1 Corinthians 7:12-14 "But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." (NKJV)
One recent morning, my youngest son brought his bible to me. He said, "Mom, I am going to read to you from the bible." So, I grabbed my coffee cup and found a comfortable spot on the couch by his side. I watched as his little fingers crawled along the outside of his bible. Finally, he chose a page. He opened his bible to the book of Job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Job
My son read the story out loud in his sweetest voice. After he finished, I summarized what I knew about the lessons regarding the book of Job. I even spoke of the ways Satan had tested Job's righteousness. At that moment, I neglected to comprehend how God was speaking directly to my heart. Could God have been warning me of what was about to come?
Recently, my husband and I had a fight that led to us to discuss the possibility of divorce. http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-sunday-opportunity-to-purfiy-my.html It was the first time in years that we had resorted to using this word in an argument. We had bought into the lie that our lives would be easier if we went our separate ways. Yet, as our tempers cooled, we were able to look inward and see how pride, self-righteousness, judgment and arrogance had taken over our hearts. It was instantly crystal clear to us that we had chosen Satan’s path, the world and money over God and that our own understanding had led to suffering and hopelessness. Realizing this, we surrendered our marriage back into the hands of God.
Immediately, God made His will known. Within days, my husband physically returned to our home town. His upcoming job assignment had been inexplicably pushed back. As a result, he was told to work from home for a week or two. Because my heart was still healing from hearing the painful words, "I want a divorce," my husband offered to take residence at a local RV park for the duration of his stay. I accepted his offer.
Meanwhile, I began to pray with a trustful heart. "Lord, won't You please bombard LeeRoy with opportunities to surrender to Your will?" That same morning, I drove to the local CVS to purchase a journal for my best friend. As I exited the store, I noticed that the woman at the register had not charged me for my entire purchase. So, I reentered the store and returned to the register. That's when I noticed a local Pastor standing in line. As we exchanged pleasantries, he asked, "How is it going Sis?" I didn't want to burden him with my heavy heart. Therefore, I politely nodded, shrugged my shoulders and responded "Okay." Yet, for unknown some reason to me at the time, the Pastor probed further. "Really Sis?" He asked as he leaned into me. I tearfully began to share the struggles I faced in my marriage and how I was desperately trying to understand God's will. The Pastor asked if he could call my husband and pray with him directly. So, I gave the Pastor my husband's number.
After I left the store, I quickly called my husband to share with him what had happened. My husband said, "I know, the Pastor has already called me." I sat in my car for a moment before I drove away. "Lord, there is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. Thank You Lord, for always hearing my prayer!"
Later on, my husband called and said, "Honey, I am going to have dinner with that Pastor that called." They went to dinner. Then, on his way home, my husband called me again. He said, "I just want to thank you. That was so great." God was reaching out to my husband. And my husband's heart was softening. The next day, I watched as my husband fasted for the first time and read his bible without my usual nagging.
Moreover, each time my husband opened his heart to God, he also opened his heart to me. For the first time, I listened as he shared some of the secrets that he had kept. Then, I openly shared my heart too! We prayed together for our marriage with faith that God would draw us close as a family.
Later, God revealed His will further when He led me to read 1 Corinthians 7:12-14. "But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." (NKJV).
After that, my husband continued to meet with regularly with the same Pastor.And, he remained steadfast in prayer. He spent time golfing with our older son and assisted our youngest son during his baseball practices and games. We began to hold hands together again in church.
Now, as I think back to that precious moment when my youngest son read to me from the book of Job, I can't help but wonder if all that had happened between my husband and I was simply a test to stand firm against Satan's strategies and tricks. Each time I experienced the devil's presence, I am no longer able to deny his evil nature or reality and his influence on me to sin. I know now that the end result of choosing Satan’s path, the world and even my husband over God, leads to suffering and hopelessness. Therefore, even though I may not know what the future holds for my marriage, I do know one thing for sure, God is faithful! And relying on my Lord and Savior while remaining close to His side brings Joy!
One recent morning, my youngest son brought his bible to me. He said, "Mom, I am going to read to you from the bible." So, I grabbed my coffee cup and found a comfortable spot on the couch by his side. I watched as his little fingers crawled along the outside of his bible. Finally, he chose a page. He opened his bible to the book of Job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Job
My son read the story out loud in his sweetest voice. After he finished, I summarized what I knew about the lessons regarding the book of Job. I even spoke of the ways Satan had tested Job's righteousness. At that moment, I neglected to comprehend how God was speaking directly to my heart. Could God have been warning me of what was about to come?
Recently, my husband and I had a fight that led to us to discuss the possibility of divorce. http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-sunday-opportunity-to-purfiy-my.html It was the first time in years that we had resorted to using this word in an argument. We had bought into the lie that our lives would be easier if we went our separate ways. Yet, as our tempers cooled, we were able to look inward and see how pride, self-righteousness, judgment and arrogance had taken over our hearts. It was instantly crystal clear to us that we had chosen Satan’s path, the world and money over God and that our own understanding had led to suffering and hopelessness. Realizing this, we surrendered our marriage back into the hands of God.
Immediately, God made His will known. Within days, my husband physically returned to our home town. His upcoming job assignment had been inexplicably pushed back. As a result, he was told to work from home for a week or two. Because my heart was still healing from hearing the painful words, "I want a divorce," my husband offered to take residence at a local RV park for the duration of his stay. I accepted his offer.
Meanwhile, I began to pray with a trustful heart. "Lord, won't You please bombard LeeRoy with opportunities to surrender to Your will?" That same morning, I drove to the local CVS to purchase a journal for my best friend. As I exited the store, I noticed that the woman at the register had not charged me for my entire purchase. So, I reentered the store and returned to the register. That's when I noticed a local Pastor standing in line. As we exchanged pleasantries, he asked, "How is it going Sis?" I didn't want to burden him with my heavy heart. Therefore, I politely nodded, shrugged my shoulders and responded "Okay." Yet, for unknown some reason to me at the time, the Pastor probed further. "Really Sis?" He asked as he leaned into me. I tearfully began to share the struggles I faced in my marriage and how I was desperately trying to understand God's will. The Pastor asked if he could call my husband and pray with him directly. So, I gave the Pastor my husband's number.
After I left the store, I quickly called my husband to share with him what had happened. My husband said, "I know, the Pastor has already called me." I sat in my car for a moment before I drove away. "Lord, there is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. Thank You Lord, for always hearing my prayer!"
Later on, my husband called and said, "Honey, I am going to have dinner with that Pastor that called." They went to dinner. Then, on his way home, my husband called me again. He said, "I just want to thank you. That was so great." God was reaching out to my husband. And my husband's heart was softening. The next day, I watched as my husband fasted for the first time and read his bible without my usual nagging.
Moreover, each time my husband opened his heart to God, he also opened his heart to me. For the first time, I listened as he shared some of the secrets that he had kept. Then, I openly shared my heart too! We prayed together for our marriage with faith that God would draw us close as a family.
Later, God revealed His will further when He led me to read 1 Corinthians 7:12-14. "But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." (NKJV).
After that, my husband continued to meet with regularly with the same Pastor.And, he remained steadfast in prayer. He spent time golfing with our older son and assisted our youngest son during his baseball practices and games. We began to hold hands together again in church.
Now, as I think back to that precious moment when my youngest son read to me from the book of Job, I can't help but wonder if all that had happened between my husband and I was simply a test to stand firm against Satan's strategies and tricks. Each time I experienced the devil's presence, I am no longer able to deny his evil nature or reality and his influence on me to sin. I know now that the end result of choosing Satan’s path, the world and even my husband over God, leads to suffering and hopelessness. Therefore, even though I may not know what the future holds for my marriage, I do know one thing for sure, God is faithful! And relying on my Lord and Savior while remaining close to His side brings Joy!
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
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