A Summary of remarks made by Irene Evers, counselor, during our second GRACE gathering

 “…Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit” Ephesians 1:13b

G.R.A.C.E. - Gently Radiating A Christ-like Example

Grief(s):
My husband and I used to be compatible until I confessed my sins and asked Jesus into my heart. I don’t regret this, but I think so differently from my husband on many social, moral, political and religious issues now. I know I am a different person in some ways, and I want to know all about my new life in Christ. Can you help me?

Response:
Yes! 1 Peter 2:9 says that you, as a Christian, are part of what Peter calls ‘a chosen people’, chosen to carry the light of Jesus to those who don’t know Him; in your case, your husband.

 • You have been chosen to be an instrument of God’s joy so your husband can see the magnificent radiance of what Christ has done for you. The forgiveness of your sins and your clear conscience as a result of Christ removing all your guilt has begun to transform you into His image.

• He now offers you abundant life on earth (John 10:10) and assures you of having life eternally with Him when you die (John 6:47). 

• You belong to a royal priesthood and can offer God prayers (2) on your husband’s behalf, much as the priests in the Old Testament offered prayers and sacrifices for the Israelites.

• You belong to a holy nation, God’s treasured possession (Exodus 19:6). He has rescued you from darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son He loves(Colossians 1:13). 
 You belong to Him and have received the spirit of Sonship (Romans 8:15).

• You have immediate, 24/7 access to God, and you can call Him ‘Abba, Father’ since you are His child, His heir. Calling Him ‘Abba’ indicates that you trust Him with the complete, naïve trust of an infant.

•  Calling Him ‘Father’ shows that you trust God as an older daughter who bases her trust on her knowledge of her dad’s character.  Someone has wisely said, “”God will never love you more than He loves you right now, and nothing you do will ever cause Him to love you less.”

Affirm:

 You are now free from timidity, as Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, and have been given a spirit of power, love, and self discipline. God has marked you with His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) and is giving you His power to use what you are learning about Him. Godly wisdom enables you to be a witness of Christ to your husband in the way in which He has purposed for you, with gentle strength and a quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4). Because of what Christ has done for you (Romans 8:28-30), you are now able to have a personal relationship with Him that nothing on earth can sever (Romans 8:31-36). He will enable you to be a conqueror through Christ, who loves you. You are on the winning team!

Connect:
You have been adopted into the family of God by the Holy Spirit enabling you to believe what Christ tells you in His word. The Holy Spirit testifies to your spirit that you are His (Rom. 8:16).  His word cannot be understood by those who have not been enabled to know Him (1Cor. 2:14).

Your husband is spiritually crippled until the Holy Spirit chooses to give him the light of Christ that you have.  With this in mind, recognize that God wants you to be sensitive to what He is calling you to be and do in Him. As God had compassion on you while you were yet a sinner (Romans 5:8), so you must have compassion on this man who is seeing his wife change before his very eyes. He doesn’t understand your new faith and may feel threatened by all the changes, and insecure in the relationship.  However, all this can assure you that you are God’s chosen child, a channel of God’s love to your husband. What a privileged position you have! This privileged position will allow you to partake in Christ’s glory, but also in His sufferings. 

It will be hard for you to watch your husband not accept the Christ you love and enjoy life the way you do now. You will be tempted to play Christian music in his hearing, lay your Bible and Christian materials within his view, beg him to go to church, and manipulate your children and others to be in the right place at the right time to get him to listen to ‘Christian’ talk. Don’t!  Be patient. Focus on the fact that God has a plan for your life, a plan for good that will be revealed by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9,10).

Equip:
Your husband is God’s gift to you.
  
 ~Focus on his good qualities, write them out in your personal journal, and remind yourself of them. As you acknowledge qualities in him that make you uncomfortable, don’t labor over them.

~Pray for Jesus to work in your husband’s life to turn them into positives for both of you, and to the glory of God.  Find good qualities about him each day to openly admire. 

~Let him know you appreciate him.  Ask God to make a way for peace to develop between you when you have conflict because of your different worldviews. 

~Always apply 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 to your situation.     

~Always seek God’s forgiveness (and your husband’s) when the Holy Spirit reveals to you that you could have handled a situation better, or that you have behaved unlovely in a weak moment.

GRACE GEM:

Rejoice in the Lord always for the salvation He has given you through His Son! Give thanks, for you are part of the family of God, unconditionally accepted and loved! His Spirit is at work in you, molding you into the image of Christ. He will enable you to glorify Him as He teaches you about His character. He will grant you the wisdom you desire, so that His perspective will become your perspective. As He does these things, His Spirit will continue to work in you, molding you into the image of Christ, and making you a precious jewel whose unique facets can beam God’s love to those He has chosen for you to bless.

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(1) Book, “Heirs of the Covenant” by Susan Hunt
(2) Book, “The Power of A Praying Wife”, by Stormie Omartian, Harvest House publishers
(3) Book, “Your Home-A Place of Grace, by Susan Hunt