We are blessed to have so many FAM Fellowship members who really enjoy studying God’s Word and then share what they’ve learned with the rest of us. The following study of God’s grace and peace, which was posted on the ladies’ private website today, is a good example of that, so I greatly appreciate Thursa’s willingness to let me share it here as well. Be blessed and encouraged!

“The other day I was reading a devotional (sorry, I can not remember exactly what I was reading) and ended up doing a search on bible gateway for grace and peace, where the following 18 versus popped up:

Romans 1:7
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:2

To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 Thessalonians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Titus 1:4
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Philemon 1:3
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:2
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

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

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

Revelation 1:5
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

As you can see, “grace and peace” are noted many times as coming from God. So I wondered exactly what “grace” is and how or why it is God gives it to us. I looked up the definition of “grace” in my little pocket dictionary and the first definition said, “unmerited divine assistance.” I then looked up peace “state of calm and quite.” So I’ve pondered this for the last few days and asked for God to show me exactly how it all fits together.

The compilation of all the things God has shared with me about this is that by looking to and for God in everything, ESPECIALLY our marriage restoration, He will send us His awesome grace (divine assistance). That is God WILL step in and do just as He has promised and restore our marriages. We’ve shared so many times how we see that God is on our side, if we just let go and let Him work…allow for God’s grace. When we do, with God’s grace (divine assistance), He also gives us His peace. As it says in Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. God’s peace is something that no one can understand. So we shouldn’t be trying to understand why or how God is moving in our marriages, we should just have peace (calm and quite) in knowing that God IS working His grace!

And lastly, there’s the “unmerited” part of the definition of grace. Our purpose on earth is for God’s glory. We have not and can not “earn” our marriage restorations. God’s glory is the only reason our marriage restorations will manifest. The divine assistance in the restorations are unmerited by us and only meant for His Glory. THAT is our purpose; THAT is our marriage restoration purpose - for God’s glory. So we should again just know the restorations WILL come! As so many times we’ve seen in the post, this will happen in God’s perfect timing. Why His timing? Because it is perfect and He knows how to make His glory shine perfectly in each and every one of our restorations. God has already spoken and promised our restorations and each one of them will shine with His glory! From a needle to socks, they will ALL shine with His glory! So we must allow His grace to work and have the peace of knowing that His ways and timing are perfect.

So to each of you, may you look to God in everything and to you, may God send His wonderful grace and peace!”

As men and women standing for the restoration of our marriages, we are all too familiar with John 10:10, which says The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. But I wonder if we really understand the significance of that verse and how important it is to NEVER forget it and exactly what Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy. I had a totally different topic in mind for today’s post, but as I started to respond to something shared on the ladies’ private website tonight, I felt strongly led to write about the danger, and it’s a VERY REAL danger, that Satan poses as we stand for the restoration of our marriages.

One of the more interesting aspects of marriage restoration ministry is how much things are so much alike from one situation to the other, despite how different they are. The people are different, and the specific circumstances and situations are all different, but there’s so much that’s practically identical that it’s hard to believe sometimes. For instance, we’re all familiar with the uncanny fact that our spouses all seem to use the same words and phrases to explain why they’re doing what they’re doing. It’s like they’re all reading from the same script, which of course they are, because it all comes from the devil. And since most of us have that in common, we find it easy to relate to each other and even find comfort in knowing that we weren’t the only ones to have that experience.

But now as we see more and more restorations and even more significant breakthroughs, as one of our ladies shared today, an even more important similarity that we need to be aware of is becoming apparent. Everyone standing for marriage restoration is very much aware of how the devil attacks; how he does his wicked best to deceive us, often leading to doubt and discouragement, which usually leads to disobedience. But the pattern revealed by our most recent restorations and significant breakthroughs is how the level of attack by the devil really increases and intensifies just before (and even after) they take place. So that means we really have to take 1 Peter 5:6-9 to heart, because it says Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

There’s no way to overstate the importance of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God and casting all of our anxieties on Him, because we can be almost certain that something will come up when we are very close to restoration to cause us great anxiety or for our pride to rear its ugly head as we give way to our natural inclination to protect and defend ourselves. But we’re warned in Proverbs 16:18 that Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. And then Proverbs 13:10 (AMP) says By pride and insolence comes only contention, but with the well-advised is skillful and godly Wisdom. So it is by no means a big surprise that the devil most often uses pride to bring about the destruction he has planned for us as he does his wicked best to steal, kill and destroy our marriages and families. After all that’s one sin he is quite familiar with, since it’s what got him kicked out of heaven!

Fortunately, recognizing Satan’s method of operation is probably our best defense against it, because we know to be on the alert and to watch for it. And since we know that stalking lions always look for the weakest prey or one that’s injured or separated from the rest of the pack, it’s important to guard against making ourselves more vulnerable to Satan’s attack by forsaking the fellowship of others who help support and encourage us and keep us accountable. So when we feel doubt and discouragement, even though it is our natural reaction, we can’t withdraw from fellowship with others. In fact, it’s very important to have at least one person we can bounce our thoughts off of when we struggle to take them captive and make them obedient to Christ and the Word, because the chances are pretty good that that person will not be operating under the same force of deception Satan is using against us and can help shed the light of God’s truth on the matter, which sets us free. And NONE of us should think we are above falling into Satan’s trap, because as 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NASB) warns Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

Obviously, if Satan is more likely to intensify his attacks when we are closest to our breakthroughs, it’s vitally important for us to beware and always keep in mind that he only comes to kill, steal and destroy; and that when we find ourselves fretting, doubtful, discouraged, angry, and defensive or confused, he’s probably behind it. And one thing I’ve seen over and over again in this ministry is that it is in those moments that marriage restorations are won and lost, made and broken, and when the devil is either defeated or triumphant. And when we keep in mind that he wants to kill, steal and destroy the restoration of our marriages and families for God’s glory, we can probably figure out when he’s involved by whether or not the thought, emotion or action we’re contemplating, experiencing or considering makes our restoration more or less likely. So the next time Satan attacks, just remember that the restoration of your marriage could be soon and be blessed and encouraged!

Yesterday, the following reminder of how important it is for us to understand what God means by letting go and moving on, was shared on the men’s private site by Dan, and since it’s such an important message for all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, I appreciate his permission to share it here. And it goes along perfectly with Bob Steinkamp’s “Charlyne Cares” message today as well, CHANGED, which I had already planned to share here today, because we literally have pages and pages of praise reports and testimonies on the private sites proving the truth of what Bob and Dan have shared. Those who experience the restoration of their marriages are the ones who understand that standing for marriage restoration is a lot more about us and what God wants to do in our lives, and that we are totally powerless to change or do anything about what’s going on in our spouses’ lives. But God isn’t, and when He sees us making the changes He desires, then HE WILL do whatever it takes to bring His plan for the restoration of our marriages to pass, and we can rely on that, because in Isaiah 46:11, God said From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. And there’s NO DOUBT that understanding and practicing the wisdom provided in both of these messages, and believing and resting in God’s awesome promise to defend and uphold the covenant of our marriages, will greatly bless and encourage all of us!

This weekend, I’ve been reading in my Covenant Keeper’s manual and from “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard. So I want to share a couple of the teachings, reiterating many of the things that we have heard over and over, but which are never the less, extremely important as we trust God to heal our marriages. It is so natural to allow our desire for marriage restoration to become a burden, but it is not until we relinquish our mates and our situations, that God can move on our behalf, which He desires to do. So “letting go” and “moving on” are important, but they must be done the way God intends.

Releasing our mates to God, does not mean judging or condemning them, and it does not mean using scripture or logic to convince them they are wrong and should come home. We also have to “go on with our lives”, which I’m sure we have all heard from our family and friends; but we do that by focusing on what God wants to remove and change in our lives, and not by finding someone else. And if we speak evil of our mates, we become not “a doer”, but a judge.

What we are actually doing with our high and mighty proper condemnations and our wonderful solutions, more often than not, is taking others out of their own responsibility and out of God’s hands, and trying to bring them under our control. Yet we should always respect other people as spiritual beings, who are responsible before God alone for the course they choose to take of their own free will.
It was when Abraham stopped trying to fulfill the covenant he had with God and released it by being obedient and placing Isaac on the altar that he began to walk in the blessing and provision of the Lord. And we have seen the same results in standers who have been obedient to God and have had their marriages restored.

We need to let go of our mates and give them over to God so He can work His will and purpose in their lives. But we don’t stop praying, confessing the Word or doing spiritual warfare on their behalf. And we let God work equally in our own life as we do that. The result is peace; and This peace is not God releasing us from our stand; we are simply taking our hands off the situation and releasing it to God. Most of us have realized that we cannot “fix it” on our own, or our marriages would have already been restored.

God does respect freedom of choice, but Satan does not. So it’s important to continue to intercede for our mates so that the Lord will bring provision and people across their paths that will lead them to choose God’s best, which we all know is a covenant marriage, restored and healed, with the Godly husband and wife He intended for us to be in the first place.

If we demonstrate God’s grace in our lives as we walk out our stand, it will do more to teach our friends and family about God’s covenant love and His will for marriage healing, than any Bible scripture we could use to “prove” our position. Blessings, as we believe, and trust and obey God’s Word.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (New Living Translation)

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Psalm 55:22 (New Living Translation)

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Luke 6:37-38 (New Living Translation)

How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Matthew 7:3-5 (New Living Translation)

For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
Romans 2:13 (New Living Translation)

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
James 1:22-23 (New Living Translation)

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.[a] If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.
James 4:11 (New Living Translation)

As we stand for the restoration of our marriages, it’s so important to fully understand that God created us for His praise and glory, because that’s the only way we’ll ever have the victorious life Jesus came to give us. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. And Psalm 150:6 even says Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. And Isaiah 43:18-21 certainly applies as we stand for the restoration of our marriages; confirming that God created us for His praise, and even that He wants us to LOOK for reasons to praise Him, because it says “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. And Ephesians 1:11-12 says In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. Therefore God is not pleased with us when we don’t praise Him and give Him the honor and glory He deserves, thus NOT fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. And we see a powerful illustration of that in Jeremiah 13:10-14, which says These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! For as a belt is bound around a man’s waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,’ declares the LORD, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’ “Say to them: ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.’ “ If that doesn’t get our attention and make us understand how serious God is about getting the praise from us that He deserves, I can’t imagine what will! GOD IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT PRAISE! I know I have offended people in the past because I’m such a stickler for publicly giving God praise for everything He does for us and for refusing to allow grumbling and complaining, but that’s because I get it, and I know and understand the power praising God releases into our lives, especially as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. One of the most amazing stories in the Bible demonstrating the victorious power of praise is found in 2 Chronicles 20, where verse 22 says As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. So I encourage everyone to read and study it, because it’s particularly encouraging to us when we face all the forces coming against us as we stand for our marriages, whether from earthly or spiritual realms.

Yesterday was a particularly rewarding day for me personally, because I saw that at least two of the FAM Fellowship members were beginning to really understand the importance of giving God praise, honor and glory for EVERYTHING He does for us, and I talked to two (and heard of another) women who actually realized that the Lord HAD to bring trouble to their marriages to make them realize how bad things were and give them an opportunity to make the changes necessary to make their marriages what God always wanted and intended them to be. The following messages were posted on the ladies’ private site yesterday morning, for which I appreciate Janet and Sharon’s permission to share here, as well as some of the responses from other members. (Note: SNO = spouse name omitted)

Upon reflection, I had to confess that there were so many things that I should have been thanking God for, but wasn’t, and so I have made a resolve to praise and thank him for everything he is doing in my life. For the past few weeks my husband has really pulled back and has been very distant. I have not seen or heard from him for a couple of weeks. Yesterday I was not feeling well; it seems I was coming down with the flu, and I was really feeling rotten at work. And then out of the blue, my phone rang and it was SNO on the phone calling to say hi. He wasn’t talking about anything significant; he just wanted to see how I was doing. As soon as I hung up, I said thank you Lord. Though this may seem like something small and insignificant, I had to thank my Lord as I know there are many who have not heard from their spouses in years. God is so faithful. He gives us small blessings to see if we can be trusted with the really big blessings He has in store for us. Praise be to God!!

Response by Robin on May 24th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Janet, this is really wonderful! I have found that the times of silence from my husband are the times to really trust God, to stand on His word, wield my sword, and hold up my shield. And most of the time, after I put my total trust in the savior, SNO calls or comes around. But in the process, I do as you do and thank God for the great things that He is doing in me and for me.

Response by Alex on May 24th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Janet, I’m glad you got that phone call and you should expect more, because when we’re faithful to bring God glory through praise and when we’re grateful with what we have, as you are-God’s gonna bless that!! Hugs, Alex

Response by Linda Wattu on May 24th, 2007 at 9:36 am
RIGHT ON, Janet! You know I’ve been waiting to see this - I’ve sort of been hounding her about it! And I promise you, you WILL see things change, because the Lord had been giving you some awesome praises and you were hiding them away in your heart instead of giving Him the glory for all to see! And God WILL NOT be denied His glory. So make note of this day, because I predict that you will be able to look back on it as a turning point in the restoration of your marriage - now God will go to work on SNO’s heart - so watch out!

Dear Lord, I thank you for bringing Janet to the understanding of how serious you are about getting the praise, honor and glory for EVERYTHING you do in our lives and that when we show ourselves unworthy and unreliable to praise you in the small things, there’s no reason for you to expect us to do any better if you give us the BIG blessings and praises. There’s no use giving us a powerful testimony for your glory when you know it won’t be used that way - because we are really more focused on our own needs and pleasure! And, Lord, Janet is by NO MEANS the only one in this fellowship who needed that same understanding, so I pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit you will bring that same revelation to the hearts of every FAM Fellowship member, because I so want every one of them to see your power and glory fully manifested in their lives and in the restoration of their marriages and families! You are so awesome and so worthy to be praised and we need to praise you over and over again for the many wonderful blessings you pour out into our lives EVERY day! We are a blessed people and it’s time we recognize just how blessed we are and use the power of our testimonies to stop the devil DEAD IN HIS TRACKS! Your Word tells us very plainly that the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY has the power to defeat the devil and to hurl him down, so we have no one but ourselves to blame when he continues to steal, kill and destroy everything precious and dear in our lives! It’s time to stand up to him with the weapons of warfare you have so graciously provided; and praising your Holy name and the works of your mighty hand is certainly a powerful one! We love and adore you, Sweet Jesus, and we do give you ALL PRAISE, HONOR AND GLORY, as we thank you and ask these things in your most powerful name! Amen.

Response by Maria on May 24th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Janet, it’s so wonderful that when you felt the most rotten and miserable there was that wonderful call to cheer you up. God is good all the time and we give Him praise and glory for stepping in when most needed. We praise you Lord and give you all the glory, always.

Response by Thursa on May 24th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Praise God Janet!!! This is wonderful and VERY significant that you shared it! God has told us to show Him glory and praise Him during all times. So we must be obedient so that He can just shower all sorts of blessings on us! And when we do start looking for God in EVERYTHING, I’m telling you, we are so very blessed that it is AMAZING!!! God is AMAZING!!!

Thanks again for sharing the wonderful blessing God gave you, and start looking for more because they are coming!!!!

Response by Kathy in Oregon on May 24th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Janet, be blessed and encouraged because God orchestrated that call from SNO! He is in control of all things and He loves you and cares for you and knew just when to send that call so that you would be uplifted and encouraged. God is so amazing and when we look for Him and seek Him in all things, we can’t help but find Him! I just thank and praise God for all that He is doing in your and SNO’s lives and marriage! Love, Kathy

Response by Diane on May 24th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Yes, Praise the Lord, Janet, and keep praising. Nothing is SMALL. Everything God does in our lives has a plan and a purpose, so keep thanking Him and sharing. I believe the sharing is VERY important. This is all for Gods glory and we get the Victory. Be encouraged and blessed. Diane

As I read through the daily praise reports, it makes me reflect on my situation and how blessed I am at this moment. My husband is still in the home, and we do talk daily about current events, the children, etc… We will even occasionally watch a movie or a TV show together and laugh about it. I must thank God that he is still a part of my and our children’s daily lives. Although last Friday was very unpleasant for us (I said some things that I should not have said that really irritated him and caused him to leave his home and write me a very nasty email), we all went to see Shrek 3 last Saturday, did some shopping afterward, and went to dinner. It was a great day for all of us. On Monday morning, SNO and I went to our son’s awards ceremony at school, where my son received several awards, and both SNO and I were very proud of him.

I must give all praises to God to put it on SNO’s heart to stay home; even though he has verbalized several times that it is over between us. I have learned so much from all of you, and these praise reports and testimonies are so uplifting and give me hope.

Response by Thursa on May 24th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Sharon, thanks so much for sharing your praise report. It was very wonderful to hear! God will bless you more and more as you show your obedience in sharing your praises! And with the verse Linda often shares from Revelation, it IS our testimony that helps manifest Satan’s defeat. So send Satan running and shout from all the rooftops the WONDERFUL things God has done!!!

Response by Alex on May 24th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Sharon, you’re right. God built us to praise him and as we learn how to do it and we rejoice in giving that praise, we find that many things change inwardly and outwardly. I agree that you have reason to praise him and I know God will give you more and more opportunities to do so, including the full and complete restoration of your marriage! Hugs, Alex

Response by Linda Wattu on May 24th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Sharon, after our last conversation, you know this does my heart good! What an awesome praise report about the power and glory of Jesus Christ! Honey, NEVER forget this incident and how the Lord turned around what looked SO hopeless - and in just a matter of hours at that! I told you I haven’t seen anything manifest the power of God so quickly and completely as humility, and this certainly proves that! Now, you know I want to know what happened when you got home, so you’ll have to call with an update! God is working that change we talked about in you, Sharon, and SNO WILL find it totally captivating and irresistible, so just keep your eyes firmly focused on God and He will work out the rest. And your testimony will be very encouraging for others who think they’ve totally blown it too, because it proves that God can and will turn around even our biggest mess ups! Thanks so much for sharing this and blessing us so with this wonderful praise report! Who but God could have done something so totally awesome!

Dear Lord, we so thank you for the miraculous work of restoration you are doing in Sharon and SNO’s marriage. And we thank you for the change you are working in Sharon’s heart and mind, Lord, as she learns a totally new way of doing things, which we know you are ALWAYS SO FAITHFUL to bless and reward! Thank you for softening SNO’s heart and giving him the ability to forgive his wife. I know he loves her, Lord, and he will be the happiest of men as he witnesses the transformation you are making in her before his very eyes. Let him see your love and goodness in her, Lord, and be drawn into right relationship with you, so that when this family is fully restored, you will be at the center of all they do! We love you, Lord, and we praise your Holy name as we give thanks and praise you. We ask all this in your name, Jesus. Amen.

Response by Robin on May 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Hi Sharon and Welcome to our family!!!! The word say in Revelation 12:11 that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. It is so easy to look upon our conditions and circumstances and complain!! But it’s greater and more rewarding when we look to the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, and remember that all things are possible through Him! Our God is an AWESOME GOD!!!!! P.S. When you get a chance read Philippians 4

Response by Diane on May 24th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Hello, Sharon, and you are so right that you should share all praises. It is great that your husband is still home, so just keep praying and praising. Even when we think we have messed up, God will turn it for good. Just ask for forgiveness and God is faithful to wipe the slate clean. Keep being thankful to Our Mighty One and He will soften your husband’s heart. We have witnessed so many great God things and He wants to do this all for you and your family. Just keep reading and loving God, and He will make the pieces all fit together. Be encouraged and share all the blessings God gives and He will keep on giving. Satan doesn’t like it when we share for God’s glory, so keep sharing and put the devil on the run. Diane

Yes, we serve a great and mighty God who is ALWAYS blessing us in so many ways, but He does command and expect us to praise Him and give Him all the glory He deserves. I’m reminded of when I was trying to convince another one of our members to share her praises on the private website, which she does now, and she told me she was writing it all down in her journal. So I asked her just how much glory she thought God gets out of that; not one bit! Luke 8:16 even says “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. And 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says 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. And there’s no doubt that encouragement is one of the greatest comforts possible when we’re down and out and discouraged, or that the words of our praise reports and testimonies bring encouragement, hope and comfort to others who are suffering in similar circumstances. So the following verses are just a few to consider as we strive to understand what the Lord teaches us about praising Him for EVERYTHING and that we’re to continually do so. And the more we make praise our habit, the more blessed and encouraged we’ll be, because the Lord WILL bless and reward us by giving us even more to praise Him for, which is confirmed in The Parable of the Talents.

Psalm 100:4-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Isaiah 63:7
I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

Jeremiah 33:9
Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 150:1-2
Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Romans 15:11
And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.”

Psalm 34:1-3
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 71:14-15
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.

It really is difficult to put into words the total awe and amazement all of us in the FAM Fellowship have experienced as we continue to see the Lord’s hand at work in our midst, so I was really caught off guard yesterday when one of our members felt led to post a message warning against discouragement! Naturally, messages against discouragement are always timely and helpful, but I couldn’t believe part of the post that said With so many wonderful miracles and blessings happening in the ministry, it is so easy for others to get discouraged. So many of us have prayed and fasted for countless days, and in the physical it seems as if nothing is happening. So we start wondering why the God we serve is so silent, and we start wondering why are we being kept in the valley, when others seem to be climbing to the mountain top. It is in times like these that the sin of doubt starts creeping into our lives; and we start wondering if restoration will ever come to our marriages. But we must recognize that this is the scheme of the devil, and we must realize that the God we serve is more powerful than the devil or anyone else. As Doreen says, “God’s Word is full of promises and ALL of them are payable upon demand according to the conditions named.”

It really was inconceivable to me that ANYONE in our midst wouldn’t fully rejoice with all that we see going on, and I felt righteous anger rise up in me at the thought that seeing miracles manifesting before our very eyes could cause anyone to be discouraged, especially since we had to address that recently when another marriage was restored a few months ago. Yet, I realized that if this was something someone felt the need to address, it was obviously still a problem to be dealt with, and I’ve been totally amazed to see how strongly and completely the Lord has confirmed that just since yesterday, which is primarily what I want to share in this post (making it quite long), beginning with the response I posted yesterday as follows:

“As I read this, I couldn’t help feeling sad at the thought that anyone would be discouraged by the awesome praise reports and miracles we’re seeing in the lives of our members, because God assures us that what He does for one, He WILL do for all. So there is no reason to be discouraged. In fact, there’s a whole lot more reason to be encouraged, and we all need to see what we can learn from those among us who are experiencing the breakthroughs we all long for. And as I’ve stated many times before, it is by no means just a coincidence that the ones we see the Lord blessing so much are the same ones who NEVER miss an opportunity to give the Lord praise for ANYTHING, or to consistently ENCOURAGE others with their words and prayers. Jesus made it very clear in several parables that if we can’t be trusted with little; He isn’t going to give us more. In fact, He even taught that the little we had would be taken from us if we didn’t use it for the glory of God and the furtherance of His kingdom. And feeling discouraged indicates some of the negative emotions I hoped were exorcised when some of our members acknowledged being unable to fully and completely rejoice when Rosalie’s marriage was restored.

And while it is so true that we have to trust and believe the Lord will do exactly what He says He will do, as yesterday’s SOF post said, our faith has to go beyond simple belief, because we have to have CONFIDENCE that God CAN and WILL restore our marriages…simply because He hates divorce and for the glory of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ! When we really have confidence in that, and see others realizing their hearts desire, we will recognize that as PROOF that God DOES keep His Word, and we won’t be discouraged, because we’ll be extremely encouraged by the hope and expectation that we might be next! And there’s something VERY important to remember about the quote from Pastor Doreen, in which she said “God’s Word is full of promises and ALL of them are payable upon demand according to the conditions named.” And that’s “according to the conditions named! So when we don’t feel that God is delivering on His promises, instead of doubting God, we need to examine ourselves, because the problem is not God, or His unwillingness or inability to give us the desires of our hearts. More than likely, the problem is with us. It could be a matter of something in our hearts that is displeasing to God, which prevents Him from answering our prayers; such as unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, jealousy, pride, self-righteousness, and a long list of other things. It might be a matter of our failure to DO what His Word teaches us to do. It might be our failure to acknowledge Him in ALL our ways, or a failure to love Him with ALL of our hearts, minds, souls and strength. It could be our failure to love others as we love ourselves, or failure to serve and minister to others. It could be a matter of NOT seeking first HIS kingdom and His righteousness, and asking with wrong motives, seeking our own pleasure over the glory of God. And it could even be our own failure to give God the praise, honor and glory for the things He does for us every day, because we have NOT demonstrated our trustworthiness to use the powerful testimonies we seek. Ephesians 1 makes it VERY clear that God does EVERYTHING for the glory of Jesus Christ, and when He blesses us by the power of His hand and we don’t give Him the glory for that, we clearly can NOT be trusted to glorify Him with more, so we shouldn’t expect more, and we should beware that He might well even take those little blessings and breakthroughs from us, as we see in The Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25:14-30 )passage omitted).

So I’d encourage anyone feeling in any way discouraged by the awesome work we’ve seen the lord doing in our midst to pray Psalm 139:23-24, which says Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. The Lord really dealt with me concerning that a couple of years ago, and when I started praying that prayer, I didn’t like the results, because the Lord was ever so faithful to reveal a LOT of yuk still left in me. But the END result led to a much closer walk with Him and a much more victorious life in Christ! And that’s really what we all seek, and there’s no good reason NOT to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and ask Him to reveal anything in our own lives that might be displeasing or offensive to Him. And when we do, we will truly be blessed and encouraged, because God will be faithful to lift us up in due time!”

While I was writing the above response, Diane called to share the news of her restoration, which was the best possible antidote against any form of discouragement taking root in our midst, as evidenced by yesterday’s SOF post! And Diane followed up my response to the post about discouragement as follows, along with some of the responses by other members:

Response by Diane on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 pm
We should never be discouraged, because God says we are to rejoice with others and cry with others. Let us all remember this is about Gods glory and He gets no glory for divorce and broken families. He is working this all out for all of us, and it will be done in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. I used to think a “suddenly” would be great, but God had a better plan. If I got a suddenly a while back, I wouldn’t have been ready and God knew it. He has been giving me my husband’s heart back a little at a time and now I know that I am ready for my marriage and to be the wife God intended me to be. When we are not ready, God knows and He refines and molds us to get us ready. That is why we need to listen to His words and be obedient. I see that our family needed time to adjust to my husband being around too. God truly does know what He is doing and He will make the pieces fit perfectly. Stay encouraged everyone, and praise, praise and praise; and give God all the glory He deserves. Remember, even cleaning up after our spouses is a praise; and every phone call, even if nothing good seems to be said; God is working, and hearts are softening. So I suggest we all write a list of all that God has done in our lives and give HIM praise. We may be surprised to see the things we forgot HE has done for us. Thank you, Lord, for all the mountains You are moving in the lives of this fellowship family! We think you are awesome! Our God is in control of it all! Be blessed Diane

Response by Diane on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Something the Lord just placed on my heart when I was done posting, was that we seem to keep going around the same mountain when we complain and grumble about circumstances in our lives. When I found myself being discouraged, I looked at what I was doing differently. And I found that as soon as I looked at circumstances, instead of Jesus and all He has done for me, Satan got an opening to come through to poke me. Having faith means faith in the unseen. We don’t know what God is busy doing in our spouses’ lives, and through the fire, we are being refined. God needs to work on US first, and when I look at myself now, I am nothing like I was and that is all Jesus. That is what God needs to do; change us and get us ready to be the spouses He intended us to be. We all want a great marriage, and not just what we had before, but all that God intended marriage to be. So we have to stay encouraged and keep our eyes off circumstances and on Jesus. It is God’s will that will be done, and we all know that it is God’s will for restoration. Be blessed and encouraged, Diane

Response by Thursa on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:51 pm
AMEN!!!! I was always told to “look for the positive in everything.” And I have refined that for myself the last year and truly do “look for GOD in everything!” God is SOOO awesome. When you stand back and just really look at all He does for us, it is just…AWESOME!!! Dan did a great job of giving us all a wonderful example of how to just take a situation and see how much GOD is there! We should all do that, every chance we can! And when we say our prayers at the end of the day, we should just think about and acknowledge ALL of the things God has given us and PRAISE HIM! HE LISTENS and He will bless us with more and more. The parable of the talents is His EXACT instructions on how and why to do this!!! Don’t be afraid to post anything at all! Don’t bury your praise in the soil and not let it GROW!!! Our purpose is for God’s glory and when we are praising Him and letting His glory shine through us, He is pleased!!!

I AM encouraged and I thank you all for never letting me forget to keep looking for God in ALL things!!!

Response by Linda Wattu on May 22nd, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Thursa, thanks again! You put it best and in perfectly simple words…LOOK FOR GOD IN EVERYTHING!!! Because when we are looking for God, ALL we can see is GOOD!!! Way to go, Girl!

Then I was totally blown away early this morning when I read Marsha Burns’ Small Straws message, because it says:
May 23, 2007: Beloved Bride, I have admonished you to give thanks and rejoice to prepare the way for a continued flow of blessings. And, I have heard the first smattering of your obedience. Yet, there are still many who have not taken My word seriously and have even continued to complain and grumble. Your choice in this matter will take you on one of two paths. The path of obedience leads to being blessed, and the path of disobedience leads to being cursed. Choose wisely.
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
She certainly managed to make the point a lot more forcefully with a lot fewer words!

Then today, Thursa shared the following message on the private site, which was also perfectly timed to address the issue of discouragement. So here’s her message and my response:

I received this as an email from a friend, and it’s a great illustration that’s applicable to us all as we see things happening differently among our members. So I thought I’d share it!

“One day, I decided to quit. I wanted to quit my job to quit my relationships, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God”, I said, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His
answer surprised me.

“Look around”, He said, “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And
again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.”

“In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.
Still, I would not quit.”

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years
growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge they could not handle,” He said to me.

“Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo and I will never quit on you! Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come,”
God said to me. “You will rise high.”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

“Yes”, He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember…I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give up on you. I will never, ever quit on you.”

Everyone has days when they want to “quit”. When there are
struggles…obstacles in life, remember we’re just growing roots!!
God has a purpose in mind for each one of us and we need to talk to Him and let Him help us realize that purpose.

Always remember, He’ll never leave us, He’ll never forsake us, and
He’ll never quit on us.

Response by Linda Wattu on May 23rd, 2007 at 11:25 am
Thursa, thanks for sharing this awesome message! It goes along perfectly with today’s SOF post too, which is about discouragement! We certainly can NOT afford to allow discouragement or grumbling and complaining to take root in our midst, because it would definitely hinder the powerful flow of the Holy Spirit we’ve witnessed in the past month or so, and I know NONE of us will stand for that! So let’s all stay focused on being rooted in the Word of God and discard everything else, so we can experience the promise of Psalm 1:2-3, which says Butt his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. And it is by no means a coincidence that today’s message from Marsha Burns also confirms the SOF post message I already had planned for today! And these are words we all had better take heed to, and realize the importance of, because if anyone in our midst proves them, it is Diane! (Small Straws message omitted)

And then, pulling it all together as she so often does, Alex posted the following Heart To Heart message on the ladies’ private website today too:

“Faith is vital to our stand, it is what deflects the fiery darts of discouragement. In the past, I suffered unnecessarily because I was frequently trapped under spirits of condemnation and legalistic thinking. It was so easy to believe that if I had gotten in the flesh, I had somehow “undone” all of the work that God was doing for my marriage. (Pride was at work there too, as you can see by my thinking.) But Hebrews 2:2 says, “for if the message spoken by angels (the Mosiac law) was binding and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” We think of salvation as just the saving of our souls, but it is much more. Salvation is described as the act of rescuing; the act of preserving from destruction. God does so much more for us on this earth than just save our souls. One of the best ways to resist the devil is to understand how God sees us, which is described in the same chapter in verses 14-16, “Since the children have flesh and blood, Christ too shared in their humanity so that by his death, he might DESTROY him who holds the power over death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery for their fear…” Discouragement has its roots in fear. And fear takes hold when we are not bringing our thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ and the Word. Fear takes hold when we believe anything or anyone other than God. We’re all familiar with the verse, “Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18) And when we gain knowledge of the character and promises of God, as found in his Word, then knowledge of His perfect love really does cast out fear. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God addresses the issue of fear again and again. Why? Because he knows that fear is the opposite of faith and that we need faith to gain the promise, just as Abraham did. Hebrews 3 tells us to “fix your thoughts on Jesus…” When we feed our fear by looking at our circumstances rather than on God, anger finds a foothold. It is so important then that we guard ourselves so that we do not develop unbelieving hearts that turn away from God. Hebrews 3:13 charges us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” That’s what’s so wonderful about sharing our praise reports, our personal journeys and our restoration testimonies in this fellowship. In doing so, we “hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.” (Hebrews 3:6) Diane’s testimony is not just for her; it’s for everyone in this fellowship. Let’s allow ourselves to see her testimony as God speaking to us, and affirming his will and desire to do the exact same thing for us. It is His voice that speaks through her testimony, and Hebrews 3:15 tells us, “Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”

As I was reading Hebrews, God showed me very clearly that my marriage could have been restored two years after I became a stander. Scott and I had our “suddenly”, but it frightened us. Instead of trusting God, we believed Satan’s lie that it was too good to be true. As a result, I delayed my own restoration by another four years. Chapter 3 of Hebrews goes on to describe what happened to those Israelites who, when the Promised Land was spied out, refused to believe that they could enter. And they didn’t enter. Even if you’ve gone around the mountain of marriage restoration many times, you still have hope. “Therefore since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none have been found to have fallen short of it. For we have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them because they did not combine it with faith.” It also says “Therefore God set again a certain day, calling it today…” (Hebrews 4:1-3) Every day can be our “Today”.

Father, fill each one of us with the faith needed to inherit your promises. Reveal yourself to us so that our knowledge of you will not be lacking. Bless us by allowing us to see ourselves and each other as you see us, made righteous by your grace through Christ’s work of atonement. Restore our confidence in your plans for each of us and let the praises shared here bring health and hope and encouragement to all here. Let us approach your throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

And IF anyone is still struggling with doubt, discouragement or fear, just listen to Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast messages from yesterday and today about Confidence and Getting out of the Boat, and you’re bound to be blessed and ENCOURAGED, especially if you’ll just REFUSE to entertain doubt, discouragement and fear!

God just continues to bless FAM Fellowship members in ways so far above and beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20), and this day certainly was no exception. IN JUST THIS ONE DAY, one wife shared that she had been praying for more “chatty” conversations with her husband and that he actually called her on her cell phone about THIRTY times today for just such conversation; one husband shared that he has a date with his wife, who for the first time suggested that they get together for dinner Friday night, which will be the second time in a week, after being separated for over a year with little more than “necessary” contact with each other; one wife shared that her husband invited her to go along with him and their daughter to a movie (she also shared that she had recently started tithing again and just found out that her tax refund is going to be twice what she had been previously told); and a wife who expected to have her name taken off the deed to their home last night when they closed on the loan to transfer it to her husband’s name only (as part of their settlement agreement), shared that he had changed his mind and her name is staying on the deed! And then we were indeed blessed by the following Restored Marriage Testimony posted on the ladies private website today! Thank you, Diane, for your permission to share your wonderful news and some of the responses from other FAM members, which we do for the glory of our Lord and Savior, because there’s no way to see what God has done in your marriage and family without being very blessed and encouraged!

“If I give my notice, can I sleep on the couch?” I love our God; HE is so awesome! That is what my husband asked this morning as he left our house for the airport. I thank God for the restoration of our marriage and our family! Yes, Linda, I am finally able to say move me to the restored column; (Spouse name omitted = SNO) has asked to come HOME. Thank you God! I am speachless this morning, as I have prayed and hoped for this for so long and God is faithful and HE is a miracle working God. SNO has been feeling more and more comfortable in our home for the past month and he has asked to come home. I would prefer that it not be to the couch, but hey, it is in our home, and I am believing that it will not be long before he moves upstairs. I am so thankful to the ONE who has done this! God is so great! I am learning a new way to live with my husband.

I believe praising God for all the things HE does in our lives and others, is the reason He has given this BIG Gift to me. So keep praising and praying people. God wants to give us all these blessings and He WILL.

This past weekend was so full of answered prayers that I am still in awe. Some of them were new things I prayed for and some were longer in coming. So never give up and think that God won’t answer; sometimes HE is just working on the pieces of our puzzle so they come together perfectly.

We still have a lot of work to do, but I am trusting God to complete this work in us and praying for the salvation of my husband. His heart is home and soon his physical body will be too.I did what Dan did with Amy’s post and looked at all the things God has done for my family in the past few months and it is mind boggling. Everyone should sit down and write out all the things they see God’s hand in and thank HIM; even for the small stuff; nothing is too small or big to thank HIM for. Be encouraged everyone; what God has done for us, HE will do for everyone! Just keep believing and praising, and know that HE IS GOD and nothing is too hard for HIM. Remember how my marriage looked dead not so long ago, and now God has created beauty for ashes, and HE wants to do even more for you all. ASK and You shall receive; seek and you shall find; and keep knocking. All I can say is be encouraged, because our God is AWESOME and He loves us and our spouses.Please keep us in your prayers, because I need to learn to live with my spouse again. Thank you, God, for this family and I love you all. Diane

Response by Christy on May 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I have tears of happiness for you. I am speechless. I think this is awesome! Yes, I will pray that you learn to live with your spouse again, as you worded it, but I think it will come easier than you think. This is two restored marriages I’ve seen since I joined FAM about a month and a half ago. I am so glad to be a witness to this (both restorations). Keep sharing. I still have no idea what to say except that this is so COOL! Praise the Lord!

Response by Suzanne on May 22nd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Diane:
AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I’m praising God with you! It’s just a matter of time before we will all be on that ‘restored’ list! Many blessings to you and your family!

Response by Robin on May 22nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Diane, you have brought tears to my eyes. GOD is ABLE!!!!! I know that in Christ ALL things are possible. I am declaring that I am next!!!! Diane, I explained to Linda how satan really tried to discourage my mind this weekend, but thank God for His word and this site. You have encouraged me to no end. And now this, wow!!!! This is such a confirmation for me to continue to stand and stand strong!!!! Love, Robin

Response by Janet in Virginia on May 22nd, 2007 at 2:53 pm
The first word out of my mouth was AWESOME!!!! I’m so happy for you, Diane. Your restoration will give us hope to keep standing for our spouses.

Response by Janet in Maryland on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Diane, hallelujah!!! Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above!!! I am dancing in my office for you!! Diane, I would not even worry about SNO saying all this stuff about being on the couch. It was just this past weekend that he could not even stand being in your son’s room alone for one night. I remembered him asking you to come over and stay with him. What in the world would make you believe that he will be staying on the couch for even a minute? Girl, our God did not bring SNO home to sleep on the couch. His Word says he makes all things new. You just prepare the honeymoon suite. We have a new bride and groom coming in!!

Dear Heavenly Father we just THANK YOU for the awesome work you have done in SNO and Diane’s marriage. We thank you for the patience and perseverance that you have instilled in Diane. Lord we thank you for softening SNO’s heart and turning him back to the wife of his youth. Lord, we ask that you continue to bless this wonderful couple. Equip them with love, patience, perseverance, goodness, kindness and forgiveness as they start their new lives together. Help them to remain grounded with you at the head of their relationship. Lord, we give you all the honor, glory and praise. You are truly an awesome God. Amen

Response by Thursa on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:28 pm
PRAISE GOD!!! Woohoo, Diane, this is WONDERFUL!!! I did a little jig in my cubicle for you too. Then I did another one for GOD!!! He is just totally awesome and He has restored your marriage, just as He promised! God is so faithful and true, and as His obedient servant, you have given us all encouragement daily. It will not be long at all before God possibly puts needles in that couch to prompt SNO back into your honeymoon suite =))

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise and worship Your totally awesome work. You have faithfully restored Diane and SNO’s marriage and continue to grow and build their testimony for Your glory! Thank you so much for Your promises and Your word to guide us. We pray you would continue to guide both of them into a complete loving married couple built solidly on YOUR rock! You are awesome, Lord, and we pray Your Holy Glory would shine so brightly in all of our lives! In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

Response by Linda Wattu on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Diane, you know how thrilled I am! What an AWESOME and FAITHFUL God we serve! There are no words to express the joy and happiness I feel for you! What a journey it has been! And to think that you weren’t even saved when SNO left! God has really done many miracles in your restoration process, and the BIG one yet remains, and that’s SNO’s salvation. But God didn’t bring you this far without that one coming too! And he is truly a fortunate man to have such a strong woman of faith standing in the gap for him, and his love and appreciation for you will only grow and intensify with each passing day! Yes, Honey, he sees you through totally new eyes, and they are indeed the eyes of love - a love that God put there, where once there was a totally hardened heart! Let NONE of us ever forget that! Our God IS able, indeed! And He WILL do exactly what every Word of the Bible tells us He will do and the only thing that can truly keep it from happening is if we fail to believe it! I look forward to seeing the Lord continue His wonderful work in your marriage and in your family. And what a blessed wedding present for your daughter! Just keep in mind that this is when the REALL hard work begins, but the Lord has and will continue to equip you for every step. Just keep your eyes on Him and don’t let your heart harden due to disappointments or failures on SNO’s part. You are so wise to understand that you do have to learn to live with your husband again, because you are a totally different woman and you will have to get to know each other all over again…but oh what delightful fun that will be!

Dearest Lord Jesus, we stand in total awe and amazement as we consider the wonder of your Hand at work in the restoration of this marriage and family! And we give you ALL praise, honor and glory for this GREAT and MIGHTY thing you have done! Lord, we praise you and thank you as we ask for your work to continue in SNO and Diane’s lives. We pray for SNO’s salvation, Lord, which we know is your will. And we thank you that the fear that holds him back will disappear and that he will find a new self confidence and have the assurance that he is exactly where he belongs! Thank you for the new thing you have created of this marriage and that SNO and Diane will experience every joy and blessing you created marriage to be and that you will withhold no good thing from them. Let the power of their awesome testimony be used for your glory in ways we can’t even imagine. And, Lord, give Diane the grace, wisdom and strength she needs as she makes the adjustment to havingher husband back home. They literally have to get to know each other again and I pray that just as your Word tells us, by seeing his wife’s quiet and gentle spirit, SNO will be won to you; that he will see your love and goodness in his wife and desire to have what she has. We pray for blessings in their home, Lord, and that you will be at the center of all they do. You are so awesome and so worthy to be praised! We pray these things in the most awesome and glorious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen.

Response by Kathy in Oregon on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Oh, Diane, how great our Lord is! I just praise and thank God for ALL He has done in you, SNO, and your family! There simply are no words that can adequately express the joy and hope I feel for you and SNO and your children, other than “Praise God, for His love, mercy and grace that endure forever!!” May His light shine in and through you all the days of your life! What an awesome and mighty testimony to what the Lord is so willing and able to do in all our lives! Keep the faith always! Love, Kathy

Response by Diane on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Amen, Robin, call things as though they are! I pray that yours is next, followed by a flood of restorations. Our God is able and He loves our spouses and marriages.

Response by Sharon on May 22nd, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Diane,
We thank God for this restoration, and a I thank you for this praise report. I am in awe of the wonderful works God has done in your life, and will do in the lives of all of us who are standing. “O Give Thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for his mercy endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders, for his mercy endures forever.”

Response by Alex on May 22nd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Oh, so cool!! This was such wonderful news though not at all surprising!! Go God!!!!! I have no words, so that’s all I’ll say…GO GOD!!! Hugs, Alex

Response by Maria on May 22nd, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Diane, This is terrific. It’s the best news in a long, long time. I can celebrate this one for at least 7 days, like in the old days, with music, song, dance, etc. This celebration is from above, because our God is good, and I love our God, HE is so awesome! Praise the Lord and His name. I have to go to the restored column daily, just to peek and to give the devil a black eye every day by proclaiming that our Lord is going to restore and heal all our marriages. Amen!

Response by Fran on May 22nd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Diane, I am in awe of how God has worked out everything. I’m sure it doesn’t seem so quick to you, but I’ve only been part of the group for a couple of weeks and I’ve seen things change so suddenly for you. This is great encouragement for me, and I’m sure for others. I’m praising God right with you and everyone else. When I read this earlier, I was at work, and I stopped what I was doing to go on a break, so I could praise God for what I have witnessed. I had just mentioned to one of my friends a couple of nights ago that when my husband comes home, I’ll have to learn how to live with him again. Then you mentioned that in one of your posts. That is confirmation for me.

I wouldn’t worry about SNO being on the couch; I am sure that won’t last very long. I will continue to pray for you and SNO, because the work does not end here. Fran

Response by Dan on May 22nd, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Weeee-doggies!!! Can’t write much now, but this is just awesome!! The puzzle is put together and soon will be complete and the BIG PICTURE will be hanging in the Heavenlies. Everyone continue to praise God and give Him the glory for everything that He is doing in our lives. I love the “look for God in everything,” Thursa! That is exactly what needs to be done.

Response by Paula on May 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Diane, I was unable to go on the site earlier today and happened to call Linda on my way home. She told me the awesome news and I cried so many tears of joy, joy, and joy! I’m getting teary eyed now. I’m just thanking God for his faithfulness. I am so happy- so very happy for you and SNO. This is just the beginning of something bigger and better! Your latter end shall be better than your beginning, thus saith the Lord. I loved how SNO asked- it’s so cute and innocent. Diane, I love you and your family and I will never cease to pray for you all.

Dear Lord, how great and marvelous is your name in all the earth. Lord, if we had a 10,000 tongues it would not be enough to stay thanks and to sing your praises! We thank you for being God and sovereign in our lives. You’ve keep Diane and SNO with your righteous right hand. Truly, Lord, what Satan intended for evil was meant for good and your glory. My heart, Lord, is so full of joy and praise for what you have done. Thank you for answered prayer. Keep them, Lord, all the days of their lives. Bless them with many, many more years of marital bliss - may it be for your glory and honor. I pray a hedge of protection around them to keep the enemy out in every way. Lord God, we love you! I LOVE YOU!! Diane, please keep us who remain in prayer; that we will hold fast and not throw away our confidence in the Lord. For He who promised is faithful!! Amen!

p.s. we need a picture board; I’d love to see you guys (smile)…..

Response by Diane on May 22nd, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Yeah Linda, can we have a picture board on the new site?Hey guys, I am not going anywhere and i won’t stop praying and praising God for all He is doing in all of our lives. I can’t wait to see us all moved to the restored column.

Response by Peter on May 22nd, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Dianne, this is just what this ministry is all about.
our God is just so faithful to His Word and His promises. He will never let us down.

I really loved Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message this morning, because she really put into easy to understand words, something that is SO important to all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. How many times have we all heard (or even said ourselves) “I know I believe, but…?” Of course, the minute we say “but”, we’re in trouble, because we’ve just cancelled out what we said!

We talk so much about the importance of faith and believing in the Word of God and that He WILL do what He says He will do, but there’s no denying that we see a difference in the level of faith from one person to another. And I think Joyce’s message today explains the difference, and why we’ve seen so many awesome things happening in our midst in the past few weeks, and why I have no doubt that will continue. When we see faith in others that exudes confidence, that’s the kind of faith we want and wish we had. And there’s NO denying that the faith Jesus always sought in those around Him went beyond simply believing He was who He was and that He could and would do what He said, because the faith He wanted to see and rewarded was always faith based in confidence. And that confidence was always exhibited by some kind of action. So just believing isn’t enough; faith without confidence isn’t enough. And the following verses are just a few to give us an idea how important it is to have confidence in the things we profess to believe and have faith in is as we stand for the restoration of our marriages:

Proverbs 3:25-26
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

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

2 Corinthians 3:3-5
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Ephesians 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Hebrews 3:14
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

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

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

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

1 John 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

1 John 3:21-22
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

We all need to take those last verses VERY seriously, because they say “IF our hearts do not condemn us…” Obviously, God knows and judges us by what’s in our hearts, and we can’t fool Him, especially since Matthew 12:34 warns You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Sadly, way too many of the words spoken by standers provide more than ample evidence of condemning hearts and a lack of confidence in the Word of God, which may well explain so many unfortunate and even unnecessary delays to answered prayers. But when we demonstrate our faith and confidence in the Word of God by sharing our praise reports and testimonies about all He is doing as we expectantly await the restoration of our marriages, we are proving the power of Revelation 12:10-11, which says Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. One of the most important ways that works in our lives and the lives of those who hear the words of our testimonies, is that it increases and builds up the faith and confidence we have in the power and faithfulness of God to DO exactly what His Word says He will do!

So study and meditate on the above Bible verses and listen to the following message from Joyce Meyer, because the more confidence we have in God’s Word and His power and faithfulness to carry it out, the more blessed and encouraged we will be!

Seven Secrets Of A Confident Woman - Part I

Guys, even though this says it’s for women, it isn’t gender specific, so make sure you listen to it too!

Since pride is such a pervasive characteristic of our flesh nature, it’s easy to miss, especially since we’ve come up with so many words and phrases to excuse it and make it sound like a “good” thing. And even though there are many verses in the Bible that make it very clear that pride is NOT at all good and that God deals with it rather harshly, one that should really get our attention is James 4:6, which says But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Ouch! Those are some scary words, and they should cause all of us to be a lot more concerned about the need to recognize and understand pride, so we can eliminate it from our lives, because none of us can afford to have God oppose us!

But the problem we have is that pride is not always that easy to identify or recognize, and even though I’m sure it could easily be the topic for another book, I just want to cover a few areas of pride often encountered as we stand for the restoration of our marriages that we might not recognize as such.

First, I don’t know ANY stander, including myself, who is not guilty of trying to “figure everything out.” In fact, it’s just like God to put this topic in my heart to write about today, because I happen to be struggling with it personally quite a bit right now. So far this month, my husband has been unable to send the support he’s been sending for the past year, and without it, I’m unable to meet my financial obligations or keep this website and ministry afloat. So it seems perfectly natural and understandable that I’d feel that I NEED to DO something! But what? That’s the problem, I can’t think of any way to generate sufficient income for the ministry or to rearrange my finances so that I don’t have to rely on the support from my husband. And while I was trying to figure all of that out, I was forced to admit that even though I am extremely appreciative and grateful for his support, I don’t “like” having to rely on it, especially since I know it is such a big sacrifice for him, because he’s struggling financially too. So I have really had to fight my natural instincts to DO something; like use a credit card that I know I’d have a difficult time paying for later, or trying to get a second mortgage on my house if I can. The devil has really been trying to get me to think I have to take matters into my own hands and DO something!!! But I just keep hearing the Lord telling me to wait…be still and KNOW that I am GOD! Then yesterday, I paid my electric Bill, which was fortunately much lower than usual, because they had over estimated it for the past two months, and that pretty much wiped out my personal checking account, but I just kept reminding myself of the reassuring scripture verses that assure me that God will meet my needs and that I have to trust Him NO MATTER WHAT! And then yesterday afternoon when I came home from running some errands (paying my electric bill for one), there was a message from my husband saying he would be sending the money, and I thank the Lord for that! But I STILL wanted to “figure out” a way to keep this from happening again in the future, which sounds perfectly reasonable and what anyone would think they should do, especially since we’re supposed to let our spouses go when they want to go. Right? Well, in my case, the only problem with that is that the Lord has made it abundantly clear to me on several occasions that things are exactly as He wants them to be for the time being. I have made numerous attempts to do something to change it, and the Lord always closes the door very firmly. In fact, He slams it! So instead of trusting the Lord with my WHOLE heart, I struggle with “resting” in the place He seems to want me right now, where I (and this ministry) have to be completely reliant on my husband’s support. Despite knowing what the Lord has told me time and time again, I keep thinking there MUST be another way…if I could just figure it out! But that’s exalting my own understanding, will and ability above God’s, and that’s pride. And true humility is submitting our own will, understanding (even need to know and understand) and ways to the will and ways of God, with complete and utter trust and confidence that He WILL lift us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6-7), and that His Word and promises WILL ALWAYS prevail! The reason we try to figure things out is so we can figure out what the problem is and then what WE can do to “fix” it. Well, God wants us to trust Him and let HIM “fix” it! That’s not to say that we don’t try to resolve our problems, but when we’ve done our best and when we’ve been obedient to God’s Word, and nothing seems to be working, we have to just trust God. Even though we don’t think of it in these terms, Proverbs 3:5-6 is really about making a choice between doing what God requires by walking humbly with Him (Micah 6:8)or allowing the devil to create a stronghold in our lives by trying to exalt our own knowledge and ability over God’s (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) and failing to take every thought captive; making them obedient to Christ..

Another pride issue encountered by just about everyone standing for marriage restoration is our natural tendency to filter everything our spouses say and do through our own emotions and experience. We tend to project our own emotions and attitudes onto our spouses and evaluate their words and actions from that perspective. In other words, if we think our spouses have been mean, cruel, hurtful, or thoughtless, we’ll see everything they say and do as being intentionally mean, cruel, hurtful, or thoughtless, whether they are or not. If they’ve ever lied to us, we tend to question everything they say and look for evidence that they’re lying to us. If we feel guilt or shame about something, then we think they’re trying to make us feel guilty or shameful; “…just throwing that in my face” is a term I hear way too often. In other words, we’re unable to objectively evaluate and receive their words and actions, because we’re only seeing them through the lens and filter of our preconceived expectations. By doing that, we’re really just making everything all about us, and that’s pride. So our spouses don’t stand a chance, because it’s not possible to communicate with us effectively, and we’re certainly NOT demonstrating unconditional love, as it’s described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 or creating the atmosphere of grace that’s needed or redemption and restoration. So humbling ourselves in this case means making a decision to PRACTICE unconditional love as described at the above link, and to totally take our own emotions, needs and desires out of the equation when evaluating and responding to the things our spouses say and do. That means making a conscious and intentional choice to ALWAYS give our spouses the benefit of doubt. In fact, I made that decision about two years ago, and it made my life (and interaction with my husband) so much better, because now there’s no question about it; when something comes up that could go either way, either in his favor or against him; it’s already settled in his favor. It wasn’t easy at first, but it eventually became my FIRST reaction after a few times when I had to remind and force myself to honor that commitment. Doing that takes a very powerful weapon away from Satan, because he can’t torment us with a lot of “what ifs”, which is just another way we tend to lean and rely on our own understanding.

One more thing we often struggle to overcome as we stand for marriage restoration is our natural inclination to defend, explain, vindicate and protect ourselves. But as wives and husbands, we’re specifically told to follow the example set by Jesus in 1 Peter 2:23, which says When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. This is often overlooked as specific instruction to husbands and wives, but It is by no means insignificant that it is part of the passage that precedes the very important instructions for wives and husbands in 1 Peter 3, where both wives and husbands are told “in the same way…”, which is an obvious reference to the preceding passage! So as difficult as it is to understand and accept, even our natural need and tendency to defend, explain, vindicate, and protect ourselves is nothing but pride. And since God opposes the proud, that’s a very dangerous way to go, and as long as WE insist on doing it for ourselves, we’re obviously NOT entrusting ourselves to Him who judges justly!

So recognizing and overcoming pride in its various forms is very important to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, because besides being very destructive all on its own, it can keep us from experiencing the supernatural power of God in our lives and in the restoration of our marriages and in the deliverance of our spouses. And even worse than that, it causes God to actually oppose us, so we have to take it very seriously and make sure we can identify it and eliminate it from every area of our lives. Fortunately, we can rely on John 8:32, which assures us Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And once we recognize pride, we will be free to overcome it and we WILL be very blessed and encouraged by the results that brings about in our lives and the restoration of our marriages and families!

FAM Fellowship members stand in total awe and amazement as we continue to see the Lord pour out His love and power in our midst in ways far beyond our comprehension and understanding, and in ways far exceeding anything we could ask or imagine! So today I just want to give the Lord glory and praise for some of the things happening in our midst, and that’s IN JUST THIS WEEK…SO FAR!

On Monday, one of our members who received divorce papers just last month, was very surprised to get a call from her husband on the way home from work, asking “What’s for dinner!” Not only did he come to dinner, but he stayed for four hours, which is something he hasn’t done in a very long time! And even though he had said that he really wanted some home cooked food, he came knowing that she was just going to pick something up on the way home from work, because she had some errands to run and wouldn’t have time to cook! But that just means she now has a good reason to invite him back for dinner another time! She also shared that she had just started tithing again, which she hadn’t been doing, because she moved recently and hadn’t established a church home yet. And even though she didn’t see how it was possible to manage, she did that in obedience and then trusted the Lord. And now, in addition to this awesome praise report, she also shared how many ways the Lord has since blessed her with totally unexpected income! God’s Word NEVER fails and He NEVER lets us down!

Also on Monday, another member’s husband came to see her twice, spending a total of five hours with her. He was back again for three hours yesterday and plans to take the kids on an outing on his own today, which is something he hasn’t done since leaving. And for the first time, he acknowledged that he could see the pain of what has happened in their eyes and hear it in their voices, and he said that, starting today, he’s going to DO something about that! And it looks like he means that, because it’s probably not insignificant that he has started leaving his tools there, along with dropping off some other material for his business, which he could certainly leave at the NCP’s house! AND then yesterday, when he was creating a resume for a job he really wants, he didn’t use the NCP’s home address; instead he asked to use his wife’s address! Yes, Lord, that’s definitely another husband on the way home!!!

Then yesterday, one of our members whose husband had recently asked her to buy a house and move out (something she certainly didn’t want to do, but had agreed to do in submission to him, while trusting the Lord to stop it if not HIS will), saw a lot of totally unexpected and unpredictable things come up to delay the closing! First, her husband had originally said he wanted a divorce, and has since said they’d just separate and start dating again, and see where that goes. Well, in order to qualify for a mortgage, they had to have some kind of legal settlement agreement in place, which they were supposed to sign last night. But that didn’t happen, because her husband got stuck working late! Also, they found out yesterday that her husband has to pay off the lease on the car he drives (it’s in her name), in order for her to qualify for the loan on her new house, even though they had originally been told that an affidavit stating that he makes the payments would suffice! And as part of the settlement, her husband is taking out a loan on their current home and giving her half of the equity, which is what she’s using to buy her new house. But the closing on his new loan was put off to the end of the week, which means her closing will have to be postponed for the second time, and that is not going to make the seller very happy! And as if all that weren’t enough, on top of everything else, she found out yesterday that as the result of abnormal mammogram results, she now has to have a biopsy! Needless to say, that really throws a monkey wrench into the situation, and while there’s no telling what God is up to, we know it’s got to be something GOOD!

Then another member’s husband was coming to dinner at home last night for the first time since he left, but she’s in another time zone, so I haven’t heard how that went yet. I fully expect it to be another praise report though, because he only just started coming around again about two weeks ago, and engages in “normal” conversation with her now for the first time in ages too! Also, while she was out of town the weekend before last, he came home and did some yard work, which he used to love doing and hadn’t taken an interest in doing since leaving! And he was the one to ask if they could get together this week “to discuss property and expense issues…”, but this was the first time he ever accepted an invitation to eat there! This is so exciting, because this is how restoration often begins! Now that the Lord has re-established contact with her husband, he WILL see the changes the Lord has made in her and be totally captivated by his new wife!
Update: I’ve had a chance to talk to this member and as I expected, she does have a great praise report! When they talked about it two weeks ago, her husband was set on selling the house and dividing up an account they had set aside for home repairs. But last night he actually asked her what she’d prefer to do and she told him that after taking some time away to visit her family and having more time to think about it, she’d rather stay in the house. To her surprise, he told her that he thought that was the “right” decision, AND he said they’d go ahead and start using some of the money in the account to make some house repairs! Now that’s quite a turn around in two weeks, and ONLY GOD COULD DO THAT!

Then another member was blessed by her husband’s presence with the family on Mother’s Day, when he cooked a wonderful dinner for them and they enjoyed a very special day together. And he even opened his arms to her for a hug before he left! But the BIG news is that he’s considering going away with her Friday for the weekend – just the two of them. He had originally said he would go, because he thought the kids were going, but when he found out they weren’t, he changed his mind. Then he offered to buy her a ticket so she could fly instead of taking the train, which she declined, because she
thought she’d enjoy the train. But he called her back Monday night and said he’s changed his mind again, and he thinks he will go! So we’re all praying that nothing causes him to change his mind again and that this will be a wonderful time of reconnecting and restoration for them! He’s been gone for several years, and this is a HUGE change in his attitude…but then his wife has changed a lot too! And this member also shared with me yesterday that she had just made a renewed commitment to tithing as well, and now money was coming in from all sorts of unexpected places…not to mention this wonderful praise report! Our God is so faithful and awesome! He just wants us to trust and obey!

Then this Saturday, one of our members will be having lunch with his wife for the first time in well over a year! After a year of little contact, other than necessary communication concerning bills and the kids, out of the blue, his wife just started sending “chatty’ email messages a couple of weeks ago, and they started communicating on a much more regular and personal basis; and all of this, as the time for the final dissolution of their marriage rapidly approaches! Based on one of her messages indicating that she might be reconsidering her decision to get a divorce, he asked her to spend some time with him so she could get to know the new man he has become before going through with the divorce…and asked her to go to lunch with him while she’s in town this weekend, and even said she could stay at his apartment if she needs a place to stay. She arrives tomorrow, but has not said anything about where she will be staying, but she did suggest that they go to their favorite place for lunch! She has acknowledged several times that she sees the changes God has made in him, so we’re praying that she too will fall in love with the new and improved husband the Lord has blessed her with!

Then another one of our members, whose husband just agreed to drop the divorce a few weeks ago, but who said he’s not quite ready to move home yet, because he’s scared (probably that the changes he sees in her won’t last), spent Mother’s Day with his family and actually apologized to his wife for being afraid to come home just yet. But she took that opportunity to reassure him that it was okay, and that he was worth the wait! What a blessing it has been for all of us to see how the Lord has worked in the restoration of their love, marriage and family! And we all know and are seeing proof that what he has done for one, He WILL do for all!

And finally, one of our members whose husband remarried last year, has experienced a significant change in their relationship too. They usually only communicate about their small child, but he’s started calling a lot more often and just to talk; often reminiscing about good times from their past. They met briefly over the weekend at a midway point when he returned their son, and he called less than an hour later (they had stopped at a restaurant and the NCP was obviously not at the table) to tell her that she really looked good! Then he called her again the next day to wish her a happy Mother’s Day and again told her several times how good she looked! And he wanted to know if she had noticed that he had lost quite a bit of weight as well, which she acknowledged and said he looked good too! Despite everything we don’t know, it’s obvious that she is on his mind a LOT! So it will be very interesting to see what God will do in their situation!

There’s no doubt that the recent and continuous restoration miracles experienced in the lives of FAM Fellowship members bear witness to the powerful truth of God’s Word, especially Revelation 12:10-11, which says Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. And not one of us could possibly doubt the awesome power of praise, because we’ve seen such amazing proof of it in our midst and we KNOW that God truly inhabits the praises of His people, or as Psalm 22:3 puts it: But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. And even as we give God the glory for the great things He HAS already done and continues to do, we only just begin to understand the awesome promise found in Ephesians 3:19-20, which says Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. And the more we come to understand and recognize the awesome power of God that is at work within us, the more blessed and encouraged we’ll be!

One of the most frustrating aspects of marriage restoration ministry is the realization that there is little (if any) difference between the “Christian” view of marriage and the “secular” concept of marriage. In fact, the majority of churches today support a totally secular view of marriage, and no longer even acknowledge that there is a difference between what should be the Christian approach to marriage and the world’s approach. So whatever the world says goes, even in our churches!

Sadly, I found myself in the awkward position of having to respond to an email message this morning, in which it was stated that a woman was standing for the restoration of her marriage; that it was her second marriage…”but neither of them were saved when they got married.” So, what does that have to do with anything? Unfortunately, it’s a reflection of what is generally taught and accepted in most “secular-Christian” churches today, despite EVERYTHING else the Bible says about marriage, divorce, and remarriage; especially the following totally unambiguous statements from Jesus Himself:

Matthew 5:32
But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 19:9
I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

I have a difficult time figuring out what is so complicated about these verses! Jesus made it abundantly clear…remarriage after divorce by ANYONE for ANY reason other than adultery IS adultery! I’d just like to know exactly where in the Bible we find something that leads us to believe Jesus didn’t mean what He said or He didn’t know what He was talking about. ABSOLUTELY NO WHERE! No matter WHAT is written anywhere else in the Bible, it can NOT be RIGHTLY interpreted to mean something so totally contrary to the words spoken by our Lord and Savior Himself, who told us that the words He spoke, came from God. In John 14:24, Jesus very specifically said He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words
you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. And let it NOT be forgotten that the question Jesus was answering when He made these very clear and precise statements about GOD’S LAW governing divorce and remarriage, as stated in Matthew 19:3, was Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” And after reminding them that from the beginning God created marriage as a one flesh, life long covenant relationship, He said that marital unfaithfulness was the ONLY exception that released a man or woman to remarry without committing adultery in the
eyes of God.

I know it must break our Lord’s heart and stir up the wrath of God to see how so many prominent “men (and women) of God” pervert the very plain meaning of His words to promote and justify the acceptance of adulterous marriages, even in HIS church. While there are many examples of passages of scripture frequently twisted to support such erroneous conclusions, one not covered here in much detail before is 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV), which says Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Yet, when that verse is read in its full context in 2 Corinthians 5, it’s obvious that it does NOT attempt to say in ANY way that our past just disappears and we no longer have any accountability for it, because it’s forgotten and we get to start life all over again with a clean slate. Instead, it’s very clearly a reference to our transition from the sinful state of our fleshly bodies into our spiritual state of reconciliation with God through the blood of Jesus Christ, which is further clarified in this commentary by Matthew Henry. And even more importantly, as is always the case, that meaning is confirmed by the Bible itself in Revelation 21.

However, that is in no way meant to deny the fact that when we become Christians and REPENT (meaning to turn from our sinful ways and sin no more); our sins ARE forgiven AND forgotten. We certainly have a beautiful illustration of that in Isaiah 55, but we can NOT claim or rely on this awesome promise and the grace of God’s forgiveness without true and genuine repentance, as described in Isaiah 55:7, which says Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

So despite the contrary opinion of man, NO man made law concerning GOD’S HOLY COVENANT of marriage has the power or authority to invalidate God’s Word and law to transform the sin of adultery into something honorable and approved by God. In fact, the bible makes it very clear in Hebrews 10, that we play a very dangerous game when we try to pervert God’s precious gift of grace by trying to use it as a license to continue sinning, especially the following verses:
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

So basing the belief that a second marriage is not adultery, if the couple is not saved when they’re married, on God’s grace and the forgiveness of sin doesn’t work, because the only way to have forgiveness of sin is to repent, which means to discontinue the sin…just like Jesus told the woman caught in adultery - “go and sin no more.” And even though society and churches today have effectively created a special class for the sin of adultery, that is TOTALLY contrary to the Word and not supported anywhere in
the Bible.

Additional Bible references that dispel the myth and make it very clear that “all things new” does NOT mean that we start with a clean slate and no longer have consequences or accountability to man or God for our past sins and misdeeds, are found in the examples in the Bible of those who made amends and restitution for their former sins and wrong doings; such as Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10, and even returned to fulfill their former obligations, like Onesimus in Philemon 1, who was a slave and had to return to his master. We can’t take any verse or passage of scripture and try to apply it with a meaning that is so totally contrary to what so many other verses teach. The Bible NEVER disputes
itself and it ALWAYS explains itself! So when the meaning someone comes up
with is contrary to the plain meaning of other scripture, that meaning is
wrong; plain and simple, because the Bible does not contradict itself. But
most people are not willing to accept what they don’t want to hear and would
rather make the Bible say what it never said and never meant to say, which
is why Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. And how sad but true Proverbs 14:12 is, because it says There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

So the fact that those of us standing for our marriages obviously have an unpopular and minority opinion concerning the sanctity of marriage, should not discourage or deter us in any way, because we have the power of God’s Word backing us up, and NOTHING can stand against that or us! When we seek to understand God’s Word and apply it to our lives as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, we WILL know the joy of having Psalm 37:4-6 manifested in our marriages and in our lives and we will truly be blessed and encouraged, 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.

One of the FAM Fellowship members recently shared the following message about understanding the hardness of our spouses’ hearts on the private website, and since this is something that affects just about everyone standing for marriage restoration, I appreciate her permission to share it here. Unfortunately, that’s something Amy knows about all too well. She has three small children, who quite frequently cry for their daddy, and she lost her home and everything else when her husband left them. His destructive lifestyle ended up costing him his business as well, so now Amy and her kids live with her parents in very cramped quarters, because he’s unable to support himself, much less his family. Sadly, many men and women standing for marriage restoration have similar testimonies and have suffered the consequences of hardened hearts as well. So, as we read Amy’s message and Hardness of Heart: A Roadblock to Receiving from God, the article by Andrew Wommack that Amy quotes from, let’s make sure that our own hearts aren’t hardened, and continually pray for the Lord to give our spouses new hearts; hearts of flesh, as described in Ezekiel 36:26, which says I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And since stony, hardened hearts are at the root of most marital problems, we all should be greatly blessed and encouraged to know what to pray for more specifically, especially since we can trust the Lord to honor our prayers and turn our spouses’ hearts, as we see in Proverbs 21:1, which says The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Now here’s Amy’s message:

Last night I was watching Andrew Wommack and wrote down his website, which I checked out this morning. God had so much to share with me on the website that I knew it had to be shared here as well.

First, let’s talk about hardness of hearts. We all know that our spouses’ hearts have been hardened. But do we really understand? Let me share what Andrew Wommack had to say about that:

Jesus came walking to His disciples on the water, recorded in Mark 6:45-52. They were in a terrible storm. After nine hours they were still only halfway across the Sea of Galilee, normally a two-hour trip. They were in trouble and fighting for their lives. Yet here came Jesus walking on top of the very thing that was trying to kill them. He was totally in control.

In Mark 6:51 it says “They were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” and in the next verse it follows with “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”

Andrew continues with:
God made us so that we can harden our hearts and literally shut out unwanted influences. It was meant to be a positive thing, but because we haven’t understood this, what God meant for good has actually worked against us.