"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." John 14:15-17
What is a vital key to your marriage restoration? The answer is obedience. Your obedience in listening and obeying the Holy Spirit's voice of instructions in your daily life. I believe with all my heart, that if you will seek the Lord for His plan and purpose for your life and marriage, the Lord will speak to you showing His will and way. That is vital for you to be able to have the assurance that you are on the right road following the Lord Jesus Christ for your marriage restoration.
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him... Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:15- 17,21,23-27
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
Do you know what is one of the most important prayers that you can pray for your spouse other than for repentance? It is for their obedience to God. This will take your spouse from hearing the Lord telling them over and over again to get out of their situation, to doing it! If we would take a survey of how often the Lord is speaking to your spouse to come home, almost guaranteed, they had been told more times than they could count to get out of their situation. Your husband or wife needs to obey without reasoning out their circumstances. They need to repent, turning their life to the Lord asking Him for His help and directions for their escape. Then God will continue to speak to them the road of marriage restoration back to you, their faithful, patient, beloved spouse.
Now you can add another word to your prayer list, your spouse's obedience. Their disobedience is blocking them coming to the Lord and back home to you. I do not believe Bob could tell you how many times the Lord told him to stop doing what he was doing. God kept calling Bob's name to return to the Lord and to go home! God did not give up and was persistent. May you be also in your praying.
"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." I John 5:2-5
You may get upset with your spouse when you read these words, because you know they are delaying the healing and restoration of your marriage. Do not forget that they have been blinded and deceived by the enemy. May I ask you a question? Are you being obedient to what the Lord has been speaking to your heart? How many times have you been disobedient and have ignored the wooing or even the rebuke that the Lord speaks to your heart to do specific things for His Kingdom? If you will have a prayer life being devoted to your Lord, He does answer prayers. Are you obeying, loving, praising and worshiping your Lord daily?
"The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous." Proverbs 15:29
You and I must be careful that we do not judge others, unless we examine our own hearts to make sure that we are being obedient to our Lord Jesus daily and in all areas of our lives. Yes, I mean every area. How long can you be disobedient to your Lord's voice and not even fear the consequences of personal disobedience? You can walk in faith and victory while going through marriage problems with God as your Husband, Protector, Deliverer, Refuge and Healer!
Let me use a strong example in the Old Testament in I Samuel, Chapter 15. God gave instructions to Saul to destroy the Amalekites who had been the first to oppose God and the nation, Israel in the desert. They represented evil power and opposition to God, to His people and to God's truth. Saul did not totally obey God's instructions and commands by sparing Agag and the best of the sheep, cattle and everything that was good. Saul disobeyed and rebelled against God's clear instructions because he was NOT committed to do God's will with all his heart.
"Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night." I Samuel 15:10-11
I believe that the Holy Spirit is going to restore many marriages that are being blocked by disobedience or rebellion against doing certain things God's way and not your own way. You need to go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him if there is any disobedience or rebellion in your own heart against your Lord God. Ask Him if He has told you to do something and you either have blatantly refused or have forgotten to obey the Lord's instructions.
Some examples that I can help you with might be: forgiving a family member, your spouse or another person even though they keep hurting you, forgive them daily. Another example is being double-minded about standing and praying for your spouse regardless of the time. How many times do you question your Lord? How many times does He keep confirming His promise. Thank the Lord for His promises and stand firm for your marriage to be restored! Has the Lord instructed you to do a deed or some work for someone? Are you flirting with or living in sin thinking that the Lord does not see or care what you are doing? Let me continue to tell you the story in I Samuel, what God told Samuel about King Saul.
"But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." I Samuel 15:22-23
Obedience may seem so simple, until we start following God's instructions. You and I must pray daily for all prodigals, regardless of their age, to be obedient to the Lord's voice, instructions and wooing. I pray that you know in your heart, regardless of all that you hear and see of your spouse, that the Holy Spirit is intervening in your and their behalf to turn them from their sinful lifestyle. God created marriage and He hates divorce.
"'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mark 10:7-12
Today, examine your own heart and make sure that you are being obedient to your Lord so that your own prayers will not be blocked or hindered by your own disobedience. Obeying God is the first step on the path to finding peace and joy. Obedience is a vital key to marriage restoration!
"I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 5-6
Homework: Look up additional scriptures: Exodus 15:22-27; Deuteronomy 30; Joshua 1:6-9; Jeremiah 11:4; Psalm 119:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:7- 10; Romans 6:15-18; Romans 13:1-2; Colossians 3:22-24; Titus 3:1- 2; I Peter 2:13-17; Matthew 5:17-20; Ephesians 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8
There can be no testimony without a test. I am praying to go through this test and come out the other end with a new and better marriage then before.
