MAY 2014

WILL YOU TRUST

By Charlyne Steinkamp

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be
wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7
Have you ever run late in getting to important
appointments? Maybe you had a job interview or had
an appointment with a very important customer you
were trying to impress and you were late. I totally
understand. We have all had those moments that
are embedded into our memory so it doesnt happen
again. Have you learned your lesson?
I do not travel on the interstate highway during the
rush hours in South Florida often, but two weeks ago I
left to go speak at my church for a six-week marriage
restoration class. I went to get on the interstate highway
and the traffic was creeping at 15 mph. I could not
believe how crowded it was in all three lanes. I called
my son, Tim, who was already at my church and asked
him what I should do. He said, Just keep going. Tim
thought that would be the best and shortest way. After
the traffic did not improve, I thought, I have to get
off at the next exit. I got close to the exit and I had
this thought in my mind,
I may not make the
meeting on time. Why
dont I get off here and
go the back way. I can
at least keep moving.
I may be stuck on the
interstate highway and
not be able to move

ME?

at all! So with all those

thoughts and more, I got off
at the first exit.
What I did not expect was
everyone else had the same
idea. So I was stuck in a
very long line of traffic. As I
sat in traffic working my way
to the traffic light, I realized
the mistake I had made. I
still had a long way to go to get to my destination on
slower back roads. I had been tempted by the enemys
deception with my mind and did not follow Tims advice.
So I humbled myself and made the telephone call to
Tim a second time and told him what I had done. He
said, You should have just followed my instructions.
Mom, you should have trusted me! I told Tim that
he was 100% correct. After I hung up the telephone I
cried out to the Lord and said, Lord, You are the only
One who can get me to the meeting on time, so I am
trusting You for all green lights when I get out of this
traffic jam. Well, I made it to the meeting on time.
Are you being tempted to take detour roads that will
lead you off the road of
marriage restoration?
I know that it is hard to
wait on the Lord. You
may feel tempted to do
what I did and take the
first exit looking for a
short cut. Ask yourself
if what you are doing

is taking you closer to the Lord or further from Him.

The men and women who tell us they are going on
with their life almost always stop praying, stop reading
the Bible daily and stop going to church. The detour
road they went on was a trick of deception and was
a scheme plotted by the deceiver and liar, Satan, to
Gods children to not follow Gods perfect plan for
their life on His narrow road. Their detour road did not
include the Lord at all.
What decisions do you have to make? Today, instead
of looking for a short cut that will take you down a
longer path, ask the Lord to give you His wisdom and
the patience to wait on His perfect timing. Are the
circumstances overwhelming you? If you have taken

a detour road, you can listen to the Lords voice and

break off that ungodly relationship. Will you repent
and turn back to the Lord? Will you tell the Lord that
you want to follow Him on His narrow road as the wider
road leads to destruction?
God has a plan and purpose for your life and marriage
greater than you can ever imagine. You can trust
the Lord for His perfect plan. While you wait for your
marriage to be restored, will you choose to serve the
Lord with faith, hope, trust, love and compassion and
tell others about God hating divorce and His plan for
marriage restoration? You will reap your harvest at
Gods perfect timing! Will you trust Him for every area
in your life? Try it. You will be blessed!

Nothing I Can Do... So I Just Stand

By Rusty
Standing in NC

I can't make you love me.

I can't make you want to be married.
I can't make your heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
I can't make you turn from your idols.
I can't make you holy.
I can't make you happy.
I can't make your mind open or your spirit whole.
I can't make you turn from your sin.
I can't make you broken.
But God..... God can, and He will.
So I Just STAND.
I will love you until I see Jesus.

I will remain faithful to our marriage vows until I see Jesus.

I will stand for the healing of our marriage until I see Jesus.
I will be broken until I see Jesus.
I will be obedient until I see Jesus.
I will be surrendered until I see Jesus.
I will flee temptation until I see Jesus.
I will worship God until I see Jesus.
I will give God the center of my life until I see Jesus.
I will carry this testimony of my life until I see Jesus.
I will share the Love of God with others who are hurting until I see Jesus.
Marriage is sacred and marriage is permanent until I see Jesus...face to face!
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind.
God KEEPS His Promises.
So I Just STAND.
Even if you never love me again,
I Just STAND.
Even if you break our marriage vows,
I Just STAND.
Even if you move far away,
I Just STAND.
Even if you marry another,
I Just STAND.
Until I see Jesus ... I Just STAND.

Doormats

By Missy Holman

Missy is a stander who had her marriage

restored three years ago. We were privileged to
have Greg & Missy share their testimony at our
Rejoice on the Road conferences this past year.
They have already been a blessing to many of
the RMM family and we are sure you will be
blessed the more you hear from this couple.
You can hear Greg & Missy's complete testimony on our There's Hope CD
and DVD sets available in our bookstore at www.StopDivorce.org
How often is the discussion of not being a doormat at the root of a conversation with others or even ourselves as
we think of standing for our marriage or any relationship that is in trouble? We are taught from a young age not
to be taken advantage of, not to allow someone to mistreat you, and that true love doesnt hurt. Where do these
ideas originate from? Love of self is my guess, but did Christ call us to love ourselves over others, over Him? No.
In both the Old and the New Testaments the basic command we are called to is: to love God with all our heart,
soul, and strength and to love others (Mark 12:30). None of these passages command or suggest that we put
ourselves first or second. Im a fan of this idea and concept. I can recite the verses and I believe the principles,
but do I live this way?
Really this is the true core of the doormat discussion, to love. We are to love God and have a heart that wants to
obey Him and to do so by loving others. There are not multiple passages about protecting oneself. No love your
neighbors as they love you back. No verses encouraging you to throw out your covenant spouse because they are
mistreating, hating, and not loving you. There are however many passages on laying down ones life for another,
offering a cold cup of water to those who are thirsty and offering the other cheek (Matthew 5:44). This does sound
to be much like a doormat to me. It does seem that Jesus did more than be a doormat when He forsook Himself
for the shame of the cross.
What is the definition of doormat? What is its purpose? What is it there for? It has a calling, a purpose, and
it didnt get to the proper place for use by accident. The Encarta Dictionary has the following definition: 1. mat
by door - a mat to wipe your shoes on immediately before or after entering a building 2. Submissive person -a
passive person who submits to being treated inconsiderately. Lets look at the actual job of a physical door mat.
It is there to clean feet. Feet are dirty, due to the places they go, the environment of dirt, trash, and filth that
covers the ground that we all walk through, and the lack of cleaning to them. We all prefer not to bring that filth
and dirt into our living and work environments. Commercial buildings take much effort in stopping the dirt at the
door but still inviting the person in. Stopping the dirt at the door is not done in an obvious presumption way. You
have probably never noticed the sophisticated materials used at entrances to buildings, the way they are designed,
the materials used. These are the most costly areas compared to the building at large but are occupied briefly and
help maintain the well-being of the building and its occupants.
This brings us to the second definition, a submissive person. Does this definition describe you? Im often
aggressive and dont like submission. However Im ever so grateful that Christs work in my heart is changing all
that and in turn He is molding and making me into a lovely area of welcome. Doormats have another name, really
their pretty name: welcome mats. My new heart is one of welcome. When standing for a restored marriage or just
deeply following Christ we are called to welcome. We must be submissive to Christs call and ways and the pursuit
of becoming like Him. Jesus spent his entire time on this earth welcoming the sinner. He ate with the dirty, He
fed them, He provided water to the thirsty, He sat with the children, He touched the leper, He washed the feet of
His disciples even the one who would betray Him in only a few hours. His whole ministry was to remove dirt, sin.
Is that not our call too? Our love can cover a multitude of sin.

We are called to be doormats, welcoming those with dirty feet. Your beloved will be dirty, we all are. If their home
is not one of welcome, Christ is not at the heart. This goes back to the core of our hearts. (Luke 6:45). Do I live
this way? Search my heart Oh Lord, cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe there are many who know of
and believe the teachings of Christ, but have yet to submit to Him, to have a heart exchange.
Nicodemus was a great example of this. He could recite Ezekiel but Christ told him he needed a new birth, a new
heart, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let each of us examine our heart. If it is not new and filled with the
Holy Spirit, all we need to do is ask the Lord. (Luke 11:9). Once we ask and it is given to us, we have to live like it.
Walk in it and let others walk on us. We need to be living examples of having a quiet, submissive heart and Gods
trusting welcome mats for all. If not for our spouses and our family then for whom? To lay ones life down.again
we must put God first and others second, choose to become a mat. This is welcoming those we love and those we
dont, to enter into Gods grace, and His miraculous salvation. What more is there? Salvation, hope, welcome
home this is the mat I lay my life down to be. Its not about me. Please walk on me to Jesus should be our plea.

A Special Message From Lori Steinkamp Lassen

I am challenging each stander to have a part in seeing families restored.
Many of you are struggling to make ends meet and don't have extra money. I am
asking everyone on our mailing list to help
each month. If everyone did, it would meet
our monthly Ministry needs.
Maybe you could take your lunch to work
a few days a month instead of grabbing a
hamburger. While you eat your brown bag
lunch, think and pray about the families
and marriages that will be touched by your
sacrifice. Are you are in the habit of getting
a cup of coffee on the way to work? If you
skipped a few days you could contribute to
the healing of homes around the world.
I spoke with a stander who was embarrassed to send in a donation. She thought
her donation would be too small to help. That is not the case! God can increase
your donation, no matter what the amount, into a means to bless other men and
women who need to hear that there is an alternative to divorce!
Please pray about being part of the Family Challenge.

Lori Steinkamp Lassen

Click Here For More Family Challenge Information

Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.

Charlyne Steinkamp Co-Founder

Ministry Office - (954) 941-6508 Fax (954) 781-7076

www.RejoiceMinistries.org www.StopDivorce.org www.StopDivorceRadio.org
GOOD NEWS FROM REJOICE MARRIAGE MINISTRIES is published by Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc. a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation whose mission is to encourage
couples facing marriage interuption to turn to God for His help. Your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and allow us to minister to other families.