Marriage, an insightful message

I sent out an email just a bit ago.  In our Saturday prayer meeting, we have someone share whatever is on their heart, according to scripture.  Belle Romeus had shared once before, a message her son had sent out years ago.  He was in service, but very definitely serving the Lord, too.  This Saturday she shared another of Loren's messages.  I wanted to share what he wrote with all of you.  Marriage is a battleground, but not the type we would normally think of.  I thank the Lord for Loren's insight and wisdom.  Please read and share wherever you feel called to.  It's a very insightful message.
Thanks, 
Karen
 

Marriage ~ written by Loren Romeus (Belle and Paul’s son ~ written May 10, 2003)

I’ve got several things written and prepared to send, but a lot of things have been pulling my spirit toward the issue of marriage and specifically the spiritual warfare surrounding marriage, so we’ll try to go that route today.

I really don’t have anything profound to say regarding marriage today.  Many of you have much more experience in that field than I do, but I think it is worthy of our collective focus for a least a week. 

First of all, marriage is one of the foremost battlegrounds of spiritual warfare.  The enemy devotes tremendous effort toward the destruction of individual marriages and the institution of marriage as a whole.  At any given time in our life, other areas of your life (health, finances, career, friendships, etc.) may or may not be under attack depending on the tailored strategy of the enemy for your downfall.  However, you can be sure that your marriage is under continuous attack.  There are a number of reasons that I can think of for this, and I’m sure many more exist.

1.     Marriage is a reflection of Salvation.  If a person truly understands mutually exclusive, intimate, life-long covenant based on unconditional love (marriage), they can easily understand and embrace mutually exclusive, intimate, life-long covenant based on unconditional love (salvation).

2.    Marriage is the foundation of family.  A godly family and household is God’s design for raising and developing people.  One of the easiest ways for the enemy to unravel the fabric of a person’s life is to begin destroying their family environment during childhood.  If a child doesn’t learn about love, discipline, forgiveness, affection, respect, commitment, integrity, and all those types of subjects at home, the world is more than happy to teach them all they need to know.

3.    The spiritual power of a united couple is tremendous.  The enemy attacks marriage so hard because it holds great danger for destroying his kingdom.  The accountability, support, prayer, encouragement, and combined anointing available within marriage holds potential for phenomenal men and women of God.

4.    Since marriage reflects salvation, it is a constant reminder to the enemy of his defeat at the cross and the restoration and intimacy with God that will never again be available to him.  Yes, marriages are attacked because they pose a threat, but more than that, they are attacked because the enemy vehemently, viciously hates marriage.

Last Sunday night, a group of us concluded a study on marriage that we had been conducting for  a number of weeks.  That last night the only thing on the agenda was prayer.  We prayed for each other and for marriages of certain other couples we knew.  It ended up being nearly an hour and a half of effectual, fervent prayer.  I came away from there thinking, “Man, I really needed that!” and “Why in the world don’t we do things like this more often?”  We are so concerned with maintaining an image of good, stable, shining Christian lives that we hesitate to ask people to pray for us.  James 5: 16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  The second sentence is quoted all the time in church, but the first sentence is remarkably less popular.

Whether your marriage is experiencing difficulty at the moment or not, I challenge you this week to find a prayer warrior or two and request prayer for your own marriage.  Furthermore, let the Spirit guide you to pray for marriages of people you know.  Tear down strongholds of pride, selfishness, materialism, lust, bitterness, and so forth.  Cancel every demonic strategy and plan against those marriages in the name of Jesus Christ.  Proclaim peace, passion, intimacy, understanding, support, and clear communication by the authority of the True and Living God.  This is a war zone, get in there and FIGHT!  While you’re at it, pray for Tina and me.

The Lord be with you all,

Loren

November and heading toward Thanksgiving

It's a warm and sunny day here in Haiti.  A few clouds to temper the heat from the sun, but a lovely day, none the less.  

Had an interesting time last weekend.  With all we have going on, funds were a bit tight.  So those coming for help, were told we had to wait for the Lord to send something.  This didn't go over too well with a few.  And it only takes one or two to make things touchy.  They gathered many of those Don helps, and came and loudly harassed us, for hours.  Don tried to reason with them.  Now, those who really need help were NOT the ones being so vocal.  We finally had to simply shut doors and windows and pray.  They left, but were back the next morning.  Don went out and was trying to reason with them again.  He told them to pray for him and to pray the Lord would supply.  While he was out there, I felt a real need to go out and talk to HIM, not them.  I told him, "Pray FOR THEM."  He said okay, he'd pray for them (and he always has).  But I said "No, NOW.  pray for them WITH them."  He looked at me, then said okay.  He told them he wanted to pray.  He reached out to the two closest and started praying.  He prayed God would bless them, and help them when he couldn't.  Then he prayed they would accept the Lord into their hearts and become children of God."  In essence, he shared salvation with them through prayer.  When he said amen, they prayed in unison, a rote prayer.  But they thanked him and left.  Seeds were planted that day.  Two days ago, one of the women came to us and told Don she had accepted the Lord at Pastor Codo's church on Sunday.  She was all smiles and so happy.  Yes, the Lord sent us here to help those in need, and we do the best we can when we can.  But He also wants us to share HIs love and His provision with them in the spiritual realm.  It was such an uplift to have this one person come and share with us.  God IS working, even when we don't see the results.  And we Praise Him for all He is doing.

We've been working, trying to get our little depot back into a house, as it was intended 20 some years ago.  Vero and Abbie will move in when we complete it.  We are doing one step at a time to get it finished.  The new roof is on, and we had the walls painted with primer.  Then our good friend came and spray painted the inside and part of the outside with what paint we had.  That was SO much quicker than the roller and brush we had used for the primer.  Vero's eyes light up with each step completed.  We have a ways to go.  Rat screening and mosquito screens will be next.  Don is putting up new doors to replace the rotted ones that were on it.  But it is slowly starting to take shape.  Vero is such a hard worker and does so much for so  many.  She has almost no income, so finding a place to stay is difficult.  That was the reason we decided to redo the "depot" for her.  It really was built as a home for our watchman.  But being at the back of the property was not ideal.  So, Don had built his home out front.  Thus, the depot.  Don will work on getting electric into the house after the screening.  I'm working on curtains and furnishings.  With each step it's fun to see Vero's face.  She works with the kids at IDADEE orphange, but her main thrust is evangelism.  She is doing great.  And now another pastor wants her to come to his area and help him do evangelism there.  Her real heart is simply to reach everyone she can with God's message of salvation.  So, pray for her and pray we can get this place done for her quickly.  

In our intercessory prayer groups, we have been praying that the Lord would bless those at the airport who were not only Christians, but who were trying to be a witness to others and doing it by being honest in all they do there.  Praying corruption out of government places is a huge task.  But we serve an awesome, answering God.  We'll keep praying, and He'll keep answering.  But it's neat to see changes taking place at the airport and knowing God is at work there.  It's fun to work with those who's objective is to do things the way the Lord would have them done.  So please pray with us that the Lord will work in hearts and minds there.

Don is working hard and long hours trying to get material delivered to many areas.  He had to haul a load of gravel to put in the ROAD, so he could reach one place where he needed to deliver gravel.  Pray for strength for Don, for the truck to keep running well, and for the people he is helping.

Pray also for Savanah's adoption.  This week I will be contacting the lawyer to see where we stand and to get more paperwork to him.  We are praying her "archived birth certificate" is here now.  Then we will apply for her passport.  Her home study is finished in Canada, but we need copies in both English and French.  Pray for that to happen quickly.  And I will be working on finding the right person to do all her papers here in both languages.  Savanah is a VERY active 2 year old.  She can steal your heart with a smile, and drive you silly with her antics.  And her favorite movie at present is "Alvin and the Chipmunks".  She has perfected the "ALVIN" shout of David Savile. 

Well it's time to get some work done. I pray I can stay on the internet long enough to accomplish some work.  Blessing and love from here to your place.  As we close in on Thanksgiving, start now making a list each day of something you are thankful to the Lord for.  I'll do the same and post it soon.  God is our strength and shield, just as He is yours.  I pray you are leaning on Him in all you do.  Keep smiling, God loves a smile, and He can use your praises and thanks when you pray, too.  So, until next time, keep 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18 in mind.  "Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

PS:  If you want to support our ministry the easiest way is to make an Online Donation via: 
www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name.  The system can accept USA and International cards.  You can also select automatic and recurring gifts if you select the "Monthly" option.  
Or simply mail your gift to:
World Outreach Ministries
P.O. Box "B"
Marietta, GA  30061
and designate for Don and Karen Davis, fund code 10    

We are into November

Greetings from Haiti,

I thought I'd start out with some pictures for you.  This first one is of a plant we have in our yard.  The huge leaves look like someone took a paint brush to it.  We had some leaves that were about a foot and a half wide.  I really liked them and our yardman went and found more.  The flower almost looks like a jack-in-the-pulpit.  the other greenery is a fine like plant that we have on top of our wall on the porch.  These in the picture had fallen down and took root.

 Anna's mom sent in some presents for Savanah and Abbie.  Savanah really likes books and was thrilled with these.  There are 12 little books.  One had a baby in a highchair eating.  She picked up on that right away.

 She made Anna sit down with her on the floor and "read" them.

 Don stopped for drink on his way to deliver gravel.  I don't know if you can see it, but he has to get at least 15 trucks like this for the pastor.

 I just finished sending out an email, so thought I'd simply paste it here and let you see what is going on in our lives.

Have a super, God blessed, God directed, God inspired day!!!

From Hot and HUMID Haiti....

We have been having some really heavy rains at night.  Sunshine during the daytime. Combining the two, you have humidity.  Temperatures in the upper 80's which we can handle, but the the humidity is wearing on eveyrone.  And then come the Wisconsin state birds, MOSQUITOES.  Not sure why we have to have them here in Haiti, too, but we sure do.

We are still fighting our internet problems.  Have found a short way to get on, but it is SO slow compared to what we are used to.  The paises to God in it, is that I CAN get on, when it works.  But it's a blessing, too.  Slow is better than none.  But it is a prayer concern for us.  Trying to do MFI work, Embassy work, and general letters is very challenging.  So please keep it all in prayer.

I really am so pleased to be able to write, but we have been spoiled with such good internet to this point.  It reallly isn't the internet that is the problem.  It's our two computers.  We need to go in and change some information....but I have no idea WHERE to go and WHAT to change.  Being computer illiterate has it's drawbacks.

Anna came to stay for 2 months.  She has been going out to Limbe and working at an orphanage there.  She comes back here once in a while to visit.  She is teaching English out there to the orphans, and of course, being loved on and loving the kids, too.

We went to a meeting with the heads of the airport here in Cap and some fellows from Port au Prince.  All airlines are invited to have a representative there.  Not all come though.  But it's a good thing.  They share what is happening with the airport and how things are progressing.  Then the airlines are allowed to make statements and ask questions.  I praise God that at both of the meetings we've attended, Savnah has slept through almost all of it.  This last one when she woke up, we left, so as not to disturb anyone.  But they were almost finished anyway.  I do appreciate the fact that they are including the airlines in things, and giving an ear to what we have to say. 

Don has started hauling gravel for a pastor for building.  He said probably 15 or more loads, since it's in an area where there is a lot of water problems.  They buy land where they can afford it, then try to deal with the problems.  Sad, but at least they have something to claim.

Remember to keep the Lord at the front and center of all you do and in all your dealings.  Like everyone else, we have problems, but keeping Jesus front and center
gets us through each situation.  He definitely IS our strength and shield.  Until next time, blessings beyond mearure and love (of the Lord and for the Lord) unending.

Don and Karen Davis
P.S. ~ if you want to support our minisstry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via  www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name.  The system can process USA & International cards.  You can also set up automatic recurring gifts if you select the "Monthly" option.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Minisstries,  PO Box B,  Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Don & Karen Davis, Fund Code 10