For those of you who have read my blogs you know that I recommend Pure Life Ministries as a number one resource and ministry for those struggling with sexual sin and the women whose lives have been affected by it. I had the privilege of going through the OCAH counseling program for wives that PLM offers several years ago. While this was one of the most painful times of my life and the counseling was not easy for me I know without any doubt that the Lord used this ministry to save my life and take me to a depth in God I would have never known without the suffering and then the resurrection of my own heart. You see, I thought that the counseling would help me to fix my husband but I was sadly mistaken because almost immediately the Lord was showing me that I too needed some major fixing and it was going to be a major overhaul. My counselor Rose Colon taught me how to discern God’s word for myself. She taught me simple Biblical truths that helped me to put Jesus back on the throne of my heart by taking my eyes off of my husband’s sin and putting them on Jesus! The teachings that I have sat under at Pure Life Ministries have far outweighed the years of psychological counseling/teaching that I received on “self preservation”. It has been a fight to unlearn the teachings of this world but thanks to the Lord and PLM, I have learned “soul preservation” by daily dying to self and truly taking up my cross and following Him.
Pastor Jeff Colon of Pure Life Ministries has written a book titled From Ashes to Beauty. I was able to get a copy directly from Pure Life and I began reading it Monday of this week. I am so excited to share this treasure with you. I believe that this book holds the key to set EVERY couple free and resurrect EVERY marriage if both husband and wife will submit to the godly counsel given in these pages. It’s all straight from the Bible and can easily be referenced back to the Word. I love that Pastor Colon has given a study guide at the back of the book for each chapter!! This is a book/workbook combined in my opinion that guides you through the teaching but also challenges you in reflection and meditation.
Here is the introduction from the book taken directly from the Pure Life Ministries website with permission from the author. To purchase a copy of From Ashes to Beauty you will need to go directly to the Pure Life Ministries site by following this LINK as the book has yet to be released to stores & on line sources.
The burden in my heart had been constantly growing.
While counseling couples over the
years and seeing firsthand the devastation wrought
by sexual sin upon so many marriages, the grief
mounted to the point where
I felt compelled to do more. I was
especially grieved to see so many marriages being relegated to
the ash heap of divorce. This book was birthed out of that
burden of grief and the conviction that things do not have
to be this way, especially among Christians.
I know in my heart that no
situation is beyond God’s ability to restore. Since God restored my
marriage with Rose 15 years ago, I have witnessed countless
marriages reclaimed from the ash heap and transformed into beautiful
representations of God’s love
and forgiveness. That’s what can
happen when true repentance occurs and each spouse enters into
vital contact with God, His great, precious promises, and His
will for their lives. God does not change; He still gives us
beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)
The spiritual truths shared in this
book are designed to bring about a deeper walk with God
for both spouses. That is the answer to your situation,
whatever it may be. You will find that as you draw close to God He
takes care of the problems that seem so big to us. There is
absolutely no reason why a truly “Christian” marriage should ever
fail, even after sexual sin has occurred. When both spouses are living in a
vital and intimate relationship with Jesus, everything
else will follow. Fifteen years ago, as Rose and I
surveyed the effects of sexual sin on our marriage, all we
saw was a mountainous pile of rubble and ashes. We empathized
with Nehemiah and how he must have felt when he received
the report of Jerusalem’s condition: “The survivors who are
left from the captivity in the
province are there in great
distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and
its gates are burned with fire.” Nehemiah had the overwhelming task
before him of having to rebuild the walls from this state
of utter ruin. He knew that his only source of strength and hope
must come from the One who could do what was impossible
for man. Consequently, he tearfully prayed for God to
intervene: “So it was, when I heard
these words that I sat down and
wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying
before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:3-4, emphasis added) Like Nehemiah witnessing the
devastation of sin and its consequences, a couple dealing with
the aftermath of sexual sin faces the same overwhelming
sense of destruction and despair over what lies ahead. All
they can see is the huge pile of debris remaining from what used to
be their marriage. Shattered emotionally, they are easily
overwhelmed. Battered spiritually, they are rife with uncertainty.
Restoring and rebuilding their marriage is a daunting task. Like
Nehemiah, their only source of strength and hope must come from
the One who can do what is impossible for man. Beloved, allow God to draw you to
Him through these pages and He will turn your mountainous
issues into mole hills and give you more than you bargained
for. Don’t limit God, He has so much He wants to give you and
your spouse in every situation and through every trial you will
face. I assure you, God can give you the
spiritual wherewithal to rebuild your marriage out of the
ruins of sexual sin, or any kind of difficulty that may have arisen
in your marriage. As you go
through this book, please do so
prayerfully and remain open to
what God has for you. Take your
time and don’t be in a hurry; God isn’t in a hurry. You may even
want to go over some things more than once. At the back of the
book you will find a study guide for each chapter. I have
included this to help you apply what you have read and to allow God
to do for you spiritually what He wants to do. The Word of
God tells us that being hearers only is not profitable. (James
1:22) These assignments should be done with that in mind.
God has something for you, but you
will have to do what He is asking?
Pastor Jeff Colon is the Executive Director of Pure Life Ministries.
For many years he and his wife Rose have ministered nationally at Men
of Purity weekends and couples conferences, bringing a message of hope
and a call to a deeper union in Christ.