Yes my wife Aida and I are standing in front of a peacefull backdrop, Lake Junaluska North Carolina, but for eight turmultuos years our marriage was anything but that.
My wife, always a believer, and I constantly argued as I challenged her or criticized her belief in God, something I hope I will be forgiven for when I stand in front of Him one day.
I have been angry, hostile, hateful, spiteful or almost any other immoral behavior short of murderous towards my loving wife. That changed not too long ago.
Towards the beginning of November, 2008 the Lord called to me and told me to repent, to come back to Him and believe in Him as I had when I was a child.
Immediately I told my wife and asked that we work on our marriage. I was stunned when she first said no, that it was too late. Why, I questioned, I discovered she had been talking to a long lost childhood sweetheart with hopes of meeting up with him. I researched the man online and called him to tell him I was working on my troubled marriage and to please leave us alone, Satan was working to tear us apart but God told me to "fight for my marriage". She asked that I leave the house but God kept telling me to fight.
A week before Thanksgiving of 2008 I attended service at my church Concord First Assembly located in Concord, North Carolina and was touched by God when the church choir performed "God Is Here" followed by the Lead Pastor asking that people looking to come to God go to the front of the Church so he could pray for them (me). I was immersed in the Holy Spirit and sprinted down the stairs, leaving my 6 year old son who had attended with me, making my way to Pastor Rick Ross. It wasn't until he was done praying over me that I realized I had left my son alone in the balcony! When I looked up I noticed that my wife's friend was watching him. Praise God.
That was only three months ago but I feel years removed from my bad behavior. I am a new man, my wife sees it and my two boys see it and now I hope someone sees it here and fights for their marriage using God's words found in The Bible and other Christians and their experiences. Far too many give in, but remember Matthew 19:6 "...what God has joined together, let not man seperate" (NKJV).
I'm dovorced and am slowly, trying to accept God. I have my doubts, but so desparetely want my marriage back. I don't know what you did between you and your wife, but it's stories like yours that give me inspiriation and hope. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI tried to comment back but couldn't so I'll leave this here Shaun.. 4 months ago I laughed if someone said they believed in God. I turned my life over to Him because the way I ran things wasn't working too well and he gave me my marriage back. Two other quick items, I was having breathing problems, prayed on it and I am fine now and I had a mean prayer answered...I prayed for God to move the people next door because of how they would leave trash in their front yard all the time....that was on a Monday.... THEY MOVED THAT THURSDAY! If you are true to Him he will see that and your prayers will be answered.....just believe!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome testimony! There is only on ething that concerns me..You said you "hope" you will be forgiven at judgement day. When you become a born again christian your past is forgiven. It is god's grace that allows us this privelage. When you come to him he forgives you are "transformed and a new creation in him" I just wanted to share this with you.
ReplyDeleteOn a note about divorce the bible specifically says there are only two reasons a christian can divorce. 1) adultery because the tie is already severed and 2) if you married a no-believer. Your wife had a christian ground to stand on and god gave you a second chance! You have a great start by speaking to others..continue to live as Jesus would and continue spreading the word of his GREAT love ! God bless you and your family.
Praise God Brother for your testimony. My marriage has been under attack since last year and the harder i try to fix it the worse i make it. Finally last Friday my wife told me she wanted out. I managed to talk her into giving it one last chance and putting it in the Lords hands completely. Let's see what He can do! I love her so much and have blown it so badly. All glory and honor will go to the Lord because I am completely out of her heart it seems. God Bless You and Your Family
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous, get the movie Fireproof with Kirk Cameron and watch it, then the Love Dare book at any bookstore.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are Christians, but had been moving farther and farther apart in life with all of the little misunderstandings and little jabs, and bitternesses. I would get on a computer upstairs and her downstairs. We lived a lot of our lives separate although in the same house. Those splinters grew and even though we thought we were ok, trouble and resentment was brewing under the surface.
We watched Fireproof the first time and thought it was a great Christian movie and recommended all our friends to see it, but we thought we didn't need to do anything special.
A few weeks later our marriage was over, bitterness and bad feelings came to a head and neither wanted to give in. I was ready to move several states away. She could not get past my talking to other women on the internet, she could not trust me ever again. We were done.
God intervened, softened our hearts toward each other, and we watched the movie Fireproof again. We saw our own selfish motives in the characters and decided then to make a covenant commitment, not just a marriage by license, and we have become more intimate and bound together in God's love than we ever have in our 6 years of marriage.
We are rededicating ourselves to each other as a marriage covenant on our anniversary this year.
We will pray for your marriage. You should do the same. Just talk to God directly like you have laid out your problem here. Spell it out to God and give it over to him. Dedicate your marriage and your life to Him.
God spoke through Markei... great advice!
ReplyDeleteI have been married for over 30 years. My husband prefers his buddies at the bar over our marriage. Even through all this, I see the person he is deep down inside. 8 months ago he told me he contacted a lawyer for a divorce. I was devastated. I tried everything I could to reason with him. He syas he is happy living alone. I live in Illinois, him in Florida. I pray everyday that God will help us. There are times I think by keeping us apart, God is helping us.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear your story. I hope you are walking with God and know that he has a plan for the both of you as hard as that may seem right now. God Bless you and you are in my prayers!
ReplyDelete