Heavenly Husband
*Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:7-16—
“Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.
“I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to an emotionally tortured life as a single.” MSG
1 Corinthians 7: 34-35—
“I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder.”
For almost fourteen years Erin’s ministry to women focused solely on restoring marriages to earthly husbands, but from the beginning, RMI has always been about helping women find and experience their First Love. Unfortunately, over the years more and more women sought the men who had left them rather than really pursuing the Lord who wanted and longed to love them—the way we hope YOU have been yearning to know Him and experiencing His love.
And when YOU do, you'll find "all these things" like a restored marriage, will be added to you! Just follow Saturday's Encourager blog to read how over and over these restored women share how He is their first Love, and as such, they are able to get through their valley holding His hand, leading them to be restored and afterwards when they often explain that an EH never can fulfill all our needs—we need Someone who will do that!
So for the sake of hurting women, women like each of us once were, as you read in Course 1 DAY 5 Chapter 5 "Your First Love"it was when Erin put the Lord first in her life and heart that her marriage was restored—the marriage that began this ministry. Regardless of what people say, the ministry was never about Erin or her marriage, it's not a stander's or covenant ministry. This ministry has always been about finding Him, His truth, His Word and most importantly His love. The fruits of this are seen in the endless restored ministers and other ministers who now carry on Erin's message to each and every woman who are hurting and who needs His love—whether she is married, single, young, old and no matter what religion she practices.
So, after fourteen years of being restored, Erin's HH asked her to allow God to remove her EH—so that the focus of Encouraging Women would be about yearning for the Lord as the amazing Husband He is—helping each and everyone woman feel the Love fully loved.
By 2005 women had changed from when RMI was founded, women not only were willing to forgive men who cheated on them—women were now obsessed with getting their husband or live in partner—just as standers and covenant ministries are obsessed with. Just as many women are still obsessed with and why many returned to being contentious, then became bitter and vengeful towards Erin—going so far as to spread lies and hurt innocent women.
There were many more reasons for Erin letting go of what the ministry once was, which she discovered later on as she continued her Restoration Journey. Promises such as this that we share with every woman who comes to RMI looking for hope:
Isaiah 54:4-6—
“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the shame of your youth,
And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
“For your Husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
“'For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,' Says your God.”
"Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery...and I will faithfully give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them. Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples."
“All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.”
Dear bride, once the focus of your life is on the Lord, finding Him as your Heavenly Husband, as you will read in almost all of our newest restored marriage testimonies, that's when GOD can and will restore your marriage. Once God has ample time to see He is first in your heart, once He's had enough time to heal you of your hurts, once He's had time to take you far enough along in your journey so you won't want to turn back to Egypt (which symbolized the world and why the Israelites wandered for 40 years when it's only an 11 day journey) —that's when He will do the impossible for you and—turn your husband's heart back to you.
Due to Erin letting go of everything that she held dear to her heart, it's our hope that you will also experience a restored marriage. However, Erin's own marriage restoration and latter rain isn't the sole focus of Encouraging Women as we've already said. It's always been and always will be about the Lord being first—something many churches have forgotten, which is why in Revelation 2:4, God is speaking to the churches saying, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love."
RESTORED marriages is why you found your way here—but it isn't why He brought you here. He wanted you to have so much more!
Yes, He wants to give you a restored marriage and so much more before your restoration takes place. Having Him help you in every area of your life, finally discovering how it feels to be loved deep within. Filling the empty place in your heart, a place where nothing and no one else can ever fill. Not waiting until you die to experience His embrace, but feeling it now. And never being worried about your future because He's with you to guide you through ever deep valley back to the mountaintop—THIS is why He's brought you here—during the worst and most frightening time of your life!
It is our hope that you will give your marriage to God to restore, while you focus on discovering the Lord as your HH and begin to experience what living the Abundant Life really is—the life He died to give you. And to help you discover this life, Erin wrote four books documenting her latter rain journey. Books and courses that have changed the lives and healed so many women of some of their deepest wounds that had been festering and oozing for years.
As you'll learn when choosing your own BNN, it's important to be transparent, while at the same time, not hurt anyone (loved ones or even those who misused or persecuted you), which is why Erin was led to use the pen name, Michele.
Like many authors, Erin used a BNN, which was used to conceal not her own identity, but also protect anyone who played a part in her newest restoration journey when she was allowed to reunite with her first Love. Finally, she was no longer the adulteress, as it says in James 4:4 "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Whether or not your marriage is restored immediately or eventually—you and every woman alive was meant to live an Abundant Life right now!!
It's true, you can have complete and utter joy right NOW. Joy doesn't have to be determined by when your marriage is restored. It doesn't have to be determined by anyone or anything. It's yours the moment you choose to put Him first and discover the love He has for you, LoveAtLast. And once you experience His love, you can't help but also begin sharing the freedom of His Abundant Life, and you'll daily continue to thank the Lord that He is MORE than enough for you and for every woman alive—free from being vulnerable—of needed love or anything from anyone else but HIM.
So many women, just like you, who now have restored marriages, you'll see how their journeys will help you discover not just a restored marriage and family—but so much more—healing, joy and a Husband who will travel your entire life with you, by your side. Until in the end He will return to take you home to your final destination—eternity with Him.
What so many women have discovered was that His love has healed and is healing all of the hurts, restoring lives none of us ever dreamed we could have and that traveling along our journey is much more than just about our marriages—we needed Him to restore our lives!
Will you put HIM first, allowing GOD to restore your marriage, your family, and open your heart to helping other women who are facing the same crisis in their lives?
Your Divine Appointment—Your Mission in Life
When God led you here, to your Divine Appointment, you were relieved and you began to discover the "peace that surpasses all understanding" peace that only HE can give you. Are you willing to take His hand now to discover more than you (or any of us) have ever dreamed?
Ephesians 3:20 TLB—
“Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”
What are your dreams? Did you ever sense that your life would touch other lives? Could this be why He’s called you to go through this valley along your journey, in order to first discover Him as your Heavenly Husband while He begins to unveil your abundant life?
1 Corinthians 7:10-11
"But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife."
The Voice (VOICE)
"To those who are married, here’s my command (to be clear, this isn’t merely my opinion; it comes from the teaching of the Lord Jesus): it is not right for a wife to leave her husband. If she does, she must either remain single or reconcile with her husband, but she should not marry someone else. Likewise, the husband should not divorce his wife." The benefit to remain unmarried is spoken of early in this book of the Bible:
"A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
“In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:34 NLT).
MESSAGE "I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention.
The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions."
“An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:34).
“Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).
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Wanting a RESTORED marriages is why you found your way here—all because Erin was willing to lay down her own life, her children, her family, AND her reputation—not once but twice and each time she comes under attack.
John 15:11-14 TLB—
“I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will overflow! I demand that you love each other as much as I love you. And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends.”
Yes, the friend this verse speaks about is you! 🙂
Matthew 16:23—
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.’ ”
Matthew 19:29—
“And everyone who has lost houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
Mark 10:29-30—
"Jesus said, 'Truly I say to you, there is no one who has lost house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.'”
Yet what He wants to give you is an abundant life, often a restored marriage, but there's so much more He has for you before and after a restoration does or does not take place. Having Him in your life, discovering how it feels to be loved deep within. In a place where nothing and no one can fill the void. Not waiting until you die to experience His embrace, but feeling it now. And never being worried about your future because He's with you to guide you through ever deep valley back to the mountaintop—THIS is why He's brought you here—during the worst and most frightening time of your life!
Our dear Valentina returned back to RMI after Erin sensed to ask her to come back after her marriage was restored. Only six months later Valentina's HH called her home to be with Him, passing away "smiling at her future."
It is our hope that you will give your marriage to God to restore, while you focus on discovering the Lord as your HH and begin to experience what living the Abundant Life really is—the life He died to give you. And to help you discover this life, Erin wrote four books documenting her latter rain journey. Books and courses that have changed the lives and healed so many women.
As you learned when choosing your own BNN, it's important to be transparent, while at the same time, not hurt anyone (loved ones or even those who misused or persecuted you), which is why Erin was led to use the pen name, Michele and it's why all of our ministers for many years have also chosen to use a BNN—to remain transparent while never hurting the innocent.
In the same way, many women who are not yet spiritually mature take Erin's latter rain as a disappointment to their own restoration. Yet, who of us, even when we first began our journey, wouldn't be thrilled to be restored for fourteen days, fourteen weeks, or especially fourteen years? Yet, once again, what we are most excited about is that you don't need to wait to be happy again, to feel free and whole and full of more life than you ever experienced all based on whether or not your marriage is restored! You and every woman alive can live an Abundant Life right now!!
Now that you know the price Erin paid, along with so many who have gone before you, I'm certain you will feel the gratitude—thankful that you are reaping the fruits of Erin’s willingness to obey the Lord who called her to find and travel an even narrower road for us to follow.
Genesis 22:18—
“Abraham, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.”
Not only is there a hundredfold fruit in Erin’s ministry, new ministries like Veronica began Restored by Grace, using all of Erin's resources that she used to begin her own ministry to thousands of Spanish speaking women. This was due to Erin allowing God to bring her through a latter rain.
What we have all discovered, due to Erin's journey, was that His love has healed and is healing all of our hurts, restoring a life we never dreamed we could have and that traveling along our journey is much more than just about our marriages—we needed Him to restore our lives!
Later in your journey, you will be introduced to more abundant life testimonies—testimonies from many women who have discovered the blessings and benefits of having the Lord as their Heavenly Husband—amazing ways than none of us ever dreamed could happen to us.
What about you?
Like Erin, you may find the unexpected and forgotten, is up ahead for your life. Yet you can be certain, with Him you will live the Abundant Life He died to give you once you become His bride.
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
Q: If I make the Lord my HH does that mean my marriage won't be restored?
A: Of course not! There are more women submitting Restored Marriage Testimonies that there was before Erin was not only asked to take this path, but when God turned her heart away from her wayward husband. "The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Proverbs 21:1)
The Voice. "The king’s heart is like a channel of water directed by the Eternal: He chooses which way He bends it."
The Message bible. "Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever ends he chooses."
TPT "It’s as easy for God to steer a leader's heart for His purposes as it is for Him to direct the course of a stream." Trust God to turn your heart in the direction of the Abundant Life He has for you!
Q: Why didn't Erin accept her husband's proposal "should it not work out with the other woman"?
A: As stated above, God had turned her heart away from her EH, which Erin "assumed" meant that her EH would begin to follow the men's RYM book and become the men's minister having lived and believed the promises. However, this was not God's plan. Unbeknownst to Erin, her first husband was alive, which meant that being married she was living in a state of adultery.
Isaiah 40:2—
“Speak kindly to...her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.”
NIV—
“Speak tenderly to..and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.”
Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Speak tenderly to.. and announce to her that her time of forced labor is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins." As it says in the RYM book:
You are not the exception: “I most certainly understand that God is not One to show partiality” (Acts 10:34). Remarriage is not an “option”—the Bible says it’s “adultery”! “. . . But I say [Jesus Himself says] to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32).
Erin discovered along her journey (read Living the Abundant Life) that by marrying her husband, Dan, she caused him to commit adultery by marrying her (even though Erin was told her first husband had passed away). Only after Erin had written all four of the Abundant Life books did she find her oldest son's father who was living in the same city where her son was living at the time—allowing both to enjoy the father/son relationship they never had—with the added blessing of discovering he was a grandfather!