Praise Reports From our Encouraging Men.
I thank the Lord because He has been good to me. He took me from a horrible life of anger, pornography, selfishness, arrogance, and adultery. Today I am recalling my recent past and understand why we are asked to go through this testing fire.
I was away from His Word for five long years, and that meant not living the ways of the Lord. During that time, I failed to pray, did not read the Bible and did not realize how much I was destroying my life, my family and my marriage until the day that the Lord called me away from myself, which is the greatest gift a person can be given and does what his family needs.
It’s when I read in Psalm 38, verse 11 that says “Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; my loved ones stand far away” when it all made sense to me. I realized that God allowed this distance, for a while, to change, to transform and mold meto His image, creating a man that will bring the Word of God into many homes and I will serve as an example to other men who are going through the same situation.
I intend to become a pastor and minister to the lives of people who have lost hope and want to have their families back. I pray every day for the Lord to use me in this work. It is the least I can do to thank you for all the teaching and to God for all the discipline that He has meted out to me.
~ Daniel
ALSO from Daniel:
I praise and thank the Lord for He has been the rock of my life, made me lose the desire and taste for sin, has made me feel a true fear of sin, that it is wrong and also no longer wanting to harm to anyone.
Today I know that all this time He has been with me and watching everything I do, which inhibits me from sin. Of course, I am not and nor will I be perfect, Glory to God, because it means I need Him at all times to be with m,e and do not want to feel better in myself. On the contrary, I know that shall continue to be “dust” and without the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, I would be the same dirty sinner forever.
Today instead of swearing and grumbling, I speak of God to people, whether Christian or not, and found that this produces a beautiful and peaceful effect on the hearts of myself and others. I learned that everyone has an inclination to surrender to the power of the Father, but most do not have the strength to do it alone. Or in other cases, like me, they need their world to collapse to realize how much they need God in their lives.
Today I feel things that I did not feel. I can clearly hear the voice of God in my heart and also feel when I’m in tune with Him. And I can tell everyone that I do not want another life than this !!!
Today I became an understanding person, who did not think better than anyone, who tries to help and comfort to everyone whenever possible, a soul which sees the spiritual battles of others as if I can feel their pain. And especially today, I rejoice for the victory of others, something I’ve always been lacking in my life.
I’ve tried everything to change myself, psychologist, medicine, tried to control myself alone—all was in vain. I could only really turn and be changed when I left everything wholly to God and gave the Lord my life. I advise everyone who will read this praise report to do the same !!!
Will it take long to change? It depends on your commitment. As it’s a restoration, so I think it all depends on our efforts, how much we love our wives to the point of letting her go and surrendering it all to God. I know it’s not easy. At first the idea seems daunting, but it’s the only way. A good friend always tells me this: “If it were easy, we would do ourselves.” And it’s the truth; if it were easy to restore our marriages, wouldn’t that mean all the glory and honor and praise that was intended to be forGod and only to Him would be taken from Him?
I know there is still much to improve in me, but today I feel God in my life all the time!! I dedicated myself to His Word in such a way that other things, things in the world (such as college, travel, hobbies, and television) lost its hold on me.
I feel I betrayed God when I spend my time with other things that are not for His honor and to give glory to Him. And I was one of those people who “never had time” to pray. Sometimes the Lord tells me things about some people and things about my wife to help me to encourage and support others in a way that I never imagined I could do. I literally have felt what my wife feels, and that more than reaffirms in my life the verse that says “… and the two shall become one flesh.”
Today I see that if you want to see change in your life and in your marriage, the delivery has to be your full of body and soul, without anything to doubt or fear. I will end my praise report here but I want to make one last comment.
Brother, everything that happens now you can be sure today, you can be in a situation where you do not see anything and it will destroy your faith, but be sure that God is moving the mountain!! Trust in Him, because His work it is perfect !!! Peace and the strength of the Lord be with you all during this walk, be committed to the fullest and the Lord will honor you.
So far I’ve done all the courses and I am now remembering and retracing my journey by repeating them again and again.
“For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”
says your protector, the Lord.” (Isaiah 54: 7-8)
~ Daniel São Paulo
Thank God for each of you and praising Him because I finally feel peace and tranquility, after these courses helped take away all the anguishing pain and overcome my moments of weakness. Now, too, I know where I may pay my tithes and now am no longer in lack or want of anything.
~ Jamerson
I have learned a lot and certainly believe God brought me here—looking at the condition I’m in now seems impossible, but because I found the promises, I have found relief and comfort to my heart! I have studied the lessons and have put all my hope in the Lord, and as has been said in my lessons, I have been bombarded with countless people, the enemy always uses someone to discourage men, but thanks to you, I now have a discernment to know when I’m being attacked and it’s not the people but the enemy who is behind it. The lessons have renewed me in a special way and given me hope and faith that I never imagined I could have. I always tell some friends that they will be witnesses of God’s power in my life. My faith has been renewed and I feel confident of victory because of Him in my life. Amen. Peace to you all.
~ Eric