Most marriage restoration ministries stress how important it is to know that God called us to stand for the restoration of our marriages, which is probably the one thing I’m asked about the most. And even though I have strong opinions about it, my opinions won’t matter to anyone but me when it comes time to do the hard work of standing for marriage restoration. That’s why I tell women they have to find the answer to that for themselves by studying the Bible, along with praying and fasting. There’s no way to adequately express or explain what happens in our spirit when we’re reading the word of God and something we read REALLY speaks to us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we receive supernaturally revealed knowledge and understanding of truth as only the word of God provides.

Creflo Dollar’s TV broadcast message yesterday morning explains why it’s so important to KNOW that we’ve heard from God before embarking on the long and difficult journey to marriage restoration. The only way to have the grace, confidence and strength to endure through to victory is to have NO doubt that we can stand and rely on the promises found in God’s word that HE will complete the good work HE began in us when HE called us to stand against the world and the forces of hell for the restoration of our marriages, and for the reconciliation of our husbands to Him and to us. Once we’ve received that word of knowledge and understanding through the revealed word of God, NOTHING AND NO ONE can take it away from us, and NOTHING AND NO ONE can keep it from coming to pass, as long as we are faithful and obedient…and even many times when we’re not! God always has a way of bringing us back to His will and plan, even when we try to walk away from it. Remember, the grace God gives us to do His will and to be obedient to His word only comes when we receive and understand the word He gives us, and the ONLY way that is done is through reading and STUDYING His word. Then once we’ve got the word from Him, we have to realize that it is GOD who will make it happen, and NOT us! In fact, the more we try to make things happen, the longer God takes to make them happen. If we have the ability to repair and restore our marriages, then we don’t need God and there’s no praise, honor, and glory in that for Him. So when Satan comes along, as he inevitably will, and tries to steal the seed of promise the Lord sowed into our spirit, or convince us that God can’t do it without a “little” help from us, or convince us that we must not have heard from God, because it’s taking SO long, proclaim and confess the following verses and tell Satan that he’s the father of lies! AND TRUST GOD…HE WILL DO IT!!!

Psalm 18:32
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Hebrews 11:11
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.

2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

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

Jeremiah 1:12
The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

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

Ezekiel 12:25
But I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ “

And here’s the link to, How To Trust God’s Love Part 2, Dr. Dollar’s message from July 11, 2006, which will be very encouraging when we’re tired and want to give up or when Satan is trying to steal our victory.

There are so many times when I REALLY wish the Lord would just give me the ability and power to instantly help someone understand Him and how HE works, especially when I speak to women struggling so much with understanding the awesome power and faithfulness of God. If we could TRULY understand and believe everything the Lord promises, we’d start seeing the circumstances and state of our marriages from a totally different perspective and save ourselves so much heartache and distress! But the truth is that the best lessons learned are the ones we learn the hard way, so I have to CONTINUALLY ask the Lord for the grace and wisdom to keep that in mind and that the refiner’s fire is necessary to transform all of us to the pure gold God desires. And the ONLY way that will ever be fully accomplished is through the power of His word and the power behind it, which is God Himself. And what a wonderful and glorious reminder of that promise we have in 1. Isaiah 55:10-11, which says As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. In fact, the WHOLE chapter of Isaiah 55 is an awesome blessing and a great source of encouragement!

The Bible is filled with illustrations and references to bearing fruit and what happens when we do and what happens when we don’t, so it’s a very important principle for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand. And the best place to begin discussion about the fruit we bear as Christians is with Galatians 5:22-24 (NLT), which says But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. But even more important to remember is John 15:5, which says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. And we can ALL testify to the truth of those words! But the best news is in Philippians 4:13 (NKJV), which says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Joyce Meyer continued her message about righteousness today, and something she said that really stuck with me is that a big problem today is what is being preached from the pulpits. And that is SO true, which everyone standing alone for marriage restoration knows all to well! And one of the messages many preachers won’t spend much time teaching is The Parable Of The Sower, as found in Mark 4:1-20, because it is such a vivid portrait of how important obedience to the word is to us as Christians, and makes it pretty clear that there are a lot of people walking around calling themselves Christians when they’re not, because they’re not producing a crop or bearing fruit. And that’s confirmed in Matthew 7:20, which says Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. And here’s the link to Joyce’s message today, True Righteousness – Part II. And, as usual, it’s a good one!

Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast this morning is VERY important for everyone seeking marriage restoration, especially when NOTHING seems to be working, even though we think we’re doing all of the “right” stuff! The more time I devote to studying the Bible, the more I realize how often we tend to leave out a very important part of the Bible verses we quote the most, and it’s usually the condition upon which the whole thing hinges! As careful as I try to be, I still got nailed this morning, because I’m guilty of leaving out” AND His righteousness” when MISQUOTING Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), which says But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. But most of us just say “Seek first the kingdom of God…, and TOTALLY leave out the important condition of seeking His righteousness.

Why is it so difficult for us to understand and grasp that the ONLY thing we receive from God that’s unconditional is His love? As far as I can find, every other blessing, provision, promise and protection IS conditional. Somehow the modern day Christian church has perverted God’s grace to the point of teaching that it’s okay to sin, because He’ll forgive us. But I love how Joyce pointed out that grace is provided to KEEP us from sinning in the first place, and NOT so we can keep right on sinning, which is clearly confirmed in the following verses:

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

1 John 3:6
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Romans 5:19-21
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Wow! Grace REIGNS through righteousness!? How could it be any clearer or simpler than that? Romans 6, which the NIV titles “Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ”, very clearly spells out the relationship between sin, grace and righteousness, and it does NOT teach that grace gives us license to keep on sinning. Instead it teaches that once we have become Christians, we have the grace to stop sinning and live in the righteousness of Christ, as illustrated in verses 1-3, which says What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

So I really appreciate and thank Joyce for her message this morning, because it helped me realize that it’s VERY important to focus on seeking the righteousness of Christ just as we seek His grace, and that it is through His grace that we find righteousness. You can watch her awesome message, True Righteousness – Part I, here.

And we should always remember that James 5:16 tells us Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. And I know we all want our prayers to be powerful and effective!

As the post from the 4th of July says, We Make Our Situations Better Or Worse With Our Attitudes, which is what Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast messages have been about for the past four days. And since that’s such an important issue for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand, which Joyce tells just like it is, here are links to her series about maintaining the right attitude, which I strongly encourage everyone to take the time to watch.

The Power of Attitude – Part I

The Power of Attitude – Part II

A Positive Attitude – Part I

A Positive Attitude – Part II

One of the single most useful and instructive passages of scripture when it comes to changing our attitudes is found in Philippians 4:4-9, which says:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 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.
9 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.

What awesome words of wisdom for anyone standing for marriage restoration! And they embody so many of the important principles of marriage restoration. In fact, putting them into practice is absolutely necessary to demolish the strongholds, and the arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God, and to take every thought captive as described in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, which says The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And learning to live according to the wisdom of these passages of scripture will most assuredly take us a long way toward the restoration of our marriages!

Sadly, many marriage restoration ministries are reporting a higher incidence of spiritual attack and discouragement than usual, which we’ve observed in this ministry as well. So I’ve been praying for special guidance and encouragement from the Lord to help overcome the spiritual attacks and discouragement Satan is bringing against many men and women standing for their marriages in obedience to God’s word. And yesterday, the Lord led me to some scripture verses which were going to be the topic of my post today, but then I “happened” to catch the Inspiration Today TV broadcast this morning, and knew that was the REAL answer for everyone challenged by discouragement.

Dr. Myles Munroe has been David and Barbara Cerullo’s guest this whole week, and they’ve been talking about discovering and unlocking the potential God placed in all of us, understanding and fulfilling His purpose and destiny for us, and living our lives for His glory by completing the work He sent us to accomplish. So I strongly encourage everyone battling discouragement and even depression and thoughts of giving up, to watch this series. However, it is just as important for ALL Christians, especially anyone involved in any kind of ministry. The insight the Lord has given Dr. Munroe is quite amazing, and his ability to express what the Lord has revealed to him is very interesting and compelling. This is DEFINITELY another tool the Lord provided through someone He anointed for the benefit of the rest of us, so there’s no one else to blame if we don’t take advantage of His provision! Instead of providing the link to the page with the following links, I’ve provided the individual links so we can all come back for review when we need to. And it would be helpful to keep Ephesians 1:11-14 in mind as we watch these videos, because they tell us what we need to know and understand about the perfection of God’s plan and purpose in our lives:
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Stepping Into Prophetic Destiny – Rerun from 9/11/2006
Today David and Barbara are joined by special guest Dr. Myles Munroe to discuss how you can discover and fulfill your God-ordained destiny.

Stepping Into Prophetic Destiny – Rerun from 9/12/2006
Today David and Barbara are joined by international speaker and author Dr. Myles Munroe who will reveal keys to stepping into your prophetic destiny as a believer.

Stepping Into Prophetic Destiny – Rerun from 9/13/2006
If you believe God has a plan and purpose for your life, you won’t want to miss today’s special message. Join David and Barbara with special guest Myles Munroe as they teach you how to fulfill your destiny as a child of God.

Stepping Into Prophetic Destiny – Rerun from 9/14/2006
God has a specific purpose and assignment for each of His children. If you’re still searching for the path to your prophetic destiny, you won’t want to miss today’s program with Dr. Myles Munroe!

Stepping Into Prophetic Destiny – 7/7/2006
Join us today for the last of this week’s series, as David and Barbara are joined again by Dr. Myles Munroe to share more keys to finding your prophetic destiny. If you’re searching for meaning and value in your life, don’t miss today’s message!

And just as timely, are these Small Straws” from Marsha Burns:

“July 6, 2006: Speak to your mountain. Prophesy to your need, and I will call forth those things, which are not as though they were, says the Lord. For, surely I will go before you to prepare the way, and then I will bring you by a path that you have not traveled. Behold, you will find that which you have looked for, and you will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Romans 4:17b … “In the presence of Him whom he believed––God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”
July 5, 2006: Do not lose heart. Keep pressing forward. Keep believing. The devil would love to see you give up and sit down, for that would mean certain victory for him. But, I have not called you to quit, says the Lord. You carry My victory over darkness in your heart as evidence of the Cross. The enemy of your soul has already been defeated, and when he tries to take authority and rule over you, he is doing so illegitimately. Do not allow him to gain any advantage over you. Stand your ground against him and refuse to give him any satisfaction. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””

GOD IS SO AWESOME AND SO FAITHFUL!!!

This is a total departure from what is usually posted here, but since it’s such a compelling testimony posted by one of the FAM members in the private section of our site, and one I’m certain many standing for marriage restoration can relate to and learn from, I requested permission to remove name and date references, so it could be posted here. Praise the Lord for this woman’s humility and her faithfulness and obedience in sharing her testimony with the sincere hope that it will help keep others from making the same mistakes she made. We can ALL learn an awful lot from her painful testimony, which I’ll use the response section of the site to address in more detail later. I hope others will encourage her as well, by letting her know how much we appreciate her willingness to expose herself in such a way, finally tearing away whatever pride there was left in her. Thank you, L, and may the Lord bless you in a special way for using the word of your testimony to defeat the works of the devil, and I pray most especially for the restoration of your marriage.

To all standers, I want to share my story about how my pride caused me to sin greatly. I am twenty-five years old, and my husband walked out on our marriage four months ago. During this time of great difficulty and pain, I sought our Lord and Savior for help, and I started attending church with a friend and started standing for the restoration of my marriage. As a ‘New Christian,’ I was not sure of what this meant, nor was I aware of God’s promises, as stated in the Bible. I was a very prideful, self-centered, selfish and arrogant woman, but God broke me from many of these sinful characteristics when my husband walked out, or so I thought.

I prayed faithfully for God to bring my husband home on or before June 3rd. Why June 3rd? Well, one of my very close friends was to be married on that day, and that would be the first time I attended such a grand event without my husband. None of our friends, except for a handful of them, were aware of our separation, and I could not bare the ‘HUMILIATION’ that came with being separated from my husband. But I began to grow weary as the date was nearing. my prayer partners always made it clear that God would give me what I asked for, so long as it was in accordance with his word. They also told me that everything would be done in God’s time, but I did not pay much attention to the second part of what they said. In my head, I had asked God to bring my husband home on or before June 3rd, but that did not happen. I was slowly becoming very resentful towards God, and deep down inside I did not want to pray, because God had not answered my prayer. Then, I asked God to bring my husband home by the following weekend, because we had another wedding to attend. Originally, my husband and I were supposed to be part of the wedding party; we were asked to be maid of honor and best man, but with the split, we thought it best not to accept that invitation. In my head, the wedding on the following weekend would be even harder to attend, because all of our friends that attended our wedding almost three years earlier, would be there, and they would know that we were no longer together. I prayed to God, to give me strength to face everyone. I especially prayed that he’d give me strength not to cry when I saw my husband.

Since the separation and prior to the weddings, my husband and I had seen each other and had lunch together a few times. I could not understand why the man who told me he no longer loved me, and felt he had made a mistake in marrying me, would get teary eyed any time I apologized for having taken him for granted and hurting him so much. When we initially saw each other after the separation, he said he could not forgive me, and he was not willing to give us a second chance. But later we’d see each other again and we’d laugh like we’d never laughed before, and we’d spend hours talking on the phone. Then he’d do a complete 180 degree turn, and would stop calling and decline my lunch or dinner invitations. I was becoming so frustrated and couldn’t comprehend why he couldn’t accept the fact that he still loved me and should give us a second chance. I figured if he would accept his fault in the relationship, we could go to counseling and everything would be ok. WRONG. Upon the advice of my prayer partners, I stopped calling him, because our conversations began getting heated, and my husband and I were hurting each other even more. Therefore, upon their recommendation, I gradually pulled back and allowed God to take over, SO I THOUGHT. My husband and I would have one good evening together, so I’d expect him to call me the next day, or I expected him to realize he wanted to come home. But instead, I heard nothing from him. Jealousy, rage and anger began to sink in, and as much as I wanted to trust God, I had not let go, and did not know how. Just as many of you have doubts about whether or not you should stand for your marriage, I had those same thoughts. So I prayed to God, and gave him my “official” prayer request. The week of the June 10th wedding, I prayed to the Lord, I said “God, if you want me to stand for my marriage, and you’re the God that everyone says you are, let something miraculous occur at the wedding. Have my husband ask me to dance, and let us spend an awesome night together, and although we’re going separately, may we depart together. May he tell me that he loves me. All I ask you, God, is for a sign, an unshakable sign, letting me know that I need to stand for this marriage.”

Well, getting back to the wedding…I forgot that God is God, and he doesn’t play by our rules. He has his own plan and purpose. And two nights before the wedding, I was having dinner with the bride and groom to be. The groom informed me that my husband had sent him a text message, asking him if he could take a date to the wedding. (Prior to that evening, I was aware that my husband had been seeing another woman; the extent of the relationship between them was unknown). But now, here I was, sitting at my dinner table, being informed by my two good friends that my husband was moving on, and that he had the nerve to ask if he could take this other woman to their wedding. I could handle knowing that there was a third person involved, but having that information exposed to outsiders was unbearable. My pride took over. How dare he? To me this was the last straw; his last slap in the face. It was not enough that he dared to walk out on our marriage? I was livid! So I asked the groom to tell my husband not to take a date, and he agreed. But behind the scenes, I had to cover it on my end; I had to prepare myself for the unthinkable, seeing him at the wedding with a date. Thus, I practically begged one of my co-workers to please show up at the wedding; just in case my husband showed up with a date…he would pretend to be mine, and he agreed.

The night before, and the morning of the wedding, I prayed, for God to give me the strength and grace I needed to carry through the night and not cry. But honestly, I did not feel the peace I had felt before. I was going to show my husband that I no longer mourned his departure and I was determined to have a good time, and that no one would see me sad that evening. I honestly felt it was God’s strength that pulled me through, but I later realized it was my pride.

My husband didn’t show up at the wedding ceremony, but he did show up at the reception, with a male friend. By this time, I was to flared up; some of my friends were aware that he was seeing someone, and that hurt my pride. So when my husband came in, he said hi to some of our mutual friends sitting at the table in front of me. He saw me; I know he did, and one of my prayer partners said he was even staring at me. But he did not approach my table or say hello to me. In my eyes, this was an even greater slap in the face; how dare he! We had both agreed to be friends and keep things peaceful. I was livid! And because of my pride, I did not approach him all night; if he had not approached me, I was not going to approach him. I was not about to let people think I was begging him (PRIDE; the devil). Then, a few minutes after my husband walked in the room, my co-worker (my back-up date) walked in with his fine cousin. My prayer partner tried to warn me; she even asked me to trade seats with her so my husband would not think I was with the two guys. I said no, and I told her I could care less what he thinks, after all he was the one who had wanted to bring a date. She also scolded me for not wearing my wedding ring, but I told her it was pointless to wear it if my other half was not wearing his, thus making our marriage a lie. She was very upset, but I could care less. I was laughing, talking and having a good time with my co-worker, especially his cousin. She even brought it to my attention that he was “eyeing” me, and I said “SO…” and kept on talking to him; I was attracted by his appearance. He was clean cut, and wore the clothing I loved to see men wear. My co-worker had told me that his cousin was a great dancer, and that he would teach me to dance at the wedding, to which I agreed. According to my prayer partner, my husband could not stop staring at me, especially after those two good looking men sat next to me. I told her I had not noticed him staring, and I told her to stop telling me that, because I knew that he did not love me and he did not care what I did or did not do. Looking back at that night, I know my hubby was staring at me, wondering who those men were.

Do to a prior engagement, my co-worker and his cousin had to temporarily leave the wedding after dinner, but they both said they would be back when the dance started. I said ok, and they left, but did not come back. I kept dancing with other friends, and my husband was staring at me, but he didn’t approach me, and that got me even more upset. So I just said “FORGET HIM.” My prayer partner had to leave the reception, so I had no one else telling me how I should or should not behave as a stander, and I was not listening to the holy spirit; I was too upset and my anger and pride took over. My husband had to be carried out, because he was so drunk, but I did not care. I could not feel sorry for him; after all, he was the one that walked out, and this was what he wanted. My co-worker called at midnight and said he was sorry he was not able to make it back in time for the dance/reception, but I told him that was okay. Then his cousin got on the phone and asked if I was interested in going to a night club with them, so he could show me some of his moves, and I agreed to go. I was so upset that I could care less about my marriage, and in my head, since God had not answered my prayers, that meant that I didn’t have to stand for my marriage.

The guys came back to the hall, and my co-worker’s cousin asked if he could ride with me in my car so he could keep me company, and I said it was okay. My prayer partner called me to check up on me, because she knew I was upset, and I cried hysterically, and told her I was done standing for my marriage. I told her how God had not answered my prayers for that night, and that my husband truly did not love me, that it was all in my head. I told her God did not send me a sign. Therefore, it was not meant for me to stand for this marriage. She asked me if I was going home, and I said “Yes.” I lied. I wanted to go dancing, and I knew if I told her the truth, she would make me feel so guilty that I might not go. My co-worker’s cousin got in the car, and I dried my tears. He asked if I was okay, and I said “yes”, and that I didn’t want to talk about it.

This man was awesome; physically he was my type, and he knew how to dance. And we danced like I’ve never danced before. There was a connection, which I could not explain. He told me he was interested in me, and could care less if I had a husband, because if I was separated, in his eyes the commitment was non-existent. My husband never paid much attention to detail, so when this guy sat there and told me how fascinated he was by my physical features; how he had noticed how many rings I had on, and even which fingers they were on, he definitely got my attention. He went on and on, about the things about me that attracted him while we were sitting at the dinner table. We had a great time, an when he asked me if he could see me again, I said “Sure.”

The Monday after the wedding, my husband and I had lunch, and I basically told him that I was done with him, and I wanted a divorce, and he agreed. I told him I was seeing someone else, and would no longer wait for him, and he said that was okay. I even told him I had realized that I had made a mistake, and that I had never loved him the way he loved me, and apologized for not loving him the way he wanted me to love him. I was so ticked off, that at the time I did not care that his eyes got all watery when I told him that. I wished him the best. And he wished me the best, so I was on my way, and happy that I was now free to date.

I continued to talk on the phone with my co-workers cousin until we were finally able to meet in person again. At first we were suppose to meet for lunch, but he called to say that his plans had changed and he wanted to meet me for dinner instead. I said that was okay. He came to my place, and after we went to dinner, we came back to my place. I was so mad, and knew that my marriage was not going to be restored, so I thought it would be easy to be intimate with this man in order to forget my husband. After all, he was doing the same thing. I was lonely, and this guy told me everything I wanted to hear, and he was everything I had ever dreamed of in a man. I took the bate; I fell into Satan’s trap. Looking back now, I don’t know how I could have done such a thing. For weeks, I continued to talk to this guy on the phone, but I did not feel at ease. Even though I wanted to see him and go out with him, I couldn’t do it. I was becoming sadden for what I did. I felt awful for having betrayed my covenant with God.

Two weeks after the wedding, my husband and I met to take care of some bills, and we ended up having lunch and catching a movie together. By that time, I felt very remorseful, but I still wasn’t standing for my marriage. How could I after what I had done? But my walls of hate and resentment toward my husband came down, and during lunch, I cried and told him that I could no longer lie to myself or him. I told him how much I loved him, and I apologized for having betrayed our marriage vows, for allowing my pride and resentment to take over me. I confessed my sin and asked him to forgive me, but said I would not blame him if he couldn’t. He had no expression on his face, and said I should not feel guilty. After I had confessed my sin, I asked him about the girls he was seeing, and he told me they were just friends, and he had not slept with anyone else. I wanted to cry, because all this time when he had told me he was not sleeping around, he really wasn’t. I felt awful. I asked him how he had the nerve to ask if he could bring a date to the wedding. He looked right into my eyes and told me that he never had plans to take a female, that he only said it as a joke, because his “date” was going to be one of our male friends. Yeah, that was another low blow to my tummy! Our lunch started off terribly, with so many tears on my part, but God allowed us to end it with laughter and joy. We went to the movies, and he even hand fed me popcorn. I held his hand while walking to the car, and even though he said he felt weird about it, he did not let go of my hand. For the first time since he left our home, he initiated the good bye hug, and I felt his sincere forgiveness, he kissed my forehead and I kissed his cheek. We stood therefore a few seconds and just stared at each other, not wanting to leave, as if nothing had happened between us.

I felt like trash, and knew for sure he would never call me again, and our marriage would not be restored. Because of my sin, I stopped praying. I believed God would not honor my prayers, even though I had repented. Well, that was another lie from the pit of hell. Ladies, I honestly believe that this was a major test, which I failed horribly. I have gradually started praying again, and asked the Lord for encouragement, and I finally started seeing covenant transport trucks! And I specifically asked God to reveal to me how much my husband loves me on my birthday, which was last Friday. And I prayed for him to call or do something special for my birthday. And the Lord delivered in a mighty way. On that evening, the groom’s mother, who’s been praying for my marriage, called me out of the blue, to let me know that on June 10th, her brother-in-law had been talking to my husband at the wedding. Her brother-in-law did not know he was married and when he tried to pressure him to dance with some of the ladies at the reception, my husband told him he couldn’t because his wife was there. So the man asked him why he was not dancing with me, and he told him that we were separated. The man told him, “if you’re separated, then go dance with someone else.” My husband replied, “I can’t. The only woman I want to be with and dance with is my wife, whom I love.” I just about vomited, and I started feeling stomach pains, but I was also extremely excited. As I now remember the days prior to the wedding and the day of the wedding, I could not see all the positive signs God had sent me, because I had let my anger, and most of all my pride take over, including refusing to respond to calls or messages from my husband the day before the wedding, who I had been told was aware that I knew he had asked to bring another woman to the wedding and that I was livid. Now all I can do is sit back, and allow our Lord and Savior to take over, and mend all my wrong doings. Why didn’t the groom’s mom call me the day after the wedding, even two days after??? Only God knows. I honestly believe that I was tested, and I failed. Because if his mom had told me this the day after or two days after, I would not have slept with the other man. I believe God knew I was going to do that, and allowed me to learn the hard way that no matter what I see, hear or don’t see, he is working and everything happens when he wants it to happen, not us. Please ladies, keep your eyes on the Lord. Learn from my mistakes. My heart aches each day, knowing that I fell into this trap, and the guilt an adulteress has is enormous. I love my husband, and I pray daily, asking God to give him a forgiving heart.

One more thing, remember, that when the Lord asks us to stand, and our fleshy attitudes tell us otherwise, God WILL bring us back to do what he wants us to do one way or the other. Remember: WE WORK FOR HIM; HE DOES NOT WORK FOR US.

My love and prayers to all,
L

I was quite pleased to hear Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message this morning, because it was about our attitudes and how they affect our lives, which is SO important for anyone standing for marriage restoration to understand. Since I tend to have very little patience with anyone feeling sorry for themselves (sitting on the “pity pot” as I often call it), that’s something I really have to battle while ministering to other women. For that reason, it’s very important to understand that talking about changing our attitudes, does not deny the reason or just cause for the emotions we experience, so encouraging someone to change their attitude is never meant to invalidate their feelings or the seriousness and devastation of the situations they face. However, there are many times, especially while standing for marriage restoration, when we will find ourselves in situations that we’re totally powerless to change, at which time we have a very important choice to make. We will either choose to identify ourselves as victims and allow those situations to overwhelm and defeat us, or we’ll choose to be victorious and overcome them. And even if we don’t realize it on a conscious level, we ARE making that choice…one way or the other. And the bottom line is that by making that choice, we are making a statement about whether or not we REALLY believe the word of God, and trust our Lord and Savior as we say we do.

So when we find ourselves in the MOST difficult and challenging times of our lives, we also find ourselves at a place where the rubber meets the road in terms of testing and demonstrating the faith we profess in God. In addition to determining the outcome of our situations, the choices we make WILL either draw others to the Lord, or cause them to reject Him, because we will either give Jesus a good reputation or a bad one. When we claim Jesus as the Lord of our lives, we need to remember that it’s HIS name we bear as Christians, and it does a great deal of harm to tell others that Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly, when they can’t see the evidence of that in ours! So as Christians, it is VERY important for us to remember 1 Peter 4:11, which says If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

So when Satan and our circumstances do their wicked best to convince us that the Lord has forsaken us, that our situation is hopeless, and that we just can’t do this anymore, it’s important to have the following verses memorized so we can rely on them to remind us that we go forward in the grace and strength of our Lord and Savior, and that we do it for His glory!

1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

2 Timothy 2:10
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Hebrews 13:20-21
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:12
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

If we foolishly try to walk through the trials of separation and divorce, standing for marriage restoration, in our own strength and relying on our own understanding, ignoring the wisdom found in John 15:5 and Proverbs 3:3-6, we are certain to be very disappointed. But if we rely on the promises of God and stand on HIS word and walk in HIS strength and grace, HE will vindicate and bless us as we’re assured in Isaiah 41:8-20, and He WILL deliver on His AWESOME promise in Psalm 37:4-6, which says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

And here’s the link to Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message from this morning, The Power of Attitude – Part I, which I encourage anyone struggling to keep a good attitude to listen to.

One of the biggest challenges for women standing for marriage restoration, especially when children are involved, is achieving and maintaining the peace described in Philippians 4:6-7, which says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And Isaiah 26:3 says You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. I like that verse even better in the NKJV, because it says You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Many times there’s no better way to make a point than sharing relevant scripture, most of which we’re already familiar with, but which seem to have more impact when we read them all together. So I hope the following verses will help us all understand how important it is to focus on our relationship with the Lord as we stand for marriage restoration, so we’ll experience the peace that comes ONLY by keeping our minds on the Lord, as we trust Him and live in obedience to His word.

Romans 8:5-7
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

1 Corinthians 15:2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Romans 1:28
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

Matthew 16:23
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Matthew 22
37 Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

Jeremiah 31:33
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Colossians 3
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

James 1
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Philippians 4:8
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.

Romans 5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 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.

Job 22:21
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.

2 Peter 1
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Romans 14:17-18
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.

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

Acts 10:36
You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Philippians 4:9
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.

2 John 1:3
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

1 Peter 1
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Psalm 85:8
I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we’re unable to walk in the grace, peace, and joy of the Lord, we need to examine our lives, because these verses make it very clear that when we’re in right relationship with the Lord, when we have our minds stayed on Him, and when we put our faith and trust in Him, and obey His word, our faith will not be in vain!

When I woke up this morning, I felt a great burden and strong sense of urgency to be praying for the truth to be revealed to our husbands, and for the Holy Spirit to bring them revelation knowledge of God’s truth as revealed in His word. After praying for that, I started trying to figure out why the Lord wanted us to pray that so specifically, and even so urgently. While I don’t understand the urgency for it this morning, I do believe the Lord revealed why it’s such an important prayer. First, John 8:32 says Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And that makes a lot of sense, since we all want our husbands to be set free, and we know that Jesus came to set the captives free. But John 8:31 says To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. So in order for our husbands to REALLY know the truth, they have to REALLY be Jesus’ disciples and “hold to” His teachings, which means living in accordance with His word, including Malachi 2:13-16 (AMP) and 1 Peter 3:7 (AMP). Since I hadn’t really given a lot of serious thought to the importance of the truth and what the Bible says about it before, I couldn’t wait to get to BibleGateway.com and see what the Lord wanted to reveal, because I knew it was important.

The first verse I found was John 17:17, which says Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. Since sanctified means “set apart”, and in this context, it particularly means being set apart for the Lord, I was starting to get pretty excited! And then I found John 18:37, which says “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” What more could any of us want for our husbands than for them to listen to Jesus and to be set apart for Him, and live for His glory!

Then I found John 16:13-14, which says But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. I hope this speaks to every woman standing for marriage restoration as it did to me, because the thought of my husband FINALLY knowing and truly understanding ALL truth according to God, for the glory of Jesus, is pretty awesome and exciting!

Then I read John 8:44, which says You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. So once our husbands know and understand the truth, they can no longer be slaves to the lies and deception of the devil, and they’ll no longer serve his wicked and destructive purposes! And Psalm 119:30 says I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. So what a day of rejoicing it will be to be blessed with husbands who set their hearts on God’s laws! And then we will witness their transformation as revealed in Ephesians 5:8-10, which says For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

The women who have seen their husbands turn from their walk with the Lord to become so deceived by the lies of Satan can certainly relate to Galatians 5:6-8, which says For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. Seeing the phrase “faith expressing itself through love” in this context reminded me of John 14:15, which says “If you love me, you will obey what I command. So expressing faith through love means being obedient to the Lord’s commands, which makes even more sense when we consider the awesome promise in John 14:21, which says Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” Galatians 5:6-8 also confirms that Christians can be deceived and misled by Satan, even though called by the Lord, which is something many of us often struggle to believe and understand when we se our husbands caught up in such ungodly behavior. But praying for our husbands to come to the knowledge of God’s truth is what the Lord urges and expects us to do, according to 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which tells us I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. And the Lord’s undeniable pleasure when we walk in the light of His truth is confirmed in 3 John 1:4, which says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Sometimes, as we stand for marriage restoration, it’s too easy to get caught up in long, detailed prayers, when so many times something very simple will do. I think this is such a time. So let’s agree in prayer:

Dear Lord, we approach your throne of mercy, love and grace, and remind You of your awesome promise that we have the keys of the kingdom of heaven and that the gates of hell will not prevail against us, or our husbands who are sanctified through us. We thank You that what we bind here on earth is bound in heaven, and what we loose here on earth is loosed in heaven. So with the power of your word and in the authority of the name of Jesus, we bind Satan and all of his wicked and evil demons and spirits, and call all of their weapons, lies and deceptions against our husbands powerless and of no effect. And we loose the mighty, supernatural power of your word and the Holy Spirit to bring revelation of your truth, with all knowledge, wisdom and understanding, to the hearts, minds and spirits of our husbands. And all of this we do in accordance with your word and for the praise, honor and glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen!

I received another call yesterday from the same young lady who called me last week, prompting me to write Getting Serious About Spiritual Warfare. Just as before, she revealed almost nothing about her own situation, but I’m able to discern through my spirit that she is a very troubled young woman who I suspect suffers beyond what most of us could even imagine. Yet, the only thing her words reflect is the love, faith and trust she has in the Lord. The Lord has put a great burden on my heart for her, and one of the things she asked me for yesterday was for prayers for the women standing for marriage restoration. So, G, as I suggested, I’ve rewritten my prayer for all visitors to the site, and I am going to write some new prayers as we discussed. That’s something the Lord has been prompting me to do anyway, so your request was a reminder that I need to be obedient and do so. And thank you so much for your encouraging words of appreciation. Knowing the Lord uses me to help someone else, blesses me beyond belief, because that means HIS purpose for my life is being fulfilled through this ministry.

First, before sharing the rewritten prayer, I’d like to offer a prayer for you, G, which I hope brings you comfort and peace as I feel the Lord has led me.

Dear Lord, You know how this young woman touches my heart, so I pray for your comfort, love, protection and blessings to flow through her and in her life and heart today, and every day, with supernatural power. Lord, I know you love her with abundant love and joy, so please, Dearest Father, meet her in her place of need, especially since her love and devotion to You are so apparent. You know the burden of her heart; the concerns leading her to so fervently seek your face; and the deliverance she needs at this time of trouble. So I thank You for hearing her cry and call to You, and that just as your word promises in Jeremiah 33:3, You will show her great and mighty things she does not know. And as your word tells us in Ephesians 3:19-20, may she know your love that surpasses knowledge—that she may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of You, her God. And we give all glory to You, who are able to do immeasurably more than all she asks or imagines, according to your power that is at work within her. I thank You now for giving her everlasting joy and peace that passes all understanding. I thank You for deliverance and protection, as I pray a shield of protection around her and her two precious babies. In your precious name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Here’s the rewritten prayer, which I will post in the prayer section of our site. And I will devote the time needed to writing additional prayers, as I know they mean so much to the women visiting the site.

Dear Lord, You know my heart is broken, that I have a troubled spirit, and a longing for your comfort and the answers I seek during this time of despair. So I thank You for your word assuring me that from the very beginning You created my marriage as a one flesh covenant relationship, saying that what You joined together, no man or woman should separate, and that You hate divorce. And thank You for your promise to heal my broken heart, and bind up my wounds, that You will comfort me as I mourn, and that You will bestow on me a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Thank You, Lord, that instead of shame or disgrace, I will rejoice in my inheritance, that I will inherit a double portion in my life, and that everlasting joy will be mine, as You restore my marriage, which I know Satan came to destroy. I thank You that in accordance with your word, I can approach your throne of grace with confidence, and receive mercy and grace to help me in my time of need.

Thank You for your promise that all things are possible with You Lord Jesus, and that You, and You alone, will give me peace that transcends all understanding. Thank You for the assurance that no wisdom, no insight and no plan can succeed against You. And thank You for having ________’s heart in your hand, and for directing his heart like a watercourse wherever You please. Thank You for assuring me that he can not plan or understand his own way, because You are the one who determines and directs his steps.

Please teach me how to express my faith in love, because your word tells us that unfailing love is what every man desires. And I ask You, Lord, to work in me to will and act according to your good purpose, to make me the wife You want me to be. I believe You and I am your disciple. I want to understand and live according to your teachings, because then I will know the truth and the truth will set me free. Thank You for your word, because it is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. You are my refuge and my shield, so I put my hope in your word.

Since faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, please show me how to live by faith and not shrink back so You will be pleased with me, because I know it’s impossible to please You without faith. And thank You for Your promise that whatever I ask for in prayer, and believe, I will receive. Please teach me to walk by faith and not by sight, because Jesus said that according to my faith it would be done to me. So, Lord, I ask You to please give me the faith and patience necessary to inherit what You have promised.

Father, always remind me that I’m not to live by the standards of this world. And even though I live in the world, I can’t wage war as the world does. The weapons You give me to fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. They are mighty weapons that demolish the arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of You, my God, and the covenant of my marriage, so please help me take captive every thought and make it obedient to You, Christ Jesus. I will not be afraid, for You are with me. I will not be dismayed, for You are my God. Thank You for strengthening me. Thank You for helping me. Thank You for upholding me and the covenant of my marriage with your righteous right hand. Thank You for making anyone who is incensed against me and the sanctity of my marriage as nothing; that they will be ashamed and disgraced. Thank You that anyone who contends with me or wars with me and comes to destroy or put asunder my marriage, is as nothing, as a nonexistent thing, for You, the Lord my God, hold my right hand, telling me to “Fear not, I will help you.”

Teach me to ALWAYS rest in the confidence I have in You, because your word tells me that it will be richly rewarded. Help me persevere so that when I have done your will, God, I will receive what You have promised. And help me keep your commandments and do the things that are pleasing in Your sight, so I’ll receive whatever I ask from You, including the restoration or reconciliation of my marriage.

I boldly ask for faith enabling me to speak to mountains and make them move, and the confidence and assurance that nothing is impossible for me. Thank You, Lord, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and That with You, nothing is impossible, including living my life full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, even during this time of trouble. Thank You that Your Spirit intercedes for me, your saint, in accordance with your will, and that You are working all things together for my good, because I love You, and am called according to your purpose. I thank You and praise You, Lord, that your thoughts and plans for me and my family are thoughts and plans for our welfare and peace and not for evil, that give me hope in our final outcome. And I thank You, Lord, that when I am still, I know that You are God and that You will be exalted in all the earth, and in heaven, and in the restoration of my marriage.
All this I ask and believe in the most precious, Holy name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Click here to read the Bible Verses used for the above prayer.

And here’s “A Prayer For Every Day”:

Dear Lord, You know better than anyone else that this is a difficult day for me, and for many others who are experiencing challenging times in their marriages, so I pray that I will feel Your love in a very special way. May I be rooted in your love today, Lord, May I 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 I KNOW You LOVE me, and YOU have ALL things that concern me and my family in the control of Your Almighty, loving hand.

Lord, I pray that on this day which might otherwise tend to be discouraging, that You will bring some special incident of hope and encouragement to me and every other woman or man standing for the restoration of their marriage. I know You care about me in every detail of my life, and I’ve often experienced that down to even the smallest of details, so bless me and my family with Your presence and encouragement today. Fill me with an extra measure of faith this day, Lord. Help me to keep my eyes on you and not on my circumstances. Help me enjoy the many things You bless me with every day of my life instead of dwelling on that one thing I don’t have or enjoy today. Show me how to express Your love by loving others, especially those who are not acting in love with me. Teach me to be more focused on the love I demonstrate and give to others today rather than concerning myself with how others may or may not love me. Show me how to walk in your love this day that You might be glorified.

And Lord, please touch ________’s heart, who is not walking in right relationship with You today. It is the greatest desire of my heart that ________ will come to know You as his Lord and Savior, so I thank You for sending the power of Your Holy spirit to move in his life today in a most powerful and supernatural way and for bringing him to the saving knowledge of You, Lord Jesus. You came to set the captives free, but my husband now lives in bondage, so I come against all manner of sin, bondage, strongholds, deception, adultery, disobedience and disbelief in the name of Jesus Christ, from which I know Satan must flee. I cover my husband, ________, with the blood of the Lamb today and it is the word of my testimony that he WILL be saved and delivered, and that he WILL walk in right relationship with You, Lord. Please give me the strength, wisdom and grace to live in such a way that he will se You in me, Lord. I thank You that all of my interaction with him will glorify You and ask You to always remind me that every encounter I have with him will either lead him toward You or away from you.

Be Thou glorified in this day that You have made Lord, Let me rejoice and be glad in it! And let Your love shine in and through me today! Amen.

I had a totally different topic in mind this morning, but when I read Judy Rousseau’s Marriage Partners message for the day, I recognized the importance of her message, and called and asked permission to share excerpts from it in my post today. And just as I expected, Judy graciously agreed! Thanks, Judy!

As we stand for the restoration of our marriages, support from someone who will agree with us in prayer, especially in the early days, weeks or months, is SO important and encouraging. So I always encourage the FAM members to reach out to others, AND to make themselves available to meet that need for the ladies the Lord is certain to bring into their lives, because 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. And Matthew 18:19 demonstrates why it is SO important to have prayer partners, because it says “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. And if the Lord finds that we’re not faithful with little, He will take even that away from us and will NOT give us (or trust us with) more, as Jesus taught us in The Parable of the Talents.

While there’s no doubt how important it is to have prayer partners, especially when we’re going through such a difficult time in our lives, even that relationship has the potential to become more harmful than helpful. So the guidelines Judy suggested in her message today are VERY important for ALL of us to consider and keep in mind as we receive and provide ministry and prayer support as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. The following are excerpts from Judy’s message this morning, which I have edited a little, mostly in terms of formatting:

“Here’s a message from Jennifer in Kentucky:
I JUST ASK THAT YOU WOULD BE PRAYING THERE IS ALOT OF FASTING GOING ON RIGHT NOW AND I BELIEVE SOME MIGHTY BREAKTHROUGHS ARE HERE UPON US, AND THE LORD HAS REALLY IMPRESSED UPON MY HEART TO BE PRAYING FOR THE NATURAL MANIFESTATIONS OF THESE BREAKTHROUGHS TO COME FORTH. I JUST ASK THAT YOU WOULD HELP US TO PRAY FOR THESE MANIFESTATIONS. IN CHRIST, JENNIFER, KY

(Thank you, Jon in Oklahoma and Wilma in Virginia for sending me my past message about prayer partnerships.)

Since our marriage was restored in April of 95, I’ve received thousands of calls from people in hurting marriages. By no means do I profess to be an expert, I’m still learning but there are some things that I’ve learned over the years that I’d like to pass on to you. For our prayer counselors, these things may serve as helpful hints and for those who choose to contact our prayer counselors hopefully it will give you an idea of some of the ways a counselor can help you. So how about I divide my thoughts into two categories, those for prayer counselors and those for the people who call them …

As a prayer counselor:
Seek the daily filling of the Holy Spirit and remember to put on the protective armor spelled out in the word of God. (The helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit.)
Remember, you are all covered in our daily prayer. We are all praying that you will handle each call with Godly wisdom and Christian love. If you’re new to all this, be assured that the Lord will guide you
Strive to live a life of obedience and holiness and encourage those you speak to do likewise.
Counsel according to biblical truth and not worldly opinion. If possible give your caller scriptures to back up the things you have said..
Approach each conversation with humility. Don’t let the goal of your conversation be to impress your caller with your knowledge. If you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Try not to tell people what they should do based on your own understanding. Direct callers to seek God and His guidance for themselves.
Be yourself as you minister to others, for the Lord has gifted you uniquely to serve Him.
The level of Christian maturity will likely vary with each call you receive and you will need to exercise discernment to speak according to the caller’s understanding. Also, some people come into our group very wounded with painful pasts. Always keep in mind that the person you are speaking to is made in the image of God and He has good plans for them. Try not to get discouraged if it appears that a person has a long, long way to go. God changes lives every day and He may choose you to be an instrument of change in that person’s life.
Be sensitive to your caller’s need to be heard but if callers want to spend too much time talking about their circumstances, gently speak to them about redirecting their focus away from their circumstances and onto the things of the Lord. (Remember how long the children of Israel wandered in the desert because they chose to murmur and complain about their circumstances? We want our partners to have victory and we want that victory to come through the shortest route possible. Murmuring and complaining will only prolong suffering.)
Discourage a caller from becoming dependent upon you instead of the Lord. (If someone is calling you excessively, more than once a day on a regular basis, that is a good sign that the person is becoming dependent on you. For some, daily calls might be appropriate. Just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and you will be able to discern how the Lord would have you handle it. It is possible that you might receive daily calls from a person for a season but as the person grows and learns to become more dependent on the Lord, the calls should decrease or perhaps you will notice that your relationship with this person has become one of mutual encouragement.
If a caller should become negative, don’t allow yourself to get caught up in it, but stand firm being led by the Holy Spirit. It’s likely that some of your callers will be angry at their mates, but please do not allow your callers to bash their mates or speak of anyone disrespectfully. We need to remember that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness. Every person (even those who are hurting us) are made in the image of God.
To protect your own family time, set limits for the hours when you will take calls. (Of course, there may be times when the Lord instructs you to answer regardless of the hours you’ve set. When that happens, be obedient.)
Before concluding your conversation, offer a brief (or long if led that way) prayer entrusting the person and their situation to the Lord.

If you are calling a prayer counselor:
Please respect our prayer counselor’s time by calling counselors during the hours that they specify that they are available.
Don’t expect our prayer counselor to have all the answers, your answers must come from God and He is waiting to reveal Himself to you.
Try not to make excessive phone calls to our counselors. They are human and have limits but Our God is God and nothing is impossible for Him.
If your prayer counselor says that he or she must go, please respect their time and don’t come up with a list of “just one more things”.
Please don’t dwell on your circumstances. Share what you need to share without focusing on negative things. If your prayer counselor tries to direct you back to the Lord, don’t resist and insist on talking about the things that are troubling you.
If your prayer counselor gives you scriptures, write them down and later on meditate on them, asking the Lord to show you how you might apply His word to your life.
Always keep in mind that even though you may not feel it, God loves you very much and He has a good plan for Your life. It is His desire to give you victory over every plan of the enemy.

And here are some other random thoughts about prayer relationships…
I believe the bottom line with any relationship is that we should remember Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” While we are commanded to love our neighbors (and prayer partners), notice that the FIRST and GREATEST commandment is to put God first. There are those that talk about God, talk about faith, but never do anything. Then there are those that may go to church, go through all the motions and the routine but may never actually get to know God, our ultimate teacher.
For example, imagine a person who is trying to get in shape calling and saying “What did you do in exercise class? What did you learn?” Perhaps you may be able to answer those questions, but how is that person going to trim down and get fit if she never actually does anything on her own? She may even report to the class and get the trainer to formulate a personal workout plan for her, BUT IF SHE NEVER DOES IT, WHAT GOOD IS IT???
1) A prayer partner should be that… a PRAYER partner. It is so easy to become friends and just end up chatting and never praying anymore. Then we are tempted to talk about the bad things, nit pick over everything our spouse or child has said or done, complain about what our spouse or OP is doing, etc. Prayer can easily become an afterthought or worse….forgotten completely.
2) Caution against calling your prayer partner first. When in crisis, I think we should always train ourselves to go to the throne before the phone. I know it is so tempting when we get bad news to say “I need to call my prayer partner!” with the excuse of needing someone to pray with us, then we are using that other person to help us get over the crisis. I know some people, myself included, who will nearly work themselves into a panic when they are unable to reach someone via phone. Our comfort should come from the Lord, not our prayer partner
3) Know that your partner cares about you and is there for you, but that means you should respect the other person’s boundaries. Do not call your partner late at night or early in the morning unless your partner specifically says that is the best time for you to call. Respect WHEN you call, HOW OFTEN you call and HOW LONG your conversations last. Try to realize that your partner may be trying to sleep or have their own quiet time which you may be interrupting.
4) Don’t rely on your partner to teach you all spiritual matters…..especially if your partner is more “spiritually mature” than you are. It is fine to learn from your partner but you can’t rely on them to constantly guide you in your spiritual walk. You must have your own quiet time with the Lord. You must spend time in prayer and reading your bible. Just like exercise, you can’t rely on someone else to do it for you. Remember that Jesus trained his disciples and then He left them. He did not stay on earth to guide them through everything. He gave them (and us) the Holy Spirit, who will never leave us and that is who we need to rely on.
5) Be careful that you are not making your partner dependent on you. You may enjoy the attention, you may like being needed but use caution when encouraging your partner to call you ANY time. Your partner needs to depend on the Lord for comfort and guidance and not you.
6) Remember that we must each stand before the Lord to give an account of our own lives. Yes, we are to love and care for each other but it is so easy to make your partner an idol. Examine yourself now to see if you are repeating patterns with your partner that you had with your own spouse. Always remember that the Lord is a jealous God and he wants no one…not your spouse, not your prayer partner…to be first in your heart.
7) Don’t get into the habit of checking with your partner to find out what you should do. Train yourself to have quiet time with the Lord. The Lord will guide you and tell you what to do if you seek Him. Too often we get into the habit of calling our partner to find out if they think we should sign the papers, what do they think we should say to our spouse, what does our partner think we should do about OP? If you are spending all your time seeking advice from and listening to your partner, your ears will become deaf to the Lord’s still, small voice.

Hope you find the above information helpful whether you serve as a prayer counselor or if you are a brother or sister who calls one. These thoughts came from my prayer counselor message and I thought I’d reshare them with you today because I’m certain that these words are going to minister to someone.

Before closing today, I’d like to share a few things the Lord laid on my heart this morning. Some of you may be struggling big time and you wonder whether or not you are going to be able to make it through. You feel like you’ve been going around and around and around and now you find yourself in the same place you started from. You are miserable and discouraged. You’ve talked to other Christians maybe even a few of our prayer counselors but nothing ever seems to change in your life. You are trying to hear from God, but it feels like the heavens have a CLOSED FOR THE SEASON sign on the door.

Dear brother or sister, Jesus said that His sheep WILL KNOW AND HEAR HIS VOICE. In fact, it’s likely that the Lord may have spoken to you in various ways but you are not listening. Let me share a scenario that will demonstrate what I’m trying to say. You’ve been miserable beyond words and it’s hard to keep your thoughts off of your circumstances. Whenever you find yourself in a conversation, you spend most of your words talking about your situation and things that your mate has done or said. In fact you are even able to recall the exact days and times that some of your disappointments have occurred. You open the Bible to read and turn to 1 John 5:9 (KJV) that says if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. You go to church and hear a sermon about the importance of letting go of your fears and considering God greater than your circumstances. You get into the car and hear someone singing CAST YOUR BURDEN UPON THE LORD. The bumper sticker on the car in front of you on your way to work said, LET GO AND LET GOD. You speak to a Christian brother or sister or even one of our prayer counselors and they tell you that they believe that you are dwelling too much on your circumstances and that you really need to let them go.
Precious one, if the above scenario describes you, please recognize that GOD _*IS*_ TALKING TO YOU but you are choosing not to listen. Dear brother or sister, it’s time to be obedient to what God has been telling you. It’s likely that you will not receive another word from the Lord until you are obedient to what He has already said to you. May the Lord give you all you need to release those cares that you are holding on so tightly to. Think about it, if you choose to continue carrying your cares yourself, your help is limited to your own abilities and resources but if you entrust your burdens to the Lord AND LEAVE THEM WITH HIM, the Lord’s capabilities are endless.

Partners, I can share all of the above with you because I had my own season of “not hearing” what the Lord was saying to me because I was too caught up in my emotions and my painful circumstances. But the Lord had mercy on me and allowed me to partake of His grace to let those things go and entrust them into His capable hands. My life has not been the same since. Jesus is my burden bearer, won’t you let him bear yours also. He’s waiting for your response…”

As the FAM Fellowship membership grows and we receive more and more testimonies from new members who are standing for the restoration of their marriages, my heart breaks because they bring back so many unpleasant memories and cause many emotions to flood my heart and mind. First, my heart breaks because I do know and understand the pain their words reflect. But I also know that Jesus died to give us so much more peace and confidence than they’re able to express right now, and with the Lord’s help and grace, I hope and pray that He will use this ministry to help women find that place of unshakeable peace, which is where He longs for all of us to be, and which comes ONLY through resting securely in HIS love, power and grace.

Since there’s so much I want to share with women now in that place of almost unbearable pain (where I used to be), I think the best way to do that is to provide links to some of the previous posts in Seeds Of Faith. I know from personal experience how important it is for us to learn the principles of marriage restoration, because like so many others, I was standing for my marriage for a long time before I really had a clue HOW to do it. How I wish I had learned all of the things the Lord has since shown me MANY, MANY years ago! But even that is part of God’s perfect plan for our lives, and HIS timing is ALWAYS perfect. So for reasons we may or may not ever know, it’s ALWAYS the right time for everyone and their family, just as it was for mine even if it doesn’t look that way right now.

In addition to everything else contained in the following links, there’s one very important principle we MUST learn to apply as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. While it’s important to recognize and acknowledge Satan’s power and authority, it is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to NEVER forget that the power in us is greater than his power and that we DO have the ability to resist him an the legions of wicked and evil spirits and demons he controls. That power comes through speaking the written Word of God. So the word of our testimony does not just refer to the testimony we have when we experience the restoration of our marriages or other praises because the word of our testimony refers to EVERY word that comes out of our mouths! So instead of drawing unnecessary attention to what Satan has done or is trying to do, we need to put all of our focus on the power and authority of God, and that’s what our words need to draw attention to. Unfortunately, I’ve seen too many times when women allow themselves to get so out of balance with the understanding that we’re engaged in spiritual warfare that it keeps them from taking the inventory they need to take of themselves instead of casting stones at their husbands. So one of the biggest challenges faced in this ministry is getting women to understand the importance and power of our spoken (and written) words. We LITERALLY speak and think life and death (Proverbs 18:21), and it’s SO much better for us and those we love when we understand that and start speaking in agreement with God’s written Word by speaking life instead of death into our lives and marriages. The words we speak (or write) are either giving power, honor and glory to the Lord or to Satan. When we speak or write words that draw attention to, glorify or magnify Satan’s power and authority, we give him a place in our lives, circumstances and marriages. On the other hand, when our thoughts and words, the things we speak and write, glorify our Lord and Savior, we release the supernatural power of God to work in our lives, situations and marriages, and Satan has No place and NO power in them or against us and our families. So here are a few Bible verses to remind us of that.

Revelation 12:9-12
The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

Psalm 66:3
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

2 Chronicles 32:7
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.

1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

Psalm 150:2
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Proverbs 18:21 (AMP)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

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 16:23
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.

Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’

Psalm 49:3
My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Psalm 17:3
Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

Romans 10:10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

There’s ALWAYS work for the Lord to complete in US before restoring our marriages, and as long as we resist what He’s trying to do in OUR hearts and in our relationship with Him, we will delay the restoration of our marriages. So as women standing for marriage restoration, we need to take a long and honest look at our failures and acknowledge our contribution to the destruction of our marriages, or we’re NOT likely to ever make the changes in ourselves that are necessary BEFORE our marriages can be restored. And if we don’t learn to conquer and control our thoughts and words, we are fighting a losing battle. So my goal is to help women focus so much more on who we are in Christ and to realize that that is So much more important than what’s happened in our marriages. And when the Lord REALLY starts doing housecleaning in OUR hearts, we start to see that we contributed a lot to the breakdown of our marriages too, and that makes it a lot more difficult to be so critical or hard on our husbands. Restoration is NOT possible until we realize that. Trust me, I spent way too many years focused on the pain, heartache, disappointment and devastation. I had a very long laundry list of everything my husband did wrong, but since the lord started working in me, I can honestly say that I no longer feel victimized by my husband because my heart is broken by the recognition of the things I did to cause him so much pain and disappointment. My husband loved me dearly and I did not treasure and value that gift, much less guard and protect it, as I should have. And even after things went so wrong, I continued doing everything wrong, simply because I was playing my role as the wounded and abandoned wife to well! As long as we hold onto that role, that’s all we’ll ever be. But when we allow the Lord to speak to us about the things He wants to change in US, and we allow that conviction to lead us into repentance and change, then we’ll be on the right road and begin creating the right environment for restoration. I don’t know why, but some women can’t ever make that transition, so I’ll tell you like I tell all of them, lasting marriage restoration is NOT possible without it. And doing that is NOT possible without making the Lord first in our lives and hearts.

The following links are to previous posts in Seeds Of Faith, and while it’s a LOT of reading, they’re important for those who haven’t read them to read, and it won’t even hurt to read them again, as I just have! They’re not in any particular order and many of the links in them aren’t good now, but they still have a lot of useful information and scripture references.

Satan Is A Liar & The Word Of God Is Truth

Taking Every Thought Captive & Making Them Obedient To Christ

What It Takes To Win The War

Overcoming Evil With Good

Understanding And Relying On The Awesome Power Of God

Understanding The Sacrifice Of Love

The Plank In Our Own Eye

What Does Our Testimony Say To Others About Jesus

Grace And Redemption

The Power Of Our Thoughts

Effective Prayer

Peace Through The Renewing Of Our Minds

In God’s Care

Praise And Glory To The Lord

Victory In Times Of Despair

The Power Of Humility

Accessing The Power Of Kingdom Thinking

The Fruit Of discipline And Promise Of Reward

Trust And Obey Or Feed Your Flesh

Do You Love The Lord

Sharing God’s Comfort

Who Are You

The Sacrifice Of Praise

God’s Name Is Jealous

Many of the FAM Fellowship members started fasting today, and several plan to fast for seven days, so we’d like to encourage anyone standing for marriage restoration to join us. We’ll be praying for the Lord to tear down the walls of resistance and to break up the ground so we will see a MIGHTY manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit and HIS word in the form of breakthroughs and marriage restoration in our midst! Amen!

Satan’s been on the prowl, but we know who has the victory…and it’s certainly not him! Remember it’s not possible to please the Lord without faith, and He’s actually displeased with us when we shrink back from living by faith. So let’s walk out our talk, ladies, and show Satan that he IS A DEFEATED FOE! And that we KNOW that NO weapon he forms against us and our husbands and marriages will prosper! And let’s remember to thank our Lord and Savior for giving us the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with the authority to bind and loose situations, spirits and ALL THINGS here on earth with absolute confidence that it IS bound and loosed in heaven! And how we praise the Lord that He promised that the gates of hell WILL NOT prevail!

In addition to this initial time of fasting, we’ll be setting up a schedule so at least two FAM members are fasting continuously for the next forty days. And we welcome all of the visitors to our website to join us as we seek a mighty move of the Lord’s hand through the power of prayer and fasting. And here’s a link to a previous post that will help understand what we’re doing and why we do it.

More About Biblical Fasting

Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcasts for the last few days have been very powerful and important messages for everyone standing for marriage restoration. If there’s one thing we can ALL relate to as we walk through this trial, it’s the difficulty of overcoming the feelings, emotions and impulses, which often drive us to do things we never thought possible before. But the GOOD NEWS is that Jesus came to deliver us from the destruction we allow Satan to accomplish when we give in to such ungodly emotions and impulses. We have assurance of that in John 10:10 (AMP), which says The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). And the simplest key to avoiding such pitfalls is found in Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV), which says You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. So this is an important opportunity for us to demonstrate how much faith and trust we REALLY have in the Lord, and when our family and friends witness how we walk through this difficult time with peace and total confidence in our Lord and Savior, we can be absolutely certain that the works and intentions of the devil are demolished and destroyed, because 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says 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.

While there are MANY things at this particular time in our lives that we have absolutely NO control over, the one thing we, and we alone, DO have ABSOLUTE control over is our minds and our thoughts. So it’s up to us to decide whether or not we’re going to allow our thoughts to be used for the glory of God, or to bring about the death and destruction intended by Satan. And it really is a matter of choosing one or the other, as we see in Romans 8:6-14, which says The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. And yes, I do know how much easier said than done this is, and so does Jesus, because in John 15:5, He said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. So it always comes right back to our walk and relationship with the Lord, and we need to recognize that the Lord WILL test that from time to time, and there will be a very direct connection between the faith and obedience we demonstrate and the consequences and blessings we experience.

If our lives are not filled with the fruit of the spirit, there’s something very serious missing in our walk with the Lord, which means we need to focus a lot more on our relationship with Him than what’s going on in our marriages. Because we won’t have the right kind of relationship with our husbands or what it takes to make marriage restoration possible unless we’re able to experience and walk in the fruit of the spirit Jesus came to give us. Apart from Jesus, it is NOT possible, but when we keep our minds stayed on Him and when we put our trust in Him, we CAN and WILL experience the fruit of the spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. So there’s NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, that can keep us from producing and living with the fruit of the spirit when Jesus IS TRULY “LORD” in our lives! And it is these very fruit that will end up being the weapons of our warfare as described in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, because they’re the fruit produced when we take EVERY thought captive and MAKE it obedient to Christ, based on the word of God, which is the Bible.

So I encourage all of you to make the time to watch Deadly Emotions, Managing Your Emotions & Fickle Feelings, June 19th thru June 23rd, which are all very important messages for anyone challenged by the natural feelings and emotions experienced when standing against the gates of hell for the restoration of our marriages. And, thanks to our Lord’s AWESOME promise in Psalm 37:4-6, we know sowing this seed will reap a precious harvest, because it promises Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. And the best news of all is that HE will do it! And let’s NOT forget that Romans 8:30-31 also promises And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Just keep your eyes on Him, AND HE WILL DO IT! AMEN!

Most of us are aware that this ministry and many other marriage restoration ministries have experienced a great deal of unusually heavy spiritual attack in the past few weeks, which is clear evidence that Satan is doing his best to protect and hold onto the strongholds he uses to prevent our breakthroughs! So yesterday when I received a call from a troubled young woman who didn’t share much about her particular circumstances other than indicating that she has a great need for deliverance in her life, I was reminded that we all HAVE to get a whole LOT more serious about spiritual warfare. Even though I know everyone standing for marriage restoration is all too familiar with spiritual warfare, I’m becoming more and more aware of how ill equipped we are to deal with it and walk in the victory Jesus died to give us.

Being as faithful as our loving Father ALWAYS is, I was bored with one of the programs I usually watch, so unexpectedly came across a new program called Inspiration Today, with David and Barbara Cerullo. And NOT by ANY coincidence, they just started a series called The Battle For Your Life this week! And so far it’s been an awesome study…and it’s available online! It’s a very in depth biblical study about the history of spiritual warfare, and it teaches what the weapons of our warfare are, and how to effectively use them to insure our victory. So even though the study might seem a little boring because of the detail, it is VERY important for all of us to give this study our undivided attention so we have a clear and thorough understanding of exactly what spiritual warfare entails and how to win the battle!

So ladies, PLEASE MAKE THE TIME for this important study. And see it through to the end. This could literally be what it takes to make the difference in our situations. If I could give a guarantee that this study would bring you the breakthrough you’ve been praying and waiting for, I know you’d watch the entire series. And the truth is that it could well be, because we can’t possibly win the battle without knowing EVERYTHING about our enemy, our own ability and authority, and how to use the weapons of our warfare MOST effectively. So please bookmark this link, Battle For Your Life, which started on 06/19/06, and follow through with the entire series. And it appears that each lesson can be saved to visit later, since each one has a different URL, which I STRONGLY encourage everyone to do.

Ladies, the battle belongs to the Lord, but the victory is ours! And Jesus already won the battle! Satan is a defeated foe! So let’s learn how to claim the victory TODAY! And let’s claim the restoration of our marriages TODAY! Let’s start taking back what Satan came to kill, steal and destroy! And let’s remember the awesome promise Jesus gave us in Matthew 16:16-19 (AMP), which says Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros–a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it]. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. So let’s get it deep down into our inner beings that whatever we bind and loose here on earth is ALREADY bound and loosed in heaven! And let’s use what David Cerullo teaches us to take and effectively use the authority our own precious Lord and Savior died to give us, and take possession of our restored marriages in the name of Jesus Christ! Remember…IT IS DONE! Now we just have to EXPECT, WATCH and WAIT for the physical manifestation we’ve been waiting for!