For my wife

Dear precious saints...This has been a long and drawn out battle and my heart is breaking as I write this. There are a few who are aware of this situation but I must now ask for all the prayer I can get.My dear wife Lisa has a serious pot addiction. The Lord bringing my own personal addiction to an end now a couple of years ago in a very much difficult way as the grieving of the Holy Spirit within and my own rebellion clashed. Unable to take the tension anymore...the end finally came, the Lord mercifully in deliverance. Now this has given a large amount of patience dealing with my dear wife who I love secondly only to the Lord. More than anything I want her to see her come back to the Lord in the full restoration that she used to walk in. It was her the Lord used to be the final drawing to Himself of myself. In all the honesty I can muster I would gladly go without her love towards me to just know that she was back in His grace, whatever may come afterwords is secondary.Feel compelled to disclose more here because it is a bit convoluted. There are other factors at work. One is an issue in regards to a former boyfriend who died about 8 years ago, approximately two years prior to our getting married. She was truly in love with him and he died suddenly of a massive brain hemorrhage. There has been no real closure to this do to the fact that she wasn't really well known to his parents and was largely dismissed as being irrelevant at the time of his death and was left in the dark as to the funeral arrangements and even to where he was to be buried. Also some unkind words had been related back to her from various sources at the time, possibly from his parents in the grieving process, not entirely clear on the details. About a week ago she got in contact with his parents who live about 6 hours from here and through many tears there was a reconciliation. Now the plan is for her to drive down to go see them and the place where he was buried. I have no problem with this whatsoever.The other issue is that of anxiety and she has been seeing a psychologist who has her on Paxil at the moment and prior to that another drug that I can't seem to recall. This, in my opinion and now even hers is only complicating the issue. It has come to a head a number of times recently and today once again with the financial realm also coming into play. A lot of hiding and deception which is the nature of addiction, know it all to well.On my part, perplexity more than anger, am at a loss even with all that I can do and only prayer and the Lords intervention have been my pleas. Whatever meddling of my flesh in it's own bents toward resolving this have complicated matters.This is going out with her full knowledge and so the additional details are provided that I may ask of any that can intercede on behalf of the situation with a better understanding to what all is involved.Please pray as the Lord leads, thank you my friends.

We will intercede here.Psalm 27:14In Christ,Ron

With you both in prayer.jouko

Keep in there my man. Stand by your woman and know that He shall deliver her no matter what. Just don't define the outcome or look of the deliverence. He has His ways. Mate, keep your heart well and don't forget to take time out. God bless ya and your other precious half.

Where might I be without you...I cannot say enough to what has transpired through this ministry over the course of more than a year now. The things I have learned and continue to learn have re-arranged my thinking tremendously.The privelage to take part in all this and the hearts that are knit together in the Lord with all the personalities and opinions but an afterthought...Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Thank you my friends, thank you.Edit: This might sound strange but personally the Lord is keeping me...steady? Think that's the word I am searching for, just want to emphesize the focus on to Lisa, that's where the battle is. My thanks again.

Mike,My prayers are with you brother. I don't know the entire situation, but I was once addicted to smoking and cried out to the Lord for freedom and he gave it to me! Praise God! You might want to check out SettingCaptivesFree.com course on smoking and substance abuse called Breath Of Life.http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/breath_life/This might be a place where your wife can go for Godly Biblical Counsel and accountability to help her get free from this addiction to pot smoking.Grace,Doug

MikeYou are much appreciated for your solid love and good humour and your pain touches us in our scattered locations. As the Lord enables we are with you in this and will seek His grace and continual intervention.For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Phi 1:19 KJV)

Praying for you both with fervency. Love, Dian.

Mike,You and your wife will continue to be in my prayers. I know all too well the power of addiction as well as fear and anxiety. Though I am over my many addictions now, I am just now learning to trust the Lord enough to be delivered from fear and anxiety.I have been reading Elisabeth Elliott's The Music of His Promises- everyday and meditating on her words. It has helped me tremendously! I am now taking one day at a time. Asking the Lord for the strength for just one day at a time and refusing to look forward to all the "what if's". What if I can't make it? What if, what if? If I keep my eyes fixed on Him and His love for me, I am comforted. I really recommend this book. i have read hundreds of books, but this is the first one to really help me overcome my fears and anxieties. (Plus, I think listening to Conlon's "Perfect Love casts out Fear" helped alot too.)There is no problem or trial that you or your wife are facing that is unusual- "There is no trial that has overtaken you but such is common to man." (1 cor. 10:13) Others, other Christians- are now facing the same problems successfully by His grace. You have a sympathetic High priest who can enter into all your problems, for they have been His problems too. He knows your heartache. He knows your/her sorrow. He knows your/her pain. God has caused you/her to face some of the same problems that others face in order that He may demonstrate in you/her the wonder of his power and grace. (J. Adams)The Lord is faithful! He hasn't laid you and your family on our hearts for nothing. :-) He will be glorified and His will will be done. Amen.In His love and much prayer, Chanin

Bro Mike,I want to encourage you as I make this a matter of prayer with the others. I am praying for deliverance and restoration. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (Ephesians 3:20 KJV)God Bless,-Robert

God knows I love you all.Thank you so much for your support and prayers for my wife. So much to respond to individually forgive my isolating just this one.Chanin your suggestions are helpful as always and from the standpoint of 'been there, done that' and the added benefit of being that more intelligent brand of God's creation...(guy's, we might just as well admit it) really appreciate this. Will look into this book for my wife.Remember your fear of flying episode recently? Got a little taste of it earlier this week. Prior to had flown once in my life some 20 plus years ago. Due to a cancellation of a meeting just a half hour before it was to begin, ended up flying twice in consecutive days. Short hour long trips but your thoughts prior along with the unshakable Ravenhill quote; "flying is for the birds" had me in a state of amazement and oddly only trepidation not 'fear'. Let me put it this way, 7,8 years ago it would have taken a Mr. "T" like injection to get me on board one of those things.But the changes the Lord has made along the way and in recent weeks has left me utterly in awe. Started a new job recently which I guess I didn't mention (wouldn't be flying around otherwise!)and let me add that this wasn't a bunch of bravado, you can bet I was praying! Just not freaking out, realizing that the metal monster needed more than a good pilot and jet fuel to keep afloat, actually I am amazed those things get off the ground...it's all been just as surreal in recent days as it is to look down from 40,000 feet at Gods incredible creation. Sure this is just old hat to many, flying that is...Guess what I am trying to say is that in all of this it is truly the Lord's doing and for once in my life it is in actual experience not just in the words that I have so often heard and believed, now it's really happening. These last couple of weeks have found everything completely inside out and upside down and yet 'the peace that passes understanding'... What the Lord has done in this knucklehead. The beauty of it all is that nothing matters anymore but what the Lord wills to do, for all this yakking about 'me' it's not about me, it's about Him, he's just using this oddball for an illustration, hope that's coming through here. Just glad to be along for the ride.So the battle is for Lisa and restoration and with the gates being stormed by my precious friends I can't wait to see how God will get the glory through this, yes, in true experience not just words. My gratitude is without expression.(BTW thanks for the mention again Doug about that site, hadn't forgotten about it hopeful she will check it out)

Hi Mike,Brother I'll stand in agreement for your wife. Jesus can deliver her. Luk 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Ed

Dear brother,I think it will get pretty busy in the streets of Sion. Traffic jams all over. It's rushhour in Heaven. All saints try to get to Throne, driving their Praytomobile :-).You and your wife are in my prayers! It's the one thing I can do and it's the best thing I can do. We have a God who hears to us when we call upon His name. It's not about the power of our prayers, but the power of our God. Hallelujah! He never changes. I notice very often "unbelieve" in my heart. Is God really able to that? Can He really do this? YES, HE CAN...A verse God is putting om my heart lately is this one: "Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).I also had to think of a story in Numbers: "Ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies." (Numbers 10:9). I think we're all going to blow the trumpets Mike...and God will hear us. Much strength and blessing,In Christ, our Refuge,Paul

Mike,I never realised bro. I'll be stroming heaven for you guys (particularly your wife, at your request). Sometimes I consider the fact that I've been an addict to be a gift from God (something that only a recovered addict can understand with clarity). The gift I'm refering to is the gift of empathy. When I think of the 1 night in 20 that I would lie in my bed feeling nothing but self loathing over my fate, I knew that there must've be something greater than this. Mind you, I needed to be ignorant during the other 19 days, for sanity's sake. I'll be praying that the Lord will give you grace to be aware of that "1 night", and to be there to help her out of this, whatever way He prescibes, and for the wisdom to tell what that is.Keep "stable" bro:-).

Aaron,Thank you brother and again to all. This means so much to me I cannot express. To see this come up again sent me to my face earlier this morning not only over this situation but in thanksgiving to God for you all. To borrow from Lou Gehrigs (the baseball player) farewell speech: "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"Only that I would change "luckiest" to "most blessed", to have such great brethren as friends.

Brother Mike, Ditto on what brothers Neil and Ron said about you ... My spirit also has an affinity with your spirit, and i love you too ... As for me i already see your wife as delivered (but as like Jacob it just hasn't dawned on her yet) ... So as with your own addiction experience her Christian walk toward her Jabbok (emptying), and her subsequent moment of Peniel (understanding that God is her only power) that says "deliverance from ALL self empowerment" has not quite yet occured ... But as with you, in your wife's case, i have no doubt that our Lord will cripple her of her dependence of anything else other than Himself, and will eventually empower her by His Spirit to finally be able to be addicted to no other than Himself ... Yes i know it's a storm, but in my life i've found that God's not to prone to stop our storms, but moreso prone to give us the grace, and a new found strength of faith to either row thru them, and/or depending on our level of faith in Him to walk on them ... i believe that you have the latter ability, and that your faith action in this matter will not only impress our Lord, but more importantly your wife whose life right now is being tossed to and fro on a stormy sea ... You see Christ clearer right now, so go on and walk out on faith toward Him in this matter (as you are the priest of your family), for scripture says that as soon as Peter and Christ walked back upon the water to the boat, the storm stopped ... My prayer for you both is victory thru this storm, my prayer for you is to counteract all fear with all faith, rebuking the devourer by the blood of Christ while showering His love on the one the devourer is attempting to swallow, and i, and i dare say your entire SI family is standing in the gap with you both, touching and agreeing that the devil is a liar, and "this too shall pass"! ... In Jesus all powerful name! ... AmenYour Position Battles in Your Transition for Supremacy over Your Condition ... and vice versa ...https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4011&forum=35

Lord, I thank you for this amazing privelege to partake of your will being done on earth. Father, thank you for the trials and suffering in your Son Jesus that Lisa and Mike are experiencing. For these things are all for a purpose. Thank you Father for your saints and their involvement as you direct them. Father, I know you have mighty plans for success and this is a birth pain of the revelation of your glory to be revealed. It is an honour, Your Majesty, that you love us so much to allow us to partake in the suffering and revelation of who you are. All glory and honour unto you. We love you Lord as you are, who you are in the fullness of Trinity. Father, please bless all these people and once again, may your will be done. Even in stumbling, we know you keep us in your hand. For it is you who allows us to stumble. You have your ways. May we be granted the precious faith in You and not even the spiritual laws you have set in place. Thank you Father for restoring us as the wonderful bride to your Son Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, please lead us that we might do Father and your will ever more.In His precious name, Jesus Christ our Saviour,Amen and Shalom