As the poem reminds us, we may be in church every Sunday, smiling and singing and going through the motions, with rebellion deep in our hearts. If they were scared, it must have been a truly terrible storm. Blackened my brow where all might see, Several years ago I ran across the work of a Canadian poet named Ethelwyn Wetherald who lived in the early part of the 20th century. My name is Crystal and Im here to let you know that with man it may seem impossiblebut with Almighty God..NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. But it helps, when we hurt, to be reminded that others are on this path too. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Prodigal spouses who are truly repentant will express genuine thankfulness to God and their deserted spouses for what they've done. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. It was also hard to hear him (the crowd was large and he was an old man at that point). But I finally understand and it is only by Gods grace and lots of prayers that I still place my hope in the Lord and His promises and I believe deep down that it is not over even though it might seem that way. THE ANDERSONS: Forgiving the Prodigal Spouse THE SHRIVERS: After the Affair If God has given you a testimony one that could help and encourage others who are living with the horrible pain of infidelity, we would appreciate it if you would send it to us. Thank you, this was very helpful for me going into the weekend. Im scared; Im tired; I have thoughts of ending my life to stop this pain. Thank you so much for your feedback. This is just what I needed, so thank you for sharing your testimony. I cant tell you how much this ministered to me. When you are hurt, love them (they hurt too). Required fields are marked *. I dont even know if this is still an active thread. This book is written by mother and son, alternating between Christopher and Angelas perspective. The next thing she did right was to enlist the aid of three powerful prayer warriors to help her with her prayers to the Lord. 4-5). The Prodigal Perspective Satan is defeated and overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our Restored Marriage Testimonies when we stand on the power and promise of God's Word for the restoration of our marriages and families just as declared in Revelation 12:10-11. The thought of going home seemed like it would only be going backwards, and into a life that would not fulfill me. The Official Blog Site of Jeannie Remy Ministries LLC. Thank you for the testimony and the encouragement. Take any major American city, including those in the so-called Bible Belt, and you can see it for yourself. I accepted the truth and knew deep in my heart that beyond all the pain in our lives, going back was where I belonged. I hope that sharing my story gives others great hope for the restoration of their covenant marriage and that they can heal from such devastating circumstances too. I am a standing husband and working on myself and my walk with God. But I would have been drawn to that peace and it would have woken me up. As He tells us, Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and you will find rest for your souls. Hes got our marriages in His hands, so we should be at peace. Hes got your number written on his heart. If you come a day too soon, the prodigal will always think, With one more day, I would have figured out a way to solve my own problems. As long as the scheming and lying and deceiving continues, the best thing we can do is to pray for Gods Spirit to bring them to their senses and to wait patiently until that day comes. Believe it or not, I still have to remind myself of these things when I get all worked up and emotional. Now I have laid everything at his feet while I work on myself and pray and praise the Lord for the restoration of my marriage. I still cried every day but I also engaged in some radical and spiritual warfare for my husband..I spoke the word of God over my marriage EVERYDAY and I prayed hedges of thorns around my husband EVERYDAY..I pleaded the blood of Jesus over him and claimed my marriage in the name of Jesus. We hear the ENEMYS voice louder than Gods; we have put Gods voice on mute and the enemy tells us that we will be happy if we are divorced from youthen we could be free, happy and fulfilled. 3. I know how hard this must be. And if they get our prayers, they might one day listen to our sermons. Consistently being received with love, consistently seeing Christ in my wife, consistently finding an attitude of unconditional forgiveness and compassion is what won the battle. Yet while I was a great way off The pain adultery causes in a marriage relationship is extreme and traumatic, as a broken heart is one of the worst kinds of pain you can go through. Jeremiah 24:7. All Rights Reserved. Whenever you read a story like this in the Bible, you know there has to be a but coming. How many times have we returned with our head hung to our Lord, full of shame, yet found Him with open arms ready to separate our sin from us as far as the East is from the West if we only repent? You have loved ones who are away from the Lord. It's all a LIE, but we don't know that. God knows exactly how to get our attention. Thank you for your testimony, encouragement and hope. We may think that someone has hit rock bottom when they are still scheming a way out of their problems. A lifestyle publication. So I promise that from today I will cast all my burdens on the Lord because He cares for me and I will wait on God. We want to personally thank Crystal for allowing us to release her testimony on our site, as it will help show others that God can move to restore broken marriages, no matter how hopeless things may look in the natural. Our Testimony to Rejoice Marriage Ministries. God will bring them home. Some of them once could quote hundreds of Bible verses. We are two completely different people today then we were back then, so there is no reason to ever look back. I too prayed and prayed and felt so alone. All suffering is worth it to follow Jesus. You are hurting; you are broken. It has become hard because the enemy deceived me, and the entire time I was running, I knew it was wrong. Now, lets go to the standers side We still have a long way to go, but I feel God working in us and guiding us in the right direction. He can send the storm in so many different ways. . promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. He put on my hand a ring of gold, But the movie only tells the first half of Louiss story. Why God! you shout in pain. Pray for my husband Nick. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. He knows exactly how to get in touch with you. I have been separated for almost a year, and have experienced many blessings along the way. I realized that something inside of me was not right and led me on a journey far away from the people that I once loved. It was not until the son came to his senses that he decided to return home. God crushed me and brought me to my knees and after countless hours of repentence, the fog cleared and things became crystal clear. Her experience and insight is a perfect illustration of the biblical principles of standing for marriage restoration and confirms just why God teaches us to do what His Word says (Luke 6:46-49); He made us and He knows how we tick! What I learned: The most powerful friendships are those without ulterior motives. Thank you for such beautiful encouragement. He went down to Joppa (an ancient port city just south of modern-day Tel Aviv) where he found a boat bound for Tarshish. And when you are at peace with the thought of them leaving, your blessing of restoration is on its way. God, I am done standing in your way. God will keep his promise. I have learned that when we finally surrender things to God, we have such peace! There he could live the high life, far from the presence of the Lord. Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish (v. 6). Get up, Jonah. My husband of 1 year and 5 months left me on November 30th, 2010 .BUT. Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. prodigal spouse testimonieswhat happens if a hospital loses joint commission accreditation. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY and be unrelenting!! AND DO NOT PICK IT BACK UP!! He began to party heavily with friends, and lost control of himself, so much so that he frightened his own parentsuntil he found out about God and His plans for him, and did a total 180 with his life. Either way, we cant undo the hurt; we can continue to pray for healing and show our loved ones we recognize our error and were not going to repeat it. I believe my story is a good example that proves running from Gods plan is never a good idea. Come quickly, Lord! I have learned lots during my journey of learning how to be a stander. He is truely my Savior and I thank him for bringing me out of the darkness. Oh my word! I give all the thanks and praise to God for what he didit doesnt matter what your situation looks like.it doesnt matter how impossible and dead it seemsit doesnt matter what your husband or wife is planning..we plan but God is also planning and he works EVERYTHING out together for those that love the LORD.. DO NOT GIVE UP.THE DEVIL AND EVEN YOUR OWN MIND IS GOING TO TRY TO TELL YOU TO MOVE ONLEAVE HIM/HER ALONEHE/SHE DOESNT WANT YOU..THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO..THERE IS NO ONE THAT CAN HELP YOU NOW..DO NOT LISTENeven in your tears.cry out to God.when you dont know what to say..just say JESUS.nothing moretears is a language God understands and he is going to work it out.. He wanted to give our marriage a chance and he loved me and wanted to be with ME. Nice little deal he had going there. I once had the privilege of hearing Louis Zamperini speak, before his death. The Prodigal Spouse Resource Center is a password protected section of our website. My passionate spirit from breaking away. The world doesnt care about our religion, but the world wants us to pray. Restoration wont work if youre not ready. In just a few sentences Prodigal Yet captures the plight of the straying child who isnt quite ready to give up the high life in the far country: Muck of the sty, reek of the trough, But no more! I finally cried out to God for help and in response God gave me the same instructions that I had been avoiding to go home. But I simply could not imagine that I would end up back in the original place from where I tried to escape for so long! (After the knowledge gained from his experiences debating Nabeel, David today continues to wrestle with Muslim ideology through his ministry, Acts 17 Apologetics). In the story Jesus told, the father waited for his son to return and then ran to meet him when he was still far from home. We pray, and we fast until we have victory. I am writing this with Love, because I dont want you guys to make the same mistakes. I learned the first rule of repentance: that repentance requires greater intimacy with God than with our sin. James 1:8 says that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, and unstable is exactly where your spouse is. Karen's Testimony My story: Marriage after Betrayal My husband was gone. My husband left home three years ago, and its been a turbulent time for both of us. My passionate spirit from breaking away. The world knows this. Please, pray that God will give me a new heart to know him. Yet, we show you, our spouses, that we are happy and that we could not have it better any other way; life is good, we are feeling good and having the time of our lives. He can send the storm of trouble in your church. While doing some research on her writings, I found a little-known poem she wrote about what its like to be a prodigal on the way back home but with your heart not yet changed. Testimony of a Prodigal - You Will Come to the End of Yourself 23,496 views Nov 12, 2017 422 Dislike Share Save Lisa Crum 104 subscribers Candice Harper shares how God reconciled her to Himself. Amen. I turn my music up to drown out the noise, and advertisements for marriage restoration play on the radio. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. Scripture taken from New King James Version. There is nothing you can say or do, and everything you say or do in your will, will FAIL. Jonah said, I think Ill go west.. And your clinginess, desperation and tears make us sick to our stomachs; not because we dont care about youbecause we dowe love you, but it is hidden so deep inside that we cant see or feel it. Its all a LIE, but we dont know that. My guess is the parents of these three prodigals felt the same way. This has been a three year battle, and I am going down the wrong path again by crying and screaming. I was a regular church goer and I tithed but I still didnt have that personal relationship with God..well God has a way of getting our attention in ways unimaginable.and he got mine. This means that you do not have to have large amounts of faith with the Lord to get the show going with Him. Everything we ever wanted is now within this other person and you are now the enemy; you want to rob us of our joy, you dont understand us, you dont love us; because if you did, we wouldnt have gone astray. It doesnt matter whether were talking about Seattle or Atlanta, Chicago or Charlotte, New York or San Antonio, Las Vegas or Louisville. Its good that our heavenly Father does not Give up on His children! Even though I wrestled with what God wanted me to do because I thought I had many reasons not to go home, I was given a second chance to finally obey God and returned to my husband. All Bible verses are from the New International Version 1984 unless otherwise indicated. Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 11:07 am in Seeds Of Faith. YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED INTO THIS BATTLE, AND GOD WILL BRING YOUR VICTORY IF YOU DO NOT GIVE UP!!!! They can do without our sermons, but they cant live without our prayers. Join our Merry Band, become a Brilliant Writer, and dazzle your readers! Im glad I found this site and that it even exists. And those things came by the Holy Spirit working in my wifes life. Have you ever been touched, inspired, or challenged by someones personal history? I was an example of a prodigal wife, just like so many others, who had run from my husband and abandoned my family for months at a time, just to fulfill my selfish desires. My sense is that you knew Him when you went through your Jonah moments. As we see how God deals with Jonah, well discover that God deals with us in the same way when we disobey. While Susan knows this deeply wounded her son, he never talked about it much or acknowledged it bothered him. The son of loving devout Muslim parents, Nabeel Qureshi was clean-cut, well-educated, kind, respectful, and . 136 days of reeling and praying for a reconciliation. Wow! What you can see is someone who left you, hates you, and wants nothing to do with you, right? Hes going to seduce you with anger, bitterness, sex, and anything else he can to eliminate your will to press forward in this battle. Here is the type of comment I might hear: "my prodigal spouse decided that he wanted a break from our family life. The answer is simple. Some of them are doing things that would shock us deeply if we knew about them. I am just waiting for my husband to come back, because Satan is already defeated, but its our faith that moves mountains! That he will find them and bring them home. We come home to you, our spouses, and you throw stones at us. God will bring them home. Thank you so much! When your relationship and love for God far surpasses that of your wife/husband, you have arrived. God kept reminding me of my vows to my husband, and the choice I made to be married until death do us part that I made long ago I simply could not forget, no matter how hard I tried. It must have been a bad storm because these men were professional sailors who had seen it all. Your husband sounds like metrying to fix everything and my wife just keeps running. No matter what I do, it seems like everything goes wrong. Fight for Your Marriage Podcast; Videos; Store; Contact. But after being raised in a family plagued with sexual abuse, marital affairs, and deceit, she left her own marriage for another man and nearly lost the hope of making her dream a reality. It has become hard because the enemy deceived me, and the entire time I was running, I knew it was wrong. So Jonah paid his fare, boarded the ship, and as it left the harbor, he went down below to take a nap. It moved me to put on the armour of God and pull my Boo back from the Pit as well. Lost and running in the wrong direction. Lets take a look at how God begins the process of bringing Jonah back home. 1. But, please, dont stop! But when she wrote a scathing criticism of one of the local Christian gatherings, to her surprise, she received a thoughtful and kind reply from a pastor who invited her to call him. Put it all at His feet and walk away. We cant pay our bills. For those of you who are still praying to the Lord for the restoration of your marriage, below is a powerful testimony we have just received from a woman by the name of Crystal. Reading this testimony gave me so much hope, so I want to say thank you for restoring my faith. Gods got your number on Speed Dial. I met someone who understood mesomeone who sang my praises, complimented me, etc. We cherish our marriage and our relationship with God and He is doing wonderful things in our lives because of it. What I learned: Never give up on those you love keep praying. He knows whats coming and doesnt want you to give up. When youre in the storm, you tend to be fearful, angry and frustrated. Psalm 38:1-22 On any given Sunday of the year, most people dont go to church anywhere. Thankyou, thankyou. Today Im 12 Years Sober and Still Starting Over, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, about to be re-released (preorder link, non-affiliate). All Rights Reserved. I can preach a thousand sermons, we can all sing a thousand hymns, and together we can attend a thousand church services, but apart from the Lord it will do no good. Notice she said she had faith less than the size of a mustard seed when she first started to approach the Lord for His help. I know because I can't quit thinking about you and what I've done to you. One day the wife said to her husband, "Give me half of all we own.". We hear the ENEMY'S voice louder than God's; we have put God's voice on mute and the enemy tells us that we will be happy if we are divorced from youthen we could be free, happy and fulfilled. Our sin, our compromise, and our deceit always injures our spouse, our children, our friends, and our family. Thank You! I was deep in thought today and I want to share some of my experience as a prodigal. Mostly they are uninterested in anything the church has to offer. But within days of him leaving, I realized how wrong I was and how much I truly loved him. A few weeks ago my wife and I led a one-day Pastors Conference in Brunswick, Maine. I too thought I didnt want to be with my husband; I thought there was no way we could work through our issues, and that he just didnt understand and that it would be better and okay for us to part. This is just what I needed to wake me up from this nightmare. I believe God for the restoration of my marriage; yet with or without my marriage, Im looking for God to also fix me and my part in my current situation. The most difficult thing God has ever asked of me has been to trust in Him, to give my husband completely to Him and to love no matter what. Father, I yet am a long way off- I am putting it all in Gods hands! 4. The people of the world say to us, Cant you see what is happening? GOD has them, so remember that they are NOT in control. Very painful to read your story. The enemy has me in bondage! But many times they themselves became standers because by that time, their spouses had moved on or were not interested in marriage restoration. But then Nabeel met David Wood, a staunch Christian who had once spent time in jail for attempting to kill his father, and who came to know the love of God through the challenge of a fellow inmate. I wanted desperately to come home in one sense, because it was the only peace I could truly find. I know because I cant quit thinking about you and what Ive done to you. I was greatly deceived and believed that God was calling me to leave my family and pursue my soul mate. I kept running in the opposite direction of where God was calling me back home. But God, He is my lawyer and I am doing exactly what Crystal did! marriage, I had released my husband and my marriage to God and I knew God was going to do something. I found Roberts prayer for Hedge of Thorns and I am bringing out the big guns now. Talent vs. Faithfulness: What is God Looking For? Im in chains to the devil, and you are all I have right now! All of these peoples stories have encouraged me at various points in my life, so Id like to share them with you now: Gods faithfulness is proved not by the elimination of hardships but by carrying us through them. Christopher Yuan. When you walk in the footsteps of the father of the prodig I was deceived and left my husband for another man. Its only later that your realize the storm was a severe mercy from the Lord. I too am a testimony of God putting a marriage back together that was broken to pieces, and in our eyes, beyond repair. And I believe God! A comfy Mediterranean cruise. This is the first site I have found that give me direction and guidance. Thank you for sharing; your story is my story. We'd always been committed to our life together and to our children, family, and community. That morning, he believed, he was a new creation. He pressed on my lips the burning kiss My heart was shattered, and life was never going to be the same. For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. *Book title/movie links are affiliate links unless otherwise noted. Jonah was the sinner in this situation, and yet his foolish rebellion endangered everyone around him. Remember that God wants our marriages restored and our families healed more than we do; we just need to get out of the way and let Him work. He can send the storm of career implosion. This isnt every single detail of what happened there are parts missingbut my short journey has been nothing but incredible and miraculousbut I want you to know that with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. God will not let his straying children live in sin forever. No one gets a free ride on the Ship of Fools. There is a voice within every prodigal that tells them what they are doing is wrong. In many ways you have shared my own story. Who was going to stop me? However, in the last few years, I began to feel my husband's commitment to us wavering. I know God was working on him and sent him home to me. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). In a single, silent moment, his rage, his fear, his humilliation and helplessness, had fallen away. The world wants our prayers. Muck of the sty, reek of the trough, The Bible says to seek and then you will find what you are looking for. I dont know which is harder, weekdays or weekends, they are all just Long Days. Curious, she did so. I just found this site and Ive been doing everything you said not to do! He was on a boat headed for Tarshish, running from the Lord. Thank you! Prayer to Heal Broken Relationships. Its not his will for divorce. You have been given the grace to stand. Now my prodigal wife wants nothing to do with God, which is extremely frustrating and heart breaking. I didnt feel like I deserved to come home or to be received by my wife. At the End of the Year, Are You Just Trying to Get Attention? Thank you so much for your testimony. Satan has his ships, and they are always ready to take on another passenger. What I learned: Bitterness and vengefulness is vain it destroys us from the inside out, and hurts those we love as well. But I have faith that God will bring my wife back and Im a stander for however long it takes!! This is where I am at now, my husband is cold and telling me that its never going to work out! Sometimes we just need to be encouraged. All of them, however, have lived powerful stories of transformation, hope, and faithfulness. Not many days later, the wife gathered all she had and flew to the other side of the country. It took me out of the storm and planted me right back on solid ground today. Sometimes in our attempt to reach out to the prodigals we know, we can intervene too soon. Call on your god. And he divided everything between them. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. As far as I could see we were the perfect couplewent out together.stayed home togetherlaughed, joked..we were like two peas in a podof course we had our regular marital problems.no marriage is perfect..in addition to the above we also.. argued and sometimes told each other some harsh words.LIKE EVERY OTHER COUPLEit isnt right but it happens.. I was very unhappy in my marriage and I didnt believe I loved my husband anymore; we were always either arguing or giving each other the silent treatment. Stephanie. My marriage was over. Prodigal Spouse Testimonies Michael and Wanda, this book has really helped meI now feel I have the tools and encouragement to do what I have to do I am confident that even though my husband has moved out that God is not done with us! God brought me to my knees when there was nothing and no one else that could help me.
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