Don't Ask God to Restore

Dr. Ray: Hello and welcome to Self Talk. I'm your host, Dr. Ray Self. In this show, we're going to answer a major question: is it better to restore or rebuild? How many times do we pray and say God, please restore me, please restore my, my relationship, please restore my finances. So many times, we ask God to do something when he has something better for us. We're going to look at this very important question of restore or rebuild with my special guest that is the Reverend Debbie Winderweedle. This show is sponsored by the International College of Ministry, enrolling right now, Holy Spirit-filled online seminary, affordable, work on your own schedule at icmcollege.org. icmcollege.org. God bless you.

 

[Music]

 

Dr. Ray: Hello, and welcome again to Self Talk. Very excited about this show. I have a very special guest in the studio today and that is the Reverend Debbie Winderweedle. So welcome, Debbie. 

 

Reverend Debbie: Well thank you, Dr. Ray, for having me again. I fully enjoy this and I look forward to our conversation today.

 

Dr. Ray: So, we were um, having a discussion.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: And I think a very important idea or uh, scenario, came up. So many times in our lives, we pray and we're asking God to restore something we've lost, oh God, please restore this relationship, oh God, please restore this job, oh God, please restore my marriage, oh God, please restore my finances, oh God, please restore, and then, but, when you look at scripture, what you see instead of restoration is you see God rebuilding. And the scripture says when we're born again, we become not restored, but a new creation. So tell me, tell me about that.

 

Reverend Debbie: Well, what comes to my mind right away is uh, Isaiah talked about, uh, you know, the Lord said to him I don't want to remember the former things, I don't want you to remember them, I want you to look ahead to the new thing that I'm doing. So God is always in the new, he's not in the past, he's in the new. And the, now you know, today and so many times, we do want him to restore a relationship and it doesn't mean that he is not going to heal the relationship, he is able to do that, but he wants to rebuild the relationship because he doesn't want to go back to the old. It's like taking um, a piece of furniture and you sand that down so you can restore it. Well, we're not a piece of furniture and he's not looking for just restoration, he wants us to come out of the old, the past, and become, you know, walk in the new that he has for us. The, the rebuilding or the redeveloping of our, our person, you know, and what he's created us to be. He's always moving us forward so why would he want us to go backward into the same situation, you know? 

 

Dr. Ray: So instead of restoring something from the past and maybe making that better, God says no, I'm not restoring you, it's the way, what you had, I'm going to rebuild for you something even better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes and like he said to Israel, or he told Jeremiah in chapter 30 and 31, talking about the ruins that had occurred because of uh, the Israelites were going back on and broke the covenant, and he said I'm going to make a new covenant and he said I'm going to rebuild on those ruins. So that takes us right back to Paul and he said, you know, God turns everything around for our good to those who love and are called love the Lord and are called, then God will turn that bad thing around for good. So he can build on our ruins but he's not going to restore those ruins, he's going to rebuild.

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah, I think that's, I think that's a very, very good analogy and I know I have prayed so many times in my life or something to be restored and then looking back and go you know, God never did restore that, 

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: But he rebuilt something.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: Usually in me.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: I was thinking about, and we were talking about before the show about Peter. So here's Peter, you know, he's a fisherman, you know, Jesus borrows his boat to teach and everything and then after Jesus finishes teaching, he tells Peter to go out and cast his net down on the other side of the boat. Peter says but I've been fishing all night, caught nothing, but I'll do as you say. So Peter cast his net and he caught more fish than he's ever seen in his life. So many fish it had almost sunk his boat. And so God, you know, it looked like well God's restoring Peter, he's making Peter a great fisherman. He's restoring him, he's restoring his fishing luck because he was doing terrible. So God restored him to be a, a great fisherman. But actually, that's not what he was doing at all. He was actually showing Peter the miracle working power of God. He called Peter and rebuilt Peter's life…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: …into something completely different. He didn't restore peter to be a successful fisherman, he rebuilt Peter to become the chief apostle.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: So a rebuild is much better than a restoration.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right, amen. Well you know, here's the thing too, it just jumped out at me. He, God did rebuild Peter but see, when Peter start, when he denied the Lord the three times and he heard the cock crow as Jesus had said he would hear. He went, ran away and wept bitterly because he had failed the Lord. And so now he felt guilty and ashamed, so what does he do? He goes back to his old way. He went right back to what he was doing before and that's fishing. And so um, many times that's what we do when we fail the Lord. We think we fail the Lord, we have shame, we have guilt, so we think well God's not going to have me or use me again so I just need to go back to my old ways. And, but see Jesus came after him. He came after him and he took him through that scenario of Peter, do you love me? And that was so powerful because uh, many people say well, the Lord restored him right there, three times he denied, him three times he talked about do you love me? And many people say well, that's his restoration right there. Well no, that was the, the rebuild. The rebuild was uh, you know, he came back to, to finish the job he started in Peter and uh, but he showed him also that, you know, if you love me, I love you. Let go of this shame, you get turn it over to me, turn the guilt over. Surrender your heart to me and the rebuild will continue, you know.

 

Dr. Ray: And so, God's plan for Peter was not restoration, it was something better. 

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And so a rebuild is greater than a restoration.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: For instance, you were mentioning earlier about the new covenant. Well, the book of Hebrews says we have a new and better covenant,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: So when the new covenant comes, God did not rebuild and restore…excuse me, God did not restore the old covenant, he built a new covenant.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: With better promises according to the writer of Hebrews.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: So when we're born again, he's not restoring us, restoring our past, he's not redeeming our past, he is rebuilding us, rebirthing us. We've become a new creation, we're born again and we- we’re reconstructed…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Into something completely…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: better than what we had before.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And so maybe, we're always so busy praying for restoration that maybe we forget the fact that God has something better for us and he wants to rebuild our life.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Instead of restore our life. Now I know it sounds kind of hard, I mean, sometimes things need to be restored and I understand that God can restore but maybe a higher purpose of God is to rebuild.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes. I totally agree with that. And you know again, I think about what he said to Jeremiah, how that, uh, his people broke the covenant between them and, and the Lord and uh, he said but I'm gonna make a new covenant. Like what you were saying, it's gonna be new and better. He said I'm gonna write it on their hearts and put it in their minds, which is totally different from the original covenant. And so you can break that old covenant because it's not in your heart, you know what I'm saying, but once God rebuilds you as a new creation, that covenant is in your heart, so it teaches you, it shows you, it's like a guardian, you know, that leads you, guides you, changes you, rebuilds you. 

 

Dr. Ray: So yeah, like the old covenant was external.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: It was external promises where, and if you want to get in the presence of God, you had to go to the temple. Then only the priest could do it once a year.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: So now, the new and better covenant becomes internal because we have the Holy Spirit. We become the temple of God.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: The Holy Spirit is residing within us.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And so we are rebuilt instead of restored as uh, better people. We're rebuilt and become temples of the Holy Spirit,

 

Reverend Debbie: Exactly.

 

Dr. Ray: for the entire covenant resides within us.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's exactly right. And we have access to the throne room,

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah.

 

Reverend Debbie: you know? Whereas the old covenant, you didn't have that. It's like you said, the priest was able to go in there once a year so what, a what a major new covenant, really.

 

Dr. Ray: You know, and it takes a lot of faith because to me, it's natural to, when you lose something, say God, please restore this. Please restore what I've lost.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: And that's natural, normal, maybe typical.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: God please restore, you know. We, we lose something. It could be anything.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And we want it to be restored but then when God rebuilds, we have to have faith that God may have something better, and the word says exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever think or imagine,

 

Reverend Debbie: I love that.

 

Dr. Ray: If we just let him rebuild us instead of restoring our past.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, Yes. You know, I think about um, Luke chapter 15. You know, there's the three scenarios there of something being lost. It's the woman that lost the coin and it meant so much to her and she swept her house looking for it, you know, and then we have the prodigal and was, the second was the sheep, I think it was the sheep. Well um, you know, God does help us find things that we've lost, he does help us in restoring things like that, so to speak, and um. And you know, like the prodigal coming home, uh, that was not a restoration, that was a rebuild. Think about this, he didn't have uh, he had a brand new robe. When he walked back, when he came home, so it was more than a restoration, more than restoration. He didn't put his old robe on that he had before. He didn't put on his old shoes. His father gave him a brand new robe, brand new shoes, and a signet ring that he had not had before. So he didn't restore the old and say oh, here's your robe back son, I'm so glad you're home, here's your shoes back. No, he gave him new brand new things. New shoes meant a whole lot and still today, I mean, a whole lot.

 

Dr. Ray: New shoes, new robe, new position,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: and also, he was celebrated.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, he was celebrated.

 

Dr. Ray: He was celebrated. So his whole life was just rebuilt.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: So,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: it was much greater than just restoring him, “okay, go back to the way you were, going back doing what you were.” and uh, “hey, please don't blow that money again like I've given you before, be more careful son, don't do that again,” but no,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: He didn't go back to that, 

 

Reverend Debbie: He didn't go back. 

 

Dr. Ray: He went, he went to, he became a new person and he was…

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: new robe, new shoes,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: A celebrated life, a celebrated individual,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes. And the father didn't keep bringing it up to him what he had done.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: He, the past was the past. He's in the new and then the now and moving forward and uh, he may take something that has the ruins of your old life but he will rebuild on the ruins and turn them for good.

 

Dr. Ray: That's interesting you say that because, thinking God doesn't waste the ruins, he doesn't. He doesn't even waste our old life.

 

Reverend Debbie: No.

 

Dr. Ray: There's lessons, there's history, there's strengths, there's talents, there's abilities that God still uses, you know, all things work for the good for those who love the Lord to called according to his purposes,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: so even…I like it when you say rebuilding on the ruins. So the ruins probably gave, give God something he can work with…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: To rebuild,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: so in your past, you have some ruins but God can use that…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: to rebuild your future. 

 

Reverend Debbie: That's it. And what comes to my mind as we're talking about that, the, the, things that are left over uh, where Jesus in uh, in the gospels, he, he fed five thousand, you know, broke the fish and the bread and then he told the disciples now go gather up what's left over. So they gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers and the Lord said we're going to use this, we're going to take them with us. When they went on the boat, they took the fragments with them.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: So the leftover fragments, he didn't discard.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: So if you're, if you feel like you've lost a ministry, there's still something left in that. There's fragments there because that ministry was of God. He doesn't take back the calling or the gifts. So the fragments of whatever is, has been left over, he's going to use, to me that's saying whatever ruins are left he will rebuild on that because he can use those fragments for his glory, because it was about his glory in the first place.

 

Dr. Ray: Right. So we want him to, so many times just our natural tendency is we want him to take those ruins and, and rebuild, rebuild it like it was. Getting back the way it was,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: But God, you see in the bible, he takes the ruins and he builds something better.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: Much better…

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: than we could ever think or imagine

15:12

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: Uh, and again, you know, Isaiah said his thoughts are not our thoughts, his ways are not our ways, but we have to believe that it is better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Matter of fact, I've often said is you can tell when it's God because it's bigger and better than anything you could ever think of,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: you know? But he didn't waste the ruins.

 

Reverend Debbie: No, he didn’t.

 

Dr. Ray: A know we've all had things in our life, um, Debbie, that we just: oh God, please restore this, God, save this, God, save this, and, and that's a good prayer and it's an understandable prayer, but then he doesn't restore it. But you look back, if you continue to walk in faith, you end up with something better,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: you know? You don't, it's not what you were expecting but it's more.

 

Reverend Debbie: It's more and then you're, you're like, “wow, God you're an amazing God that you can do such a thing.” But that's how he operates and um, the promises that he makes us, we sometimes feel like “well, he didn't restore this so you didn't keep your promise to me.” Not true. His promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus so uh, if, if it's better, then he kept his promise plus some,

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: You know? So um, it's about believing him.

 

Dr. Ray: You know, he did not restore Matthew as a better tax collector, he did not restore Peter as a better fisherman, you know?

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: You know, he did not, he had something bigger and better for them. He did not restore the- Paul as a better pharisee,

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: Okay? He didn't- he had something bigger and better. Something they had never imagined, and you see this over and over and over again and you know, Israel thought “well, the Messiah is going to restore us to the way we were before the Romans came,”

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: “And he's going to restore us,” but no, he didn't. He had something better. He, he had a new covenant, he had the Spirit of God to come into believers and he was offering people salvation and eternal life. Much better than just restoring Israel to a state before the Romans came.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: He had something more for them. More for them.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: It wasn't what they expected though, and so, that, he was rejected so many times.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right. That's right but that's a great uh, picture right there of, you know, rebuilding something and not, not taking it back to the old way but rebuilding and making it something greater for the future, you know. Because he promises us a hope and a future, just like Jeremiah said, you know, I have plans for you, I have hope and a future that it's going to be a great plan and you can have that if you seek me with your whole heart. You can have all that.

 

Dr. Ray: You know, what I was thinking uh, too, because I mean, I have prayed the prayer of restoration so many times, “oh God, please,” you know, I lose something that was important to me and it's natural and I pray “God, please restore, please restore, God, please,” you know, “fix this, God” and then God ends up doing something better. But when Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, he, he said “God, if it be your will, take this cup from me.” And so he had a request, you know, take this cup from me. But he said something critical, Jesus said, but, but not my will but your will be done.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: So maybe, I, I think what I would advise in our prayers- I think it's okay to pray for restoration but if we will end the prayer “but Lord, but 

Lord, not my will but your will be done,” leave the door open…

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: for God to do something more. Exceedingly, abundantly more than you could ever think or imagine. So when you pray, know that if you say “God, but your will be done, God, I lost this but please restore this but God, your will be done and then he's open and he can rebuild something greater than what you had in the past.”

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, I totally agree with that. It's a perfect, perfect way to end it because uh, if you make it about God's will and not your will, then the best thing is going to happen for you or me,

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. 

 

Reverend Debbie: you know. But when we want our will and God doesn't give us our will, then we sometimes get mad and say “you know what, I'm not going to believe anymore.” Well, that only hurts us.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: But we have to believe, we have to believe that God's will is best. 

 

Dr. Ray: It would…and, and we don't- the hard part for me is a, just a normal person is I, I like, I like to know what's gonna happen,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: Okay? But with God, you really don't know what's gonna happen and so that's hard sometimes. Just say well I, I don't know, I don't know what's going to happen here, you know. We like to have it figured out. We do, we want to have our, have it on our calendar,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: have our budget, have our plan, and that makes us feel secure. But when you're led by the Spirit, open to God's will to rebuild, you don't know what God's going to do. He's going to surprise you but you must believe scripturally that God always does something…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: …better…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: …than you could imagine. 

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, I totally agree with that and you know, it's, it's just amazing how… that God does work things, you know, for, for our good. And to make us more like the Lord and how that he- it always glorifies him, his perfect will, you know. So it is about him, not us so much.

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah, it's, it is. And it's you know, it does take faith. It takes the ability to let go, the ability just to, just to believe even though you don't see it. And another thing we were discussing before the show is sometimes when there's a big loss and you're praying for restoration, one of the things that we lose sometimes is a vision, that we have dreams, that we have,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And all of a sudden, something happens and that vision seems to be lost and the dreams seem to be lost but in the same way, I say God's a rebuilder but he's also a rebuilder of your vision.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Sometimes life happens and you lose a vision because of unforeseen circumstances. Maybe it's a death of a loved one or a divorce and you lose the vision that you had.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: But then God has a new vision, you know? He has, he has a new vision for you and sometimes we have to grieve what we've lost.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: We do. We have to go through a grieving process. You're not, it, that's important. That's part of God's healing but after the grieving process, God will rebuild a vision.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: He will. And it's most, most likely going to be bigger than the previous vision.

 

Reverend Debbie: Amen. That's good. that's good. You know, if your vision doesn't go through uh, death, burial and resurrection, it wasn't a vision from God in the first place. That's how I see it.

 

Dr. Ray: That’s good, now say that again, vision's got to go through…

 

Reverend Debbie: Death, burial and resurrection.

 

Dr. Ray: Wow, wow.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: And so the death is what, death of your, your…

 

Reverend Debbie: The death of the vision,

 

Dr. Ray: Death of the vision,

 

Reverend Debbie: And you're burying it. So now you're going through the grievance,

 

Dr. Ray: Okay, that's when you lose the vision…

 

Reverend Debbie: You lose it all.

 

Dr. Ray: Okay.

 

Reverend Debbie: And it's got, it's got to come up out of that ground, you know?

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: But the way that's going to happen is when God rebuilds it, he has not taken that original vision from you but he's going to rebuild it into something bigger and greater than, than you had imagined,

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah.

 

Reverend Debbie: Like you were already saying.

 

Dr. Ray: And so again, we see time and time again in scripture and in life experience that I'm looking for restoration and God's doing a rebuild.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: I want restoration and God says,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: I'm going to take this mess you have,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: I'll use it as a foundation to rebuild something better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes. And the fragments that are left there that are still good.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: The fragments are still good, so he can use that. That's the building on those fragments or ruins and uh, the rebuilding and he, it's in his timing too, which many times we think “oh, well God told me this three years ago, when's it gonna happen?” Well God has a kairos time and that's when it's going to happen. And I remember uh, the Lord telling me that once concerning the vision that he had given me and he took me to the scripture in John where um, uh, the angel came to uh, actually John to the, you know, to Zacharias to tell him that Elizabeth's gonna be, get pregnant, have a baby and you're gonna name him John. And Zecharias didn't believe him and the angel said well you're going to not be able to speak until this comes to pass because it will come to pass in God's timing. And sure enough, it did.

 

Dr. Ray: Right.

 

Reverend Debbie: And he opened his mouth. When he opened his mouth to speak it was to say the baby will be named John because he didn't, God didn't tell, or the angel didn't tell Elizabeth to name him John.

 

Dr. Ray: Right, right. That's good, that's a good example. So you know, I was just, thinking, Debbie, that it takes faith.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: It takes faith to um, to know that God's got something for you.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: Again, my natural, my, my nature is well, God, show me what it is right. Show me what it is I need, I need to prepare. Show me what it is. And God's actually been preparing you for this your whole life. 

 

Reverend Debbie: He has. 

 

Dr. Ray: He's using the ruins of your past, he's using your past experience, your past failures, your past hurts, your past pains.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: He's going to use that not to restore all that stuff, but to rebuild something bigger and better than you could ever imagine.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, amen. That's good, that is good, that is so good.

 

Dr. Ray: Well I think this is revelation, um, folks. I just encourage you, have faith, believe that, I mean, I know… I'm a very compassionate person and I know you listening to me, a lot of you have lost a lot and you've been through a lot, whatever it is… you know, loss is painful. And there's betrayal and rejection and the thief comes to steal and destroy, and all these things that hurt us, but in the midst of that, God's going to rebuild. He's not, he's not going to restore everything the way it was necessarily. Now he can do that and I have seen him do that but historically, scripturally, God will rebuild something better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Just believe that, that God is going to rebuild something better for you.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, yes. I think of Habakkuk and this is just an encouragement, I think for all of us, while we're waiting on God and Habakkuk said I will stand and watch to see what the Lord will say, so that's standing in faith. That's standing and believing and waiting, because the restoration or the deliverance or the rebuild, all that is going to come in God's perfect timing as we trust and obey. 

 

Dr. Ray: And I want to tell you, if you think you've got it figured out, you don't. If you think you, you, you can see it, you know what God's getting ready to do, it's okay to have faith, I understand that, but so many times our faith is in our desires. 

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: This is what I want and I'm believing God for it but if you let go and trust God, it's going to be better than what you want.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes, yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And so, restoration so many times says God, I want you to rebuild what I had,

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: And God said no, I'm going to take what you had and I'm not going to restore what you have, I'm going to rebuild from that, 

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: something better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Which is what he did with the new covenant.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: That's what he did with Peter, what he did with Paul, what he did throughout, with Matthew, it’s what he did throughout scripture. What he did with Jeremiah, Isaiah, and throughout, throughout scripture you see him rebuilding,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: constantly. And even with us, when we're born again, we're not restored to a better of our, a better person of our own, a better version of our old self.

 

Reverend Debbie: Right.

 

Dr. Ray: We become a new creation. So we're reborn, rebuilt, not restored…

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right. Amen to that.

 

Dr. Ray:  So maybe we need to quit thinking restoration,

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: and be open for God's…

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: recreation.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: Because why would God restore a marriage that was in shambles? Because restore is just to put a, a coating over a piece of furniture. It's to, you know, it, it's, to bring you that marriage back together but it's not, you don't want the old thing. We don't. And God doesn't want it either. We may be thinking we want it back, no, we don't want that old thing back because it wasn't working. So we want a new rebuild and thinking, you know, in marriage and divorce, God can rebuild a marriage.

 

Reverend Debbie: He can.

 

Dr. Ray: And he can rebuild a relationship, okay? But again, we don't want the relationship restored with the same old issue,

 

Reverend Debbie: No.

 

Dr. Ray: we want your relationship to be new,

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: And better.

 

Reverend Debbie: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: And so…

 

Reverend Debbie: And sometimes the other person does not want God's will, you know, because God is for the marriage but if the other person doesn't want it, and doesn't want God's will, it may never happen. But maybe it will take time for that to happen, for that heart to change, or it may never happen. So God's going to give you something new because you've been faithful, you know, in the process of everything.

 

Dr. Ray: Well, yeah, it's, it's hard, it's hard but I think what God's trying to say today is hey, restoration is okay but a rebuild is much better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: And we see time and time again, even in our lives, where God takes the, the stuff of our past and just rebuilds something so much greater, so much better.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yes.

 

Dr. Ray: So much more spectacular, so much more abundant than we could ever think or imagine.

 

Reverend Debbie: Yeah. I think that's, it, we can't even imagine because God is a great God. He's powerful, he's, he's creative, he's dramatic, he can, he can do anything. There's nothing impossible with God.

 

Dr. Ray: Well I'll tell you what, would you mind uh, just closing us with prayer for those listening? Um, thank you, this, again, this has been uh, Dr. Ray Self. I'm interviewing Reverend Debbie Winderweedle and she's really been a blessing to have so thank you so much.

 

Reverend Debbie: Thank you for having me. Well God, we just love you and we praise you. We lift up your holy Name right now, God, and give you all the glory for this day and for this podcast, Lord God, and we pray that it will go forth. Send your word forth to do the deal, to take care of the situations the hearts, all those who are listening, Lord, that this word will penetrate their hearts and minds and bring about a victory, uh, you know, a wonderful outcome, God, in their life that will serve you, that will glorify you and that will bring them up higher into, excuse me, a better situation, a better position a better everything, God. Something more wonderful than they've ever experienced before. Let this word take root today and let it be applied in each life listening. And Lord, I thank you for uh, Dr. Ray and all that he does for you, God, and all that he does to help others. Lord, I thank you for making this time possible, God. We give you all the praise and the glory in Jesus name.

 

Dr, Ray: Amen. Thank you, thank you so much.

 

 Reverend Debbie: Thank you Dr. Ray.

 

Dr. Ray: I bless all of you who are listening.

 

[Music]

 

Dr. Ray: Hey, thanks for listening to the show. I have a special offer for you. We're offering a course called Counseling Victims to Freedom. Counseling Victims to Freedom. It's a very exciting Christian counseling course which will help you with a lot of issues like overcoming addictions, finding God's wisdom, helping people that are in abusive situations, toxic relationships, how to have a life without limits, all kinds of wonderful stuff. It's a six lesson college course taught by the International College of Ministry. Actually, I taught this course and you can get this course in the show notes. There's a link to purchase this course or you can go to my website for the podcast, icmcollege.org/selftalk. Again, icmcollege.org/selftalk, then click on store and you'll see that course offering. It's only for a $35 donation. It will enrich your life. Again, I appreciate you listening to the show. We got a lot of cool episodes coming up and it is an honor and a privilege to, to be a part of this so God bless you and um, I'm praying for my listeners always.