If we literally gave anyone standing for marriage restoration a key and told them it unlocks the door to the restoration of their marriage, I can’t help wondering how many wouldn’t take that key and run to open that door immediately! Yet, even though one marriage restoration ministry after another does just that, it’s amazing to see how few standers take the key and open the door! Because the key to getting God to move supernaturally on our behalf in ANY situation is studying, understanding, and speaking and living in accordance with the word of God. It REALLY is that simple, and it’s obvious when standers do that, because we know them by the fruit they bear! Yet so few standers actually discipline themselves and MAKE the time to get SERIOUS about studying and meditating on God’s word, and understanding how vitally important it is to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.

We continually get repeated (from the same people) impassioned pleas for prayers for the Lord to change their husbands, to keep them from doing this or that, to make the pain go away, etc., and that’s undeniably frustrating when such pleas tend to come from the very same people who rarely, if ever, use the tools provided by marriage restoration ministries and others that the Lord has called to help in our time of need. No plan works unless we work the plan, so one of the saddest aspects of this ministry is seeing how many aren’t willing to do the HARD work marriage restoration requires. No one ever said it would be easy. In fact, Jesus told us that we’d have to pick up our cross daily to follow Him, and it doesn’t get much harder or worse than daily crucifixion of our flesh! So everyone standing for marriage restoration needs to seriously ask whether or not we’re willing to do what it takes to win the spiritual battle to save our marriages. And for those who ARE willing to do what it takes, the GOOD news is that there are many Scriptures to guide and instruct us regarding HOW to do that! So the following are just a few to keep in mind:

Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 1:2-3 (AMP)
But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

Psalm 77:12
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Proverbs 4:20-22 AMP)
My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.

There’s no way to overstate how important it is for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand that the devil WILL use our emotions to destroy and defeat us UNLESS we take control of them as instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which says For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Fortunately Philippians 4 gives us some VERY specific instructions about how to do that and avoid allowing our emotions and thoughts to defeat us, particularly verses 8 and 9, which say Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. In fact, it would be a very good idea to read the whole chapter of Philippians 4 often!

These two passages of scripture are SO important for us to understand, because they could literally hold the key to whether or not we’ll walk through the challenges and difficulties of standing for the restoration of our marriages victoriously. Not one of us can deny that in the early days of our marital problems, we were devastated and probably even dysfunctional for a time, so no one understands better than those of us who have gone through it just how painful and devastating it really is. BUT there does come a time when we have to pull ourselves up out of that dark hole of pain and despair into the light, of God’s love, and learn to walk in the power and promise of His word. And the only way to do that is with His grace, through the faith that comes as the result of reading and understanding His word, and by putting the things we learn into practice. Because as James 1:25 so clearly tells us, But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Creflo Dollar’s message this past Sunday was an awesome message about conquering our emotions, and it’s a very important message for anyone standing for marriage restoration to pay attention to, especially anyone who is allowing emotions to control them instead of the other way around. Pastor Dollar talks about how in one split second, failure to control our emotions can lead to consequences that totally destroy our lives. Unfortunately, I can really relate to that, because that’s exactly what happened in my marriage. I drastically over reacted to something so totally unimportant, and set into motion events that ultimately led to the destruction of my marriage, and then again so many times later to the end of earthly possibilities of restoration. And if we’re honest, most of us can probably think of similar times in the process that led to the demise of our marriages. But we have to remember that what Satan intends for our destruction, God intends for good, as we see in Genesis 50:20, which says You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. That’s why, no matter how bad and hopeless things may appear, we MUST believe and confess Romans 8:28 (NASB), which says And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. So instead of allowing Satan to destroy and defeat us by letting our emotions control us, we need to practice Matthew 11:28-30, which says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” So the only healthy and safe place to let our emotions take us is right into the loving and forgiving arms of our Lord and Savior, where we can rely on the promise found in Psalm 55:22, which says Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. And we have the assurance of Proverbs 3:5-6, which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. And we can’t ever forget the Lord’s promise in Isaiah 61:7, which says Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. Or the awesome promise in Isaiah 35:9-10, which says No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

So, don’t miss this very important message from Dr. Creflo Dollar, Governing Your Emotions – Audio, or Video, and then make a God glorifying decision about where your emotions will take you!

As a post script, I hadn’t had a chance to read what Marsha Burns had written in her Small Straws daily prophetic words this week, so I just visited her site and couldn’t help feeling that the following two prophetic words from Monday and Tuesday very appropriately tie into this post, so decided to add them below:

“August 22, 2006: I had a vision of God’s people hanging their harps on the willow trees like they did when they went into captivity. (Psalm 137:2)
I heard the Lord say, just as surely as My children went into bondage when they lost hope, you have been in mourning and grief over certain things and have allowed the enemy to shut your mouth. Your joy has ceased. You have hung your spiritual harp on the willows, but I want you to take it up again and begin to rejoice. If you will open your mouth, I will fill it. Take the first step, and I will use you to dispense My truth.
Psalms 81:10 I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
August 21, 2006: Refuse to allow the enemy to question your faith or reduce you to doubt and unbelief. Only by faith will you receive your promises. Strengthen your faith by hearing My word again and allowing the truth of what is not seen to overcome the doubts of what you can see at this moment. Do not give up or allow the devil to steal your potential, says the Lord.”
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Since I often feel that God’s grace is one of the most abused and misapplied spiritual laws, I was glad to see that Joyce Meyer started a series on God’s grace today, especially since it is such an important principle for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand.

As I’ve stated in earlier posts and elsewhere on this site, it’s very disheartening to see how today’s Christian leaders misuse and abuse God’s grace to excuse and cover up the sin of adultery as described in the Bible, and perform, condone and even encourage remarriage after divorce, especially when the divorce was not the result of the other spouse’s adultery or marital unfaithfulness. Jude 1:4 clearly warns against such teaching, because it says For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. While that may sound very harsh and even judgmental, I didn’t write it. And I didn’t write what Hebrews 10:29 says either, which is How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? And then Romans 6:1-2 tells us 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? While it’s important for all of us to understand that grace is not a license to sin or to continue in sin, there are even more important aspects of God’s amazing and infinite grace to understand as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.

First, we need to understand that it’s just by the grace of God that we are saved, that He chose and called us to be Christians and representatives and vessels for His glory, and except for HIS grace, we could be just like so many of the people in our lives that upset, offend and hurt us. That should be a very humbling thought and help us keep things in proper perspective when it comes to the grace of our Lord and Savior! Ephesians 2:7-10 makes that point quite well, because it says in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. And then Romans 5:1-2 says Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And Ephesians 1:4-8 says For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Grace is often defined as unmerited favor, because it’s by the grace of God, through our faith in Jesus, that we receive the forgiveness of our sin, as we see in the above verses. While it’s often difficult for those of us standing for the restoration of our marriages to look at and acknowledge our own sin and responsibility for the breakdown of our marriages in the beginning, it’s not all that unusual for us to have a difficult time accepting God’s grace and forgiveness by forgiving ourselves once we do. And that’s just as wrong as those who want to use God’s grace as an excuse or license to go right on sinning! So we really have to work on receiving the grace the Lord so freely gives, so we can then walk in the peace and power that comes along with it, because God’s grace is about SO much more than the forgiveness of our sins! The following verses are just a few that help us gain a much better understanding of all that our Lord’s amazing grace entails and provides, which is ALL very good news for us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages!

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Ephesians 3:7
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.

2 Thessalonians 1:12
We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Timothy 2:1
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:23
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 4:10
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

And I know we all love the two following verses!

1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Fortunately, the next two verses tell us exactly HOW to live in the abundance of God’s grace and ALL that comes with it!

2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Now that we have a better understanding of what God’s grace is and how to get it and what blessings it provides for us as we stand for our marriages, may we all experience the blessing found in 2 John 1:3, which says Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

And here’s a link to Joyce’s message, Gods Grace, Your Choice – Part I, from this morning. And here’s tomorrow’s continuation of this message, Gods Grace, Your Choice – Part II. And here’s If Not For the Grace of God – Part I and If Not For the Grace of God – Part II. And finally, Grace and Peace Be Multiplied to You.

Earlier in the week I was honored to be asked by the World Intercessor Network to submit a prayer as a guest prayer warrior, so the following prayer will go out by worldwide email distribution tomorrow. and I’d like to ask everyone to join with me in praying for the Lord to be magnified and glorified by the prayer. It is my sincerest hope, prayer and belief that the Lord will specifically use it to lead someone to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sharon thought I might want to share my heart and concerns for marriage restoration, but everything I tried to write on that topic was TOTALLY blocked! But just as soon as I let that go and asked the Lord to show me what HE wanted me to write, this is what came out! It’s clearly a message of salvation, so let’s pray the Holy Spirit goes ahead of it and makes a way, preparing hearts to receive it and make a decision for Christ. After all, seeing our husbands or wives saved is the most important prayer for anyone standing for marriage restoration who does not have the assurance that their spouse is saved, and we know that when they are in right relationship with the Lord, they will be in right relationship with us and others.

Dear Lord, we confidently approach Your throne of grace today with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips, for You are GREAT and worthy to be praised! We thank You for your everlasting love and for Your most amazing grace, through which You chose to sanctify us, setting us apart in accordance with Your will and good pleasure for the praise of your glory!
We thank You for giving us Your word which is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. And for sowing the seed of Your word into our hearts, so we can experience the power, blessings, and provisions of Your kingdom, which You, Lord Jesus, told us would not come with signs or visible display or be seen here or there, because it’s within us. And which we know is not about food and drink, but about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! So we thank You for giving us eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts and minds that understand Your word, Lord. And for the hunger we have for every word that comes from Your mouth, which teaches us how to live as we seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and for Your absolute assurance that You will then be faithful to give us everything else, including the desires of our hearts when we delight in You!
We thank You that Your plans for us are for good and not for evil, to give us a hope and future. And we thank You that NO plan, No insight and NO wisdom can succeed against You, or us when You are for us! And that the gates of hell can not prevail against us; that NO weapon fashioned against us will prosper!
We thank You, Lord Jesus, that because we acknowledge you as the Christ, the Son of the living God, You have given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven and Your assurance that whatever we bind here on earth will be bound in heaven, and that whatever we loose here on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Therefore, through the authority given to us in Your name, Jesus, we bind up Satan and his wicked and demonic spirits, all forces of hell, and demolish all arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we loose the power of the Holy Spirit to help us take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Since we know this may be a difficult day for some receiving this prayer, and for many others who are experiencing challenging and difficult times in their lives, marriages and families, we pray for them to feel Your love in a very special way. May they be rooted and grounded in your love today, Lord, May the experience and feel the wonder and power of your amazing grace and love. May this not be a day of sadness, but a day of rejoicing, because we KNOW You LOVE us and YOU have ALL things that concern us in the control of Your Almighty hand.
And we pray that on this day which might otherwise tend to be discouraging, that You will bring some special incident of hope and encouragement to each man and woman reading this prayer. We know You care about us in every detail of our lives, and many of us have experienced that down to even the smallest of details, so bless us with Your presence and encouragement today. Fill each of us with an extra measure of faith this day, Lord. Help us to keep our eyes on you and not on our circumstances. Help us enjoy the many things You bless us with every day of our lives instead of dwelling on that one thing we might not have or enjoy today. Show us how to express Your love by loving others, especially those who are not interacting in love with us. Let us be more focused on the love we demonstrate and give to others, rather than concerning ourselves with how others may or may not love us. Let us walk in love today that You might be glorified.
And Lord, please touch the hearts of our spouses and family members who are not walking in right relationship with You. It is the greatest desire of our hearts that they know You as Lord and Savior, and there are many of us who don’t have the comfort of knowing that our spouses and family members are saved, so our prayer for them is that Your Holy spirit will move in their lives today in a most powerful, supernatural way and bring them to the saving knowledge of You, Lord Jesus. We know You came to set the captives free, and many of our spouses, family members and friends live in bondage of some kind today, so we come against all manner of sin, bondage, strongholds, deception, adultery, disobedience and disbelief in the name of Jesus Christ, the name from which we know Satan must flee. We cover our loved ones with the blood of the Lamb today and it is the word of our testimony that they will be saved and that they will walk in right relationship with You. We pray that they will se You in us, and that all of our interaction with them glorifies You, and that we remember that every encounter we have with them either leads them toward You or away from you.
Be Thou glorified in this day that You have made Lord, Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Let Your love shine in and through us today! Amen.

For anyone reading this prayer who does not yet know and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, please understand that the Bible tells us that ALL men have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death, but that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior! Eternal life, AND the power, blessings and provisions of the kingdom of God while on earth, are available to us because Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the living God, died on the cross and shed His blood (without which there is no remission or forgiveness for sin), to atone and make the blood sacrifice necessary to pay for our sins, past, present and future! And NO sin is too big or terrible for the blood of Christ to cover and wash away. BUT, Romans 1:20-21, warns us that since God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, men are without excuse. So denying God’s existence will not keep us out of Hell. The only thing that can do that is believing and acknowledging through confession that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and rose again three days later. If you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your heart right now and want to make Jesus the Lord of your life, please say this short and simple prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that You are the Son of the living God. I know that You love me so much that You died on the cross and shed Your blood for the forgiveness of my sins, and that You rose again three days later. So I ask You, Jesus, please forgive my sins and come into my heart and be the Lord of my life, because from this day on I am Yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you just prayed that prayer, welcome to the kingdom of God and the body of Christ! And now you need to confess your salvation and faith in Jesus to someone else, and find a local church where you can worship and serve your AWESOME Lord and Savior. You are beginning a wonderful journey beyond anything you could ever imagine, and you’ll NEVER regret making a decision for Jesus!
If you need to discuss your decision, or even questions you have about making such a decision, please email me at linda@famfellowship.com or call me at 850-391-4073, or talk to any of the fine men and women affiliated with the WIN ministry. May the Lord bless and keep you!

In His Love,
Linda Wattu

Some of the most painful and challenging conversations I have with women standing for marriage restoration occur when their husbands are being incredibly irresponsible, insensitive, cruel and thoughtless, because there are times when we can’t help feeling like a “doormat” when we do what the Bible tells us to do in such circumstances. For instance JUST doing what the following passage from Luke 6 tells us is a huge challenge for all of us, because it says:
27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.

Yep, that definitely sounds like being a doormat when we lean on our own understanding, and think like the rest of the world. But since the final outcome we want is so much different than what the rest of the world ends up with, we must be willing to do things differently. And here’s what Luke 6 goes on to tell us happens when we do things God’s way instead:
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I probably wouldn’t believe anyone standing for marriage restoration who denies feeling like a doormat from time to time, or the internal struggle that goes on inside of all of us when we fight the sinful nature of our flesh and try to walk in the power of righteousness, humility and love, which IS our spiritual nature in Christ. And we all know how challenging it is to put 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 into practice at such times, because it says:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Based on my conversations with other women and my own experience, I know ALL of us struggle mightily with not being easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, and ALWAYS trusting! Some women even feel that doing that would make them look stupid, and they want to know if they’re just supposed to ignore what’s right under their noses. But the Bible doesn’t tell us not to get angry. It just tells us not to sin when we are, and not to let the sun go down on it. And we need to remember who the enemy is and be angry at him instead of our husbands, and even the NCP if there is one. And, of course, the enemy is Satan. Keeping no record of wrongs doesn’t mean we don’t notice them, but it does mean we have to forgive AND FORGET them, because the Bible tells us that when the Lord forgives our sin, He casts it as far as the east is from the west and never looks at it again. And we should never put our trust in our husbands in the first place, because they are human just like us, and we will ALL disappoint each other at some time or another. So our trust must ALWAYS be in the Lord, and that’s why the most important thing to do when we are challenged to walk in the wisdom of any of the above verses is pray.

Obviously, the root problem when being obedient to God’s word makes us feel like a doormat, or ignoring our husbands’ sin makes us feel stupid, especially when they flaunt it right under our noses, is pride. However, that’s another matter for another time, other than a reminder of James 4:6-7, which says But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jesus obviously knows and understands how difficult it is for us to do many of the things we’re asked to do for the sake of His kingdom and glory, which is 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. But thank goodness we have the assurance in Philippians 4:13 that we CAN do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us! And then we have God’s awesome promise that we will NEVER be put to shame for being obedient to what His word teaches, as the following passages of scripture reassure us, and which we need to remember the next time Satan tries to convince us that doing things God’s way makes us a doormat or makes us look stupid!

Romans 10:11
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

1 Peter 2:6
For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Isaiah 50:7
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

Isaiah 61:7
Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.

Psalm 25:20
Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

Psalm 31:1
] In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.

Psalm 25:3
No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

Psalm 71:1
In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

Psalm 119:31
I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame.

Isaiah 45:17
But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.

Psalm 34:4-5
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Psalm 119:80
May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

Psalm 25:2
in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

Psalm 71:24
My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

And Jesus gave us HIS personal assurance that being humble and obedient to His word in response to our husbands’ ungodly behavior, as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, will NOT cause us shame, because Matthew 5:2-12 says and he began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We can learn a lot from the instructions in Titus 2:7-8 , because they’re so simple and yet so powerful. It tells us In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. That’s certainly a God glorifying and worthy goal for all of us!

And in our darkest and most difficult moments, it should help and comfort us to remember 2 Timothy 1:12, which says That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. AMEN!!!

Regular visitors to the site know I’m like a broken record when it comes to putting so much emphasis on how vitally important it is to study the Bible, so will understand how much I really enjoyed and appreciated a message from Creflo Dollar last week about how the kingdom of God works. I really learned a lot from his message and have been studying the Bible since then to get an even better understanding of what he taught, which I’ve really enjoyed and want to share a little of here. While this is a very important message for ALL Christians, it is especially important when we’re standing against the gates of Hell for the restoration of our marriages, because we MUST understand how to fully access and operate in the power of the kingdom of God to win. After all, the battle belongs to the Lord!

I didn’t do as thorough a study as I’d like, because it would have been very interesting to check out the different words that were used in the original text for all of the biblical references to the kingdom of God, which I haven’t had the time to do. One of the things I found most interesting though, is how little it seems the references to the kingdom of God have to do with heaven, which is what I think most of us tend to think of when we think of the kingdom of God, which is why it would be so interesting to study the meaning of the original text. But the following passages of scripture still give us a much clearer understanding of what the kingdom of God really is, and isn’t, according to the Bible:

Luke 17:20-21
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”

Romans 14:17-19
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Luke 18:17
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

1 Corinthians 4:20
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Mark 4:26-34
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

The above passages of scripture clearly do not refer to a place or system of government, or where we will spend eternity, when they talk about the kingdom of God, which I personally found very interesting because that seems to answer a question I’ve always pondered.. Passages like 1 Corinthians 6:6-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:5, have always troubled me. Because I found it hard to believe that our sinful nature would really keep us out of heaven. Even though I was never able to explain why it DIDN’T mean that, I just couldn’t accept that conclusion. But, now it makes more sense, because the kingdom of God is not a reference to aplace or system of government. It’s about the unchanging spiritual laws and principles governing the power of God, His blessings, protection, provision, and discipline, and our relationship with Him, and when we’re controlled by our sinful nature, we can not experience the righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, as described in Romans 14:17. And that’s confirmed by Hebrews 1:9, which says You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” And Isaiah 48:22 says “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” Perhaps this addresses the questions so many have when seeing our “saved” mates caught up in many of the sins listed in the above verses, about whether or not they’re really saved, and if they’re sin will keep them from going to heaven. Without addressing the need for repentance on our spouses’ part, we know the Bible is full of great men of God who got caught up in sin in one form or another, so it’s difficult to understand where the notion that if we’re saved we can’t be such terrible sinners originated. David, who was called a man after God’s own heart was guilty of adultery and murder, yet we don’t question his relationship with the Lord. And Paul even referred to himself as the cheif among sinners. BUT we now know for certain that as long as our husbands are caught up in the sin controlling them now and threatening to destroy our marriages and families, they are NOT experiencing either peace or joy, no matter how much they try to convince us and themselves otherwise. And they can not count on the blessings, protection or provision of God. In fact, they’re surely going to experience the discipline of God, and the pleasure of their sin will last only for a short time, according to Hebrews 11:25.

Now, getting back to the message from Creflo Dollar, since Jesus often compared the kingdom of God to what nature teaches us about sowing and reaping, Luke 8:11 is very significant, because it says “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. That’s pretty awesome and explains why the Bible is so important to us as Christians! As Dr. Dollar said, the Bible is not a book of rules; it’s a bag of seeds! And John 1:1-4 reveals just how important the word/seed is, because it says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

The following passage from Luke is a very powerful illustration of how important the Bible is in our lives as Christians, because it contains the vitally essential seeds that must be sown into the soil of our hearts before we can reap the harvest and bear the fruit of the kingdom of God, which Matthew 21:43 helps us understand the importance of, because it says “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Luke 8:1-21 (AMP)
SOON AFTERWARD, [Jesus] went on through towns and villages, preaching and bringing the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God. And the Twelve [apostles] were with Him, And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been expelled; And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager; and Susanna; and many others, who ministered to and provided for Him and them out of their property and personal belongings.
And when a very great throng was gathering together and people from town after town kept coming to Jesus, He said in a parable: A sower went out to sow seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the traveled path and was trodden underfoot, and the birds of the air ate it up. And some [seed] fell on the rock, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away because it had no moisture. And other [seed] fell in the midst of the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it [off]. And some seed fell into good soil, and grew up and yielded a crop a hundred times [as great]. As He said these things, He called out, He who has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him consider and understand by hearing! And when His disciples asked Him the meaning of this parable, He said to them, To you it has been given to [come progressively to] know (to recognize and understand more strongly and clearly) the mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that, [though] looking, they may not see; and hearing, they may not comprehend. Now the meaning of the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those along the traveled road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and carries away the message out of their hearts, that they may not believe (acknowledge Me as their Savior and devote themselves to Me) and be saved [here and hereafter]. And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear [the Word], receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof). And as for what fell among the thorns, these are [the people] who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not ripen (come to maturity and perfection). But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience. No one after he has lighted a lamp covers it with a vessel or puts it under a [dining table] couch; but he puts it on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come out into the open. Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away.
Then Jesus’ mother and His brothers came along toward Him, but they could not get to Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to have an interview with You. But He answered them, My mother and My brothers are those who listen to the Word of God and do it!

May every seed of God’s word be sown deeply into our hearts and produce a bountiful harvest of fruit for the glory of our Lord and Savior! And when the devil tries to steal, kill or destroy that precious seed through the trials we face while faithfully and obediently standing for the restoration of our marriages, and we need to be reminded that the blessings and promises of the kingdom of God are available in our lives now and not something so seemingly distant and intangible as heaven, we find assurance of that in Luke 18:28-30, because it says Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” And we should remember Hebrews 12:28-29, which reminds us Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

The links below are to both parts of Dr. Dollar’s AWESOME message, which is described on their website as follows:
“Many Christians lack knowledge but expect to receive a harvest of something they never planted in their hearts. In this single message, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar shows us that when we invest time in learning to operate in the Kingdom of God system, we can determine our own outcome in life. Plant the Word of God in your heart today and allow it to produce the type of fruit you desire for every situation and condition in life!”

How the Kingdom of God Works (Part 1) – Dial Up
How the Kingdom of God Works (Part 1) – Broadband/DSL

How the Kingdom of God Works (Part 2) – Dial Up
How the Kingdom of God Works (Part 2) – Broadband/DSL

This morning one of our regular visitors to the site sent me a link to an awesome message from Beth More, which I know everyone standing for marriage restoration REALLY, REALLY needs to hear! So thanks Daphne!

Beth Moore is a regular guest every Wednesday on the Life Today program with James and Betty Robison, and she’s currently doing a series called “A Fight Worth Having”. The message today was part 3 of that series, and it’s VERY powerful and something all of us need to listen to and put into practice as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. It’s definitely one of those “ouch” messages though, but sometimes that’s exactly what we need to hear.

The basic text of her message comes from 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.

What a powerful, yet scary message, because most of us are guilty of letting our pride get the best of us from time to time. But we probably don’t consider how deadly a sin that is, because we don’t realize that it actually causes the Lord to OPPOSE us! I quite often remember and remind myself and other ladies of Proverbs 29:23, which says A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. And while that’s a good thing to remember, it’s not nearly as powerful as this passage, so this is something I’m not likely to ever forget again! BUT the good news is that when we DO humble ourselves UNDER the mighty hand of God, HE WILL lift us up in DUE time! There’s that time thing again! So perhaps another important lesson to take from this message is that every time we mumble, grumble and complain about the time…how long it’s taking…and how tired we’re getting, we are forgetting to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and forgetting to cast all of our anxieties on Him! And since that’s why the Israelites had to spend an extra 40 years in the wilderness, this is DEFINITELY a message we need to get!

Another very important point Beth makes in this message which I know applies to just about all of us is how we MISUSE the word of God by trying to use it AGAINST our husbands. She makes her point about that most effectively too, so that’s another lesson none of us are likely to forget again either.

You can find and listen to today’s message, “A Fight Worth Having,” part 3, at this link to the Life Today archives for August 2006, under:

Wednesday, August 16
Guest: Beth Moore
Topic: “A Fight Worth Having,” part 3

And the message from last week is at the same link under:

Wednesday, August 9
Guest: Beth Moore
Topic: “A Fight Worth Having,” part 2

And the first message in this series, “A Fight Worth Having,” part 1, is available at this link under:

Wednesday, July 26
Guest: Beth Moore
Topic: “A Fight Worth Having,” part 1

And you can access all of the webcast archives from the Life Today program, including other series with Beth Moore at this link. And transcripts of the programs are also available at the above links.

Thanks again, Daphne. You were obviously right… it certainly was one I enjoyed…AND APPRECIATED!

The following prayer is from Sharon Kornegay of the World Intercessory Network (WIN), which sends prayers out worldwide through email every day. And I know this particular prayer will bless and encourage so many who are standing for marriage restoration, because it specifically speaks to so many of the things that concern us. So be blessed and encouraged! And thank you, Sharon, for always giving me permission to share your prayers, and for your faithful obedience and dedication to the much needed ministry God has called you to! May the Lord richly bless and protect you and all of the prayer warriors in your ministry, and all intercessors worldwide! We all need and appreciate the covering of God’s anointed prayer warriors SO much!

Father, I lift up every person reading this e-mail today.
I especially pray for those who are not Christians.
I ask that You will begin to minister to hearts of men all over this world.
Draw each and every one of us closer to You.
Help us to conform to Your plans for our lives and forgive us for falling short of them.
We are praying today for salvation.
Teach each of us Your ways and statutes.
I pray today for Your Word to comfort those who are weak, broken-hearted, or ill.
I also pray for those who are weary.
You have said for us to not become weak in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
I lift up every person reading this prayer who may be worrying.
You have said that instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape our worries into prayers, letting You know our concerns.
Before we know it, a sense of Your wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle us down (Phillipians 4:6-7), message Bible.
For we know that You are our loving ally and our fortress, our tower of safety, our deliverer. You stand before us as a shield, and we take refuge in You (Psalm 144:2) NLT.
As we begin our workday, help us to pause and reflect on Your goodness towards us.
We can stand boldly and confidently in Your Word no matter what happens on today.
In the presence of our enemies, You will prepare a feast for us. You welcome us as a guest, anointing our heads with oil. Our cup runs over with blessings. Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue us all the days of our lives, and we will live in Your house forever.
Thank You for answering every person in distress today.
Your name protects us and You will give to us the desires of our hearts and make all of our plans to succeed.
We will shout for joy and lift up our banners in Your mighty name because we are a victorious people.
Jesus has said that whoever obeys His commands is the one who loves Him.
He said that whoever loves Him will also be loved by the Father and He too would love us and show himself to us.
We praise You today for love.
Love covers a multitude of sin.
We declare today that though the mountains shake and the hills be removed, Your unfailing love for us will not be shaken nor Your covenant of peace removed; For You have compassion for us.
As I pray today I ask that You lift up every hung down head and cover each of Your children with Your mercy, grace and protection.
I lift up every servant of the Most High God and declare that we are made more than conquerors today through Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have the anointing working and living on the inside of us and we can and will do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us.
We will remain strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
We pray for our children to be protected from evil influences and words that would try to break their spirits. Our children are comforted with the might of Almighty God.
We lift up every teacher and instructor and pray that an anointing to teach will operate through them. Give them patience.
We bind up and come against any generational curses that may have been operative in our lives. We destroy them now in Jesus’ name and declare the glory of God as being operative in us.
We are yielded vessels of honor and not dishonor.
We claim all that You have in store for our lives and declare that we are prosperous in every area.
Everything that belongs to us we claim and refuse to sit by idly and allow the thief, satan, to steal, kill or destroy us.
Jesus lives in us and His blood has made us free.
We are successful on our jobs, in our churches, and wherever we go. We proclaim that our workplace is Holy Ground today and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
The glory of the Lord is risen among us!
As I close this prayer, I thank You that when we lay down tonight, we will lay down in peace and safety, unafraid because we are bounded with You forever with justice, love, and mercy.
We are betrothed to You in faithfulness and love, and we will know You as never before.
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

God is always so faithful to give encouragement to us when we need it the most, and since I know so many who are standing for the restoration of their marriages are feeling tired and discouraged right now, I really hope the TV broadcast message from Charles Stanley today will help put things in better perspective.

I stopped writing posts on the weekends a while back, with just a few exceptions here and there, so I was surprised that as I was going to sleep last night, the Lord put two verses in my mind, which I knew He meant for me to use in a post today. The first verse was Proverbs 3:5-6, which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. And the second verse was Isaiah 55:8-9, which says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. I just remember thinking that was sort of interesting as I went to sleep, and then the verses were in my mind again when I woke up this morning, but I still didn’t know exactly what the Lord wanted me to do with them.

Then I saw Charles Stanley’s message and couldn’t believe it, because his message was centered around Joseph and the trials he went through before his dream came to pass, and how all of those trials were ultimately used to make his dream a reality! There couldn’t possibly be a better example of both of those passages of scripture than the story of Joseph, so that’s got to be what the Lord wants to remind all of us of today, and any time we’re facing doubt and discouragement. We just can’t try to apply our limited understanding to the things of God, and if we don’t understand that, we’ll probably end up giving up on our dreams and losing out on the awesome promises God gave us in His word. So, please read the story of Joseph, VERY CAREFULLY, because there are SO many things we can learn in it. For instance, I’m struck not only by the amazing way the terrible and totally unfair and unjust things that happened to Joseph were absolutely necessary for God’s plan for him to be perfected, which is an awesome example of Romans 8:28 being carried out in it’s highest form, but it’s also very interesting to note how many other people benefited from his faithfulness and obedience! And the same thing is true of all of us. The things we do or don’t do, won’t just make a difference in our lives, but they will make a huge difference in the lives of our husbands, children, other family members, and no telling how many other people.

And even though we’ve probably all heard many messages about Joseph, there’s SO much more to learn from reading ALL of it for ourselves. So PLEASE read it, because it’s got to be one of the most encouraging and inspiring stories in the Bible, especially for those who have dreams and then experience the “pits” and think that their dreams are no longer possible. It shows us how the Lord allows and uses EVERYTHING that happens to us as HE prepares us for the future HE has planned for us. Joseph’s story begins in Genesis 37, and the long, but very awesome REST of the story is found in Genesis 39-50. So don’t miss it!

And don’t miss Charles Stanley’s AWESOME message from this morning, Walking Through Dark Valleys! And please don’t let the difficulty of the process cause you to lose out on your dream and the awesome promises of God! I often tell the ladies that the God we love so much, and who we know loves us so much, isn’t going to call us to run this race, a marathon race at that, only to shoot us just before we cross the finish line! If He called us to it, He WILL be faithful to get us through it!

In the end, the passing of time may be Satan’s most powerful and effective tool in the battle to destroy our marriages and families, because that’s the reason most people standing for marriage restoration give up and “move on” with their lives. How terribly sad that is. And I wonder how many times people give up just before the restoration of their marriage was about to be manifested. I can’t help thinking of [ The Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13, and most especially the last verse, which says “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. If we stop expecting and watching for the return of our bridegrooms, then we can’t blame God if our marriages aren’t restored, because we’re the ones who ignore His word and think we can determine the time or hour, deciding that it’s been long enough, despite God’s word telling us repeatedly that we’re NOT going to know when (or how). This parable is probably one of the best explanations of why some marriages are restored and others are not, so we need to find out what it takes to be prepared; to have enough oil to light our lamps and show the way, leading us through to our wedding banquet!

Since the Lord specifically used oil in this parable, it’s important to understand what it was and what it was used for, and how to apply it as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. Obviously, in this case, the oil was needed to light their lamps and provide the light needed to show them the way as they went out to meet the bridegroom. But only half of them had enough oil to light their way when the bridegroom FINALLY showed up, and they were the only ones who made it into the wedding banquet before the doors were closed. So the following verses help us understand the application of needing the light to show us the way and how important it is to us as we wait for our marriages to be restored:

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

Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

2 Peter 1:19
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Proverbs 4:18
the path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Nehemiah 9:12
By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

Undoubtedly, the applicable meaning of this parable to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages is that the ONLY way to make it through this time of waiting with enough oil to light our way on the path the Lord has already made for the return of our bridegrooms, is through the light and power of His word and the power of the Holy Spirit. So the ones that make it into the wedding banquet are those who do the work required to be filled with the word of God and to walk in the light and power of His spirit, which doesn’t happen without getting serious about studying and understanding the Bible. Otherwise we’re like the people mentioned in Job 24:13, which says “There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. And, even worse, we run the risk of being like those described in Isaiah 8:20-21, which says To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. So when we’re deciding whether or not we’re going to wait on the Lord or give up, that’s the end we need to consider. Or we can be obedient and faithful, trusting and obeying God, and allowing HIS light to guide us and to shine IN us, in which case we will glorify our Lord and Savior as we see in Matthew 5:16, which says In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Our Lord and Savior IS more than able to meet our needs, and we must continue to look to Him for our salvation and deliverance, and for the restoration of our marriages. So it’s my sincerest hope that something written here today WILL encourage anyone who is discouraged and ready to give up. If nothing else encourages you, perhaps it means a lot just to know that the Lord is bringing your concern and discouragement to the minds and hearts of others to write and share encouraging words for you. And if He will do that, surely it’s not so difficult to keep in mind all of the awesome ways He works on our behalf. He loves us and He wants nothing but good for us, BUT He does want us to rely on Him, and Him ALONE!

Lord, I just ask you in the name of Jesus, to encourage your children today. For those who are in despair, Lord, please have mercy on them, and in your infinite faithfulness and grace, please bring a word or sign of encouragement to them today. We thank You for your love and the comfort we have just to know that You love us so much. Forgive us for our doubt and discouragement, Lord, and increase our faith and confidence in You. Give us a hunger for your word, Lord, and a yearning for a closer walk with You. We do love You, Lord, and we are thankful for your many blessings. We thank You that as our creator, You understand our pain and distress, and our weaknesses, so we ask you to return and renew the strength and joy of our salvation. Fill us up to overflowing with the power, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord, and we give You ALL honor, praise and glory! Amen.

The following post was written by Jo, one of our FAM members, who I thank so much for giving permission to share here, because it so eloquently expresses some VERY important marriage restoration principles from God’s word that we really need to understand and apply as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.. I’ve included links to the scripture references, because it is so important to read and study the excellent passages of scripture Jo used to apply to our situations as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. What awesome insight, and what a blessing! Thank you so much, Jo!

Dear sisters while reading Numbers 13 and 14, I felt the Holy Spirit talk into my heart that morning that we standers are all like Joshua’s and Caleb’s sent in to fight for our marriages and overcome the giants (i.e. our circumstances, what our spouses and others are saying, etc. etc.) that try to block our way into “our promised land” – our restored marriages. Even though we have been given a bad report i.e. these giants (Numbers 13:32), they will not steal what God has promised us. But what we have to ask ourselves day by day is whose report will we believe? – the great I AM’s which is always working for our good, or will we look at the giants appearing as bad reports!!! Do we walk by faith pleasing our God? Do we fight for our families and marriages believing, trusting that no matter what we will not be defeated and that our victory will come from the King of kings and Lord of lords? Or do we look at these giants and be overcome by doubt and fear thus in turn having no faith, doubting and imagining our giants are bigger than God??

The Holy Spirit brought to mind Isaiah 30:15 (b) “in quietness and confidence shall be your strength”… Hallelujah – when we fight for our families – in our quietness, we are to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10(a)) and our confidence, who IS God, is who we will trust. “…Thus says the LORD to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but GOD’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15(b)) Hallelujah! We will praise Him because our strength and victory is from Him!!

But often, just as it was with Joshua and Caleb, how many of us will believe and trust God’s report? How many standers will trust Him and persevere and wait in quietness and confidence in the living God who can bring the victory. Unfortunately many lose heart, give up and fall away because they are afraid of the giants they are facing. They imagine these giants are bigger than GOD, the Lord Almighty, (Numbers 14:31) who made heaven and earth! Our spouses, our circumstances and any others involved are NOT bigger or stronger than God.

Or some decide to go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:3), the way it was before. I want the promised land sisters. I want to taste and see that the Lord is good. I want to inherit the providence of Jehovah-jireh. Sisters who wants cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Numbers 11:5) when we have the living Bread to feast on every moment of every day and His rivers of living water to quench our thirst non-stop.

Our Jesus is our source, He sustains us. He is going to give us our promised land flowing with milk and honey. We have to trust God completely and know that He will bring the victory. May the Lion of Judah fill us with His courage today. When we think upon the cross of Calvary that for the victory set before Him, our dear Lord Jesus Christ endured the most excruciating pain, suffering, humiliation and rejection that even though He could have shown great miracles to those there that day who scorned Him, He chose to die for us! Sisters is it not a small price for us to pay compared to what our Saviour did for us! Let us stand firm and endure to inherit the victory of our promised lands. Our God can make us strong in our inner man every day as we fight these giants so that our loved ones will be saved and our marriages restored. Jesus gave His life for all of us including our spouses, children and other persons, let us learn from Moses and consistently stand in the gap crying out to God for His mercy and deliverance for our loved ones (Numbers 14:13-20).

As Joshua says in Numbers 14:8-9 and to which I add my own paraphrase: If the Lord delights in us as we stand, then He will bring us into our promised land (Joshua 14:8) and give them to us, i.e. our restored marriages, which flow with milk and honey. Hallelujah! Only sisters let us not rebel (Numbers 14:9) against the Lord with any unbelief and distrust. Let us not murmur or complain. Let us not fear these giants that are trying to hinder us fighting for our promised land. I believe these very giants have also been allowed by God for our growth in Him and God will test us through these giants and see whether we are faithful to obey Him. Only Joshua and Caleb obeyed and hence only Joshua, Caleb and the younger generation of the people of Israel inherited the promised land (Numbers 14:30-31). I’m sure we all want to inherit our promised land.

We can always trust the Lord no matter how fearful or big our giants appear. He has promised us He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is not a man that He would lie. What He has spoken He will make good. (Numbers 23:19) God has given us His Word, let us trust Him, STAND and never give up on Him!! He will not fail us. He does not change, He is always constant and forever remains the same. Hallelujah!! Let us continue trusting the great I AM who alone is able and will bring the victory, if we will just let Him!!

Dear sisters my prayer for all of us is that we will keep standing in the gap for our spouses, children and our marriages just as Moses did for the people of Israel – and God answered. God is no respector of persons, what He has done for one He will do for all. I pray that God will be our shield today as we face the giants in our lives knowing that they are our stepping stones to great victory in Him and we know that God will not fail us for every Word of His is pure and endures forever. Hallelujah and Amen.

Love & God bless
Jo

Discouragement is one of the most persistent battles everyone standing for marriage restoration has to overcome, especially when months drift into years and there’s NO evidence that our husbands (or wives) are EVER coming back to us. While almost everyone talks and preaches about faith, it occurred to me this morning as I considered the discouragement some of our ladies are experiencing, that one thing we don’t hear much about is confidence, and there is actually a BIG difference between the two. Dictionary.com says that confidence is The state or quality of being certain. And faith is Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. I really LOVE that definition of faith, because it so clearly illustrates where discouraged standers go wrong. We keep trying to analyze and evaluate the status of our marriages and the potential for their restoration based on logic and material evidence. Well, guess what? That’s NOT faith, and it’s not God glorifying. Not to mention that it actually displeases God, as Hebrews 10:38 tells us, But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” And we see the same message again in Hebrews 11:6, which says And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. But the GOOD NEWS is that there IS something WE can do when we struggle with living by faith, because Romans 10:17 (NLT) tells us Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news–the Good News about Christ.

So if we want to please God, not only do we have to believe something that TOTALLY defies logic and goes against everything the material evidence supports, but we have to be CERTAIN of that which defies logic and all of the available material evidence! And here are excerpts from Dictionary.com’s definition of certain:
2. Sure to come or happen; inevitable: certain success.
3. Established beyond doubt or question; indisputable.
4. Capable of being relied on; dependable: a quick and certain remedy.
And no matter how we try to get around it, there’s only one reason we’re not CERTAIN that God will deliver on EVERY promise found in His word, and that’s a failure to KNOW and BELIEVE His word. So, going back to Dictionary.com, here are excerpts from the definition of know:
1. To perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty.
2. To regard as true beyond doubt.
3. To have a practical understanding of, as through experience; be skilled in.
4. To have fixed in the mind: knows her Latin verbs.
5. To have experience of.
a. To perceive as familiar; recognize: I know that face.
b. To be acquainted with: He doesn’t know his neighbors.
7. To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct:
knows right from wrong.
8. To discern the character or nature of: knew him for a liar.
And here are excerpts from the definition of believe:
1. To accept as true or real: Do you believe the news stories?
2. To credit with veracity: I believe you.
1. To have firm faith, especially religious faith.
2. To have faith, confidence, or trust:
I believe in your ability to solve the problem.
3. To have confidence in the truth or value of something:
We believe in free speech.
One thing I know everyone involved in marriage restoration ministry would agree with is that there’s NO way to know and believe, or to have faith and confidence in the word of God without spending a lot of time studying and meditating on what the ENTIRE Bible says. And while there are exceptions to most things, for the most part, the people most likely to experience the restoration of their marriages are those who put the Lord first by setting aside significant time for prayer and studying His word. And I know for CERTAIN, that in EVERY case, the ONLY way to glorify the Lord by walking through the trials and challenges of standing for marriage restoration with the righteousness, peace and joy He came to give us (Romans 14:17), is to devote quality time in prayer and Bible study. And the bottom line is that there IS a VERY direct correlation between our devotion to prayer and understanding God’s word and how much we battle discouragement.

So, now that we’ve established the difference between faith and confidence, and hopefully have a better understanding of what keeps us from having both, the following verses illustrate why it’s so important for us to have CONFIDENCE in the Lord and every promise He gives us in His love letter and owner’s manual to us as His beloved creation, which is the Bible.

2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Psalm 71:4-6
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.

Proverbs 3:26
for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Hebrews 3:13-14
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 10:19-23
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:35
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Hebrews 13:6
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

1 John 3:18-24
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 4:16-18
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

(1 John 5 – Faith in the Son of God)
1 John 5:13-15
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Psalm 27 is a very encouraging chapter for anyone standing for marriage restoration, so I couldn’t resist including the whole chapter as follows!
The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

And the next time we feel like quitting and giving up, when we don’t even want to pray anymore, we have to remember and read Luke 18:1-8 (The Parable of the Persistent Widow), which says Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Ouch! That “HOWEVER” really hurts! Because it sounds a whole lot more like “BUT…”, and a great reminder of why we have to apply Psalm 27:13-14, because it says I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Since today’s email message from Judy Rousseau speaks so well to important issues facing everyone standing for marriage restoration, I requested her permission to share excerpts from it with our visitors, which she so graciously granted, as I knew she would! For those who haven’t already, I encourage you to read Judy and Paul’s very inspirational and encouraging marriage restoration testimony, at this link, where you can also sign up to receive her daily email messages which include prayer requests and praise reports from standers all over the world. Thanks Judy, Ozzie, Kris and Neal for sharing the following excerpts from today’s message with us!

Please pray that mercy and forgiveness will flow over all our partners that no one will end up poisoned by bitterness and unforgiveness like in the story below. Here’s something sent in by Ozzie in New Hampshire that illustrates what I attempted to express in the sentence above.:
*Bitter Poison – *Ephesians 4:31-32 (NASB)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Picture a miserable, depressed, emotionally broken person hunched over a chemistry set. His eyes are narrow. His lips are pursed. His fingers are methodically adding just a pinch of this and a dash of that to the acrid green fluid in the test tube before him. His thoughts are a hodgepodge of dated images, his heart a stale mosaic of hatred for a grievance long past. He is thinking of the one who hurt him, and he is concocting a poison for the offender.
It sounds like an excerpt from an old movie serial, doesn’t it? However, here is where the scene changes direction. Envision that same pathetic scientist breathing a sigh of relief as he straightens up, marveling at the liquid vengeance he has created. Now, finally, imagine that poor soul saying, “This will show him,” as he turns the test tube bottoms-up and drinks the poison himself. That’s a surprising twist–one that we would not expect in a movie. Yet, there is a good chance you have done this very thing at one time or another. Bitterness is a toxin that we prepare for someone else, but then drink ourselves. It is a concentrated dose of emotional poison, often one that we carefully nurture and grow over the course of years. When we react to someone’s wrongdoing by withdrawing and giving free reign to daydreams of retribution and ill will, we are slowly poisoning our own hearts and minds.
Ask God to reveal any signs of poison in your system. Then, give yourself a dose of the antidote–forgiveness.
Thank you, Ozzie for that great story that shows bitterness for what it is… poison. May the Lord’s grace be upon us all that we will be able to forgive those who have hurt and those who have continued to hurt us. May the Lord forgive them for they know not what they do.

Here’s a message sent in by Kris in Texas:
“Thrown Out and Left Behind” – Zoe Elmore, Speaker Team Member –
Key Verse: Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us. ” (NIV)
Devotional:
As I left the grocery store yesterday I noticed a small girl holding
onto her mother’s hand as they entered the store. While I’ve watched
this scene countless times before there was something unusual that
caught my attention. In her free hand, the tiny girl held onto a large
stuffed animal that appeared to be as big as she was. As the mom took
one step forward her tiny daughter stepped on and tripped over her
beloved toy. Step trip, step trip step trip; this awkward rhythm
continued as they made their way into the store.
I couldn’t help but think about the self-control this mom was exercising
with her daughter as she tripped and stumbled along. I thought about how
much easier it would have been to leave the dirty and tattered toy
behind in order to get on with her day. Wow! This mom deserves the gold
star award for patience. As we passed one another in the doorway, I
noticed the determination of this angelic child and realized that no
amount of tripping or stumbling was ever going to persuade her to part
with her beloved dirty, ragged, toy.
Making my way to the car I thought about what I had just seen, and the
Lord whispered into my ear, “Zoe, you are just like that little girl.”
“You cling to Me with one hand, yet your other hand is full of old,
dirty, ragged things, causing you to trip and stumble.” As I drove home
I asked the Lord to open my eyes to those things that entangle me and
hinder my walk with Him.
One by one the Lord revealed those things I must throw off and leave
behind: old insecurities, ragged motives and worn out behaviors. These
are things that cause me to stumble in my relationship with the Lord.
I’ve held onto these things for many years with the same intensity that
the little girl clung to her toy. Now that these have been revealed I
must choose to leave them behind. I must continue to cling to the Lord
with one hand while keeping the other hand free in order to share His
goodness with others.
My Prayer for Today:
Dear Lord, forgive me for clinging to things that impede my walk with
You. Enable me, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, to throw off and
leave those things behind that cause me to stumble. I want to cling to
You only in order to share Your goodness; unencumbered by the things of
this world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Application Steps:
Ask the Lord to reveal the things you drag that trip you up. Then ask
the Holy Spirit to empower you to throw them off and leave them behind!
Find an accountability partner who will lovingly hold you accountable as
you throw off and leave behind those things that have kept you entangled.
Reflection Points:
What is consistently tripping you up?
Why are you holding onto these ragged things that cause you to stumble?
Is fear keeping you entangled and tripping up your spiritual life? Begin
a courage journal and record verses that tell of God’s delivering power
and abiding presence.
Power Verses:
2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a
spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (NIV)
Psalms 25:15, “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my
feet from the snare.” (NIV)
2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is freedom.” (NIV)
Thank you, Kris for that very clear message. Partners, may the Lord’s grace be upon you as you let go of those things you may be dragging around and stumbling over that you might RUN YOUR RACE unhindered.

Here’s something called BELIEVE sent in and edited by Neal in Georgia and written by Louis F. Carey:
_Believe_
/And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; let it be done to you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very hour. (Matthew 8:13)/
“/If you believe, you will have whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22)/
“‘/If you can’?” Jesus said. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:22-24)/
/Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:45)/
Standers understand that life with Jesus means what we believe becomes a reality in our lives.
In /Matthew 6:33 /we are told to seek first the Kingdom of God. The Greek word Basileia, actually means kingship, or rulership, or reigning of God. In other words, we are to seek first the kingship of God in our lives, then “all these things” shall be added unto us. This means we submit personally to God’s kingship. We come under his rulership and make him our personal king. When we do this, He sees to it that we lack nothing. This makes sense. All the blessings of God are in His Kingdom. When we submit to His kingship, we automatically step into His Kingdom. This puts us in position to receive “all these things.”
We make this step of faith, submit to His kingship, take up residence in His kingdom and the promise of /Matthew 6:33, /and ALL of God’s promises become a reality! By agreeing with the principles and standards of the kingdom of God, we experience the promises of God. BUT, this does not happen unless we believe it will happen. If we don’t believe. We don’t submit to God’s kingship; therefore, we continue to wrestle our way through life, trusting our own ability. Lack of belief keeps us out of His kingdom and away from “all these things.” What we believe ALWAYS dictates our behavior. This is true in every aspect of our lives. Man first believed he could reach the moon before he actually got there. This is a spiritual principle: If one of us believes in something, and if we get others to believe in it as well, our spirits work together to establish it as truth in the spirit realm. It is then only a matter of time until it becomes a reality in the physical world. This doesn’t take a large group of people, it can be accomplished with two or three people. /(Matthew 18:19-20)/
As a general rule, the church believes just the opposite. It is as if we are on a big bus, with God as the driver. We sit looking out the windows, watching life pass by, hoping we don’t bump into anything./ /We try to make ourselves as comfortable as possible, and we assure God we will go anywhere He wants us to go, if He will just take us there safely. We don’t want to distract God or irritate Him with any prayers specific enough to draw His attention to us. We feel that by staying generic, we cause Him no problems; therefore, we are in His Will. The sad result of that kind of thinking is that God is unable to accomplish anything through us.
The spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places do not want two of us to agree on anything in prayer. As soon as we do, they run the risk of having their veil of deception ripped apart. Pastor Cho in South Korea discovered the truth of this principle of God and a minimum of 20,000 gather together in prayer on Prayer Mountain. Some of them stay in prayer until Sunday Morning! This must wreak havoc with the world forces of darkness!
There are thousands of testimonies of how God has sovereignly moved to perform miracles when two or more agree together about something. When George Mueller’s orphans agreed together in prayer, God seemed eager to reveal His power and His Love; like when the milk wagon broke down in front of the orphanage the very day Mueller ran out of milk. Rather than let it spoil, the milkman gave it all to the orphanage. A miracle? Yes!
How can we be so deceived? When we know it is the Will of God to heal, when we know it is the Will of God to provide, when we KNOW it is the Will of God to restore and reconcile, why do we hesitate to ask Him? And when we do FINALLY ask Him, why do we fail to believe He will do what He has promised to do and wants to do? (As believers, we have no problem believing that God CAN do anything. We just find it hard to believe that He WILL do anything for us.)
Jesus Healed EVERYONE who came to Him in need of healing /(Luke 9:11).
/There is no record of Jesus turning anyone away with the admonition that their sickness was for their own good. Jesus wants us to have life abundantly /(John 10:10), /but we feel we don’t deserve it. Satan has told us we have done nothing to earn such grace from God. And therein lies the lie. There is always a certain amount of truth in a lie to make it believable. It is true we have done nothing to earn health and abundance. But the truth is, we can’t earn God’s Grace, it is a gift. He wants us the have a good life because He loves us. And He wants us to be a beacon for the rest of the world. When we testify what God has done in our lives by His Grace, through the Blood of Jesus, we tear down the strongholds of deception erected by the enemy.
The spiritual realm is constantly at war to determine which will be the controlling force on earth. Except for isolated cases, satan has the church in the palm of his hand. We have become passive and indifferent. Our prayers are filled with “weasel clauses,” inserted to protect us from embarrassment in the event they don’t APPEAR to be answered. We do not pray with faith, believing /(Matthew 21:22)./
Remember this truth: When two of us agree on earth, knowing that we believe according to the Will of God, and when we lift up our belief in a prayer of faith, _we cause things to happen in the heavenlies!_ In a matter of time it manifests on earth. Is there any reason in the world to pray, if we don’t believe God answers prayer? _Our prayers, in agreement with God, are absolutely essential to establish the Kingdom of God on earth._
We standers should find somebody, anybody, willing to join us in prayer, BELIEVING! We then go before the Lord, in faith. We don’t allow any unbelief to enter. We remember that even Jesus could not do many mighty works in His hometown because of their unbelief /(Matthew 13:58)./
Remember: /“The effective prayer of the righteous man accomplishes much.
(James 5:16)./
Are we righteous? Remember: /God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthian 5:21)./
Are we righteous? We are if we seek God! Are we in God’s will? We are if we seek His will!
Thank you, Neal. May we be established in the Word of God that will protect us from double-mindedness, doubt and fear.

How awesome it is to NEVER cease being amazed by God’s INFINITE, NEVER FAILING love and faithfulness, especially as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, answering God’s call to unconditionally love even those who don’t demonstrate such love for us! And how wonderful it is to have God’s assurance that when we’re committed to doing things HIS way and when we put our trust in Him, HE will make our righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of our cause like the noon day sun, as Psalm 37:5-6 promises, Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. And how comforting it is to rest in the absolute knowledge that God is our vindicator when others hurt or wrong us, as His word promises in Psalm 135:14, which says For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. And how encouraging it is to have TOTAL confidence in the Lord’s promise that NO wisdom, NO insight, and NO plan will ever succeed against Him, as we see in Proverbs 21:30, which says There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. And what blessed assurance it is for us to know that the gates of hell can not prevail against us or our marriages when we acknowledge that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the Living God, as He promised in Matthew 16:18, which says And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The Lord really blessed me with a totally new and very rewarding experience last night, because I get a lot of phone calls from FAM members, and it usually just takes a few seconds to know by their tone of voice whether I’m about to hear a good report or a bad report. But that’s something I never really thought about on a conscious level until last night when I received a call from one of the FAM members who is probably dealing with one of the most challenging and difficult of all situations, which is living in the home with a very angry and adulterous husband. I knew she had an important event taking place this weekend and was eager to hear from her to find out how everything went, and as soon as I heard her voice, I was excited, because I was sure it was a good report, based on her tone of voice. But it wasn’t. At least on the surface, it doesn’t look that way, but she was experiencing total peace and had refused to let the events of the last two days steal her joy and confidence in the Lord. I told her she’s really come a LONG way and how impressed I was, and that I have never had a call from someone with a bad report who sounded so good, which we had quite a laugh about! Now that’s an AWESOME praise report, and something we all need to strive for in our own lives. And being SO true to His infinite and unfailing faithfulness to confirm his word and way to us, both Charles Stanley’s and Joel Osteen’s TV messages this morning dealt with the exact same thing!

Dr. Stanley’s message, Facing The Unknown With Confidence, uses one of my favorite passages of scripture, Romans 8, and he does a great job of explaining how AWESOME verse 28 really is. He also used Psalm 139, which is another great passage of scripture. When finding a place of peace and resting in the confidence that God has EVERYTHING under control and that He WILL work it ALL out for good is still something we struggle with, this is a very important and helpful message.

And there’s no way it’s a coincidence that the following TV messages from Joyce Meyer’s broadcasts from last week were on a similar topic. I meant to provide links to these messages before now, but obviously God had other plans! So don’t miss Aggravated and Frustrated No More – Part I, or Aggravated and Frustrated No More – Part II, and I Shall Not Be Moved!.

And Joel Osteen’s message, Controlling Your Moods, is available at this link. And it’s a great message about controlling our emotions and feelings and being more consistent in our confidence that God is in control and that He will work EVERYTHING out for our good, when we love Him and live according to His purpose.

The following verses are also very helpful when we struggle with remembering that God is in control of everything and that He will work it all out for our good and meet EVERY need:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

1 Peter 5:6-7
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.

Matthew 6:32-34
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Among many others, one of the things almost everyone standing for marriage restoration has in common is one of the questions we’re always asking God, which is “Why?” So I know the following email I received from a new friend in Ireland is something we can all relate to. Thank you, Joeline, for permission to share this with the visitors to our site, and I am in agreement with you in prayer that it will bless someone in particular, and remind all of us of exactly why we stand, which IS for the glory of our Lord and Savior and to defeat the works of the devil as he tries to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families!

Hiya Linda,
Praying you are doing well today my dear friend. It was lovely chatting with you
last night.
As discussed, I am enclosing hereunder my writing called STAND. It is all about
my walk with God. It begins with how I was feeling when my husband first asked for the
divorce and then as I continue to walk with God.
Linda I hope it encourages and blesses you and any others you decide you want to
share it with. But more than anything that God alone will be glorified through it.
May God continually bless you and your ministry. I lift you up in prayers.

I wanted to die and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “You shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the
LORD”
(Psalm 118:17)
I could not understand why this had happened to me and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
I could not stop crying and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5)
I felt betrayed, rejected, abandoned and ashamed and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because My only Son, your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, was betrayed with a kiss,
arrested, denied by Peter, mocked, beaten, spat on, struck, blasphemed against, falsely
accused, abandoned, rejected and crucified on the cross at Calvary! And as it is
written “Then Jesus said ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.'”
(Luke 23:34)
I said I have no strength and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “… for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10…)
I felt weak and weary and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect
in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I could not let go and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”
(Philippians 4:13)
I said it looks impossible and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37)
I felt hatred, anger and unforgiveness and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “For if you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father
will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14)
I said I don’t know which way to go and and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8)
I said I felt as if I was walking around in darkness and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “My Word is a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path”
(Psalm 119:105)
I said how can I know You won’t change Your mind like others? And GOD said
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of our God
stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
I said but nobody is on my side and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole
earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. …”
(“Chronicles 16:9)
I said I cannot fight this battle and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
(Exodus 14:14)
I said I don’t feel like praying for my spouse and God said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “… love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
(Matthew 5:44)
I said I’ve been done wrong and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “… but love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12)
I said I cannot endure this chastening and God said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Hebrews 12:7)
I said this chastening is painful and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but
painful; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to
those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11)
I said I cannot do this on my own, I need help and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to you.” (John 14:26)
I said I am having bad thoughts and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
I said I am not experiencing peace and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “I will keep you in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Me
because you trust in Me.” (Isaiah 26:3)
I said my flesh is finding it hard to be obedient and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things
which He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)
I said I am under attack from the enemy and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.” (James 4:7)
I said but it’s being said ‘we should never have married, it was a mistake’ and GOD
said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what
God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6)
I said he says ‘its okay to get divorced!’ and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce” (Malachi
2:16)
I said I’m frightened, I don’t want to be separated from my family and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7)
I said how am I going to provide for my children’s needs? And GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches
in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
I said I am in need of healing and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “… and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)
I said my spouse needs help and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and
stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but
I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30)
I said why choose me to stand in the gap? And GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me'” (Acts 26:18)
I said I don’t want to be a stumbling block to You and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God
our Saviour, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now
and forever, Amen.” (Jude 1:24)
I said how are You going to fix this dead marriage and GOD said:
STAND
I said why?
Because it is written “”HE is not here, but is risen…” (Luke 24:6)
I said Abba Father I love you and GOD said:
I love you too.
Finally my child you are STANDING with me!!! And all My promises to you are yes and
amen and no weapon formed against you shall prosper. I am the LORD your GOD. I AM
not a man that I should lie. Is there anything too hard for Me? I AM in the business
of resurrecting dead things! HALLELUJAH!
Thank you Abba Father
Your daughter, Joeline (Northern Ireland)
xoxo
Copyright
ã Joeline Monteith 2006