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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And here’s “A Prayer For Every Day”:

Dear Lord, You know better than anyone else that this is a difficult day for me, and for many others who are experiencing challenging times in their marriages, so I pray that I will feel Your love in a very special way. May I be rooted in your love today, Lord, May I experience and feel the wonder and power of your amazing grace and love. May this not be a day of sadness, but a day of rejoicing, because I KNOW You LOVE me, and YOU have ALL things that concern me and my family in the control of Your Almighty, loving hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many of you who are familiar with my personal story know that I recently found a great deal of comfort in the following verses from 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, which say Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. The meaning of these verses is so obvious when the Lord uses the trials and testimonies of others to help when we’re going through similar experiences in our own lives, especially since it is so encouraging to hear the testimonies of people with restored marriages when we’re standing against the odds (and the rest of the world) for the restoration of our marriages. So it’s important for us to support those who answer the Lord’s called to use the word of their testimony and the wisdom gained through their experiences to support and encourage others. And we do that by taking advantage of the tools the Lord has led them to provide, in addition to supporting their ministries financially through contributions or by purchasing the materials they provide for our benefit.

Charlyne and Bob Steinkamp, of Rejoice Marriage Ministries, faithfully devote themselves to the call the Lord placed on their lives to use the experience of their divorce and remarriage for HIS glory, and to overcome the works of the devil as he comes against marriages in an effort to destroy the fabric of Christian homes. And even though I don’t know Bob and Charlyne personally, it’s obvious that they devote a great deal of their time and lives to the marriage restoration ministry God has called them to, and they definitely provide some very powerful and useful tools for anyone involved in the battle to save or restore their marriages. Bob recently voiced his concern for standers who want to give up, and pointed out that they tend to be the same people who DON’T take advantage of the FREE resources provided through their ministry, which is something I can relate to as well. So, in an effort to encourage the visitors to our ministry to use the awesome tools provided by Rejoice Marriage Ministries, the following links are just a few I know will be a great source of comfort and encouragement…FOR ANYONE COMMITTED ENOUGH TO THE RESTORATION OF THEIR MARRIAGE TO USE THEM! I often tell the FAM members that if I were to give them one hundred dollars and they took it, but didn’t spend it, it would be totally worthless. And it’s the same way with the tools provided by marriage restoration ministries responding to God’s call on their lives to stand against the works of the devil for marriage restoration. The tools they (and God) provide are USELESS unless we USE them! So take advantage of the free resources Bob and Charlyne make available on their website:

Charlyne Cares, a daily message of encouragement and support from Charlyne or Bob, which is also available by email, and archived messages are available here too.

Restored Marriage Testimonies…and LOTS of them!

Praise Reports & Testimonies…and TONS of them!

Fight For Your Marriage, weekly audio messages from Charlyne each Monday, including archived messages.

Ladies, I really hope you’ll take advantage of these tools, especially when you’re battling discouragement. Because more than likely, you’ll find exactly what you need to hear or read at just the time you need it the most, which is EXACTLY how God intends it to work in His kingdom! I’ll be adding these links and some others in the coming days to FAM Resources, so they’ll be easier to find again in the future.

And during the inevitable times when we need an extra measure of comfort and reassurance, we can rely on Isaiah 61:1-3, which says The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. And when we need even more comfort and encouragement, it will help to read Isaiah 40. God is ALWAYS faithful to provide all of the comfort and encouragement we need as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, but it is up to us to receive it, and we do that by using the tools He provides through the ministries of the men and women He has given a burden for marriage restoration.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Satan Is A Liar & The Word Of God Is Truth

Taking Every Thought Captive & Making Them Obedient To Christ

What It Takes To Win The War

Overcoming Evil With Good

Understanding And Relying On The Awesome Power Of God

Understanding The Sacrifice Of Love

The Plank In Our Own Eye

The Gates Of Hell Will Not Prevail

What Does Our Testimony Say To Others About Jesus

Grace And Redemption

The Power Of Our Thoughts

Effective Prayer

Peace Through The Renewing Of Our Minds

In God’s Care

Praise And Glory To The Lord

Victory In Times Of Despair

The Power Of Humility

Accessing The Power Of Kingdom Thinking

The Fruit Of discipline And Promise Of Reward

Trust And Obey Or Feed Your Flesh

Do You Love The Lord

Sharing God’s Comfort

Who Are You

The Sacrifice Of Praise

God’s Name Is Jealous

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

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

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

More About Biblical Fasting

Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcasts for the last few days have been very powerful and important messages for everyone standing for marriage restoration. If there’s one thing we can ALL relate to as we walk through this trial, it’s the difficulty of overcoming the feelings, emotions and impulses, which often drive us to do things we never thought possible before. But the GOOD NEWS is that Jesus came to deliver us from the destruction we allow Satan to accomplish when we give in to such ungodly emotions and impulses. We have assurance of that in John 10:10 (AMP), which says The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). And the simplest key to avoiding such pitfalls is found in Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV), which says You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. So this is an important opportunity for us to demonstrate how much faith and trust we REALLY have in the Lord, and when our family and friends witness how we walk through this difficult time with peace and total confidence in our Lord and Savior, we can be absolutely certain that the works and intentions of the devil are demolished and destroyed, because 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The following praise report and word of encouragement was posted last night by one of our FAM members in the private section of our website. Since I knew it would be a word of encouragement to so many others, I requested Mindy’s permission to reprint it here for all of the visitors to the site, which I thank her for allowing me to do. So please be blessed and encouraged!

“Ladies, my hubby came over on Fathers Day and the kids gave him his gift, which was a Bible, and he was not upset that they bought him a bible; that is the best gift of all. He has been coming to the house a lot, almost every day, and spent the night again Friday night. So I took one of his shirts that needed washing, and hid it under my other dirty clothes, because I wanted to wash it and hang it up in our closet. I was thinking it would be a symbol that he’s coming home. I have to admit to hiding it because I was afraid he’d take it back to his apartment if he saw it. Well he certainly surprised me! On Saturday and
Sunday he did all of the family’s laundry, including the shirt I tried to bury down deep in the hamper. And after he washed the shirt, HE hung it up in our closet! And he even made a comment about the closet being full after he hung up his shirt! So, with more than just a little coaxing from Linda, I took my clothes out of his side and now it is ready for him to come home! I’m still working on his dresser as I like using his space, but will move my stuff out so he has his dresser back too!

Another praise report is that he watched the kids Saturday so I could attend a breakfast and study with Marilyn Hickey. How cool is that! Praise the Lord! He is still in the restoration business, and moves if we just get out of the way and focus on Him and trust Him. Remember ladies, IT IS A FIXED FIGHT AND GOD ALWAYS WINS!!! One other thing, do not look at your situation/circumstance; that is A LYE. You must start thinking like Jesus and see things as he does. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is. For real! See it done and expect it. Give thanks. Stay in prayer and always expect and watch. Ladies, watch! The father saw his son coming down the road from a far way off, because he was looking for his prodigal son to come home. And Elijah prayed 7 days for rain; always watching, expecting and believing. We must have a vision, and in that vision see it done and hold on! God is not a man to lie. Who’s report will you believe? Ladies, in the name of Jesus, WAKE UP; Jesus died for us to have life more abundantly. Get up; speak it into being; CLAIM IT DONE! STOMP AROUND; SHOUT OUT: SMILE! LAUGH; IT IS DONE! All we have to do is wait and pray and be obedient. STOP FALLING INTO THE ENEMIES HANDS OF TEMPTATION. He will send you A DECOY. A FAKE; A CUBIC ZIRCONIA. Sorry, I’m not a good speller, but you get my point. I can speak about that, because that’s what the devil sent to me; a good looking guy who sent me roses. And one of the dozen was a fake, with a note that said “Your beauty will never fade.” WOW, HOW ROMANTIC; I always prayed for flowers and to be treated romantically. Do you think the devil did not know that? Well, the guy was a FAKE too. He said he’d lost EVERYTHING, including his family, but he ended up being a stalker and MOVED 6 BLOCKS FROM MY HOUSE FROM OUT OF STATE. That definitely got my attention, and God scared me straight real quick! Praise the Lord I passed that test and dropped him, and begged God to forgive me and protect me. As Linda says, I ate Humble pie and asked my husband for forgiveness. If anyone hears me, WAKE UP; stop saying bad and condemning words. Stop looking for bad. ALL OF YOU ARE TO STAND. You know well what the Lord called you too do. So it’s probably not a bad sign if you’re a little confused, because we know who sends confusion, which means he must be running scared. I know some of you have been standing a good while, BUT DO NOT LOOK AT THE TIME. God will bring you so much more. I really believe the ones with longer waits get a special reward. Who is God; a little man who has no power? Heck no; he created you and me and the earth. HE BRINGS YOU FLOWERS EVERY MORNING, AND SUNSHINE AND FEEDS AND CLOTHES YOU. The best is that he gave His FIRST BORN to save you, and bring you back to him, away from that slithering beast. He restored your health, AND YOUR MARRIAGE. He is sitting up there saying “What is wrong with them? It is done.” SO HE GAVE ME THIS WORD, “TELL THEM IT IS DONE AND TO PRAISE ME.” GET READY; THINK AND BELIEVE; GET UP. WAKE UP. IT IS DONE. SHAKE THE EARTH. DANCE LIKE THEY DID AROUND JERICHO. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS POWER AND WILL BLOW YOUR MIND; BEAUTY FOR ASHES. NOTHING IS HARD FOR ME. NOTHING. NOTHING.” That was from Him and I know it. Love to all of you, in Jesus’ name. Standing on GOD’S promises, and spreading His word all over the nations! Watch out devil! God is bringing up a new people!
Love in Christ, Mindy
May this encourage all standers!”

GOD IS ALWAYS SO FAITHFUL TO CONFIRM HIS WORD! So, why would I be at all surprised to find the following prophecy from Marsha Burns today AFTER posting Mindy’s praise report! You can read Small Straws In A Soft Wind at this link, or you can sign up to receive it by email. PLEASE BE ENCOURAGED AND BELIEVE, EXPECT AND WATCH! GOD IS WORKING!

June 20, 2006: Don’t, for one minute, think that your faithfulness goes unnoticed
or unrewarded. For, certainly, I value your faith and faithfulness above all things.
When you truly believe Me and trust in Me, I answer speedily. Purify your heart,
beloved, and make a clean sweep to destroy and wipe out all fear, doubt and unbelief.
Be decisive and deliberate in pinning your faith and hopes on Me, says the Lord,
for I am trustworthy.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should
repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it
good?”

One of the most important principles of marriage restoration is also one of the most difficult to practice, because it’s covering up our husbands’ nakedness. Since this is a concept not often explained or emphasized enough when we stand for marriage restoration, we need a better understanding of exactly what it is and how to do it. And the bible gives us an excellent illustration of this important and powerful principle in Genesis 9:21-27, which says:
1 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,
25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.”
Wow! This is a very powerful passage of scripture, because it reveals a lot to us about ourselves…if we’re really honest about it. First, almost without exception, most of us would have done exactly what Ham did when he found Noah drunk and naked in his tent. That’s just human nature, which seems harmless enough since we’re not telling a lie or trying to spread gossip. In fact, we often feel so concerned about things that we NEED to tell others so they can agree with us in prayer about it. Okay, now I’m being just a little sarcastic, but you KNOW that’s what we think and say so many times when we “share” what’s going on in our husbands’ lives with others. And when we do that, we’re uncovering his nakedness and doing harm to him by damaging his reputation and stature in the eyes of the very people we will one day expect to receive him in their midst when the Lord works to restore our marriages. And they’ll NEVER be able to forget every wicked and evil word we’ve ever spoken against them, so we need to remember that the next time we’re so tempted to “share” or uncover and expose our husbands’ sin and nakedness! And remember what Psalm 32:1 tells us, which is Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. and, in addition to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 telling us that love keeps NO record of wrong and ALWAYS protects (ouch!), 1 Peter 4:8 tells us Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

So, when we state that we love our husbands, and fail to “cover” their sin by exposing every gory detail to anyone who will listen, we’re UNCOVERING their nakedness when we should be covering it, and we’re NOT demonstrating love in accordance with what the Bible teaches. Not only does covering their nakedness mean we don’t share the details of what our husbands are doing with others (this may exclude ONE or possibly two confidants we rely on for spiritual guidance and counsel, preferably someone who does not know them)), but it also means not pointing out and reminding our husbands of their sin either. And that might be the greater challenge, because we can’t help wanting to point out their sin; telling them how much they’re hurting themselves and us, and the one thing most of the women I talk to absolutely can NOT resist is pointing out how they’re hurting their children. And they don’t see anything wrong with that! Yet, instead of doing that, we all need to be covering our husbands’ sin and nakedness with prayer and the blood of Christ, with absolute faith and confidence that the Lord will deal with it in accordance with the awesome promises we have in His word, which He promises will not return void and which WILL accomplish that for which it was sent!

Sadly, the MOST grievous failure to cover our husbands’ nakedness occurs when we allow our children to hear about everything going on in our husbands’ lives (usually by overhearing phone conversations), and not doing everything we can to protect and shield them from the adult issues they can’t possibly understand. Some women actually seem to express a sense of vindication and justification when they tell me how angry and upset their children are with their father, and all I want to do is scream! Seeds sown in children’s hearts against their dads at this time will be something they reap for the rest of their lives and it breaks my heart that hurt, bitter and angry women can’t see that, or how destructive it is. So to whatever extent humanly possible, we MUST cover our husbands’ nakedness before their children, because if we don’t, they will be the ones bearing the brunt of our failures, just as it was Ham’s son who bore his. And when we cover our husbands’ sin and nakedness and do our best to guard and protect the precious relationship our children have with their fathers, the Lord will bless us just as Noah did his other sons, Shem and Japheth, who refused to look upon his nakedness and covered it up so no one else could see it either.

The following verses demonstrate how important covering up our sin and nakedness is in the eyes of God:

Psalm 85:2
You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah

Hosea 2:9
“Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness.

Revelation 3:18
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

I know this is an area of marriage restoration where every one of us can stand improvement, so let’s pray for the Lord to reveal to us where we’re failing and to show us ways to cover up our husbands’ nakedness in the future. And just think of the powerful blessing of grace and redemption our husbands will experience when they do return and find out that no one knows the true nature and extent of their sinful behavior, especially their children! And another VERY important principle at work when we’re more careful about the words we speak concerning our husbands is found in Proverbs 18:21 (AMP), which says Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. So let’s start practicing the very important marriage restoration principle of covering up our husbands’ nakedness and speaking goodness, righteousness, healing and life into their lives and ours!

Last week Bob Steinkamp posted a message in Charlyne Cares - June 15, in which he noted that their ministry, Rejoice Marriage Ministries, is seeing record numbers of restored marriages, while at the same time noticing that a lot of people are giving up too. Even though FAM is very young in terms of the time we’ve had a presence on the internet, I definitely agree with, and applaud, what Bob said. There is a VERY distinct difference in how the ladies who take the time to use the tools provided through this ministry are doing, and those who don’t. It’s always the same excuse, which is “I just don’t have the time>” Well, it sure is a good thing God doesn’t take that attitude with us! We’d all do better to remember and put more effort into practicing the advice and spiritual law set forth in Galatians 6:7, which says Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. That does not just apply to financial seed either. What are we sowing into our spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord? What are we sowing into the lives of others? What are we sowing into marriage restoration ministries. Remember that God calls us to use the word of our testimony to defeat and overcome the works of the devil, and we don’t do that by sitting on what God is doing in our lives, and we have a responsibility to share our praise reports with others. Not just for the glory of the Lord, but to encourage someone else who might be struggling. And when someone shares something that encourages us, we need to encourage them by letting them know that. If we approach any ministry, which God provides for the edification of the body, just for what we can get out of it, with little thought of what we’re putting back into it, we should not be that surprised if we don’t end up getting much out of it. If God can’t trust us to glorify His kingdom with even the little things, why in the world should He trust us with more? And if you doubt that, just read The Parable of the Ten Minas! Here’s Bob’s message from last week, which we ALL need to give a lot of thought and consideration, especially when we’re discouraged and want to give up:

Are you discouraged today? If so, this message is for you. While
Charlyne completes their new book, Bob shares what might be behind the
“… can’t do this any longer…” messages they receive.
- - - - -
FIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR A STANDING STRONG SUMMER -
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say
to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God
will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution
he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be
opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” Isaiah 35:3-5
May I be real honest with you? In recent weeks, we are hearing from
possibly a record number of restoring couples. On the other hand, we
are also hearing from a number of discouraged and defeated standers,
ready to give up. Most of these people cite circumstances when they
contact us. Can’t you see the spiritual battle that is going on for
families? God is moving, but Satan is still at work, attempting to
convince you that nothing is changing for the better.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world
does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against
the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
We have discovered that the vast majority of quitters do not make use of
the free daily resources that we have available for them. Time and time
again, when we hear from a stander who says, “I just can’t do this any
longer,” we will look at that person’s data file and discover they don’t
subscribe to “Charlyne Cares,” nor to “Standing Firm.” They have not
committed to a daily 15 minute time period on Pray 24 when they have
promised God they will pray for families. For many of the people who
contact us, ready to give up, we have not heard from them since the last
time they contacted us, also ready to give up. Have they not seen the
Lord do anything for them in between those two times of discouragement?
If not, they are not looking, for God blesses me every day of my life.
He shows Himself to me daily, through answered prayer.
I have often wondered what “… can’t do this any longer…” means to a
struggling stander. What would they do differently tomorrow if they
give up their stand today? Are they stopping their walk with Christ? Do
they intend to live a sinful lifestyle? What is so hard about praying
to help keep their prodigal out of Hell? Is a non- covenant relationship
with someone else tempting them?
“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.”
2 Chronicles 20:17-18
Allow me to share a quick time line of what we have seen happen over and
over again. Let’s call our couple Jack and Jill. It could have happened
to either spouse, but let’s imagine that Jack took his eyes off of
Christ and also off of Jill. Some other person, or some addiction,
became his god for a season.
After their marriage fell apart, Jill was introduced to what God could
do for a hurting couple, even when only one spouse took a stand with Him
for marriage restoration. For a period, Jill was the example of a
stander, doing things and living God’s way. She developed a close
relationship with Christ.
One day, when she was tired, Jill skipped her devotional time. Soon she
began to watch television instead of devotions, and her Bible started
collecting dust. From there, it is a short trip to listening to “God
has someone better for you.” Soon, she was telling some marriage
ministry that she “… can’t do this any longer…” without even
thinking about what she was not going to be doing. Mostly, Jill wanted
a release from the conviction that the Holy Spirit was bringing to her.
Meanwhile, Jack was still in sin. Nothing, on the outside, appeared to
be changing. No one except for Jack and his Lord God knew what was
happening in Jack’s heart.
Fast forward for a year or so. Jill met Mr. Right and was assured by
everyone how perfect that relationship would be. She soon became Mrs.
Right, or perhaps Mrs. Wrong would better describe that relationship.
One day Jack’s changes came to the surface. He began to grow and to
walk with Christ. This once-prodigal became the stander for the Jack
and Jill marriage. Sadly, Jill had gone on with her life. The man of
her dreams was now someone other than the man God had created for her in
Jack.
The marriage of Jack and Jill was doomed, not necessarily because of
Jack’s sin, but because Jill gave up.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God
is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so
that you can stand up under it.” I Corinthians 10:13
If you are giving thought to being in the minority who quit praying for
their marriage, I have five suggestions for you to do for a month, and
see if your viewpoint does not change:
1) Spend time in your Bible and in prayer every day for the next 30
days. Do not just give God your wish list and then say “Amen,” but make
time to listen for God’s individual instructions to you a part of your
devotional time.
2) Number one alone would be enough, but if you want encouragement, read
“Charlyne Cares” every day. Do not open and delete, but look up
scripture references and allow God to use those messages to speak to
you.
3) Find five minutes each day to listen to Charlyne’s message for you
for that day on “God Heals Hurting Marriages.” Time and time again, you
will discover that her daily topic are used by God to meet the needs of
your heart.
4) Some time each week, find 30 minutes to study God’s Word with
Charlyne on “Fight For Your Marriage.” Find a time with minimal
interruptions, have your Bible, pen, and paper at hand. If you do, you
will be encouraged and God will speak to you individually.
5) Live as though married. Wear the rings. Do not play the flirtation
games, or consider what kind of spouse someone else would make. Become
active in your local church. Commit, as did my wife, to being in this
stand for marriage until God brings your spouse home- and then some.
(For us, the “then some” is headed for 20 years, and Charlyne still
considers herself a stander.)
My friend, Charlyne and I are aware that it is make it or break it time
for many marriages, and that may be up to no one other than you. Become
too busy for the things of God, take the rings off, forget all you
learned as a stander, start listening to the world, instead of God, and
we will expect your “… can’t do this any longer…” message shortly.
I encourage you to get on board with us in this five point program and
watch how you mature, both as a Christian and as a stander. It is no
secret what God can do, what he’s done for others, he’ll do for
you.
“Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait
for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong
to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
Praying that you stand strong this summer, Bob (and Charlyne) Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.(r) Post Office Box 10548 Pompano
Beach, FL 33061 USA
http://rejoiceministries.org
http://stopdivorce.org
The new Stop Divorce Christian Bookstore -
http://stopdivorce.org/
- - - - -
Have you registered for Covenant Keepers Conference, July 21-23, 2006 in
Tulsa? Learn more from -
http://www.covenantkeepersinc.org
- - - - -
Scripture quoted by permission and are from the Holy Bible; New
International Version(r) Copyright(c) 1973, 1978, 1984 International
Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
All rights reserved.
- - - - -
Copyright(c) 2006 Rejoice Marriage Ministries Inc(r). For reprint
permission please see -
http://rejoiceministries.org/reprint.html
Contact us from -
http://www.rejoiceministries.org/contacts.html

Father, on this very special day when we celebrate and give thanks for earthly fathers, we come before You and ask for a mighty move of your Holy Spirit in their hearts, minds and spirits. Lord, may they understand, realize and respond appropriately in accordance to the very significant role they play in the lives of their children. Father, may they know and understand that what they do and don’t do today has consequences in the lives of their children not only today, but for the days and years to come, even unto the third and fourth generation. Show them how to speak and manifest blessings, and not curses, into the hearts, minds and lives of their children, Lord. Give them strength, courage and wisdom. Draw them into a closer relationship with You, Father. Help them learn to be the kind of men and fathers you created them to be. Teach them to love their wives in a way that brings glory and honor to your holy name, Lord, and peace and security to the hearts and minds of their children. Continually renew their minds and give them an unquenchable thirst and hunger for You and the meat of your word. And lead them to walk in the light of YOUR ways, and may their hearts and minds ALWAYS seek after you.

Father, for our husbands who have been led astray by the wicked traps and snares of the devil, we beseech You to remove the blinders from their eyes TODAY! Lord, we KNOW You came to set the captives free, so we ask you to set our captive husbands free TODAY! And deliver them from the evil that has taken hold of them TODAY! May the supernatural, awesome power of your Holy Spirit move and be manifested in their hearts, minds and lives TODAY! Please send forth your Holy Spirit to bring conviction concerning the sin in their lives TODAY! And may the cleansing and renewing power of your righteous and unconditional love wash over them TODAY! May the wonder of your mercy and grace fill their hearts TODAY! Put in them clean hearts, replacing stony hearts with hearts of flesh, TODAY! And through the power of the Holy Spirit, direct their paths, and turn their hearts, back to their wives and children TODAY!

To that end, by the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, and in the authority of your glorious name, we loose every husband from the yokes and bondage of the sin and strongholds that have kept them captive to the will and purpose of Satan, which we know is to kill, steal and destroy them.. In your Holy name, Jesus, we declare that OUR HUSBANDS WILL NOT DIE, BUT THEY WILL LIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! We bind them to the power and love of your Holy Spirit. We bind wisdom, understanding and truth to their hearts and minds. We bind them to the glory of your name and we cover them in the power of your cleansing, life-giving blood! We speak righteousness, purity, holiness and the power and perfection of YOUR purpose into their lives! And we thank You now, Lord Jesus, that they ARE the men of God You created them to be. We thank You that the word of their testimony will be used to overcome and defeat every wicked plan and work of the devil! We thank You that the word of their testimony is that of men who love and honor their wives! We thank You that the word of their testimony is that of fathers who love, nurture, protect, provide for, and lead their children into spiritual understanding and the saving knowledge of You! We thank You now that they are the spiritual heads of their households, as you always intended! We thank You for your word that promised us the keys of the kingdom of heaven and that you give us authority so that whatever we bind here on earth IS bound in heaven, and whatever we loose here on earth IS loosed in heaven. And, oh precious Lord and Savior, we thank You for your absolute promise that the gates of hell will Not prevail against us, our husbands or our marriages! And we thank You for your promise that NO wisdom, NO insight, and NO plan will succeed against You!

We love You, Lord Jesus, and we ask You to make us the wives and mothers you created us to be. Let our lives so shine before others, especially our husbands and children, that they might see You in us and be drawn into your saving knowledge. Let everything we do be for your purpose and for your glory. Keep us grounded in your love and true to your word. Let us always be worthy and yielded vessels for the furtherance of your kingdom, and always an instrument for your praise, honor and glory!

All these things we ask and give thanks in advance for, in the omnipotent, righteous and holy name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! AMEN!

Pride was not the topic I had on my mind today, but I’m posting this because I feel there must be something very serious going on in the spiritual realm concerning pride, because I don’t believe in coincidences in our lives as Christians. So I encourage everyone standing for marriage restoration to be VERY careful to avoid allowing your pride to steal ALL that the Lord wants to give you. And be not deceived, EVERYTHING can be snatched away in just one moment of pride, which I can testify to personally, as I’m sure most of us could. Please keep Proverbs 16:18 in mind, which warns Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. And remember and be encouraged by Proverbs 29:23, which says A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

I received the following from one of the FAM members last night, even though she’s been trying to get it to me for several days and had several strange occurrences prevent it, but the author is unfortunately unknown.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny….because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment….because you ” deserve better than this”.
I cheat you of knowledge….because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing….because you’re too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness….because you refuse to admit when you’re wrong.
I cheat you of vision….because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship….because nobody’s going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love….because real romance demands a sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven….because you refuse to wash another’s feet on
earth.
I cheat you of God’s glory….because I convince you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.
Untrue….I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry. . .
If you stick with me….You’ll never know.

These words are powerful, but even more importantly, they are powerful because they are the truth, so PLEASE take heed! And don’t forget, many times our pride manifests itself in the form of defense mechanisms, such as the “walls” we put up to protect our feelings, so make a conscious effort not to fall prey to them.

Confirmation that there are battles in the spiritual realm today came in the form of Marsha Burn’s prophecy today in Small Straws In A Soft Wind, as follows:
June 16, 2006: Watch for opportunities to make adjustments that will change your perspective and strengthen you spiritually. These adjustments will take in a wide range of thought patterns and emotional reactions. I am dealing with pride on every level of life and am revealing places that require humility, says the Lord. Yield quickly to the pressure to make these changes, for certainly stubbornness will only postpone the inevitable.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

You can subscribe to receive Small Straws by email at the above link to the Faith Tabernacle website.

Father, please keep our hearts, minds and spirits stayed on You today so we will not fall prey to that wicked tool Satan uses to kill, steal and destroy us and our marriages, called pride. Let us be reminded of the love, humility and meekness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we might imitate and follow His example. Give us a humble spirit today that we might exalt You and be lifted up in Your name, power and grace. And by Your grace, Lord, keep us from falling into any trap the devil might set before us in his efforts to lead us into temptation and destruction. Thank You, Lord, for Your promise that no weapon fashioned against us and our husbands will prosper and that the gates of hell WILL NOT prevail against us. Thank You, Lord, for Your AWESOME promise that no wisdom, no insight and no plan can succeed against You! And thank You, Lord, that we WILL take EVERY thought captive, making them all obedient to Christ, defeating and demolishing every wicked thing, every argument and every pretension that would set itself above the knowledge of You, our awesome God! We love You and we give You ALL praise, honor and glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

As women standing for marriage restoration, it is So important for us to understand that our attitudes will either make our situations better or worse, and that we’re NEVER going to have more than we’re willing to settle for. That’s something I learned very early in my life as someone growing up with a visual disability, which I’m sure has helped me in many ways as I’ve stood for my marriage in obedience to the Lord. Sadly, I’ve observed something in women standing for marriage restoration that I also noticed in many people with a disability, and that’s how they allow their marital problems or their disability to become their identity. As Proverbs 23:7 says, as we think in our hearts, so are we. What a waste of precious life and time! And what a waste of human potential and God’s glory! Allowing our lives to be defined, controlled and limited by our disabilities or the fact that our spouses have left us gives ABSOLUTELY NO GLORY to God, and I honestly believe those who don’t overcome the natural tendency to do that will Never experience marriage restoration.

Most people who know me tend to be impressed with all I manage to do, even though I don’t really do anything more than anyone else. The only reason they’re impressed is because they can’t imagine being able to do it if THEY couldn’t see. Yet, in Mark 9:23, Jesus said ” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” In fact, I have no doubt that’s what drew my husband to me when I went to work for him. So I quite often remind people that everything works very well, except my eyes, and as women standing for marriage restoration, we need to adopt that same attitude. Just because our marriages are dysfunctional at the moment, we don’t have to allow the other areas of our lives to be dysfunctional as well. This is especially important when children are still in the home. It breaks my heart to see how much the children suffer as the result of their parents’ inability to deal with their problems in a way that protects them. Not only do they lose their father in many cases, but their mothers become so dysfunctional that they lose them too, because they’re not there for them emotionally. They’re so often too wrapped up in their own pain and disappointment, anger and bitterness, and feelings of hopelessness and despair to even recognize, much less meet, their children’s needs. So the kids become emotional orphans at a time when they actually need more from their moms than ever before. Instead of taking advantage of the extra time available while their husbands are out of the home to pay more attention to their children, to focus more on the nurturing they need at this stressful time in THEIR young and very impressionable lives, too many women are spending most of their time on the telephone talking about their marital woes. And even worse, in the presence of their children! I know these are harsh, and may even seem to be unkind words, but if we’re honest, we have to admit they’re true. And if we want to see what the awful consequences are in the lives of our children, we just have to look at these statistics.

Just as I had a choice to make about how I was going to allow my disability to limit, restrict or impair my life, I had the same choice to make again when my husband filed for divorce. I’m not going to lie and say I was not totally devastated, because I was. But there does come a time when we all have to decide if we’re going to allow those emotions to overcome us or if we’re going to overcome them. And I decided that I was a survivor, and that through the grace and strength of my Lord and Savior, I could and WOULD overcome this too. For all of us, this is a defining moment in our lives, especially in our lives as Christians. This is when, and where, the rubber meets the road. It’s time to decide whether or not we REALLY believe EVERYTHING we read in the Bible, or if we just give those powerful, life giving words meaningless lip service. We’ve all heard that we’re not supposed to be hearers of the word only, but we’re to be DOERS of the word as well, and I really like the straight forward way that’s put in James 1:22 (NIV), which says Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. It doesn’t get much simpler than that, and that’s the key to deciding and determining what we’re willing to settle for as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. The following verses are just a few that we need to study backwards and forwards. We need to read them over and over again until we KNOW them, until they are so ingrained into our hearts, minds and spirits, that NOTHING can take them away from us, as well as the peace and confidence they provide when we REALLY believe them.

Deuteronomy 32:9-11
For the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.

Isaiah 54:17
“See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Psalm 37:5-9
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

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

Isaiah 58:8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

There are SO many encouraging and awesome promises and assurances in the Bible, which is why it is SO important for us to continually read and study God’s word, especially since Romans 10:17 tells us Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. And studying and knowing what the Bible says is the only way we’ll be able to do as instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, which says The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So let’s not give Satan another day of glory by allowing the sin he has used to trap our husbands define who we are. Let’s do whatever it takes to understand and realize our identity in Christ, and learn to look at this time of trial in our lives as the verification of the awesome promise in Romans 8:17, which says Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Now that’s an identity worth settling for!

I wish and pray with all of my heart the Lord would show me how to help everyone standing for marriage restoration understand how VITALLY important it is to TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE AND MAKE IT OBEDIENT TO CHRIST! With more time and experience in marriage restoration ministry, I understand that even more myself, and that’s why I know how important it is to help others understand it as well. Anyone who has visited the site much at all knows how greatly my life was impacted one day when I read the following verses from Revelation 12, even though I had read them at least several times before; because they say:
9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ”Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

It was totally mind boggling to me that the Lord would equate the word of our testimony with the blood of Christ, especially in terms of its ability to defeat and overcome the works of the devil! I feel like I could write a book about this topic, and maybe some day I will, because there is SO much contained in these verses! Obviously, our testimony is VERY important, and since it has the power and authority of Christ to overcome Satan, don’t you know he’s going to do his wicked best to destroy our testimony? Don’t you know he’s going to use his evil power to stop us from speaking words (the WORD of our testimony) that give glory to our Lord and Savior? So when WE ALLOW HIM to convince us to TALK about, focus on, or react to our situations and disappointments instead of relying on the AWESOME, omnipotent power of God, our Father who loves us so much that He sent His beloved Son, Jesus, to die a horrible death on the cross for us so we’d have access to the SAME power that raised Him from the dead,, WE accomplish his purpose. And when we’re standing for the miracle of marriage restoration, WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO DO THE DEVIL’S WORK INSTEAD OF BEING A VVESSEL FOR THE LORD’S WORK AND GLORY!

The following passages of scripture show us VERY clearly that we are fighting a spiritual battle AND how to claim the victory Jesus died to give us, so I urge everyone to read them and meditate on them. Ask the Lord to help you understand them and to show you how to apply them in your lives and situations:

Ephesians 69
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

2 Corinthians 10
2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Yes, our situations are facts that can’t be denied in the earthly realm, but they are also arguments and pretensions setting themselves up against the knowledge of God, and we MUST DEMOLISH them, which we do ONLY by taking EVERY thought captive and MAKING them OBEDIENT to Christ, who is the WORD of God, and in whom ALL things are made and exist, as the following verses from John 1 reveal:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.