MARRIED FOR LIFE!
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.†...But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:18, 20b-25
Did you marry for life? Did you plan to divorce your spouse if your marriage did not work out? Sounds funny, but why do people spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful church wedding and not be totally committed to their marriage with their Lord God forever? God created marriage. God created woman for man. God hates divorce, so you and I need to hate divorce.
Today may I remind you why you are standing for your marriage forever. We receive letters from husbands or wives who have been married two years to twenty-five years. Regardless of what you are seeing or hearing today, stand firm with your Lord for Him to heal, restore and rebuild your marriage on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Don't ever give up on your miracle of marriage restoration. Your Lord God can and will change your spouse's heart in His perfect timing.
I like to remind new standers who may be wavering in praying and standing that their marriage is for life. God forgives our sins, but He does not condone divorce. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 19 that divorce was due to the hardness of the heart. I divorced Bob due to the hardness of my heart and due to being tired of Bob's sins and unfaithfulness. I thought I could use the exception clause. That is why my pastor and counselor said that I needed to divorce my husband for the sake of my children. I became blinded by the lies of the devil. I should have been praying and seeking God’s perfect answer for my marriage. Instead, I took surveys and they did not pray or seek God’s will for my marriage. They only looked at the circumstances.
Another thing you do: You flood the LORD's altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why†It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,†says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,†says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. Malachi 2:13-16
I did not personally know the power of my awesome mighty God at that time in my life. But God gives us second and third chances and He kept speaking to me even though, many times, I refused to listen. The Holy Spirit spoke to me the night before I divorced my husband, as I heard my first sermon on “Unconditional Love.†I went to my pastor with questions regarding his sermon and how could I divorce my husband the next morning. He said my circumstances were too extreme. I chose to listen to other people's opinions instead of the Lord's voice.
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27
God does speak to His children! Are you hearing Him speak to your spirit? When God does speak to you, He will not change His mind and say, "Oops, that was too hard for me to do." The Lord spoke to my heart on that special Sunday where Paul and Ann Downing shared their testimony of their restored marriage in our church two months after I divorced Bob. I knew that my Lord was reprimanding me for my part of the failure of my marriage. He told me that He would make me to be the wife that Bob needed and deserved. I had given up on Bob and on God to make my marriage to be what God created it to be. Have you given up on your spouse and on God? Don't! You will never be satisfied with your life, if you disobey the Lord and do as the world says.
Let's go to the Bible and read what Paul taught the church in Ephesus how the husbands are to love their wives and the wives MUST respect their husbands. Just imagine if we did what the Word teaches us, I do not believe we would have all the divorces that we have today.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.†This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33
Our prayer in this ministry is for all men to love their wives as God has commanded them to do in His Word. There must be one head in each family and that is the husband. God is over the husband. If your husband is not home, then ask God to be your spouse for this season (Read Isaiah 54:4-17). I believe that divorce has become rampant in our society as we have rebelled against God's plan of authority in our marriages. Women marry and then they do not respect their husband or they may have a hidden agenda to change their husband into what they want them to be.
Men, I challenge and urge you to become the spiritual leader of your homes regardless of where your spouse is at this moment. Pray for her daily, bless her as the Lord leads, provide for her as you want to show her unconditional love and be a good example to your children. She is your wife for life. Teach your children what it is to be a spiritual leader in your home, teaching them the Word of God and try to pray with them daily if possible.
Women, do you respect your husband? Men are to love their wives as their own bodies. A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31 When I started disrespecting Bob because of his actions, behaviors and words, I allowed the enemy to come into our home and pour self-righteousness, bitterness and anger into my heart.
I pray that you will seek the Lord for His wisdom and direction in your personal life, applying God’s Biblical principles that are not popular in our society regarding marriage. Be obedient to God's Word and see the blessings that He will give you due to your obedience. He will rebuild your walls to be strong and fortified, to protect you and your loved ones. God created marriage and He wants to heal, restore and rebuild your marriage! Will you wait on God’s timing?
God bless,
Charlyne Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.†...But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:18, 20b-25
Did you marry for life? Did you plan to divorce your spouse if your marriage did not work out? Sounds funny, but why do people spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful church wedding and not be totally committed to their marriage with their Lord God forever? God created marriage. God created woman for man. God hates divorce, so you and I need to hate divorce.
Today may I remind you why you are standing for your marriage forever. We receive letters from husbands or wives who have been married two years to twenty-five years. Regardless of what you are seeing or hearing today, stand firm with your Lord for Him to heal, restore and rebuild your marriage on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Don't ever give up on your miracle of marriage restoration. Your Lord God can and will change your spouse's heart in His perfect timing.
I like to remind new standers who may be wavering in praying and standing that their marriage is for life. God forgives our sins, but He does not condone divorce. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 19 that divorce was due to the hardness of the heart. I divorced Bob due to the hardness of my heart and due to being tired of Bob's sins and unfaithfulness. I thought I could use the exception clause. That is why my pastor and counselor said that I needed to divorce my husband for the sake of my children. I became blinded by the lies of the devil. I should have been praying and seeking God’s perfect answer for my marriage. Instead, I took surveys and they did not pray or seek God’s will for my marriage. They only looked at the circumstances.
Another thing you do: You flood the LORD's altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why†It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,†says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,†says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. Malachi 2:13-16
I did not personally know the power of my awesome mighty God at that time in my life. But God gives us second and third chances and He kept speaking to me even though, many times, I refused to listen. The Holy Spirit spoke to me the night before I divorced my husband, as I heard my first sermon on “Unconditional Love.†I went to my pastor with questions regarding his sermon and how could I divorce my husband the next morning. He said my circumstances were too extreme. I chose to listen to other people's opinions instead of the Lord's voice.
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27
God does speak to His children! Are you hearing Him speak to your spirit? When God does speak to you, He will not change His mind and say, "Oops, that was too hard for me to do." The Lord spoke to my heart on that special Sunday where Paul and Ann Downing shared their testimony of their restored marriage in our church two months after I divorced Bob. I knew that my Lord was reprimanding me for my part of the failure of my marriage. He told me that He would make me to be the wife that Bob needed and deserved. I had given up on Bob and on God to make my marriage to be what God created it to be. Have you given up on your spouse and on God? Don't! You will never be satisfied with your life, if you disobey the Lord and do as the world says.
Let's go to the Bible and read what Paul taught the church in Ephesus how the husbands are to love their wives and the wives MUST respect their husbands. Just imagine if we did what the Word teaches us, I do not believe we would have all the divorces that we have today.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.†This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33
Our prayer in this ministry is for all men to love their wives as God has commanded them to do in His Word. There must be one head in each family and that is the husband. God is over the husband. If your husband is not home, then ask God to be your spouse for this season (Read Isaiah 54:4-17). I believe that divorce has become rampant in our society as we have rebelled against God's plan of authority in our marriages. Women marry and then they do not respect their husband or they may have a hidden agenda to change their husband into what they want them to be.
Men, I challenge and urge you to become the spiritual leader of your homes regardless of where your spouse is at this moment. Pray for her daily, bless her as the Lord leads, provide for her as you want to show her unconditional love and be a good example to your children. She is your wife for life. Teach your children what it is to be a spiritual leader in your home, teaching them the Word of God and try to pray with them daily if possible.
Women, do you respect your husband? Men are to love their wives as their own bodies. A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31 When I started disrespecting Bob because of his actions, behaviors and words, I allowed the enemy to come into our home and pour self-righteousness, bitterness and anger into my heart.
I pray that you will seek the Lord for His wisdom and direction in your personal life, applying God’s Biblical principles that are not popular in our society regarding marriage. Be obedient to God's Word and see the blessings that He will give you due to your obedience. He will rebuild your walls to be strong and fortified, to protect you and your loved ones. God created marriage and He wants to heal, restore and rebuild your marriage! Will you wait on God’s timing?
God bless,
Charlyne Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
