Day 20 Be Encouraged eVideo 5

Day 20
"Be Encouraged" eVideo 5

but first 2 Restored Marriage Testimonies!

“RESTORED in England”

After 4 years together and 2 children my husband and I were finally married. Then just 10 weeks later he announced he didn't love me anymore and he was leaving.

In just a few weeks he changed completely, so much so, that I didn't recognize him. He soon became involved with a woman at work and we barely spoke other than arrangements for our children. 

This is when I began to seek the Lord, after my husband left— I was desperate and alone. Slowly I became stronger and began to watch Erin's Be Encouraged videos and absorbed all her wisdom. After watching them over and over, I was no longer angry or bitter and instead I used my time and energy to pray every day for my husband's safe return and salvation. 

The principles the Lord taught me during this trial was that without Him, life is pointless. He needs to be the centre and focus of our existence and no matter how we are hurting He can always heal our pain and deliver us from the enemy IF we stay close by Him and trust in His direction. Sometimes it seems you're going off course, like letting go, but if you stay connected to Him, He will carefully guide you.

The most difficult times that God helped me through were the many times I was so low, so close to the point of giving in to what the world says to do or how I felt. I begged the Lord often to take me away and stop the misery I was living in. At one point I didn't care about anyone or anything anymore.

That's when I came to the “turning point” of my restoration. As my focus began to turn solely on the Lord and nothing else (as Erin and this ministry tells us to do but few do) my husband started to come by more and called often. Instead of getting too excited, I remained friendly and didn't reject his interest—but remained focused on the Lord. Throughout my trials the Lord told me to hang on for 6 months and to trust Him. That date came and went, but He still remained with me.

Please understand that many times things seem to get worse the closer I got. I would get word of him and the other woman and so very nearly gave up, but each time the Lord delivered me. My husband came by one evening 6 months to the day he left just like the Lord promised and suggested that we could try to work things out. However, that's when things got really difficult, since he remained very clinical for a while. But I remained calm and did not challenge his requests. Then just 3 short weeks later, he returned home. He has since cut off contact with the other woman and to help stay true, changed jobs. Although our marriage still has a long way to go to fully be what God designed, I am confident that we will only become stronger. 

I would highly recommend staying steadfast and true to the Lord and also Erin's literature. If not, I would not be where I am today. When I asked my husband what brought him home he answered that I had changed, something about me drew him home and he couldn't explain what it was. You see it was the Lord within me that drew my husband to my side. Also, without my acceptance of His love and allowing the healing that needed to take place, this would never have been possible.

Now I am very interested in helping encourage other women. Let me begin by saying to each of you:

Please please never give up no matter how the enemy taunts you or hurts you. Instead keep your focus on where you need to be with your focus on the Lord and the truth of the literature from this ministry.

~ Raeesa in England RESTORED

“Potter’s Wheel”

In June of this year, my earthly husband walked out on me with no explanation. I was married on June 7th and ten days later my earthly husband left. It left me feeling lost and confused. Although I felt my marriage was over, I had a peace within me which left me more confused. I had no idea that my earthly husband had a drug problem until the night of our honeymoon. I love my earthly husband dearly and wanted him to come home to work on our marriage. However, he would not talk to me. No one believed that my marriage was worth being restored, and many, except one woman, felt I should seek a divorce. None of them suggested that I seek God. While on a prayer room site Ramona, one of the RMI ministers reached out to me and shared the first chapter of “How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage.” I had witnessed two restored marriages, so I knew God was able to restore mine. 

I read the entire chapter of the book that same night. It gave me the determination to follow everything God instructed me to do. The further along I walked with God, the more I began to change. God redirected my focus from my marriage to my relationship with Him. I thought that my attendance in church and knowledge of scripture meant I was fine. I didn't realize that I was living a big lie. I gave my life to the Lord when I was young and had a strong walk with Him until I reached college. Since then I returned to the Lord but I struggled with the hurt and lies my church taught me. It was a constant battle between the worldly teachings of the church and my christian walk with God.  When He got a hold of me, He removed the dark cloud of sin surrounding my life. I was prideful, arrogant, greedy, bossy, a know-it-all, mean-spirited, and impatient. I was ashamed at how I treated my earthly husband and loved ones. I asked God to change me no matter how much it hurt. I refused to get off the potter's wheel. The Lord beat, shook, pressed and molded me in all sorts of ways. I learned to bring everything only to God and feed myself daily on His Word. I fasted to die to my flesh and eliminated everything that distracted me from hearing God's Word. I allowed Him to renew my mind from years of wrongful thinking.

I sought God in all I did. I allowed Him to use my life as an open book to share with others about the happiness they could have through Christ. There were times when it became hard for me and I became lonely. I tried to fill my loneliness through the company of other men. However, God convicted me to let Him fill my void. Through my trials and testing I learned that obedience to God is the key to a life of peace and joy.

My final test in obedience came when the Lord asked me to take the “How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage” book to my previous pastor. I didn't understand why. I felt that since she was a pastor, she should know that God can restore marriages. I remained obedient and leaned not on my own understanding. On a Sunday I got up, placed the book in a gift bag, and presented it to my pastor as a gift.

On that Monday, I received an e-mail from my earthly husband at work. We work for the same company and on the same floor. He said he needed to speak with me. Trust me I was nervous. I prepared myself for rejection because that is what I encountered all my life. We met in the middle of the floor. As soon as he saw me a big smile came across his face and he hugged me. He said that he had been praying and wanted to restore our marriage. I stood there shocked and in silence. I told him I had a meeting to attend and he said he would walk me to the meeting. He commented on how quiet and gentle I was. He kept telling me I was his wife and asked me if I realized it. He said he felt a part of him was missing while he was away from me. My earthly husband thanks God for blessing him with me. He said that seeing and talking to me was the happiest he has been in four months.

Ladies, this was all God. I couldn't have done this alone. I recommend RMI and its resources to all women whether single or married. Please, whatever you do, draw closer to God. Be obedient to all He leads you to do. Follow His Word and the principles laid out for us in this Ministry. It is through our obedience to God that we experience greater blessings, joy and peace that He has stored up for us.

~Bonita in Georgia RESTORED, was a Minister in Training who we can clearly see from her pictures that not willing to get off the potter's wheel can transform you not only on the inside but also what others see on the outside. Currently Bonita is starting with a new restoration ministry, devoted to helping those who have restored marriages. We consider ourselves blessed that she got her foundational training through RMI's Encouraging Women.