boyradd

A 43-year old man learns a lesson

Proverbs 24:16

For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

A few days ago God taught me something.  A friend of mine and his wife have been having marital problems and God sent me to spend time with them.  On my way there, I was thinking to myself, “how can God use a divorced man to help heal a marriage?”

It didn’t make sense to me.

I was praying nonstop on the drive over to their house.  I called my girlfriend and asked her to pray.  But regardless of the prayer, Satan kept trying to beat me down by telling me that I was not qualified to spend time with them or to even pray for them.

“You are a divorced man!”

“Your marriage failed!”

“You are a loser!”

I have to admit, those feelings began to affect me.

Then it happened.  God silenced the winds and waves of Satan’s attack.  God’s peace filled my soul.  I can’t explain why or how or exactly when, but by the time I stepped out of my car, I literally could hear God saying “Don’t worry, I’ve gone before you here.”

I went in, shared some small talk and then got down to business.

After about 20 minutes, the realization hit me.  This is NOT a simple scenario.  This is literally a full on Satanic attack happening to two of my friends.

Immediately, just like in the movies, my mind raced back to when I was married and going through the same issues.  The arguing and the defensiveness.  The anger and the bitterness.  I started to tear up.

THAT is the moment that God used to teach me something that has life-changing effects on me.

First and foremost, yes, I am divorced and my marriage failed.  But guess what?  I am a child of God who can be used in my own broken state to bring healing words and actions to others in the name of Christ.  Moses was a horrible leadership candidate yet God used him.  Paul approved Stephen’s death but God used him.  Peter denied Christ but God used him.  I am divorced, but God used me!

Second, everything that happened in my former marriage can never happen again my future relationships.  I don’t say that ask a matter of pride, I say that as a matter of broken desperation.  If don’t take something away from my divorce then I am no better than the wicked in Proverbs 24:16 stumbling over and over again.

Take this away from what I am writing to you right now.  If you have God, live like you have God!  We are not perfect beings.  We are all flawed.  But God has given us grace and that grace has saved us from ourselves.  Live like you are someone worth dying for because you are!  God felt you were worth dying for, Christian!

When you live in that power, that love, and that grace then God will use you in the most unlikely circumstances and in the end, Satan will not get the victory. No way!  Christ walks away with the win!  Christ gets the curly W.  Christ is the victor.

And it starts by being broken.

Broken enough to say that you’ve had enough.

Enough of the life of the wicked, constantly stumbling and never rising.

Enough of the pain that goes along with living without grace.

Are you broken enough to be used?

If you are, expect for God to throw you outside your comfort zone.  As a divorced man, being put into the situation of helping to save another’s marriage was WAAAY out of my comfort zone.

But simple obedience yields supernatural results.

And God IS using two hours of my life to help turn the ship of someone else’s life.

That is what evangelism is about.  That is what the Great Commission is about.  That is what missions is about.

We are called to arms.

And it is a war.

Not against people.

Not against countries.

It is against Satan.

Satan wants to destroy what you’ve built.

Satan wants to take down everything that God has given you.

Satan wants to marginalize Jesus and make it so that you don’t even consider Christ first in anything you do.

So take this opportunity to pray.  Pray for God to give you boldness.  To create in you an ambassadorship to take His kingdom to people of the world.  Pray for opportunity.  God will grant your request.

Just be prepared for your request to be granted in ways that will stretch you.  And stay the course with Christ, Christian.

The rewards of knowing you are doing the right thing and following God’s absolute morality outweigh any temporary successes or gains the world can give you.

I’m praying for you, Christian.