We Simply Can NOT Afford To Be Hearers Only
The Lord has really impressed upon me lately the importance of being doers of the word and not hearers only, especially if we’re serious about the restoration of our marriages. Because if we don’t “DO” the word of God; if we don’t commit to His way and acknowledge Him in all our ways; if we don’t seek first His righteousness and His kingdom; and if we don’t trust and love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, what do we have? Nothing. Because we can’t count on the promises in God’s word if we can’t even walk out these basic biblical principles in our daily lives, much less live in accordance with what the Bible teaches us about marriage restoration. That point can’t be made any more forcefully or any more clearly than it is in James 1:22-24, which says Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Unfortunately, there are a lot of deceived Christians walking around, and even a lot of deceived husbands and wives standing for the restoration of their marriages. Sadly, a lot of men and women standing for marriage restoration read everything they can get their eyes on and sign up to receive every marriage restoration resource known to man, and they can even recite the principles of marriage restoration backwards and forwards, but when it comes to actually DOING them, they don’t even come close! So what good does all of that knowledge do if we can’t put it to good use? Not a bit! Yet James 1:25 tells us But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. So the best analogy I can think of is something I often tell the women I talk to. I tell them if I offer you a hundred dollar bill, it won’t do you a bit of good until you take it. But even if you take it, it won’t do you a bit of good until you use it by spending it. And that’s the same way it is with the word of God, it won’t do us any good until we learn to use it by spending it through its application in our daily lives. So I pray that ALL of us will start focusing a lot more on how we’re “DOING” the word to make sure we’re not deceived by being hearers only. And I can’t imagine a better testimony demonstrating that than the awesome testimony in tomorrow’s Charlyne Cares of how a mother stood in faith and obedience for the restoration of both of her daughters’ marriages! It just doesn’t get any better than this when it comes to proving the awesome power of simply standing on God’s word, and it should make a believer out of the most skeptical and doubtful among us! It’s long, but worth reading, so be blessed and encouraged, and most of all inspired to follow Jane’s powerful example!
- - - - -
THE POWER OF A PRAYING PARENT -
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
Not everyone who subscribes to Charlyne Cares is an abandoned spouse. Bob and I know of prodigal spouses who read our daily messages. There are counselors and pastors who read these devotionals. The recent eight days of restored marriage testimonies demonstrate the number of people with restored marriages whom we write to each day.
One group of people we seldom mention, but who are close to our hearts, are the parents who are standing for their adult child’s marriage. How we pray that every man or woman who is standing with God for marriage restoration has one parent with the faith to believe for that miracle from God. Only a few days ago, we had a stander tell us her parents were telling her she would never be welcomed in their home if she allowed her prodigal husband to return. That is in sharp contrast to what you will be reading below.
We give standers many suggestions for prayer needs. One we might not mention enough is to pray for your family members to catch the vision that God has given to each stander, so that your family, (or your husband’s family), will not only support your stand, but be
able to rejoice with you when the Lord brings about His miracle of marriage restoration.
Jane, from Canada, first contacted us one year ago regarding her daughter’s marriage. Since then, she has seen God move in the hurting marriage of two family members-all because a mother was standing, and crying out to God. We asked Jane to write her testimony of being a praying parent so that we could share it with
you.
- - - - -
“I was always a worried parent and spent many a sleepless night trying to solve my family’s problems by myself. Two years ago my life came crashing down. My daughter left her new husband after a few short months of marriage. I remember crying out to the Lord and begging Him to bring my daughter back. One night I was at my
computer and typed in the word “divorce”. The Lord led me to Rejoice Marriage Ministries where I learned about standing for your marriage.
“I had never heard of ’standing’ before. That night the Lord gave me the promise that He would restore my daughter’s marriage. Even though I had His promise, I was still trying to fix things myself and was forever letting doubt enter my heart. I began reading
scriptures and like Charlyne has often said, certain scriptures would just pop out at me.
“Often I would just open my Bible and a scripture would be right there. One of the first scriptures God gave me was Jeremiah 33:2-3, The Promise of Restoration.
“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it-the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me
and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:2-3
and another scripture was in Hosea:
“Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her
in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her
lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find
them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at
first, for then I was better off than now.” Hosea 2:6-7
“Even with these scripture promises, I still had doubt in my heart. I knew God couldn’t work when I was still doubting Him. He gave me two specific promises that were a clear indication to me that God would restore this marriage.
“One promise was in Genesis 8:4 where Noah’s ark landed on Mt. Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month. This was the same day my daughter and son-in-law were married. The second promise was a silver wedding frame that was delivered to our house accidentally with my daughter and son-in-laws’s wedding date on it. I grew to love spending time with the Lord and looked forward each night to see what scripture God was going to give me next. My faith began to “increase the more I read my Bible.
“One day I went to visit my other daughter and her new husband. My world came crashing down for a second time. I found out that I was now praying for both of my daughters’ marriages. That night I was alone in a motel with only a Gideon Bible to read and no one to talk to but the Lord. It was at my weakest moment that God became very real to me. God showed me people in the Bible that had faith, did not doubt, and in all cases God’s Word did not come back void. He always kept His promise. He told me, “I’ve made a promise, trust Me and let Me do my work. The fight is mine, not yours.”
“Over the months I grew to trust the Lord. He helped me with my doubt problem and taught me more and more about His promises and love. Each night I prayed and began praying scriptures. I would write out scriptures and include my daughters’ names in the scripture. My faith was boosted a short time later when God
restored my youngest daughter’s marriage. I now knew that God would restore both marriages in His timing. This past week God returned my other daughter to her husband after a two year separation. I asked God if He would restore the second marriage before Christmas so I could write a praise report in my Christmas cards. He answered my prayer. Both marriages are now restored.
“I know the power of being a praying parent. Looking back, the key was believing our Lord, praying and not doubting God’s restorative power. If He can part the Red Sea, He can restore marriages and change hearts. Even though this trial was painful, I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me to go through it. I am now closer to Him than I’ve ever been before. Our children’s lives can be changed through prayer. Marriages can be saved and prodigal children brought home. God is able.” (Canada)
- - - - -
Praise the Lord for He is so faithful to His children who seek His face. I am just praising my Lord as He does answers prayers for His children around the world. I pray that you will get even more convicted to come to know your Lord the way Jane did as she was crying out, seeking her Lord for His divine answers regarding her
two daughters. Separation and divorce affects so many people beyond two spouses. Jane found her hope and faith in her Lord Jesus Christ.
One important principle in Jane’s faithful stand is that she hungered and thirsted for the Word of God daily. She spent time reading and praying to her Heavenly Father. God then was faithful in speaking to her heart through His love letters to His children.
I get so excited when I read of a testimony where a stander has the Word come alive to them. There is nothing like it, when you realize the Lord is speaking to your heart giving you His answers to your heart cries.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God
stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
I know that there are many more parents who are reading this devotional who have children, teen agers to grown adults, who are far from God. May I share just two scriptures that the Lord gave me when our children were growing up and one of our sons became a prodigal for a period of time. He is now married, serving the Lord and has a beautiful daughter. But as a teenager he rebelled against our rules and refused to go to church. Let these scriptures touch your heart to claim and believe for your own children who are not following and serving their Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their life, regardless of their age.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children
from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the
north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the
earth-everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my
glory, whom I formed and made.” Lead out those who have eyes but
are blind, who have ears but are deaf.” Isaiah 43:5-8
“This is what the LORD says-he who made you, who formed you in the
womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my
servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on
the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out
my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by
flowing streams. One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD ‘; another
will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write
on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name Israel.”
Isaiah 43:2-5
“Thank You Lord, for Your precious promises and the Word of God. Thank You for touching our children and spouses’ hearts. You are an awesome mighty God! In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.”
God bless,
Charlyne Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061 USA
Ministry
Bookstore
A BOBSERVATION -
Jane’s story especially touched me because of where Charlyne and I live today. Our three children grew up knowing that their Mom was a woman of prayer. She did not give up when things got rough, but she persevered in prayer. These are the same three kids who did without things, who ate macaroni and cheese meal after meal, because I had walked out on our family. These same three children saw Charlyne depend on God for everything, and they saw Him provide, time and time again. They grew up knowing their Mom’s prayers reached God.
Today our three children are adults, with spouses and children of their own. Nevertheless, several times a week one or all of our children will call with a prayer request for their mother to pray over. Just like your children will have, they have health issues, job problems, financial concerns, decisions to make, in-laws with health problems, and so much more. Many times when we receive one of those, “Is Mom there?” phone calls that I know will be a prayer request, I thank God that our children had the opportunity to grow up knowing their mother had become a woman of prayer. I wonder where our children would be taking their needs today, if Charlyne had decided, on her own and in error, that our marriage problems were too big for God to handle. Our children saw God answer prayers, right in their own home, in response to their mother’s prayers. Now we have the added joy of grandchildren who are learning, from their parents, and from us, to take their needs to God, because He answers prayer.
Twenty years from now, what will the spiritual temperature in your family be? Will people close to you be looking back, remembering how God restored a marriage, or will your prodigal spouse have fallen into the background. If you follow everyone’s advice to, “Get on with your life,” it is doubtful that your relatives will be looking to you as a person of prayer.
- - - - -
There’s help and support waiting for you in the 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.