EIGHTEEN SIGNS THAT SOMETHING’S HAPPENING! -
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms." Ephesians 6:12
During my prodigal days, while we were divorced, I heard a pastor
make a sermon statement that has stuck with me to this day; "If you
were able to see the spiritual battle that is taking place all around
you, it would scare you to death." My spiritual eyes were not yet
opened, so I could not fully understand what that respected man of
God was saying, but nevertheless, I remembered.
Since standing with God for marriage restoration is a spiritual
battle, you may not recognize the back and forth of Satan’s ways, as
God’s will is being performed. I want to share with you some of the
ways that you can know something is happening in the heavenly realm.
It is not necessary for all eighteen ways to be seen for your spouse
to be brought home, nor will they happen in any specific order. You
may even see your prodigal coming up the walk before you see any of
these signs, but most likely some of these things will be happening:
* You feel like giving up. "Nothing’s happening and nothing will
ever change," the Enemy has you thinking.
* You start to sense an increased burden for your prodigal’s soul.
The restoration of your marriage does not seem nearly as important as
where your beloved will spend eternity.
* The Lord burdens you to pray for your spouse at the strangest
times. For some people, God awakens them during the night to pray.
* Satan sends a counterfeit into your life. Just when things are the
bleakest, Mr. Right or Miss Perfect arrives. Some standers make the
mistake of thinking, "This must be of God because we are so perfectly
suited for each other." Counterfeits always look better than the
real thing.
* People are constantly reminding you about mate’s free will, and how
you have grounds for divorce.
* People tell you that God wants you to be "happy." In truth, God is
a lot more concerned about your holiness than He is about your
happiness. He also cares about your mate's lost condition.
* You can see no way out of specific circumstances, such as financial
problems. Remember, God works best when nothing else will.
* You are tempted to take off your wedding ring.
* You find scripture that seems to have be written just for you. The
Word speaks to your heart and to your needs.
* Some of the actions of your prodigal spouse are unexplainable.
For example, I repeatedly asked Charlyne to stop praying for me. I
just knew the conviction that I was under came as a result of her
prayers.
* The Enemy can even use your family members to dissuade you when the
spiritual battle is the hottest. An older teen says, "If he/she is
allowed back, I am going." Your parents may become dead set against
restoration. Do not allow this to discourage you. Over the years,
we have been witness time and time again of God restoring family
relationships as well as marriages.
* You mistakenly start to view your local church as a hindrance to
restoration. Satan may give you fear over how your returned prodigal
would fit in. Your pastor may come out against marriage
restoration. The returned spouse/church relationship is one of the
many areas that God can and does heal for restoring families. Right
now, you need the love and support of a church family.
* Prayer partners may be removed. There came a time in Charlyne’s
stand, near the day of our remarriage and before the Internet, when
my wife’s personal prayer partner moved out of state. God was
telling my wife that she needed to depend on Him, and not others.
* Major changes in your prodigal mate’s life are happening, For some,
this is a new job. For others, it is relocation to a distant state,
making restoration seem even more impossible. There may be the
attempted legalizing of adultery through a marriage license, or a non-
covenant child is born to your spouse.
* You are tempted to make major changes in your own life. It could
be reclaiming your maiden name, or changing the door locks on your
home for no reason. Whatever you are considering doing, it would be
something to say to your prodigal spouse, "It’s over!"
* You sense a certain uneasiness in your spirit. Where you had once
started growing in the Lord as a stander, you now feel something
undescribable in your life. Some people confuse God wanting them to
intensify their stand with Him, with God wanting them to give up on
their stand for a healed home.
* You can forgive your prodigal spouse, even to the extent that you
have pity for them, for how deceived they are, and for the situations
they are in.
* Your prodigal makes false starts toward home, or toward family
events, and then just as suddenly withdraws or backs out.
Do you get it? Some of these signs are negative and some are
positive. Together, they allow you to catch a glimpse of the battle
that is raging in the heavenlies. This battle is for much more than
your marriage. It is for your prodigal’s eternal soul, and for
future generations of your family.
The number one mistake that men and women praying for marriage
restoration make is attempting to do spiritual battle with earthly
weapons, based on earthly reasoning. They do not understand that
spiritual battles, such as the one they are in, can by won only by
using spiritual weapons. They use the courts instead of compassion,
seeking revenge instead of restoration. They want to heap guilt on
the absent spouse instead of grace. Instead of covering their
prodigal’s nakedness and shame, they want to broadcast it. Walking
with Jesus, they become better. Walking in the world’s way, they
will only become bitter.
The change we see in successful standers is amazing. The information
sheet sent back to us by new standers is often filled with writings
of circumstances, and how sinful their mate has become. Often they
share what they intend to do about the circumstances. We seldom read
on these sheets what God is doing for the stander, (but we soon will)!
Future correspondence from that person tracks a change. Somewhere
along the way to marriage restoration, the spiritual lights come on,
and the stander realizes they are in a spiritual battle. They start
to do war against the Enemy, and not against their spouse. The may
have their ups and downs, but overall, a steady growth in the things
of God is noted until their prodigal comes home to both them and to
their Lord. May you stand strong until that grand day.
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and
of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at
work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them
at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by
nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
Ephesians 2:1-5
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms." Ephesians 6:12
During my prodigal days, while we were divorced, I heard a pastor
make a sermon statement that has stuck with me to this day; "If you
were able to see the spiritual battle that is taking place all around
you, it would scare you to death." My spiritual eyes were not yet
opened, so I could not fully understand what that respected man of
God was saying, but nevertheless, I remembered.
Since standing with God for marriage restoration is a spiritual
battle, you may not recognize the back and forth of Satan’s ways, as
God’s will is being performed. I want to share with you some of the
ways that you can know something is happening in the heavenly realm.
It is not necessary for all eighteen ways to be seen for your spouse
to be brought home, nor will they happen in any specific order. You
may even see your prodigal coming up the walk before you see any of
these signs, but most likely some of these things will be happening:
* You feel like giving up. "Nothing’s happening and nothing will
ever change," the Enemy has you thinking.
* You start to sense an increased burden for your prodigal’s soul.
The restoration of your marriage does not seem nearly as important as
where your beloved will spend eternity.
* The Lord burdens you to pray for your spouse at the strangest
times. For some people, God awakens them during the night to pray.
* Satan sends a counterfeit into your life. Just when things are the
bleakest, Mr. Right or Miss Perfect arrives. Some standers make the
mistake of thinking, "This must be of God because we are so perfectly
suited for each other." Counterfeits always look better than the
real thing.
* People are constantly reminding you about mate’s free will, and how
you have grounds for divorce.
* People tell you that God wants you to be "happy." In truth, God is
a lot more concerned about your holiness than He is about your
happiness. He also cares about your mate's lost condition.
* You can see no way out of specific circumstances, such as financial
problems. Remember, God works best when nothing else will.
* You are tempted to take off your wedding ring.
* You find scripture that seems to have be written just for you. The
Word speaks to your heart and to your needs.
* Some of the actions of your prodigal spouse are unexplainable.
For example, I repeatedly asked Charlyne to stop praying for me. I
just knew the conviction that I was under came as a result of her
prayers.
* The Enemy can even use your family members to dissuade you when the
spiritual battle is the hottest. An older teen says, "If he/she is
allowed back, I am going." Your parents may become dead set against
restoration. Do not allow this to discourage you. Over the years,
we have been witness time and time again of God restoring family
relationships as well as marriages.
* You mistakenly start to view your local church as a hindrance to
restoration. Satan may give you fear over how your returned prodigal
would fit in. Your pastor may come out against marriage
restoration. The returned spouse/church relationship is one of the
many areas that God can and does heal for restoring families. Right
now, you need the love and support of a church family.
* Prayer partners may be removed. There came a time in Charlyne’s
stand, near the day of our remarriage and before the Internet, when
my wife’s personal prayer partner moved out of state. God was
telling my wife that she needed to depend on Him, and not others.
* Major changes in your prodigal mate’s life are happening, For some,
this is a new job. For others, it is relocation to a distant state,
making restoration seem even more impossible. There may be the
attempted legalizing of adultery through a marriage license, or a non-
covenant child is born to your spouse.
* You are tempted to make major changes in your own life. It could
be reclaiming your maiden name, or changing the door locks on your
home for no reason. Whatever you are considering doing, it would be
something to say to your prodigal spouse, "It’s over!"
* You sense a certain uneasiness in your spirit. Where you had once
started growing in the Lord as a stander, you now feel something
undescribable in your life. Some people confuse God wanting them to
intensify their stand with Him, with God wanting them to give up on
their stand for a healed home.
* You can forgive your prodigal spouse, even to the extent that you
have pity for them, for how deceived they are, and for the situations
they are in.
* Your prodigal makes false starts toward home, or toward family
events, and then just as suddenly withdraws or backs out.
Do you get it? Some of these signs are negative and some are
positive. Together, they allow you to catch a glimpse of the battle
that is raging in the heavenlies. This battle is for much more than
your marriage. It is for your prodigal’s eternal soul, and for
future generations of your family.
The number one mistake that men and women praying for marriage
restoration make is attempting to do spiritual battle with earthly
weapons, based on earthly reasoning. They do not understand that
spiritual battles, such as the one they are in, can by won only by
using spiritual weapons. They use the courts instead of compassion,
seeking revenge instead of restoration. They want to heap guilt on
the absent spouse instead of grace. Instead of covering their
prodigal’s nakedness and shame, they want to broadcast it. Walking
with Jesus, they become better. Walking in the world’s way, they
will only become bitter.
The change we see in successful standers is amazing. The information
sheet sent back to us by new standers is often filled with writings
of circumstances, and how sinful their mate has become. Often they
share what they intend to do about the circumstances. We seldom read
on these sheets what God is doing for the stander, (but we soon will)!
Future correspondence from that person tracks a change. Somewhere
along the way to marriage restoration, the spiritual lights come on,
and the stander realizes they are in a spiritual battle. They start
to do war against the Enemy, and not against their spouse. The may
have their ups and downs, but overall, a steady growth in the things
of God is noted until their prodigal comes home to both them and to
their Lord. May you stand strong until that grand day.
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and
of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at
work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them
at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by
nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
Ephesians 2:1-5
Blessings,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.®
posted by TIUranta at 7:57 AM
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