Seduced by Vain and Unimportant Things

Seduced by Vane and Unimportant Things

Ziva, how did your restoration actually begin?

God had been trying to guide me during the time I was stuck in the mud. I lived a life of lies and humiliation and arrogance towards my EH. I didn’t value either my family or my husband nor the blessings that God bestowed upon me. I was being so stubborn and I was blind due to the spirit filth in which I lived. God began to shut many doors to me, and I know that everything I went through was allowed so that I could repent and seek Him. Regrettably when you live in foolishness, you don’t care about anything, and it wasn’t until my home fell apart that I stopped acting badly.

As soon as God brought all of my sinfulness to light, my EH was filled with resentment and pain. He decided to file for divorce and leave our home. Our children felt neglected, my oldest left the house for 2 days out of rebellion, and my son was doing poorly in school due to my lack of care. As soon as I hit rock bottom, falling deep into the mud, in that bottomless pit of desperation… God removed the blinders from my eyes, and He made me see myself… see the reality of my true self, how I had acted, and how badly I’d hurt my own family. Those were sad and painful days, because every day I experienced an eternity of weeping and pain, bitterness and helplessness for being unable to fix all the wrongs I had done. Then I decided to ask God for forgiveness.

I needed forgiveness for doing all those awful things and for not hearing His voice, His warnings, His love. It was as if GOD had thrown me from my high horse, kind of like Saul. That day, my Restoration Journey started. I decided to seek Him desperately. I talked with Him in the early mornings, and throughout the day, even when I thought He didn’t hear me. As soon as I started doing that and I gave Him everything that was left in me. He began His work. My EH felt furious and hurt, every day was torture just to hear from him, or to look at him. His eyes threw daggers into me. It was daily torture, and I knew I had to endure it for harming my family. However it was here that God heard my prayers. He turned the storm into peaceful moments, and potentially traumatizing situations into quiet moments. For the most part, we had enjoyed 17 beautiful years of marriage, but the last few years weren’t that wonderful. The years of hurt, the doubts and frustrations of straying had left doors open for the enemy to walk through and send our marriage to the grave. I realize I began to let myself be seduced by vane and unimportant things, and all they did was to create a deeper emptiness within me. That is how I allowed the enemy to destroy my marriage.

How did God change your situation Ziva as you sought Him wholeheartedly?

All the time, when I came home from work, my EH bombarded me with questions, humiliations and insults, because I’d failed him. He wouldn’t let me be in peace for a minute. There were times when I managed to stay calm because I was seeking God, but he came to torment me. (Now I know that was the enemy using my EH) However God was always there to protect me and to protect my communion with HIm. There were times when I wanted to quit seeking God, because I grew weary of bad terrible days. But God took control and filled my EH with His love. This changed his countenance and filled his heart with leniency.

I remember one day in the midst of awful words that he kept saying in my ears. I remained completely silent, as I had learned in the RMI book. Then in my mind and in my heart I kept talking to God, telling Him, ”You’re stronger, You’re stronger, You’re stronger, don’t allow the enemy to defeat me. You have forgiven me and You won’t forsake me,”. I kept repeating that, soon my EH fell asleep and spoke no more.

What principles, from God's Word (or through our resources), Ziva, did the Lord teach you during this trial?

After about a month and a half of seeking God, with the help of my mother who taught me to pray, I was looking for psychological help online. I didn’t know what to do and sometimes it got so bad that I even thought of ending my life. That is when God allowed me to find this ministry. All it took was for me to read just one restored marriage testimony (I think it was Lota’s Restored Marriage Testimony). Then I read the first chapter of How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage? It gave me the hope that He had brought me to RestoreMinistries.net. . At first I didn’t know that I had to fill out the forms when doing the online courses, I only read and started doing each thing the Word of God said. I started seeing results right away— my wonderful GOD began to change things little by little, but as I continued on, the trials got harder. As His Word says, He allows our trials but He also gives us comfort… I kept on walking and feeding from this ministry's teachings.

What were the most difficult times that God helped you through Ziva?

During the most difficult time, my EH left our home. He traveled to Argentina thinking he would never look back. He even started working with a lawyer to file for divorce and then he’d tell me he was going to take the kids. My darling God was with me, showing me that He was in control. My EH would say those things, but he wouldn’t stop calling home to see how I was doing, and he’d tell me that he didn’t know if he should come back home. That's when I had to believe that God was in his heart to guide him and to prevent him from making bad choices.

I also know that God took care of protecting my children, so that they wouldn’t suffer and neither did they find out what was going on between their father and me. I know God gave me the strength to endure the knowledge of what my wrong-doings led to. I had opened the doors for the enemy so that my EH would seek revenge by doing the same with another woman. But God was cleansing my heart and my spirit, so that I could be strong and brave and able to forgive just as God had forgave me. Even though I did feel that awful pain in the flesh, I was able to keep going by holding onto God’s hand. He has been so good and wonderful that even the fact of writing these words makes me tear up because I know that He’s done amazing things, that no one would believe, things that absolutely no one could replicate.

Ziva, what was the “turning point” of your restoration?

I remember one day, when I wanted to help God, and I made the mistake of talking about God to my EH. All I got was a very hostile response. I got really discouraged, but I went into my prayer closet, and I said “Jesus forgive me because I wanted to help and it didn’t work, all I ask is that the progress that You’ve made isn’t all lost.”

A few days later I had to go to the doctor. As I sat in the waiting room, my EH was, as always, on his phone checking his Facebook. I got so upset because that social network is really a double-edged weapon (if you don’t use it wisely, then it can be toxic). I didn’t know what to do. He could spend the whole day on Facebook. As we sat waiting, my EH told me “hey, come look at this”. When I looked at him his eyes were watery and his voice was shaky. My first reaction was fear, but he smiled and that changed everything! God used that social network to reach him and to tell me He was in control! God was so precise in having 2 random people (2 different profiles that shared the same post) and in between the two, formed my EH’s name, and the post said: “God wants to do this with you: TO ERASE YOUR PAST, TO RESTORE YOUR PRESENT AND BLESS YOUR FUTURE!!! Praise God, King of Kings, Jesus, Prince of Peace!! Praise His Wonderful Holy Spirit, who works powerfully where He deems it!!! I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy and neither did my EH. He touched my cheek and put his cheek against mine affectionately. I could feel His promises being fulfilled!

Not long afterwards, in the midst of other trials, God started working faster. My oldest son would pray with me, but my eldest daughter wouldn’t. She still wasn’t a believer, but nothing is impossible with GOD! My daughter witnessed how things were improving, and praise God, my daughter started praying with us! God kept working and it wasn’t long before my husband let himself be caught in His love. The love He placed in me and in our children who wouldn’t stop praying for their father and me! When my EH started praying with us, we all shouted out for joy and gave shouted praises to our King!

Tell us HOW it happened Ziva? Did your husband just walk in the front door? Ziva, did you suspect or could you tell you were close to being restored?

In the middle of our family prayer circle, there wasn’t yet enough love to say it was all restored, because my EH still wasn’t affectionate. He didn't tell me “I love you.“ What we went through wasn’t easy to overcome in our own strength. That’s why I kept praying and obeying Him, seeking to please Him in the midst of my circumstances. I thank Him with all of my heart every day when I wake up, and when I go to sleep, for every day of my life, for every miracle He’s done.

God made my EH seek more of Him, and now he listens to sermons online from a very amazing Argentinian pastor. He used to say that “that pastor was sent by God to speak to me.” It's as if God had told him how I felt and then get him to say “Here I am and I’m watching you”!!!

One day, I came home from work and as I said at the beginning of my restoration journey, coming home from work was torture due to my EH humiliating me. This all changed as the days went on, and as I walked close to Him.. that day was so different!!! I got home and my EH greeted me with a hug and sat me down on the bed. He told me “I sent you a sermon, did you watch it?” and I said “I did, it was nice”, in fact, Father God never ceases to teach us… (the sermon was about the pharisees that wanted to stone the adulteress woman) My EH told me, crying, “Forgive me because I’ve thrown so many stones at you, you didn’t deserve anything I said to you”. He told me many loving words. He told me he had neglected me, and that he still loved me, and hugged me tightly, and we stayed like that for a long time!!

I was thanking my Eternal Love, my Almighty God!!! It was as if we were in a cloud… since I could only think “thank you God!!!” Since that day I could see that I was experiencing that “oh so awaited restoration. Yes, the road is tough and difficult, but if we hold onto God, everything is easier. He is our Comfort, He’s there to embrace us, He fills us with joy even in the midst of sadness and fills us with hope when it looks impossible!

Did you suspect you were close to restoration Ziva?

From that day forward, from my EH’s first “I love you”, the real one, after so long and even before I sought God, I hadn’t felt that those words could be so important. They are!! It was from that day that I felt I was close to restoration. Seeing that my EH was SG himself, together we kept trying to move on amidst the trials. We both kept praying with our children, and I also kept praying on my own in the early mornings and SG, trying to walk in obedience. I must say that it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, but when you fall in love with Jesus and you seek Him with your whole heart, you can feel Him, that He is right there, in every moment. And my wonderful Jesus made me feel like I was close to enjoying that wonderful experience, full restoration that He had promised! And as His Word says in Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in Him and He will grant your heart’s desires.”

Would you recommend any of our resource in particular that helped you Ziva?

Yes, How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage also A Wise Woman. All of the By the Word of Their Testimonies, and going through online courses. My favorite was Finding the Abundant Life Course.

I’d like to recommend every one of these resources!! In fact I want to say that the 1st book, was such a huge help at the right time, “Restore Your Marriage.How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage. Absolutely everything here is a great tool or instrument from God.

What are your favorite Bible verses, promises He gave you, Ziva. Do you want to share some with the women who will read your testimony?

Yes, there are so many.

Joel 2:25

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.”

Psalm 37:4-5

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.”

Deuteronomy 26: 18

“And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.”

Psalm 112:1-3

“Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.”

Would you be interested in helping encourage other women Ziva?

Of course!! I will help whoever needs my help with all of my heart.

Either way Ziva, what kind of encouragement would you like to leave women with, in conclusion?

Dear bride, please don’t be discouraged due to the circumstances that you’re going through. Just fix your eyes on our wonderful Heavenly Husband, no matter what, keep praying, praising and being grateful since it is through Him that God will work on our behalf. It's very important to read the books, the courses, read them and live them. Sometimes people only read and don’t live what it says. The important thing here is to live it radically to the letter, since every word is from God. Try to live it with all of your heart, even if it’s tough, keep persevering in pleasing God, no matter what other people say, even your family or even your EH himself. Try to say kind words and live to please God, the One and only one who can change your situation.

Remember, He brings the dead back to life, so why wouldn’t He be able to resurrect your marriage? My Beloved, God does as He wills, so be encouraged! Make God want to restore your marriage… devote yourself completely to Him with all that you are!!! Allow Him fully into your heart, in your mind, in your soul, and let Him mold you like clay!!

To see and feel and to live His glory in our lives is beautiful... !!! God LOVES you, He loves me and loves us as we are! And He rejoices in us even more when He sees that we want to be His beloved Son’s brides! And to be the beloved brides of Jesus means we must be virtuous, and He does that for us!! His love transforms us… His love is all we need to be happy! Everything else is a bonus!

I bless you brave and hardworking women, never give up, Jesus never stops loving us!!

~ Ziva in Peru