I rise from my knees in my study from prayer. Over the last several weeks, I have been in constant prayer and counseling. Monica’s suicide left me with survivor’s remorse. If I had never started the affair and stayed in it so long, none of the Hell I put both women through would have happened. But God has spared my life for a reason, and I’m going to serve Him while I cherish my wife and never take her for granted again.
I’m no fool. The average woman would have left me, especially when our families learned of my indiscretions; Janine’s parents insisted that she leave me. My family—my mother, brothers, sister, cousins—had the same opinion. My brother Lawrence called me to share his disappointment in my actions. That conversation left me feeling like poo on the bottom of my shoe. My brother Lawrence lost a fiancée and baby girl years ago, due to circumstances beyond his control. I realize I could have lost it all, but none of that swayed my wife. She stayed by my side, prayed for me, prayed with me, and continued counseling with me. I have a virtuous woman, and I will spend the rest of my days being worthy of her forgiveness and trust.
“Seth!” I jump from my desk as soon as I hear her call out my name. I run down the hall from my study to the family room where she is waiting with her hospital bags. She is fully dressed and standing in the middle of the room with a smile on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wouldn’t say something is wrong . . . my water broke, I cleaned up and got dress. It’s time to meet our daughter's, let's go.” I rush to her side, take the bags she shouldn’t be holding, and escort her to the garage.
“Are you in any pain, are you feeling contractions?” I ask as I buckle her seatbelt for her.
“Not really, I feel some discomfort, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“Okay, hold tight. We will be there soon.”
***
Four hours later, after Janine went through a drug-free and practically pain-free labor like a champion, I am beholding my daughters. Janine barely winced at the contractions and delivered our daughters in three minutes. She is a phenomenal woman, and I inwardly thank God for sparing her pain, I’ve caused her enough.
I’m holding my daughter Charity; Janine is holding Hope. They are the most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen. Janine and I lock gazes and smile through our tears. We both are captivated by the lives that we are entrusted to raise. We will raise our girls in the beauty of holiness, and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
The End
Bonus Episode
Janine
“Over the last two years, I have done everything in my power to honor God, Janine, and our children. I realize if it were not for the Lord’s compassion, and Janine yielding to His will, I could be dead right now, with my eyes lifted up in Hell. That is why I jump at any opportunity to speak to couples like all of you assembled here tonight. You may be engaged, happily married, not happy in your marriage, but no matter what state you are in, I hope that you can find hope in our testimony that we shared tonight. I pray not one of you will make the same mistakes I have. Janine and I will now take your questions.”
That’s my cue that the Q &A session is open. I rise to my feet and slide the microphone package attached to my belt buckle to on. This is the part of our Love is Yielding seminar that causes butterflies to form in my stomach. I know I’m going to be accused of being naïve, clueless, too forgiving, and not allowing myself enough time to heal—the judgment goes on and on. But I know the truth. I would not have the blessed life I’m living today with a faithful and God-fearing husband, two rambunctious girls, and a baby boy (I hope), who is coming in seven months, if I had responded differently to Seth’s mistakes. Therefore, I take my position by my husband, and he reaches for my hand as he opens the floor to questions.
Question one comes from a young lady who reminds me of the actress Carrie Washington. She greets us with a smile and says, “Hello, I first want to thank you for sharing your testimony. My question is, what have you both learned from this experience?”
Seth motions for me to go first. I smile at the young lady, and before I answer, I give thought to our history. We have been doing these seminars for a year now. However, I don’t want my answers to come out rehearsed. I want the Holy Spirit to guide me as I minister to each person.
“I’ve learned that loving your spouse with unconditional love overcomes any flaw he may have. It covers any offense he may commit. I’ve learned that loving with the love of Christ will not leave you permanently broken, but will allow you to be mended by the creator.” The young lady bows her head signaling she accepts my answer.
Seth begins. “I’ve learned that I have the missing rib God made for me. I don’t believe any other woman would’ve been able to endure what my actions put us through with such grace if she were not the one fashioned in the image of God for me.”
A young man stands up. He has on all black and looks like Sean Combs. When he speaks, he drops his head as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. I inwardly pray that the Lord meets whatever his need is. “Mr. Owens, what advice can you give me? I’ve messed up with my wife.”
These are the moments that makes my heart bleed—when a husband is earnestly seeking how to save his marriage. I take in the young man’s countenance; he is well put together on the outside, but he is heavy laden. It’s all over him, even in his eyes. I look up at Seth’s serious look as he contemplates his answer.
“Young man, if you haven’t repented, you must first repent to God, then to your wife, and start to walk worthily in who you are in your relationship with Christ and your wife. Daily, we all must pray and crucify our flesh by denying what we want and seek after the things of Christ. I suggest you seek Godly counsel. If your wife is willing to go to therapy with you, great. If not, go alone. In counseling is where Janine and I could be open, honest, and heard out. Then, after that, give your wife the time and space that she needs.”
The next question is one that Seth is asked no matter where we go. “If you had such a great wife, why did you stray in the first place, and stay in the affair so long?”
Seth
I pause and shake my head; that is the question always asked of me. I don’t have to think too long to answer it.
“I gave in to the lust of the flesh and overrode my conscious for a long time. I cared for Monica as a person, but I was not in love with her. I had a sexual relationship with her, and in those acts, I blocked out all that I could lose. I told her what she wanted to hear to continue receiving what I wanted from her. Monica never asked for more than I gave her, and my wife never behaved as if she had a clue that she knew of my indiscretions, so I continued in my sin.”
I can tell by the sister’s disposition that she has an attitude with me, and she doesn’t like my truth. She puts her hand on her hip and rolls her eyes and neck and asks the second question. “How are you going to guard your heart to keep from doing it again?”
“I resist the devil, and he flees. I do this one day at a time.”
The next question is the one I could live without. It is the constant reminder of my guilt and shame.
“Did you grieve Monica and your baby? If so, how did that affect your relationship with your wife?” These questions don’t cease to be gut blows to me.
“Yes, I grieved for the loss of Monica’s and my child’s lives. Monica believed the lies I told her and could not handle the end of the affair. I live with the consequences of my sin daily. She was a soul that was lost, and I had a hand in her downward spiral.
“The loss of my child was felt. I had come to terms with having a child with Monica and was prepared to care for him. However, that was not in the will of the Lord, and I regret the life that was lost. To answer part b of your question, if you haven’t figured out by now, I’m married to an extraordinary woman. She was patient with me, prayed for me and with me. She gave me the time I needed to come to terms with both deaths and my near death experience.”
After that question, I wrap up the s
eminar and my wife gives her gracious closing remarks. We walk hand in hand off the stage where my mother and niece are holding Hope and Charity. Hope and Charity are the symbols of what saved our marriage. Janine loved me with Agape love; she never wavered and always believed in us. With her love, and the Lord’s grace, the weapons that were formed against us did not prosper, and if there be a new weapon developed in the future, It Won’t Prosper.
A note from Genevieve
I hope that you enjoyed It Won’t Prosper, and it is my prayer that it has blessed you. As a Christian, it is important to know that the enemy is seeking how to devour us; he wants to rob us of happiness and peace. He does this by forming spiritual weapons of warfare against God’s people. However, we are more than conquerors through the blood Christ shed for us, and no weapon formed against us shall prosper if we keep the faith.
It Won’t Prosper dealt with the weapon of infidelity in marriage. The Owens’ household was rocked by Seth’s affair, but because of Janine’s fervent prayers and forgiveness, their marriage survived the attack of the enemy.
I have been married for twenty years, and no, this story is not my personal testimony. However, I can tell you, from personal experiences, for marriages to work you must have a forgiving spirit, and that spirit comes from time in prayer, fasting, and studying the word of God.
I pray for every reader that is in a relationship that is shaken by acts of betrayal or deceit. I pray that each party look beyond the fault and sees the lover they vowed to stay with for richer and poor, sickness and health, until death does them apart. I pray for peace in their home, minds, and spirit. I pray that they do not let the weapons formed by Satan prosper in their home. In Jesus Name, Amen.
I would like to share scriptures that have blessed my marriage through the difficult times. Until we read again.
Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Mark 11:25-26
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Anger
Ephesians 4:26-27
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
James 1:19-20
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:18 (AMP)
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes.
Healing
Exodus 23:25
25 And ye shall serve theLORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Psalm 147:3
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
James 5:16
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
SPECIAL BONUS MATERIAL
As a special “Thank You,” I’ve added my first full length novel, All I’ll Ever Ask, to It Won’t Prosper for a limited time.
A GDWOODSBOOKS PUBLICATION
All I’ll Ever Ask by Genevieve D. Woods
Second Edition: October 2016
Copyright © 2015 Genevieve D. Woods
All Rights Reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the authorization of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do
not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Some places are real but they are not actual event unless cited. Otherwise, any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
About the Author
First Things First, Fictional love and life resembles reality. It is imperative for me to show how the Lord meets individuals where they are and restores them through His Word for them to become the individuals he predestined them to be.
I am a believer in Jesus Christ, who is the lover of my soul, so much that He gave His life that mine might be saved from eternal damnation. Therefore, His praises shall continually be on my lips. I give Him Glory & Honor for they belong to Him.
I am happily married to a wonderful and handsome man who supports me in all things. He encourages me to stand on the promise that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. He is a solid rock, my muse, the second lover of my soul, and the only lover of my body. I adore him. Song of Solomon 3:4, explains how I adore him, by stating “but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.” That is Biblical Romance read it for yourself.
Our union has been blessed with two handsome sons, one beautiful daughter, and a Shi-Tzu (dog) we all love and think he is more human than Shi-Tzu.
I have been called to narrate Christian love stories that reflect the greatest love of all time. That love is Christ’s love for his bride, the church.
The characters that live these stories don't always start on the right path. Sometimes they fall down, but through the long suffering of the Heavenly Father and their earthly lovers, they find redemption and happiness (in most cases).
Love is patient! Love is Kind!
Chapter 1: Hit-and-Run
She found her one and only love; he found the beat for his heart. Neil and Jessica triumphed over adversity and overcame every obstacle that blocked their way. Now the sky was clear of any clouds that could stop them from living out their destiny.
Camille James sighed as she scrolled over to the rating page on her e-reader and gave the author three stars, and a lengthy written review, for the BWWM Romance novel she completed reading in one setting. She applauded the author for writing a romance book full of angst, twists, and turns that ended in a neat little happily ever after. The three stars were because it was wrapped up too neatly to be believable. However, she would definitely give the author another chance with a different book.
Once she finished the book, she needed to get up and prepare for the next work day—or maybe she would start one more read before turning in. She chose download and laughed at herself, another night alone with her reader.
She whispered to herself, “I need to get out more, rather than sitting here reading novel after novel and not living my own life. This is not getting me closer to the family that I long for.” She knew she needed to be out dating and trying to obtain her own happily ever after. Oh well. At least I am going on plenty of trips to faraway places with some of the most handsome, wealthy, and caring men ever penned to paper. She rolled her eyes. Pathetic. Camille knew she was and accepted the fact. At thirty-three years of age, reading romantic fiction was how she spent her evenings. Camille had decided a while back that she deserved to relax and drift off to the land
of fantasy at night.
By day, she was the owner of a successful distribution company, In Transit Systems (ITS), with seventy-five employees in Memphis, TN. Camille worked ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. She put out corporate fires like the chief of a fire department. She was fierce, confident, articulate, and financially secure. Still, it remained true, after six p.m., she was like Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow—in a book. She was taking a trip anywhere other than reality.
A buzz of her mobile device, displaying her best friend Paige Richard’s picture, brought her out of her introspective thoughts.
“Hey, Paige, what’s up?”
With her normal upbeat voice, Paige said, “Just checking on you . . . what you are doing. Let me guess. You are reading a romance novel written by one of your author-Facebook friends. Who wrote the book for tonight, Camille, LaShawn Vasser?”
Camille laughed. “Whatever, Paige. Surely you did not call for that.”
Her tone sly, Paige began. “Well, I actually have a real life date for you. Kevin and I have two extra tickets to a stage play at the theater tonight. Kevin’s friend, Benjamin George Adams, has agreed to meet us. So, I have to persuade you to join us.”
Since there was only silence, Paige continued. “I promise you will like Ben, and we will have a great time. Now, will you grace us with your presence?”
“Paige, who is Benjamin? Why is he named after dead presidents? What kind of play is it? Who produced the play? What time does it start? I have to get up early in the morning for a 6:30 meeting.” The questions rolled out of Camille nonstop, not allowing Paige to respond.
It Won't Prosper: Parable On Infidelity In Marriage Page 6
