The following message reminding us of our purpose, which was posted by one of our members on the ladies’ private website this morning, really touched my heart, because Jenn very eloquently expresses my vision of this ministry and how the websites could be used to help others in a time of need, and all for the Lord’s glory. And it does my heart so much good to see how she and so many of our other members are being used in the lives of others, because we’re all here to duplicate what the Lord has done for us and in our lives; not to hide it under a bush and keep it to ourselves. And, yes, oh yes, we can indeed get tired; but we have to push on in the name of Jesus and for His glory. Our God will NEVER let us down or disappoint us when we so faithfully go about doing His business, and our lives will surely overflow with God’s blessings and rewards when we keep our focus on HIS purpose and not our own needs and desires or circumstances. As Rick Warren is so famous for saying “It is NOT about us!”

This also reminded me of a time when I really needed an answer from the Lord, and when I opened my Bible, the Lord led me to Nehemiah 6, where I found particular comfort in verse 9, which says They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

And Galatians 6:9 says Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. There’s no doubt that standing for marriage restoration is very tiring and almost always emotionally draining, but we have to keep our focus on doing the Lord’s work with faith that He WILL strengthen us for the task He has called us to. So don’t grow weary in dooing God’s work; stay focused on HIS purpose and glory instead, and you WILL be blessed and encouraged! Thank you, Jenn, for this awesome message and reminder to keep doing the work to which we have all been called!

This past week has been full of emotions for me; from very high high’s to very low lows, beginning with the praises of my husband’s return from Guatemala to the devastating loss of many lives at Virginia Tech and the loss of a friend’s wife in a horrific accident. Plus a few other lows as well in between.I called Linda the other day, and being such a loving and concerned friend, she made it clear that with circumstances being what they are, that I needed to be reminded to stay in the word and in prayer.

I will be honest. It has been extremely tough; really tough to be exact, because my emotions, even though controlled, are draining all my energy. Then that keeps me away from my morning time spent with God. I am emotionally exhausted.

God however reminds us in Nehemiah 4:10-14 that we are not to swerve from God’s purpose when we are tired; Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.” Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!” So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”

The people of Judah were physically exhausted from trying to remove the rubble, but they had to remain focused on the task and that God was protecting them. What he did for the people of Judah, he will do for us as well.

As I was sitting in the car line waiting to pick our youngest son up from school, one of his teachers approached my vehicle and let me know that he had a note for me from her. Then I pulled my vehicle forward to be next in line for my son to be brought to the car, and as I was watching for him, the teacher re-approached my vehicle, stating that she really wanted me to know that she felt spirit led to give me a scripture and that she also needed my counsel. The scripture she gave me was 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 in the New living translation, which says All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

What an eye opener. Here I am tired and weary with my eyes falling off God’s plan, only to be reminded that I need to stay on task and finish the race, because HE gave me a purpose and a plan just like the people from Judah.

Ministering to others is God’s plan, not only for me, but all my other brothers and sisters in Christ that have been placed here in this ministry. Isaiah 30:8 confirmed that for me this morning. It says “Go now, write it on a tablet for them inscribe it on a scroll that for days to come it may be an everlasting witness.” We are inscribing our testimonies and witnessing to others on a scroll. No, it’s not a tablet of paper, it’s the website. People are going to be coming to this website to read and be ministered to, not only for today, but for years to come.

A lot of people journal and I think it’s a wonderful thing. Unfortunately I am not a big journal person. However, sharing my post and devotions is my journaling. These are our manifestos in a positive, uplifting encouraging, god led way. His plan is for us to witness to others.

Again this morning it was confirmed what God has planned and wants me to keep focused on. A few weeks ago, I met a young woman that was enjoying breakfast with her daughter as well as her father. I was there reading my bible and having a little bite to eat before work. We chatted a little while and went our separate ways. This morning, I ran into them again at the same restaurant. I again was there to read my bible and enjoy my breakfast. But God had a different plan. This time the young woman asked me where I went to church and spoke about how she has not been attending church, but wanted to know where I went. We talked for quite some time and ended up exchanging contact information. By my obedience and the yearning for God’s word, she and I will hopefully be going to church this Sunday together. I was witnessing the first time we met and didn’t even know it.

Don’t let circumstances, emotions and daily life allow you to become tired and weary only to miss out on God’s great plan for us. I almost did and look at what joy I would have missed out on if I was not witnessing to others.

It’s so funny. So many times, I find God leading me in a certain way and I come to the website and there are all these beautiful posts confirming for each of us that God IS speaking and we can bank on what He says. I too have been led to believe that speaking God’s word into my life is key, and like Dan, I keep coming back to God’s promises. I was reading Numbers 22 through 24, and I was so encouraged. Balak, a pagan king, is fearful because the very powerful Israelites are camping in his backyard and he summons Balaam, a sorcerer, to curse them. But what happens? God not only prevents Balaam from cursing Israel, but He causes Balaam to bless them 7 times! In Numbers 22:12, God tells Balaam, “You must not put a curse on those people because they are blessed.” And Balaam, who was not even a man of God, realized that he could not do anything other than speak the word of God. In his first oracle to Balak, he says, “Balak brought me from Aram…Come, he said, curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel. How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?” Balaam’s blessing in verses 19-24 are for us all to claim and I pray that each of us will indeed claim these words, “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed and I cannot change it. No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, “See what God has done!” The people rise like a lioness, they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey.”

So today are you afraid that God is not with you? He is. Are you afraid that the enemy will prevail? He won’t. Has God spoken a promise to you to restore your marriage and family? He will. Do you want God’s blessings? Claim them boldly. Do you need strength? You got it-though we don’t really like the whole “oxen” analogy! Will God preserve our testimony so that we can tell others “See what God has done for me”? Yes. Do we want to be free from bondage, misery and misfortune? YES!!

To receive our Promised Land, we have to be obedient in loving God first and foremost. We need faith and we have to understand our position in Christ. Our position in Christ is that we have forgiveness and mercy available to us. We share an inheritance and we can come before our Father with all boldness to ensure that we receive that inheritance, as long as we follow God’s commands. But when we fall short, we know we have the blood of Christ to atone for our sins. After receiving forgiveness, then get back up and go to Him about your needs. I pray that we will not be overcome with fear that we will fall away, but will pray each day for God to keep us in faithfulness and obedience, because He wants us to inherit these blessings and promises too. Remember, God can overcome all of our weaknesses, just as he can change our spouses and our circumstances. And that’s confirmed in Joshua 21:45, which says “Not one of all the Lord’s GOOD promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

Over the weekend, a very challenging issue arose on the ladies’ private website when one of our new members posed the question “Did I make a mistake?” She then went on to described how she had knowingly married an unsaved man and moved across the country to live with him after they eloped. But much to her surprise and great disappointment, within a few months, he became physically abusive. And after recently discovering that she was pregnant and realizing that the abuse would still continue, her family “rescued” her and moved her back home. Of course, it comes as no surprise that the family now wants her to get a divorce, but she wants to stand for her husband’s salvation and the restoration of her marriage instead. In addition to describing some of the details of her married life, she openly and humbly acknowledged her own failures in the marriage, including that she had married contrary to the instructions found in the Word of God, for which she has since repented and asked for God’s forgiveness. But she also said she hoped she hadn’t missed God and married the wrong man…and she asked for prayers for her family.

Needless to say, this situation raises several complicated and complex issues as we take a stand for marriage according to the word of God, including God’s view of unequally yoked marriages (whether or not He recognizes and honors them), dealing with physical abuse according to the Word of God, and a wife’s biblical role even in the face of physical danger. However, as with my response to her on the private website, the primary focus of this post is on unequally yoked marriages, as described in 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Since I feel that sharing Rebecca’s heartbreaking testimony tends to magnify the works of the devil, and does little to glorify the Lord, I decided just to restate it as I have instead of posting it here. But since the following responses from the private website pretty well address the question concerning how God views unequally yoked marriages, I greatly appreciate permission from Rebecca and the other ladies to share them here as follow:

Response by Linda Wattu on April 16th, 2007 at 12:19 am
“Hi Rebecca… First, welcome to our family, where I sincerely hope and pray we can support and encourage you as you grow closer in your walk and relationship with the Lord, because that really does have to be your top priority at this time.

As you can see, I’ve edited what you posted quite a bit, and that’s because we very closely adhere to the posting guidelines here, and even this strains to do that. But your circumstances are very different and present some important and serious issues; much of which we haven’t discussed on the site previously, so I’ve left a lot more in than I usually do, in order to be able to address what I feel is important in your situation.

Sadly, to answer your question… Yes, you missed God and married the “wrong man”; and we know that because His Word tells us not to be unequally yoked. BUT, having said that, unless either of you were previously married and divorced for reasons other than adultery, in the eyes of God you’re married. Unfortunately, when you made a decision to act contrary to the written Word of God, you took yourself outside of His will and plan for your life, and away from His protection, provision and blessings. BUT the good news is that if you genuinely repent and are willing to examine and learn from the mistakes YOU made, and are willing to submit your own will and way to God’, HE CAN STILL TURN THINGS AROUND FOR YOU! And that’s not going to be an easy road to walk, Rebecca, but it is the path YOU chose. And now you have to decide whether or not you will learn to do things God’s way or if you’ll continue to do things your way. And you can’t effectively stand for the restoration of your marriage with the grace, strength and anointing needed to do so, just because you love your husband. The ONLY way that will happen is if you make the decision to do so in obedience to God. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t love your husband; it just means that’s not your reason or motive for standing.

While we haven’t discussed physical abuse in much detail here before, I don’t believe any woman should allow herself or her children to be in physical danger; but I also believe that God can change ANY man and there are many testimonies about abusive husbands being saved and changing. But that will require a lot of praying on your part, a lot of changing on your part and an awful lot of faith and humility on your part. I know there are numerous books written by women married to abusive husbands, and since that’s something I’ve had no experience with, I think it would be a good idea for you to see what is available, or maybe someone has something in particular to recommend. The Bible does tell us that the devil is defeated by the word of our testimony, so you need to hear (or read) the testimonies of other women who have had similar experiences. As you already acknowledge, you did not conduct yourself as you should have in many areas, but that still doesn’t justify physical abuse. However, you DO have to learn what the Bible teaches about your role as a wife, and make some decisions about submitting to God AND to your husband. If you start reading and studying the information posted on the website, you’ll start to learn a lot of the principles, but a lot of your issues are much better discussed privately, which I hope we’ll have a chance to do.

As I told you earlier, you’ll have the first baby born into the fellowship, so our hearts go out to you and your family. And even though your situation is very complicated, it certainly is not beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace. So it is my most sincere hope and prayer that you’re made of strong stuff, because you’re probably going to need it for what lies ahead. But the most important thing is your willingness to put ALL of your trust in the Lord and to make a commitment to obedience, because if you don’t trust and obey God, you probably won’t like the results any more than you like the way your marriage has turned out so far. But when you trust and obey God, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Dear Lord, you know my heart goes out to Rebecca and her unborn child…and to her husband. And, Lord, how thankful I am to know that what Satan intended for evil you WILL make good when we love you and are called according to YOUR purpose…and you didn’t make any exceptions to that, for which we thank you. Please surround Rebecca with your love and goodness, and give her the wisdom, grace and strength she will need to walk the path she’s chosen in a way that brings honor and glory to your name. Lord, we know you can turn her husband’s hard heart to a heart of flesh. We know you can create in him a new man; a man that walks in right relationship with you; and we know you can use his wife to help accomplish that. So I pray that Rebecca understands the need to submit her own will and way to yours, Lord, so that she can see your glory and power manifested in her situation; that her husband will be saved and changed; and her baby will grow up in a home with both a Christian mother and father. And, Lord, please let us be a source of support and encouragement for Rebecca as she grows in her walk and relationship with you. And I particularly pray for your wisdom and guidance concerning areas of ministry in which I have no personal experience to draw on, and I pray that you will send someone very special to minister to Rebecca’s very particular needs. We love you and we give you all praise, honor and glory as we pray and ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Response by Janet in Maryland on April 16th, 2007 at 10:14 am
“Rebecca, my heart really goes out to you in your very tough situation. There are so many times that we go against the will of God and really suffer some terrible consequences for it. But please know that we serve a merciful God. A God who is willing to forgive us for all our wrongs. A God who is willing to make all things new. A God to whom nothing is impossible. Remember that He can make a way when there seems to be no way. Just trust in Him and pray that His will be done in your life. Your first priority is for you to get right with God. Ask for his forgiveness and truly develop a repentant heart. Next, pray that your husband will accept God’s free gift of salvation and come to know Him as his Lord and Savior. God has a plan and a purpose for your life and the life of your child. These plans are to prosper you and not to harm you. These plans are for a future with hope. Just put your trust in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that you bless our dear sister Rebecca right now. I ask that you give her the strength to withstand what she is facing right now. Give her good health as she prepares for her unborn child. Grant her family favor as they try to help her during this time and give her perseverance to continue to seek your face. Lord, I pray that Rebecca will submit to her husband as to the Lord. Lord, I pray Colossians 3:19 for her husband, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” I also pray Ephesians 5:25-28 for him, ” Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” I pray that you will remove his heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh. Make him compassionate towards his wife and his unborn child for children are indeed a gift from God. Lord, I ask that you bless this couple and bring them into obedience to Your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. God bless you. Janet”

Response by Christy on April 16th, 2007 at 11:00 am
“…I am married to a non-believer and I don’t believe it was a mistake to marry him. Not the smartest move I could have made but if it were a “mistake” God wouldn’t be calling me to stand for my spouse and our marriage – and I am very sure I am to stand for his salvation and us. A lot has happened since my husband told me in July that he wanted a divorce. We aren’t restored but he has been changing – slowly. I have had many prayers answered. And some were answered quicker when I gave the situation to God. Any situation can change when God is the one in charge. Be thankful and praise God that He is the Redeemer of all things and is the Restorer of all relationships. Give Him the relationship. Ask God to take over and heal your wounds and heal your husband as well. Obviously, something has a hold on your husband (Satan, anger, hurts from the past, etc), and these things have to be let go of by your husband. God can do that. God can create a new heart in your husband. You need to ask and believe. I know it is hard to have faith right now. It was for me in the beginning. I still have rough days but knowing that I am doing the right thing by praying for restoration and trying my best to keep my relationship with God first – these things keep me going and I know things will work out and one day I will get my spouse back and he will be saved as well.

Things can work out for you too. Keep praying and keep believing. But while you are asking God to take control of your marriage and your husband, be sure to let Him take control of you as well. I had to change also to start seeing changes in my spouse. I know your situation is very different but, even though the changes may not need to be as great in you, sometimes God starts with the one standing then the changes in the “prodigal” spouse start to happen. Hang in there because God works best in what seems to be impossible situations!”

Response by Linda Wattu on April 16th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
“Janet and Christy, thank you so much for responding to Rebecca and sharing your hearts and wisdom with her. I know she appreciates it.

And, Christy even though you explained why you are so sensitive about using the Word mistake, and I’m pretty sure you already know that I agree that ANY situation is redeemable; it’s important to note for clarification – that happens only if we acknowledge our sin (mistakes) and ask the Lord for His forgiveness and then make a commitment to live in accordance with what His Word teaches. But any time we go against the written Word of God, we indeed make a serious mistake and will have to live with the consequences. And it’s very important to understand that God’s willingness and ability to turn our sin and mistakes (which Satan intended for evil) into good and something that works for HIS glory, in no way indicates or means we didn’t sin or make mistakes. In fact, as I have since shared privately with Rebecca, I too made the same mistake of marrying a man I had sufficient evidence to know was not saved, even though he told me he was, and that he had in fact even been baptized. So I too suffered the consequences of disobedience to the Lord’s command not to be unequally yoked. But I had to acknowledge that sin and that it was a mistake in order to be truly repentant before the Lord and receive His mercy and grace. And it was because I recognized my sin and all the mistakes I made, and then made a commitment to do things God’s way from that time on, that God has since literally used ALL of my mistakes to later help me lead my husband to salvation, and then me into this ministry. So my mistakes (sin against the Word of God and failure to act in accordance with it as a wife), my repentance and then faith and obedience to the Lord’s Word, has most certainly proven that God can and will redeem and turn our sin and mistakes into something very God glorifying Genesis 50:20). But NONE of that would be possible without first acknowledging that it was a mistake to do something contrary to God’s Word, so it is important for all of us to humble ourselves before the Lord and say that we’ve made mistakes and sinned against Him, asking for His forgiveness and thanking Him for the confidence we have that He will be faithful to His most awesome promise to all of us in Isaiah 55 . So, please don’t let any of the pain or issues from your past keep you from understanding and acknowledging that, as Christians, we do make a mistake when we marry an unsaved person according to 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? Then, having acknowledged that and asking God’s forgiveness, we can indeed be blessed as God takes even our sin of disobedience and works it to our good and for the glory of Jesus. But He does want us to acknowledge our disobedience and make a commitment to turn from it and live in obedience from that time on. Also, the Bible has some very specific instructions concerning being unequally yoked in 1 Corinthians 13. And we see just one of the examples provided in the Bible of how God expects us to honor our vows and oaths, even when they are made in error, through lack of good judgment, or as the result of being misled or deceived in Joshua 9. Since this is such an important topic and something that affects so many of us in the ministry, I really appreciate how you shared your thoughts about it here, because I will write a SOF post about it in the coming days. We all have to remember that the Lord tells us NOT to lean to our own understanding on these matters; that we have to look to His Word for guidance and instruction and that our opinions must be based on that, and then to do things according to what He teaches as we trust Him with all of our hearts (Proverbs 3:5-6). And I love how the Lord uses the experiences of one of us to help all of us grow in our understanding of His Word and nature.

Rebecca, I sincerely hope this helps you as well. I love and appreciate you all. Be blessed and encouraged!”

FAM chat this past Friday night was very interesting and I have no doubt several of the topics that came up will be used in future SOF posts, as well as this one. Even though we had fewer members participating than usual, it was quite interesting and surprising to discover how many related having a similar experience, in that they were being awakened in the wee hours of the morning, during which time most felt led to pray for their spouses. And then the next day, one of our new members posted an amazing message sharing what the Lord revealed to her about it; which follows, along with some of the responses from other members. Then one of the other amazing things was how the next morning, Charles Stanley’s TV broadcast message was like a perfect post script to what Thursa had shared, and added even deeper meaning, because the Bible verse reference Dr. Stanley used was Matthew 11:28-29, which says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. What awesome messages these are from both Thursa and Dr. Stanley. So I really appreciate Thursa’s permission to share what she wrote here, and the other ladies’ permission to always share what they write. I have no doubt this will be a very encouraging message for many men and women who have been standing for the restoration of their marriages for some time, and most especially for those who have also been getting Holy wake-up calls in the wee hours of the morning! So just remember that Jesus is in the boat with us and that He’s ALWAYS there to carry the weight of His yoke when we let him; when we surrender and do things HIS way! And NEVER forget the awesome promise and assurance we have in Isaiah 46:11, which says 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. When God says it, it is as good as done! So we’re just waiting for the perfect time, according to HIS plan, when it will be manifested in the earthly realm, and Jesus is right here with us while we keep the fourth watch just before our miracles are manifested, so receive and believe that and be blessed and encouraged!

Last night in the chat a few people mentioned how they were waking up every night/morning for the last week or so. This baffled me, as I too have been going through the exact same thing. And for the last couple of days, especially last night, I wondered why I was so restless. I initially thought it was because I was being prompted to pray for my husband, especially since what I needed to say would just flow through me and keep me up until it was time to get up anyway. But this was different than before; I wasn’t anxiously praying for me and my relationship with my husband; I was praying for my husband and his walk with God; that God would allure him and speak to him in the wilderness. Well, God is Awesome! I prayed, saying “I know there has to be more; what is it?” And I woke up again early this morning thinking about it, so I prayed about it. Then I looked in the Help Section of my Bible for “sleep”, and found nothing. Then I checked “rest” and there were many passages about Moses and Joshua and how God had allowed them to rest in their peace on obtaining their promised land, but now He called them to help their brothers. At first I didn’t get it, because I was thinking “God, I have peace, but I have not received my land back yet, so you can’t be talking about me or the others in the fellowship.” Then, He reminded me about the time frame everyone is talking about; that it’s all around the same time; and something I learned in our Women In The Word study Wednesday night, where we are studying Mark. The passage He reminded me of is when Jesus walked on the water in Mark 6:45-52:

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.
48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,
50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,
52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

We had just discussed the fourth watch in class. Since Mark was speaking to the Romans, it was based on their time table and their fourth watch is between the hours of 3am – 6am. WOW, that is the same time period we are all dealing with. SO, God was speaking to me, but I still didn’t put it all together. I logged in to initially begin typing this message, but it just wasn’t coming together. So being VERY tired, I prayed that God would speak to me while I lay down for just “a bit”. And He certainly spoke to me; He knocked me out and I had the best sleep in a looooonnnnggg time in the last three hours. I can’t believe I slept in that late (9:30am), because it put me way behind on my day. But that is my timing; not God’s. Then God began showing me the relevance of it all, and now here I am typing and sharing. It means something to me so I hope it means something to the other members who are having the same wonderful wake up I am during the fourth watch.

The above message speaks about the fact that the disciples were afraid, because they thought Jesus was a ghost. My bible has a note stating that Jewish superstition thought that a ghost seen in the night meant disaster was on its way. And at one point last night, I think someone mentioned that they thought it was the devil’s attempt to make them tired. But here Jesus tells them “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” I believe God is saying that Jesus is coming RIGHT TO US; right into our boat with us; kneeling down beside us and praying with us, just as He came along side and was with the disciples. He sees us struggling with our oars and is calming our storms and giving us that time to know He is RIGHT BESIDE US, so we too understand the miracles He is performing and might not be seeing.

I personally have had two miraculous signs showing me that God is with me, which I recognized; but for some reason I was afraid to publicly acknowledge them. Last Sunday, we heard about Jesus and His unfailing love for us, and there was a small gold tone cross up on the alter. All of the sudden the reflection of a heart showed up near the bottom of it, and my heart dropped when I saw it. How neat was it that someone orchestrated that. Then I heard “Lay your heart, your one flesh married heart at the cross and TRUST ME.” I sort of looked around and moved side to side. As I moved, the heart reflection would disappear. The reflection was only seen from my seat!!!!!!! My heart dropped again and I heard those same words..; the Holy Spirit speaking to me. Ok, I must do that for sure, and I did; and I still am – DAILY. But I secretly wondered if I was crazy. And as it started to rain on the way home the other day, I saw clouds on my right and sun on my left and thought “man, would it be cool if I saw the glimpse of a rainbow to know God really promised what I heard Sunday.” I gazed around looking for it, but saw nothing; not even a glimpse. Then about five miles down the road, I came to my turn and turned toward the clouds and WHOA!!! Suddenly, I saw the most complete and brightest rainbow I have ever, ever seen!!!!!!! It was soooo sudden and soooo beautiful!!! I immediately started crying and praising God. And my daughter was going on and on in the back seat, because she too was amazed. And I said “THAT is our promise from God, KK!” The rainbow left as quick as it came. It was just awesome. But I don’t know that I totally understood the significance of the two things I witnessed, which is the exact same thing that happened with the disciples. They saw it, but didn’t fully understand the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000. So Jesus came and was right beside them; just like He is doing with all of us in the fourth watch. It kind of makes you WANT to wake up during that time each and every day now, eh?!

But God is actually always with us; not just during the fourth watch. So why are we losing our rest and what relation is that to the land and the Israelites? Well… Deuteronomy 4:20 says But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you are now. I was initially confused about “rest”, because the notes in my bible say it is used for the peace that the Israelites had when they received their land as God had promised. Well, I don’t have my land! But WAIT…according to this scripture, it says that I am “now”! God did take me out of the “iron-smelting furnace” and He gave me GREAT peace in knowing that He WILL give me “His inheritance”…MY LAND…My restored marriage. Praise God!!! Joshua 1:13 says “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.'” God has spoken it already! I am merely waiting with Him to receive it, and I have peace and faith in that. So I am already at peace!!! Deuteronomy 3:20 then says “until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them, across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.” I believe God is bringing brothers and sisters into each of our lives that truly need peace. In my case, I know my husband is in the wilderness right now and God is speaking to him and alluring him back to God. So God is asking me to continue praying, and in the fourth watch, Jesus is there with me, praying too. That’s just one more sign to me that my Savior stands with me and God’s word WILL BE FULFILLED!!! And all this is to show me that He is working; He is God; He WILL do as He promises if I just keep praying, have faith and persevere!!!

Lastly, in Hebrews 4 it speaks about the Sabbath-rest after completion. After God’s work is done, and our work, we too will be experiencing a day when all is complete and we will look and marvel at all the blessings God poured out on us during this trial, and all the glory God has in it!!! Philippians 1:6…“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Have a wonderfully God blessed weekend!!!

Response by Linda Wattu on April 14th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
WOW is right, Thursa! I absolutely LOVE it when God uses scripture from different parts of the Bible to explain and confirm what He is trying to tell us! And one thought that came to my spirit right away is how it is always darkest just before the dawn, so the fourth watch also means that the dawn is breaking soon! That sure sounds like a “breakthrough” to me! Yeah, now I bet no one will mind those wake up calls so much any more! And those of us who aren’t experiencing them just might wish we were! Thank you SO much for sharing this with us…and you KNOW I want to post it in my SOF post. I know it will be very encouraging and enlightening to a LOT of people! Now I’m going to go see just who it was who said they were waking up in the wee hours of the morning!

Response by Linda Wattu on April 15th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Thursa, it looks like God added a wonderful Post Script to your message in the form of this very timely message, Letting God Handle Your Burdens, from Charles Stanley this morning! What an awesome reminder that God will give us rest even in the midst of our circumstances! Not only is He beside us, He’s holding up the yoke! And even though Dr. Stanley didn’t address it, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that right after Jesus told us to LEARN from Him, He reminded us that HE is gentle and humble! I had forgotten that Jesus himself told us that about his nature, which takes on very significant meaning when we remember that our goal (God’s goal for us) is to be transformed through the renewing of our minds into the image of Christ!
And here’s a link to Dr. Stanley’s sermon outline.

Response by Alex on April 15th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Thursa, your revelation spoke directly to my heart. I am grateful to you for sharing it. Last night I kept waking up and it was frustrating to me at first but like Linda said, now I’m looking forward to it! Be blessed, because God is speaking to you and through you in wonderful ways. Thank you. Hugs, Alex

Response by Janet in Maryland on April 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Thursa, I can only say hallelujah!! I have been experiencing my fourth watch wake up calls for sometime. I actually welcomed them as I saw it as a chance to pray one more time. Your post has certainly put an even deeper meaning to what I will call God sent communications moments. Thank you so very much for this revelation. As for your miraculous signs, how awesome could that really be! God is so good to us. Whenever we get a little anxious it is so awesome how He just sends something to show us that He is true to his promise that He will be with us always, that He will never leave us or forsake us. God is with you my dear, you have only to believe and I know you do. God bless. Love Janet

Response by Diane on April 16th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Yes, Thursa, it is great to read those scriptures and to see how God spoke to you. I do see those wake up calls as being from God and Him wanting to talk with me. I have had Him wake me up everyday at the same time but lately it has become earlier. So I will remember this post tonight when it happens and be thankful. God is so faithful and we just need to trust and believe. It is awesome to see how God uses what one or more of us are going through and how when we share, it speaks to so many. Bless you. Diane

What a very well timed message of affirmation, encouragement and instruction the Lord blessed me with when I received the following message from Glenn Jackson by email last night! And since I know everyone standing for marriage restoration can probably appreciate and relate to this message too, I just had to share it here! You can sign up to receive these daily messages by email on Bill and Marsha Burns’ Spirit of Prophecy website, as well as read this and other archived messages from Glenn H. Jackson at this link. So let’s all seek to learn a deeper revelation of obedience and be blessed and encouraged!!!

Every one of My children – as they receive those blessings that I have for them – should seek one thing and one thing only in those blessings, and that is that they might learn a deeper revelation of obedience. For as they seek this one thing, surely all other things shall fall into place [unfold perfectly] in their service to Me.

For My children to truly obey My command for them to love one another they will need to lay aside any thought for themselves. For as they go forth in obedience there
shall be many that cross their path who, in their blindness and hardness of heart, shall come against those who have been sent by Me. My bondservants and handmaidens must hearken diligently to the voice of My Spirit in every circumstance and situation – in order that through their intercession and through their words, they might cause that which is for the greatest eternal benefit of the one who has come against them to come to pass. They must, at all cost to themselves, let no unwholesome word proceed from their mouths. Indeed, there shall be many times when their actions are not “recognized” by those who do not have eyes to see; but truly I say to you I shall recognize all those things that they have done in My name and great shall be their reward – both in this age and in the age to come.

One of the most important kingdom principles for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand is the principle of sowing and reaping, because we WILL reap a harvest according to WHAT we sow. And that will happen regardless of whether or not we believe it. In other words, it does not require us to understand and believe it to make it so. And even though the principle of sowing and reaping is spelled out in great detail and reflected throughout the Bible, it’s still very difficult for many Christians, and standers in particular, to fully grasp. Yet, those of us who do grasp it and do our best to live our lives accordingly are indeed blessed, because we understand the vital importance and necessity to ALWAYS consider the seeds we sow with both our words and deeds and the resulting harvest they will reap. However, many of the principles of sowing and reaping spelled out in the Bible don’t use that particular terminology, even though that is the principle behind the message. Luke 6:27-49 is a perfect example of that and reflects many of the principles promoted and supported by the FAM Fellowship, because it says:
Love for Enemies
27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
39 He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Managing websites providing a forum for men and women who are hurting and struggling to overcome the pain, disappointment and devastation of separation and divorce, can on occasion be challenging, especially when trying to insure that the principles of sowing and reaping as stated in the above passage are positively reflected in the conversation on the websites; and on very rare occasions, there is no easy or very nice way to do so. However, since that is one of the most important principles behind the supernatural power we’ve seen manifested in our midst, which has brought about the miraculous restorations we’ve already witnessed, it has to be encouraged on all levels, even when unpopular or misunderstood. And as the above passage clearly indicates, God does not want us to concern ourselves with the sin, problems and issues of others (including our spouses; because He’s much more concerned with our willingness to deal with our own issues and make sure we walk and live in a manner that’s pleasing before Him. And it also makes it very clear that hearing and KNOWING that this is what God instructs us to do without DOING it, is totally useless, which is why we don’t allow “venting” on the private websites or use them as a sounding board for expressing our woes or giving voice to the dictates of our flesh. Instead, they are intended to support and encourage men and women who are seeking a closer and more victorious walk with Jesus Christ as we stand in faith and obedience for the restoration of our marriages for HIS glory. And since the goal of the FAM Fellowship is to help each other grow in our walk and relationship with the Lord; that begins with learning to overcome the natural dictates of our flesh by DOING what the Word of God instructs us to do. After all, we all want our restoration and homes to be built on nothing less than the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word! So we do our best to sow seeds of faith, confidence, obedience, encouragement, peace, joy and victory based on the faith and confidence we have in the power of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and our resurrected Lord and Savior.

Being ever so faithful, as God ALWAYS is, I shouldn’t have been surprised to receive the following message by email this morning from Elyon Ministries, since it so well addresses what was on my heart last night and today as the result of having to deal with some of these issues. And I have no doubt everyone will appreciate Pastor Eddie Yon’s message, Problems, Positions or Promises, just as much as I did! And there are a lot of other interesting and encouraging messages on his website as well. So let’s all be blessed and encouraged as we carefully consider the seeds we sow!

As so often seems to happen, the recurrent theme in the fellowship over the past few days has been obedience and listening (responding in obedience) to the voice of the Lord when He speaks to us. And we’re certainly seeing how that plays out in our lives through the testimonies of our members lately; particularly as we witness the extreme and devastating cost and consequences of adultery in the lives of so many of our prodigal spouses, and even in the lives of some of our members. That’s what makes today’s SOF post so powerful; because it comes from one of our “prodigals turned stander”, who has experienced first hand the devastation caused by adultery and disobedience and who is now learning all about God’s never ending mercy and grace, and how faithful He is to ALWAYS turn things around for us when we turn from our sin and turn to HIS ways instead. And since there are so many standing for marriage restoration today who were the first to stray from their marriages, I know this will be a very encouraging post, especially when read along with Isaiah 55, which is my favorite passage of scripture about all that the Lord will do for us when we turn from our sinful ways and make a genuine commitment to DOING things HIS way! Thank you, Jenn, for sharing this powerful message with us and for the awesome word of your testimony, which we know the Lord has already used, and will continue to use, to defeat the wicked plans and schemes of the devil as he continues to do his wicked best to destroy more marriages and families in the future. I have no doubt that many will be blessed and encouraged through the message God has given you to share with us, and I know YOU and your family will be blessed beyond belief for your obedience and faithfulness!

As we seek to walk more obediently with the Lord, here are a few questions we should ask ourselves. Has God laid anyone on our hearts this week that needs prayer? Is the Holy Spirit asking us to reach out to that certain person this week? Is there a call from God that we keep questioning? Do we do what God has asked us to do, or do we tend to hesitate?

Galatians 5:16-17 states So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. So we need to learn to listen to and obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell us where to go and what to do, and then we won’t always be doing the wrong things our evil nature wants us to. For we naturally love to do evil things which are the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we desire to do when the Spirit has his way with us are the exact opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes and desires are never free from their pressures.

Obedience means following instructions or recognizing someone’s authority, and without obedience we will not learn or walk in the knowledge and wisdom of God. So we need to make sure we’re following the instruction manual God gave us, because Jeremiah 7:23 (KJV) says but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well unto me. God instructs us that we are to honor and obey our parents, but do we not remember that God is our Heavenly Father? Are we obeying him? If we don’t listen and do what he tells us, we have severe consequences, and Leviticus 26:14-43 explains in very clear terms the consequences when we don’t listen to God and obey Him.

I personally know about the repercussions of not obeying. I did not listen to God as a teenager, as a young adult, as a young mother, nor as a wife. And I’ve paid the price. Unfortunately, our family has paid the price too. But I have now learned the blessings that come with obeying. It’s not always easy, but I am submitting to God’s authority and his word does not lie. He WILL bless and protect us when we submit ourselves to Him in obedience to His Word. Deuteronomy 4:1 assures us of that, because it says Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. And Exodus 23:22 says If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. Just look at Caleb… God blessed his family because Caleb obeyed and followed God. Numbers 14:24 says But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. And Joshua 14:13-14 says Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.

God wants the same thing for each and every one of us, and 1 Samuel 15:22 even says that to obey is better than sacrifice.” And Isaiah 1:19 (KJV) says If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. And since we all want God’s blessings, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we’re willing to wholeheartedly obey Him.

Father, I want to thank you for being our almighty Heavenly Father. Thank you for correcting us when we need correcting and raising us up to be the children of God you have so carefully and thoughtfully planned for us to be. Father, I ask that you give us the willpower to be obedient to your word. Help us to walk in the fullness of your truth, allowing us to hear your words spoken to us loud and clear as we deny ourselves and say “not our will, but YOUR will be done.” Free us from stubborn habits and give us repentant hearts when we have disobeyed your commandments. Father, help lead us to your path of righteousness as you teach us your ways and your truth. Jesus, I ask these things in your precious name. AMEN and AMEN

One of the things I find most disheartening in this ministry is the depth of deception so prevalent among God’s people concerning adultery. Many of the FAM Fellowship members are married to Christians, and a surprising number of them are actually pastors or involved in ministry. And yet they are living openly with women other than their wives, and appear to be fully convinced that God has forgiven their adultery, which they believe means they are now in right standing with God. And as difficult as it is to believe, many of them continue to go to church; some are still even in the pulpit or active in ministry of one kind or another (also still legally married), and taking their adulterous partners right along with them. Of course, the Bible passage most often used to “prove” or justify their point of view is the story of the woman caught in adultery, which is found in John 8:3-11 as follows:
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

As I’ve written previously, I personally believe the significant point of this passage of scripture is that we are not to condemn others, even when we KNOW they are guilty, unless we are ourselves without sin, which, of course, we are not. And the reason I say that IS because there’s nothing else here that is not well covered and illustrated elsewhere in the Bible concerning God’s mercy and grace; that when we acknowledge our sin and repent, our sins are forgiven. Yet, this IS the most powerful example of God’s instruction that we’re not to condemn someone even when they’re literally caught in sin; very clearly illustrating that God does not want us to judge and condemn the sin of others. But there’s NOTHING in this passage that says in any way, shape or form that God does not consider and condemn adultery as sin. Jesus knew what was in the woman’s heart, and He obviously knew she was repentant and would NOT commit adultery ever again in her life; and who would after having something like that happen! She had an up close and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and just as with everyone else, she would never be the same again! The law and God’s view of adultery was not affected by this incident in ANY way; and the only change that occurred was in the hearts of those who caught the woman in adultery and accused her, and in the adulteress’ heart. There’s absolutely no indication that the law changed, and God’s heart toward adultery most certainly did not change. So teaching otherwise is a prime example of the danger of being deceived by such teaching, and exactly what 2 Timothy 4:1-4 warned would happen, because it says:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Believing in ANY way that God’s grace makes it okay to continue in adultery certainly flies in the face (and plain meaning) of Romans 6:15, which says What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By
no means! And it’s certainly not taking the warning found in Hebrews 10:26-30 very seriously, because it says If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

In the months before putting it on my heart to begin FAM Ministries, the Lord put it on my heart to write a book called “Standing for Marriage”. But I hit a writer’s block one day, because I couldn’t figure out how to express something I wanted to without coming across as being judgmental. I wanted to make the point that the rampant rate of adultery and divorce and remarriage in church leadership throughout the country makes it very difficult or impossible for leading pastors and preachers to take a strong stand against it; not to mention that doing so would more than likely offend about half of their congregations. So I took a break and put it out of my mind for awhile. And then when I wasn’t even thinking about that, I heard the Lord say to me “as a dog returns to its vomit.” No matter how I tried, I couldn’t figure out what the Lord was trying to tell me, but since I knew it was in the Bible, I decided to check it out on BibleGateway.com, expecting it to be something about how difficult it is to avoid returning to our sin. And one of the verses that came up was 2 Peter 2:22, which says Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” That was pretty much what I expected, but I decided to look at it in context, which gives the verse before and after, but I accidentally hit the link for the whole chapter. Then as I started reading 2 Peter 2, the hair on the back of my neck literally stood up and I felt chills go up and down my back, because I couldn’t believe what the Lord was showing me and how it applied to exactly what I was trying to write about. The whole chapter is about false teachers, but it was verses 18 through 21 that really affected me so strongly, because it said For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. I was so blown away to realize how intimately involved God was in helping and guiding me to write what I knew He had put on my heart to write! And there’s certainly no better way to express what I wanted to than those verses!

So it really breaks my heart to see the lack of outrage in our churches today against adultery and the resulting divorces and remarriages that are literally destroying the fabric of our families, churches, culture and society; not to mention how contrary it is to the Word of God. It’s hard to believe that there’s no longer any shame associated with adultery and divorce and absolutely no requirement for people to turn from it or to refrain from it, even among the clergy. Even worse, instead of outrage, our churches are condoning and sanctioning adultery as they do no other sin, and church leaders even promote and perform adulterous marriages. In fact, WITHOUT meeting ANY biblical requirement for repentance or forgiveness, and with absolutely NO reason to believe God has changed how HE views the sin of their adultery, once an adulterous couple gets married, in the eyes of the church, there’s no longer a question or issue of sin, very dangerously elevating the authority of man’s law above the authority of the Word of God. But I have no doubt that the very sad day is coming when many preachers, pastors and teachers are going to stand before God Almighty and give an account for what they have taught, condoned and sanctioned. And I believe their hearts will break on that day too, because I’m sure the Lord will show them the extent of the harm and destruction they have caused by refusing to stand on the truth and authority of God’s Word against the way of the world as it pursues the lustful desires of sinful human nature. Somehow our modern churches have lost sight of the fact that God’s Word and its meaning is UNCHANGING, and it’s truth and authority does not depend on how we perceive it. Just as scientist of years ago were wrong despite being certain and sincerely convinced that the earth was flat, no matter how genuinely convinced someone may be otherwise, God does not and never will overlook, bless and condone adultery and adulterous marriages. So I pray and long for the day when the majority of our Christian leaders will forsake the way of the world and once again have the courage to teach and stand on the plain meaning of God’s Word. And how I pray and long for the day when the majority of Christian leaders will be convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit to join us as we stand on the truth and authority of God’s Word for the sanctity of marriage and stop overlooking and condoning the sin of adultery and promoting the false teaching that God’s mercy and grace is a license to continue living in it.

Dear Lord Jesus, we lift up your name on this glorious day,
As we thank you for coming here to show us the way.
And we thank you for the sacrifice you made,
As the price for all our sin you paid.
We thank you for loving us so much,
And for our hearts choosing to touch.
We thank you for the victory over sin and death you give,
When it’s for you we choose to live.
We thank you for the blessings, protection and provision you provide,
If in the way of your Word we simply abide.
We thank you for sending your precious Holy Spirit too,
Who guides and directs us in all we do.
We thank you for peace and joy that passes all understanding,
And for the grace of your love and goodness that’s never demanding.
And we thank you for coming again on that most glorious day,
When you’ll take us to heaven with you forever to stay.

It is not insignificant that the Lord would choose this particular time, when we celebrate and reflect on the awesome act of love, power and glory displayed when He sent His BELOVED Son to die on a cross for us and to be resurrected three days later, to give much greater insight and understanding concerning one of the most important scriptures to all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. How many times have we ALL said “All things are possible with God!” But let’s look at that in context; Matthew 19:26 says Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Even though the insight is so simple, it is extremely profound, because it was as if I caught the importance of the key conditional word “with” for the first time. And instantly so many other verses came flooding into my mind, along with the memory that the REST of the verse does in fact also say that “with” man it IS impossible. I kept thinking “With, with, with…what does “with” REALLY mean in this context?” So as I began writing this, I looked it up on Dictionary.com, which just confirmed the point the Lord was showing me.

Two passages of scripture that came to my mind immediately were Proverbs 3:5-7, which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.; and then Psalm 37:4-7, which says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Then I remembered Matthew 6:33, which says But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. and then John 15:5, which says “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.

Needless to say, a lot was going on in my mind almost instantly, and it’s difficult to adequately express that, but it really made quite an impression and gave me a more profound outlook on what it means to say that all things are possible with God. And it’s amazing how it confirms so much of what we’ve been focusing on in the ministry over the past weeks too. Because we’ve focused on the power of God and how to live and walk in it, the power of humility, the dangers of pride and the fact that doing things God’s way, gets God’s results; and doing things the world’s way, gets the world’s results. And we know God’s way is life and blessings and the world’s way is death and curses. John 10:10 makes the choice pretty clear, because it says The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

So we need to amend our casual use of “all things are possible with God” to “all things are possible with God WHEN we do things HIS way.” But we have to remember that when we choose to do things the world’s way, the things we want from God are impossible, because that’s what “with man” means. So one of the saddest verses to standers witnessing the deception under which our spouses now operate has to be Proverbs 14:12, because it says There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. But we can put our faith and hope in the GOOD NEWS found in the following verses:

Psalm 118:16-18
The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Ezekiel 18:21
“But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.< Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die.