Lately the Lord has really impressed upon me the need to be much more reliant on the power of the Holy Spirit as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, especially when we’re standing for the deliverance of our spouses from the snare of adultery. And unfortunately, that is the case for the vast majority of the FAM Fellowship members, as it probably is for most other visitors to the site.

In a recent conversation with a woman struggling to understand the hold the NCP has on her husband (a pastor at the time his adultery began ), the Lord brought it to my mind that the hold and captive nature of sin is exactly why we refer to it as a trap or snare. And when we think about it in those terms, it really does shed a different light on it. For those of us who are not (and maybe never have been) caught up in the bondage of sin, we just can’t relate to it, and we tend to think our spouses should be able to see what they’re doing and just stop doing it! But if we really stop and think about it, we’d realize that’s not possible. The Bible always uses descriptive words very purposefully, so we need to start thinking of sin, especially sexual sin, just like the Bible describes it; as a trap or snare; a form of bondage or captivity. And Ecclesiastes 7:26 provides a very powerful illustration of that, because it says I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare. And, as we know, when an animal is caught in a trap or snare, it is NOT possible for them to escape. There’s nothing they can do to set themselves free. So why should we think our spouses can set themselves free of the trap and snare Satan intended to kill, steal and destroy them. And to dispel any doubt anyone might have about Satan’s intentions, Proverbs 2:18-19 says this about the adulteress; For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

So our spouses’ deliverance from the trap and bondage of adultery is a matter of life and death. And just as it was with our deliverance and salvation from sin when we were saved, relying on the name and blood of Jesus is what it will take to deliver our spouses from the sin and consequences of adultery. And since no one comes to Jesus without being drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to be a lot more focused on praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to move in their lives and hearts. John 6:44 confirms that, because it says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. And we know god’s speaks to us through the power of the Holy Spirit, based on John 14:26, which says But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. So I hope this will help all of us recognize our need to be a lot more focused on the power of the Holy Spirit as we pray for our spouses to experience the conviction and repentance necessary to set them free from the sin that now holds them in captivity. And the following verses are just a few to help remind us that sin and death is overcome only through the power of the word and blood of Jesus Christ:

Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Revelation 1:6
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

As so often happens, despite reading it MANY times before, I was totally blown away when I read that last verse again tonight! Surely those of us standing in faith and obedience to the word of God for the restoration of our marriages CAN’T fail to understand and acknowledge the awesome importance and meaning of “sustaining all things by his powerful word”! Just think about that…and you’ll HAVE to be blessed and encouraged!

Despite knowing that the Lord was dealing with me concerning my failure to share some of the incredible testimonies He’s given me over the past few months, I resisted doing so for what seem to be good and honorable reasons, but there’s no such thing as a good reason to resist God. I even mentioned it in a recent post, saying that the Lord had nailed me about not sharing my testimony as I should. And even though my reasons might “sound” good, they don’t justify disobedience. But being ever so patient and ever so faithful, God continued to speak to me about it and finally drove the point home a bit more forcefully in the past few days, which I believe is why I’ve experience the return of chronic health issues for the first time in a LONG time. Well, He definitely got my attention, so I wisely decided to step out of my comfort zone and do what I know God wants me to do. And in His infinite faithfulness, He provided a perfect opportunity to share the testimonies I’m about to share. In fact, in light of how well this all ties in together, I now see that this is probably exactly how the Lord had it planned all along! For instance, I intended to write this yesterday and share it with yesterday’s message from Andrew Wommack as confirmation of what he’s teaching. But then what I wrote yesterday seemed more pressing, so I put it off until today. And so true to how God ALWAYS works, Andrew’s messages from today and tomorrow are even better, because they really make the point of how we experience the transforming power of God as never before when we really get into His word! So I suggest watching his TV broadcast from January 17, 2007 and January 18, 2007 before reading the rest of this post. They’re messages from the series he’s doing this month called “A Sure Foundation”, which is about how vitally important it is for us to study and understand the word of God and the supernatural power it releases into our lives. And those of you who know me best, know a series like this is right up my alley, so I encourage you to listen to the rest of the messages in this series as well, which you can do at his website, where they are archived.

Generally speaking, I tend to be very uncomfortable with anything that focuses much attention on me, and I have to admit that I may be overly conscientious about that because of how I’ve seen others in ministry let it become a problem. But the Lord has shown me that even good things can be taken to extremes, which is what I did, and that’s so contrary to the very verses He gave me as the basis for the formation of this ministry! The devil is very sneaky and cunning, and his clever plan and purpose make total sense in light of Revelation 12:10-12, which says:
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

So having been appropriately convicted that it may well be pride that kept me from sharing these awesome testimonies of literal miracles (because they probably sound too incredible to believe), I share them now solely for the purpose of bringing glory to God and to testify about HIS infinite faithfulness to fulfill every single word and promise found in the Bible, His inspired word! The things I’ve experienced are in no way a credit to me other than my devotion to studying God’s word and coming to the unmistakable conclusion that I can rely on every word and promise from God with absolute faith and confidence that He WILL bring them to pass! And since I’ve never experienced amazing and supernatural things like this before in my life, I know it’s absolute confirmation of what Andrew Wommack teaches in the two above messages, which are based on Mark4:1-20.

I actually shared the first miracle I experienced with the ladies on the private fellowship site immediately by posting the following praise report on October 9, 2006:
Good Morning Everyone! I’m so excited; it’s hard to contain. For the first time ever, I had a prayer answered INSTANTLY, and when it was, I have to confess I was shocked!
I was working in my yard yesterday for the first time in a while, when I felt something on my leg. It wasn’t moving or anything, so it didn’t occur to me that it was a bug (don’t forget, I can’t see), so I reached down to pick it up…but it WAS a bug or something and it bit or stung my leg and my finger. Within a minute or so, the pain on my leg was very intense and then it started to spread rapidly. I’m always getting bitten or stung by something when I’m working in the yard, but I hadn’t ever had anything quite like this, and as I was considering that, I remembered some pretty bad stories I had heard about people getting bitten by a brown recluse, and I wondered if that’s what it was. Well, I knew I didn’t need to deal with that, so I simply said out loud “Jesus, please help me and protect me.” That was all…no big deal. But the pain went away IMMEDIATELY and I couldn’t believe it! Then when I came into the house later and checked it out, there was just a funky little mark on my leg and it was a little sore to the touch, but this morning there’s no sign of it! Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal to anyone else, but it was a miracle to me, because that pain was pretty intense and it was spreading very fast! Thank you, Lord, and I give You ALL praise, honor and glory! And I didn’t even ask for it to go away immediately. I just didn’t want to end up in the hospital and to have some of the horrible things happen to me I had heard of happening to others…but God is just so awesome, and I think He wanted to remind me that He DOES listen and He DOES answer our prayers, and sometimes it’s even INSTANTLY!
And just as an extra note of encouragement, I started praying for the Lord to improve the level of communication with my husband a few weeks ago, and he’s done that too! I’ve talked to my husband twice in the past week and a half, after not talking to him for 14 months, and he actually initiated email totally on his own for the first time in 10 months, and now we’re communicating much more than we have in a long time. So don’t give up, ladies, and DON’T stop praying! God is faithful to answer prayers. Little did I know that was just the beginning of many other awesome miracles to come. And even though I won’t be sharing everything I’ve seen the Lord do, I’ll share the ones I hope will be the most encouraging to others.

Unfortunately, one of the things I’m not good about doing, even though it is something I strongly encourage everyone to do, is keeping a journal. And I really wish I were a lot better about that, because I know there’s a lot of detail I’ll never be able to remember, such as the date I prayed a very simple and heart felt prayer. But I know it was about two and a half months ago. I’ve bitten my nails just about all of my life, and during the two years that I didn’t, I still mutilated my cuticles. So my hands have always looked terrible as a result. Then one day when they were really in bad shape, I just said to the Lord that He knew what a terrible witness that was, and that I really wanted to quit, but that nothing I had done seemed to work, so I needed Him to help me quit biting my nails and picking at my cuticles. I don’t think I even put an amen on it…it was just a heart to heart with the Lord. And I didn’t think about it after that, and I don’t know when it happened…if it was right away or in a matter of time. But a few weeks ago I noticed a rough cuticle, and instead of picking at it or biting at it, I just got an Emory board out and smoothed it out and then put some cuticle cream on it. Well I was pretty impressed with myself, especially when I did it again later that night. And then the next day, I did the same thing, and I remember thinking “You’ve really quit biting your nails!” And that’s when the Lord brought the conversation I had with Him about it to my mind! Then I felt bad for not remembering and giving Him thanks for answering my prayer! That may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but anyone who has struggled to stop biting their fingernails will understand why I consider it a miracle!

Then the next miracle is a BIGGIE! I hadn’t been attending my home church for quite awhile for a variety of reasons, but we recently got a new pastor so I went back to check him out. I was very impressed, because he really preaches and teaches the word, and that’s a must for me. So I got right back into the hang of things at church, which for me includes “Cottage Prayer” meetings on Monday nights. At the first meeting I learned that my new pastor had some very serious back problems that debilitate him at times and that he was having a lot of test done to find out what the problem was. But much to my dismay, I also learned that he was what I considered quite deficient in the faith department! And I was REALLY put on the spot, because I’m known for being a pretty serious prayer warrior, and the leader of the group (who is also my Sunday School teacher and one of the deacons) and I have a very interesting history of praying for a major healing miracle In his life, which the Lord brought to pass, so he told the pastor not to be surprised if I had him sit in a chair in the middle of the room so we could all lay hands on him and pray for healing! Talk about being embarrassed; I was embarrassed, because I don’t do that unless I feel led by the Holy Spirit to do it, and I wasn’t feeling the slightest inkling to do so that night! And I didn’t feel so led for the next couple of weeks either, which was starting to bother me, so I asked the Lord about it, but got no reply. I figured it was because he didn’t believe the Lord would heal him. I think he felt that this was his thorn to bear, like Paul, and that the Lord wouldn’t heal him because of that. Apparently this had been a problem for many years, because he had surgery about six years ago and it didn’t really help that much. Well, much to my surprise, in the middle of a Wednesday night service, the Lord gave me the burden to pray for him. So after the service, I asked if I could pray for him, which he agreed to and appreciated, of course. A friend of mine was with me that night because she was considering playing the piano for us. So after church, she and the pastor went back to his office to talk. Then she came and asked me to join them. We talked for awhile and then we had a time of prayer; when I prayed for his healing again, feeling an even stronger burden about it then. And then we sat and visited a little longer. Then one of the strangest things I’ve ever had happen to me happened! Mind you, this was the FIRST time I had spent ANY time with a new pastor… Yet, out of absolutely nowhere, and definitely not of my own volition, I pointed at him and said “You are healed.” I was shocked and mortified! I couldn’t believe those words just came out of my mouth! And even though my friend has known me to do some pretty unusual “stuff”, I think she was just as shocked! Then when she was bringing me home, she told me she didn’t think he believed the Lord would heal him, so I wasn’t the only one who noticed that. Well, I just told the Lord that I was sorry; that I didn’t know what made me do that; that I knew the man didn’t believe He would heal him. So I guess I had really put Him on the spot! Then on Sunday I asked my pastor how his back was and he said it was “okay”…so I told him to start paying more attention to it, because it was healed. So again I was wondering where in the world that came from! There are a lot more interesting details, because it took a little time for it to sink in, but the bottom line is that my pastor’s back was healed instantly the night the Lord told me it was! Yes, I finally figured out (only after we realized that he was healed), that it was the Lord that made me do that, and not the devil as I had been tempted to think!!! Needless to say, that’s quite a miracle and my poor pastor is still having a hard time believing it! He tells me now it wasn’t that he didn’t believe the Lord COULD heal him; he just wasn’t sure the Lord WANTED to heal him!

Then my next miracle was almost two weeks ago. I have two elderly little Chihuahuas, fourteen and fifteen years old. Crystal was actually born the day after I moved out in accordance with our separation agreement, a little over fifteen years ago, and I got her when she was about eight weeks old. So she’s been through a LOT with me and she’s always been very healthy, but has slowly declined over the past three or four months and even lost her hearing. She had gotten to the point of hiding under the desk most of the time, which I think was because that’s where she felt safe since she couldn’t hear. But I’d always get her and take her to bed with me and Sabrina (the other little one). But that particular night she woke me up in the middle of the night, because she was throwing up. She was very weak, seemed to be having a hard time breathing and her body temperature had dropped. And when she refused to eat her breakfast for the first time ever, I knew she was VERY sick. So as soon as it was late enough to call, I made arrangements for a friend to take me to the vet’s, but we couldn’t go for several hours and I wasn’t sure she’d make it that long. So I did the only thing I knew to do and I laid hands on her and prayed for the Lord to heal her. I said I knew there wasn’t really anything in His word that said He would heal her, but He knew how much I loved her, so I hoped He would, because I knew He could. And then I told Him that if He wasn’t going to heal her, to please not let her suffer, and then I reminded Him that I couldn’t afford the vet bills. Then out of nowhere I got the idea to see if she would eat some peanut butter off my finger, and she did! That was very encouraging, and it wasn’t long before she got up and drank some water and kept it down. She drank water a few more times and kept it down, so I called my friend to say I wanted to wait to see what happened, and confessed that I had laid hands on her! To make the story short, the dog is fully recovered, just kept steadily improving from that time on, and now she acts like a puppy again AND SHE CAN HEAR!!! I told you this stuff would be hard to believe!

Well, there’s one more…a lot less significant, but certainly proof that God hears our prayers and that He takes great care to orchestrate the necessary events to bring about the answers! At our church wide prayer meeting last Wednesday night, my Sunday School teacher particularly asked me to pray for one of the women on the prayer list, so I asked for a little more information about her. And then I asked for her phone number, but someone said we should make sure it was okay with her first, which was certainly understandable. Apparently she has fibromyalgia among other ailments, and battles depression, and the Lord really put a burden for her on my heart (it’s hard to explain, but I don’t always feel what I call a “burden” to pray for people or situations, which I think is just the Holy Spirit prompting me). So over the next few days she’d come to my mind and I’d pray for her, and then Saturday the Lord brought her to my thoughts again and I was concerned about meeting her. Obviously, I couldn’t be used to minister to her without meeting her, and they had said she didn’t get out of the house much. So I just simply asked the Lord to create the circumstances where I could meet her if He meant for me to minister to her. And that was all. The next morning, my friend decided not to go to Sunday School, and I almost didn’t go either, but felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to call and get another ride, which I did. After class was under way, a lady with the same name as the one I was praying for came in late, and the teacher seemed excited to see her, so I wondered if that could be her. But there wasn’t any way to know and I had heard conversations recently about another woman with the same first name. Then after church, my friend and I were going to eat at a buffet and I invited some friends to come with us, but they said they were meeting someone else for lunch at another restaurant. So we decided to go there too. When we got there (we ended up being late, because my friend had to talk to someone about the music), about twenty people from church were there, and I ended up sitting across from a lady I didn’t know. Not being able to see, it took me awhile to figure out that it was the same lady who came in late to Sunday School and who was in fact the woman I had been praying for! So I was sort of sitting there like the cat who had swallowed the canary, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the conversation around to what I wanted to talk about…so I just asked the Lord to help! And I kid you not, a couple arrived late, who were visiting from another church, and sat down next to us…the husband next to the woman across from me and the wife next to me. And the husband was a very friendly sort of guy and started asking a hundred questions, bringing the conversation right to where I was hoping it would go! In the end she ended up mentioning she was on disability and I was able to ask why, and that led me to say I’d like to pray for her later if that was okay with her. I told her I really believed in the power of prayer and showed her my nails as proof. Then she said that she believed in prayer too and that that morning all she was praying for was to be able to get to Sunday School. And that’s when the Lord prompted me to tell her everything about how I had been asked to pray for her and how I had prayed for the Lord to give me an opportunity to meet her, and here we were sitting across from each other at lunch! She was pretty impressed needless to say, and as I was getting ready to leave, she said she definitely wanted me to have her phone number! And now we’re planning to get together for lunch or something soon!

I know this was long and I’ve included a lot of minute details, but they’re important to help show just how detail oriented God is when it comes to answering our prayers! And it’s not possible to experience miracles like these without realizing just how much God cares for us and that He manages and orchestrates every detail of our lives! But none of this started happening in my life with such regularity until AFTER I started spending a great deal of time studying God’s word. It’s just like Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and now Andrew Wommack, have been teaching all this week, the word of God has to be sown in our hearts before we can reap its promises and blessings. I have a quiet and confident trust and faith in God that I didn’t have before I started studying the Bible so seriously, and just as with salvation, after experiencing something so amazing, we can’t help wanting everyone else to experience it too. So that’s why it’s so important to make a serious commitment to doing whatever it takes to study and get a better understanding of God’s word, and that has to come from reading if for yourself, and not from what I or anyone else tells you it says. Nothing compares to the feeling of hearing from God through the power of His word, which is why I include so much scripture in everything I write. It’s God’s word that has the power, not mine or anyone else’s, so I pray for everyone reading this to be filled with a hunger and passion to read and study it for themselves. When you do, you’ll really know what it means to be blessed and encouraged!

How awesome it would be if we all truly understood that what we say IS what we get, because that is one of the most powerful kingdom principles at work as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. Yet, it is also one we probably ignore and abuse most frequently and egregiously, bringing a lot of disappointment and frustration into our lives as we stand for marriage restoration. So once again, I’m totally blown away by the Lord’s amazing power of confirmation, because the topic of so many of the TV broadcasts I normally watch every morning (both yesterday and today) have been about the relationship between the word of God and our faith, and how important it is to SPEAK the faith we profess to have in our hearts.. But the relationship between the words we speak and what is in our hearts is something we should already be aware of, because Luke 6:45 says 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 importance of SPEAKING the things we profess to believe and what we’re standing for in faith and obedience to God’s word, or even the power of saying it out loud, or praying with the word of God in general, certainly is not an unusual topic for Seeds Of Faith. But this morning Dr. Creflo Dollar brought a verse to my attention that I’ve probably heard or read several times before, but it never hit home or had the impact it did this morning. And I doubt very seriously it’s possible for anyone standing for marriage restoration to miss the importance and significance of the following passage of scripture, especially if we’re prone to grumbling and complaining, or expressing dissatisfaction with what we think God is or isn’t doing or questioning how long He’s taking to do it. So PLEASE very carefully read and meditate On Numbers 14:26-38, which says:
26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.
28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:
29 In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.
32 But you—your bodies will fall in this desert.
33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.
34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’
35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.”
36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-
37 these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD.
38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.
And that’s because they were the only ones who came back with good reports, demonstrating their faith and confidence in the promises the Lord had already given! But we need to read verses 28-30 again, because they say So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. Obviously, we need to sit up and take serious notice of this scripture, because it leaves NO doubt that our lack of faith in the Lord’s word and promises, or that the grumbling and complaining our doubt leads to, can literally cause Him NOT to perform the very thing He promised to deliver! And THAT should get our attention! And we can’t ignore or disregard the fact that their lack of faith caused them and their children (his chosen people whom He loved so much) to wander, languish and die in the desert for forty years; one year for every day the spies explored the Promised Land, only to come back with bad reports that led the rest of the people to murmur and complain, and lose faith and confidence in the Lord, despite having seen Him perform so many miracles on their behalf! So IF we’re serious about marriage restoration, it would be a very good idea to examine ourselves, and our attitudes and the words we speak, to see how much like the Israelites we are, because we certainly don’t want the same end results! And it’s not a stretch to apply this passage of scripture to the words we speak as we stand for the restoration of our marriages either, especially since we know God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Dr. Dollar’s message this morning was awesome and makes an excellent point of how what we say is exactly what we’re going to get. And even though this particular message was about living long lives, there’s so much of it that can be very particularly applied to standing for marriage restoration. And as he talked about water and sugar, I couldn’t help thinking of the water being the same as studying and meditating on the word of God, and sugar being the same as our inability to resist giving voice to our doubt and disbelief. So be prepared to take notes as you listen to Requirements for Long Life (Part 2).

But there is good news, because instead of allowing our words of disbelief, murmuring and complaining to cause the loss of the very thing we want and stand for, we can access and release the power of God to bring about the restoration of our marriages by speaking the words of faith we profess to believe, and Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcasts from yesterday and today can help us understand that so much better. So be prepared to take good notes for these messages too, as you listen to Faith – Part I and Faith – Part II , with Pastor Mark Hankins. There’s an awful LOT to learn in these messages, including the number one hindrance we all have to overcome as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, so I know you’re going to be blessed and encouraged!

Last Friday night FAM Fellowship members participated in our first “FAM Chat”, and despite the short notice, I was very pleased with the participation we had for the first time, and discovered several ways to make it easier and a lot more efficient to manage as the moderator. So we’re really looking forward to the blessings it will provide for all of us in the future, especially how it will enable us to get to know each other better and to share our insight and experience with each other for support and encouragement.

Since our topic was about overcoming discouragement, the conversation was very interesting, and the feedback from members who weren’t able to participate Friday night has been very positive. And one unexpected benefit for me personally is the material some of the interesting and thought provoking comments or questions from the FAM Fellowship members will provide for my SOF posts, such as today!

Since REALLY believing God WILL restore our marriages is a HUGE hurdle and obstacle for a lot of men and women standing for marriage restoration, I was particularly struck by the following response, because it may well explain why so many people struggle with it so much:

“You know, you say this over and over and over again in all of your posts- and again, you made it abundantly clear in your post from 1/11… it all comes down to TRUST. But when you read about all of the problems in the world, kids being abused, kidnapped and murdered, folks dying of all sorts of excruciating diseases. you just wonder why would God even think that the restoration of my marriage is so important relative to everything else…I guess when we box God down to our level of thinking and rationalization (satan’s playground). that’s when we start to question, and weaken, our trust in Him.. I believe you called it “stinkin thinkin”…”

That’s obviously a member who knows me pretty well, and in many ways answered the question himself. Because most of our problems usually are the result of relying on our own very limited understanding, which is EXACTLY what God tells us over and over again NOT to do! So there’s no need to address that aspect of the question, because we already know that when we’re doing something contrary to what the Lord tells us to do, we can’t expect to experience the fullness of His blessings, provision or protection, and we can’t necessarily rely on His supernatural power to work on our behalf for the restoration of our marriages.

However one of the greatest assurances we have that God cares about seemingly insignificant things in comparison to all of the serious issues and problems all around us comes from Matthew 10:29, which says Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. And Psalm 55:22 says Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Then 1 Peter 5:7 says Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. So the Lord tells us to cast ALL OF OUR CARES AND ANXIETIES ON HIM, and understanding and believing that in light of everything else we know concerns God gives an even deeper meaning to the preceding verse, because 1 Peter 5:6 says Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. And it’s not possible to consider the great majesty of God and all that concerns Him, without being humbled by the realization that He cares so much about us that HE orchestrates and controls ALL things concerning us. But that’s what Romans 8:28 tells us, because it promises that God will cause EVERYTHING that happens to us, ALL THINGS we care about or are concerned with, to work together for our good if we just love Him and live our lives in accordance with His will and word. And it’s difficult to find a better passage of scripture to remind us of God’s awesome majesty and all that concerns Him, and all that He does, than Job 36-42. Fortunately few of us have experienced, or ever will experience all that Job went through, but we’d all love to have a similar happy ending! So when Satan does his best to convince us that God doesn’t care about the restoration of our marriages or ANYTHING else that concerns us, we should read the above passage of scripture, and remember the great wisdom found in Song of Solomon 2:15, which says Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Since “little foxes” (little things) can ruin and destroy vineyards that are already in bloom, the “little things” have to be important to God, especially when we know it’s Satan who comes to kill, steal and destroy. And one of the saddest things that time and experience in marriage restoration ministry continues to reveal is how it is so often the very smallest of things that prevent, and even destroy all hope for marriage restoration, even when it was already in bloom. And most of the time, the root of those “little foxes” can be traced right back to PRIDE, which is why it’s so important for us to fully understand and rely on 1 Peter 5:6-7, which altogether 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. So remember that the next time Satan plants seeds of doubt, those destructive little foxes, in your mind about how much God cares for you and the restoration of your marriage and family. HE CARES FOR YOU; He’s looking out for you and He’s looking after you; HE’S ALMIGHTY GOD; and He HATES divorce, so be blessed and encouraged!

Since I’ve had very positive responses from the FAM Fellowship members I’ve discussed it with so far, I’d like to try something new on the FAM website tonight. The plan is to start hosting “FAM Chat” every Friday night (day and time are flexible, so please give me your feedback on that), maybe beginning around 9:00p.m. EST, which will be a time for FAM Fellowship members to communicate with each other in “real time”…right here on the public site. I’ll be asking members to suggest topics of interest, and then I’ll choose the topic from those submitted, write a short blurb on it, and post it as a password protected page here in Seeds of Faith. And the password will be posted on the private fellowship sites (both men and women) on the “News and Information” page. That means that ONLY FAM Fellowship members can participate, and the “chat” is not visible to anyone but fellowship members. Some of the other details we can discuss are whether or not we want to archive the FAM Chat pages (without password protection on the men’s and ladies’ fellowship sites) or delete them. There are quite a few options for something like this, and since tonight’s chat comes without much notice, we’ll make it a time to discuss some of the options and decide exactly how we want it to work. SO, I hope to see a lot of the fellowship members here tonight! And IF I get some good suggestions for a topic soon enough, after discussing how we want “FAM Chat” to work, we’ll move onto one of them.

After I post it, FAM Fellowship members can get the password from the fellowship sites (at the top of the “News and Information”) page, and then click on the link to “Seeds of Faith” that will be right below the password. Then click on the “FAM Chat” link at the top of the page, where you’ll be asked to enter the password. And then you can read the “blurb” and post responses (if you’re not already registered on the public site, it will ask you to register as a user). I’ll be moderating the “chat”, so your comments will be posted immediately, allowing members to “chat” back and forth in real time. I’ll include a link to email me about any problems, and my phone number, on the password protected page, so we should be able to work out any “kinks”. I’m really looking forward to this, and hope it will give all of us a chance to get to know each other much better, and be blessed and encouraged by each other!

As Christians, a very serious and important passage of scripture we fail to pay enough attention to is Deuteronomy 30:19-20, because it says This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, many Christians don’t seem to realize that we ARE choosing either life or death, blessings or curses every day of our lives. And sadly, way too many of us are NOT choosing life and blessings, because we don’t understand what that means. Unfortunately, we are incorrectly taught in many churches today that “abundant life” comes automatically just because we say a prayer, AND THAT IS NOT TRUE! In fact, most of us have probably heard this passage of scripture many times before, or it’s more familiar paraphrase, which is “I set before you life and death choose life.” But we RARELY hear the preceding verses, 15-18, which say See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. And verse 10 leaves NO doubt that we “choose” life, prosperity and blessings if we obey the LORD our God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul. And even though a lot of preachers and teachers say we don’t have to worry about these passages, because we now live by grace and not by the law, in Matthew 5:18, Jesus said I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. And that doesn’t happen until the END of the book…NOT in the middle as some would have us believe! And it certainly ignores and disregards Romans 6:14-16, which says For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? So God’s grace obviously does NOT give us a license to sin. In fact, it’s ONLY by the grace and power of God that we’re able to avoid sin, which is the exact opposite of the perverted meaning of grace taught in many Christian circles today. And Romans 6 1-6 , with the heading “Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ“, makes it VERY clear we’re not allowed to continue in sin just because of grace, because it says What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. That’s why Luke 9:23 says Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Fortunately, Deuteronomy 30:11-14 tells us very specifically HOW to “choose” life, because it says Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. And then in Matthew 4:4, Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ So there’s no way to get around it, the choice we make to be blessed and have the “abundant” life Jesus came to give us, life that overcomes the devil’s intentions to kill, steal and destroy us, our marriages and our families, is made when we spend the time it takes to KEEP the word of God in our mouths and in our hearts. And when we don’t do that, we choose death and destruction instead, because Hosea 4:6 says my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. And that should be MORE than enough to get the attention of all mothers and fathers! So as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, let’s choose life and blessings by making a renewed commitment to seriously read and study our Bibles, because then we WILL Be BLESSED and encouraged!

And we will find that IS the key to Keeping God First – Part I, as Joyce Meyer taught in her message today. And here’s Keeping God First – Part II.

One of the neatest and most exciting experiences for us as Christians is hearing what we know is a specific message to us from the Lord; just like yesterday’s awesome Small Straws message from Marsha Burns was for me. So I was very excited when I received the following “Coffee Break devotional by Lorraine Ezell from one of the FAM Fellowship members this morning, because I felt immediately that it WAS a special message for someone in particular. But before I share the Coffee Break devotional, I want to share a scenario I often share with FAM Fellowship members. However, it’s very important to stop reading long enough to answer the questions BEFORE reading on.

What would you do if you walked into a room and found a loved one unconscious on the floor? After you make sure they’re alive, what’s the first thing you would do? If you’re like most of us, you would probably call 911 to request an ambulance and paramedics. Then you would most likely go back to your loved one and try to give mouth to mouth resuscitation or CPR, or just hold them and try to keep them warm and comfortable. And then when the paramedics arrive on the scene, what’s the FIRST thing you would do? This is where it gets interesting, so think about what you’d do…try to imagine the scenario and think of what your natural instinct would be when help arrives on the scene. More than likely, you would move out of the way, and if you don’t the paramedics would certainly ask you to. And most likely, without any hesitation you would, because you’d want them to save your loved one and you wouldn’t want to get in the way. By now, you’re probably starting to get the point of this scenario. Why is it that when we encounter an emergency situation in our marriages and have to place a 911 call to God, we REFUSE to get out of His way? Why is it that we think God needs our help…that our marriages just can’t be restored UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING? Why is it easier to trust total strangers in an emergency situation than it is to trust our own beloved Lord and Savior; our creator who holds ALL things in the control of His ALMIGHTY hand; our God who loves us so much that He sent HIS loved one to die a terrible death on the cross for us; whose plans for us are for good and not for evil? That’s why it’s SO important for us to truly understand God’s command in 1 Corinthians 7:15-16, which says that when our spouse wants to leave (and ANY spouse that abandons God’s plan for marriage as a one flesh, life long, covenant IS an unbeliever), we are to LET THEM GO…and live in peace!

As I read this devotional this morning, I couldn’t help remembering John 14:27, which says Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. And then Matthew 11:28, which says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. And then the following verses tell us exactly what we need to remember and rely on as we stand for the restoration of our marriages:

Psalm 62:1
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

Psalm 62:5
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Then the reference to the mess Sarah and Abraham made of things when they took matters into their own hands, instead of letting God do things HIS way, reminded me of the above 911 scenario and how we ALWAYS mistakenly think God NEEDS our help! BUT He doesn’t…He REALLY doesn’t! In fact, He just wants us to put ALL of our trust and faith in His knowledge, skill and ability, while we stand back and watch HIM work, with total and complete confidence that He’s up to the task at hand…just as we would if paramedics were needed to save our husbands or wives in an emergency medical situation. So let’s all remember that God does NOT need our help; He just needs us to get out of HIS way so HE can work the miracle of marriage restoration as He provides the emergency care our spouses hearts require! So as you read the following devotional provided by About the Master’s Business, I pray that you will receive it and be blessed and encouraged!

“Quit!!”
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10a
I have a specific word from the Lord for someone this morning… “Be still, and know that I am God!” The Lord says to…”QUIT!” Quit worrying, quit fidgeting, quit trying to solve it yourself. You have been like Philip when Jesus approached him about how to feed the five thousand. Philip tried to reason it out. He didn’t know how it was going to be done because they only had a few cents in the treasury and it would take at least eight months wages to feed them all at least a bite.
The Lord also says…. “Take your hands off!” Take your hands off of the situation; stop trying to make it come to pass. You have been like Sarah and Abraham, unwilling to wait for the Lord to reveal the promise in His due season. Instead, you have tried to devise a way to make it happen sooner because you want it NOW! If you aren’t careful you will wind up with a bigger problem just like Sarah and Abraham did.
The Lord loves you and He is well aware of your situation. He was not blind-sided by it. He saw it coming before you did and He is not wringing His hands, pacing the floor, or chewing His nails over it. He is at peace about it…. so you should be too. He wants you to “be still”– rest! Rest in the fact that He is in control, He knows how to handle it, He knows what to do. He doesn’t want you fretting or sweating about it any longer. You have made yourself sick worrying over it. There is nothing you can do about it yourself. So put your full trust and confidence in Him. He will not leave you, He will not let you down. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think. So stop focusing on the problem; keep your eyes on the “real” solution… JESUS!
He also said to tell you… HE LOVES YOU! Repent of trying to handle it yourself. Repent of allowing it to do to you what it has. Ask Him to help you to be still. Fall into His arms and let Him love you and give you back the peace that you lost because of this.
Have a great day. Be still… and know that He is God!

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and it’s sent to you free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to call (601) 833-5278 or E-mail: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net.
Or visit us on the web. You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. You may also forward them via e-mail. But please remember to give credit to About the Master’s Business Ministry. And take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine.

As I sit here writing this tonight, I am so overwhelmed with emotion and so much in awe of my wonderful Lord and Savior that it’s not easy to put into words! However I will try to share a little about my personal situation to explain some of the total wonder and amazement I’ve just experienced. Even though I had another post almost ready to publish, it will have to wait, because if I don’t testify about God’s awesome faithfulness, it would be total disobedience, and I’m sure this will bless many others as much as it has me!

Anyone having read my testimony About FAM’s Founder, may recall that on the very day I went to sign bankruptcy papers at a legal aid lawyer’s office two years ago, I heard from my husband for the first time in almost nine years when he called and left several messages on my answering machine. And then in the coming months, he paid off the credit cards I wasn’t able to keep up with, in addition to providing financial support for most of the year. Needless to say, that was really wonderful and something I was very grateful for and truly appreciated. But there was an unexpected downside to the blessing. Since I’m legally blind and meet the income requirements established in my county, I have not had to pay property taxes for a number of years, but the support I received in 2005 disqualified me for the exemption in 2006 and now I have a tax bill due and don’t have the money to pay it. I managed on what I received during that time until this past June, and even had the money needed to set up the ministry websites, etc., but would not have been able to continue the ministry without additional financial support, which my husband agreed to start providing again in June. Then when I found out about the tax bill coming due this month, I mentioned it to him and he indicated that he might be able to help pay it.

Well I got the bad news concerning the shortage in my mortgage escrow account today and passed it on to him. I reminded him that he had indicated that he might be able to help, but told him not to worry about it if he couldn’t, because that just meant the Lord had something else up His Almighty sleeve! His reply was that he could send a little more than half of it, which at least covers the part that HAS to be paid this month. But if the rest is not also paid this month, my mortgage payments will go up significantly. Then as I was writing to express my appreciation and affirming my confidence that the Lord would be faithful to provide the rest, I couldn’t believe it, because the Lord was REALLY pressing me to read Small Straws by Marsha Burns…and it was like “Right now!” Well, when the Lord is that persistent, what else can we do! And I was TOTALLY, TOTALLY blown away! I’ve been reading Marsha’s messages for some time now, but she’s NEVER done anything quite like this in all that time, and the appropriateness of this, and how it so specifically applies to SO MANY situations and circumstances in my life and walk with the Lord right now are just too many and great to write about! But in addition to my obvious financial situation and need, there’s at least one other amazing aspect of this awesome and timely word from the Lord I feel led to share.

For many months now, I have been resisting something I knew the Holy Spirit was leading me to do, which was to establish a FAM Fellowship for men. Instead of going into all of the reasons I was convinced I COULDN’T do that, let it suffice to say that when the Lord wants us to do something, He has a way of getting us there, no matter how resistant we are. Of course, all of my reasons were sound doctrine, or so I thought, but they were still TOTALLY contrary to what I was absolutely CERTAIN I felt the Lord was leading me to do. So I kept trying to figure out how it was possible and wondering how the Lord was going to work out all of the obvious problems and resolve the apparent conflicts, but I never in a million years could have imagined His reply when He finally gave it to me. Due to circumstances that only God could have orchestrated on December 28, 2006, I made a split second decision NOT to resist what I knew in my spirit the Lord wanted me to do, and decided to respond to a man’s questions. Then I started praying for the Lord to help me; reminding Him of what I thought correct doctrine was and how that conflicted with what I also KNEW HE wanted me to do, and just asked Him to cover me since I didn’t have the covering of a husband. I didn’t have much time for a long prayer since I was expecting a call from the man at any minute, but I’ll never forget the Lord’s reply…it was one of the clearest things I’ve ever heard Him say! He simply said “I am your husband.” It was almost more than my mind could handle, but I knew immediately that it was true, because I knew the Bible said that the Lord would be a husband to those without husbands…I just never thought of it in that context before! I couldn’t wait to run to check it out, but I couldn’t find the specific passage I had in mind, and found Hosea 2:15-16 (NLT) instead, which says I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’ Then one of the FAM Fellowship members led me to the passage I was looking for, which was Isaiah 54, and when I read it, no words can express the total amazement and awe I felt! And then I discussed it with my pastor, who agreed that the Lord had given me the release to go forward. So last Friday, the private FAM Fellowship website for men was officially launched, and we started out with three members, including two who had signed up months ago! And then today, through another set of circumstances that ONLY the Lord could have orchestrated, I was called on to minister encouragement to a young pastor who I have a great deal of respect for, and even though the Lord has used me to minister encouragement to several women who are also ministers and pastors, that was the first time it was a man! And after our conversation, I was in total amazement at how the Lord had orchestrated it and how I wouldn’t have felt released to do it without what had happened in the past ten days!

Now, with all of that in mind (and there REALLY is so much more), just imagine the feeling of amazement and confirmation, not to mention incredible excitement, I felt as I read the following Small Straws message from Marsha Burns today (which you can read and sign up to receive by email at the previous link). And I pray that as you read it, you will receive it in your spirit and be blessed and encouraged, because it truly is an amazing word from the Lord!

January 8, 2007: We will begin to demonstrate the kingdom of God by recognizing problems and needs and appropriating the power of God through His Spirit to meet the needs and bring solutions to problems. We have needs, and we face problems every day, but we also have the power of the Holy Spirit available to us if we will only believe. Trust the Lord!
The world is about to experience its greatest turmoil in the history of man, and you can expect to see extreme volatility with regard to all natural and human resources.
But herein lies a great mystery of My kingdom. There is a division and widening chasm between My kingdom and the kingdoms of the world. Those who put their trust in the political and economic systems will find themselves on a roller-coaster ride with many ups and downs, and many will be ruined beyond recovery on this wild ride.
But, even in the midst of wars and rumors of terrorism, you will find more peace than you have ever known as you draw near to Me and abide in Me, says the Lord. You will find your stability and hope in Me and will not be afraid.
Many will be tempted to go back to old, familiar and comfortable places and seek worldly comfort instead of moving forward in the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!
As I began to seek the Lord for the coming year, I remembered the word He gave me, “Old ceilings will become new floors as we rise to new levels.”
Looking back, I can see that we have achieved new levels of things like faith, of warfare, of prayer and intercession, of revelation, of perseverance, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, etc. And that will continue in 2007.
We saw an elevation and breakthrough at the Feast of Trumpets 2006 in two areas — healing and deliverance. I believe we will continue to mature and stabilize in those areas as we have opportunities to put this new level of efficiency to use. In fact, one of the earmarks of this year will be maturity and stability in many areas of our lives.
However, I also have been aware of a move of Almighty God through the Holy Spirit to soften the grounds of our hearts to fall in love with Him all over again. This will cause us to instinctively walk in freedom and be blameless before God as we set a watch over our mouths and hearts. Our hearts are being prepared again for new seeds to be sown that will take root and bring forth a new harvest.
Don’t forget that we still need to consciously release ourselves to the Holy Spirit, to His fruit and gifts so that we take every opportunity daily to defeat the works of the devil as they manifest.
You have often and repeatedly defined yourself by the things you are not good at. But, now is the time when you can change your focus to see yourself as I see you, says the Lord. Because not only you, but many like you will be able to see with the eyes of My Spirit if you will yield yourself to this great work. The results will be astounding, for this work will begin at the very core of your being and will manifest outwardly as My glory.
Your achievements have come with a lot of hard work, diligence, and great difficulty. Not much has come to you without extreme effort. But, you have turned a corner in
your life, and you will now be able to go forth without the pressures and stress that you have experienced in the past. I will open your eyes to see, and I will give understanding and make known to you deep mysteries of My Kingdom. Enjoy the anointing of ease. You have come to a higher plateau or platform from which you will launch out. And, you will find greater freedom of expression and creativity than ever. Your sensitivity to My Spirit will bring deep revelation, and the gift of discernment will be ever present – no longer something that you experience in extraordinary moments, but it will be the supernatural invading your natural existence.
Release yourself to receive all that I have to give you. Give yourself some slack, for condemnation has been a thief and a liar, a formidable foe. Receive My word, not as a tool of chastening only, but as a witness of the work of My Spirit in you to reveal My great love for you. Let go of all reproach, and move forward in mercy and grace.
As you listen for My still, small voice, I will give you wisdom in every situation and solutions to difficult problems. Never doubt that I am with you. I have never forsaken you even for a moment. Life is a dance, and be assured that I have choreographed every step. Just follow Me.
You have successfully survived yet another attack of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy you. Even though you thought you came through by the skin of your teeth, I tell you that the enemy never had a chance against you when you rose up in faith and with courage to go forward. And, you are about to come into a place of greater power in warfare as you become as bold as a lion against the devil.
I see your heart that desires to know more of Me and to move in the power of My Spirit with great discernment. Know that I always hear and answer your desire for more
of Me, says the Lord. You will not be disappointed. I satisfy the hungry soul.
You have come to this place with many challenges and great difficulty. Things have not been as you had imagined. And yet, you have trusted Me and not given up. Even now, you face things that create fear and anxiety. But, I say to you, that I will bring you through every situation and circumstance in victory. You are about to rise up to new levels of faith in warfare that will make you even more effective against the schemes of the devil.
You are standing on a new foundation of maturity and responsibility. Things that would have brought you down in defeat even a year ago no longer have the power to subdue you. You have come to a new height, and life will never be the same again.
You are about to come into “your own.” To become very useful or successful in particular situation. Stability is something that has seemed to evade you at critical times in your life, but your continuing to seek My face and to desire My presence has brought and will continue to bring you to a place of divine stability. Not a stability based on your emotions or your finances, but a strong endurance based on your faith and relationship with Me, says the Lord.
You are about to graduate with honors. Your education and training are not over, but will be on a higher level. Greater revelation and insight will be required in this new course of study. You cannot stay in the old, comfortable classroom; it is time for an elevation, new challenges and new horizons. Do not be afraid to rise up and meet the demands of this season.
Your times of refreshing come from My presence, and you must take time often to be refreshed and renewed because the demands on your time and energy will only increase in this season. However, I am preparing those who you will be able to trust to share the load and ease the burden. Have confidence in your discernment and instincts to know who can be trusted, because the enemy will do his best to create confusion in your ranks. Follow your heart.
You have stepped onto a new platform of effectiveness in My kingdom. Your effectiveness will not come through outward achievement as much as deeper revelation of My word and a greater ability to communicate what you see, hear and understand by My Spirit.
The fallow ground of your heart has been plowed up, and your love for Me and My people will take on a depth and significance unparalleled in your life.
My joy is your strength. Difficulties in your life have often sapped your strength because you have lost your joy. But, I have gone before you to make a wide place for you to stand and be yourself without condemnation. You will stand in this place with greater confidence than you could have imagined in times past, and in this place you will be a witness and example of My mercy and grace.
You have recently questioned whether you are actually up to the tasks and demands on your time and energy. Disappointment is a powerful enemy. But, I tell you that I have anointed you for such a time as this. I have equipped you to deal with every situation and circumstance according to My word and will. Refuse to allow the enemy to question your effectiveness. I am with you, and will give you all the wisdom necessary to complete the good work that I have started. The devil is a liar!
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. Conviction is a work of My Spirit to bring knowledge and understanding through love, but condemnation brings death and darkness. Refuse to allow the enemy to bring you down with guilt and condemnation. Come boldly before My throne. I delight in your worship.
You will continue to become more effective in intercession and warfare. Your fearless courage and undaunted faith and faithfulness are pleasing to me and powerful in the realm of the Spirit. I will bless you abundantly.
You have yielded to the moving of My Spirit and have sought My wisdom in all things.
You have already accomplished more than you ever thought was possible, and as long as you continue to seek My face and hear My voice, you will be astounded at all that you are able to do.
You have been faithful and diligent in all things, and I honor you in that, says the Lord. Do not grow weary in your well-doing, for the seeds that you have sown and continue to sow will yield an abundant and satisfying harvest. Rejoice in My goodness!
Refuse to become discouraged in this time of transition. The challenges you face are merely opportunities to grow in grace and strength. You are on a fast learning curve, and in the future when you look back at this time, you will remember it as bitter sweet and a time of acceleration.
You have been in a rather long season that has caused you to redefine your life in every aspect. Your priorities have been rearranged, and relationships have taken on new meanings, some closer and some more distant. Now you will have opportunities to settle yourself and find a new level of comfort and stability as I lead you into the next phase.
Look back and see how far you have come. You spent a good part of your life without root or stem, but now you have both put down roots and have produced fruit. It has
been a stretch, but the fruit will continue to be maturity and stability.
What I have built I will not break down, and what I have planted I will not pluck up, says the Lord.
You have endured the most difficult time in your life and have fought a battle with almost impossible odds. Yet, because you have continued to trust in Me, you have gained the victory. The battle is not over, but neither are you, for I have called you to persevere as a mighty warrior in My kingdom. My strength is sufficient for you to maintain victory and achieve peace.
Your breakthrough is within reach. You have worked long and hard to overcome with what seemed like little progress. Now you will be able to see a light at the end
of the tunnel. You won’t necessarily be at the end of the long, dark tunnel, but you will be able to see and have hope again. My word to you is to press on and remember that I am with you to bring you through.
I will give you the strength and guidance necessary in the next phase of transition. Every step will be illuminated before you, because I have indeed gone before you to make crooked places straight and to break down every barrier and hindrance so that you can fulfill My purposes for you. I have already prepared the way for you to move forward, says the Lord.
You have stayed the course in the face of discouraging opposition and difficulties.
You have shown faithfulness, honored your commitments, and have not given up. Your heart of integrity will reap its reward in due season. Don’t lose perspective.

The level of discouragement expressed by some of the Fam Fellowship members in the past few days has been surprising, so I thought taking a look at its root cause might help. And while no one wants to hear it, there’s ONLY one reason for discouragement, and that’s unbelief, because IF we truly believed in the word of God; IF we truly took Him at His word and believed in His power to bring every word He speaks to us to pass, we’d be filled with peace and joy, because we’d know what He promised, HE WILL DELIVER! And the saddest and most ironic thing about unbelief is that it is the ONE thing that CAN keep God from doing what we’re so afraid He can’t or won’t do! That’s just one of the strange mysteries of God, but Hebrews 3:19 makes that very clear because it says So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. So God’s CHOSEN people couldn’t take hold of His promise and enter into the PROMISED Land, JUST because of their unbelief. And the same thing will happen to our restored marriages if we insist on letting the human frailties and weakness of our spouses overshadow the glory and power of God! Unfortunately, the dangerous and destructive power of unbelief couldn’t be more clearly spelled out than it is in Matthew 13:58, which says And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. That’s why Satan spends so much time and effort trying to make us focus on everything BUT the glory and might of God and His omnipotent power to bring every word and promise in the Bible to pass! And even though we’ve experienced the greatest miracle of all, which is the miracle of our own salvation, we tend to be just like the Jews mentioned in John 12:37, which says Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

On the other hand, when we make an intentional and deliberate CHOICE to believe in God and take Him at His word, we will be like Abraham, and have the same kind of faith described in Romans 4:19-21, which says Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. And Hebrews 3:5-6 tells us Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So we just have to hold on to the hope we have in the word of God. But we will struggle with that too if we don’t fully understand that god ALWAYS has a purpose and that He will ALWAYS do whatever it takes to make that purpose come to pass. So maybe the following verses will help us understand that, and help us realize once and for all that God DOES have a plan and purpose for us and for the restoration of our marriages and families, and that HE will do what it takes to accomplish that purpose:

Acts 13:36
“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.

Romans 9:10-12
Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”

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.“God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

Psalm 57:2
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

Isaiah 49:4
But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

2 Corinthians 5:5
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Colossians 2:2-32
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

2 Thessalonians 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

Revelation 17:17
For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled.

It’s SO natural to want what we want when we want it, and it’s easy to feel frustrated when we think we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, and the Lord doesn’t appear to be doing His part. Of course, that’s not true, because God even has a purpose in all that too! so I hope the following poem and verses will be helpful the next time you struggle with discouragement or when you’re just tired of waiting. Unfortunately, I don’t know where the poem came from or who to give credit for it, but I’m sure the author would be pleased to see it used to offer the comfort and encouragement so obviously intended, so be blessed and encouraged!

Wait…
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, ‘My Child, you must wait!’
‘Wait?’, you say, wait!’ my indignant reply.
‘Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By FAITH I have asked, and am claiming your Word.
‘My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign.
‘And Lord, you promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry;
I’m weary of asking I need a reply!’
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, ‘You must wait.’
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, ‘So, I’m waiting…for what?’
He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, ‘I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want–but, you wouldn’t know ME.
‘You’d not know the depth of my love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
‘You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save…(for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of my heart.
‘The glow of my comfort late into the night.
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.
‘You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’
Yes, your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss! if I lost what I’m doing in you!
‘So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
THAT THE GREATEST OF GIFTS IS TO GET TO KNOW ME.
And though oft may my answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to WAIT.’
–Author Unknown

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 38: 15
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.

Psalm 135:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 37:7
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.

Psalm 37:34
Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

James 5: 7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

This will probably come as a surprise, but I’m not entirely convinced that it’s necessarily a bad thing to hear someone standing for marriage restoration say “I can’t do this anymore…the burden is just too much to carry.” My unexpected reply is “Good.” And that’s because when we get tired of the burden we MIGHT FINALLY “let it go” and GIVE it to God! The restoration of our marriages and the deliverance of our spouses is NOT our burden and it’s NOT our battle. That’s why the Bible tells us in so many places that our battle belongs to the Lord and why it tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us; that No wisdom, NO insight and NO plan can succeed against the Lord. And 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 makes it VERY clear that when our unbelieving spouses leave (and if they leave, they ARE unbelievers), we are supposed to LET THEM GO…and then LIVE IN PEACE. But if we’re holding onto marriage restoration as a burden, we have NOT let our spouses go, and we’re NOT living in peace. That’s because we still think there’s something we can do to make it happen, even though there’s NOTHING we can do to bring about the change in our spouses’ hearts and the restoration of our marriages! BUT the GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD CAN AND WILL! And we know that based on Proverbs 21:1, which says The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

ALL God wants US to do is focus totally on our walk and relationship with Him, because He promises in Matthew 6:33 that IF we seek Him and His righteousness FIRST, THEN HE WILL GIVE US EVERYTHING ELSE…AND Psalm 37:4 promises that IF WE DELIGHT IN HIM, HE WILL GIVE US THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS! And when we start focusing more on Him and NOT on our circumstances, just like when Peter walked on the water, we won’t even notice the burden of standing for marriage restoration, because it becomes almost unimportant in comparison to the wonder of an intimate love relationship with Jesus! And in John 14:15 Jesus said “If you love me, you will obey what I command. So standing for the restoration of our marriages HAS to be something we do in obedience to the Lord, because if we stand for ANY other reason, we won’t be able to stand for the duration, and in Matthew 11:30 Jesus promised For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” That’s why we have to find that place of knowing that God has ALREADY DONE IT, and now we’re just waiting for HIM to reveal the time and circumstances under which it will be manifested, as stated in an earlier SOF post, The Battle IS Already Won! That’s what faith is ALL about. We HAVE to take God at His word. He’s not a liar. Satan is the liar.

Many of the FAM Fellowship members seemed to be a lot more depressed and discouraged on New Years eve and day than Christmas. Perhaps that’s because that’s more of a couples’ time than Christmas, and maybe it is because the thought of standing for another year is very discouraging and painful. But the bottom line for ALL of us is that we have to decide whether we believe God and what He promises in the Bible or not. And if we don’t, we really should give up, because He can’t work on our behalf if we don’t believe in Him and trust Him, if we don’t have faith in His ability and/or willingness to restore our marriages and families. And that’s based on Matthew 13:58, which says And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

However, I am curious to know just what giving up on the Lord and the restoration of our marriages leaves as an option, because IF we know the Lord has asked and called us (any of us) to stand for our marriages, and we don’t, we’re being disobedient and we will not be happy with the consequences that brings into our lives. God has a plan and purpose for all of us, and if He’s called us to stand for our marriages, He’s not just going to let us walk away from that, and more than likely, everything else we try to MAKE happen, won’t work or turn out the way we want, hope or expect. So, in the end, we have to give our burdens and cares to the Lord, and remember that as long as we remain IN Him and Him IN us, we CAN do ALL things and bear MUCH fruit; it’s when we’re apart from Him that we can’t do it, just as John 15:5 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. And how it must break our Lord’s heart when we won’t take Him at His awesome word and promise in 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. So when the devil tries to overcome us with thoughts of discouragement, it’s VERY important to take those thoughts captive and make them obedient to the word, which reading and putting Philippians 4 in to practice makes possible. Then the Lord will be blessed and we will be encouraged as we stand in faith and obedience to the Lord for the restoration of our marriages and families!

Godly wisdom is something most of us probably never think about, even though it is very important to us as Christians, and even more so to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. Wisdom is what it takes to make good, God glorifying decisions, which is so important, because our lives are the literal bi-product of the decisions and choices we make. When we make poor decisions and choices, we’re not exercising godly wisdom and the consequences are not likely to be God glorifying. Yet, when we make decisions and choices based on the word of God, they’ll always be good, and God WILL always be glorified.

Reading Proverbs 4, makes it very clear why godly wisdom is so important to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, especially when we see the benefits and blessings of wisdom, knowledge and understanding as described in verses 5-13, which say:
Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

While these are certainly wonderful benefits and blessings, and what we all need and want as we stand against the wiles of the devil for the restoration of our marriages and families, the key word is “get”. Obviously, there’s something we have to DO to “get” wisdom, and the ONLY way to get it is through SERIOUS Bible study, but most of the Christians I know, even those standing for marriage restoration are a lot less than serious about Bible study. But if we don’t get serious about it, we can’t count on getting much godly wisdom, which the following verses make very clear, because all wisdom, knowledge and understanding comes from God:

Colossians 2:2-4
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Daniel 2:21
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Isaiah 33:6
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Colossians 1:9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast this morning, Wisdom And The Blessed Life, was an awesome message about the importance and consequences of the decisions and choices we make, which I strongly encourage watching with pen and pad in hand to take good notes! And be blessed and encouraged!

Since I agree that there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, as the song says, than to trust and obey, and since that’s the only assurance we have of receiving all of the promises, protection, provisions and blessings of the Lord, which we certainly need as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, I was thrilled to see Joyce Meyer begin the New Year with messages about the importance of obedience. Then, out of curiosity, I decided to look back to see how many articles I’ve written about it myself, and much to my surprise, it looks like I’ve done a pretty good job of resisting my natural inclination to harp on it! So since I’m very busy working to get the new Men’s FAM Fellowship website up and running, I hope everyone will bear with me and not mind too much if I provide links to some previous SOF posts, and Joyce’s awesome TV broadcast messages from yesterday and today, which I strongly recommend taking the time to listen to, with a note pad and pen in hand to take notes.. And even though I refer to them so often, please keep the following two passages of scripture in mind as you listen to Joyce and read the previous SOF posts, because they can easily be translated into “Trust and obey, for there’s NO other way”…which is WHY I refer to them so often! But this time they’re from The Amplified Bible:

Psalm 37:4-6 (AMP
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Here are some previous SOF posts about the importance of trusting and obeying the Lord, especially as we stand for the restoration of our marriages (Note: Some of the links may no longer work.):

Trust And Obey Or Feed Your Flesh

Do You Love The Lord?

When You Want To Give Up

The Protection And Blessings Of Obedience

The Blood Of Christ Is NOT A License To Sin

Living In The Power And Peace Of God

Overcoming Confusion And Uncertainty

Trust And Obey

Here is Joyce’s message from yesterday and today…and tomorrow’s is going to be great too!
The Number One Hindrance To Being Blessed – Part I

The Number One Hindrance To Being Blessed – Part II

Also, I want to express my appreciation for everyone’s patience as changes are made to the websites and ministry in the coming days and weeks, which I’m sure will be more than worthwhile in the end. And the Lord’s put a LOT of interesting things on my heart to share, which I can’t wait to get to, but there’s also some great messages coming this week on TV, so there may even be some “extras” stuck in here and there as I find the time! I’m truly looking forward to all the awesome things, GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS, we’re all going to see the Lord do this year too, so BE BLESSED AND ENCOURAGED!

A couple of days ago, Jenn (one of the FAM Fellowship members) posted the following message on the ladies private site, and I greatly appreciate her permission to share it here. It’s certainly perfectly timed, especially in light of the exciting changes coming to FAM Ministries in the New Year, so let’s receive the promise of these awesome words and be blessed and encouraged as we expect and celebrate the coming year of jubilee! Thank you, Jenn, for sharing what the Lord put on your heart with all of us!

Dear standers.

I just want to let everyone know that I am so excited to read about the many praises that have been posted recently on the website. How wonderful it is to be able to read the miraculous things god is doing in your marriages.
What is also so awesome to see, is how God is bringing more and more standers to this ministry for us to help encourage and strengthen each other. How Awesome is HE!!!

Thank you to everyone for continuing to lift my family up in prayer. It’s really hard for me not being involved in the ministry as much as I have been in the past, but spending all my time with my family this Christmas has been well worth it. Please still know that each and everyone of you are in my prayers. Just a quick update as well, letting you know that this Christmas Holiday has been wonderful so far with all 4 of us in the home. Having our son home during Christmas break was the best Christmas present ever. My husband has been sick for most of this time as well. But, God has allowed me to be his nursemaid. THANK YOU GOD! My in-laws flew in yesterday. I am so excited to have them here. I know I am one of those lucky people, because my in-laws mean the world to me. They are also standing with me in agreement for the restoration of our marriage.

In the last 2 days, God has really been laying it on my heart and speaking to me very loud and clear. Over and over I hear him say 2007 Jubilee. I recently sat down and looked into God’s word about Jubilee. And I am so excited. Here’s what I found about The Year of Jubilee:

Leviticus 25:8-55 (I edited out some of the verses to save space, so read them all at this link, – Linda)
8 “‘Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years.
9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.
10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.
11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.
12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.
13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.
17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.
18 ” ‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.
19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.
20 You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?”
21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.
22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.
23 ” ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.
38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
39 “‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave.
40 He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee.
41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers.
54 “‘Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee,
55 for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 27:17-24
17 If he dedicates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains.
18 But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain until the next Year of Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced.
19 If the man who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, he must add a fifth to its value, and the field will again become his.
20 If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to someone else, it can never be redeemed.
21 When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it will become the property of the priests.
22 “‘If a man dedicates to the LORD a field he has bought, which is not part of his family land,
23 the priest will determine its value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man must pay its value on that day as something holy to the LORD.
24 In the Year of Jubilee the field will revert to the person from whom he bought it, the one whose land it was.

The lord is really speaking to me on this. I feel the Holy Spirit telling me that we need to dedicate ourselves to him; to fully stand by faith with no wavering or doubting. We can’t keep getting off the band wagon for our marriage restorations; even just with little thoughts of “what if”. That only hinders what God has in store for us. We need to help encourage each other on a daily basis and it does not matter what the circumstances are. We need to trust God and know that this is just a season for growth in our relationship with him; that HE is going to use this season for us to help minister and bring others to HIM by example. We need to stand and practice his law. Read his word, study his word, and apply his word, and most importantly, LIVE HIS WORD.

This is going to be a year of Jubilee; a year of strengthening our relationship with GOD, and HIM restoring families all over the world just as he stated in Leviticus 25:10, It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.

Father, Thank you so much for bringing each and every one of us to this ministry. Thank you for ministering to each heart that reads the prayers and praises of your miracles. Father, thank you for your agape love that you have for us and our spouses. I can’t give you enough praise and honor out of my mouth that would even begin to tell you what it means for you to be the number one focus in my life. I could not be who I am today without you. Thank you. Father, I just lift up my fellow brothers and sisters in this ministry and I ask that you would begin to speak to each one individually. Give each one of them peace during this season of storms that we are in. Give them the strength and discernment that they need to stand so they may reap the year of Jubilee for their family and generations to come. Thank you, Father. I ask this in your precious name. AMEN and AMEN

It is with a great deal of excitement and anticipation that I announce a big change coming to Faith And Marriage Ministries in the next few days. We are no longer a marriage restoration ministry for women only, and we’re currently in the process of setting up another private and secure website for our men’s FAM Fellowship! So there will be some modifications to our public website in the coming days, but they shouldn’t be very significant, even though some additional features are possible as we make such a tremendous and momentous transition. And since the Lord has given me many other visions of ways this ministry can be used to bring healing and restoration to many as we lift up His name and bring glory to His kingdom, I eagerly look forward to seeing them all come to pass!

The Lord has blessed and worked through this ministry in ways I never dreamed or imagined when He first sowed the seeds of it in my heart just sixteen months ago. And the things He’s done in the ten months since this website went up are indeed nothing short of miraculous and an awesome testimony of God’s faithfulness to honor His word when we honor Him with obedience by walking in His ways and living in accordance with His word! That means I’ve actually seen total confirmation of one of my favorite passages of scripture, which is Psalm 37:4-6, because it promises 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.

And I’ve certainly seen that confirmed over and over again in the past ten months, especially when four husbands returned to their marriages and families, keeping a total of nine children from living with the consequences of separation and divorce! Then in addition to that, the Lord put a halt to the pending separation of three other families with a total of seven more children, which were definitely on the brink of disaster. And the power and grace of God’s love and mercy have literally transformed troubled relationships between countless other husbands and wives, so many other families now appear to be very close to restoration! And I personally witnessed the most awesome power of God’s word at work, as I saw how it changed the hearts and attitudes of many of the women involved with the ministry in the past year. And most recently, the Lord used the wonderful men and women associated with this ministry in one way or another to bless two families in need this Christmas, which made what would have been a naturally disappointing Christmas for two women and their four children a Christmas they’ll probably never forget! And despite all of the incredible miracles I’ve been blessed to witness, the thing that NEVER ceases to totally blow my mind is the Lord’s amazing faithfulness and willingness to confirm everything! I see that almost every day of my life and quite often many times a day! But one of the most awesome miracles of all, is the one the Lord has done in my own heart and life! Very few people can honestly say that every day of their life just seems to be better than the one before, but that’s the only way I know how to describe my life and relationship with the Lord! I just can’t wait to get up every day to see what He’s going to do next, and it is ALWAYS so much more than I could ever ask or imagine! I’ve seen the Lord perform so many miracles that I don’t even share them all now, because after a point it just sounds too incredible to believe! And I’ve actually experienced instantly answered prayers, which is something I don’t recall happening in the past. And the list could just go on and on, but the bottom line is that we serve the most awesome God and His wonders NEVER cease, so I just want to give Him all praise, honor and glory for ALL I’ve seen Him do and ALL that I know He’s yet to do!

But I couldn’t possibly count and give thanks for my blessings in the past year without thanking every one of you for your interest, participation and support of this ministry, because without you it would be nothing! The Lord has certainly blessed this ministry with some of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing; ALL of you are very special to me, and I thank the Lord for each and every one of you. So the following prayer from Ephesians 3: 14-21 is my heartfelt prayer for each of you as we come to the close of one year and enter into the glorious and victorious year I’m certain God has planned for all of us in the coming New Year!

for this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

One of the most powerful things I’ve seen at work in this ministry is the totally unexplainable power of humility and how it so effectively works in marriage restoration, which is why I often say I just wish I could make women (and now men…more about that to come!) understand it. So I was really pleased to get permission from Adrienne Enghouse to share her awesome restoration testimony, which was recently included in one of Judy Rousseau’s email messages. Since Adrienne plans to write a book about her experience some day, this is just a little preview of her powerful and touching testimony of how the Lord worked in her heart and life as He taught her the power of humility, which makes me sure she’d agree that one of the most confounding things about learning to walk in humility is how easy it actually becomes once we learn to put it into practice…and the peace it brings! An earlier SOF post, The Power Of Humility, quotes a lot of Bible verses about pride and humility, so I strongly recommend reading it, and NEVER forget God’s awesome promise in 1 Peter 5:5-7, which says Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. That’s why I love Adrienne’s testimony SO much; she vividly expresses and illustrates the reality of what it takes to walk out the above passage of scripture, which is something anyone standing for marriage restoration needs to pay very close attention to and LEARN from! So thank you, Adrienne, for your obedience and allowing the word of your testimony to be used to overcome the devil in accordance with Revelation 12:10-11, which says Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. I know everyone will be blessed and encouraged by it!

“I hear in my Spirit it is time. Time for what I ask. Time to share our story. This will be a brief overview of God’s great grace, mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. The book is to follow:) Where to start…when I was crying on the bedroom floor, when he had walked out, and left his ring…or when he looked at me and said, “I want a divorce” No a little farther back.* *

I was a Christian or so I thought. I prayed when I needed something. Praised when all went well. Mostly I pursued my career and wasn’t a Biblical wife. Would never dream of making dinner for my husband or straightening the house because he was coming home. After all I had worked all day taking care of the children. And the house, well he was the one with the problem with it, let him clean it. Blessing him, why didn’t he bless me. I did all the work. I sat through a class one time where a woman discussed this very thing and I scoffed. “What century is she from?”

Yep, I brought home the bacon, fried it up in a pan, and did the dishes. And…he didn’t appreciate me a bit. I had grown weary of working 74 hours a week and we still couldn’t pay the bills. I earned over $130,000 and I never saw my children. Didn’t care that much if I saw him. But when he said he wanted a divorce, my heart broke into a thousand pieces. My friends told me he was a bum and to get on with my life. People at the church I started to attend told me divorce was okay. Some of the pastors had been divorced. After all he had committed adultery. So, as I lay on the bedroom floor, in the fetal position. Crying so hard I couldn’t even breathe effectively anymore. I cried out to the only One I thought maybe could help. But that was the start of a faith walk like nobody could write about.

First I had to believe He was there. And all though through out life I had prayed, even praised. I really had never come to the core of…is He real. Well, like the M&M’s guys say, He really is real. I set out to find out. (more likely He set about revealing) And low and behold, one thing after another fell into place. My friend Kelly and I reconnected. Without me knowing it, she had been training in deliverance ministry. And we spent hours going through my life, repenting, undoing, and restoring, generational curses broken and wrong thinking changed, with the Holy Spirit leading the way. I soaked it up like a sponge. I was bone thirsty for the word of God and HIS promises. And as the chains broke off and I started to walk in that freedom, strange things started to happen.

I could hold my tongue in heated situations. I could be humble and even apologize. I could even apologize when I wasn’t really wrong. Just because God asked me to do it. Just to keep peace. I could be right, and lay down my right and let the other person think they were right. I could just shut my mouth, and let God be my justice.

I started to hear God and walk in obedience. But there was along season of feeling like I was walking in the new way, but was blind and kept running into walls. Or stumbling over rocks. I prayed about selling our dream house. But clearly “felt” like I should sell it. I called the broker who had sold it to us, and it sold in three days of being on the market. I called the tenants at our rental house and told them that we needed the house back. And they found a place to live in a few days. We needed a home for our St. Bernard. We were leaving 10 acres and moving back to the city. A man showed up one day who lived up the street and asked about Elvis. To this day we don’t know how he knew we were looking for a home for our dog. But he had two other St. Bernards, and twenty acres, fenced!!!! It was awesome. I was praying constantly and answers were coming in very miraculous ways.

But the one prayer that eluded me was, “God bring my husband home.” I begged. I pleaded. I cried. But again I get ahead of myself. The house sold. The children and I moved back to the old house. One day I was sitting in a parking lot of a Christian bookstore, crying. Waiting for them to open so I could buy some help book someone recommended. And suddenly I wasn’t in the car anymore, but I was standing before Jesus. And He held me in His arms, stroked my hair. I sobbed onto HIS beautiful robes, and yet they absorbed my tears, and there was no dampness on HIS robes. He told me, “this is not what I wanted for you. I will _contend _____ for you.” Now that should have been the end of the conversation. I mean I had come face to face with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I had been given a promise from the ONE. But I continued to pray. I continued to cry out. In all of that crying out I learned alot about God. We had conversations about me. About my attitudes. About my view of HIM. About how I must think I am God. After all, my prayers were merely directives, telling HIM what I wanted. I asked HIM about strategy. How would He get my husband to return home? And He showed me. He showed me what my husband needed to be won over to HIM. He showed me that Stephen would need to experience unconditional love in terms he could understand. God showed me that He first loved me with unconditional love. When I cried,” I can’t do this anymore.” God reminded me that through HIM all things are possible. Not some things, but all things. Like that time my husband invited me to go camping. Showed up at the house and told me we wouldn’t be going. He was still going with the boys, and her. He then proceeded to take our family camping equipment and pack it into his car. I had cleaned it, packed food, gotten it all ready and now he was going to take it to camp with her. I thought I was going to die. As he started to pull out of the driveway God said, “Stephen forgot the watermelon. Go give him the watermelon.” I did. Before he got to the end of the block I was at my friend’s doorstep, sobbing.

Through all of this, God was teaching me to die to self. He was teaching me to walk in obedience and be humble. Like the Christmas I couldn’t afford a Christmas tree or anything for that matter. But God told me to go and buy one for Stephen, the woman he was living with at the time, and her son. I left work and drove toward their house. I said, “God where am I going to find a Christmas tree?” But as I approached the street, there was a Christmas tree lot. I said, “God, what if they already have a tree.” He said, “well then they will have two. But do you think I would send you out on a rainy night to buy a tree they already have.” Duh!!! I said, “God what if they are home. You told me to not tell them that I did it. ” God said, “Since I set this up, why don’t you let Me worry about the details.” And sure enough, nobody was there. The next day someone gave the children and I a Christmas tree. My husband called to talk to the children, and asked to speak to me. He never asked to speak to me without something nasty to say. So I braced myself, and he asked if I had bought them a Christmas tree. I asked God and He said to confess. I did, and I saw one of the first cracks in my husband’s heart. God told me to agree that the children could go there Christmas Eve night. With great pain, fear and trepidation, I agreed. This softened Stephen’s heart even more towards me. I was at home later that night, crying on the couch. When he and the boys pulled in the driveway. He spent the night and we woke up Christmas morning together like a family. That was the first time he came home. Much to my pain, he came and went several more times in the next two years.

There was a Christmas present under the tree because God had told me to buy it. Now, three weeks before Christmas my husband was not even speaking to me. Only cold stares, and mean comments, if he spoke to me at all. But God told me to spend every penny I had on a gift for my husband. I had doubts. Like what if she had bought him this item. What if he threw it back at me. But God said, “His response is not why you are obedient to me. You are obedient to me because of who I am to you.”
So I spent every penny on that gift. I had no money for the kids gifts. But I was not going to be concerned. God would do something. Well as you read above, my husband was there for Christmas, and shocked and humbled by the gift. A week before Christmas, my husband was at the house and a woman appeared at the door. When I answered she handed me a basket. Inside was almost the exact amount of money I had spent on Stephen’s gift, and alot of my very favorite goodies. The next day a woman on the Internet prayer group I belonged to sent me and Amazon gift card. It was a very blessed Christmas.

But my husband continued to pursue hard after a divorce. The settlement was terrible. No child support, and I was going to end up with the bills. My gut ached. I knew I couldn’t swing the bills. So again before the throne of God I showed HIM the divorce paperwork. I said, “What do I do about this? This is terrible. It is like he is getting everything he wants.” And God said, “Yes. I am going to let him have everything he wants…” There was a grin in God’s voice. Mischievous, He was up to something. And then it occurred to me, yes, yes, he is going to get everything that he wants. Then he will know that is not what he wants. I got it. I understood. What a perfect strategy!! God said, “Yeah, I thought it up myself.”

I asked God for a specific promise. Yep even after seeing Jesus Christ and hearing from HIS own mouth, I was still asking for confirmation and a promise. I was obviously a very tough case. But God told me, “I will deliver you from divorce” And He said, “We will face your worst fear.” I had know idea that my worst fear was divorce. I had come from a home broken by divorce. My mother had been married 5 times. It was so deep and painful but God showed me I was afraid and He would heal me. Again, duh!! I had to go through the divorce to be healed. I Okay, during those times of revelation, when God shows us deep, and mysterious things. It all seems so perfect, and of course it is perfect. But walking it out was very painful. Layer, upon layer, upon layer of flesh died. And when I thought no more could die, there was another layer. The first time I knew the kids were with my husband and this adulterous woman I raced over there in the car and picked them up. I was so angry. But the second time I walked out into the garden and started weeding. I cried out, “God how can you let this happen to them…to me?” And He answered, “do you trust Me?” Of course there is only one answer to that question, meekly I replied, “yes.” Suddenly I was overwhelmed with warmth, and joy!!! That yes would be put to the test 1000 times before this part of the journey ended.

This story only encompasses mostly the first year of our journey. There were many other women, broken promises and heartache. But I simply kept surrendering. Truly and honestly the number one thing that got me through all of this was to surrender to doing things the way Christ would have me do them. I was reminded if I was asked for my cloak to give my shirt. As for me, in any way a situation concerned me, I was to be at peace. If God asked me to do something He would provide a way to accomplish it. I learned to rely heavily on the HOLY SPIRIT to show me what to do in every situation. I learned that usually what I needed to do, was not going to look anything like the church or others thought it
should. I learned that God is a very BIG, BIG God and was almost always going to do something very unexpected. The tears didn’t stop in those 3 years. In fact despite the fact that my husband is home, I still cry out in pain,and frustration. They are short lived. I bounce back quickly and by the awesome grace of God, I am still standing. Only by HIS power and might could I have come through such a horrific time in life and be still standing. In HIS awesome grace, adrienne Bondservant to Christ”