Civil War: A House Divided Cannot Stand
When my husband and I first got engaged it seemed like things were against us. We were together a very short time and were married within 5 months, being older, I had just turned 30 and my husband was turning 31 in March. We met doing an outreach, “A Feast Fit For A King,” and God had really moved and blessed it. As we neared getting married, some weren’t so sure that we should get married, we both were already afraid to make a mistake, so we sought some council. A very good thing to do!! We were told that we were a great couple, but even if we weren’t, that as soon as we were married before God, He would be for us, fight for us, and bless us!!!
James Whitcomb Riley
That day we left church and drove around, we ended up at the Crown Hill Cemetery. I know that sounds a little weird, but we needed a new perspective and Crown Hill is the highest natural point in Indianapolis. As we got to the highest point, James Whitcomb Rileys memorial and grave, we got out and looked up at the sky and talked about what had been said. My husband-to-be held me in his arms, and as He did the Lord spoke to him, He said, “If you will keep me at the center of your marriage, and hold on tight to each other, nothing will knock you down.”
A Strong West Wind
After the Lord spoke to him, and he told me, we heard a roar of a wind coming from the west. This wind seemed almost visible, as it was so loud, and then it hit us. As we held on to each other, and were thanking God for the word, the wind came and almost knocked us over. But we didn’t fall, because God had us, He kept us, and showed us in that moment He was with and for us!! We were amazed, and felt such peace, we were in His hands. This is just one of the many times the Lord confirmed our marriage! There is only one time a west wind is mentioned in the bible. Exodus 10:19 says, “And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.”
But God…
There are a lot of things the devil can throw at you to devour you, he can try and destroy what God has set up, in order, and blessed. But God!!! He showed us that whatever was going to come our way, was going to be a detriment to our marriage, whatever tried to destroy us, would be blown away!! He would fight for us, He had a plan for us. Our marriage and ministry has been one of restoration and renewal!! But God.. He is a God who took all of the things in our past life, and even all we battled as we were first married, (the locusts), the outside forces that came against us, and He blew them away. They were meant to destroy us, but God used it for the restoration of us, our ministry, and those we are blessed to minister to.
Civil War
Sometimes in the midst of the outside world, problems, attacks, money problems, becoming one, things that devour like the locusts, we find ourselves in the middle of a civil war. It’s a war fought between two opposing views of the same region or country. Sadly, this is what a lot of homes look like today. They live in the same place, and have opposing views, so they war. They fight and devour one another. We must look to the Lord, and see he can restore any marriage.
A House Divided Cannot Stand
Mark 3:25 says, “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Your home will never stand all the trials of life that come your way, if you are divided. When we are divided in a marriage we are not one. We will fall every time. We went through many a trial, and we did argue, cry, pray, and feel defeated at times. It’s not easy to become one, and blend a family too. But we were always putting God first, and hanging onto each other. We never let go! If one of us fell, the other one picked them up! We weren’t at war against each other, we were at war against the enemy.
Knowing Your Enemy
Your enemy isn’t your spouse, it is not your ex, sickness, kids, it’s not financial problems, it’s not life. The enemy is the devil, satan, the father of lies. You must be on the same team and learn who the real enemy is and learn to fight him the way the bible says to. The enemy of your soul will use these things listed to divide you from your spouse, but we are not ignorant of the devils devices. Prayer, fasting, reading the word together, applying it, speaking it, living it!!!! Building your life around Jesus and the altar is what is going to help you to become one and not be divided.
Learning to Let Jesus Fight For You
We have to learn to become one, put on the whole armor of God, pray, and then sometimes we just need to let the Lord fight for us!! This can be very hard unless you do the things I mentioned prior. We have to learn to take it to an altar and leave it there, forgive, and move on. God fights for us, He wants us to do battle sometimes in prayer and fasting, and other times, He wants us to just put it in His hands and His ways. We don’t always like this because we want results right now. His ways are not our ways, and He knows best. This takes a dying to our flesh because we are not in control when we do it.
Promises of Restoration
Joel 2:25 says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” God can send a strong west wind and in a day restore all you have lost. Sometimes He allows the locust and other times He sends it. But He is a God of promise and restoration!!! God has blessed, and restored many things in our life! The locust was for a time, it did try to destroy what we had, but like Job, we have double given back to us of what was taken.
Trust God
Trust God with your life, your trials, your disappointments in marriage, He knows what’s best!! When I got up this morning we were getting ready for church and I just started thanking Him for all He had done. All we went through, we both talked about how we felt at times we would be destroyed, but God. He made a way where there was no way, He provided, He blessed and restored us!! Now look at what our testimonies are doing for others! He is using what we went through to help others going through the same things!! You will have a testimony too!! Others will see your life, if you allow and trust God with it, and they will know they can make it also!!
Scriptures:
Monday: Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Put Jesus first in everything!! Pray the Lord helps you to put Him at the center!!
Tuesday: Exodus 10:19 says, “And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.” Pray over this scripture and believe the Lord for Him to blow away the locusts in your life as you surrender to Him! Be patient and trust His timing and the process.
Wednesday: Mark 3:25 says, “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Meditate on this scripture and pray God helps you to become one and not be a divided home.
Thursday: Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” Oh, if we could see the truth in this!! We are on the same team and need to be merciful to each other and help each other when we fall as the Lord has been merciful to us!!!
Friday: 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Pray God give you vision for what the devices of the devil are, and that you are sober and aware! IF you know his devices you can learn to fight accordingly.
Saturday: Ephesians 6:10-20 especially 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Read this whole portion of scripture and learn to pray the whole armour of God daily!! This is so important! Pray Jesus help you to daily speak this word and learn to pray against the real enemy in your home!
Sunday: Joel 2:25 says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” Pray you wait upon the Lord to restore, and renew in your marriage and life! That He would fight on your behalf!
Prayer
Our prayer for you today is that you will see God’s unchanging hand in all your circumstances, all your mess, all your arguments, all your fears, and know if they can be blessed, so can we!!! That you would start to trust God and pray for His west wind to blow, and that the locusts that have eaten away at your marriage and faith be destroyed! That the Lord Jesus would start to restore the years the locust have eaten. That civil war would not reside at your home any longer, that you would bind together with your spouse and fight the real enemy. That you would take authority in Jesus name and kick that old devil right out of your home!! That you would no longer be a house divided, but a home built upon the Rock and a sure Foundation!! Jesus is the only answer!! Never give up, and keep your faith!! You too can have a happilyevermarried!!!
Contact
Please feel free to contact us at janene@happilyevermarried.org or read other blog posts at http://happilyevermarried.org and share with others who are wanting to invest in their marriage.