A Match Made in Heaven - andrew & amanda johnson
A few years ago when I was introduced to the Johnson’s, I knew that there was something different about them. They stood out from the rest and I knew there was a fairytale story written by the Hand of God, waiting to be told.
Recently Team Talk chatted to Andrew and Amanda and asked them to share with our readers more about their journey.
This is their story…
“Who are Andrew and Amanda Johnson?
Question: How did you meet? Answer Amanda: We met in November, 2006 and were married eight months later on 7th July, 2007. I had been on my own for many years and had come to terms with the fact that I was not going to get married again. Years before I had written a letter to the Lord with my criteria in a Husband and was not going to compromise on this. I had completely forgotten about the letter. Three days after I met Andrew, I knew that this was the man that I was going to marry. The Lord would have to show Andrew this and I did not mention anything to him at all. Towards the end of April, 2007 Andrew said: “I think we must get married and it must be on 7th July, 2007”. It was at this stage that I told him about my letter that I had written to the Lord about my criteria in a husband. We had just over two months to plan a wedding ….. and so our journey began.
On 7th of July, 2024, we will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary. It is only by the Grace of God that our marriage has survived. We have had to put Him first in every single discission that we have made. It has not been easy but it has been worth it. Marriage is the most amazing gift from God. If asked will we do again, and choose each other if we had the choice? Yes, we would as the choice was not ours but God’s choice for us.
What is Covenant Marriage? Answer Andrew: We both come out of divorced backgrounds. There were a few things that the Lord, in my embryo stage of my Christian Walk, gave me many specifics on. The Covenant of Marriage was one of them. I realised that when Amanda and I started seeing each other and if we were going to take this any further, this would be a Covenant Marriage. The Lord has honoured us to this day for realising that though our past is our past we chose to honour Him first before all else. A covenant is between God, Husband and Wife.
A covenant cannot be broken and stands in the eyes of God.
The Biblical order of Marriage is God, Husband, Wife, Children, Church and Work.
Question: In your understanding, what is the role of a husband? Answer Andrew: I can only lead as I am led by Christ. He is still the ultimate groom and an exceedingly kind shepherd. There are a few things that I need to always be aware of.
Her Worth – I have to remember that my wife is God’s daughter. There is grace for my mistakes, but knowing Jesus and how good he has been to me compels me to extend his goodness to my family, starting with my wife.
Her Heart – I can sometimes get too focused on tasks and forget to be gentle. It is not easy to pause and think, but nothing helps me lead more gently than remembering to cherish her heart often. This is something I have to work on daily.
Her Perspective – I have to remind myself to see things the way she does. As the head of our home, I must seek to understand her and lovingly consider her before myself.
Question: How important is it to support/submit to your husband in Marriage? Answer Amanda: I recognise the calling on Andrew’s life. For me it is an honour to step into his calling with him. I honour him as the Prophet, Priest and King of our home. We know that in the Spirit we are equal. I war and fight with him, not against him.
The stronger he becomes, the stronger I am. I now have the freedom to stand next to him when he ministers. We can minister side by side. I have a voice and I have the freedom to use my voice from the safe place next to my Husband.
Godly submission is not passive or weak. It is one of the hardest things prideful modern people could ever do. And it is precisely what we all do when we say Jesus is Lord. God does not call me to submit to all men. God calls me to submit to my husband. Jesus is my ultimate allegiance and authority.
This being said, I understand the importance of my husband’s lead. Submission is your intelligent, happy, wise support of your husband’s leadership. Christ is the Ultimate Head of our Marriage. In understanding this I cannot place unrealistic expectations on my husband. This releases him to the Man of God he was created to be.
Question: How has visiting Israel impacted your life and your walk with the Lord? Answer Andrew: We have had the privilege of visiting Israel several times. Once you set foot in Israel you feel as if you are home, your life is never the same again. The Bible suddenly comes alive and your experiences are etched in your heart forever. Israel is mentioned in the bible more than 2400 times. Israel is an interictal part of our walk with the Lord.
We cannot replace Israel with the church. We need pray for the peace of Jerusalem constantly. Visiting Israel is not a vacation or a holiday, every visit is a pilgrimage. For us to go to Israel, we go with an expectancy, because it is the land where Jesus walked. There are places that are anointed and you can feel the presence of the Lord. Just to mention a few places like the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus did most of his ministry.
The Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus fed the 5000 people, excluding women and children. To be able to understand the magnitude of the acoustics of being able to preach to all those masses of people without a microphone. The acoustics of that area is phenomenal. The Bible suddenly becomes real once you have been to the Golgotha, the Tomb (in Jerusalem), the Shepherds Field (outside of Bethlehem), Nazareth, Jerusalem and many more places are etched in your heart forever. You don’t read the bible as black on white, it is now is read in technicolour. You can use the bible as a GPS when visiting Israel.
I do believe that as a Believer you need to visit Israel at least once in your lifetime.
Question: Why do you blow the Shofar? Answer Amanda: I love blowing the shofar. In 2015 I was blessed with a shofar and the sound was absolutely amazing. To me a shofar is my machine gun in the Spirit. When I blow the shofar is not for the sake of being able to blow it. I listen to the Holy Spirit as to when and how I need to blow the shofar.
The sound of the shofar is the sound of Gods Victory, the sound of War and the sound of the Watchman. The 4 calls: Tekiah (Hebrew)– Long single blast Call to attention
The sound of the Kings coronation Shevarim (Hebrew) – 3 short blasts Call to Worship Signifying repentance
Teruah (Hebrew) – 9 short blasts Call to War Call to awaken the soul Tekiah ha Gadol (Hebrew) – Great long blast – as long as you can
A Call to Peace (Shalom) (Hebrew word for Peace) In closing we are in expectation as to what the Lord has planned for us going forward.
Team Talk would like to thank Amanda and Andrew Johnson for sharing with our readers. May God continue to bless you in all that you do! May you inspire others in their walk with the Lord and may you your light shine bright for all to see!
Stella Ashworth for Team Talk.
Share in our moments!
