Although I perceived myself as a good and godly husband, my marriage had been suffering for quite some time. On the evening of April 13th, my wife, Carrie, told me to pack a bag and leave. This was not the first time she had demanded this of me, but it was the first time I listened. Before I even knew what I was doing I had packed and driven to my parents’ house. It was freezing cold in their basement and I could not get the fire started despite my efforts, so I stood there shivering, humiliated, and filled with anger toward my wife.

Suddenly, the Lord stopped everything and spoke to me in a voice so clear and loud I can still hear it to this day. He said “Do you think Carrie made you leave? I made you leave. I have been trying to get your attention. I have been waiting for you. This is the time of your reckoning.”

I wish I could say that my heart shifted after hearing the audible voice of the Lord, but I still spent many days battling my flesh despite knowing in my spirit that the Lord was doing a work in me.

The next night, the Lord woke me up out of my sleep. I felt the Holy Spirit enter the room and started praying, and immediately the Holy Spirit took me to my wife’s bedside. The room was dark and I knew that she was surrounded by something, but I saw two angels come up on either side of me and post themselves by her bed. I looked down and saw myself covered in armor, and watched the Lord speak through my mouth, proclaiming “Satan, you have no realm here.” Instantly the room was lit up with a bright light, and the darkness vanished.

I felt the Lord impress on me that I needed to pray for Jen and Luke, my sister and brother-in-law. The Holy Spirit transported me to their bedside, and once again I saw that they were surrounded by darkness. The same two angels passed by me, posting themselves by Luke and Jen’s bedside. The Lord spoke through me once more, proclaiming “Satan, you have no realm here.” And once more the darkness vanished and the room was filled with a bright light.

Despite this miraculous vision, I was still battling my flesh. I had asked Carrie to allow me to come home and she refused me, so the anger in my heart continued to fester and prevented me from surrendering to the Lord’s will. I could not justify the fact that I had been uprooted from my home and humiliated. I was a good husband, and a good father. I had provided my wife and kids with a beautiful home and beautiful things, they wanted for nothing (or so I saw it). I had been faithful and true, and did my duty as her husband. I felt that she was the one who needed work she needed to stop spending so much money, she needed to be more grateful, she was the problem. The Lord repeatedly showed me that I needed to take my attention off of Carrie’s failures and focus on my own, that He was trying to work on me and I needed to allow it to happen.

One night as I was brushing my teeth, the Holy Spirit stopped everything once more and I had a conversation with the Lord that changed me forever.

“Brandon, what do I ask of you?”

“You ask me to be the protector for my family.”

“No, I do not ask that of you.”

“You ask me to take care of my kids.”

“No, I do not ask that of you.”

“You ask me to provide for my family.”

“No, I do not ask that of you.”

“What do you ask of me Lord?”

“The only thing I ask of you is to be the spiritual leader of your family.”

Instantly I felt the chains fall off me and my burdens lifted. I knew that my life and heart were forever changed. A godly man is not called to be a protector or provider so much as he is called to be a servant.

On April 18th, I received my 3rd and final vision from the Lord. He showed me my wife being raised out of the ground, naked and vulnerable. I saw chains breaking off of Carrie as He lifted her out of grave, and I saw the same two angels come and stand next to my risen wife. I knew that we were about to witness a new beginning for our marriage, each of us restored and reborn.

On April 21st, I was reunited with my wife after 7 full days of experiencing the refining fire of the Lord. I came out cleansed and renewed, with a deeper understanding of the character of God. I learned that no matter how long we have been believers, no matter how many hours we spend in prayer, or fasting, or in the Word, there is always more to learn of God. He is a God of healing and miracles, and He moves on us and prepares blessings for us even before we are willing to surrender.