The views expressed below are those of the writer and may not reflect the views of Rejoice Marriage Ministries or the Steinkamps.
Men, has the Lord placed a devotional on your heart that you would like to share with other standers?
Mighty Men and Women of God,
I found out something this week that my wife is doing that really hurt me. Why did it hurt so much? Because of how I see her as a Mighty Woman of God and my wife.
The Holy Spirit brought to my attention that I need to change one of the lenses in my Spiritual glasses. And that I need to not only see her as my wife, but also as a Child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made. What we have to realize is that our spouses were God’s Children long before He blessed us and brought them into our lives, and they are still His.
God’s first concern is the salvation of your spouse. Yes, He is concerned about our marriages being restored but that is not His primary focus. His primary focus is the soul of your spouse and where it will spend eternity. He wants to restore you first, so that you can become that Mighty Man and Woman of God. So you can rise up and stand in the gap for your marriage and your family; standing on the promises in His Word, not looking to the left, the right, or behind you, but intentionally focused on His face and Him alone. Then He will restore your spouse, your marriage, your family and everything the enemy has stolen.
I am not going to lie. It wasn’t easy to put my feelings aside and write this devotional, but the Holy Spirit gave me the strength to do so. Please remember at one point in time, we were where our spouses are and, by the grace and mercy of God, we were saved. I used to be the prodigal and my wife was the one standing in the gap for me. Now the tables have turned.
When we said our marriage vows it was for life, until death does us apart! Not until things get difficult or we get hurt, but for life! Do not judge your spouse, for our righteousness is as dirty rags in the eyes of God. Just because we have the gift of salvation doesn’t mean that we are better than them. The only difference between them and us is the God they serve.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
You cannot expect your spouse to behave like a Child of God if they are not serving Him. It’s time to change one of your lenses and see them as a Child of God also. God loves them tremendously and He will not stop fighting for their souls. Neither should you.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Mighty Men and Women of God, let’s keep fighting the good fight of faith until we reap our harvest and our Lord and Savior returns. Remember the battle is not ours and we already have the victory! Stay strong Brothers and Sisters, the restoration of your marriage is closer than you think.
Keston in Japan
