I was really touch by the following message from Glenn Jackson, which I just read as I once again attempt to “clean out” my inbox. As I’ve shared in several recent conversations with FAM Fellowship members, I am really concerned about the consequences and harm done by what I often refer to as “the watered down version of God’s Word.” And Glenn so perfectly expressed the concern of my heart when He wrote (my emphasis added): “In their failure to “allow” Him – by the power of the Holy Spirit – to bring them to the place wherein they have learned to continually acknowledge HIM in ALL of their ways, many have been used by Satan and his forces to establish an entire “network” of so-called Christian service – but, in reality, it is a “service” and relationship that DOES NOT HAVE its origin in Christ – the Anointed One and His Anointing. What this has produced is a spirit of mass confusion where the “world” is concerned – as they look out upon the church. This strategy of the Evil One, alone, is responsible for great numbers remaining in heavy bondage to the deep darkness that is increasing day by day in the world.” So I encourage everyone to thoughtfully read and meditate on this powerful message and truly understand why it is SO important for all of us to get our hearts right with the Lord, TRULY HUMBLING OURSELVES UNDER HIS MIGHTY HAND (1 Peter 5:5-8), so that He can use us for His highest purposes as we stand on the power and promise of His Word against the gates of hell for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families; both for our good and His glory! And when we do that, we won’t even be able to contain the blessings and encouragement we will receive in return!

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THE LIFE OF FAITH AND THE GLORIOUS CHURCH – 2009
APRIL 7TH
“MANY HAVE BEEN USED BY SATAN AND HIS FORCES TO ESTABLISH AN ENTIRE NETWORK OF SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN SERVICE – BUT, IN REALITY, IT IS A SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIP THAT DOES NOT HAVE ITS ORIGIN IN CHRIST”
….”Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight”…. Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

How the heart of the Father is “robbed” [of the intimate fellowship He so desires] by the continual adherence of many of His children to a spirit of self-reliance [the leaning of one upon their own darkened understanding through ANY form of agreement with the lies of the Evil One]. In their failure to “allow” Him – by the power of the Holy Spirit – to bring them to the place wherein they have learned to continually acknowledge HIM in ALL of their ways, many have been used by Satan and his forces to establish an entire “network” of so-called Christian service – but, in reality, it is a “service” and relationship that DOES NOT HAVE its origin in Christ – the Anointed One and His Anointing. What this has produced is a spirit of mass confusion where the “world” is concerned – as they look out upon the church. This strategy of the Evil One, alone, is responsible for great numbers remaining in heavy bondage to the deep darkness that is increasing day by day in the world. There is only one possible solution to this problem and that is the advent of a true and Glorious Church – a Church that is both possessed and ordered by the Holy Spirit. A Church – both individually and corporately – where Christ is truly ALL in ALL [Ephesians 1:17-23]!

“THERE ARE MANY IN THE CHURCH WHOSE LIVES REMAIN DEVOID OF LIBERTY”
There are still many who are totally unaware of the intense [fiery] and absolute judgement of God that is about to come forth to an even greater degree in the midst of His people [1 Corinthians 3:10-15]. There can only be one reason for this, and that is a failure of the child of God to enter into – and abide in – the perfect fellowship daily in the “inner chamber” that is required of them by their loving Father. In these days, ALL that has its origin apart from Christ is going to be exposed! Even now, there are many in the church whose lives remain devoid of “liberty” [“where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”]
[2 Corinthians 3:17] and, thus, they are “powerless” to escape the horrendous consequences that they have sown to in their unbelief and religious exercise. There are others whose ministries are crumbling around them. This is not a result of Satan’s attack, for it is certain that they were already in his control and being used by him to keep many children of God far below the fullness of their precious inheritance in Christ. This “crumbling” is the perfect result of a holy God humbling ALL that has sought to exalt itself above His holy Word [Will]!

“IN THIS ARMY NO “TREACHERY” WILL BE FOUND – OR ANY OTHER HEART-ATTITUDE OR MIND-SET THAT PROMOTES THE SELF-XALTATION AND SELF-AGENDA THAT ARE BOTH AN AFFRONT TO THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS AND THE HEART OF A PERFECT AND HOLY FATHER”
It is the heart of the Father for each and every one of His children to enter into His presence daily in order that His Glorious light might continually shine forth in their heart – both unearthing and consuming any “ground” that is at enmity with His precious Wisdom and tender love. If one continues on wilfully in their “religious exercise” in these days they will indeed fall FAR short of the glorious “Kingdom-position” that the Father has for them, and they will surely be found “unfit” to carry the banner of truth and righteousness and love that will go before His glorious Army [Joel 2:1-13] in this final battle of the Church Age. In this Army no “treachery” will be found – or any other heart-attitude or mind-set that promotes the self-exaltation and self-agenda that are both an affront to the precious Blood of Jesus and the heart of a perfect and holy Father. Let us be found true, faithful and trustworthy to the highest purposes of the Kingdom in these most glorious days. Let us be diligent to acknowledge the Father and His Word in ALL of our ways. For it is in this way – and this way alone – that we will have the divine assurance in our heart that we are in the center of the Father’s will – perfectly motivated by His love in ALL things.

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 60:2; John 15:5; 1 Peter 4:17; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Jesus Is Lord Ministries Vertical

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You can read Glenn’s messages online or sign up to receive them by email daily on his website.

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150:6

As day was breaking this morning I heard a little bird outside my window chirping loudly. I wondered what he was “saying”. Of course, I can’t interpret “bird language” but I have a feeling that he wasn’t complaining about how it has turned off cold. I don’t think he was bemoaning the state of the economy. I don’t think he was fearfully wondering where his next meal was coming from. I don’t think he was singing a song of gloom, despair, worry or fear.

I believe he was singing a song of praise- praise to God for giving him a new day, for watching over him and taking care of him. May I remind you this morning that the birds don’t have jobs, they don’t have grocery stores, they don’t live in heated and cooled houses, they live in nests, they catch bugs and dig for worms, yet they have everything that they need. How? Because there is a God above who feeds them and attends to all their needs. This God is our heavenly Father. So may I remind you also that if He cares so much for the birds that He feeds them every day, doesn’t He care for you more? Aren’t you more valuable to Him than they are? So why are you singing the song of worry? Why is your conversation one of fear? Why are you complaining? Why aren’t you speaking in faith? Why aren’t your words filled with praise?

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore:
ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)

Have a great day. If God doesn’t forsake the birds’ needs, if He takes care of them, if He provides for them, won’t He do the same for you… and much more?

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

We greatly appreciate and thank Lorraine for her permission to share and reprint her Coffee Break devotionals here to bless and encourage our visitors!

(Note from Linda: The FAM Fellowship members are again blessed by a powerful and encouraging message and After Marriage Restoration testimony from Karla, and I really appreciate her permission to share it here as well because I know many men and women standing for marriage restoration will be blessed by it too. When we consider Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18, there is no way to deny that God is indeed good ALL the time and that no matter what we hear or see, with God it is ALWAYS good! So study and memorize those verses and be blessed and encouraged because they cover it ALL!)

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Hi FAMM Family! I apologize for how long it’s been since I last posted, but my husband and I have been spending time catching up on home projects that were left undone for eight months. And we’ve been spending a lot of time with the kids as a family because we want to make sure they feel secure after all of our separations. We’ve also been spending a lot of time just catching up since we spent the last three years in and out of separations, until we finally got our act together and trusted God with our marriage!

The title of this post is something we say in church each Sunday when we “pass the peace” and our pastor even makes us repeat it if we are not enthusiastic enough about it. In fact, he often keeps it up until we are yelling it! And it happens to be what I have taken away from my three year journey to marriage restoration, because God was good…ALL the time! He was good when things went bad; He was good when I made mistakes; He was good when my world was crumbling around me; He was good when I didn’t trust Him; He was good when I whined, grumbled, and complained before I let go; and He was good even when I blamed Him for my marriage not being restored when I wanted it restored. God was good, and is good…ALL the time!

In the NIV study bible, “good” is referenced one hundred twenty-three times, so I want to share some of them here. One of the ones we hear the most here at FAMM is Romans 8:28, which says…And we know that in all things God works for the GOOD of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose. And God certainly worked everything out for my good during my stand for the restoration of my marriage! But He did not restore my marriage until He knew I completely and fully trusted Him, and there was no fooling Him!

In the past, I had not trusted Him with my marriage, so I took matters into my own hands and tried to fix myself, my husband, and my marriage because I simply didn’t trust Him or His timing. Yet He waited patiently for me to become patient with Him during my stand, which I finally did. God is good…ALL the time!

Romans 12:2 tells us…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. This passage of scripture speaks volumes about what went on in my heart and mind during my stand. Prior to really standing for my marriage, I wasn’t conforming to the pattern of this world because I was saved and had a relationship with Jesus. However, I was not transformed because my mind had not been renewed. I knew something in me needed to change and I even knew that I needed to trust God; but I just couldn’t give Him my marriage, which I probably treasured even more than Him. Fortunately, I came to a place during my last separation when I knew it was now or never…do or die, and I spent a weekend in silence and weeping. And that’s when He spoke to me, and I knew that this was it; that I was going to trust Him and let go of my husband and marriage or continue doing things my way and getting my own disappointing results. I knew my marriage hung in the balance that day, so I made the life-altering decision to lay my marriage, and my husband, who I loved and missed more than anything, at His feet. I literally felt like I was physically presenting a gift of my trust to God at the altar by giving Him what mattered to me the most. And on that day, I was transformed and the next day, I awoke with a renewed mind and a peace beyond comprehension. And I’ll always praise and thank God for what He did with what I gave Him!!! He gave my husband and marriage back to me!!! But He didn’t give them back to me when I wanted them or even when I really felt that I needed them; He gave them back to me when it was the right time to perfect HIS plan and when He knew that I was ready. And not only did He give them back to me; He gave them back to me in ways I had never dreamed of or thought possible. God is good…ALL the time!

Mark 1:15 says…‘The time has come,’” he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the GOOD news.’ I have read this verse before, but as I read it again now while researching scriptures, it took on a whole new meaning. There were times during my stand when I had to “repent and believe the good news” that God was going to restore my marriage. Perhaps the same thing has happened to some of you as well; because I would be standing strong and then the wind of unexpected adversity would come and I would start to sway a bit. I even fell flat on my face a few times, and one of those times was when I knew that the time had come…so I had to repent and believe the good news that God would restore my marriage…AND HE DID!!! God is good…ALL the time!

Hebrews 12:10 says…Our fathers disciplined us for awhile as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our GOOD, that we may share in His holiness. It’s important to include Hebrews 12:11 here as well, because it says…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. These are very powerful verses of scripture for me, because there was a time that I felt I was being punished by God and that I didn’t deserve to have my marriage restored. But God loves us, and He wants nothing but good for us. I can certainly say that I went through my time of discipline, and now I have a harvest of peace! When I finally made the choice to trust God, the peace that came into my heart is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. So I now have a mantra that I live by, which is “Peace at all cost.” And I’m thankful and forever blessed by the harvest of peace I have received. So when we feel that we are being disciplined, may our hearts always be filled with hope, because our harvest is coming! God is good…ALL the time!

The last verse I want to share is Galatians 6:9, which reminds us…Let us not become weary in doing GOOD, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Amen! And there’s a lot for us in this verse when we consider how it applies to standing for our marriages.
Let us not become weary in doing good…when we are standing for our marriages, we are in the fight of our lives. And doing good is doing GOD’S will, and NOT what everyone else tells us to do. And that’s something I learned the hard way.
for at the proper time…the proper time is His time, and not our time. His time is not when an exact amount of time has passed; nor when too much time has passed. It is HIS time! But I really struggled so very much with getting that. So know that God is going to restore your marriage, and He does not discriminate and restore marriages quicker where children are involved; He does not restore marriages because of a wedding anniversary or any dates that we feel are important; and He does not restore one marriage over another because He plays favorites. But we do not get to determine what the “proper time” is, and if we try, we will just be disappointed. In my case, the “proper time” was after I had truly and completely laid my marriage and husband at His feet, and when He knew I was ready.
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Let me say that last part again…IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP! If, and ONLY IF we do not give up. There might well be days when you feel like giving up, and I was there more times than I care to disclose, but let this be the last day you feel that way. God is a God of healing and restoration and He promises us right here in this part of the verse that we WILL reap a harvest IF we DON’T give up! He did not say we MIGHT reap a harvest; He said we WILL reap a harvest IF we don’t give up! And by the grace of God, I am walking proof of that because I chose not to give up and I have been blessed with a most bountiful harvest!!! So KNOW that God’s most abundant and blessed harvest awaits each of you, fellow standers!!! And I can’t wait to rejoice with you when they manifest! God is good…ALL the time!

Love and Blessings,
Karla

Last Friday’s devotional by Charles Stanley, From the Bottom Up, which one of the FAM members shared in printed form on the private site Friday morning, was perfectly timed in light of recent conversations with other FAM members.. And as God is always so faithful to do, it also perfectly tied in with recent discussion and posts on the private site about doubt and discouragement and truly trusting God.

Perhaps one of the most surprising discoveries I’ve made over the past few years in marriage restoration ministry is that Christian men and women are actually afraid to wholeheartedly put their trust in God because they are afraid of how they will react if He lets them down and they don’t see the manifestation of the restored marriages they are standing for. But as Dr. Stanley’s message points out, we will only be a lot worse off if we give up on God and resist putting our complete and unreserved faith and trust in Him, which only makes our situations a lot more hopeless and not in any way better. After all, if we give up on God, what hope of marriage restoration do we have? And I can certainly attest to the fact that based on what I have been blessed to witness in the restoration of dozens of marriages; those in our ministry who have been blessed with the manifestation of the power and promise of God’s Word in their lives and marriages have been those who refused to give up on Him and refused to believe what they saw and heard over what His Word declares. And it’s no wonder that the common denominator most apparent in the people who refuse to give up on God is the time spent in God’s Word and how much of it they have retained and buried deep down into their hearts, especially since Jesus promised in John 15:7…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. And that just affirms the VITAL significance of what Romans 10:17 reveals…Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. So if we question the importance of faith as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, we must not understand what Jesus meant when He declared that it will be done to us according to our faith (Matthew 9:29)! But the high cost of not KNOWING and REMEMBERING the Word of God is that we are then fighting a losing battle because we won’t even recognize arguments and pretensions setting themselves up against the knowledge of God; much less be able to demolish the enemy’s strongholds by taking thoughts contrary to the Word of God captive and making them obedient to Jesus Christ/the Word (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and John 1:14).

So the next time the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy our righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and the word of our testimony (John 10:10, Romans 14:17 and Revelation 12:10-11), and we’re tempted to give up on God, we really have to seriously consider what’s left because when we understand the cost of NOT fully trusting God and putting our faith and hope in Him to do ALL that His Word declares, we will realize that we have no other choice if we want to see His glory and His Word in all its power and promise manifested in our lives and marriages. Yet we will indeed be blessed and encouraged if we recognize that we are JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, and thus CHOOSE to PERSEVERE and STAND in the GRACE of our Lord, as we put our HOPE IN HIM AND HIS WORD instead of giving up, because we will NOT BE DISAPPOINTED and we will experience PEACE and REJOICE as promised in Romans 5:1-5, which says…Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. And let us NEVER forget that God sent the Holy Spirit to SEAL the deal and to GUARANTEE our hope and inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14), which we know is righteousness, peace, joy and abundant life!!! But if we don’t stand in FAITH and put our hope in the power and promise of God’s Word and His faithfulness and power to bring it ALL to pass (Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 46:10-11 and Isaiah 55:10-11), then we have NO guarantees and NOTHING left! So NEVER give up on God and get ready to be blessed and encouraged as you put your hope in Him!

(Note from Linda: The following was posted by Mark on the private website this morning, and since it is something I know many visitors to our public website can relate to and are sure to be blessed by as well as the FAM Fellowhship members, I appreciate mark’s permission to share anything he posts here as well. And as is ALWAYS the case, it’s almost hard to believe how well it ties in with so many other posts and conversations in the ministry over the past few days! But that’s just the way God is—always faithful and ever so powerful! So understand that the Lord is ALWAYS ready and able to lift us up and give us victory if we will just turn to HIM and give it ALL to Him; humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:5-6), and we will indeed be blessed and encouraged beyond belief because HE WILL LIFT US UP IN DUE TIME!)

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Good Morning Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted, and I have been traveling quite a bit and unfortunately not staying as involved in the ministry and word as I would like to be. And as a result, I stumbled and had myself one big old “pity party” yesterday. In spite of all the blessings and revelations, I allowed myself to be attacked by pride and frustration over something minor, and since I did not take those thoughts captive, they had me questioning my sanity, faith and stand. I took my eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm and water around me instead; just as Peter did after he stepped out of the boat. And all of that after the amazing fact that last week, my wife told me “I have come to realize that I really need to make God more a part of my life.”

However, I am not writing this to focus on how I stumbled. Instead, I want to share praises and encouragement with you all; praises for the God who gives and takes away, praises for each trial I face, and for the growth I experience as a result. God has blessed me in so many ways this past year because of our separation, and I’ve seen him move and soften my wife’s heart as well as mine. He has restored and renewed my faith and walk with Him and He has opened my eyes and heart to the wonder of His glory.

We will all stumble on occasion; no matter how hard we try, we are still human. As James 3:2 says…We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. And Daniel 11: 35 says…Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. Even if we stumble at times, how we get up is what is most important to God. So we can either be defeated by our trials or moments when we lack faith or we can grow from them and invest more faith in our Father. The word tells us that if we turn to God, He will uphold us; just as Jesus rescued Peter, so shall it be for us. As Proverbs 24:16 declares…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. And then Psalm 37:23-24 promises…If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

So we must remain strong in Christ Jesus and keep our focus on Him and only Him because the more we do that, the less we will stumble. However, if we are fainthearted, we cannot take much because everything has to be a certain way or we give up and quit, and we get discouraged and depressed quickly. But what happens if our hearts fail? We can either decide that we can’t do this…it’s just too hard…or we can turn to God who gives us the strength we need to overcome ANYTHING the devil sends our way. Regrettably, I have given up on many things in the past because they were too hard. But our faithfulness in the little things reveals if we are really ready to receive the greater things God wants to give us. And when we put our trust, faith and confidence in God and Him alone, the victory is ours. As Deuteronomy 20: 1-4 says…When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. And 2 Chronicles 20:17 says…You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’

The Lord is with us!! So let’s continue to praise and put our trust in God, for He will give us the strength and wisdom to persevere. We can not lean on others; we must lean on God and lean on His word. And we have to keep our eyes on Him and the abundance of blessings He has given us. Faith is not believing that God can; it is believing that He will!!

Faith, Hope, Love and Peace to all of you!

Something that really touches my heart and blesses me so much is seeing how the Lord works when FAM Fellowship members reach out to each other in their time of need and share how God has worked in their lives to bring them comfort and His victory when they were in the same place earlier in their stand for marriage restoration. And it’s been a real blessing to see that the men are getting so much more involved in the fellowship! In fact, over the past couple of weeks, the last seven new members in the fellowship have all been men, which is a definite record! So we look forward to seeing their names added to our Restored Marriage list in the near future as the Lord continues working in their hearts and marriages!

Since I know the response from one of our members to another this morning speaks to so many other men standing for marriage restoration, I want to share it here (with names omitted for obvious reasons) with the hope and prayer that it will speak to someone and be a great source of blessing and encouragement as you learn to stand on the power and promise of God’s Word and to rely on HIM and HIM ALONE for the full and complete restoration of your marriages and families. When we learn to truly let go and give EVERYTHING to the God Who loves us and our spouses so much, we will never be disappointed and we can’t lose! So take heed to the godly counsel in the following response from the private FAM Fellowship site and be blessed and encouraged!

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MNO, heed the above advice and what God tells us in His Word. We have to support, affirm, validate and encourage our spouses. And we cannot do that when we are caught up in our selfishness and self-pity. I spent too much time wallowing in my own misery and not understanding how my wife could hurt me so much and reject me and not feel badly about it! But I now understand that I was not acknowledging her feelings and reality any more than she was mine. Even though I had admitted the problems I brought to our marriage, I was still not listening to what she was telling me. I was the best husband I knew how to be and was focused on that, and that it wasn’t my fault. But when I stopped blaming her, and started looking at myself instead of accepting the devil’s condemnation, I was able to focus on God. He had plans to change the person I was into the person He intended me to be from the beginning, but it unfortunately took this circumstance of brokenness to get me to surrender to Him; thank God! Trust me, I had plenty for God to change in me without worry about how He needed to change my wife. I did not have the anger issues that some have, but I certainly had other deep seeded strongholds that I needed to be set free from. But God is awesome; never leaving or forsaking us!

When God puts the desire in our hearts to stand for our marriages, it is not about having our marriage restored; it is about making us into the Christ-like husband His Word calls us to be. We have to be willing and humbled to give Him 100% so we can give our wives 100% regardless of what we are getting in return. When they are able to see Jesus in us, they will desire what we have and God will soften and change their hearts to desire Him, which is most important. And then as they surrender their hearts to Jesus, He will put the desire in them to be obedient and trust Him and then they will have the desire to have their marriage restored. It will be a God thing.

So I pray that you will let Jesus change you. There is nothing on earth that you can do aside from God that will change your wife’s mind. It will be her seeing Jesus in you that will move her heart towards you. She has been wounded and healing has to take place. As we wait for that healing to happen, we must give everything we have to God so He can make us into the Godly husbands, fathers, and men that by His grace and mercy, He desires for us to become.

There is no doubt that God wants marriages restored and families healed. Yet we must also realize that He wants us to live life abundantly and that can only be done by following Him and letting the Holy Spirit work in us. God loves our wives more than we do, and He loves us. None of us will ever hurt or suffer more than He did when He sent Jesus to suffer and die for our sins. By standing for our marriages, we have the opportunity to show the world that we have victory in Jesus as we trust and obey Him, and that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. God is the truth, the way and the life and we have the privilege of proving that to the world.

So, hang in there and let go, and let God bless you both by giving you the marriage He intended for you in the first place.

As we often say in the ministry, we’ve definitely had a recurring theme for the past few days, and it’s been recognizing just how great and mighty our awesome God is! It’s really sad how little most Christians know and understand about the greatness and omnipotent power of our ALMIGHTY God, and even more so for those who need a move of His mighty hand for the restoration of their marriages or any other miracle of SUPERNATURAL proportion! So I really appreciated a post by one of the FAM Fellowship members late Thursday night and planned to share it here Friday, even though I never had time to get it posted. Then as I often am, Friday morning I was in total awe of God’s faithfulness to confirm the message He obviously wanted to get across when I saw what the Lord put on Lorraine’s heart to share in her Coffee Break devotion that morning! So I want to share both messages here now and encourage everyone to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to REALLY get to know and understand the majesty and power of our great and mighty God, which ONLY comes by seriously reading and meditating on His Word! And there’s absolutely NOTHING else we can do that would bless and encourage us more than gaining the revelation knowledge of God that comes through reading and discerning His Word!!!

Our God is Awesome! By Teresa in Arizona

Hello FAMM Family…and welcome to all of our new members!!!

I was reading the bible the other day and decided to read Ezekiel. And though I’m not sure why I picked that, I’m sure I was led there. As I read the first chapter about the vision Ezekiel saw, I began to cry because I suddenly had a sense of how big our God is, which I encourage everyone to read. And a few things really hit me as I read the last verse, Ezekiel 1:28, where it says…Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. The Glory of God made Ezekiel fall on his face, and we see that in many places in scripture, which makes me realize that we don’t really understand the “greatness” of the God we serve…His presence makes people fall on their faces!!! Then in Ezekiel 2:1-2, it says… And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and SET ME ON MY FEET; and I heard Him who spoke to me. God will set us on our feet and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will hear Him when He speaks. And that’s confirmed in Psalm 40:2 because it says He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Further along in Ezekiel 2:4-6, The Lord tells Ezekiel…The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house.
So when we say and do what God tells us to do, we are not to be afraid of what man says or thinks of us or our beliefs and we will be His light to others in any case!!!

In Ezekiel 3:1-4, it says…And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. We have to “eat” and “digest” the word of the Lord so that will be what comes out of our mouths and then we can stand on His promises. It is like honey to our souls!!!

I love when the Holy Spirit brings God’s words to life and reveals their application in our lives. It is like strength being poured into us. Praise God that He has given us His living words!!! I was also reminded of something a pastor said at church a couple of weeks ago. He said that we probably have so many “wimpy Christians” because we think we serve a “wimpy Jesus.” Yet, when we read this passage and many others, we should come to the revelation that our God is the farthest thing from wimpy we can get. He is huge, powerful, awesome and mighty. Words cannot describe Him adequately, which is why humans fall to their faces in His presence, even without a word spoken from His mouth!!!

So when we begin to think that our situations are impossible; whether relationships, finances, emotional issues or whatever, we should go back to the word of God and read about WHO HE IS!!! These passages of scripture have really given me a glimpse and greater understanding of the great and mighty and wonderful God we serve. And I hope it encourages you as well. God Bless!

All Powerful God by Lorraine Ezell

“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” Ephesians 1:21

A few days ago we talked about how that God is in control and more powerful than the most powerful people on earth. God has all power; He has absolute power, while man- regardless of the position he may hold- only has delegated power and authority that has been given to him by God.

This morning I want to remind you that not only does God have all power in earth but also in heaven. He has all power in the heavenly/spiritual realms as well. He doesn’t only have power over the “seen” world, He has power over the “unseen” world. His power is greater than that of the devil or any demon. His power is greater than the powers of sickness and disease. He is more powerful than depression, anxiety, worry and fear. He is greater than the harassing spirits that try to torment you with guilt and condemnation. He is more powerful than the enemy’s lies, accusations and confusion that he throws your way. He created all things by the power of His word, by the breath of His nostrils and by the thought in His mind. He is greater than anything! He alone has been highly exalted with a name that is above every other name. He alone sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He alone has all things under His feet. He alone is the Head. He alone has the title of King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one that causes demons to tremble, mountains to skip like young lambs, the sun to hide it’s face because of His brilliant radiance, the ocean to roll back at His presence, even the winds and the waves of the sea obey Him.

He has power over anything and everything that is coming against you today. The devil is not more powerful- his schemes, devices and pits of destruction are not more powerful. Jesus defeated him at the cross. (Colossians 2:15) He totally disrobed him and stripped him of any power that he has over you. Jesus set the captives free and opened the prison doors to those who were bound. The grave could not hold Him. He rose victorious over death and the grave and that victory was gained not for Himself, but for us!!! His strong right arm got us the victory!!! So walk in that victory today because the All- Powerful God lives in you.

“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Have a great day. Never forget WHO He is… the ALL POWERFUL GOD of heaven and of earth.

*****
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

We greatly appreciate and thank Lorraine for her permission to share and reprint her Coffee Break devotionals here to bless and encourage our visitors!

We’ve really been blessed to welcome a lot of new members to the FAMM family lately, because it’s always exciting to see how the Lord works in their hearts and lives and in the restoration of their marriages and families. And since we have so many new members and a lot of new visitors to the public website who are “new” to standing for marriage restoration, and likely struggling with a lot of the same issues, I want to address some of those issues because we ALL have to learn HOW to stand for marriage restoration according to God’s Word. Like everyone else, we ALL knew to stand LONG before we knew HOW to do it, so I encourage everyone new to standing for marriage restoration to go back into the archives of the public website (Seeds Of Faith posts) and the private site for our new FAM Fellowship members, because there’s an awful lot of information available on both sites about standing for our marriages the way God wants us to stand, which is ALWAYS according to HIS Word.

Since one of the first things we have to learn is that there isn’t anything WE can do about what our spouses are or are not doing, we have to give ALL of their issues to God and focus on what He wants to do in US. The work of marriage restoration is always done in the SUPERNATURAL and when we allow the Lord to work in us, we release His SUPERNATURAL power to work on our behalf as we stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word for the restoration of our marriages, and HE can and will change the hearts and minds of our spouses in that process. But we can’t and the more we try, the worse we make things. So read Letting Go and Being Spouses of Noble Character, for more about that. And read We Can’t Afford to Play the Blame Game, because when we do, we’re being disobedient to the Word and prideful…thinking we can do what God specifically declares HE will do is an attempt to elevate ourselves to His level, which is exactly what got Satan thrown out of heaven. And the Bible warns that pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18); not to mention that God OPPOSES the proud (1 Peter 5:5-6). But HE gives grace to the humble and in due time lifts those who humble themselves under His mighty hand!

And it’s VERY important to understand that God does not want us to concern ourselves or take on dealing with anyone’s sin other than our own, which is abundantly clear when we read 2 Corinthians 10:6, Matthew 7:1-5, John 8:3-11 and Luke 18:9-14, where Jesus left no doubt about that based on what He taught in The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which says: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Furthermore, this powerful passage of scripture makes it pretty obvious that God is not at ALL impressed or pleased with our prayers about SOMEONE ELSE’S sinfulness, which Jesus made abundantly clear when He very specifically taught how we should pray in Matthew 6:5-15.

So in addition to realizing that we can’t do anything to change our spouses, we also have to realize that God commands and expects us to forgive as HE forgives, and whether we like it or not or think it’s possible or not, that also means that we have to FORGET! So read God Commands Us To Forgive AND Forget, which is a previous Seeds Of Faith post dealing with that. Therefore we have to be very careful not to let unforgiveness become an obstacle to the restoration of our marriages, as shared in another SOF post, Avoiding Unforgiveness as an Obstacle to Marriage Restoration.

And even though it’s often very confusing when we get mixed signals from our spouses and can’t understand what’s going on, usually the result of their double mindedness, we can’t fall into the devil’s trap of trying to understand or explain our spouses’ behavior; particularly when it makes no sense! And we can’t forget that God very specifically instructs us to trust HIM with ALL of our hearts, NOT to lean to our own understanding, and to acknowledge HIM in ALL OF OUR WAYS (Proverbs 3:5-6). And even though that’s a huge temptation for all of us, we can’t give in to it, which is why it has often been the topic of previous SOF posts; such as Overcoming Confusion And Uncertainty and Avoiding the Pitfall of Leaning to our own Understanding.
We also need to be careful when it comes to questioning the salvation of our spouses because of apparent sin in their lives. After all, even though God Himself said that David was a man after His own heart, we know that David committed both adultery and murder. And if we fall into the trap of thinking that way, we ourselves are in danger because it’s ONLY by the grace of God that we are as we are, and not doing the very same things our spouses have done or are doing. And 1 Corinthians 10:12 clearly warns that we must be careful when we think WE are standing firm, because we ourselves are NOT incapable of falling. And in the eyes of God, our spouses’ sin and failure to heed God’s Word is no greater than ours; because to God, sin is sin and unless we are perfect, we should not be casting stones at others; especially our spouses because that is the kiss of death to marriage restoration.

So as we stand for marriage restoration, it’s very important to realize that we can’t experience the fullest blessings God wants to give us as long as we see ourselves as victims, which we obviously do as long as we continue to talk about our pain, hurt and our spouses’ mistakes and misdeeds and how much harm they have caused us…or even pat ourselves on the back about how far we’ve come because we’re better at “hiding” our pain and distress now. However, God is a lot more concerned with what’s in our hearts and we can’t EVER “hide” anything from Him. And when we truly learn to forgive and forget, we won’t remain so focused on our identity as victims, so read Deciding to Give up our identity as Victims, which should make that easier to understand. Therefore, may our hearts always be filled with love and compassion for our spouses as we release our pain and choose to be the victors Jesus died to make us. May we all focus on our many blessings and refuse to be the victims Satan wants us to be. And may every man and woman standing for marriage restoration know the peace of God that comes ONLY through the renewing of our minds, regardless of our circumstances, as written about in Peace Through The Renewing Of Our Minds. And we ALL must remember that God is NOT the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV). So when we do struggle with confusion, it’s important to realize that the devil is just coming to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). And since we know that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), it’s obvious that ALL contrary feelings, thoughts, emotions and actions are not of God; therefore they are of the devil, and Jesus left no doubt about what the devil ALWAYS comes to do, so we have to take those thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to Jesus Christ and the Word (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and John 1:14)!

And while it’s very good that many of us have learned to control our reactions when our spouses say or do something to upset us, they know us well enough to see it in our eyes, body language or even hear it in the tone of our voices; which is why it is VITALLY important to allow the Holy Spirit to do the work God wants to do in OUR hearts. Then we can truly be the wives and husbands described in 1 Peter 3:1-12 and Ephesians 5:21-33, which we can be absolutely certain our spouses will find totally irresistible! So, as women, when we have a difficult time understanding how our husbands can be so disobedient to the Word of God, we should just read 1 Peter 3:1-6 again and just ask ourselves how obedient WE have been!” And then if we read Ephesians 5:22-24, most of us have to admit that we’ve actually been very disobedient; since it says…Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. And as difficult as it might be to understand or believe, nothing our husbands have done or are doing is any worse in the eyes of God than our failure as wives to respect, honor and submit to them, and our failure to do so has played a huge part in what they have done. As Proverbs 21:9 declares…Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. And that was deemed to be SO important that it was repeated again word for word in Proverbs 25:24! And the same thing was restated in Proverbs 19:13 and Proverbs 27:15! And something I’ve definitely learned in marriage restoration ministry is that there really isn’t ANY place a man would rather be than with his wife and kids; but there is ONE thing he wants more…and that’s PEACE!
And for husbands who struggle with thoughts of their wives’ disobedience to God, just read 1 Peter 3:7 again and honestly ask how obedient YOU have been. And then read Ephesians 5:25-33 and take measure of your own disobedience; because it says…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. And when husbands learn to love and treat their wives as instructed here, there’s no doubt that their wives will respect and honor them. And BOTH husbands and wives have to read and put into practice the wise counsel of Ephesians 5:21, which says…Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. And as I have experienced personally, and as I know MANY of our members can also attest to, the greatest changes were made in me when I was TRULY grieved by the recognition of all of MY mistakes and the pain I caused my husband, which totally changed my perspective concerning everything he had done and who had actually done the greatest harm to our marriage. So I hope and pray that something shared here will help give new standers a different perspective and that we will let the Lord do the work He wants to do in US, which has to be done BEFORE He restores our marriages; otherwise we would just end up in the same place again, and that’s just not God’s way.

Finally, it’s VITALLY important to understand that one of the most harmful things we can do (and have most likely already done) to our spouses is run our mouths about everything they have done to hurt and wrong us to family and friends; which really hinders restoration. We are to COVER our spouses’ nakedness; not expose them and their short comings to all who will listen. Keep in mind that our spouses will have to face our families and friends and everything we have said about them when our marriages are restored. Yes, it’s difficult to resist the need to have the sympathy and comfort of family and friends, but at what cost? For more about covering our spouses’ nakedness with family, friends, and especially our children, read Covering Up His Nakedness, which was more specifically written for women before the guys joined the fellowship; but a lot of it applies to you guys too!

The really GOOD NEWS is that God is ALWAYS faithful to complete the good work He begins, and He has obviously begun a good work in those He has brought to FAMM and called to stand for marriage restoration, and He WILL be ever so faithful to complete it! He is using this time to mold and shape us into the spouses He wants us to be, and in the end, we will have much better, more joy filled and blessed marriages than ever before. There’s always a battle going on between our spouses’ heads and hearts, but their hearts will ultimately win if we just allow the Lord to do the work He wants to do in US first! And we are the ones most blessed when we do that because WE will have peace like we’ve never had before; not to mention that our wayward spouses are drawn to our peace, which pages of testimonies on the private site prove. So we are all honored to stand together as the Lord works to fully restore our marriages and families and to be a source of support and encouragement for each other along the way! And there’s no doubt that we will be blessed and encouraged beyond belief when we learn to stand for the restoration of our marriages according to the Word of God and for the glory of Jesus Christ, because GOD ALWAYS DOES WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring His Word and plan to pass (Isaiah 46:10-11 and Isaiah 55:10-11

As the Lord continues to bless the ministry and continues to add to our numbers, it’s often a good idea to “revisit” some of the most basic principles of standing for marriage restoration. And few are more basic than our need to forgive and FORGET; yet I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard that it just isn’t possible to forget and that it’s hard to believe God REALLY expects us to forget. So this seems like a good time to refer many of our new members and perhaps new visitors to the public website to a previous Seeds Of Faith post, God Commands Us To Forgive AND Forget, which I really hope and pray everyone who hasn’t been blessed by the peace that only comes when we have forgiven and forgotten will read and seriously meditate on. As the passages of scripture included in the above post make abundantly clear, as Christians expecting to live in the blessing of God’s forgiveness, we MUST forgive and that DOES mean forgetting! But when we truly do forgive and forget, we will indeed be blessed and encouraged beyond description because we will have taken one of the most important steps to the complete restoration of our marriages!

I received an inquiry from a FAM Fellowship member yesterday, seeking clarification regarding some of the things we teach and promote in FAMM because she struggles with the concept that we have to be obedient to be blessed by the Lord; and more precisely, to see our marriages restored. Yet, it’s difficult to read the Word of God without concluding that HE requires us to trust and obey Him in order to receive is greatest blessings and the desires of our hearts. So when we have a difficult time accepting the need for obedience and are misled to believe that God just wants us to “desire to do good” or to have “good intentions,” we are likely to end up frustrated, disappointed and unfulfilled as Christians and even more particularly as men and women standing for marriage restoration. And since this is something many others might struggle with as well, I hope this post will help clarify our need to obey and trust God, because it’s just not possible to overstate the vital necessity of obeying and trusting in God as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.

One powerful passage of scripture, among many others illustrating that is Psalm 84; which I strongly encourage everyone to read and seriously study. Yet as we read this and all scripture, it’s absolutely necessary that we don’t ignore, disregard or minimize some of the important, conditional and descriptive words we tend to glide over; such as “dwell” and ”ever” in verse 4;”in” and “set” in verse 5: “pass through” and “they make it” in verse 6; “”go from strength to strength” and “til each” in verse 7; “”strong>in your courts” in verse 10; “whose walk is blameless” in verse 11; “who trusts in you” in verse 12. According to this passage and many, many others, it’s clear that the blessings of God are attained through an abiding walk and relationship with God as we totally and completely trust and obey Him.

Furthermore, according to what Jesus taught in Mark 12:29-30, the greatest and single most important commandment of all is that we put God FIRST in EVERYTHING; that we love God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength. And based on the following passages of scripture, it’s undeniably clear that it’s not possible to separate obeying God from loving God, particularly when we pay close attention to the important, conditional and descriptive words in the passages of scripture below:

Deuteronomy 11:1 – [Love and Obey the LORD] Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 – So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil.

Joshua 22:5 – But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your
soul.”

Nehemiah 1:5-6 – Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you.

Psalm 119:167 – I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.

Daniel 9:3-5 – So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.

John 14:15 – [Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit] “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

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

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

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

John 15:10 – If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

1 Peter 1:22 – Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 John 2:4-6 – The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

1 John 5:3 – This is love for Godobey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

In addition to the Bible unambiguously proclaiming that we don’t truly love the Lord if we don’t obey Him; it also makes it clear that obedience is a byproduct of faith. As Romans 1:5 states…Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And as Hebrews 11:8 reveals, faith requires acting in accordance with God’s instructions even when we don’t know the outcome…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. And it’s very important to note that IF Abraham had NOT gone where the Lord called him to go he wouldn’t have ended up being WHERE he needed to be to receive the inheritance God intended to give him! Many times men and women have shared how they dreaded events or circumstances that seemed so terrible and totally contrary to everything they wanted and were standing for; only to discover later that it was those very same events and circumstances that the Lord literally used to bring about the restoration of their marriages! So His ways and thoughts are indeed higher and different than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), which is why He specifically tells us NOT to lean to our own understanding; to just trust Him with ALL of our hearts and to acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6)!

However, it’s not right to conclude or suggest that God “punishes” us because we aren’t perfect; even though it is true that God is not obligated to BLESS us when we don’t trust and obey Him. But there IS a difference. As I once heard it said, and as Psalm 84 and many other passages of scripture confirm; when we trust and obey the Lord, we are under the glory spout where the glory pours out! But when we don’t trust and obey God, we give the devil power and authority in our lives and as we know, he comes ONLY to steal, kill and destroy. And Jesus very powerfully affirmed God’s requirement for obedience in Luke 6:46-49, when He taught that when we OBEY Him and DO what we know His Word tells us to do, our homes will withstand anything and everything that comes against them. BUT when we hear His Word and DON’T DO what He tells us to do, our homes will come down with a great crash and be completely destroyed! It just doesn’t get any clearer and simpler than that; especially in light of Jesus’ own words in Luke 6:46. So the question we all must ask and answer for ourselves is the same one Jesus asked then and still asks today…“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

So, whether we understand it or not and whether we like it or not, it is undeniably clear that we can’t count on God’s blessings, protection and provision if we don’t obey and trust in Him. That’s exactly why Jesus told us in Luke 9:23 that to follow Him, we have to deny our flesh and pick up our cross daily…Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Then in Luke 14:27, He even further declared…And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. But when we obey God and put our trust in Him, we will be blessed in ways beyond anything we can even begin to ask or imagine, as revealed in the following passages of scripture:

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

Proverbs 16:20 – Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Jeremiah 17:7 – “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

Daniel 3:28 – Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Daniel 6:23 – The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Nahum 1:7 – The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

John 14:1 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

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

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.

And the really GOOD NEWS for all of us is that no matter how big a mess we’ve made of our lives and/or marriages, we have God’s awesome assurance and promise in Isaiah 55 that He CAN AND WILL turn it ALL around an give us so much better than the seeds we’ve sown when we just turn from our sinful ways and turn to Him, which He will do for the everlasting renown of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ! So let us be among those who put our trust in the Lord as we stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families, and we will indeed be blessed and encouraged because we will not be disappointed or put to shame when we do!

Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. [
7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

(Note from Linda: I know everyone standing for marriage restoration will be truly blessed by this very powerful message from Stephanie, because our failure to REALLY know and fully understand just WHO God is is at the root of our inability to trust Him. If we don’t KNOW WHO GOD IS, we can’t live in peace and we won’t let our spouses go; yet that is the very specific instructions God gives in 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 when our spouses want to leave. And in testimony after testimony, we are reminded that it is seeing our peace and joy in the Lord that so often draws our spouses back home and saves them from the destruction intended by the devil. God’s Word promises consequences in our lives when we are disobedient to His Word and blessings when we trust and obey Him (Deuteronomy 30, Psalm37:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Luke 6:46-49), so there should be great and obvious contrasts between the circumstances of our wayward spouses’ lives and ours, and when there aren’t, something is wrong because God is not a liar and His Word NEVER returns without accomplishing what He desires and the purpose for which He sent it (Numbers 23:19 and Isaiah 55:10-11). The pages of the FAM Fellowship website are filled with examples of how God blesses beyond belief those who put their trust in Him as they stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word, as well as the consequences that befall their spouses as they continue in a lifestyle that is not at all pleasing to the Lord; therefore we literally have pages of proof that God does exactly what He says He will do as declared in Isaiah 46:10-11. So I greatly appreciate Stephanie’s obedience and faithfulness to share what she learned at a women’s conference this past weekend with all of us, because we won’t really grow in our walk and relationship with the Lord without trusting Him, which just isn’t possible without really knowing just WHO He is! So please seriously consider the importance of this message and do whatever it takes to grow in your walk and relationship with the Lord as you learn to trust Him because you know just WHO He is, and then you will without a doubt be blessed and encouraged beyond belief!)

*****
Hello My FAMM family,

I want to share something I believe to be very powerful and important. One of the biggest struggles I experienced on my journey to marriage restoration was the ability to TRUST God, because that was my biggest weakness. Just like most of us, I thought I trusted God and I really believed that I had surrendered my marriage to Him. However, I found that my emotions, attitudes and behavior changed the minute the circumstances in my life were not positive; particularly when I was seeing what appeared to be the exact opposite of what I desired and was praying for. So I prayed for God to help me in that area, which He did. So I didn’t cry as much or get angry as I would have in the past, and I wasn’t as fearful. I would read the promises of God, say them out loud, use them in prayer and do everything I believed was necessary to be a good stander. BUT one thing still stood out; I did not surrender it ALL to God. There were a few things that I continued to hold onto because I believed them to be so IMPOSSIBLE, so INSURMOUNTABLE, so VERY UNLIKELY, that I’d keep taken back what I had given to God. But I didn’t realize that until I was asked to do something that ended up being very powerful and really showed me just who my God is. So I want to ask everyone to take a moment to do the same thing.

Take a piece of paper and write down something you are going through right now; something you believed you have already surrendered and given to God, but truly haven’t or that you have at least taken back. And you know what it is, because it’s always on your heart. Please take a few minutes to do that and then read the rest of this post.

The problem for most of us is that we don’t truly understand WHO we just gave our difficulties, problems, or circumstances to. We gave it to God; our Heavenly Father, Our Lord, our Alpha and Omega, and our Savior. So we need to know his many names and just WHO we are putting our trust in, because the names of God reveal so much about who He is, and what He does and says.

Here are some of the names of our God, so please read them carefully, and thoughtfully consider them and what they REALLY mean:

Elohim – He is our Creator, the one true God and can create something out of nothing.

El Elyon – He is Sovereign and in control. Ultimately, man’s actions play into the hands of El Elyon.

Adonai – He is our Lord and Master. He is the one who guides our actions and commands our obedience. We are his servants forever because we love Adonai, our Lord.

El Shaddai – He is God Almighty, all-sufficient, and enough for us.

Yahweh Jireh – He is our provider. He is able to provide for and supply our needs, whatever they might be.

El Ro’I -He is the One who sees us. We can know that we are always under His watchful care.

Yahweh -he is everything we need. He is the source of meaning, purpose, and ultimate satisfaction in life.

Yahweh Rophe -He is our healer. He is our comfort in times of brokenness, pain, bitterness, affliction and mourning.

Yahweh Nissi – He is our victory and the One to rely on when faced with seemingly insurmountable opposition. He is the One to run to when we are faced with battles that threaten to defeat us.

Yahweh Mekaddesh – He makes us holy. He enables us to live a holy and sacred life that pleases Him.

Yahweh Shalom -He is our peace, gives us His deep and abiding peace in the turbulent trials, and will carry us in our troubles.

Yahweh Sabaoath – He is our deliverer in impossible situations, and helps us overcome the giants in our lives.

Yahweh Roi – He is our shepherd, watches over us, and cares and comforts us.

Abba Father – He is our heavenly father, daddy, papa, and the One in whose arms we can run and ultimately find rest.

Now take that piece of paper, and read what you wrote on it again and ask yourself…”Is He enough for what I face today?” And think about WHO you are surrendering it to and call out the name of God that fits your circumstance. Then TRUST him to take care of it. TRUST is Total Reliance Under Stress and Trial. And God is trying to build trust in the fabric of our souls during this journey, which was my biggest weakness until I knew the God I was giving it to!!

Now, take that piece of paper, crumple it up and remember that as easy as it was for you to crumple up that piece of paper, it is just as easy for your God to crumple up your mountains!

Psalm 9:10 – Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

I love you guys,

Stephanie

When we seriously study God’s Word, we recognize that praising God is not just something we should do when we “feel” like it…because it’s actually a command from God. As Psalm 150:6 declares…Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. And Hebrews 13:15 says…Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. So we can’t afford to be so focused on the things we think are not so praiseworthy, especially since those are often the very things God uses to literally bring about the blessing He is working to bestow on us, including the restoration of our marriages. God wants us to trust and praise Him no matter what we see and hear, and when we really do, we will realize that we have no good reason or excuse to struggle when it comes to praising the Lord.

As Americans, we tend to be very ungrateful people and take an awful lot for granted; yet we have so much to truly be thankful and praise the Lord for. So I expect that one of the positive things that will come out of the economic woes we are all experiencing these days is that we will return to placing value on the things that really matter most in life and to the Lord. People won’t be so busy chasing things and stuff that they don’t have or take the time to spend quality time with their children and spouses–and that will save many marriages and families from going through what we have already experienced. With no credit available, people won’t be able to spend beyond their means, which means that children will be taught stronger values and not to put so much stock in frivolous and unimportant things like the brand name of their clothing and just getting more “stuff.” Most of us would agree that if it were not for the availability of “easy” credit, our spouses would likely not be where they are today because they simply couldn’t afford it. So there’s no doubt that the change in our economy will force us to much more carefully prioritize where we spend our money, which is a good thing since Jesus taught that where our “treasure” is, there our heart is also (Matthew 6:21), and there’s little doubt that God will be much more pleased with where He sees us putting our treasure, and thus where our hearts are.

We are all so abundantly blessed just to have clean and safe running water; not to mention that we even have hot water that comes to us as soon as we turn on the tap. We are richly blessed that we have food to eat; not to mention all the things we have to choose from. We are so blessed that we can turn on the radio, TV and computers and get any kind of information and entertainment we want and need and even praise and worship the Lord! We are indeed blessed that when it’s hot outside, we can turn on air conditioning or fans to stay cool, and when it’s cold outside, we can turn on the heat to stay warm. We are greatly blessed that we have cars to take us where we want and need to go and that we have the right to go when and where we want to go. And we are blessed that even when we don’t have the money to pay for the necessities of life, we have access to programs that will provide or basic needs. As women, we should especially be on our knees because we are truly blessed that God planted us in a country where women are not routinely brutalized and denied the most basic of human rights; or even where female children are forcibly aborted or killed. And for those of us who are distressed because our spouses are gone and/or involved with NCPs, we need to be thankful because things could be a lot worse; our spouses could be dead and then we would have no hope of their salvation or deliverance and restoration and our children would forever be without their other parent and have no hope of restoration either.

So when we allow the devil to deceive us into thinking that it’s so hard to praise the Lord in the midst of our circumstances, I hope and pray that we will remember these things, which are just a minute portion of the myriad of things we should be on our knees thanking God for every day and all day long; like the amazing blessing of good health for another. We can get out of bed and walk where we want and need to go; we can prepare our own breakfast and we can bathe and dress ourselves without assistance. Most of us are not in physical pain every day of our lives and we can breathe, hear and see without even giving it a second thought and all too often without realizing that if not for the grace and blessings of God, we couldn’t!!! So, whenever we find ourselves struggling or unwilling to praise the Lord and when our hearts are filled with anything less than abundant and overflowing gratitude and thanksgiving for the awesome and miraculous blessings God bestows on us every day and all day, we need to read and VERY CAREFULLY study Numbers 13-14 because God is indeed the same today, yesterday and forever!!!, And we will be the ones who suffer, not to mention our spouses and children, when we fail to give God the praise, honor and glory He is due and EXPECTS! And all we have to do is read Ephesians 1:4-14 to understand that ALL God does is for the praise, honor and glory of His Son, Jesus Christ! So as Psalm 148:5 says…Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. And if we’re not in the habit of praising and thanking the Lord in EVERYTHING as instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we will indeed be blessed and encouraged when we make praise and thanksgiving a CONTINUAL AND CONSISTENT habit, because the more we praise and give thanks for, the more God will give us to praise and thank Him for; when we prove ourselves faithful with little, He will give us more!! Just read Matthew 25:14-30! And remember that as Luke 12:48 declares, to whom much has been given, much will be required! So CONTINUALLY praise and give thanks to the Lord and be blessed and encouraged!

(Note from Linda: It is such an honor and pleasure to share the following post from Stephanie, which she posted on the private website earlier today! And I know you all will want to share in her joy and praise the Lord for another RESTORED MARRIAGE and family!!! God is just so faithful and there’s no doubt that He has rewarded and blessed Stephanie with the desire of her heart because of her faithfulness to sow seeds of restoration into the lives of countless other men and women standing against the wiles of the devil for their marriages by sharing her own testimony as a prodigal turned stander (EXP). May God’s greatest joy and richest blessings always be Stephanie’s and her husband’s as they embark on the rest of their lives together with the brand new marriage He has given them! What an awesome God we serve! And how important it is to note that JUST AS SOON as Stephanie REALLY LET GO, God moved in her husband’s heart to come home! So be blessed and encouraged just to know that what God does for one, He WILL do for all!)

*****
For the first time in my life, though naturally a very talkative woman, I am completely speechless and in awe of God’s mighty power and awesome presence in my life. So I want to share a little more of my story and testimony of how miraculously God has worked in my heart, life and now my marriage!

Three short years ago, I was in the thick of sin, and I ran around believing that the world and the people in it could fulfill my needs. I did not love my husband and I told him that numerous times. I treated him terribly; both with my words and in my actions, and I did not want to be his wife. I just wanted to be “free” because I was not happy. I truly believed that I would be better off with out him and I believed my children would be fine too. But I ended up being a bad parent and my children often received the brunt of my displaced anger and overall unhappiness. And I truly believed that divorce was the best and only way to resolve my pain and lack of love for my spouse. I was wayward, resistant, rebellious and stubborn. And I was fully convinced that my marriage was over, and no one could change my mind. No one could tell me anything, especially my husband. His begging, attempts at persuasion and pleading just fell on deaf ears. Even though he prayed for our marriage, he was also very angry and totally frustrated with me, and he often pointed out my waywardness and told me how God was unhappy with me. But that just pushed me further away. I would even pray for God to “release me from this man and this marriage.” I told God I didn’t love him and that we both deserved to be happy. Well, my Heavenly Father had another plan for me!

My life spun out of control and God slowly removed all the worldly things I thought gave me so much pleasure…friends, co-workers, job, and even my husband’s love. And I eventually found myself face down on the floor in tears. (Psalm 55:1-2, 16-18). All I could do was cry out to God in my despair and it was in sheer desperation that I found my Lord, who was there just waiting for me to ask him for help (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). God slowly began removing the scales from my eyes (Acts 9:18) and He showed me things within myself that made me cringe. He turned my heart right back to the very man I had prayed for him to remove from my life; He softened my heart and restored love I thought I no longer had for my husband, and He gave me the desire for my marriage. (Ezekial 36:26-27). God did the impossible with this prodigal (Mark 10:27)!!

As I shared in my last post, I finally came to the place of being at peace with whatever God had for my life; be it marriage restoration or not, which came as a result of the despair of being alone on my wedding anniversary. And when I finally came to that conclusion, God just showed me how he was working when my husband questioned what I did on our anniversary. And when I told him that I went to dinner and a movie, he wanted to know who I went with. I remember smiling inside and thanking God for showing me that he still cared! But never in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought that just a few days later my husband would come home and not leave again! Yet, he has not gone back to his parent’s home for a couple of weeks now! He is spending time working on the house and spending a lot of time with me and the kids. Praise God!! And although we have not officially talked about our relationship or what lies ahead, I know without a shadow of a doubt that my marriage is restored!!!! So, Linda, please move us over to the Restored Marriage list!!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, your day is coming! I never thought I would be posting a restored marriage testimony so soon. Yet, all of a sudden—here I am. I am the prodigal that came home. I was the wayward, godless, and stubborn spouse that wanted to be divorced. God first changed me, and then through MY change, a miracle was done in my husband’s heart. So remember that no matter what you see or hear, your promise is from God. And God does not lie and He is no respecter of persons. What God did for me, He will (HE REALLY WILL!) do for you; just hang on…it’s coming! God is working things out for your good (Jeremiah 29:11).

Thank you for allowing me to share in your lives; you are all truly a great blessing!! All glory goes to God…only He could have made beauty from my ashes (Isaiah 61:3)!!!

With Love,

Stephanie

As Christians standing for marriage restoration and facing so much economic and cultural turmoil, it is vitally important that we better understand the judgment and blessings of God and how they impact our lives and the lives of our spouses and those we love. And since we know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, a great place to begin understanding God’s judgment and blessings is with the declarations found in Deuteronomy 30 and Isaiah 55, which I strongly urge everyone to read and study on your own.

While many people believe and teach that God gives us “free will” and that it’s up to us to choose; when we read what He actually said; it’s clear that God COMMANDS us to OBEY Him and HE leaves absolutely NO DOUBT about what happens when we don’t! Yet, those who believe that we have free will tend to leave off the part about the terrible judgment and consequences of choosing to disobey God. And we can’t possibly understand what God said about setting life and death, blessings and curses before us in Deuteronomy 30 without reading it in its full context, especially when Deuteronomy 30:19 is in no way a valid basis for the false and misleading doctrine of free will that’s promoted today in direct opposition to the Word of God; because verses 17-20 actually declare… But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And the Bible is full of verses declaring that we have to TRUST AND OBEY God to receive His blessings, provision and protection; such as some of our favorites like Psalm 37:5-6 and Proverbs 3:5-6. And in addition to declaring the blessings, protection and provision gained through obedience to God’s Word, in Luke 6:46-49, Jesus reaffirmed the total and complete destruction we can expect when we fail to put the Word of God into practice.

And it’s just not possible to read and study the Old Testament without realizing that God ALWAYS brings judgment and consequences for disobedience, and there’s not one word in the New Testament indicating that He no longer does that. Quite the contrary, just look at what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they needlessly lied (Acts 5:1-11)! It’s also pretty obvious that God did not do away with His requirement for obedience in the New Testament when we read Hebrews 3:7-19, which makes it very clear that God’s view of disobedience and disbelief was the same in New Testament times as in Old Testament times; just as it is today because God never changes.

Yet, it’s also very important to understand WHY God brings judgment when we “choose” to walk in ways contrary to His Word, and the Bible is full of passages making that abundantly clear; such as Hosea 2. God ALWAYS wants us to turn from our wicked ways and to Him, so He does whatever it takes to make us do that; because as Deuteronomy 4:30-31 declares, When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. And as every man and woman standing for marriage restoration can attest to, when our lives were turned upside-down, we turned to God and called on Him for help; which is exactly what He intended us to do, as confirmed in Jeremiah 29:11-13, which says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. But the really GOOD NEWS is the wonderful assurance of restoration and mercy we have in Isaiah 55 when we turn from our disobedience and seek the Lord; as verses 6-7 declare…Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. And then Isaiah 55 goes on to reveal how through the love, goodness and mercy of God, we will literally reap a much better harvest than the seeds we’ve sown when we turn back to the Lord, because verses 11-13 declare…You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.” And then in Ephesians 14-14, we even have God’s Word and assurance that EVERYTHING WAS ALL PREDESTINED for that very purpose BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD and that the promised Holy Spirit GUARANTEES it!

It’s also important for us to understand WHAT God expects us to do during this time in our lives, and we have a great illustration of that in Jeremiah 29:4-13, which makes it pretty obvious that God does NOT expect us to be idle; quite the contrary, He clearly expects us to use this time very productively. And this passage also reminds and assures us that there is an appointed time and expected end, which for us will be the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families as God faithfully restores all that the locusts HE SENT have destroyed (Joel 2:24-27)!

While Deuteronomy 28 reveals the great promise of blessings, provision and protection to those who remain obedient to God, it is a particularly heart breaking and powerful passage of scripture in light of all we see going on in the world around us today and what it reveals will happen to those who are not obedient and who refuse to acknowledge God. And since that might well apply to many of our beloved spouses and family members, we are called to stand in the gap and pray and fast for their salvation and deliverance from the hold the devil has on their souls and in their lives. Sadly, God’s judgment against this country is long overdue and we have likely reached a time when it will no longer be withheld, and as we study Deuteronomy 28, we can see how God’s judgment for our disobedience as a nation is now being manifested before our very eyes. And just as happened to the Israelites and as foretold in verse 47; because we failed to serve the LORD our God joyfully and gladly in times of prosperity, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, we will serve the enemies the LORD sends against us. Yet we still have to DO as God instructs us to do in such times, which is to live PRODUCTIVE lives in obedience to His Word as we trust HIM to defend and deliver us. Thankfully, we can rely on His Word in Revelation 3:10, where He promised…Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. And we can take comfort in the knowledge we have that no matter what happens, and no matter what harm and evil others intend, NOTHING happens that God has not intended for the ultimate good and saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20) and no matter how bad something might seem to us, when we love God and are called according to HIS purpose, we have HIS Word, that HE will cause it all to work together for our good (Romans 8:28)! And we can all rely on God’s awesome promise in 1 Peter 5:10-11, which declares And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Since God only disciplines those He loves, it’s important to understand that His greatest blessings are often brought about through His judgment and discipline, because that’s often what it takes to bring us to repentance and into right relationship with Him (Revelation 3:19), which many of our testimonies bear witness to. And as Job 5:17-18 states, and many standing for marriage restoration can attest to as well…“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. Therefore, we must learn to welcome and wisely accept God’s judgment and discipline, realizing that His blessings will follow. Even though the Bible rarely makes me laugh, I couldn’t help laughing when I read the “no nonsense” declaration in Proverbs 12:1, which just says Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. So let’s not be stupid! Let’s understand how to avoid God’s judgment, why He brings it, what we are to do in such times, and what it will accomplish in our lives and the lives of many others. The bottom line is that no matter what, when we turn to God in obedience, and when we put ALL of our hope, trust and faith in Him as we obey Him, He will restore all we have lost and then some as He restores us to both Him and to our spouses, which He will do for the praise, honor and glory of Jesus Christ! So let’s not despise the judgment and discipline of God because it will ultimately bring His blessings for us and those we love! Therefore, be blessed and encouraged!

(Note from Linda: The following was posted by Melissa on the private FAM Fellowship website as she looks back and shares what she has learned while standing for the miraculous restoration of her marriage and family. It’s been nothing short of wonderful and exciting for all of us to see the Lord move in Melissa’s heart and life since she first came to FAM a little over a year and a half ago. And we’ve all been so excited, encouraged and honored to witness the miraculous ways God has been and continues to resolve ALL of the obstacles that have stood in the way of her husband’s return. Their relationship has been restored for months now and Melissa even claimed her marriage restoration (something we do in FAM—speaking things that are not as though they were) many months ago when he told her he was coming home and how much he regretted his involvement with the NCP. But since there are two more children now involved and so many other seemingly impossible issues to overcome, knowing that he wants to come home and getting it done are two totally different things. Yet, God has ever so faithfully been resolving one issue after another and it’s actually very amazing and awe inspiring to see how He has worked out every little detail for them! So SNO should indeed be home very soon and the message Melissa shares as she looks forward to that and contemplates what she has learned during this time is very important for everyone standing for marriage restoration to understand and implement in our own lives. God doesn’t want any of us to get into a “just waiting” mode; because He has a plan and purpose for each of us and He means for us to do ALL that He has called us to do; not just to stand for the restoration of our marriages. And if we haven’t yet been radically changed and transformed in the process of standing, we are probably not ready for restoration and God isn’t likely to act SUPERNATURALLY to bring it about because He knows we will end up right back in the same place if we don’t change and if we don’t have the right walk and relationship with Him. And the more time we waste expecting and waiting for God to change our spouses instead of asking Him to change us, the longer we will likely wait, so I hope and pray that everyone reading what Melissa shared will take it to heart and allow God to reveal the work He wants to do in US instead! And when we do that, we are the ones who will be blessed and encouraged as we release the power of the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, lives and marriages!)

*****
There are often times during our stand for marriage restoration when we feel that we are “just waiting”…just waiting for our spouses to come to their senses….or just waiting for God to get a hold of them. So we can easily get into a pattern of thinking that we are ready for our spouse to come home and definitely beyond ready for all of this to be over. I’ve certainly felt that way many times throughout my stand, but God always manages to reveal something to remind me that He is working on ME during this time too. It’s not like I think I have reached “perfection” since I am human and never will because I am a sinner like everyone else, but I have often thought that I was ready for my husband to return and that it must be a matter of “just waiting..”

Fortunately, I finally realized that when I got into that mindset, I would tend to become anxious for my husband’s return; anxious to the point that waiting was becoming very uncomfortable and stressful, and I just wanted the time of waiting to be over. Yet, being anxious is totally contrary to doing things God’s way because we’re instructed to be anxious for nothing in Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV. In fact, God is actually using this time of waiting for our own good and benefit, regardless of how ready we think we are, and He truly knows what’s best (Romans 8:28). Furthermore, when we are anxious, we are more prone to attempt to manipulate or “fix” things by trying to speed up the process in our own way instead of trusting God and not leaning to our own understanding, which is something else God tells us not to do in Proverbs 3:5-6. And I can regrettably recall many times when my anxious spirit didn’t heed or surrender to the work God was doing because I was obviously not content with all that He was doing and mistakenly thought I had to do something to “help” God. Yet, God expects us to be content and to give thanks in ALL circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18) because we trust Him! And when we trust God and love Him enough to obey and serve Him, we will indeed be content and prosperous (Job 36:11) and able to truly praise the Lord and give thanks in ALL circumstances!

And looking back, it’s easy to see that time after time, when I tried to take matters into my own hands, it just made everything worse. But God knew that and just wanted me to get to the point that no matter what, I would trust Him for everything; including His most perfect timing (Ephesians 1:4-14). So God has taught me many lessons through this journey, which has brought about a radical change in my heart and in my whole way of life. And I really do feel like a completely new person because I have had a total make over on the inside that shines on the outside too. So standing for the restoration of my marriage has been a very precious and valuable time in my life. And it’s been (and continues to be) an incredible journey because God has shown Himself to me in so many amazing and miraculous ways, and I have truly made Him the Lord of my life and learned to trust Him and to have complete faith in Him to meet every need and to get me through everything life brings my way.

As things with my husband are finally coming full circle and we are very close to having a fully restored marriage (after two years of separation and two children with the NCP), I have become a lot more thoughtful and reflective. Since I have continually and faithfully prayed for SNO (spouse name omitted) to come home and it’s SO close, I have such an amazing feeling knowing that it’s almost here. And as difficult as this time of waiting has often been, it’s so much worth everything I’ve been through because God’s Word assures us that He will do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I don’t know about everyone else, but I have often imagined what it will be like to be a family again and to have my husband home with us, so it’s incredible to know that God will exceed all I have imagined and really makes me look forward with great anticipation to the fulfillment of His plans for my marriage; which I know will be nothing short of miraculous and fills me with hope for what lies ahead for our family (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

So I want to encourage everyone still waiting for the manifestation of your marriage restoration to remember that while we wait for our spouses to come home, God is SUPERNATURALLY laying the foundation for our restored marriages. And no matter how it might seem otherwise to us, He is not idle for one second or letting time stand still without working mightily in each of our situations. Even as I put this in words, I am aware that SNO would be home today, if God said today was His perfect timing. And since my husband has not yet walked through the door, there are obviously things God is still working on in both of us to lay His solid foundation for our new and improved restored marriage. Since what we had before fell far short of either of our expectations, and we will now both have the marriage we always wanted and dreamed of, I have not been “just waiting” as I often thought; God was just preparing both of us to be the spouses we each want and need.

When we learn to enjoy every day and keep an attitude of gratitude and praise, this journey in our lives will likely be one of the most precious and life changing times we will ever experience. So it is very important that we keep our focus on God and give Him full control of our lives and circumstances; trusting that every day and every situation and circumstance has purpose in GOD’S plan and that His plan will be fulfilled (Isaiah 46:10-11 and Proverbs 19:21). And that means letting go of our personal time table; knowing that God is not going to keep us waiting any longer than necessary. But we are NOT “just waiting” because God has something He wants us to do and learn every day we wait. God sees the big picture; He knows the end from the beginning. And when we let Him do the work He wants to do in us, not one second is wasted while we wait for the full and complete restoration of our marriages. God is never idle and we shouldn’t be either, and there is ALWAYS something more God wants to teach us and to do in us and something He wants us to do for Him. So let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that we’re “just waiting” and passing time…the truth is that it is more than likely God Who is “just waiting”…just waiting for us to truly trust and obey Him and to allow Him to complete the work still needed in US before HE completes the work of restoring our marriages and bringing our spouses home!