I couldn’t believe it when I heard Pastor Creflo Dollar’s TV broadcast message this morning, because it was total confirmation of my post yesterday, which was actually posted very early this morning, because yesterday was such a hectic day! I love it when the Lord works through the power of the Holy Spirit to confirm messages like that, and I have no doubt it means that this is a very important message for someone in particular, so please listen to How to Apply Your Faith (Part 2), which is an excellent message about the importance of the word as we stand in faith for the restoration of our marriages.

One of the most awesome and encouraging verses that leaves no doubt that the word of God is life giving seed to us as Christians is 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 what a great blessing it is when we truly understand that verse, because it is through the living and enduring word of God that we are made imperishable through the faith and confidence it gives us in our Lord and Savior! And Jesus taught us even more about how VITALLY important the word is to us as Christians in The Parable of the Sower, which He described as the secret of the kingdom of God, obviously making this parable something we should pay a LOT of attention to and do our very best to understand. So here it is from Mark 4:1-20, which says:
1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12 so that, ” ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14 The farmer sows the word.
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

So when we read and study The Parable of the Sower, it’s important to seriously take our own inventory and determine the kind of soil the word of God is being sown into in our lives, because we all fall into one category or the other and should be able to easily recognize ourselves somewhere in this parable. And if we’re anything less than the good ground that produces many times what was sown, we need to focus a lot more on our relationship with the Lord and how His word is being manifested in our lives.

Everyone standing for marriage restoration for a while has heard so much about faith that we might feel like screaming if we hear it one more time, especially if we’re unable to attain the faith we hear everyone else talking about. So it’s important to talk about faith in less general terms, because having a better understanding of what it is and how to get it, makes it more likely that we’ll be able to live our lives by faith, as so many Bible verses make it clear we’re supposed to do, including 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says We live by faith, not by sight. And Hebrews 10:38 even says But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” Yet, it’s important not to confuse living by faith with living by the law, since Galatians 3:11 says Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” And Hebrews 11:6 tells us why faith is so important to us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, because it says And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. And Hebrews 11:1 gives us God’s definition of faith, which is Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…that’s what God expects from us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. Being sure of what we hope for is not so difficult, but being CERTAIN of what we can not see is a huge hurdle, but one we obviously need to overcome based on everything the Bible tells us about faith, especially that it’s not possible to please God unless we come to him believing that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Then in addition to faith being necessary to please God, Ephesians 6:16 tells us In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Since we’re in the battle of our lives for our marriages, definitely a matter of spiritual warfare, it’s very important for us to realize how faith can and must be used as a shield to fend off ALL of the fiery darts Satan throws at us every day of our lives. And we find the key to that 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. And the best example we have of how that works is the one Jesus himself set for us when the devil tried to tempt him, in Matthew 4:1-11, Where we see that every time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, He SPOKE the word of God back to him, and the devil finally gave up and left Him and then angels came and tended to Him! And just as that worked for Jesus, it works for us, because that’s what it means to take every thought captive, making it obedient to Christ! Reading John 1:1-4 helps us better understand that, because it says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. So we reject and overcome the lies and deception of the devil by making our thoughts line up with the word of God, which is what it means to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.

It’s very important to note that Jesus always responded to Satan’s temptations with the spoken word of God, which we need to do as well, because there are many Bible verses that talk about “speaking” our faith, such as 2 Corinthians 4:13, which says It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. And Jeremiah 23:28 says Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. And even though most of us have heard Romans 10:8-10 many times before, it doesn’t necessarily apply just to salvation in terms of being born again when it says But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. That certainly makes a very strong case for why we need to speak out loud the words of faith we believe in our hearts, as does Hebrews 13:7, which says Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. And the verse that so clearly spells out how important the word of God is to our faith is Romans 10:17, because it says Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. So we have to hear the word to believe it, and believing it is what gives us the faith to speak it, and when we speak the word when Satan attacks us in any way, our faith serves as a shield against him. And in the same way, our spoken words reveal when we don’t have the faith we profess, because as Luke 6:45 says 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. So when we speak words of doubt and disbelief, God and everyone else knows we don’t really believe the promises found in His word, so we are NOT living by faith and we are not pleasing God, because the words we speak reveal the true measure of our faith. And Proverbs 10:20 makes it clear that our spoken words are valuable, because it says The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. And one of the most important verses when considering the power of the spoken word is Proverbs 18:21 (AMP), which says Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. So when we want the faith needed to speak life into our dead marriages, we have to read and study the word of God, listening to it as much as possible, until the words coming out of our mouths line up with it and create the shield of faith we need to repel every fiery dart Satan hurls our way.

The following verses are just a few to give us a better understanding of the power and faithfulness of God’s word and how it shields and blesses us.

Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. “

Psalm 33:4-6
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

Psalm 138:2
I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 119:114
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Proverbs 30:5
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Divorce is quite often said to be even worse than death, which is so understandable, because with death there is a sense of finality that eliminates the uncertainty and confusion created by marital separation and divorce. Even though there are many emotions to deal with when our husbands leave, confusion is probably at the top of the list for most of us. And two of the things we’re usually most confused about are how and why this happened and what we’re supposed to do now that it has.

The first question is something we’ll probably never fully understand or have answered with real specificity, and women who insist on trying to make their husbands explain what they themselves don’t really understand, do great damage to the restoration process. So this is definitely one of those times in our lives when we REALLY need to apply the wise counsel found in Proverbs 3:5-6, which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. In fact, that probably gives us the only answer that matters as to why we are where we are today, because Jeremiah 18:15 says Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways and in the ancient paths. They made them walk in bypaths and on roads not built up. And we know separation and divorce is not God’s way or path or what He intended for us, because we know He hates separation and divorce based on Malachi 2:16 (NKJV), which says For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “ Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

So when we failed to walk in God’s ways, and when we failed to give Him the place He demands in our lives, we were walking in the dark and we were bound to stumble just as Jesus warned in John 11:8-9, which says Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” And then Hosea 14:9 tells us Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. And there’s no more important passage of scripture for women standing for marriage restoration that better illustrates the absolute truth of that than 1 Peter 3:1-6, which says:
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

So if I were told that I had to pick just one passage of scripture for all women standing for marriage restoration, it would have to be 1 Peter 3:1-6, because of its vitally important instruction, and because I have NO doubt that the women who come the closest to consistently walking it out are the ones who experience the restoration of their marriages. However, just as Hosea 14:9 says, it will become a stumbling block for those who rebel against it. But the women who understand it and consistently practice it will know and experience the awesome promise and assurance found in Psalm 119:165, which says Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. And it’s only through God’s grace and unshakeable faith in Him that we’re able to walk out these important biblical principles, especially when facing so much change in our lives, where there’s nothing more than confusion and uncertainty in the natural realm of things. However, we also have to understand that our stand for marriage restoration is NOT about works. Instead it’s really about facing the fear of change and uncertainty with absolute faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, because when we put our trust in HIM, we will NOT be put to shame, as Romans 9:31-33 assures us, but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” And when we keep our eyes on Jesus, and put our trust in Him, we can rely on the wisdom found in Proverbs 4:12, which says When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. So when the uncertainty and confusion naturally caused by marital separation or divorce threaten to overwhelm us, we need to remember that 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV) tells us For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. And Philippians 4:6-8 gives us very specific instructions about how to avoid confusion and experience the peace we desperately want, because it says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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. So the next time confusion and uncertainty threaten to overwhelm us, we need to be doers of the word and not just hearers only, and then the Lord WILL be glorified!

If we’re serious about experiencing victory as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, we MUST learn to live and walk by faith, and when that’s an area of weakness in our stand, we’re obviously not devoting enough time and study to understanding everything the Bible tells us about how important it is. And Hebrews 11:32-34 leaves little doubt that everything we’re standing for is accomplished through faith, because it says And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. And what more do we want or need than to have our weakness turned to strength, the ability to conquer the kingdoms trying to kill steal and destroy our husbands, marriages and families, and to gain what has been promised? Since EVERYTHING we want is accomplished through faith, we should be willing to do WHATEVER it takes to help us have the faith necessary to walk and live by faith NO MATTER WHAT WE HEAR AND SEE. So in addition to spending a lot more serious time studying the Bible, we are blessed to have messages like the ones from Dr. Creflo Dollar from yesterday and today. So I strongly encourage you to watch Faith and How it Works (Part 1) and Faith and How it Works (Part 2), and have a notepad handy for making notes. And it would be a very good idea to print out Hebrews 11:32-34 and put it on your refrigerator, or even on your bathroom mirror…somewhere you’ll see and READ it often! Faith IS the key that unlocks the door to all of our dreams, and whether or not we develop it is up to us and it’s something no one else can do for us.

As I was reading the following message from Bob Steinkamp this morning, I couldn’t help remembering how so many of the women I minister to are crushed by the things their husbands say when they leave, such as “I don’t love you anymore.”; “I just want to be happy.”; “I’m not happy.”; and even “I never really loved you.” , And it occurred to me how ironic it is that even though we know they’re being deceived by the devil, we readily accept their words as the truth, thereby allowing ourselves to be deceived by deception. So instead of being devastated when our husband’s make plans contrary to the word of God, we need to remind ourselves of Proverbs 16:1, which says To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. That’s why what our husbands think they feel in their wickedly deceived hearts is TOTALLY irrelevant, because what God says is what goes. So instead of allowing ourselves to be devastated by our husbands’ hurtful words, we have to instead SPEAK HIS word, because Proverbs 10:20 says The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. And we couldn’t possibly have better evidence of that than this wonderfully encouraging message from Rejoice Marriage Ministries today. What a blessing Bob and Charlyne are to all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages…no matter what we see or hear!

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On Tuesdays Bob shares from the prodigal’s perspective, after being
remarried to Charlyne for 19 years.
- - - - -
“WHEN DID YOU FIRST THINK ABOUT GOING HOME?” -
Was it when I was driving away from our home, with my possessions
crammed in the old blue Dodge, en route to a motel 20 miles away? My
sobbing wife could not see it, nor could you, but the pull homeward
for a prodigal spouse becomes stronger with each trip we make to our
vehicle, removing our possessions from the home where they should
be. Nevertheless, like a determined swimmer, working against the
tide, we push on.
Was it when I witnessed an accident on that same trip to the motel?
Traffic was light on Stirling Road, and no one else had stopped, so I
pulled over to render aid. Was it when the victim asked for someone
to call his wife, and I realized that I would have no wife to call?
Was it when the investigating officer asked for my address, and I had
to dig out the motel’s card? Was it a week later when I received a
thank you card from the wife of that recovering victim?
Did I first think about going home after I had moved into room 104 at
Cavey’s Motel when I moved the bed so that light at night would come
through the window, just like it did in our bedroom at home?
Was my first thought about going home later that same day when I
called the female co-worker with whom I had become too close, and
discovered she had other plans that night? Was it when I ate alone?
Was it when I tossed and turned, attempting to fall asleep, alone in
a strange place?
Did I first think about going home when I became involved in sin? Fun
for a moment, but then I had to endure hearing the Holy Spirit call
my name.
“And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the
whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his
power?” Job 26:14
Did I consider going home that next morning when the thought of where
I was living, and the family I had rejected, hit me like a dull thud
as I awoke? Did I think about home while I was searching for the
least-wrinkled white shirt, since I had no iron?
Did I first think about going home that day when something happened
at work and my first reaction was to call Charlyne and share it with
her, until I realized less than 24 hours before I had said there
would be no more Charlyne?
Did I think about going home that day at lunch when that female co-
worker reminded me how different we were, and that we had no long-
term future together?
Did I think about going home that evening when I exited I-95 and
headed for my motel, where a darkened room awaited me, instead of
continuing on north to a home with dinner in the oven and where a
loving and faithful wife and three great kids could be found?
Yes, my friend, I thought about going home at each of these times,
and I suspect many more that I cannot recall, and these examples were
all in the first 24 hours of a two-year plus journey of separation
and divorce through the “far country.” Yes, your absent mate is also
thinking about going home.
“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the
clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say
to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar
like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I
will bring you down,” declares the Lord.” Obadiah 1:3-4
There are some “bad words” in marriage ministry that you need to
learn to avoid. One of these is “should.” No one except for Jesus
Christ can tell you precisely what you should or should not do.
Two other words are “looks” and “seems.” Your prodigal is not nearly
as happy and their life is not nearly as content as it looks to you.
Do you know the innermost thoughts of the one you love? Only the
Lord does. So let’s leave how things look and seem up to Him. Do not
base your stand for marriage restoration on how things look or seem.
“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit
and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my
going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”
Psalm 139:1-4
Another no-no word for standers might be “say.” Do not base your
stand on what you hear your prodigal say. Yes, the defense of the
one you love is to “say” they are happy, or to “say” that the other
person has you beat by a mile. They may “say” divorce is on the way,
and things may even go that way, but weekly we hear about prodigals
who cannot go through with the divorce they initiated. Do you suppose
that deep down they are thinking about going home?
My conclusion, based on personal experience, and over sixteen years
of hearing from other prodigals, is that we all think about going
home over and over and over. Then why don’t we? Because we have been
taken captive and our thoughts are not our own.
Thinking about going home might be like a bag of popcorn popping. At
first, a pop now and then. As things heat up, the pops become more
frequent, almost endless. If you will continue to stand and to pray,
there will come a time when the timer of heaven sounds and your mate
will realize they have no option, but to come home.
Now that you can see how much your prodigal is thinking about coming
home, may you make your life a spiritual incubator where a hurting
mate would find comfort and the peace they seek. You are standing
with our Lord God. Daily you are becoming more like Him. Daily you
should be asking the Lord to protect and touch your prodigal, and
bring them home to God and to you.
When did I first think about going home? Deep inside, I never
stopped thinking about it. Yes, my words were different, as were my
actions, but something within never let go of that one-flesh
relationship. May you do everything that the Lord has for you to do
to pave the way home for your prodigal spouse with the unconditional
love of Christ and total forgiveness. Yes, the Holy Spirit brought
me home, but Charlyne had the door open.
“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.” Isaiah 55:7
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061 USA
Rejoice Marriage Ministries
You can read more from Bob in his books that are available in the
Rejoice Stop Divorce Christian Bookstore
- - - - -
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quoted by permission and are from
the Holy Bible; New International Version® Copyright© 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House. All rights reserved.
- - - - -
Copyright© 2006 Rejoice Marriage Ministries Inc®.
For reprint permission please see Reprint
And contact us from Contacts.

One of the most important spiritual principles for us to understand when we’re standing for marriage restoration is the power of faith, so I was really excited that Pastor Doreen and Dr. Creflo Dollar both had such awesome messages about faith today.

Even though I have heard and read the phrase “according to your faith” so many times before, it never quite took on the awesome meaning it did as I read Pastor Doreen’s message this morning. Today was the first time it fully registered in my mind and spirit that what it REALLY says is that you’ll get WHAT you believe, or what you believe IS WHAT you’ll get. If only we could truly grasp how critically important and true that is! So many of the verses in the Bible about faith could be summed up that way. So if we could get that and then understand how important it is to make sure that the words we speak line up with the things we’re believing in faith, we’d be sending the devil packing! And another passage I read recently that took on a much greater meaning than I remember from before, and confirms the undeniable connection between faith, the things we speak and how that brings glory to the Lord, is 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 which says It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Since it’s so important for us to gain a much better understanding of the faith needed as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, it is my most sincere hope and prayer that we will learn to access the supernatural power of faith and put it into practice as we stand for the full and complete healing and restoration of our marriages and families, because I know we’re all way past ready for that and if we could just BELIEVE it, we’ll GET it!

As I listened to Joyce Meyer’s TV broadcast message this morning I couldn’t help thinking that it wouldn’t have been a more perfect message for women standing for marriage restoration even if she knew we were her audience and that the title could easily be “The Hindrances to the Blessing of Marriage Restoration.” She certainly covers many of the same issues I talk to women about all the time, but it’s hard to beat Joyce when it comes to effectively making a point, so I VERY STRONGLY urge everyone standing for marriage restoration to listen to The Number One Hindrance to Being Blessed - Part II. And here’s a link to the first part of this awesome message, The Number One Hindrance to Being Blessed - Part I.

And since one of the issues battled the most when standing for marriage restoration is unforgiveness, it might be a good idea to be reminded of what Jesus told us in The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21-35, which says:
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
And that “in your heart” part is VERY important, because IF we continue to harbor ANY unforgiveness in our hearts, it WILL rear its ugly head eventually, and more than likely, at the worst possible moment. So if we’re still experiencing strong emotions about the things our husbands have done to hurt or disappoint us, or if those thoughts still come unbidden to our minds, we have NOT truly forgiven them and we need to ask the Lord to help us do that.

It’s not at all uncommon when standing for the restoration of our marriages to ask God why He allowed this to happen, and why we are going through this difficult time. And even when we finally understand more about the biblical dynamic of godly marriages and we’re truly honest and accept and acknowledge our own mistakes and failures, we also have to understand that God’s ULTIMATE purpose is the glorification of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. However, when we’re in the midst of our pain, anger, disappointment and confusion, that’s not so easy to understand and accept, but the sooner we do, the better off we’ll be, because it gives us a totally new perspective. IF what we’re going through is supposed to bring glory to Jesus, how could that happen without the restoration of our marriages when there’s no glory for Jesus in the destruction of our families and the devastation of our lives, especially when the Bible tells us that God hates divorce, as we see in Malachi 2:13-16 (AMP), which says:
And this you do with double guilt; you cover the altar of the Lord with tears [shed by your unoffending wives, divorced by you that you might take heathen wives], and with [your own] weeping and crying out because the Lord does not regard your offering any more or accept it with favor at your hand. Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows]. And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce and marital separation and him who covers his garment [his wife] with violence. Therefore keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit], that you deal not treacherously and faithlessly [with your marriage mate].

So if God stands as a witness to the covenant of our marriages and He hates divorce and warns husbands not to treat their wives treacherously and faithlessly, it ’stands to reason that He is “for us” and on our side, which means Romans 8:31 (AMP) gives us every reason to believe and expect GOD to defend and protect the covenant of our marriages, because it says What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] And then we have the Lord’s awesome promise in Isaiah 41:10-13, which says:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
And even though there are many Bible verses making it clear that our battle belongs to the Lord, here are just a few to remind us:

1 Samuel 17:47
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

2 Chronicles 20:15
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.

2 Chronicles 20:17
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.’ “

2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

So when we’re standing against the odds and all earthly hope and expectation that our marriages can be restored, it’s very important for us to have absolute confidence that God can and WILL fight this battle for us and restore our marriages, because He hates divorce and it’s HIS battle! Once we truly understand and believe that, we’re able to live for the Lord’s glory even while we’re waiting for His deliverance, because of the faith and confidence we have in Him to do everything His word promises. And then our lives bear witness to how the Lord is glorified when we’re going through difficult times, as revealed in 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 (AMP), which says:
For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair; We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
And 2 Corinthians 4:15-18 (AMP) reveals how the Lord is using this time in our lives for His glory, because it says:
For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God. Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day. For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!], Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.

And finally, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reveals another important way the Lord uses our personal trials to bless others and bring glory to Him, because it 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. So there’s always a purpose in the trials and tribulations the Lord allows in our lives, and it’s ALWAYS for the ultimate glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

There’s ONLY one way to be defeated or lose in our stand and spiritual battle for the restoration of our marriages and the salvation of our husbands, and that’s giving up on the promises and power of God! And we have assurance that we can rely on God’s faithfulness to deliver on His promises in Numbers 23:19, which 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? That’s why it’s so important for us to make up our minds whether we believe the word of God or not, and if we can’t accept and believe the truth of this verse and every other verse found in the Bible, we might as well give up right now, because if we don’t take God at His word, we have NO right to claim its power and promise, and shouldn’t be using His name as we stand for marriage restoration. And we certainly won’t have the grace we need to glorify the Lord while we do it! God WILL do EVERYTHING He says He will do, and the ONLY thing that could possibly keep us from receiving ALL that He’s promised is our inability to trust Him and our failure to WAIT for Him to fulfill His promises, which He WILL do when the time is right according to His perfect plan.

Since the Lord’s already blessed me with an awesome testimony and praise report of my own about NEVER giving up on His faithfulness, I hope sharing it encourages someone else not to EVER give up on any miracle they’re praying and waiting for. My desire and burden for my husband’s salvation and walk with the Lord has always been even stronger than my desire for marriage restoration. And even though it took almost 14 years of praying without end, including nine years without a word from him or knowing where he was, God faithfully answered my prayers about a year and a half ago, and even used me to lead Him to the Lord! And despite my natural disappointment when he was convinced that being saved meant he should marry the woman he was living with at the time, I can truly say that the Lord has even given me the grace and peace needed to face that too. And in recent days the Lord has rewarded my faithfulness and prayers with the greatest gift of all, which is giving me a glimpse of the man of God He is molding and shaping my husband into, because that’s still the greatest desire of my heart. So NO matter how hopeless or impossible our situations look, we must keep our eyes on the Lord and continue praying, keeping Colossians 4:2 in mind, because it says Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And there’s no better way to state the importance of waiting on the Lord than the wisdom expressed by my husband recently when he wrote “…as we know God’s timing is very slow and calculated. He waits for all the pieces to fall into place just right…..when WE LET HIM that is.” So let’s wait on the Lord and let Him do what it takes to put all of the pieces in place for the restoration of our marriages, because He IS working behind the scenes in ways we can’t possibly see or understand, and IF we wait on Him and humble ourselves under His mighty hand, He WILL lift us up in DUE time just like 1 Peter 5:6 promises!

So it is my sincerest hope and prayer that my personal testimony of God’s faithfulness when we persevere in standing on the power and promise of His Word encourages and blesses any of you who might be struggling with thoughts of giving up on God instead of standing with Him for the restoration of your marriages! He’ll NEVER forsake us or leave us and He WILL answer our prayers, though in His perfect time and not ours. SO NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD!!!

The following prayer from Sharon Kornegay of WIN focuses on fasting as many associated with the World Intercessory Network are participating in a corporate fast today and tomorrow. And since it’s an excellent prayer when we’re fasting, which I often get questions about, I know visitors to our site will appreciate it as well. So I’ve included links to the Bible verse references to make them easier to read, which I recommend doing, especially the first five, which are biblical references to fasting. And the prayer can be changed as needed to personalize it to focus more on your specific situations and prayer needs.

Luke 2:37
Daniel 9:3
Matthew 6:16
Isaiah 58
Esther
Lord, I lift up the ones who do not yet realize the love that You had for us. I pray today that there souls will be saved.
We were once sinners. But one day, we had to yield to the power of the anointed one and his anointing.
I pray today that the Holy Spirit will minister grace and touch the hearts of those who are stiff-necked and stubborn, helping them to heed to the voice of Your calling. I pray today that they will begin to earnestly search for You with all of their heart. I pray that their soul will begin to thirst for You and that their whole bodies will yield to You.
In Jesus’ name, the devil is bound. He is not lord over us and we refuse to give in to his tactics, schemes, or tricks.
Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of all. King of all Kings. The only true and living God.
We command satan to loose the chains off of the people. The blood of Jesus is delivering them right now from the hands of satan. I put a halt to all distractive, disturbing, and destructive measures against them and us.
The Son of God made manifest, that He would destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8; John 2:15-17; Acts 16:16-19).
We lift up our hands to You oh Lord. We think of You today. We meditate about You throughout the night (Psalm 63:6).
Lord, we know that there are many issues in our lives that may seek to overwhelm us. Yet, we trust in Your Word. Your Word is our Victory!
I thank You today that no weapon formed against Your people shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against them in judgment is condemned.
We are not wimpy Christians. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. The spirit of wisdom, understanding, divine counsel, supernatural might, knowledge and of the utmost fear of Jehovah. As we advance, we are divinely empowered and increase in skill and understanding (Isaiah 11:2-3; Colossians 1:9-11, 3:10; Ephesians 1:17-18).
God, I call unto You today. I ask that You stretch out Your mighty hand against every lie every tactic, every wicked device of satan and destroy it in the name of Jesus.
I boldly pray that You will be glorified in the atmosphere that we work in, live in, walk in, and worship in.
Father, expose everything that satan does and give us resisting power. Knowing that the battle has already been fought and won. We must resist him through the authority of the name of Jesus. Jesus’ blood has sealed us until the day of redemption.
Every feeling of heaviness, defeat, oppression, and depression is cast upon the Lord. His name is a strong tower. We shall not be moved.
We declare today as the day of victory!
I thank You Father that the anointing destroys every yoke. Every chain and fetter, every bondage, every captivity, every assignment, every allegiance, every soul tie is severed in the name of Jesus. I speak to every high thing that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God and against me. I command it to cease right now in the name of Jesus.
I am in blood covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ and am free to serve and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The devil will not make me uneasy or uncomfortable.
My name is written in the palm of God’s hand and I declare that my prayer and time with the Lord and my commitment to serve the Most High God shields me. I realize that the supernatural world is more real than what my eyes behold. Yet, God hasn’t given to me the spirit of fear. I am protected by the Anointed One and His anointing. Fire walls, smoke screens, and a bloodline form hedges of protection around me and hide me from the scourge of the enemy, familiar spirits, and all demonic personalities, making it difficult, if not impossible for them to effectively track or trace me in the realm of the spirit. There shall be no perforations or penetrations to these hedges of protection (Job 1:7-10; Psalm 91:1-16; Exodus 12:13; Zechariah 2:5).
Lord, I thank You that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. I shall not be moved by my circumstances. I am like a tree, planted by the rivers of water. The rivers will flow in my life today. They will flow freely, unhindered by anything. The blood of Jesus releases me to worship Him wholly and freely.
I thank You that every person who is receiving this prayer today will rise up and live. Call upon the name of the Lord to help in the time of troubles.
I thank You that every dry area of our lives are filled with the anointed one and His anointing. We are healed and saved from our enemies. Let the redeemed of the Lord begin to say so. Every loud and boisterous voice against us and wicked threat against us is destroyed in the name of Jesus. We overcome evil with good. We shout to the Lord with a voice of triumph. Blessed by the name of the Lord! Father, I shout out Hallelujah to the Most High God! You reign supreme! I thank You that we are like an olive tree, thriving in the House of the Lord. We trust in Your unfailing love forever and ever. We praise You forever. We wait for Your mercies in the presence of Your people. We sing for joy in the shadow of Your protecting wings. We follow close behind You; Your strong right hand holds us securely. Those plotting to destroy us will come to ruin. All those who trusts in You will praise You while liars will be silenced.
We will lift up our voices and declare Your glory! We will put on our praise and worship and have a party in You, celebrating the victory! This is our receiving day. We thank You that we will get answers this week. We will glorify Your mighty name and live in total victory! We will not be slaves in our homes or on our jobs or to others. We will only yield to Jesus. We will stand still and know that You are God.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Sharon R. Kornegay
World Intercessory Network

The FAM members and regular visitors to our site know that I often stress that standing for our marriages MUST be done in obedience to the Lord and not just because we want our spouses back, especially in light of the warning in James 4:3, which says When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. And the following message from Bob Steinkamp really illustrates the importance of that. Because if we stand for any reason other than the call we know God has placed on our lives, we won’t be able to withstand all of the wicked and evil schemes and tactics Satan has at his disposal to make us give up, especially when our spouse remarries! It’s just not possible to have the strength, wisdom and grace needed to stand for the restoration of our marriages without the anointing that comes ONLY through KNOWING it’s what God wants and calls us to do. So I urge everyone who is not yet certain of that to resolve it through serious Bible study, prayer and fasting, because once you do, you will have peace, faith and confidence that are not possible otherwise.

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On Tuesdays Bob shares from the prodigal’s perspective, after being
remarried to Charlyne for 19 years. You can read more from Bob in
his books, available in the Rejoice Bookstore

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“DID YOU EXPECT CHARLYNE TO GIVE UP IF YOU HAD MARRIED THE OTHER WOMAN?”
Without question, No, I would not have expected her stand to change. Her praying and fasting might have intensified, but I am certain she would not have given up on me.
How can I be so confident that my “marrying” the other woman would not have chased Charlyne away. Because of two sets of reasons. First, she had shown me so, and secondly, she told me so.
I pray that you can get the picture that Charlyne’s stand was with the Lord, and nothing I did would dissuade or discourage her. Trust me, without illustration, I did attempt to chase away this “ex,” whose prayers I thought were wrecking havoc in my life. My precious wife saw and heard far too much during her stand, in my attempts to see if she was for real, but nothing caused her to even blink. I now know that she did a lot of crying in the presence of the Lord, but not in my presence. Yes, Charlyne showed me in every way, that she was standing for the duration, not until I took a specific action.
When you declare, “I’m standing until my prodigal marries someone else,” what have you just done? You have told the Enemy what it will take to make you give up. He knows what area to target.
Secondly, Charlyne told me that she was not giving up on me, regardless of attempts to legalize my adultery. Remember her, “eighty and in a rocking chair” comment? I heard it more than once, but never in a controlling or angry way. In fact, it was a real comfort to know that she loved me that much.
Charlyne also told the other woman about “eighty and in a rocking chair.” This, also, was not done in confrontation, but over a cup of coffee, in a meeting instituted by the other woman. That day Charlyne was obviously on the other woman’s field, but she declared this was an event where she and her God would win. During that meeting, and many other times, Charlyne was required to defend her stand. Can you do that right now? She did not have time to call her prayer partner, nor to contact a marriage ministry, to ask why she believed what she did. My wife was so far into God’s Word that she knew the reason for her faith that I was coming home.
There are standers who will tell you that when their prodigal enters a non-covenant marriage, their stand will end. Someone has quoted scripture out of context to them. The stander has no idea how the verse applies, or even if it applies to their marriage. Instead of dissecting the verse, and asking the Holy Spirit to speak truth to them as they cross-reference the passage with other scriptures, they only hear, “If he/she remarries, you can’t stand.” Be prepared for some mis-informed soul to volunteer how you cannot pray to break up another “marriage” to restore your own. In God’s eyes that adulterous mess is not a marriage! Why not? Is your marriage a covenant? If your mate is already married to you, how in the world can they be “married” to someone else? God and you are standing in agreement for your covenant marriage. If you have listened to others, and not sought God for yourself on the matter of non-covenant marriages, you are allowing someone else to dictate and to live your life for you. That is the trait of a cult, not Christianity. God’s Word is truth. It will stand up to your study. Please do not be afraid to search the scriptures for yourself. If something is unclear, or when you have questions, ask God and not man. That is the only way that you will develop a stand for marriage restoration that will stick.
Charlyne and I know how you hurt at the thought of your mate attempting to “marry” someone else. I need to give you another perspective on prodigals marrying. To prodigals, marriage is no big deal. How can I be so sure? We walked out on a covenant mate, didn’t we? It’s going to be much easier to walk out on the non-covenant, when the Holy Spirit moves us, in response to someone’s faithful and strong stand for a healed marriage.
“I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to
shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my
heart free.” Psalm 119:30-32
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061 USA
Rejoice Marriage Ministry
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We were so blessed Sunday afternoon to meet standers from several states at Rejoice Paducah. It is humbling to meet people like Bob, who drive alone from northern Michigan, or Jim, who traveled six hours for an afternoon of encouragement for standers. Others had absent husbands watching children so they could come to Paducah. At least two had interrupted family vacations to meet with us. Charlyne and I pray a special blessing on each home represented there, and send our appreciation to everyone who attended.
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Rejoice Stop Divorce Christian Bookstore -
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quoted by permission and are from the Holy Bible; New International Version® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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Copyright© 2006 Rejoice Marriage Ministries Inc®. For reprint permission
Contact us

I was really impressed with Dr. Charles Stanley’s TV broadcast message from a week ago Sunday, and meant to use it in a SOF post before now, but something else always seemed to come up. And even though I have quite a few other things on my mind today, I feel led to get back to Dr. Stanley’s message about the importance of walking in the ways of God.

Even though we’re already pretty familiar with verses holding out great promise if we “commit” to His way (Psalm 37:5-6) and if we “acknowledge” God in all of our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6), it might be surprising to learn that there are a LOT of other verses clearly spelling out the benefits and blessings we attain and are guaranteed when we walk in the ways of God. And I hope and pray that seeing some of the verses below and listening to Dr. Stanley’s awesome message, will dispel the mistaken idea anyone might have that obedience has anything to do with doing “good works” to insure our salvation or to make up for the sin and mistakes of our pasts. Because that’s a lie straight from the pit of hell, and something Satan loves to use to steal our peace and joy and cause us to live under the bondage of legalism, which ultimately leads to condemnation. But Romans 8:1-2 assures us, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. So the ONLY thing that makes our salvation possible and the ONLY thing that atones for our sin is the blood of Jesus Christ, so it’s important to dispel any mistaken notion that we live in obedience to “prove” that we’re saved or to atone or make up for our past mistakes, which the following passages of scripture ought to make pretty clear:

Deuteronomy 10:12-14
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.

1 Kings 2:2-3
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

Deuteronomy 5:32-33
So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Deuteronomy 8:5-10
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

Deuteronomy 11:22-23
If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him-then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.

Deuteronomy 26:17-19
You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.

Deuteronomy 28:9
The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.

Deuteronomy 30:16
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

2 Chronicles 17:3-4
The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel.

Isaiah 26:8
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Jeremiah 7:23
but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.

So besides numerous Bible verses making it clear that if we love the Lord we will obey Him, BECAUSE we love Him, such as John 14:15, which says “If you love me, you will obey what I command., and John 14:23, which says Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him., and even John 14:24, which says 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., we obviously have a LOT of totally self centered reasons to obey the Lord and walk in HIS ways. So I recommend getting a pen and notepad to take notes while listening to this awesome message from Charles Stanley from October 8, 2006, The Best Way, because the BEST reason to walk in the ways of God is that it is indeed THE BEST WAY! And when we’re standing for marriage restoration or any other miracle, we can’t afford to do less than our best to make sure we get ALL of God’s best!

Rejoice Marriage Ministries just sent out an email message announcing that Bob and Charlyne are hosting a Rejoice Paducah (KY) this coming Sunday, October 15, 2006. So if you are in the western Kentucky or southern Illinois area, you can join them Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, at the Country Inn and Suites, located at 145 McBride Lane (I-24 at KY Exit #4), in Paducah, KY 42001. The phone number there is (270) 442-2201.

Much like their Rejoice Pompano on Monday nights, Charlyne will be teaching, and there will be time for fellowship and prayer. There is no charge and registration is not necessary. So just go join them if you can..It’s bound to be a blessing!

Since today’s Small Straws message from Marsha Burns is so timely and important to all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, I just had to share it! And so like God, the timing is perfect, as earlier today I discussed unforgiveness with one of the FAM members who was feeling troubled by a hurtful past experience with her husband, wich led me to suggest that she ask the Lord to reveal if there were still issues of unforgiveness that she needed to deal with. And, as many of the FAM members know, unforgiveness has been a topic of discussion for the past week or so.

It’s not at all unusual to hear of marriages being very close to restoration when everything comes to a screeching halt for no apparent reason, or of marriages being restored only to fall apart again, which I believe is caused in many cases by unforgiveness. One thing we can all be absolutely certain of is that if we still have unforgiveness in our hearts, no matter how deeply buried it is, it WILL eventually rear its ugly head, AND it will do so at the worst possible moment! When we have forgiven a past wrong, hurt or disappointment, it no longer has power to cause us pain or distress. So if thoughts of that event still come unbidden to our minds and still cause strong emotions, we have NOT forgiven it, no matter how much we’d like to convince ourselves or others that we have. And without genuine, unconditional forgiveness, it’s impossible to create and maintain the atmosphere of grace that’s necessary for redemption, and without redemption, lasting restoration is not possible. So we all need to take the following message from Marsha Burns to heart and ask the Lord to reveal ANY areas of unforgiveness still buried deep in our hearts.

“October 13, 2006: Make the right choices to get your heart right before Me, says the Lord. Your desert experience has its roots in rejection, bitterness, and unforgiveness. I tell you truly that you cannot ride out of your desert until you release everyone and everything from the past. This is a time when you can once and for all be done with all injustice and reproach and move ahead in My plans and purposes. You will not regret making choices for freedom — yours and theirs.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

You can access Marsha Burns’ Small Straws messages here, as well as sign up to receive them by email.

There’s little doubt that the most challenging aspect of standing for marriage restoration is waiting, so it’s VERY important for us to learn how to turn our time of waiting into something useful and productive for the praise and glory of the Lord. And the best way to do that is to stay focused on what the Lord puts before us to do EACH day in obedience to Him. When we don’t know what else to do, thanks to His word, we DO know what it takes to be obedient. And if we get up every morning with a determination to be obedient to what we know He wants us to do THAT DAY, with absolute confidence that’s what it takes for His will and plan for our lives to be perfected, we can make our time of waiting a lot more joyful than dreadful!

More than likely, none of us could seriously say that our circumstances are nearly as despairing as Job’s, yet in Job 14:14, even he said If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. > And Psalm 37:34 assures us that the Lord WILL exalt us and deliver us, and our marriages, from Satan’s intended destruction if we wait and do things HIS way, because it says Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. Then Psalm 119:166 says I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. So God obviously expects us to live and walk in obedience to His word while we’re waiting for HIM to restore our marriages, which is confirmed in Isaiah 26:8, which says Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. So that brings us right back to the point that during our time of waiting, the Lord EXPECTS us to live our lives in obedience to His word with a desire and purpose to bring praise and glory to His name. And it’s not insignificant that the counsel found in Psalm 37:7, which says Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.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.

Perhaps the following passages of scripture will give us a better idea of the attitude the Lord expects from us while we’re waiting, as well as the encouragement we need while we wait for HIM to restore our marriages:

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Romans 8:18-21
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

Titus 2:12-14
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Hebrews 9:28
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

James 5:7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Hebrews 6:15
And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.