Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives even unto death.
On Sunday, Brett and I had the opportunity to share our story with our youth pastor, Fabian, and his beautiful wife, Bethany. I will keep it short for those who do not know our story. Brett had every Biblical right to leave our marriage and had it not been for God and his redemptive power, that could have been what happened. But God, two of the most underestimated words in the Bible, brought us out! As a result, our marriage is the strongest it has ever been!!
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives even unto death.
The question came up about shame. How did I get over the shame of what I had done? I told them how God spoke to me at a Women’s Conference in Ridgecrest, NC, while Becky Fender sang, I Still Have a Future, “You are forgiven, but you still hold onto the shame. It is time for you to walk out of the shame.” When the Lord said that to me, I knew it was time to give him all the shame that had weighed me down. Instantly, I felt the shame of what I had done leaving my very soul. Shame was replaced with the joy of the Lord! Out of respect for Brett, because this is his story, too, I did not begin to tell our story until 2011. Even then, I only told our story in one-on-one settings until one night during Coffee Break.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives even unto death.
I can’t tell you what the study was, but I can tell you that I knew I was supposed to tell our story to some 250 women that were in the room. I stood on the platform, told our story, and then said the following words, “If you are here and you are tired of carrying the shame and you want to give it to the Lord and walk out of it, I want you to stand up and I want to pray for you.” Let me tell you, I did not plan to say that, but the Holy Spirit had other plans! I want to tell you I was confident that someone would stand up…I can’t. I want to tell you that I didn’t question the Holy Spirit’s timing…I can’t. For what seemed an eternity, in reality, it was only about five seconds; I was praying that at least one person would stand! Then all of a sudden, a woman standing to my right slapped the table, stood, and said, “I am tired of carrying it!” That one person’s courage opened the gate, and about fifty women stood. I prayed and sat down. After service, the pastor’s wife said, “That was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen.” What had I done? I told my story with transparency and vulnerability.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives even unto death.
With excitement in his eyes, Fabian looked at me and said, “We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We have got to tell our testimony!” Yes! Yes! Yes!
So what’s the point of the blog…
Wendy Roseman 