Restore Our Marriage

RESTORE OUR MARRIAGE
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.†Mark 10:6-9

Is your heart’s cry to the Lord, “Restore our marriage?†How much do you love your spouse? On Monday, Benjamin shared how much he loves his wife. I pray that you will be willing to pay the price of sacrifice by praying, fasting and waiting on the Lord's timing in resurrecting your marriage, reigniting and rekindling your love, and rebuilding your marriage on the solid rock of Jesus Christ one hour and one day at a time.

You may ask,“How do I know the Lord is going to rebuild our marriage?†The answer is by seeking your Lord's face and reading God’s Word. It is studying all the scriptures on marriage, so you know what the Bible says about marriage. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart in a very special and powerful way. God does speak to His children. Wait for His answer, read your daily devotionals and Bible every day, be obedient to His Word, put His Word into action, and open your spiritual eyes and ears to hear His soft voice.

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:2-4

I can tell you personally I did not do what I am suggesting in the above scriptures. I was a believer who went to church two to three times a week, but the enemy had deceived Bob already, and now the enemy was trying to deceive me by not believing my marriage was‘til death do us part. I was listening to others instead of going to the Lord.

Be alert, when the enemy starts tempting you with thoughts, “Maybe due to ______ circumstances, I am now going to give up!†The enemy is now attacking your heart and mind. I know. I divorced my husband, but God spoke to me very loudly two months after my divorce saying, “I want you to pray and never give up on Bob. Remember your wedding vows. I was a witness in your covenant marriage.â€

Are you being tempted to love your beloved spouse with tough love or with unconditional, agape love? I know from experience that I used tough love many years ago. I chose not to listen to my Lord's soft voice before our divorce. I wanted to retaliate. I was hurting and wounded. I wanted our marriage restored, but I did not believe in my Lord's power, nor did I have any faith. I did not know how to fight and pray for my marriage.

Where are you today? Will you choose to believe in the power of your awesome mighty God?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Instead of unconditional love, I tried to control Bob's sinful nature by giving him ultimatums and boundaries. Little did I know that is exactly what the enemy wanted me to do in our marriage. That gave Bob the perfect opening and reason for him to pack up and leave, falling deeper into Satan's trap of adultery.

I did not understand, nor was I told by anyone, that our marriage problems were a spiritual battle between darkness and light and Satan and God. I reacted and lived by my emotions and feelings. My own hurt and pain turned into anger and bitterness, wanting to take revenge for Bob's unfaithfulness. Where are you today?

“Lord, please help me! Forgive me of my own sins, lack of knowledge and faith. Lord, teach me to pray for my spouse who has become blinded, deceived and deaf to the Holy Spirit right now. Please go after all your lost sheep and carry them back home to You and to their families waiting for them. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.â€

Will you choose today to die to your own sinful nature and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the fruit of the Spirit to overflowing?

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:16-18, 22-26

You have a choice. Are you showing tough love or agape unconditional love to your husband or wife? There is no greater gift you can give your spouse today than loving them unconditionally, waiting on your Lord to heal and resurrect your dead marriage.

Let me share a poem written by Bob after our remarriage in 1987. The poem is in Bob's first book, Prodigals Do Come Home:

The Thing To Do
To us it is no secret, what the Lord wants to do.
Restore our marriage and make us happy, too.
What He's done for millions, He's wanting to do,
Restore our marriage, make our family new.

We have our doubts, think it can't be done,
When we trust in Jesus, He'll make us one.
It matters not how bad the past has been,
Let the Blood of Jesus cover all your sins.

Others will say divorce is the thing to do.
Even a court may say the marriage is through,
Our Lord is wanting His perfect will to do,
Restore our marriage, make our family new.

To us it is no secret, what the Lord wants to do,
Restore our marriage and make us happy too.
What He's done for millions, He's wanting to do,
Restore our marriage, make our family new.
©1988 Bob Steinkamp
You are loved,

Charlyne Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.

 

[CasandraLynette]

Beautiful poem