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November, 2000

Special Meetings

MESSAGE FROM MARILYN

Years ago, when my mate first left, I was crying out to God about my situation. The Lord spoke to my spirit very clearly and said He desired a grateful heart from me. He impressed upon me that the reason He could not work in many situations was because His children did not have an attitude of gratitude.

In response to His words, I began to thank Him for anything and everything I could think of. And to my amazement, the depression and oppression began to lift. Later, I discovered the scripture that says, "Praise silences the avenger." (Ps 8:2 AMP)

I made a wonderful discovery that I have carried with me through the years. That being grateful is a choice that I must make before I can receive its benefit! 

Do you have an attitude of gratitude?

REFLECTIONS
by Vonnie Hieber, Northwest Regional Director

Autumn is here and the cool temperatures and colorful leaves remind us of the harvest. This year has held many challenges, revealed many areas needing development, and seen much rewarding growth.

As we also prepare for the harvest of healed families and restored relationships, it would be good to check several areas of our lives. Truth and integrity are key components of Christian character; when present they form one of the most powerful ways to share Christ’s wonderful love.

Let us become more translucent with God in our beliefs and thoughts. Our communication with the Lord through His Word and prayer is a foundation for learning to communicate more effectively with others. It forms the basis for our prayers for open, loving communication with spouses, families, and friends. In all our relationships we need to be thoroughly honest. “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” 1 Timothy 6:18 KJV

Walk in Confidence

Open communication requires enhanced Christ-likeness in several areas of our lives. We must walk in confidence that God is in charge. Proverbs 3:5-6 states that as “we lean on, trust, and are confident in the Lord with all our heart and mind and not on our own understanding” we are more likely to draw our families and others to us as they observe and respect our beliefs.

Many mates who return home say that they respected their covenant-keeping spouses even while they violently opposed their position. They share that their mates didn’t preach or talk about healing the marriage, but there were many evidences of love shown through the steadfastness of commitment. They add that this gave them hope.

Learn to Communicate

Learning how to inoffensively communicate with our spouses and others is imperative.

• Be aware of tools Satan uses to cheat us when communicating.

• Recognize how they affect us emotionally and behaviorally.

• Ask God how He views these situations.

• Pray that the Father will show you how to respond and bring about changes in your circumstances.

Remember forgiveness is essential in communication. When asked how many times forgiveness was necessary, Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven times.” Matthew 18:22

Check your spiritual temperature. “Create in me a clean heart, renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

What a blessed opportunity to search ourselves in the areas of truth, responsibility, and commitment. Let Him continue to hone and polish and make us into the persons He wants us to be, people whom our spouses will delight to love.

PLACED BESIDE ME:
A Healed Marriage Report
By Rayford Ables

Rayford and Geraldine Ables had just celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary when the bottom seemed to drop out of their lives. They separated, contemplating divorce, but God had other plans for them. With encouragement and strength from the Lord along with help from a Covenant Keepers group, Rayford decided to stand for the healing of his marriage. The Ables now live in Polk, MS and pastor a church in Batesville, MS.

Fifteen years ago God spoke these words to me, “I will place your wife beside you and you will be strong together and bring much comfort and strength to each other. For you cannot do the work that I have called you to do without the help of your mate.”

These words were spoken to my spirit to be carried out or brought about by the Holy Spirit. Flesh cannot produce what the Spirit speaks. As soon as I heard these words, I tried by the flesh and with carnal thinking to place Geraldine by my side by asking her to be the church secretary. I was only thinking about a physical placing.

She accepted because she knew that I wanted her to do it. This caused greater division between us. Things got so bad that she felt trapped and smothered because she was functioning outside her calling.

Her number one calling was to be a wife to me. She felt so trapped that she left home. Geraldine did not leave because of some gross sin on her part or mine. It took her departure to shake me out of walking in the flesh and moved me into walking in the spirit.

A Shaking Always Precedes A Placing

After Geraldine left I had to face our congregation and tell them. This was a hard thing to do, but our church stood with us during this time and prayed for restoration. This comforted and encouraged me so much to see such love demonstrated by the church body. By the grace of God, we remained as pastors of the church.

Because of all we have gone through, we have more love and compassion for broken and hurting people, and we don’t have all the pat answers anymore.

Ten days after Geraldine left, God spoke to my spirit again and said, “As I was faithful with Abraham to protect his wife, so shall I be with you. There shall be no harm befall her. She is a chosen vessel unto Me also. You are called by My name and I will protect you in this time. I am yours and you are Mine. I am your Protector. I watch over you and will sustain you. Remember this one thing, that it is I who will place her. Yes, it is going to take time, but do not be troubled for I am the Wise Master Builder. I lay stone upon stone, and you are living stones that must be placed together by Me to be productive.”

Rhema Words

Before I received these words, I was still trying to place Geraldine by my side. These rhema words stopped the struggle, and I said okay to God to have His way and place her. Faith to believe that God would place her by me came when God spoke these words in my spirit.

The Father encouraged me with scriptures like Numbers 23:19, which says, “God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent; hath He said, and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good.”

This gave me the hope that what God says He will bring to pass. Romans 4:21 also gave me hope: “Being fully persuaded that what He has promised He was also able to perform.” Our role in the performance is to believe God will do the performing. GOD IS A COVENANT KEEPER!

Geraldine returned after six months, and God showed me some things in my life that needed to be corrected. The shaking He did brought these things to the surface, and God directed me to deal with them.

The shaking revealed malice, which is evil intention toward or wishing evil on someone. I repented, asked for forgiveness, and was set free. God showed me that I was worse off than my wife.

God told me that I was a hypocrite—a person who trusted in himself to be righteous and despised others. A hypocrite sees the little sins in others but overlooks the often-large sins in his own life. I confessed and repented my hypocrisy. Then and only then could I see clearly to help my mate.

God showed me how to be kind, tender, gentle, and understanding to Geraldine. I began to see her as a chosen vessel and started to treat her that way.

God is faithful to His Word, and truly He continues to place us together.

ANNUAL YELLOW RIBBON DAY
Pray, Fast and Plan to Attend
One of the Special Meetings in Your Area

Covenant Keepers National and Regional Directors will hold Yellow Ribbon Day Meetings during November.

Sydney, Australia

Andrew & Carol Munden (National Conference) November 3-5 in Sydney 61 2-4982-6777 — covenantkeepers@telstra.easymail.com.au

North East Region

Connecticut: Regional Director Nancy Conlan 860/677-0017 — nconlan@aol.com November 4 in New Britan, CT Fountain of Life Community Church, 403 Church St, New Britan, CT. 12:30 to 2:30 and 4:30 to 6:30. Dutch treat late lunch during break.

Southern Region

Louisiana: Regional Director Sharon Browning 601/442-3545 or State Director Mavis Marquardt 337/984-3006 November 4 in Lafayette, LA —faithkeeper@earthlink.net 11:00 a.m., lunch is pot luck.

East Central Region

New Jersey: Regional Director Starr Lichty 610/265-1192 — slichty1@juno.com November 18 in Roselle, NJ Chestnut St Community Church, 303 Chestnut St (corner of 3rd Ave). 12:30  to 3:00 and 5:00 to 7:00. Dutch treat pizza during break.