Regular visitors to the site are familiar with Dan Spitz, who is one of FAMM’s Board of Directors and he is in need of our prayers. Dan called me early this evening to ask for prayer, because he was involved in a serious car accident on the freeway on his way home. He had told me earlier that they were expecting snow, so that might have been a factor. He said his car slid and he went into the oncoming traffic. Since he said he hadn’t gotten out of the car yet, I assume he was pinned in, but he thought he was okay. He knew a truck was also involved and thought everyone in the truck was alright as well. So please keep Dan and his family and everyone in the accident in your prayers and I’ll post an update as soon as I know something else..

Update: I just posted the following on the private websites:
I just talked to Dan — he’s actually home!!! I’ll let him share the details of how the Lord protected him and provided for him, but I wanted to let you all know that he is okay. He’s going to be very sore to say the least, due to some bruised ribs and a possible lower back fracture, but that’s NOTHING short of a miracle!!! Now we need to pray for him to find a new car, because his was demolished — he had to be cut out of it. To survive a head-on collision with a truck and come home within hours is something ONLY God could do!

Dear Lord, we thank You for hearing and answering our prayers! And now we pray for a speedy recovery for Dan’s bruises and possible fracture. We thank You now that he will not have any adverse effects from this accident and that You will just get so much glory from it all just as we all prayed and believed! You are just too awesome for words and we thank You SO much for protection for Dan and for providing Your angels to give him comfort when he needed it! And we ask for favor as he looks for a new means of transportation, Lord — give him very special favor and let that just be another praise report for Your glory! And we ask this in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Amen!

Today’s Charlyne Cares message from Rejoice Ministries is extremely important for everyone standing for marriage restoration, so I hope everyone will read it and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE! This is without a doubt one of the most common and most challenging issues men and women standing for marriage restoration MUST overcome. But those who do will most certainly be blessed and encouraged!

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You need to learn to take control of your thoughts about your spouse.
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JUDGE NOT OR YOU WILL BE JUDGED! - “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

How many times a day do you think about your spouse and start judging what they are thinking, doing or even feeling about you, your children and marriage? I know that throughout my stand the enemy loved to torment my mind daily and especially on the weekends about all the things that Bob and the other person were doing. I would get so mad and upset. What is the enemy doing to your mind? Today, I want you to know that this is a spiritual attack from satan. He is trying to get you focused and off tracked to imagine what is happening in your spouse’s heart and life to destroy your own spiritual walk and stand with the Lord. Think about it!

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

This is a very important lesson to learn as you are standing and praying for your spouse. Just think about the past holidays. What was the enemy doing to your mind? Satan was trying to steal your joy, your peace and your happiness by attacking your thoughts to
thinking about your spouse and all that they were doing or not doing for you and your children.

I challenge you now in January to take control of your thoughts and make them obedient and pleasing to the Lord. You will then be able to walk in love, serving and being used by your Lord each day while you pray for your marriage to be resurrected and restored.

“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.” Psalm 139:23-24

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Do you try to second guess what is happening in your children’s or parent’s lives each day? Yes, you think about them and pray for them, but you cannot imagine what they are doing from one hour to the next! You need to learn to take control of your thoughts about your spouse. When your husband or wife returns home, you need to learn to not judge or second guess your spouse’s behavior, actions and feelings throughout their day. Your spouse is sinning against God first. You must totally lay your spouse at your Lord’s feet and pray, “Lord, here is my spouse. I trust You with my spouse’s life. You only can change their heart, their actions and habits. Father, I am praying for their salvation and for a Damascus Road experience that will change their life completely forever. Lord, thank You for bringing them home. I will love them unconditionally and Lord make me into the spouse that I need to be. Lord, change my spouse’s heart to become the spouse, the parent and the Christian that You want them to be. I praise You that they are home. Lord, protect my spouse and our entire family from the evil one. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.”

How many times I thought Bob was with the other person, doing something great and it turned out because I had been praying, his plans had been totally changed. I instead ruined days, weeks and months in my life worrying and thinking about all that they were
doing. When Bob came home suddenly, we were remarried, but he lived two hours away. For three months, he came home on weekends only. I had to trust the Lord and Bob. I knew that the Lord had touched Bob’s heart, and I had to believe the Lord to do a complete work in Bob’s life in God’s timing. I had to let go and let God deal with Bob completely. Bob was God’s project, not mine.

I believe that the enemy is trying to destroy your faith and hope in believing for marriage restoration by tormenting your mind with all the imaginary things that are happening in your spouse’s day to day activities. You must give your spouse to the Lord daily and then ask the Lord to make you into the strong Christian and stander that
you can be even as you go through your daily trials of life. The Lord teaches us in the Word to not to worry or think about the negative things of life. What are you doing?

“…The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:5-9

Are you burdened about your spouse’s or even your child’s lifestyle? Do you see and know how the enemy has them so deceived, blinded and living in sin? Are you worrying, telling others or are you fasting and praying for the Lord to touch and change their heart?

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this . . . He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:14,20-23

You know your spouse is living or battling sin. You also know how the enemy tempted your spouse and tried to destroy your marriage. Let us fight with the Lord’s weapons and the enemy can be defeated. The Lord does not want you to condemn or criticize your spouse and children. He wants you to love and forgive them. We need to see the positive in your spouse’s lives instead of all the negatives. I challenge you today, think about one positive trait that your spouse has so that when you see or talk to them the next time, you can compliment them instead of being negative, critical or judgmental.

Dear stander, spouses are coming home. Are you willing to accept them as they are and love them unconditionally? Will you pray and ask the Lord to change them and you stop being the policeman or the judge and jury convicting them of all that they are doing wrong behind your back? You cannot rebuild your marriage on doubts, fears and lack of trust. Yes, your spouse may have another person in their life, but let’s fast and pray that God will remove the other person in His perfect timing and in His way. In the meantime, do all you can do to be the husband or wife or parent that will bring glory and honor to your Lord. Let God rebuild your marriage. Remember, satan is going to try to destroy your character and qualities by using the world’s tricks and schemes, so don’t fall into his trap. (I Peter 5:6-11)
Remember, love covers a multitude of sins. Now, will you stop judging your spouse? Instead, pray for them!

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8

Jesus is your answer,

Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, Florida 33061 USA
Rejoice Ministries Website
Stop Divorce Bookstore

Stop Diborce Radio - 24/7
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Copyright© 2008 Rejoice Marriage Ministries Inc®-All rights reserved.

The following message from Glenn Jackson is very significant for everyone standing on the power and promise of God’s Word for marriage restoration, because it so eloquently expresses the importance of keeping our focus on the Word of God and the consequences when we don’t. And if we give it the serious consideration it merits, we will truly be blessed and encouraged!

*****
EXHORTATIONS FROM THE FATHER [”Reflections” Of The Father’s Heart] - January 27th 2008
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Because of the “failure” of many to give My Word pre-eminence in their “entire” lives, their minds remain “unrenewed” to a certain degree. For is it not a “truth” that failure to fellowship with My Word means “certain fellowship with the world? It is My deepest heart desire for each one of My children to be in the holy place of My presence in order that the Evil One might not “touch” [influence] them - and in not being able to touch them, have “no influence” whatsoever over their lives. It is a most dangerous time for one of My children to hold to “anything” that is apart from Me, for like a “heavy anchor”, failure to “let go” shall cause them to sink into the darkness “below”. Time and time again, I have warned My children of the danger of being “conformed” to the world and its ways, but their refusal to hearken to the voice of My Spirit in this last hour, has led them away from the “narrow path” of perfect obedience and onto the “broad path of destruction” [Matthew 7:13-14]. Indeed, it is “harder to believe than not to”, but it is faith that I have called every one of My children to and, therefore, if one chooses to carry on, being influenced “solely” by the words and actions of others who are not led by My Spirit [and the world and its ways], then they shall reap fully all that they have sown to in unbelief and mistrust of Me.

It is time for each one of My children to get their “priorities” straight; for I am about to begin moving in such a way that a “large gap” shall soon appear between those of My children who truly serve [love] Me and those of My children who do not. For is it not written, “you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him [Malachi 3:18]?” As I begin this “move” I shall send forth the “last wave” of My apostles and prophets, and the light that they bring as My “anointed vessels” shall clarify the “situation” for all those who have “attempted” to walk in My will while retaining one foot in the world. But truly I say to you, after this “initial” going forth, each one of My children will have to make a “quality decision” to get in My will [Word] or they shall be “left behind” [spiritually speaking] and, thus, fall far short of the glorious Kingdom-position that I have established for each and every one of My precious children.

Glenn H. Jackson
P.O. Box 1032
Kremmling, CO 80459

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Visit Glenn’s website and sign up to receive his daily messages by email.

And check out Glenn’s Audio Teachings online.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph as told in the book of Genesis; especially how so much of the way God worked to accomplish His will, plan and purpose in Joseph’s life applies to our own lives as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families. So I really appreciated a devotional by Charles Swindoll that one of the FAM Fellowship members shared on the private website today, as well as another one I found when looking for an online link to it. So please read the following devotionals about the life of Joseph and be blessed and encouraged to realize that God still works the same way to accomplish His will and purpose in our lives today!

TENDER MERCIES

DON’T PANIC… TRUST

Note from Linda: Apparently the above link rotates to the current devotional, so here’s the link to DON’T PANIC…TRUST

Sometimes we let an abundance of fear keep us from doing what God wants us to do; it’s a risk. But unlike some risks we encounter, those that involve the will of God have His promise of victory; so there is really no risk at all in standing for our marriages. Satan wants nothing more than for us to be afraid; to fear that our marriages will not be restored and healed to the magnificent glory of our Heavenly Father. The following is part of a devotional I recently received from Glenn Jackson, and it’s another affirmation that God is indeed who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do according to His Word.

WE “MUST” ACKNOWLEDGE GOD IN “ALL” OUR WAYS

Somehow, when we continue to acknowledge the Father and His Word in “all” our ways we always come firing out the other side of any test or trial much stronger and much better prepared for carrying out the fullness of the Father’s plan for our life and ministry. It sometimes takes a while to learn this - especially when we almost “seem to be overwhelmed” at times. But God is faithful and smiles in the face of even our greatest adversity for He “knows” the glorious end He seeks to - and will - accomplish in us. We must “know”, by faith, that everything is “right on schedule” as we hold fast to the revelation knowledge in our heart with a steadfast faith and, also, continue to seek a revelation of His highest will and purpose, daily, as things unfold in His perfect timing. Now is the time to gain the “necessary” revelation and, THEN, then go forth boldly by the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit - for there is great importance in even the most “seemingly insignificant” act of obedience, in the eternal scheme of things and, thus, we should never be a people who despise, in any way, “small beginnings”.

Glenn H. Jackson
P.O. Box 1032
Kremmling, CO 80459

Glenn’s messages are available online at this link, where you can also sign up to receive them by email each day.

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

There is a line in one of my favorite songs that says, “I wouldn’t trade You for silver or gold. I wouldn’t trade you for riches untold. You are, You are my everything.” Sadly, there are some who would trade Jesus for earthly treasures- they’d sell Him out for fame, fortune and prestige. But among the rest of us who would not, I have to wonder if even though we wouldn’t trade Him for the treasures of this world, are we trading Him for other things?

Are you trading Him for sleep? Do you roll over in bed and go back to sleep only to wake up with no time left to spend time with Him or you’ll be late to work or to some appointment? Are you trading Him for entertainment? Is watching a television program more important than seeking Him? Are you trading Him for food? Would you rather eat than fast a meal to meet with Him for a few moments? Don’t misunderstand, there is nothing wrong with eating, sleeping or a little entertainment, but if they take the place of the time you should be spending with Him, then you have traded Him for them.
So you see, we can trade Him for many more things than we realize. Therefore, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are trading Him for anything. If we are, we need to repent and stop. There is nothing that is more important, more valuable or more needful than a relationship with Him. All these other things are temporary, but He is eternal. They just aren’t worth it. They are not worth sacrificing our relationship with Him over, and if you are, then you have made a trade…. and a very poor one I might add.

Have a great day. Are you trading Him for other things?

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell and it’s sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.

So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net.
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

What an awesome message of hope and encouragement for everyone standing for marriage restoration from Glenn Jackson’s message yesterday! The message is long, but if you read it you will be blessed and encouraged!

THE LIFE OF FAITH AND THE GLORIOUS CHURCH - JANUARY 18th

You can subscribe to receive Glenn’s messages by email and read archived messages at this link

This is a great message from John Walker and it addresses a very important issue for everyone standing for marriage restoration; we HAVE to trust God to bring about the conviction and changes needed in our spouses’ hearts and lives for the restoration of our marriages. And God does NOT need our help; all He needs and wants is our trust and obedience to His Word. As John said “We can’t; God can. And because we trust, God can.” When we employ any of the tactics John mentions to “help” God, we obviously don’t really believe what Jesus said in Mark 11:24, because He said Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. So with that in mind, read Mr. Walker’s great devotional and be blessed and encouraged!

Snatching The Situation From God

You can sign up to receive Daily Devotionals from The Purpose Driven Life, written by John Walker, by email at this link. And you can read the archived devotionals at this link.

In response to yesterday’s Seeds Of Faith post, Overcoming the Hold Pride has on our Flesh, a visitor to the site shared how not taking matters into her own hands is such a struggle for her personally, as it is for ALL of us! She also acknowledged the need to take our thoughts captive; because God’s ways are always better than what we can do ourselves. And since that’s SO true and very important for all of us to understand as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, I wanted to respond to Kathy in today’s post, especially since God’s ways are also VERY different than ours!

And since the challenge to overcome feelings of being taken for granted or taken advantage of and avoiding our natural self-defense mechanisms is also something everyone standing for marriage restoration tends to struggle with as well; it’s important to understand what the Word teaches. And that begins with understanding the awesome power of forgiveness and not keeping a record of wrongs, because that’s the only way to deny pride’s hold in our lives and overcome our natural tendencies to rationalize our own efforts to manage or make things right.

When asked, it’s probably safe to assume that we’d all say we love our spouses; yet 1 Peter 4:8 says that love covers a multitude of sin. In fact, it actually tells us Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. And then Proverbs 10:12 tells us that Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. And since Dictionary.com defines dissension as strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord, we need to pay very close attention; because this is the difference between love and hate according to the Word of God, which Hebrews 4:12 tells us judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and we certainly want to be found to have love in our hearts and not hatred. And then when we study God’s definition of love in <1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we see that love isn’t even supposed to keep a record of wrongs, because it says:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. And we surely know that’s not possible without the grace of God!

So if we say we love our spouses, we obviously have to forgive them. And that means that as hard as it is to do and as difficult as it is to understand; even considering how we’ve been taken advantage of is not walking in love or humbling ourselves as the Bible tells us to do time and time again. And when we’re in that frame of mind and attitude, we’re NOT very likely to give up our coat or turn the other cheek; much less follow the instructions Jesus gave us in Luke 6:27-32 (NKJV), when He said:
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

Should there still be any doubt in anyone’s mind that God’s ways and thoughts are indeed so much different and higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), the above passage should certainly settle the matter, because it’s SO contrary to our human nature and anything we’d naturally be inclined to do! Yet, when we truly walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us as Christians, WE CAN DO IT! And seeing it physically and literally walked out in the lives of men and women who have truly put their faith and confidence in the power and promise of God’s Word as they stood for the restoration of their marriages, has been one of the most powerful instruments of marriage restoration I’ve been blessed and humbled to witness! And I still stand in total amazement and awe of how I’ve seen that power at work to restore so many marriages and families! When we walk in the control of our flesh and fail to walk by the power of the Holy spirit as we submit to the wisdom, power and promise of God’s Word, we end up with the world’s results; separation, divorce and nothing but heartache and disappointment and dealing with the harm and damage done to our children and their children for generations. But when we truly understand and stand in absolute faith and confidence on the power and promise of God’s Word, we WILL defy the ways of the world and see the restoration of our marriages and families for the glory of Jesus Christ! Yes, Kathy, God’s ways are most certainly ALWAYS better! And He just keeps proving that to us over and over again as we continue to see Him miraculously restoring what the world would call hopeless marriages; just as we were blessed to see Him do again today! So trust the Lord and commit to doing things HIS way, and you WILL BE blessed and encouraged!

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. (Psalm 37:5-6)

As men and women standing for marriage restoration and learning how to walk out the biblical principles of marriage restoration, we know all too well about the constant struggle between our flesh and spirit. But we also know that the spirit MUST win if we’re to have the victory we seek, because Philippians 3:3 says For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— And it’s very important to keep Ephesians 6:12 in mind, because it warns that …our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So we MUST realize and ALWAYS remember that our battle is not with others; including our spouses or the NCPs (non-covenant person) they may be involved with.

In fact, most of the strongest spiritual battles we fight are over the control of our flesh (body, mind and heart – our soul) by our spirit. But, just as He always does, the Lord tells us in John 6:63 exactly HOW our spirit will ALWAYS win the battle for control over our flesh; because it says The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. And we see how the Word of God does that in Hebrews 4:12, which says For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. And then 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 gives us very specific and practical instructions about WHAT WE HAVE TO DO to overcome the control of our flesh; it says The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And that means making sure that our thoughts line up with the Word of God, which John 1:14 teaches is synonymous with Christ, because it says The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And there’s no doubt how important it is to understand that when we read John 14:6, which says Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. And then John 3:5-6 says Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

So no matter how we cut it, there’s a very direct and undeniable link between our relationship with Jesus and the time and effort we dedicate to reading and studying His Word; because the only way we’ll ever overcome the battle between our flesh/soul and spirit is through the awesome power of God’s Word. But Satan never wants us to submit our flesh to the control of God’s Word in our lives, and the very sin that caused him to fall from grace is his most effective weapon to keep us from experiencing spiritual victory; and that’s a sin everyone standing for marriage restoration is way too familiar with, which is pride.

And as we study the Bible in search of marriage restoration principles, it’s obvious why submitting to the Lord’s Word creates a lot of conflict within, because it requires us to TOTALLY ditch our pride, which is the only defense and protection mechanism most of us know. But God OPPOSES the proud and gives grace to the humble, so we HAVE to humble ourselves under His mighty hand with absolute faith and confidence that HE will lift us up in due time as we cast our cares on Him; just as 1 Peter 5:5-7 promises. But that definitely does not come to us naturally; yet it IS what walking in the spirit and giving our spirit the control it must have over our flesh requires.

I was greatly blessed last year when someone shared a link to www.Soleyn.com, and the following is an excerpt from one of the studies I found so enlightening, in which Sam Soleyn stated:
So, the process by which we are transformed in our thinking is a process of death and resurrection where God takes you through and brings you through. The reason, obviously, and I’ve made this point but I’ll belabor the point to hammer it home, the reason that this is God’s way is that as long as we remain in the soul; as long as our soul governs our activities we are always going to operate out of the need to provide for ourselves and the need to protect ourselves, we’re always going to do that. And we will do that by total self-reliance on these three lusts: what needs to be done, how can it be done and can I do it, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and this is the entrapment that Satan has set for us.
And since this is a message everyone standing for marriage restoration can certainly relate to, I strongly encourage everyone to listen to, Transitioning From Self-Reliance. It’s an awesome lesson about the battle between our flesh/soul and spirit, which is something we really have to understand BEFORE learning how to walk in the spirit and overcome the hold pride has on our flesh. And the transcript, with the text of the Bible references inserted, is available at this link, which might be preferable for some, because Soleyn is a very deliberate speaker. But he’s an excellent teacher and I’ve learned an awful lot from the lessons I’ve listened to, because they are very applicable to many of the issues we struggle with as we take a stand in the spiritual battle now being waged against our marriages and families. One of the most important things I’ve learned through his teachings is that ANYTHING we think we can do, should do or attempt to do that God promises to do is pride. And since God OPPOSES the proud, we obviously need to learn a lot more about exactly what pride is and how it has such a destructive hold on our flesh; so we can overcome it, which we do ONLY by humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand and relying on the grace and victory He gives us when we do. And when we overcome the hold pride has on our flesh, we will indeed be blessed and encouraged!

“And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” 1 Samuel 3:10

“For thy servant heareth.” When you are in prayer with God, do you spend more time speaking or listening? Most Christian’s prayer time consist mainly of them telling God their problems, asking Him for answers, giving Him their request. Very little time is spent actually listening to Him. We don’t wait in prayer long enough for Him to give us our answer, show us His will, speak peace to our hearts, give us instruction, reveal more of Himself to us.

Samuel never would have known God’s plan for Israel, and himself, had he not listened. As he did, the Lord spoke to him. Even our beloved Savior Jesus had to spend time listening to the Father. “For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15b) How else would He have known what to do? How else could He have accomplished the Father’s will in His life?

Listening is key if you expect an answer. If you are wondering why you aren’t getting an answer; if you don’t know what to do; if you are in confusion; if you don’t have guidance; perhaps it’s because you aren’t waiting to hear what He is saying so you’ll know. When we call on Him, we have the promise that He will answer us. (Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3) Most of us just don’t give Him the chance to answer. Is that you this morning? That could be the answer to your problem this morning— wait and listen.

Have a great day. Who does all the talking when you pray to God, and who does all the listening?
<>< <>< Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell and it's sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net.
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

One of the most challenging endeavors when ministering to men and women standing for marriage restoration is getting them to recognize and consistently put their trust and confidence in the power and authority of God’s Word. And since doing that has been the focus of many recent conversations, it’s something we obviously need to cover in a lot more depth, because without the Word of God and what it teaches about God’s view of marriage, divorce and remarriage, we have nothing to stand on. Yet, when we do understand what the Word says and fully understand and recognize its absolute power and authority, our attitude toward our circumstances and spouses and the stand we’ve taken for the restoration of our marriages will be radically transformed. In John 10:10, Jesus warned that the devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy, and assures us that He came to give us more abundant life. But until we really understand the power and authority of God’s Word, it’s not possible to fully realize and experience the promise of the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

So perhaps understanding and recognizing the absolute power and authority of God’s Word begins with realizing that the Word is Jesus Christ; that He WAS the Word and that the Word became flesh, which is something MANY Christians are totally unaware of. Yet John 1:14 says The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. And John 1:1-5 says:
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

What an awesome description of the Word; because it’s nothing if not about the glory of Jesus Christ, the One and Only, and full of grace and truth! And when we go back to the beginning and read the Bible’s account of creation in Genesis 1-2, it’s pretty hard to deny the indisputable power and authority of God’s Word! When God said something, it happened, and it happened exactly when He said it and exactly as He called for it to happen. And what He declared in the beginning was and remains exactly the same today! And just as John 1: 3 says, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The fact that NOTHING was or is made contrary to or without the Word of God is confirmed in Genesis 2:4-5, which is also very significant when considering the authority and reliability of God’s Word, because it says This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground… That’s very significant because it also affirms God’s declaration about the power and authority of His Word as stated in Isaiah 55:10-11, which says As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. And John 6:33 says For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So when we read these verses and consider the relationship between the Word and Jesus; it’s no wonder that Jesus is referred to as ”living water” and the “bread of life”, and that the Bible is often referred to as the “living Word”, as confirmed in the following verses:

Acts 7:38 - He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

God’s Word truly does judge and reveal the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, because they are a mirror of what we REALLY believe about Jesus and what His Word says. As Luke 6:45 tells us, The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. But the sad truth is that our mouths are not consistently speaking the Word of God. In fact, even sadder yet, there are way too many times when the Words we speak (and even think or write) are totally contrary to the written Word of God. And when we do that, the Word of God must judge the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts as NOT believing Jesus; and that we are in fact calling Him a liar, because His Word is either true or a lie, and it’s either ALL true or ALL a lie. And when we reject the power and authority of the Word, we also reject the power and authority of Jesus Christ. So I hope and pray we’ll all get VERY SERIOUS about recognizing the absolute power and authority of God’s Word; and write it on the tablets of our hearts so we can truly live the abundant life Jesus came to give us, even as we continue standing in faith and confidence for the restoration of our marriages and families. To that end, let’s claim and never forget 1 Peter 1:23, which says For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.; and Isaiah 46:10-11, which says I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. 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 when we recognize the irrefutable and absolute power and authority of God’s Word, we can rest in the knowledge that God WILL BE faithful to uphold it and bring about the purpose and plan He had for our marriages from the very beginning, which has NEVER changed, and remains exactly as stated in Genesis 2:20-25, which says:
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

And then in addition to Malachi 2 making it VERY clear that God hates and will not sanction or tolerate divorce; in Matthew 19, Jesus very strongly affirmed that no wisdom, plan or insight of man would EVER change God’s original plan and purpose for marriage. And even though His response made it very clear that Jesus considered a question concerning divorce unnecessary since God’s Word had already given His plan for marriage; He restated God’s original plan for marriage and went a step further by affirming that what God had joined together, no man should put asunder or separate. And when the Pharisees specifically challenged that because Moses had commanded them to give their wives certificates of divorce when they divorced them (he was not condoning or approving divorce; he was saying that they had to give their wives the certificates they’d need to remarry), He stated that anyone who remarries after divorce for reasons other than marital unfaithfulness commits adultery. And God still upholds His Word and original plan for marriage today exactly as Jesus affirmed it in Matthew 19:1-9:
Divorce
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.
2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 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?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

So when we truly recognize and are willing to surrender to the absolute power and authority of God’s Word, we can be content in all circumstances and experience peace that passes understanding, because we realize that not only are ALL THINGS created by the Word of God, but just as Hebrews 1:3 tells us, ALL THINGS ARE SUSTAINED BY HIS POWERFUL WORD! So read and study it and be blessed and encouraged!

One of the most important things everyone standing for marriage restoration needs to understand is that NO MATTER what we believe, see, hear, think or do, God’s plan and purpose will ALWAYS prevail; because As Proverbs 21:30 assures us, There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. So as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, it’s so important to study the word of God to determine exactly what HIS plan and purpose concerning marriage is. And based on Malachi 2, Genesis 2:23-24, Matthew 19:4-6 and many other passages of scripture, we know that GOD’S plan and purpose for marriage does NOT include divorce and that from the very beginning God created marriage to be a life long covenant relationship! And no matter how much man wants to believe otherwise; no matter what else anyone else tries to convince us or themselves the Bible says, we know that God DOES NOT CHANGE, AND NEITHER HAS HIS PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR MARRIAGE! Numbers 23:19 very clearly says God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? And Malachi 3:6 says “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. And finally, Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. And when we understand God’s plan and purpose for marriage and how much He hates divorce, we’re sure to be blessed and encouraged by Bayless Conley’s message about God’s purpose, which was shared by one of the FAM Fellowship members on the private site yesterday for encouragement.

(This is a wonderful Coffee Break message from Lorraine and a great follow-up to yesterday’s Seeds Of Faith post! So guard the Word and you will be blessed and encouraged!)

“And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.” Mark 4:4

We are told in the Bible to read His word, study it, hide it in our hearts, meditate on it, obey it, speak it, be doers of it. But there is something else that we are told to do with the word that we don’t practice as we should. We also have to “guard” the word. When the Lord speaks a word to us- either by His Spirit, when we read it, or when it comes through preaching- we have to be careful not to let “the fowls of the air come and devour it” (steal it).

The enemy wants to steal the word from you. He doesn’t want you to let it get into the “soil” of your heart, because when it does it produces “fruit”. For example, I was reading something yesterday about getting out of “comfortable places” that your flesh wants to retreat to instead of keeping on “pressing on”. Well this morning I was tempted to stay in bed for a while longer instead of getting on up to send out this word. The bed was so comfortable, it’s still dark outside, I had a “long” day yesterday. But as I was laying there, the word that I read kept coming back to me- get on up because the Lord was calling me to do so, or stay in that comfortable place. Was I going to do the word or let it be stolen by neglecting to put it in practice?

The main message this morning is– don’t let the word be stolen from you. Guard it by being a doer of it. If you will guard the word and walk in it, it will produce fruit, it will bring a harvest into your life, it will make your crooked ways straight, it will strengthen you in the Lord, and build your faith. But if you don’t, you’ll suffer loss.

Have a great day. When the word comes to you, guard it and don’t let it be stolen from you.

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell and it’s sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.

So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net.
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.

We’ve all heard messages instructing us to SPEAK the Word of God out loud, but as I was talking to one of the FAM Fellowship members yesterday, the Lord gave me a totally new insight about how significant that is. He was struggling with discouragement after receiving divorce settlement papers and we were discussing how to overcome that, because he knows what he believes and was understandably disappointed with his reaction. Of course, that’s something ALL of us struggle with from time to time, and why the answer we need is found in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which says For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Just like speaking the Word of God out loud, most of us are quite familiar with the above passage of scripture; BUT WE DON’T DO IT! Since Malachi 2 makes it VERY clear that the Lord HATES divorce and that HE will defend and uphold the covenant of our marriages as long as we remain faithful to them, there’s NO DOUBT that ANYTHING that leads to or justifies divorce is an argument or pretension setting itself up against the knowledge of God and it has the potential to become a stronghold in our hearts and spirits. So when we find ourselves dwelling on such things, we have to take those thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to Christ through the Word of God. AND THEN THEY WILL BE DEMOLISHED BY GOD’S DIVINE POWER! And the BEST way to take such thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to the Word of God is to SPEAK the Word right back to them; such as: “God HATES divorce!” “No weapon fashioned against me or my marriage and family will prosper!” “No wisdom, NO plan and NO insight can succeed against the Lord.” “God is for me; who can be against me!” “God is working ALL things together for my good, because I love Him and I am called according to His purpose!” “I have put my trust in God and I’m committed to doing things His way, so HE WILL make my righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of my cause like the noon day sun!” “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue!” “God’s grace is sufficient and I CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!” Regardless of the verses of scripture you have found that have brought you comfort and encouragement during your stand; the time to rely on them is when thoughts of what the devil is doing to hasten and bring about a divorce cause you to feel discouraged or doubtful. WE HAVE TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD AGAINST EVERY ARGUMENT AND PRETENSION THAT SET THEMSELVES UP AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD! AND WHEN WE DO, THEY WILL BE DEMOLISHED! But the problem is that we don’t do that. Instead, we just go on down the road with our “woe is me” thoughts, without realizing that we are magnifying and exalting the works of the devil over the power and promise of God’s Word and His ability and faithfulness to make sure that it NEVER returns void!!! Well, that means that instead of demolishing those thoughts, we let them demolish our faith and confidence in God Almighty and what His word promises concerning the restoration of our marriages and then they can become strongholds in our own hearts and spirits. So it’s no wonder we struggle with faith and confidence when we do that! And the importance of SPEAKING the Word of God is very clearly stated in Romans 10:17 (NKJV), because it says So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. When we speak the Word of God out loud, WE obviously HEAR IT, and that’s how faith is manifested in our lives in the moments when we need it the most! Don’t forget that Jesus told us to SPEAK to those mountains we want to see move and to TELL them where to go! So the next time thoughts and pretensions exalting themselves above the knowledge of God try to invade your mind, speak the Word of God to them; and just as the devil did when Jesus SPOKE the Word in response to him, they WILL FLEE!

Psalm 107:19-20 (NKJV), tells us Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Since God sent His Word to heal and save us, He obviously expects us to rely on it for healing and deliverance! In fact, one of the favorite passages of scripture for “standers” that illustrates the power and importance of speaking the Word of God to the things in our lives that are broken or dead comes from Ezekiel 37:3-5, which says He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. So when the facts of our circumstances threaten to overwhelm or overcome us, we need to TELL them to “HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD…” AND THEN TELL THEM WHAT GOD SAYS! After all, it is God who has the LAST Word according to Proverbs 16:1! And it was by no means just a coincidence that one of the FAM members sent me another wonderful message from Bayless Conley yesterday about God being Jehovah Rapha, The Lord Our Healer, which I strongly urge everyone to watch or listen to, because he really makes the point of how important the Word of God is to all of us as we stand for the healing and restoration of our marriages. And when we take the time to sow the seed of God’s Word into our hearts, it will be there when we have to SPEAK it in times of distress and rely on it to breathe new life into our dead marriages!

Another very powerful illustration for everyone standing against the forces of hell for marriage restoration is found in 2 Chronicles 20; especially verses 15 through 22, which says:
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.
19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.”
22 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.
It’s very significant to note that the instructions given to God’s people at a time of great need was preceded by the very specific instruction “listen” (in verses 15 and 20), followed by God’s Word; obviously instructing the listeners to “hear the Word of God.” And then just before the moment of victory, verse 21 tells us they were “saying” the Word of God, because they said “Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever.” And verses containing that or similar phrases appear in the Bible SIXTEEN times! So it sounds like we all need to remember to give thanks to the Lord and proclaim that His love endures forever…and to SAY it out loud all the time, because they’re obviously VERY powerful words! And whenever we’re in a battle with the devil and need to deflect the fiery darts of temptation, deception, doubt and discouragement he hopes will lead us into disobedience of some kind; we need to remember to follow the very concise and powerful, yet simple example Jesus gave us of EXACTLY how to defeat Satan with the Word, as given in Matthew 4:1-11 as follows:
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Now that sounds like victory, and Jesus showed us exactly how to DO it! So why don’t we?

When we inevitably struggle with faith and putting all of our trust and confidence in the power and promise of God’s Word; and when we are in need of healing and victory, as we all are as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, the obvious solution is SPEAKING and HEARING the Word of God. But the sad thing is that it’s really so simple that it’s almost too hard for people to believe! Yet, when we do, we WILL DEFINITELY BE blessed and encouraged!