvest, is working out His plan,
The Master waits in glory, for the wedding of the Lamb.

Tell this generation, tell everyone you see,
The Lord is coming, He’s coming for you and me;
Be filled with the Spirit, be in the secret place,
Standing on His promises, there is no other way;
The angels are awaiting, the Father’s great command,
To gather up the righteous, from all across the land;
The Spirit of the harvest, is working out His plan,
The Master waits in glory, for the wedding of the Lamb.

CHORUS

We shall rise, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb;
Lift your hands, holy hands, in worship of the Lamb;
Dance for joy, sing for joy, to the Father of the Lamb;
Lift your eyes, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb.

The angels of the harvest, are getting very near,
For those with eyes to see, the signs are very clear;
They’ll separate the righteous, from all ungodliness,
Those in worthless garments, from those in wedding dress;
The time has come for everyone, choose what you shall wear,
Garments made of righteousness, or garments of despair;
The Spirit of the harvest, is working out His plan,
The Master waits in glory, for the wedding of the Lamb.

The latter rain is falling, our rescue is at hand,
Pouring out His Spirit, all across the land;
Preparing for the harvest, the angels sing on high,
Glory to the Father, all glory Lord Most High;
The wedding invitation, it comes to one and all,
By faith you must receive it, until the trumpet call;
The Father of Creation, His Word our Guiding Light,
The Rock of our salvation, He shall wed the Bride of Christ.

CHORUS FINALE
We shall rise, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb;
Lift your hands, holy hands, in worship of the Lamb;
Dance for joy, sing for joy, to the Father of the Lamb;
Lift your eyes, to the sky, for the wedding of the Lamb“

God has such an awesome sense of humor, and there’s really no telling what He will use to help teach us! I know that, because I was just making Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, when He revealed to me how our spouses’ hearts can be turned soft, but that just like the macaroni, it will take some change and time; once again reminding me of the reasons for the unwanted challenge to wait! Our spouses’ hearts may be hard right now, even changing from soft, caring hearts over a period of time to hearts that have become harden by painful or disappointing experiences. Perhaps they were once Christ’s followers, but have now gone by the wayside into the far country. As spouses who love them unconditionally and want nothing less than to have our marriages fully restored, we would love to see our mates’ hearts turned toward God and softened to accept His plan for the restoration of our marriages and to us.
Well, back to the macaroni! The box contains hard, crunchy, elbow pieces of pasta. At one time they were pliable and soft but then dried to become the now rigid form contained in the box. To me, these pieces are useless and not at all appetizing — I would not at all be tempted to eat them. However, I remember when I was young; we made beautiful pictures at Bible School by gluing macaroni to paper and creating a design or object. So I guess even hard, uncooked macaroni can be used for something, even though that is not its intended purpose.
The point God made to me is that a process is necessary to change macaroni from its hard, crunchy state, with little use, to the soft, edible, delicious food that is probably my very favorite! How does something change from one thing to something very different? Even though the process is very simple, the directions must be followed in order to have the desired results. That involves a step by step process, which I know will bring about the results I want if followed. So anticipating the end result is what keeps me focused on following the directions.
The directions are clearly printed on the box. First, I have to prepare water and wait for it to boil; that takes time and if I jump ahead, the results will not come out the way I want them to. Then there are ingredients to add at the precise times and if I don’t follow those directions, the entire process can take a totally different turn, and again, the results will be altered. I have to know when to do what, when to add what, when to wait and at what point the process is completed. If I do as directed, the result is that those hard, crunchy little pieces of pasta are transformed into delicious bits of soft, tasty pasta covered with cheese that I dearly love to eat!! I know that, because I have completed this process over and over again, so I know it works! It is truly amazing if you think about how something can change so much with such little effort.
Part of our wait for marriage restoration is like the macaroni changing from something so hard to something so soft and so much more desirable and useful. In the same way, our spouses’ hearts need to be changed from the hardened hearts they have become to the softened, pliable and yielded hearts and vessels God desires. And we must follow the plan God gives us in His Word; doing what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it, which means waiting for one process to be completed, before proceeding with the next one. His promise is that the end result will be what He and we desire; changing a hard, callused heart into (or perhaps back to), the soft, fleshy heart that can once again receive the love of God and freely give that love to us again. If we interrupt the process, by adding our own steps or ingredients, the results are altered. But if we let God guide and direct us, He will change our spouses’ hearts just like changing those hard, crunchy pieces of pasta into the desirable soft, cheesy, delicious morsels that so many of us love to eat.
God is working in our situations, and calling us to believe, trust and have faith in Him. He requires us to seek His Word for knowledge and understanding so that He can grant us the wisdom to live our lives in obedience to Him. So we must pray, worship, and minister to others as we wait for Him to make the necessary changes in us and in our spouses. And as soon as God has completed the process, the restoration of our marriages will manifest right before our very eyes, in God’s perfect timing, just as they already have in the spiritual realm!
Be blessed and KNOW God IS working in the restoration of your marriage.

Romans 11:7 (NLT)
So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

Ephesians 4:18 (NLT)
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

Acts 28:27 (NLT)
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’[a]

Malachi 2 (NLT)
13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure.
14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.[b] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.
16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,[c]” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

Matthew 19:8 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

While obedience is very important to us as Christians, especially as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, it can sometimes be confusing to understand, because it’s such a paradox. One of the FAM Fellowship members recently shared what the Lord put on his heart about how obedience can be misconstrued and become a burden, which led to a great discussion about obedience. But obedience is not a burden to bear, even though it is something we have to do! And it is NOT something we can use to manipulate the hand of God to act on our behalf, even though it causes Him to act on our behalf! So it’s no wonder understanding obedience can be so confusing, which is why we have to be well grounded in the Word, and why it’s a good thing the Lord warns us that His ways and thoughts are so different and higher than ours. So here’s what the Bible tells us about WY we obey:

John 14:15
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

John 14:23
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John 14:24
He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

So even though our obedience is motivated by love, we are blessed and rewarded as a result. In fact, Deuteronomy 30 says obedience is a matter of choosing life or death, blessings or curses. Then in Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus tells us that all the law is wrapped up in loving the Lord above everything else, and loving others as we love ourselves. It says “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Obedience is often a prerequisite for certain blessings in the Bible. For instance, when the Bible tells us to commit our way to the Lord, that’s obedience, and Psalm 37:5-6 promises Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. And when it tells us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, that’s obedience too, and Proverbs 3:5-6 assures us Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 119 is a wonderful book to study for a much better understanding of obedience and the importance it has in our lives as Christians, especially how it brings about a lot of awesome benefits and blessings! So study it, and you’ll certainly be blessed and encouraged! And here’s Dan’s post and some of the responses about obedience and how it blesses us.

God Will Make It Happen – by Dan

I just want to share a couple of thoughts. As we stand for the restoration of our marriages and our families, remember that no person, no obstacle, no dream, no problem, no fear and no issue in our lives are bigger than our God. If God wants something to happen, nothing can stop it from happening. His faithfulness and purpose will always prevail. So we must always guard our minds against any thoughts that would lessen the reality of His greatness and power; the realization that God is God. Jesus has asked us to do something; to be obedient, believe, trust and have faith in Him. And that’s not meant to make obedience a burden to us, but so we can reap the joy and peace He has given us – by His grace. I pray that as we stand, we will continue to take our thoughts captive and align our thoughts and our actions with those of Christ. We need to live our lives as though Christ is walking with us, because He is. Be blessed as we wait upon the Lord to manifest our healed marriages in our sight.

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NLT)

“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
Luke 6:46-47 (MSG)

Response by Joe on June 19th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Well Dan, we’re on the same page tonight! I’ve been reminded all day today that God chose us to stand for our marriages; not for our marriages, or our wives, but so that when others see our dedication to the Lord, the nonbelievers around us will be amazed by His mercy, grace, understanding and love. When we can walk with a smile and a hop in our step, and tell people that Jesus is our savior during these hard times, most people are shocked or in awe. This in turn has struck up many conversations that lead to people wanting to know Jesus, and I praise the Lord that my situation enables me to share the Lord with them. It is through us that His will is being done! I’m unsure where I read it, and I’m sure someone knows, but it has danced in my mind and on paper everywhere today; It is the common man that God chooses to do the greatest work, not a king, someone famous, or a special ruler. If you look at the apostles, they were all just average everyday people like us. We are meant to be here, and we are meant to share our trials, tribulations, and praises all day long. This is to be done to save someone we know from the darkness of this world, and bring them into the light. God Bless all of you. I will learn my verses better sooner or later, I promise; it is with His Word we can fight the lies of Satan.

Response by Thursa on June 20th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Making “obedience a burden” is exactly what I think I was trying to do in a way, Dan! Making my list and checking it twice, I was making a gift from God, a burden to bear. I still don’t understand why for sure! HA…yes I do, I just figured it out, duh!!!

Satan really has tried to tell me I was unworthy and wasn’t good enough to receive all the blessings God has waiting for me. Not that I didn’t think God could do it at all, I knew He could! But I listened to Satan in the fact that He wouldn’t do it for me?! That I would do something to make Him want to turn and run from me! HA…just as you said, God’s purpose and will will prevail no matter what! His grace IS sufficient and it is meant for me and everyone else here!!! Our obedience isn’t a burden at all. It’s a gift we are able to give to God, who has and will continue to give us so very much! And when we stumble, He doesn’t walk away; He just brings us closer! Wow…He is awesome!!!

I really would not change this time of trial for anything! It has become a wonderful opportunity, as I have gained and learned more than I ever thought. And now I have learned even more! Thanks again for sharing, Dan!

Response by Kathy in Oregon on June 20th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Dan, this is such an excellent post, and reminds me of a sermon that my pastor gave a few weeks ago on the law and gospel. Using his one-year old daughter as an example, the pastor said that, by law, he had a legal obligation to care for his daughter. However, he asked the congregation this wonderful question: Do I take care of my daughter because I have to or because I love her? After all these years of being a Christian, that one question gave me such clarity about how to view the law and the gospel together. That was God speaking! Yes, we have laws that the Lord has given us and expects us to keep. But do we keep those laws because we have to or because we love our Lord so much that we want to? It is love that motivates us to do what the Lord wants us to do. That’s why love is such a powerful weapon and so effectively defeats the enemy. And it’s not “our” love that does it, but rather His love — the love that He gave us freely, undeserved and unearned by us. God’s love does conquer all, and when we live in God’s love, His light shines through us like the noonday sun and is a beacon of hope for others, including our spouses. Let us all let God’s love shine through, for His love never fails and His perfect love casts out all fear! Thanks so much for sharing your post!

Even though we all know we’re not supposed to worry, it seems understandable and inevitable as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and face so many unknowns. Yet, as one of the FAM Fellowship members recently pointed out in a post on the private site, the Bible repeatedly tells us not to worry. So as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, there’s a lot to learn from what David expresses in Psalm 55.

And God’s promise in Psalm 55:22 is especially encouraging as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, because it says Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. So, if we believe God, if we take Him at His Word and believe that HE will sustain us and meet every need as Jesus promised in Matthew 6:30-34, we have NOTHING to worry about, because Jesus said If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Even though David’s thoughts troubled him and he was distraught; even though he was suffering at the hand of wicked enemies and being reviled by them; even though his heart was in anguish and he was assailed by the terrors of death; even though he was beset by fear and trembling and overwhelmed by horror; and even though he wished for the wings of a dove to fly away and find a place of rest and shelter far from the tempest and storm, his final words were “But as for me, I trust in you.” So, not worrying obviously doesn’t mean that we can’t acknowledge that we have problems or that we wish we didn’t have them; but as Christians, it does mean that we take all of our cares and concerns to the Lord in prayer, WITH THANKSGIVING, just as we’re told in Philippians 4:6, which says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And then we have to TRUST Him to deliver and protect us, because we take Him at His Word and KNOW that He WILL NOT LET US FALL! In fact, Isaiah 40:30-31 tells us that Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Also, it’s very significant that immediately after 1 Peter 5:6-7, which says 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.; verse 8 says Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Being alert obviously REQUIIRES us to be aware of the problems we face as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families; so acknowledging our distress, fear, pain and concern is not the problem. The problem is failing to take those concerns to the Lord in prayer with faith and thanksgiving, because we know He WILL protect and deliver us and not let us fall; and failing to take those thoughts captive by going on down the road with them and Satan; allowing them to create emotions that in NO way glorify God and certainly don’t magnify His Holy name and omnipotent power; which in turn lead to acts of disobedience that can very easily kill, steal and destroy our hope for marriage restoration. So WORRY IS THE DEVIL’S PITFALL intended TO KILL, STEAL AND DESTROY THE RESTORATION OF OUR MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES! And we know that, because 2 Corinthians 10:2-6 says For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. And when we worry, we are NOT taking every thought captive, so it’s not possible to make them obedient to Christ as we stand and rely on the power and promise of His Word. And if we’re not standing on the power and promise of God’s Word, we might as well not stand, because then we will surely fall! And the ONLY way to STAND on God’s Word is to DO God’s Word, just as Jesus told us in the parable about The Wise and Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24-29. And since we all want to build the restoration of our marriages and homes on THE Rock; the only foundation that withstands the storms of life, we need to avoid the pitfall of worry and practice taking every thought captive and make them obedient to Jesus Christ, as we rely and stand on His Word!

The following is Diane’s Heart To Heart post about worry and some of the responses from other fellowship members. As always, I thank Diane and everyone else for allowing me to share their thoughts here, because they do bless and encourage others. And we can’t help being blessed and encouraged when we learn to avoid the pitfall of worry!

Reading about Worry – by Diane

I was reading today and felt that I was supposed to share what I learned about worry. Jesus says many times in the Bible not to worry…cast your cares…be anxious for nothing. He says His yoke is easy and His burden light. Anxiety is not pleasing to God; surely the Lord had a better plan for His children. Anxiety is foolish because it concerns that which isn’t. It lives in a future that can’t be foreseen. It deals with what ifs, and could bes, speculation and possibilities. As long as we dwell on the worst case scenario, we guarantee our own misery. Calamity is always within reach of our imagination.
The worrier has a mind torn between the real and the possible, the immediate and the potential. He is trying to fight the battle of life and he is bound to lose. The worrier attempts to live in the future but the future isn’t here and the future isn’t his. Nothing can be done and no amount of worry can change the outcome. Jesus says over and over “don’t worry’, so why do we continue to worry? Concern and planning focuses on the present; worry is attached to the future. The future is in God’s hands. If we believe God is our creator, we must believe He is also our Sustainer, or we are inconsistent. His loving and timely care is all around us; look and you will find comfort. We have seen it over and over again.
God is concerned about the smallest things; birds, each petal on a flower, the hairs on our head; He’d never suffer and die for us and then neglect us. A quote I thought said a lot is “Worry doesn’t rob tomorrow of its sorrow; It robs today of its strength.” Worry will not totally leave us; we just need not dwell in it long. It’s a momentary phase when we trust God and are anxious for nothing. When we pray and tell God what we need, always with a thankful heart, the peace that surpasses all understanding will be given to us and protect our minds and hearts. When we keep God the center of our lives, we’ll be sheltered from the storms of stress and worry. Don’t dwell on tomorrow’s stress. Jesus told us that tomorrow will take care of itself. God will give us the grace and strength we need for it, but He doesn’t give us tomorrow’s grace today. Each day has its own number, so we live them in the order God arranged them. Everyday we dwell in worry is a day of joy lost-a day not seeing all the wonders God wants us to see. Enjoy the journey on the way to where you are going. Worry about nothing -pray about everything. Use these words to battle the worry giants in your life. Be encouraged. Diane

Response by Jenn on June 17th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Diane,
Between this post and Joe’s post, I sense a SOF post from Linda on this subject. I love it when God has multiple members sharing on the same subject.
Why worry; as my son in Florida told me “Don’t worry, God’s got it covered!”
Praise God that he does.
Thank you for this devotion. It really speaks so loud and clear to me.
Jenn

Response by Christy on June 17th, 2007 at 7:29 am
I’ve spent my whole life watching my grandmother worry every single day over one thing or another, so as an adult, I vowed not to be like her. She was NEVER happy, because all she did was worry, worry, worry! She accused me once of not caring about something, because I wasn’t worried about it. If I start to worry about something, I remind myself of how miserable my grandmother is and tell myself how I don’t want to be like her. Lately, with everything going on with my health and my new house, it’s been hard not to worry although I’ve done fairly well. Thanks for the reminder again about how worry can rob you of so much joy. I also predict a SOF and chat topic!

Response by Maria on June 17th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Diane, what an excellent subject you tackled. Worry was my main occupation for the last 6 months and God showed me that it did not do me any good whatsoever. So now I’ve learned to cast all my worries toward the cross, because Jesus said come all you who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest. It’s such a rest when we give Him the load.
Worry gives us a bit of superiority complex because it boosts our egos to think that we are in charge. Are we exalting ourselves as gods? When it should be that He is the author and finisher of our faith. I am thankful that He is just that and I will look to Him for all my needs. I know I will fail on occasion, but practice makes perfect. Praise His name. Blessings, Diane, and thanks for bringing this up.

Response by Robin on June 17th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Hey Diane, this was right on time! Usually in the summer months, as a teacher, my funds are a little tight. I tend to “worry” about how things will be paid, and how I will generate activities for my children. I usually work at the church camp and it pays okay; it’s not what I am used to, but it is something. I have even been contemplating getting a part-time and weekend gig at the mall, just to supplement my income for the summer. I also sometimes “worry” about what to do with my home – refinance or sell. Then I start eating when I become overwhelmed with things LOL. I recently realized that I was being a worry wart. I had to remind myself that if God is big enough to turn my husband’s heart back to me; He can take care of me financially during the summer and direct me with my home. Thank you for reminding me of Proverbs 3; about trusting, not leaning to my own understanding, and acknowledging God, in all my ways. Please continue to pray for me to use the same faith for restoration in these other areas of my life.

Response by Thursa on June 18th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Thanks Diane!!! I now proudly say I am cured of worry! God is GREAT!!!! This was a huge problem for me, always worrying about my tomorrow as I’ve shared before. I love the quote you mentioned, I hadn’t heard it before and it was good! I learned this thought in church a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been saying it a lot with the “it doesn’t matter” – that tomorrow doesn’t exist. We can’t get to it; and we don’t know if it will ever be here, so why would we waste a second of today “worrying” about it? And our yesterday, well, it’s gone too! It is history and God now has it and will use it for HIS-STORY in our testimonies that He is weaving for His mighty glory. So live NOW; knowing God is with us right now as He “works” (present tense) all things for our good!

Response by Joe on June 19th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
This was also a good post for me to hear. I thank you for the reminder. God Bless.

There are many things we can do as we stand for our marriages to be restored, so I believe God wants us to take our position and remain there – like Elijah. God used the story of Elijah this week to convey to me how He wants me to stand for my marriage.

The story of Elijah begins during a severe drought of three years, when God told Elijah to tell King Ahab that it was going to rain. But there was absolutely no sign of rain or any reason to believe that the drought was even near ending. Yet, in obedience to God, Elijah went and told the king to get prepared for the coming rain. Elijah took a stand and made his position clear; he knew that he knew that God had promised rain and it was going to rain. And he was not going to give up, regardless of what the circumstances appeared to be. Can anyone relate to this?

Day after day, Elijah sat and anticipated the promised rain. Every day, he continued sending his servant to look for clouds or any sign of rain. Even when there was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly, Elijah kept his position and watched for the rain God said was on the way. And he never changed his position or stand when he received a negative report; he just kept looking ahead. He continued in faith, believing that God was able to bring the rain and knowing in his heart that God would do what He said He would do.

Finally, the servant reported a cloud in the sky; a cloud the size of a man’s hand. Can you imagine even spotting such a tiny cloud in the sky? On hearing the report, Elijah was bold enough to announce that the rain God had promised was on the way. He ran home shouting and exclaiming the rain was coming – because of that teeny, tiny little cloud!! How silly and crazy others must have thought Elijah.

Of course we know the rains came and Elijah was not the fool everyone thought him to be. Elijah outlasted his enemy and endured the time of testing in his faith and obedience to His God. He stood strong in his position and worshiped God throughout his trials.

God brought Elijah’s story to me last week in two different readings, so I knew He had something to reveal to me. My stand for marriage restoration is not unlike Elijah’s stand for rain. It isn’t necessarily about the situation, as much as it is about believing God’s promises. I believe God wants us to take a stand, get in position and wait until our marriages are restored and healed. During lengthy trials, we tend to grow weary and become double-minded in our thinking. God wants us to be like Elijah; we cannot change positions when our situation doesn’t change as quickly as we want it to, and try to take matters into our own hands. We must remember that trusting the flesh will bring defeat, but putting trust in God will never bring disappointment or make us ashamed. We must be like Elijah, keeping our eyes on the hand of God moving even if it looks as though nothing is happening. We must know that we know that God is going to answer our prayers and keep His promises!!

The scriptures from the chat Friday night certainly and overwhelmingly support God’s desire and promise for marriage restoration. We can set our minds and take our position to allow Him to follow through on his plans, while we worship and wait, or we can give up and go with the flesh. If we are double-minded, we will never receive what we ask for.

Like Elijah, we need to get excited about what we can see, no matter how small it may be, rather than being depressed about what we don’t see. Surely we all can find hope the size of a man’s hand; God’s Word should at least provide us with that much hope! We need God to rain down restoration of our marriages. He has promised it, so look into the sky and anticipate seeing that rain cloud! Speak as if it is already happening, because in the spiritual realm, it is already taking place. We are simply waiting for it to manifest; to come out in the open where we can see it.

God has said it is going to rain, and it is!! Be blessed, blessed, blessed. Things are going to continue to burst forth in this ministry!!

2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

1 Kings 18 (NLT)
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”
42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.
43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.
44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”
45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.
46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt[f] and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

Dear Lord, we come before your throne of mercy and grace, and ask for your mercy and grace to be poured out on all the husbands and fathers who are not living in accordance with your will on this special day when we honor our earthly fathers. According to your plan, we know men are to be the spiritual heads of their households, Lord, but so many have fallen far from that Holy purpose and plan, which has caused such devastation and destruction in their families and most particularly in the lives of their children, who you sent for them to cherish and protect. We know that grieves your heart as well, Lord, and we know that we are indeed praying in accordance with your will when we ask for their deliverance from anything that keeps husbands and fathers from being all you created them to be. So we ask for a mighty move of your Holy spirit today, for ears, eyes, hearts, minds and souls to be open as you pour out your heart and make your thoughts known to men everywhere today. There is no name in all of heaven and earth greater or more powerful than the name of Jesus Christ, so it is in that name and by the authority given to us by Jesus when He gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that we send forth the power of the Holy Spirit and your Word, and the angels that do your bidding, to deliver our earthly husbands and fathers from all unrighteousness; the lustful spirits that control them, the pride and vanity that destroys them, the selfishness and self indulgence that leads them astray, and the deception that blinds them. Only you, our heavenly Father, have the power and ability to demolish and tear down the obstacles and walls of resistance that keep men from returning to their wives and children. And it is only by the power of your Holy Spirit that men can be drawn into right relationship with you, our almighty and loving Father. And your Word tells us that we have not because we ask not. So we come now to boldly and confidently ask for those walls to be torn down, for those obstacles to be demolished and for the power of your Holy Spirit to draw all men unto you, just as your Word proclaims it is your will to do.We stand in agreement with you, our almighty God, with your Word, and with each other for a mighty move of your Spirit and power to heal our land and deliver it from the scourge of divorce and adultery. We know you hate divorce and that adultery is an abomination to you, Lord, so we ask for your intervention in the lives of all who are being harmed by the treachery of divorce and the death and destruction caused by adultery.

We thank you now for the awesome miracles of restoration brought about today in response to our heartfelt prayers, because your Word also promises that whatever we ask in your name and believe, you will do it. And Matthew 18:19 promises “if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” You, our heavenly Father, are the creator of all things and in control of all things, so we humble ourselves before you as we ask for our hearts’ desires; the salvation and deliverance of our husbands as they come to walk in right relationship with you and return to the wives of their youth; their one flesh covenant wives.

And, Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for very special blessings on the fathers who have been denied their rightful place in the lives of their wives and children because of the disobedience and waywardness of their wives. Lord, we know how heart broken they are on this day, so we pray for a special measure of mercy and grace for them today. Mend their broken hearts and soothe their wounded souls today, Lord. Give them peace that passes all understanding, and give them the strength and anointing they need to continue to stand for their marriages and the complete healing and restoration of their families. Give them your wisdom so that they can find ways to be a significant presence in the lives of their children, even under the most difficult of circumstances. And continue to fill them with unconditional love for their wives, showing them how to demonstrate it even now. And we ask you to bring their wives to repentance and back to their husbands.

And, Lord, we especially pray for the husbands and fathers who are the primary or sole provider and care giver for their children. We thank yu and praise you for these men, Lord, and ask for an extra measure of grace in their lives and that you will bless them in a mighty way. Father, we thank you for these men and others who have not gone astray; the ones who are being the fathers and husbands you created them to be. Bless them with your glorious riches from heaven above, Lord, because they are so dear and precious in your sight, and making a real difference in the lives of their children and for the glory of your kingdom. We thank you for them, Lord.

And, Lord, we pray for your comfort for the children who suffer so much, because their fathers are not in the home or because their fathers are not the godly men you created them to be. We know that you especially love the little children, Lord, so we ask for your love to surround them and that they wil be blessed by the presence of other godly men in their lives. Lord, you know it breaks my heart to hear the little ones cry for their daddies, and I just wish there were some way I could make their fathers see and FEEL the pain and broken hearts they cause their children. But I know I can’t; yet, you can. So I ask that for the sake of the children you love so particularly, that you will grant them a Father’s Day miracle today, and bring their daddies home by the thousands on this very day! And, Lord, for those children who have been totally abandoned or forsaken by their earthly fathers, I pray for your love and goodness to fill that void and to heal the scars it causes. And, Lord, even if they have never considered it before, I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will move in the hearts of their fathers today and bring conviction to them, Lord. Break through their stony hearts, Lord, and cause them to love and be concerned for their children. We know that is not impossible with you, God, so we thank you for every father’s heart you will touch and change today.

And we thank you for those who will proclaim your will and plan for marriage and who do not support and condone divorce and adultery. Lord, we pray that you bring even more men and women who are preaching and teaching your Word to that understanding and then give them the boldness to courageously speak out against those things that we know grieve and offend the Holy Spirit so much. Lord, there are so many Christian leaders who have been totally deceived concerning your Word when it comes to marriage, divorce and remarriage, so I pray for you to bring them to the saving knowledge of your Word on these matters and that they will have a change of heart and mind and then the courage to stand with you and not against you for the sanctity of marriage. And, Lord, so many preachers and pastors are the very ones leading fathers all over our land astray with their totally unbiblical counsel, so we ask for their eyes to be opened and that they will stop saying what itching ears want to hear, because they are magnifying the works of the devil instead of glorifying your name and power. So we pray for an awakening of the Holy Spirit in churches across our land, Lord, and that preachers in pulpits everywhere today will proclaim your Word with conviction and power and that many, many hearts will be forever changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord, let this Father’s Day be a mighty, God glorifying day of restoration! And we ask this in the most powerful name in all of heaven and earth, which is Jesus Christ. Amen.

The following prayer was posted near the end of FAM Chat tonight, and I felt led to share it here for anyone who might need it. So I appreciate Dan’s permission to share it here, because I know someone will be blessed and encouraged!

“I want to pray for those who are not with us tonight or who are having trouble being here. I feel like God is weighing it heavily on me tonight to lift those who are just desperate; even though they love the Lord with all their heart, it is just so hard sometimes.

Lord, it is simple, we just need to believe and know that You are God and You will do what You say You will do. I lift up those who are suffering beyond what they probably thought possible. You know how difficult it is for us to look away from our circumstances and believe that You will not give us more than we can handle. I pray that they will get to the point of belief that they “know that they know” that You are the deliverer; that You are the author of all the scriptures that have been shared here tonight. Father, I pray that You would wrap Your comforting arms around those who need the extra encouragement that You are here and always will be. Lord, whatever it takes for them to see You as the mighty, powerful God that You are; I pray that You will do it. Lord, You know it is not easy to be human; You know the mighty work of Satan in our lives. Grant us the humbleness to get on our knees and hand over every part of ourselves to You. We know that You are the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. Heal our hearts, minds, and souls so that we can come to You wholly, with nothing held back, and surrender to You and Your plans for us. God, You know what and who is on my heart and I ask for Your peace to saturate them and give them relief – in the Mighty Name of Jesus – Amen”

As so often happens in the FAM Fellowship, we’ve had a definite theme running through our midst this week, which was “It doesn’t matter!” And we praise the Lord, because we’ve seen yet another restored marriage proving that!

That came about, because it’s what I’m known to say when someone starts telling me all about this an that; and since it’s all stuff that is totally contrary to the Word and promises of God, it doesn’t matter! IF we truly believe the Word of God and all of the verses of scripture we love to quote; when we encounter situations and circumstances the devil intends to sow seeds of doubt, discouragement and disobedience, we have two choices. We can go down the road with Satan and those thoughts as we focus on the situation or circumstance, or we can take our thoughts captive, which means arresting them, stopping them dead in their tracks. And the quickest and easiest way to do that is to say “It doesn’t matter!” Then once we’ve taken the thoughts captive, we’re able to MAKE them obedient to Christ through the power and promise of His Word. We are in a spiritual battle when we stand for the restoration of our marriages, and we have to fight that battle as instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which says For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And most, if not ALL, of those things that get us in a tizzy and cause us to get discouraged and doubt the restoration of our marriages are the result of some kind of stronghold in our spouses life, or some kind of argument or pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. So when we REALLY believe God and take Him at HIS Word, no matter what we see and hear, if it’s contrary to the following verses and the rest of God’s Word and His awesome promises, IT DOESN’T MATTER!

Matthew 19:3-6
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Malachi 2:15-16 (AMP)
And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce and marital separation and him who covers his garment [his wife] with violence. Therefore keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit], that you deal not treacherously and faithlessly [with your marriage mate].

Matthew 19:9
I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Mark 10:11-12
He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Malachi 2:13-14 (AMP)
And this you do with double guilt; you cover the altar of the Lord with tears [shed by your unoffending wives, divorced by you that you might take heathen wives], and with [your own] weeping and crying out because the Lord does not regard your offering any more or accept it with favor at your hand. Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].

1 Peter 3:8 (NKJV)
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Proverbs 20:24
A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?

Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a water course wherever he pleases.

Proverbs 16:1
To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Isaiah 46:11
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.

Isaiah 55:8-11
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

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

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

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

These are just a few verses that came to my mind, and there are SO many more. But the point is that we have to decide whether or not we REALLY believe the Word of God, no matter what verse the Lord uses to speak to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. Because if we believe, nothing we see contrary to His Word matters. And if it matters, then we DON’T believe the Word of God, and that would be a very bad place to be according to what Jesus told Satan in Matthew 4:4, which says Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ But we can’t live on the Word of God without digesting it and getting it deep down into our inner being; it has to be heart knowledge and not just head knowledge. And when it is, we will truly be blessed and encouraged, because NOTHING else will matter! So we need to stick with the basics, which is God’s Word and not worry or fret about things that don’t matter in the light and power of God’s Word. The following messages and responses were posted earlier this week on the private websites, and I greatly appreciate permission to share them here, because they are very important messages as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. So be blessed and encouraged!

Back to Basics — by Diane
God has been dealing with me and I thought I would share what HE is doing in my life. I was hearing from Him, but I wasn’t really listening. So I have now repented and received forgiveness for not being obedient. It took Linda to point out that I was being disobedient, so I thank God for my FAM family every day. I went back to the basics, and I took out the scriptures I started with and reread them. I have pages of affirmations I used to read, and rereading them, I felt the joy return and I smiled. I had been feeling out of touch in some way and I just needed to get back to basics. I needed to feel on fire for the Word; I had been just “reading” and not feeling it. I had been looking at my husband and not God, and leaning on my own understanding of the circumstances, and God was dealing with me about that. I know I can not “fix” what SNO (spouse name omitted) is going through; only God can do that, so I gave it to HIM again. Satan was definitely trying to steal my peace, so I laughed when I came on today and read Thursa’s post…more confirmation. Thank you Lord you are always faithful to show me your presence in my life. So I write this in hopes of reminding someone else that may need a refresher on Gods promises. Remember what He gave you in the beginning; He has not changed and HE will do what He promised. God never stops working on us or our situation. In listening to Beth Moore today, God was just confirming what I knew last night. I thank you, Lord, that when we are not faithful, You continue to be. We are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us. “It really doesn’t matter…” has been popping up everywhere and it finally sunk into my soul again. God is in control and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does, God will get the glory. And I know Our God is bigger than anything or anyone and no devil is going to change HIS mind. So maybe someone else also needs to go back to the basics and reread something God has given you. Another thing that came to me is that I had been “telling God that I wanted to burn those “papers”, and I kept feeling “Get rid of them. Don’t have them in your house.” So I finally threw them in the garbage yesterday. I had a plan, but it wasn’t God’s plan for those papers. HE was saying get rid of them now, and I was trying to change His plan, again being disobedient. I repented all the way to the garbage and I slept better last night. Thank you, God, for showing me Your love and kindness. God is so awesome and He will receive the glory for all these marriages turning from ashes to beauty. Praise Him. He is worthy. Be encouraged. Diane

Response by Maria on June 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Diane,
I marvel at your firm stand and not wavering from what God promised to do in your life and ours. You are standing and refuse to budge. You are such an inspiration to all of us in your humbleness, and you are going through the final polishing act so that you may shine brightly for everyone to see God’s brilliant light through you. So I pray, Father, that you keep Diane and SNO safe in your arms and their family, away from the enemy. Just guide them step by step to the newness of life that you are giving them according to your love and kindness. May we give you thanks and glory for ever. Amen

Response by Dan on June 13th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Diane- yea, I think God is probably speaking to several of us. How quickly we forget or give up on Him in our impatience. I agree. Thank God He does not lose faith in us as quickly as we drift from Him. The funny thing is that even when nothing has changed, I can still question if I am doing the right thing. Of course I am; -God doesn’t change His mind. It has been written down for thousands of years; so why would I expect Him to suddenly not want MY marriage to be restored? We know the answer is Satan, but I also know who the victor is. Thanks for the reminder. God is good at that, isn’t HE!!!

Response by Thursa on June 13th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Thanks so much for sharing, Diane! You mention my post, but yours has sent me encouragement and affirmation as well! Isn’t God awesome in the way He knows what each of us needs and how He will speak to us through all of His children!!! “It Just Doesn’t Matter” is ringing so loudly to me right now as well. Satan so wants us to turn our head to our circumstances, just as he got us to in the beginning. But even then all it did was give us a lot of “supposes” to deal with; “suppose this” or “suppose that”. THEY DON’T MATTER!!! I read that in a devotional recently and it said its the “supposes” that got us where we were at…do we want to go back? NO WAY! Satan would love for that to happen, but it WILL NOT! We have the strong promise from our Dear Heavenly Father that He will NEVER leave or forsake us. As we said in the beginning of standing, do we think we’d be the first promise God has never come through on? NO! He is faithful and will complete all that He has started! Romans 8:28 may seem like such a basic verse, but it is so true and complete. It is the Word of God to always hold on to very strongly! God does ALL things for our good and He WORKS even NOW!

Oy, I could go on and on about the really cool way that all the wonderful gifts God gave me in the beginning, are the very things that are sustaining me even now. The “claiming” of restoration was a suddenly, but just as the road TO restoration is narrow, the road OF restoration is as well! I will persevere, just as you will, and we will ALL receive the many blessings He has in store for us!

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so very much for all the wonderful gifts and ways you have worked in each and every one of our lives and in the many ways you will continue to work! We thank you for giving your Living Word that we can read, absorb and apply even today. We thank you for each and every promise you have given us and your faithfulness in fulfilling those promises. We thank you for the mighty testimony you have given Diane and SNO through the gift of restoration. We know you are not done; you are still working in both of them and will never stop working. We thank you for your righteous refining touches, which you will make to create in them an even brighter light of Your Glory. Please continue to bless Diane. Continue to speak to her, giving her the love, comfort and peace you have given since the beginning. Continue to speak to SNO, alluring him completely back to You. You are awesome, Lord, and we thank you that you will complete all the wonderful works you have started! Please send an extra blessing to each and every member of FAM over the next few days. Give us that extra blessing of complete joy and peace that we only find when our eyes are on You! Please continue to love, bless and encourage Linda also as she speaks to each and every one of us. Continue to fill her with Your Holy Spirit as she helps each of us to refocus and look only to You! Thank you, Lord, for the family we have in FAM; thank you, Lord, for the family we have in You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Response by Paula on June 13th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Diane, this post was really for me. I have found myself going back to the basics too; taking myself back to where I met Jesus in his word; where I found peace and joy. I tend to focus too much on what SNO is doing or not doing. But, I must remember that IT DOESN”T MATTER! And GOD is in control and he knows what is best for me. But sometimes it is good to have someone remind me to go back to the basics.

Response by Joe on June 13th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Well, thanks for these messages, and posts. I’ve been here for only a short while, and thought something was wrong with me, because Satan has been trying to discourage me also. I know what He has told (promised) me, but when you let go and let God handle it, you don’t get to see behind the scenes, and Satan has a way of telling you it’s all going his way. I trust in the Lord, and know his will will be done, and He is confirming a lot of things in my Christian life. But like I said, when you don’t see behind the scenes, and what you do see doesn’t look promising, it is hard not to listen to Satan and his lies. My strength and love of Jesus is growing so much that Satan is trying to destroy even my faith. It will never work though, because during every battle, and every trial, Jesus is with me. I praise You, Lord, for giving me the Holy Spirit who reveals the truth to me.

Are You Worried? – by Amy

I wanted to ask you all if you are worried, because too many times lately I have found myself “worried”…worried about my husband; worried about his relationship with the NCP; worried about a new woman who seems to be showing up more and more; worried about when we will move; worried about how we will move; and on and on. I realized something tonight, as I sat here at the computer, reading through devotionals. All this worrying is hindering God’s power in my life, in my husband’s life, and in my kids’ lives. What am I doing! And then for some reason I felt the need to come here and ask you all. Are you worried? I know I tend to worry about whether or not SNO will visit; will he call; will he be nice today or not so nice…worry, worry, worry! And what is worse is that I have not worried whether or not he is coming home, because I have always trusted that he is coming home. It was all this in between stuff that kept creeping up on me.

When we worry, are we trusting God? Of course, it’s always the things we already know, but just like Diane, I needed a refresher. WHY am I worrying when I already HAVE THE VICTORY! This was one of those slap yourself in the forehead moments for me.

Major things have been happening between my husband and me, and in his life alone, this past month. God has been working in such a mighty way…bringing us closer, even spending a few nights out in public with his friends! SNO is calling me more and more, and leaning on me for support. And finally, the relationship with the NCP has been severed. Because of all this I found it easy to lose focus and start worrying about what would happen next. What I should be focusing on is seeking God, praising Him, loving Him, wanting HIM. And once again I praise you God for knocking me back on track!

It seems that a few of us have been on that same level here and there this week. I say we are smarter than Satan. I mean come on; he has been trying to get a few of us with the exact same game this week. I praise God that Satan isn’t bright enough to switch it out! I praise God that He has given us the wisdom and knowledge we need to fight these battles and win! What a wonderful God we have to step in at just the right time. He will never let us fall further than He can reach us. Isn’t it great to know that our spouses aren’t any different than us? They can never fall too far for God to reach them. What a blessing just to know that!

Response by Diane on June 13th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
I am with you, Amy. When we look too much to our spouse, God brings us back. I thank Him that He is faithful, even when i was not. I too was focused on what was happening, but I received Gods message loud and clear. Keep HIM first and let Him do the work. I see Satan is trying his best to get in this place, but we are having none of it. Stand firm everyone and do not be anxious about anything. Ask God for what you need, always asking with a thankful heart, and the peace that surpasses all understanding will protect your heart and mind. “It doesn’t matter…” is so on my mind and tongue this past few days that I just keep saying it over and over; and “It really doesn’t matter.” God is in control and He has it covered. But this is confirmation that we do seem to find a theme passing through our midst all the time. Satan is a liar and he is defeated, so it doesn’t matter. Be encouraged everyone and just smile God loves ya. Diane

Response by Thursa on June 13th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Thanks for the post, Amy! I have seen worries creep in, but I too have used the “It Doesn’t matter!” God does tell us to cast ALL of our anxieties on Him because He cares for us! We really just have to leave it to Him, He IS in control!!! We all just need to get a little Linda in us and keep saying, “it doesn’t matter!” =)

Response by Paula on June 13th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Amy! I could relate to everything you said! I’ve given too much attention to the “circumstances.” Your post was definitely for me! I thank you for sharing your wisdom and instructing us. God is for us and if He is for us he is greater than the world against us!! Satan is a defeated foe! I have so much peace in the presence of God and that is where I need to stay!! Love you, Amy! God Bless and rejoice in your victory!

Response by Jenn on June 14th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Amy,
this is beautiful! Thank you. It’s a wonderful reminder that no matter what circumstances there are in our marriage or just in our personal lives themselves, worry just means we have taken our eyes off the prize, GOD!

Response by Sharon on June 14th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Amy,
It is amazing that Satan will use the same tricks on all of us. I must also confess that the ‘worry bug’ hit me Tuesday. “It doesn’t matter” also had to be confessed verbally and silently all day, and especially during the night hours. God is faithful, and I thank the Holy Spirit for reminding me of all the teachings of this ministry, which helped to get me through the day. Thanks for sharing! Sharon

Response by Christy on June 14th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Yep, I’ve been there this week. If you read my post from Tuesday, I confessed I am obsessed with moving and what will everyone think and on and on… See, I think we are all close to our restorations, so Satan is working overtime on us, trying to get us to fall away from God and not trust Him. He works overtime on those who are joyous and when he knows something good is getting ready to happen to us. He wants us discouraged. “Worry” is his weapon this week, but no weapon formed against us will prosper! We can trust God’s word that whatever we ask in His name, believing, it will be given to us. So, ladies and gentlemen, no worrying! BELIEVE!

Do we really want our marriages healed and restored? Or are we comfortable in the pain and suffering we have endured? Do we thrive on the attention our marital situation has brought about? Hopefully, the answers are “Yes!” And “Of course not!” I pray that we have not gotten used to living with our problems; always expecting the worse case scenario and a total lack of peace and joy, or even doubting that God will intervene in our situations.

To overcome our problems, we must want things to change. We must not blame others (including unfaithful spouses) for our circumstances, which is easy to do, and we must take responsibility for our predicament instead. We do that by acknowledging our part in our marital problems; examining and confessing our own sin and mistakes; repenting with a commitment not to continue doing the same things that got us in trouble in the first place; asking God to reveal to us how we need to change; and then seeking His wisdom for a better understanding of His Word to get where He wants us to be.

Finally, we must trust and obey our God. Even if it doesn’t always make sense to us, we must obey the Lord. As we do, new life and strength will begin to flow into our hurting marriages and our chaotic lives. God’s desire for us is not to struggle and remain in the same place endlessly, but to grow and mature in Him. We must do our part though.

In John 5 we see a man who has struggled with illness most of his life. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” Why would He ask such a question? Why would anyone ask us if we want our marriage to be healed and restored, when that is our utmost desire? Maybe it’s because our actions; such as our lack of faith, lack of trust, and lack of obedience are more apparent than we realize. Perhaps we demonstrate self-pity and fail to take everything to the Lord as we should. So we have to search our hearts, to make sure we are not preventing God from working on our behalf, because of self-indulgence in suffering. It is so easy to get caught up in self-righteous behavior and self-pity, and actually allow that to become our identity, which Satan will certainly aid us in doing.

The good news is that God will answer our prayers if we really want and desire His will for our lives. The FAM ministry is built on believing God’s Word for the restoration and healing of our relationship with Him and our marriages, and I have found so much strength in Linda and the fellowship members, because they inspire and encourage me every day to believe, trust, and have faith and confidence in God. And that’s easy to do when we see His mighty work and intervention in at least one of our situations every day. So while reading a daily devotion, I was reminded to check myself to make sure I was not resisting or interfering with the healing of my marriage by nurturing or indulging in self-pity of any kind in my life, and that’s something we all need to do from time to time. We really should be blessed and encouraged just to know what God wants and will do for us!!

Lord, let us come to You with openness and pour out our hearts. Reveal to us Your truth so we can get into right relationship with You. We know we are not perfect and that we are sinners, so help us escape any plans the devil has to keep us away from You. Let our desire be for Your will, and saturate us with the knowledge and wisdom needed to understand Your Word so we can truly follow You. We want to be healed; to be soaked in the healing waters of Your love and be made complete in You. We praise You and glorify You for being so faithful to us and for being patient as we grow in our maturity and relationship with You. Lift us up that we may be all You want us to be.
And don’t let us be held back by anything of the flesh, so we may find all that we need in You. In Your Precious Son’s Name, Amen

John 5:2-8 (NLT)
2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.
5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

One of our fellowship members frequently shares with us what the Lord reveals to her through nature, and when I was talking to her today, she said she thought it might be nonsense for her to post stuff like that. Well, I assured her that nothing could be farther from the truth! But she doesn’t have to take my word on that, because one of the most important passages of scripture to all of us, especially as we stand for our marriages, makes that very clear. Under the heading “Do Not Worry”, Matthew 6:25-34 says:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

And Romans 1:20 even says For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. And reading that in context (Romans 1:18-32), it’s easy to see why it’s so important NOT to ignore the things God reveals to us through nature! So Maria, thank you for pointing out to us the wonderful things God reveals to us through nature, and for your permission to share it here so others may be blessed and encouraged too!

Standing… — by Maria

For the past few days, I have again been watching some zebra finches by the river, as they stand on tiny, dry and very fragile stems of grass or twigs. To me those twigs looked very dangerous and if the birds were to ask me, I would suggest they move somewhere else, onto sturdier bushes. Yet, they never asked me. They just look very confident in what they are doing; taking the risks of falling, yet they never even anticipate the fall. And if they did fall, they would just brush off their beautiful feathers and move on to another dry, fragile twig. How much I can learn from these birds. We are standing on those fragile twigs, waiting and anticipating, but unlike the birds, are worried that we may fall. What if the branch breaks? And just like them, our onlookers are worried about us and suggest we move to sturdier twigs where safety is so obvious. Yet the birds knew they were safe, because they trust the one who cares for them and they never even entertain the thought of being worried. And here is an old hymn that came to my mind.

“Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by Love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.”

As I told Maria, she is indeed a woman after my own heart and I look forward to more posts from her about how God speaks to her through nature. One of my favorite Seeds Of Faith posts, God’s Glorious Creation, from March 2006, is about how the Lord showed me how He CAN and WILL revive what appear to be dead marriages the same way He revives what appear to be dead gardens every spring. So when we take the time to look, as Maria so obviously does, we can be very blessed and encouraged by how God speaks to us through nature!

More than likely, anyone standing for marriage restoration has been told at least once (and probably a lot more than that!) that we need to face reality; that we’re living in a dream world and we need to get a grip! While it’s always difficult to be told we’re out of touch with reality and that we need to move on, it’s even more difficult when those words come from our Christian friends and family, and even worse yet, our pastors! But thanks to a Bible reference in Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message yesterday, Instead of trying to explain or defend our stand, we can just agree with them and say “Yeah, the Bible says I’m a prisoner of hope!” That’s based on Zechariah 9:11-12, which says As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

So the hope we have for marriage restoration is in Jesus, because His blood is the new covenant, as we see in Luke 22:20, which says In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. And now Jesus sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us, as we see in Romans 8:34, which says Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. And it’s very important to remember that when we consider Jesus’ awesome promise in Matthew 16:19, where He said I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then in John 14:12-14, Jesus even said I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. And when we pray according to the scriptures, we are praying in the name of Jesus, because Jesus is the Word, as we learn in John 1:1-5.

So we can’t afford to ever forget that according to Matthew 4:4, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil, in the midst of His spiritual battle, He told the devil …”It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ That’s why it is so VITALLY important for us to know ALL of His Word, and why I strongly recommend reading the whole Bible all the way through, and in order, starting with the New Testament, instead of jumping around from here to there. We sure can’t stand on God’s awesome promise in Isaiah 55:10-11 very effectively if we don’t even know what He says! But we often forget that it applies to EVERY word (just as Jesus told the devil) that comes from the mouth of God and that it WILL come to pass exactly as He promised, because He said 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.

One of the FAM Fellowship members shared the two following posts on the private website yesterday and today, and they really express the importance and power of knowing and remembering to “redeem” and pray the Word of God. So I appreciate Dan’s permission to share them here. And don’t miss Joyce Meyer’s TV message, The Hope Of Seeing Change – Part I, either – it’s awesome! These are very important messages for all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, because when we understand the power and effectiveness of praying and standing as prisoners of hope, we will certainly be blessed and encouraged!

No Expiration Date On God’s Word — by Dan

Yesterday, as I was going through the Sunday paper, I was cutting out coupons. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to clip the coupons, put them in the basket on the counter, and then throw them away when they have expired. I have good intentions of using them to save me some money, but I just ignore them and they become of no use to me.
As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was hit with the realization that sometimes I treat the scripture as I do those coupons. I know the words are for my good, and if I use them, they would be of great benefit to me. How often do I write them down on paper or in my head, only to not use them when I could? They are sitting in the basket, and God wants me to use them; just like the corporations want me to use their coupons to buy their product, but I let them become useless.
How great is our God that He does not put an expiration date on His Word!! Even though I may not use what He is sending me that particular moment, He does not take it away from me if I don’t use it – or use it to the fullest. Unlike coupons, the Word of God is always worth something, and there is always redeemable value in God’s Word, no matter when we get around to using it!
Be blessed in using the Word of God.

God Seeks Our Prayers – by Dan

This past weekend, I heard two messages on prayer and received a newsletter on prayer as well. Think God was trying to tell me something? I think that message was ”KEEP PRAYING; IT IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND POWERFUL!”
The first message came from Bayless Conley; if we want to see changes in our lives and circumstances and the lives and circumstances of those around us, we must do our part by believing and praying. He reminds us that God moves in response to people praying and seeking His face. If we don’t do our part by bringing things to Him in prayer and believing that He will listen and answer, we probably won’t see much happening in our circumstances. We have all been given the same amount of faith (Romans 12:3). But some of us use that faith to the fullest and some of us tend not to take full advantage of all God gives us. Confidently going to Him in prayer is certainly an act of faith, putting our trust in His Word, and being obedient.
So we must keep fresh in our minds the ways in which God has worked for us in the past. Just going back and reading posts from last week, it is easy to see that God has indeed answered prayers. We get into a difficult situation and we freak out, forgetting that God delivered us from difficulty just last week. That may be the reason we need to keep a prayer notebook. I, for one, am guilty of not recording all the answers to prayer that God has given me. The big draw back to that is not always remembering to praise God for His answers, the big ones and the little ones. Unfortunately, it is too easy to forget how often God comes through for us.
God gives us His promise. We take those promises and we pray them back to Him in prayer. We return His Word to Him. Then it prospers in the thing for which it is sent. It can’t prosper until it returns. In other words, if prayer isn’t offered it can’t be answered! One of the messages at one of my churches this weekend was on using the Psalms to pray. These are prayers, poems and songs that were lifted to God by ordinary people doing ordinary things, just like us. As I began reading and rereading the Psalms, I realized that almost every circumstance we would ever be faced with is covered in this book. There is content for prayer about everything you would ever need and it is God’s Word ready to be prayed back to Him.
The last message on prayer was from my other minister. He is doing a series on Colossians and the sermon was based on Colossians 4:2. We need to go to God in prayer with an alert mind and thankful heart. He reminded us that we should be in prayer mode constantly; ready to take everything to the Lord when it happens, and not go elsewhere first. I think it is important to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us anytime we go before God, whether reading scripture, praying, worshipping or whatever the situation may be. We need to make sure that we stay in prayer mode; conversing with God regularly about everything in our lives, and not just the big stuff. We know the blood of Jesus will never lose its power and through our persistence in prayer, we are showing an expression of our faith that God does answer our prayers. We must not grow weary and give up, for God is always available to us; we can run into His presence at any time (Hebrews 10:19).

Hebrews 10:19 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

2 Corinthians 1:11 (NLT)
as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Luke 18:1 (NLT)
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

Romans 12:12 (NLT)
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[a]

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
Never stop praying.

Matthew 6:6 (NLT)
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Romans 12:3 (NLT)
Because of the privilege and authority[a] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

One of the most important things we have to get straight in our own hearts and minds when making a decision to stand for the restoration of our marriages is exactly why we’re standing. Most people initially answer the why question saying how much they love their spouse and how they just couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, or that they don’t believe in divorce. And those are all natural and understandable reasons to stand for the restoration of our marriages, but they probably aren’t good enough to endure everything that comes against us as we stand, including the passing of time and everything else that makes marriage restoration look impossible. Most standers started out standing for those exact reasons, but most of us eventually came to recognize that the only way to experience peace, strength, joy and victory in the Lord, while standing for the restoration of our marriages is by putting our faith and confidence in Jesus Christ, as we learn to walk in obedience to His Word, and stand for HIS Glory!

So we can certainly relate to 1 Peter 2:9, which says But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. And what encouragement and assurance we have in Isaiah 42:16, where God says I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

However, really understanding John 15:1-8 is vitally important as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, because it says “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

This must be a message the Lord REALLY wanted to get across, because He laid it on the hearts of two of our members, who posted the following messages on the private websites last Friday afternoon and evening, without knowing the other had done so! So I thank the following FAM Fellowship members for allowing me to share their posts and responses here, because they certainly glorify the Lord and hold the key to being blessed and encouraged as we stand for the restoration of our marriages!

Standing To Glorify God — by Dan

While feeling depressed and down last night, I decided to sit down and make a list of how God has been there for me over the past eighteen months. In the beginning it seemed I could not think of too many things. But once I got started, the list began to grow and I was truly amazed how God had given me so many opportunities to grow in Him. But that could be a whole other post! The common theme that summed up my list was my relationship with Jesus Christ, and I looked back at how my life and attitude toward my stand had changed over that period of time.
Originally I had focused my stand on what it would do for me (my selfishness), what I was missing and how my life and the life of my kids would be affected forever. I never thought the word divorced would describe me! How could this happen to people who were Christians and lived a “good” life? I even unloaded my self-righteous attitude onto my wife. For a period of time I let Satan control my thoughts and actions and did not give God the chance to intervene. My commitment to my marriage was not for the right reasons, although I loved my wife immensely.
Yes, I do love my wife and want to spend the rest of my life with her. What is more, I know that is what God wants for us also. The more I have grown in my relationship with Christ, the more important my remaining faithful to my marriage vows becomes, but not for my original reasons. The covenant marriage created by God should be stood for so that Jesus might be glorified. His faithfulness should be honored and praised; His power, grace and mercy should be magnified and proclaimed. He has helped me to have the unconditional love for my wife that He has for me; no matter what I did or said, He was right there with me at all times. He never gave up on me. And I must show the same kind of love to my wife.
So my faith is a powerful witness to others, especially to my wife and kids. Living for God has given me an inner peace that I did not have before. May our stand glorify God and may we be powerful witnesses to our families and those around us who are watching our situations. May we all be blessed as we stand with God for our marriages, and look forward to the future, when we are worshipping and praying with our spouses at our side!!

Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Response by Linda Wattu on June 9th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Dan, this is such an important message! there’s no way we can stand victoriously for our marriages when we’re doing it for the wrong reasons, and the ONLY reason that pleases God is the glory of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ! And there’s NOTHING God won’t do for the glory of Jesus! And when we demonstrate that we will give Him the glory for the little things He does for us, which we do by sharing His praises and ministering support and encouragement (comfort) to others, He will most certainly move more quickly on our behalf! Why would He delay any glory for Jesus?! He wouldn’t!

Response by Janet in Maryland on June 9th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Dan, God has done a mighty work in you. He is well aware of how much you have grown in Him, and He will certainly reward you for your love for Him and your obedience.
He sees you ministering to others and I know he is pleased. I am sure you also know how much we love you and are here for you too. May God continue to bless you as He works on the complete restoration of your marriage. Janet

Response by Diane on June 9th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Thanks for this, Dan. It is so true; our stand is for the Glory of Jesus and there is no glory in divorce. You have grown so much in the past few months and it is my honor to be a witness to what God has done in you and for you. Keep it up; God will use you mightily and other people will be blessed by it. God will do this for us all. He has given us His promise and He does not lie. Stay encouraged, as you always encourage me. Hang in there and glad to hear the Dan we have grown to love back. Thank you, Lord. All glory to YOU. Diane

Response by Paula on June 9th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Dan, you are right! It is all about God and bringing Him glory in every aspect of our lives. I thank God for the opportunities I’ve had to share with others who were separated or on the brink of divorce, and encourage them to give God a chance in their lives. I find so much peace in helping others. My husband was a pastor and many people knew us back then and some of them know I am standing now (I don’t discuss it with nay sayers), and one recently said “I admire you and what you’re doing, because I don’t know if I could.” I quickly reminded her that it wasn’t me, but God’s grace and mercy giving me the strength to walk out my calling. Our stand is a testament to others of the power of God to live above the ways of the world. Thanks for reminding us all of that in your post. I could relate to a lot of what you said. As my stand continues, the reasons change as well.

Response by Fran on June 10th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Dan, I think your sentiment describes a lot of us. I’ve been standing for quite a while, although I’ve only been a part of FAM for a short while. In the beginning, I was so full of pride about being separated and the thought of divorce. That is definitely not God glorifying. We are getting out of our stands just what God intends. He allowed our circumstances for these very reasons. We are growing closer and closer to Him each and every day, with each and every test or trial. Stay encouraged. God is not finished with us yet. Fran

Response by Thursa on June 11th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I received an email from a friend who I had shared my husband’s homecoming with because she’s been there standing with me, and she responded by saying “Of course he’s home. Our purpose is to glorify God. Divorce does not glorify God, but the power and gift of restoration does!” God WILL use us and our testimonies to show His glory! It is our hope and faith that sustains us and helps us to persevere. We set our eyes to God and know He will restore us! We delight ourselves in Him and He will give us our hearts desires!!
This weekend I heard over and over about not being put to shame. Psalm 25:3 “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.” Our hope and faith is in our God and He will NOT put us to shame, He will let His glory shine brightly in us and our restorations!!!

Jesus has Taken Hold of us – by Jenn

While reading these scriptures today, I really feel the lord speaking directly to me: Philippians 3:12-4:1 (NIV)

I have been a born again Christian since August of 2005. However, just as stated in verse 12, Christ Jesus took hold of me in October of 2005 and the “light came on.” That was the day that God spoke to me through another stander in another state, who knew nothing about me. In HIS perfect timing (when I really needed it), he gave her a vision of a field of daisies to give to me. There is no way this woman would have known daisies are my favorite flower and that I would take a daisy over a diamond ring. That was my turning point.

But it’s been a struggle for me to take hold of what God’s word is telling me. This is where I truly believe the ill effects of past wrong decisions sometimes hinder me now. I have a tough time remembering what I am being taught in HIS word- His manuscript-my life line- my Bible. However, God knows my struggle to remember. He knows that I am pressing on day to day; pressing toward the goal; the prize (my daisies, the restoration of my family). But most importantly, my life; to live eternally with my heavenly father.

As I look back now almost 2 years ago, when God placed me on this journey (some of my fleshly decisions also helped place me here), I see that I have learned so much. The learning has allowed me to live out today, tomorrow and years to come; little by little, still searching for HIS truth, because I know I am to live by what HE has taught me from my “yesterdays.”

In verse 13, it is written that we are to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. Forgetting failures, and knowing that I have now learned from my yesterdays, helps me forget my past, and now I am living a much more fulfilling life than I ever could have asked for. Not only has it helped me individually with certain issues, but it has also helped me with things that I used to hold against my husband. I CHOOSE to forget my spouse’s wrong doings, because I know God wants me to leave them behind. No, it has not always been easy to do, but after doing it day by day, it ends up becoming a very natural thing.

God is instructing us to join with others in following HIS example and that is exactly what we are doing here in this ministry. We are here to help each other learn HIS ways and to STAND FIRM in his WORD. By standing firm with each and every one of you as I learn, “WE” learn his powerful and miraculous ways.

Blessings and Love to each and every one of you. Jenn

Response by Paula on June 8th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Jenn, our pastor preached from this text on Sunday. How appropriate. It is important for us to keep moving forward and not looking back. We can’t change or erase the past, but I often think of what God said about Job and that is “latter end was better than his beginning.” God has a way of rewarding us beyond our imagination for pressing forward in Him. He honors our commitment to him and our marriages. DO you know how much that pleases God! Many of the things you’ve shared have been my struggle too. The Lord has used Linda to help me see the areas that I need to improve and work on, and even in that, it’s a forward move, because I’m striving daily to be what God wants me to be. My actions helped me to be where I am too, and Satan loves to remind me. But, I’m going to learn how to consistently take those thoughts captive. You know Psalms talks about how our days were ordained and planned before we were even born. So now, even in this, I am still in God’s perfect will and his plan. And it is in this trial God will perfect that which concerns us. Isn’t that great news? Grace and Peace to you, Jenn, and thanks so much for sharing this message with the FAM family tonight.

Response by Diane on June 9th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Yes, Jenn, thanks for sharing. I often recite that verse of forgetting what lies behind and pushing forward to what Jesus has for me. We all have the same struggles to overcome and the good news is that with God all things are possible. He strengthens us to be able to do this. Thank you for this post. It touched me to remember this verse again today and let go of yesterday and look to what God has planned for me today. Be blessed. Diane

Response by Dan on June 9th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I meet a group for breakfast every morning, and they don’t understand my stand, but I don’t care. Anyway, I walk to and from breakfast, about a mile and a half each way. This morning I sang on the way home – “it just doesn’t matter” until the scriptures just poured out. God has things under control, His plans cannot be thwarted, and good things are going to happen for me from being obedient, having faith, believing and praising God. I know God knows what I have done, what my wife has done, and it just doesn’t matter to Him; He wants us restored and healed and He will not stop until that is where He has us. Thanks ladies! I praise God for the relationship I have with Him and the growth I have made in my closer walk with God. This would not have happened without some event from God- and so many other events could have been worse than what I have gone through. That’s another praise; that He spared me from worse trauma.

Response by Linda Wattu on June 9th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Dan, that’s why I suggest to everyone NOT to discuss your stand for marriage restoration with anyone other than those you know for sure understand and support it. Otherwise, we just give the devil an opening into our hearts and minds, and he won’t miss such a great opportunity to bring us down; to kill, steal and destroy – and we know what he wants to kill, steal and destroy! And I’m glad reminding yourself that it doesn’t matter helped! There’s no way to keep going down the road with Satan’s wicked thoughts when we do that! That’s definitely taking those thoughts captive! And then we can make them obedient to Christ (the Word), just as you did! After awhile, the devil will just leave you alone, I promise! Look how he just slunk away after Jesus kept telling him “It is written…!” Remember to LOOK for God in EVERYTHING, and we can do that IF we really believe that God will work ALL THINGS to our good!

Response by Janet in Maryland on June 9th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Amen and amen. Jenn, I am in agreement with everything you said here. I too had a hard time with some of the things my husband has done in the past. I held these things against him for quite some time. Then as I got more and more into the Word, which is one of the greatest things to come out of our separation, I read and re-read 1 Corinthians 13:5, love keeps no record of wrongs. I said to myself, hmmm, I am a Christian and I want to be obedient to the Word; I know I love my husband with all my heart and therefore, I cannot keep any record of wrongs. Then I let it all go and gave it to God. This has been liberating. I know you love your husband and so I am confident that you will get better and better at forgetting all past wrongs. God bless you and thank you for sharing. Janet

Response by Thursa on June 9th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
This is one of the verses I consider my life verse, Jenn! I’ve had to really take hold of it and apply it to myself!!! The verse reminds me that just as God has forgiven us and forgets our sins, we too are not supposed to look back on things we have done. God has forgotten it, so why do we bring back the memory of it. Satan does it to try to make us feel “unworthy” of the blessings and gifts God has for us. He tries to get us off track so we miss the blessings. And just as you mentioned, we must apply the same thoughts to our spouses and all others we deal with! Our goal is a heavenward mission and if Satan can take our eyes off of that goal by bringing up things that are forgotten…he will do it. Ask for forgiveness, RECEIVE the forgiveness or extend forgiveness and mean it…the press forward with your eyes on God!!! Thanks again, Jenn, for reminding me how important it is!!!

Our God is the ONLY one who CAN and WILL breathe life into dead marriages (Ezekiel 37:4-6and replace stony hearts with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19), and then direct those same hearts like water, wherever HE wants them to go (Proverbs 21:1)! And He’s the only one who CAN AND WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring His will and purpose into being (Isaiah 46:11)! And the FAM family is blessed once again to witness that first hand as we celebrate yet another restored marriage!

So, I want to thank Robin for this awesome reminder of exactly WHO our God is, which she posted on the ladies’ private website yesterday! Since I didn’t recall hearing the name Jehovah-Gibbor before, I had to look it up and was really fascinated with what I discovered as a result! And since I thought everyone else might enjoy studying the information I found, here are links to two websites with information about the names of God:
1. List of Names, Meaning and Bible References
2. More Names and Historical Information

And the Bible reference for Jehovah-Gibbor at the first link, just happens to be to a passage of scripture I really love and have a personal affinity for, which is Isaiah 42:10-16 as follows:
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands. The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

AMEN! We serve a GREAT and MIGHTY God who WILL do exactly what His Word says He will do and we can’t ever forget that! If we do, we give Satan entrance into our lives and marriages, and he never misses the opportunities we give him to stir up strife, doubt and discouragement. And how awesome and exciting it is to read all the responses to Robin’s post! I know the Lord is pleased when He sees us testify of how He has worked in our lives and hearts this way, so keep it coming. It’s posts like this that lead to the Lord being glorified in our lives and marriages, just as in the restoration of yet another one of our members’ marriages last night! So be blessed and encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for the awesome testimonies of how you have worked in all of our hearts and lives and that we have the ability and freedom to express that for your glory. Thank you for choosing us in such a time as this and that you will be ever so faithful to complete the task to which we are all called! And how we thank you and give you all honor and glory for the restoration of Thursa’s marriage! We love you and praise your WONDERFUL name, Jesus, and it is in your name we pray. Amen.

We Are Not Wasting Our Time! By Robin

WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!!!! Satan is such a fool. He really thinks that he can kill, steal, and destroy the plans of the Mighty One, but he is mistaken. He cannot get us to doubt the word of God at this point, because we have come to the realization that we are not wasting our time!!!! We know that we have come this far by faith; we know that the battle is already won, and we know that the word won’t return void. If God said it, then He will bring it to pass. Satan will try, but we must know that he is a liar and God’s word is true. Be encourage family, that while we wait, the fortresses of Jehovah Gibbor are at war in the heavenlies, fighting on our behalf. I have learned that when I ward off Satan with the word, God does an even mightier work in my situation. Although we know that, let us never forget that we are not wasting our time; our God is Awesome and capable of doing the impossible. Love, Robin

Response by Fran on June 7th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Robin, I agree that we are not wasting our time. This time is a time of refining for us. Just last night, as I was re-reading “The Battlefield of the Mind”, I was seeing how so much of what Joyce Meyer wrote about applied to me. I had read this book not to long ago and some of these things just went straight in and out of my head. But, this time around, I am seeing better how what she says applies to me. I had been looking at all that needed changing in my spouse; not really thinking that I needed that much change. Boy, have my eyes been opened… This time for me is a time for more and deeper self-examination. If God can reveal His answers to me, surely He can reveal the appropriate answers to my husband.

Although I am not perfect and will never be perfect, I am being perfected during this time of waiting. My waiting has changed from a time of passivity to a time of working things God’s way. I am full of joy. I am getting new revelation every day. God is at work in us all. He is making us into the persons that He desires for us to be. That has been my prayer for a very long time and I can see it happening little by little. Be blessed and encouraged. We are definitely not wasting our time.

Response by Janet in Maryland on June 7th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Amen and amen Robin. There is nothing that Satan can throw at us that is mightier than our God and His Word. We just have to keep believing. Jesus’ name is the name above all names. He is so very worthy of all our praise. Satan you are defeated. We serve but one God and to Him be all the glory. As we stand, we are definitely not wasting our time, because Romans 5:3-5 says, “…… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” We will keep on pressing on. The God we serve has us covered.

Response by Thursa on June 7th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Amen Robin!!! NOTHING for God is a waste! In this time I am waiting on nothing but my Dear Heavenly Father and He is so faithful and loving that He spends and fills each and every day and moment with me growing and enriching my life for Him!!! As the well known Sunday School song goes, “He’s got the WHOLE world in His hands.” That includes me and my heart, I have no fear and am blessed and encouraged to wait on Him!

Response by Diane on June 7th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
I see this time as one of getting closer to God, because I never had HIM in my life as Lord and Savior before. I believed in God, but never knew HIM. I have said many times that this has been a good thing, because without it I would still be the same. I didn’t realize the stuff I had in me that I needed to let go of. Enjoy the journey and cling to our Father. I think we all started this with “God, fix our spouse.” and were shocked at all He revealed. If He can do it for us He will do it for our spouses. Thanks for this, Robin. Nothing is bigger than God and nothing is impossible for HIM who created all. We need to do our part, which is to BELIEVE and OBEY. God will do the rest.

Response by Paula on June 8th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Robin..all I can say is your post ministered directly to ME! WOW! Did I need to hear and be reminded of that today. Satan has been trying EXTRA hard to defeat me and if it weren’t for Linda sharing the truth of God’s word with me, he’d have me. But, I thank God for his grace and mercy and post like these that help keep me on track.

Faith in God is being totally dependent on Him and having a willingness to do His will; with complete and humble obedience; and readiness to do whatever he calls us to do. Faith is being sure and certain that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. When we believe that God will fulfill His promises, even though we can’t see them materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. [John 20:24-31 (NLT) 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), [a] was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.]
Faith is a gift from God. [Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.] Faith is given to each of us when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, but it is up to each of us to develop that faith and do something with it. Even a tiny seed of faith is enough, if it is alive and growing. Knowing Jesus is with us in our suffering and that someday He will put an end to the pain, helps us to grow in our faith.
How do we grow and strengthen in our faith? We first need to hear the Word of God, believe that it’s true and build our faith upon it. As we stay in the Word, faith comes subconsciously. It comes through scripture reading and study, worshipping, prayer, praise and actively following Jesus.
Bayless Conley discusses three levels of faith. The first faith is “no faith”. [Mark 4:37-41 (NLT) 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”] That’s when we believe God is asleep, disinterested, disconnected and doesn’t care about our situation in life. If we indeed have been saved, we have faith and having “no faith” is impossible. [1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.]
The next level of faith is “little faith”. [Matthew 6:30-34 (NLT) 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.] That’s a worried faith. We believe God cares but tend to take over for God, trying to make His promises come true through efforts that are not in line with His directions and guidance. If we ask God for something, and we don’t wait – it shows lack of trust in Him. When we don’t keep our eyes on Jesus’ power our own inadequacies begin to surface and we suffer. Bayless uses a great analogy; “we pull tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine!”
God wants us to work toward “great faith”, which is the third level of faith. That’s when we say, ”Lord, Your Word is enough!” [Matthew 8:5-10 “Lord, my young servant[b] lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!] We trust God to do exactly what He has promised. God’s Word says it and that is all the evidence we need. We stand on the truth of His Word. So it doesn’t matter what the world says, or what our circumstances look like. We just stay with His Word until our faith turns it into something we can see, and we focus on God and His sufficiency, His care and abundant love for us. [1 Timothy 6:12 (NLT) Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.] [Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.]
We should always pursue “great faith”. No one knows more about faith than Jesus; He is the developer of faith, so we need to listen to Him. And the Word shows us what great faith can do, and throughout the Old and New Testaments we see results of each of the three levels of faith. If we focus and rely on God’s faithfulness of the past, we can face our storms, temptations, trials callings and obedience with confidence and “great faith”.
God calls us to be active in our obedience. Growing in faith is a daily process that constantly renews our trust in Jesus, and God wants us to share our strong faith with the world. We, as standers for our marriages, are especially called to share our faith as it pertains to God’s will for our covenant marriages to be healed and restored according to His promises. And if we don’t, we are not doing Christ’s work in the world.
Lord, I pray that each of us will continue to grow in faith; that we would be strengthened by Your mighty power to demonstrate our complete and undying faith in You, the creator and restorer of marriage, the one who hates divorce, forgives our sins and gives us eternal life. In Your Precious Son’s Name, Amen