FW: Standing Firm - January 6, 2007

Wanted to pass this forward for us to consider during this time of fasting

-----Original Message-----
From: dennis@rejoiceministries.org [mailto:dennis@rejoiceministries.org]
Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 6:14 PM
Subject: Standing Firm - January 6, 2007

HEALING -

"Do you want to be healed?"
John 5:6

This was Jesus' question to the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. He
had been an invalid for 38 years. He waited by the side of the pool
for someone to help him, but after so many years of discouragement,
he really did not expect to receive anything.

Are you a lot like this man concerning the healing of your
marriages? Are you standing by, waiting for someone to help you,
getting discouraged when healing does not take place according to
your timetable?

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end
and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will
certainly come and will not delay"
Habakkuk 2:3

God has a storehouse of blessings reserved for you. However, your
timing to receive those blessings may not be the same as the Lord's.
God has a specific timetable to accomplish His purpose in your life.
Sometimes that timetable seems excruciatingly cruel and painful, yet
it is necessary so God can work His plan.

God often uses delay to develop our character before anything else.
Before God changes your spouse, He first must change you into the
spouse that He would have you to be. We can sometimes delay this
timetable if we refuse His leading and take matters into our own
hands.

Although it is sometimes difficult to understand delay, the Lord is
just and gracious in His dealings with His children. When He does
decide to move on your behalf, you will appreciate the delay and
will often understand the reason behind it.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you
compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who
wait for him!"
Isaiah 30:18

While waiting patiently for God to work things out in your behalf,
your goal should be to gain knowledge of God and His will for you in
your situation.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and discipline."
Proverbs 1:7

Do you fear the Lord? Do you fear taking any step in life without
first seeking Godly wisdom concerning that step? We seem to have
lost a fear of God and His awesomeness. We depend on what our hearts
tell us instead of seeking wisdom from the Word of God.

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This
will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 3:7-8

Returning to Jesus' question, "Do you want to be healed?"

By answering, "Yes," you will receive your healing. God alone has
the power to heal and restore your marriage. Faith in Jesus is the
key that unlocks the power of God in your life. Ask the Lord to
increase your faith and knowledge of Him as he offers you his
healing touch. Tell Jesus that you want to be healed!

I cannot stress it enough that FAITH is the key to healing. In spite
of reiterating this point often in these devotions, I still receive
mail with a common thread such as this, "Yeah, I agree with
everything that you said in the newsletter, but..." Then follows a
litany of why God's Word does not apply to their situation or why
the Lord could NEVER heal their marriage. Can you not see the lack
of faith and disrespect towards God in this attitude? We are to
claim God's promises, not proclaim that He is incapable of doing
what He said He would do!

"My son, if you accept my words, and store up my commands within
you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to
understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for
understanding, and if you look for it as silver and search for it as
for hidden treasure, then you will find the knowledge of God. For
the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and
understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a
shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of
the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."
Proverbs 2:1-8

God is all you need. You do not need the counsel of friends, taking
surveys on what they would have you do. Do not listen to their
worldly solutions. You do not need to tell your problems to everyone
that politely listens to your tale of woe. Take your problems to the
Lord, listening to what He has to say in response. Believe what He
says, and wait patiently for His deliverance. He is your only hope!

So when Jesus asks the question, "Do you want to be healed?" Answer
with a resounding, "Yes!" If you follow with a "Yeah, but...," the
Lord is not pleased with such a non-committal response.

"You are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the
other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am
about to spit you out of my mouth."
Revelation 3:15-16

I have given up being a half-hearted Christian. My heart is on fire
for God and His healing of families! God is mocked when one
questions His ability to heal. Trust, obey and be obedient to God's
Word and through faith, you will receive the healing you so deeply
desire.

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he
should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he
promise and not fulfill?"
Numbers 23:19

"Nothing is impossible with God."
Luke 1:37

In spite of what you see in the natural, God is at work behind the
scenes restoring your family to everything that He intends for it to
be.

"My father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am
working."
John 5:17

My prayer this week is that you might see the mighty miracle the
Lord has in store for you and your family. Do not give up hope. Do
not give up on your Lord. He is in control of your situation. Your
miracle is on its way!

May the Lord bless you, O mighty man of faith!

Dennis L. Wingfield
Rejoice Marriage Ministries
http://www.rejoiceministries.org
"God heals hurting marriages!"

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