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A Heart Worth Entering Heaven: Not Perfect but Faithful
A Heart Worth Entering Heaven: Not Perfect but Faithful
A Heart Worth Entering Heaven: Not Perfect but Faithful
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A Heart Worth Entering Heaven: Not Perfect but Faithful

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This book talks about marriage and divorce God's way. There are far too many Christians with a burning question they dare not ask for fear of the answer; consequently, they live under a cloud of doubt.

Church leaders would be shocked at the number of Christians who suffer in silence with the questions, “Does God honor my marriage to someone other than my first spouse?” or “Although divorced, is my first wife/husband still my spouse in God’s eyes?” These are valid questions that hamper an otherwise good relationship with God because it will cause you to be unsure about your true standing before Him. There are too many Christians dealing with these questions because they are unsure how God feels about their divorce.

This book will not only answer those questions, but will challenge people to think about how they got their current spouse. This book will challenge Christians to face their past with honesty and humility. We must be willing to answer the hard questions, with the ugly truth:

• Was your spouse married to someone else when the two of you started seeing each other?

• Did you break up someone’s home to start your own?

• The Bible says God hates divorce. Do you find yourself questioning the validity of your remarriage in God's eyes?

• God hates adultery, has He forgiven you?

Keep reading, you are holding the answers in your hand.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherWestBow Press
Release dateMay 2, 2019
ISBN9781973657613
A Heart Worth Entering Heaven: Not Perfect but Faithful
Author

A. Cummings

Ms. Cummings has studied, taught, and preached God’s word long enough to know it is only His truth that changes lives for the better, eternally. She has spoken at various women conferences and retreats and have had the humble honor of witnessing women being freed from life-long bondages. Her story is many of our stories, she just had the courage to put it in writing. She knows that she does not walk this journey alone, and as you read, her footsteps will become yours. Read and be renewed, read it again and be blessed, read it again and resolve to live in God’s truth. Ms. Cummings earned her BA in Christian Studies and is an associate minister at her church in California. She is the mother of 2 wonderful daughters and has 3 amazing granddaughters. Ms. Cummings works for a leading healthcare organization, and in her spare time she loves to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends.

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    Book preview

    A Heart Worth Entering Heaven - A. Cummings

    Copyright © 2019 A. Cummings.

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

    WestBow Press

    A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

    1663 Liberty Drive

    Bloomington, IN 47403

    www.westbowpress.com

    1 (866) 928-1240

    Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

    Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

    Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

    Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

    Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

    ISBN: 978-1-9736-5760-6 (sc)

    ISBN: 978-1-9736-5770-5 (hc)

    ISBN: 978-1-9736-5761-3 (e)

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2019903388

    WestBow Press rev. date: 4/24/2019

    This book is

    dedicated to the men and women who are striving to be a part of the remnant.

    Offer the sacrifices of righteousness

    and put your trust in the Lord.

    (Psm 4:5)

    God bless us all

    Contents

    Chapter 1   Making Sense of It All

    Chapter 2   Heartthrob

    Chapter 3   Lovesick

    Chapter 4   Holiness!

    Chapter 5   Happy Days

    Chapter 6   Power of the Pen

    Chapter 7   Called!

    Chapter 8   I Care

    Chapter 9   Anger

    Chapter 10   Divorce Papers

    Chapter 11   Baggage

    Chapter 12  The First 24 Hours

    Chapter 13   Only Jesus

    Chapter 14   Reasonable Action

    Chapter 15   Marriage

    Introduction

    Before you read this book, please do me the kind favor of praying first. Pray while reading it, pray when you put it down, and pray when you pick it back up. Pray when you finish reading it and I pray that you will read it again. In all sincerity, beseech God to perform in you what this book is intended to do: To allow the ministry of the Holy Spirit to quicken in your soul the realization of God’s deep desire for you to live a life that honors Him in all you do, especially in relationships and above all in marriage.

    You will undoubtedly be entertained, but do not lose sight of the real purpose of this book, which is to change the way you look at marriage, infidelity, and divorce. It is my prayer that you will be inspired to diligently seek a loving and faithful relationship with God that will abundantly spill over into your marriage.

    Stay alert:

    • You will want to see God as He reveals Himself in this story.

    • Be open to what God is speaking to your heart.

    • Look at and evaluate your marriage (relationship) through God’s eyes.

    I must warn you, if you do not come prayed up, with an open heart, open mind, and keeping it real (with yourself), you will not take away the riches that God has for you. God chose this forum to speak to you in the privacy of your own space, so be honest with yourself and with God as you read. Remember, this is a private conversation with you and God, via my story.

    Once we understand that marriage is not ours, but rather given to us as a scared gift, we will then begin to treat it with the honor it deserves. God did not create marriage to fit into your life, but your life is to fit into the context of the marriage vows. The vows are till death do us part, God is able to sustain your marriage to its natural conclusion.

    Marriage was created to be good and is meant to honor and glorify God. There is no honor in infidelity and divorce. There is no honor when we debase, devalue, cause injury, pain, and chaos in what was supposed to be a bit of paradise on earth.

    Failed marriages hurt so many people. A father gives in holy matrimony his daughter to her groom with the expectation that he will be as good to her as he is to himself. "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourish and cherish it" (Eph 5:29). Mothers have a special relationship with their sons, she does not want a woman mistreating her baby! They hesitantly, entrust their son’s into the hands of a woman who they hope will be his biggest supporter and encourager. "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head…" Eph 5:22). There can only be one head, two heads on one body is not a pretty sight.

    We love the idea of marriage, but we do not reverence the institute of marriage. We have failed miserably at protecting the sanctity of marriage. We want marriage on our own terms not on God’s or anyone else’s. Even though we live in a nation of entitlement and privilege, marriage can never be a one-way street. Yet, when we cannot have it our way, we feel justified in walking away.

    Walking away from a marriage is not a crime. Breaking someone’s heart is not a crime, tearing a home apart is not a crime, leaving your children is not a crime, and adultery is not a crime. Yet, I tell you the truth, it is a crime, not only before God, but also against God.

    Now, shall we get down to what most of you really want to talk about? Does God sanction remarriages - especially if it came about as a direct result of the demise of a marriage? The answer is yes; however, something is required.

    My dear one, God is giving you this book because He loves you and desires that you start today on your journey to restoration in your soul and unhindered pleasure in your current marriage. God desires that you live whole in His forgiveness and experience His wonderful blessings upon your life, and in your marriage.

    With God’s help and through this story I can lay out before you the path to restoration and peace. With God’s help, my story will empower you and strengthen you to look at your own life story from God’s perspective only, not yours, not your spouse’s, and not your best friend’s.

    I am excited for you! What a great adventure that lies ahead for you and your spouse as you rediscover your marriage, God’s way! Start enjoying the relationship that God desires you to have with Him – one of truth and freedom, and no condemnation.

    Foreword

    J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Pastor Emeritus

    Allen Temple Baptist Church

    Oakland, CA

    Ms. Cummings is an excellent writer with a very helpful message. She is transparent in sharing the highs and the lows of her life. She is careful to describe those events of her life that she deeply regrets. But, she lifts our spirits in detailing how she learned from those negative experiences what to do to rise high above the failures of the past.

    Because she had the courage to share, readers will receive unexpected riches. You will see the loving kindness, mercy, and protection of God in the events of her life. You will not miss how Ms. Cummings’ walk with God enriched her life with spiritual discipline, intimacy, and obedience. You will understand how faith works and how true faith is more than church membership. Reading this book will make you wiser in combating the pitfalls and satanic deceptions of the world, and to be truly victorious in overcoming gravitational forces seeking to pull you down. You will discover the secret for living the abundant life. You will thank Ms. Cummings for sharing her moving and beautiful story.

    CHAPTER 1

    Making Sense of It All

    I t was late one night, about two weeks before Del left home, when I finally gave in to the pain. I had plenty of sleepless nights in the last few years, but this night was different. There would be no rest and no sleep, the showdown (or should I say meltdown) had come. Tonight I was going to make some sense out of what was happening to my life. My marriage was falling apart right in front of me; it was like trying to pick up jell-o with your fingers, the more you handle it the quicker it dissolves. Del had made up his mind to leave home and there was nothing more I could do or say to change that.

    Anyway, how could I change anything when I did not know what the problem was? At this point whether I knew or not no longer mattered, Del was determined to follow through with his plans. It made me ill to think about it, but it was time to admit that my marriage was beyond human repair. The confession punched a hole in the place holding what I was not ready to deal with. Gushing out and spilling over the pain came; consequently, this would be a night unlike no other.

    My mind was like a traffic jam, questions were backed-up as far as one could see. I had no answers, only questions that led to more questions: What did I do? Can we work it out? What will people think? What will I do without him? How could this be happening to me? I was weary of all the questions, for months the questions plagued me, one after the other, on this night they all joined forces and demanded answers. My mind was screaming back, "Go away, and leave me alone. I don’t have any answers for you!" I was sick from fretting, riddled with anxiety and worn out from years of trying to keep it all together. My future was hanging in the balance dependent on the actions of another human being, who by the way was lying next to me sound asleep.

    I had to go to work the next morning and needed to get some sleep, but my emotions had kicked into overdrive. The pain was unleashed and in full control. My world was upside down and I needed to know why. The man who once adored me would not talk to me, let alone acknowledge my suffering. Satan was destroying our marriage and Del was asleep!

    I wanted to grab hold of his shoulders and shake him to bring him to his senses, and yes, I wanted to plead with him one more time, "Don’t let satan destroy us. Help me fight for our marriage. Del, wake up!" Although I had completely given in to the pain, I knew if Del woke up to such a pitiful scene, he would have viewed it as a grand performance. The pain was too raw to risk having it disparaged. I dared not awaken him, which infuriated me and exacerbated the anguish I was already in the grips of.

    No way was this the same man I had eagerly vowed to spend the rest of my life with. This was no childhood fantasy, forty-two years later I felt the same about Del as I did the first time I laid eyes on him. He was my husband, but he was also my hero. The hero who used to show up in my dreams was now my tormentor.

    Thoughts of how we met along with memories of better times were strangling me. I was overwhelmed with grief and bitter disappointment. My emotions could no longer remain pent up. I burst wide open and could not turn back even if I wanted to. In reality, I needed to let it out, burdens can only be carried for so long, eventually something has to give. I was a mess, my pillow was soaked with tears and snot, and my heart was suffocating in the disappointment of being let down by the man I trusted.

    While sobbing uncontrollably through clenched teeth an unfamiliar voice from within begin to plead with God, Lord, please tell me what I did to this man? I have been a faithful wife. I loved Del when he became un-loveable. I have been kind to him when he was not very nice to me. I put up with him when I should have been the one leaving! I laid myself open to help Del understand me and bent over backwards to get along with him, only to have him leave. I could not wrap my brain around what was happening to my life.

    Lying there in dejection I begin to think about how Jacob must have felt on that night he wrestled with the angel of God until daybreak (Gen 32:24-26). I was prepared to duke it out all night too. Like Jacob, I was as desperate and afraid as he must have been. Jacob was not going to face Esau without first hearing from God; I was not willing to face another day without hearing from Him.

    Like falling into a black hole, I could feel myself sinking further into despair. I did not want to hear what anyone else had to say. I was becoming weary of others’ take on Del’s behavior, only God knew what the problem was. At this point, I did not

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