Today’s Small Straws message from Marsha Burns is one of the simplest and yet most powerful messages I’ve seen for men and women standing for marriage restoration in a long time. So I hope and pray that everyone reading it will very seriously meditate on it and consider its significance as we stand for the Lord’s SUPERNATURAL power to be released on our behalf and manifested in our lives and marriages. And when we do, we will most definitely be blessed and encouraged beyond belief, especially when we also heed the rest of the instructions given to us by the Lord in Romans 12:20-21, which says On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — June 24, 2009:

Have I not spoken to you to give place for wrath? I cannot bring justice as long as you take matters into your own hands. Forgiveness is what makes a place for judgment in My kingdom, says the Lord. I see the injustice, the reproach, and the betrayal, and certainly I will repay. But, my wrath will also give place for conviction and repentance. You don’t have to micromanage your situation. Trust Me to bring righteousness to every circumstance. The only thing you have to manage is your own indignation.
Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

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I know our regular visitors to the public site have noticed that I don’t get to post Seeds Of Faith posts the way I used to, which I greatly miss, but that’s because I’ve been so busy keeping up with my other ministry responsibilities and the private FAM Fellowship website. The Lord has blessed us with so many new members recently (over thirty in the past six weeks), and we have truly been blessed beyond belief to see Him moving so mightily in our midst—and we really don’t know who will be next! But since I know it’s very encouraging to hear the testimonies of others when we are standing in faith and obedience on the power and promise of God’s Word for marriage restoration, and we are called to give God the praise, honor and glory He deserves, I want to share just some of what we have seen God do in the lives of our FAMM family in just the past week.

First, we were all truly blessed beyond words to see the Restored Marriage Testimonies of two of our members this past Wednesday, and then another one the following day!!!

After dealing with years of her husband’s non-covenant relationships including a child born to one of them, herself being unfaithful, and many attempts to restore their marriage, MNO (member name omitted) decided that she had to do whatever it took to provide for herself and her children without relying on her husband. So right after Christmas last year, she sent her children out of state to live with her mother and began an accelerated nursing program and cut her ties with her husband while she focused on doing what she needed to do for her family. And within a few months, her husband left the NCP and was living with friends and relatives, and after a death in his family last April, he came to his wife and told her he was coming home and they have all been back together as a family now for almost two months! And she says that things are VERY different and MUCH better than ever before! Praise the Lord!

After fifteen months of separation, and recently setting up house with an NCP (non-covenant person) she had been involved with years ago, MNO’s wife was very upset when the family went on a vacation without her, because it’s been pretty obvious for some time that she had already fallen in love with her husband again. So he comforted her by telling her that he really wanted to invite her, and that as hard as it was, they would be okay and had to get used to separate vacations given the current circumstances; which she later told him really hit her because she knew that wasn’t what she wanted and that he wasn’t saying it to be mean but because he was accepting her decision even though it wasn’t what he wanted. And soon after returning from their vacation, she spent the day with her family, and during that time, she told MNO that she loved him very much and missed him terribly and that she was sorry for everything. But she doesn’t know how they can get past everything or how to unweave the mess she has created. But He assured her that they had made it together and that the Lord could help them get through it and give them the strength and grace to move forward; that they could just take it one day at a time. And standing in faith on the power and promise of God’s Word, he claimed the restoration of his marriage because he knows that his wife’s heart is home and she will soon follow!

After being an unfaithful wife, the Lord brought MNO back to Him a little more than a year ago and called her to stand for her marriage even though her husband was involved with someone else at that time as well and ended up filing for divorce. And after recently coming home for about three weeks, he left again (to live with family members and not the NCP) because he said that he needed to know what God’s will for his life is and that his desire is to do not what he wants to do, but what God wants him to do! Well, he took her to lunch this week and told her that he wants to stay married and even though he doesn’t know how to work that out, it is what he wants to do. And he has started making plans for them as a family; such as vacations together and even making home improvements he knows she wants! So knowing that and that GOD will bring it to pass, she also stood on the power and promise of His Word and claimed the restoration of her marriage, which we all agree will be very soon!

But God didn’t stop there! In addition to the three wonderful Restored Marriage Testimonies mentioned above, we were also blessed to see God moving very powerfully in the hearts and marriages of seven other FAM members as well!

After three months of separation and quite a bit of hostility, and recently finding out that the NCP is pregnant, one of our newer member’s husband told her that he misses home, but doesn’t know where to start and if things can even “be fixed.” Needless to say, those words were music to her ears and she assured him that they can be!

After a little more than eleven months of separation and a child born to the NCP, another one of our newer member’s husband told her that “the grass isn’t greener on the other side”…but he doesn’t know “how to get back.” Needless to say, those were very encouraging words, and even though her husband continues to be double-minded, she sees God moving in his heart and knows their marriage will be restored!

After not attending church during their separation and divorce for the past year, MNO’s wife has been attending church with him and their daughter since Mother’s Day and even wants to sing in the praise and worship band now! Even though she says they are “just friends,” she displays affection in public, which is something they never used to do! So MNO knows that it’s just a matter of time before the Lord completes the restoration of their marriage; in the same way his wife is now being restored to her walk and relationship with Him! And as God tends to do with all of us, He has really used this time to draw MNO closer to Him too, and there’s no doubt that his wife likes the changes she sees in the new husband God has been making him!

After nine months of separation, being very angry and very little contact, another one of our new member’s husband has called twice this month and they have had pleasant conversations and now they are going out to dinner today, which just happens to be their 18th wedding anniversary! Needless to say, she is thrilled and very excited about what the Lord is doing on her behalf and to see her husband’s heart soften so much! So we’re praying that the Lord will totally melt his heart today and he will just fall in love with his wife all over again tonight!

After nine months of separation and no contact or expression of interest in anything to do with his wife, MNO’s husband asked his mother how MNO is doing and said he knows that she loves him; but she doesn’t like him or his friends. While that might not seem like much, it really is because it demonstrates that his thoughts have turned back to her and their marriage, which means his heart will soon follow, and then his feet…and we know that where our feet go, there our bodies go as well! So that’s just one more husband on his way home! Praise the Lord!

After almost thirty years of marriage and being separated and divorced for almost three years, MNO recently heard from a family member that her husband is no longer with the NCP; which might explain why twice in the past few weeks, he called her with impromptu dinner invitations, during which time they were both in tears as he shared things going on in the lives of people they knew that would naturally cause him to think about his own life. And for the first time in many years, he went on vacation to visit his family and will return today, which he sent a text to let her know and to say that he would call when he returns. So God is obviously working in his heart and life, and as MNO said, we all stand in agreement that he was going home to come home!

Another one of our new members joined the fellowship even though she filed for divorce after years of her husband being unfaithful and even having a child with the NCP, and their final divorce hearing was fast approaching. But God had a totally different plan! I always tell members who have filed for divorce that we can’t stand for marriage restoration while pursuing a divorce because that’s certainly not consistent with walking in faith or being obedient, and I encourage FAM members who have done so to withdraw their divorce petitions. But before I could actually speak with MNO, God intervened and the hearing was postponed. Two days before the hearing, she found out that she is pregnant and the night before the hearing, one of their children was hospitalized with pneumonia and they had to postpone the hearing. Yet, within an hour after doing so, the doctors decided to send them home with antibiotics! And two days later, her husband decided to move away and live with his parents instead of the NCP! Needless to say, God is obviously speaking to both of their hearts and I’d say getting their attention! God’s will and plan will NEVER be thwarted!

It’s so exciting and exhilarating to see how mightily and powerfully God has been moving in the hearts and lives of our members and their spouses recently because they have made a commitment to stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word for the full and complete restoration of their marriages and families, which means learning to be the spouses God has called them to be, to love and respect their spouses unconditionally and to LET GO and leave their spouses and marriages in the hands of our most awesome and faithful God! Marriage restoration is done in the SUPERNATURAL, so we have to learn HOW to work together with God instead of against Him as the world teaches and promotes, and the ONLY way to do that is according to His Word. But when we stand on the power and promise of His Word in faith and obedience, we are in fact humbling ourselves under the mighty, loving, and ever faithful hand of our great and mighty God and HE WILL LIFT US UP IN DUE TIME…just as He promised in 1 Peter 5:5-8!!! So as we all say as FAM Fellowship members…GOD IS MOVING…SO GET READY!!! And the way to do that is to LEARN WHAT HIS WORD SAYS AND DO IT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY! And then we will indeed be blessed beyond belief because we will be ready when our spouses come back home!

Today’s Small Straws message from Marsha Burns is so simple; yet so powerful that I just have to share it here and pray that everyone standing for marriage restoration and finding it difficult to “rest” in the Lord will be blessed and encouraged!

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Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin
SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — June 9, 2009:
Even though things still seem strange, unpredictable, and unsettled, you can rest assured that I know every detail of your circumstances. I hold your times and seasons in My hand, says the Lord, and I will establish, settle, and strengthen you in the purposes of My will. All you have to do is trust Me and obey My leading. Doubt, frustration, and double-mindedness will get you nowhere. Make a quality decision now to stand in faith that I will lead the way and bring you through this difficult time in triumph.
Deuteronomy 33:27a The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
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(Note from Linda: I have no doubt that everyone standing for marriage restoration will be blessed and encouraged by the post Donna shared on the private website over the weekend. And since one of the other members reminded me of something I had shared in a Seeds Of Faith post over two years ago, The Power and Purpose of the Refiner’s Fire, I want to share that as well because it really does go hand in hand with the powerful message in Donna’s post. As I shared then, I received the following in an email message that morning:
“Malachi 3:3 says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

So I pray that anyone who is feeling the intense heat of the Refiner’s fire or the discomfort of the Potter’s wheel, will be comforted to know that Luke 3:16 says John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And instead of feeling defeated and discouraged because of the heat and pressure, I hope and pray that you will keep your eyes upon Jesus so you can be purified, strengthened, blessed, and encouraged as you’re molded and transformed to reflect the image of Christ! And we will indeed be blessed and encouraged when we learn to sing our Lord’s praises even in the midst of our trials as Donna shared!)

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Hi FAMM Family,

I am so excited about the growth of the ministry that I’m rejoicing. Welcome to all of the new members. This may very well be the most exciting time of our lives. How incredibly AWESOME to have the privilege of watching God transform us and our spouses into the vessels He has always intended us to be.

I saw John Hagee on television the other day, and he was speaking about his trip to Israel. He said he and his wife went to a potter’s house to see how he worked with the clay. He said that the potter was working on his wheel, taking the lumps out of the clay. The potter put the clay on the wheel, which he turned with his feet, and then pounded the clay until there were no more lumps. He then formed it into a vessel and placed it in the fire. Hagee asked the potter how he knew when the pot was ready to be removed from the fire. The potter replied, “When it sings.” The potter removed the pot from the fire, and while it was still red with heat, he thumped the pot, and the pot rang out the most beautiful sound; like a song. So it was ready to be removed from the fire. If the pot had not responded with a song, the potter would have put it back into the fire until it sang.

I think this is a beautiful analogy of how God molds us. God is the potter, and we are the clay. And it seems that the more we sing, the quicker we get out of the fire. Praise God and rejoice. The answer is always in our response to the fire we are in at any given time. So, I am singing my heart out. God bless our family and remember to SING, SING, SING!

(Note from Linda: Karen shared this on the private website yesterday and since it’s such a powerful and simple message, *I appreciate her permission to share it here as well because there is no doubt that we all would be mightily blessed and encouraged if we just understood what a difference our God can make! Thanks for such a simple and yet powerful reminder, Karen!)

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Hi Everyone. God revealed Himself in a mighty way to me this morning, and I want to share it with you.

I walked outside with our dog, as I do every morning, and looked toward the east. The sun was rising into a beautiful blue cloudless sky and I spoke to God about how there was not a cloud in the sky, when He brought yesterday morning to my mind.

I saw no sun yesterday. I could see a small bit of pink way off in the southeast sky, but it didn’t look promising. I also could see patches of rain coming down in the distance from steel gray clouds, and I remember noting a variety of angry-looking cloud formations. At the time, I hoped my dog would hurry and get to doing her business because it was going to rain soon and she hates the rain.

Wow! Twenty-four hours later, there was no trace of the storm. Some might say, “What a difference a day makes!” but I say, “What a difference our God makes!” The God of the universe, the Creator of the earth and the sky, can in one sweep of His hand dispel every menacing cloud and erase them totally from view. Our lives may be cloudy and stormy now, and we might not even be able to see the sun yet, but it is coming because His promise to us is blue sky and bright sunshine after we weather the storm.

So God reminded me of His power this morning, and how quickly He can act and how completely He can transform…not just the sky, but also our hearts, our lives, our spouses, and our marriages.

Praise Him for He is God Almighty!

If we truly understood the awesome SUPERNATURAL power released into our lives and circumstances when we faithfully trust God, it would be the easiest thing we ever do. But the sad reality is that when it comes right down to it and when it usually matters most in our lives, most Christians don’t truly trust God. So, as someone ministering to men and women standing against all earthly odds for marriage restoration, I know that helping them truly understand the greatness and faithfulness of our God and that He loves us with such an awesome and everlasting love as they develop a personal and intimate relationship with Him is the single most important thing I will ever do. And with every passing day of experience in marriage restoration ministry, I am more convinced than ever that the root of every moment of fear, despair, anger, frustration and many other negative emotions often experienced when standing for marriage restoration is our failure to know, understand and faithfully trust God. So with that in mind, I recently started writing a post about what it means to really acknowledge God in all our ways, which I hope to complete and publish soon.

However, as the ministry continues to grow very rapidly and so far beyond anything I ever imagined when establishing it over four years ago, writing Seeds Of Faith posts is something I rarely have time to do these days, so I apologize to everyone who has been concerned and especially appreciate hearing from those of you who have called or written to find out why I haven’t done that for the past few weeks. But since the FAM Fellowship was blessed to add twenty-one new members to our family last month, and since there’s little doubt that we will continue to grow, one of the main items on the agenda for tonight’s FAMM Board meeting will be finding ways to better manage such rapid growth and better meet the needs of our members. And it is my goal, though not all that realistic, to free up some of my time to be able to write more, because that’s something I truly love doing. In the meanwhile, I encourage everyone to make use of the option to search and read the archives, because they contain posts on most topics of interest and importance when standing for marriage restoration. And please keep the growth of the ministry and our ability to effectively manage it without losing all that we love about it in your prayers.

As always, God’s faithfulness to confirm the messages He wants to get across to us and the way we see recurring themes in the ministry keeps me in a continuous state of awe, and yesterday was no exception! As I said, two or three days ago, I started a post about the vital importance of understanding what it means to acknowledge God in ALL our ways (based on the instructions found in Proverbs 3:5-6), which focuses on the importance of trusting and obeying God and how it’s not really possible to truly do that without studying and knowing His Word. So I really appreciated Glenn Jackson’s Life of Faith message when I received it by email last night, which I encourage everyone to read at this link, where you can also sign up to receive them by email. It’s a very powerful message and one I hope and pray every man and woman standing for marriage restoration will read and take to heart. And I couldn’t help smiling when I saw the topic because earlier in the day, I had received a message from Rich, who noticed that I haven’t posted a Seeds of Faith post in a while and wanted to suggest sharing Why Waiting is Really Trusting by Daniel Darling. And since “waiting” is one of the greatest challenges many men and women standing for marriage restoration face, it’s a perfect follow up to Glenn’s message, so I hope an pray the Lord will use both of the above messages to speak to someone today, because the lasting restoration of troubled marriages really depends on our ability to FAITHFULLY trust God NO MATTER WHAT, as we acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways and learn not to lean to our own understanding and TRUST Him WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS; heeding the warning found in Hebrews 10:38, which declares…But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” So let’s focus on learning to “live by faith” and we will indeed be blessed and encouraged!

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. Proverbs 3:5-6

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