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November, 2003

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In 1999 we formed an Alumni group to encourage and promote ongoing healing in reconciled couples. Since that time we have designed a quarterly newsletter especially for our ever-growing list of healed couples. We know that continued support and prayer is needed, and are pleased to add this new page especially for our Covenant Couples. Click on the logo above to go to the Covenant Couples page.

KNOWING THE END
FROM THE BEGINNING

BY LOUIS & CAROL GORDON
HEART MENDERS INTERNATIONAL

“Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them and with the last—I am He…I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please….”
Isaiah 41:4, 46:10 NIV

We all need to trust the Lord with all our hearts. God has a plan for us, even if we seem to be in the wilderness—He is preparing us to take back the land! Granted, when we are in the desert it is sometimes hard to see past the need for water and shelter from the heat, but nonetheless, He had His hand upon us and we will come through in victory.

The pressure is on the enemy in these days as he knows his time is short. So, in turn the enemy tries to drive us away from the Lord who is our answer. If we stay faithful to our God, He will do a work in and through us which will bring Him great glory. His purpose will stand!

We need to recognize that none of the circumstances which occur in our lives come as a surprise to God. As we read the scriptures, we see that some astounding things happened in the lives of those chosen by God for His work.

EXAMPLES OF VICTORY

What if we only read of Joseph being thrown into the pit by his brothers, and we throw up our hands in despair and never read the rest of the story? We would never know of how Joseph faithfully held to the visions God gave him, and which he saw fulfilled in every detail!

What if we read the story of Abraham up until he was ninety-eight years old and do not follow it on into the events of the following two years when all of God’s promises came true? Abraham believed in and acted upon God’s Word for years and years, growing in faith, before he saw the promised son. He had no Bible to read, no support for his faith except remembrances of his ancestors, and no priests or prophets, only the voice of a God who could not be seen.

Sometimes, Abraham’s family took advantage of him—his wife Sarah even laughed at God’s promise. Abraham and God were working this out between the two of them, for God had found a man who would trust him.

We have to remember in the middle of our circumstances that temporal things, even those that appear to be certain, are subject to change. We are connected to a precious, loving Lord who knows exactly what He is doing and what fruit will be produced if we walk with Him. We can trust Him to lead us and guide us through all the tests that come our way.

GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

What is most important is that we develop a greater view of God and how He sees things. Since He sets the purpose for our life before we ever arrive to carry it out, we can trust that He is not toppled from His throne by our waywardness and mistakes. He is well able to bring us right to where we should be and right on time!

A word study revealed these interesting definitions for the Hebrew word translated end.

• achariyth—future
• kalah—to complete, accomplish or fulfill (transitive)
• getseh and gets—infinite and uttermost part

These definitions helped us see that our God, who created the universe, time and our place in His plan, can oversee our lives quite well. His principle problem with us is our fear of allowing Him to do it.

In other words, we refuse to allow the One who quite successfully runs the universe to be Lord to us. We think we can work things out our own way. He has definitely planned for us with a plan which only we can fulfill. He knows exactly the route we will take and is with us every step of the way. If we are presently in a pit, our vision may be limited. But the One who loves us best can see the whole picture, and we can trust that He will bring us through!

PICTURES OF FAITH

It is because we need to see things that God gave us the scriptures. In them we can see pictures of our lives lived by faith, trusting God against all odds. We find living promises to hold on to when our surroundings are dark. There we find descriptions of the nature of our God that will blast out fears and doubt. His mercy, steadfast love and grace to us are repeatedly reported. We can look at the lives of those who have gone before and who have seen the trustworthiness of God.

We are so blessed! With the written Word to read and study, we are able to rejoice in promises secured before the beginning of time! “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13 NIV)

Centuries before Jesus was born in the earth, God had recorded through the prophet Micah (5:2): “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” We can choose to yield ourselves to Him! His infinite wisdom and love for us are trustworthy!

HE IS CENTRAL

Our Lord knows how our hearts long for those we love to come to know and trust Him also. We have to realize that He loves them even more than we do and is molding and shaping their lives to fit His plans also.

When He is in charge, we can trust that all of us will find our way to Him and will connect in His special way with each other. Though we are greatly concerned for others, He must be the central focus of our lives. As we hunger and thirst after Him, He will provide the fulfillment we are seeking. In Revelation 21:6 the apostle John records the words of our Lord: “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”

So let us praise the Lord for His faithfulness! Continue to lean on and trust Him, regardless of the situations you face. World events demonstrate that only the Lord can carry us through these perilous times. Our prayer efforts must be consistent, but we should always set our hope in Him!

Since the founding of Covenant Keepers in 1987, Louis & Carol have served as board members, Louis until he went to be with the Lord last December. Carol continues on the board of directors and is a true friend of covenant keepers everywhere. Covenant Keepers recommends the Gordon’s book, The Child Heart, available on the Resources page.

PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT:
Slow and Steady

BY JOHN & MERILYN KELLY
FORMER NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL DIRECTORS

John & Merilyn have a healed marriage.

Wouldn’t it be great, when we come to Jesus for salvation, if He would remove all of our old sin patterns and habits along with our sins? It sounds like something that would make our lives much easier; we would not have to work so hard on a daily basis to rid ourselves of stumbling blocks.

Since God created us, and therefore knows us very well, His plan for us is to deal with each problem we have on an individual basis as He sees that we are ready to receive loving and gentle correction by means of the Holy Spirit.

Our walk needs to be as Isaiah 28:10 describes: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” The way the verse is worded seems to indicate a slow, steady progress, doesn’t it? Especially in a world that promotes easy, speedy and sometimes instant answers for everything.

Still our Heavenly Father knows that real, lasting growth for us all is in walking out the things he reveals to us. Wherever you are in your stand, we are sure that you remember the surprise of finding out early that you were part of the problem in your marriage, which must mean there needs to be some changes made in you, not just your mate.

Once we get past that revelation, the Lord can help us begin the process of working out those changes in us. In our own walk together, we have come to realize that a big factor for change to take place is not to be afraid. We tend to resist change simply because it is an unknown. We find ourselves clinging or reverting to old habits and old patterns despite the unhappiness they produce. We rationalize by saying, “It may make me miserable, but at least it is familiar.”

The pull of our old ways can be very strong at times, and we constantly need our minds renewed through the Word and our quiet time with the Lord to become that healed person that is willing to walk in the new instead of the old.

Just as God’s grace shows us the way to rid ourselves of wrong habits, there is another reason to be encouraged! The Holy Spirit is also at work to draw our mates toward newness of life and to fellowship with the Lord. When we feel tired or discouraged, we need to remind ourselves where we have come from and that His love and mercy are never in short supply for us. Where our mates and marriages are concerned. God’s love and mercy will always be abundant.