When I receive a communication like that, I feel like screaming, "Body of Christ, wake up!!!!!" We who have the living Lord dwelling within us should be the most powerful people on the face of the earth. Yet time after time when the enemy attacks we see Christians acting like there is just nothing they can do.
I know there is personal pain involved in those types of decisions. I know that marriages don't disintegrate overnight and that the decision to end a marriage comes slowly and stealthily. And I know that it is not easy to stand against the enemy.
But, I also know that Jesus is the name above all names. He paid the price to overcome the works of enemy and He has made available to us all that heaven has to offer. I know that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds through the Holy Spirit. I know that in Him we are more than conquerors!
Every time a Christian decides to divorce I believe they are making a loud and clear declaration, "Jesus didn't do enough to overcome the sin in our lives. His blood doesn't bring healing and He is not able to reconcile."
I've thought a lot about this couple today. I've thought about all the couples they taught and discipled when they worked with us. Many were young couples, just starting out in marriage. Will they now believe the lie that Jesus is not able to heal a marriage since their mentors are proclaiming it so loudly?
I thought also of the members of their church and of their families and friends. As the shepherd is struck, will the sheep scatter? How many marriages in that church will now end in divorce because their shepherd has led the way?
I thought about their children that we have watched grow up through the years. I thought about their broken hearts as mom and dad end a relationship that was supposed to bring security to their lives. I thought about their future relationships and marriages. When times get tough, will they just walk away as well because that is what they were taught?
Many times I have wondered why so many in our nation do not see the threat that is poised against us as terrorists seek to destroy us and our way of life. So many in our nation act as if the war on terror is either the figment of someone's imagination or a simple exaggeration way beyond reality.
Then I stop and think about the Church. We set the spiritual atmosphere in a nation. The life of the Church brings life to the nation. Yet in the Church so many fail to recognize the biggest terrorist of them all and how he and his minions destroy homes and families daily. Far too many ignore his terrorism or make excuses for what he has destroyed by blaming people and situations.
It is no wonder that in the natural many cannot stand strong against a physical enemy when the Church is so unable to stand strong spiritually against our spiritual enemy.
I commend you today for the decision you have made and the good fight of faith you are fighting. You have decided that no demonic force is going to determine the fate of your marriage and family. Your life is a loud declaration that when Jesus said, "It is finished," He truly had paid the full price. Some days you may wonder if it is worth it and on those days remember the eyes that are watching you. They may not understand what you are doing or they may even be trying to get you to stop, but somewhere in the depths of their heart they see God's faithfulness and power at work.
Every time someone stands and says, "No!" to the enemy's destructive plans, the Church's voice becomes a bit stronger. Every time someone lays down his/her life and allows the Lord to begin working on his/her own heart, the Church grows a bit more in power. And every time a marriage is reconciled, the Church regains a bit more of its dynamic influence in our society. I long for the day when the Church stands out in the land as a faithful covenant people who will not allow the enemy to take one more marriage or family. I long for the day when the world marvels and says, "See how they love one another!" ~ Marilyn
"Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
"If anyone says, 'I love God' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, who he has not seen." 1 John 4:20
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