I am discovering just how powerful the spoken word is in our lives. The following declaration was spoken and we spoke it aloud at church yesterday. As I stood in God's Presence I heard Him say to me to share this with our family of Sum. So today, God asks you to declare this truth and speak it out loud to yourself. In Jesus name.
"I am powerful, and what I believe changes the world! So today I declare:
God is in a good mood. He loves me all the time. Nothing can separate me from His love. Jesus' blood paid for everything I will tell nations of what He has done. I am important. How He made me is amazing. I was designed for worship. My mouth establishes praise to silence the enemy. Everywhere I go becomes a perfect health zone. And...with God Nothing is impossible!"
Now go forth and LIVE IT! Also, I really want to pray for you this week. What is it that I can speak over you and for you before the Mercy Seat? I love you so very much, Lynn
Yesterday my daughter Leslie and I set out to handle transferring her trust fund into her possession. It’s such a small amount. I wish I could say as her parents that we’d managed our financial picture the best we could as there’s always room for improvement.
I didn’t think much of this small pittance. I only saw it as failure on our part. A failure to grow it more, add more, provide more. So I was totally caught off guard when she came to me in tears of gratitude. Didn’t matter that the amount was so small. She drew more from our love and intent behind the action than the result.
Sometimes we get so caught up on how things appear on the outside. Lately I’ve become very aware of how this manifests in our words and how we interact with the world. We worry about how we look in the sense of how others will perceive AND judge us. We worry about how our family appears to others, be they neighborhood or family friends or our church family—worrying how we are perceived AND perhaps judged there as well, especially when we are mismatched.
I’m learning that those things I’ve spent so much time worrying about often don't mean squat. In fact, when those thoughts or concerns creep in, I find myself saying, “I don’t care.” Or, “It doesn’t matter.” What matters is what God thinks.
And that’s what I felt like my daughter showed me yesterday. She showed me an unexpected perspective. God’s. Didn’t matter that the result hadn’t turned out the way I wanted it. She received something from it that I never expected.
Validation that she mattered..
And that’s truly what we want, isn’t it? As moms. As wives. As God’s children. We want to know that we matter, that our efforts makes a difference in the lives of those we love, like our children coming to know Jesus and walking in a faith relationship with Him that continues to grow and grow, right?
But what I’m also learning (and a bit painfully I might add) right now is that the results God has planned are so often different than what we think. At times they even seem counterproductive, like when God brings the most amazing fruit from our failed attempts.
Like when our weakness makes His strength all the more apparent.
My daughter received something much more meaningful than money from her parents’ meager attempts to provide. She received the intention in our hearts, to want only good for her.
And if that’s our hearts as parents, think about God’s heart for us, His children. When God shows up, we are validated as His children. We grow in our faith and trust, which brings us more boldness and freedom.
And His heart for our children is even bigger than ours. All those things we pray for our children—God wants them too. He wants them to know who He is. He wants them to know His goodness. He wants them to have a relationship with Him that rocks their world for Jesus.
I love what the second part of James 5:16 says:
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
My friends, we are the righteousness of Christ. That’s part of our inheritance, part of the trust fund Jesus set up when He died on that cross for us. We receive it when we ask Jesus to save us and as coheirs with Christ, we bear His righteousness.
So our prayers are powerful and effective. Statistics will try to tell us how ineffective we are, and based upon our own ability alone, they are probably true.
But the prayers of the righteous are effective because they are powerful and ongoing. The Greek word for effective is the same as the word we get energy from: energeo. And if you pay attention to the law of physics, energy continues to work. It doesn’t diminish or run out in a defined system.
In other words, our prayers don’t just peter out and fizzle. Every prayer of the righteous is ongoing, present tense and working. So in God’s system of prayer, righteousness and energeo, we are effective and our loved ones will be affected.
Those are statistics worth noticing and caring about. Ones we can believe and trust because God is the fuel behind them. And I’ve never known Him to run out.
So I’ve been pondering Father’s Day that looms on Sunday. I
have felt compelled in my spirit to write about Father’s Day and have waited
for God to prompt me. Well, today one of our SUMites posted some statistics on
her FB page which really moved my heart. I want to share it with you and let’s
have a discussion here.
Before we jump into that discussion however, I think we need
to cover this conversation with love and respect. We must keep it clearly in
our minds that our spouses don’t “get it.” They don’t have the wisdom, the
knowledge, the Holy Spirit to help them in our marriages and in parenting. I
know that a discussion like this can stir up our memories and thoughts to find
every conceivable wrong and short-coming in our husbands. So, let’s just no go
there.
Let’s remain focused on what believing mothers bring to the
family and faith of our children.
Alisa wrote:
Well, it's that time of year again...around Father’s Day we
hear a sermon about how important fathers are, and they are. And inevitably,
the statistics roll...70+% of children who go to church with only their mother
will not stay in church as adults....I remember hearing it one year and
gripping the seat in front of me to keep from standing up in the middle of the
sermon and shouting that it would not be that way for my children, I envisioned
locking eyes of the other women who sat alone in the sanctuary, we would all
rally together, and stand against that statistic....
Yet I just sat there in silence.
I sat there because I know too well that the statistic is
true. I watch as women who have walked this lonely road before me pray for
their adult children who have turned from the Lord. With all the Sunday
mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, VBSs and youth camps, no matter what
I do I am fighting an uphill battle, with a 30% success rate....the weight of
their father's influence is powerful. So...I will ponder this today....and try
to remember that even with all I try to do, all I really can do is turn them
over to the Lord and trust Him for their best.... — with Dineen A. Miller and
Lynn Donovan.
This was my response:
Alisa, I'm standing with you today. I dispute that statistic
too. I know that with the love of God lavished through an ordinary mother, all
things are possible. I have watched my children both choose Jesus even in a
spiritual mismatch. The enemy can no longer have our children. They are hereby
declared as God's and we will stand in that faith and truth. Love you girl.
So, what do you think?
See you in the comments. Signed a Prodigal and Spiritually Single Mom, Lynn
My friends, how has your week been? Have you faced some "giants" this week? I know I have and I'm feeling a little battle weary, but gave me such joy through it this week. I love how our God does this, right in the middle of our circumstances.
I want to share a little verse I stumbled upon this week and find HUGE meaning in it.
"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs." — Matthew 10:27
Jesus spoke this to the Twelve as part of what He instructed them to go out and do. In this I see two key truths. One, remember what we know to be true. God spoke this to my heart this week when I cried out to Him in a dark moment, "What do you know to be true." It came not as question but as a statement. This is our strength, to take the truth and speak it out. It brings God's light into the darkness.
In this moment, I literally spoke out loud—God is good, God is in control, God is an equipper and God is a redeemer (Romans 8:28). The darkness lifted and my peace was restored.
And two, that's what I'm doing right now. I'm proclaiming the truth from the rooftops of the internet, namely our blog. We can share God's truth more easily now than ever before. We live in amazing times!
So, my friend, remember what you know to be true and go shout it from the rooftops! God won't ever let us go!
Love and treasure each of you so very much! Dineen
I feel like I’ve been away on a long trip. So much has
transpired since my last post where I told you I was about to wash my husband’s
feet. My daughter’s graduation was amazing and the kid just makes me smile. She
graduated with honors, 444 hours of community service, two scholarships and
with her sanity and more than that -with her faith still intact. I feel like I
graduated as well.
What a rich blessing this thing….. “Motherhood.”
Caitie and my son, Brad
Caitie is my youngest child and I suppose it’s likely true
with most moms, when your youngest graduates you spend some time reflecting.
And as I think about the fears I faced as a young mother, some of them I shared
in the last chapter of Winning Him Without Words, I just want to stand up and
shout to the world…. OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! (I shared the whole story here)
I prayed so much for my children throughout their lives and
today, this very week, God has allowed me to witness the fruition of my humble
motherly prayers. And I’m watching God fulfill them in both my son and my
daughter. And they are bearing fruit after years and years in the very same
week. I will tell you more about these developments at a later time.
But today, let me tell you what happened when I went to wash
my husband’s feet. If you need to read the precursor to the story, click here,
Chronicles of a Humbled Donovan.
My husband arrived home tired as I expected and after
unpacking, dinner and dawning of our PJ’s, we sat down on the couches in our
usual places to watch the evening news. As I’m sitting there pretending to
watch the news, I’m growing more and more uncomfortable thinking about actually
washing his feet and even more fearful to talk with him about his feelings.
I almost changed my mind.
However, I gathered my courage and God whispered to me, “Lynn,
just make this light-hearted.” So I stood up and moved to sit on the other
couch next to my husband. I decided as I sat next him and cuddled into his
shoulder that the actual washing of feet might be too much. After all, my
husband knows a lot about the Bible and how Christ washed the disciple’s feet
and more than anything I didn’t want my man to think I'm manipulating him or was
practicing some ritual or that I am disingenuous.
I simply picked up one of his feet and said, “I’m just going
to rub your feet.” So as we watched the news I removed his socks, rubbed his
feet, applied lotion and finally returned him to his socks. Then I became
completely uncomfortable. How do I start this conversation? Actually what
transpired next was my fumbling about with a few words but I started the
sentence.
I paused the news broadcast and then…..
I remember saying something about how I may have withheld a
portion of myself out of stupidity and selfishness because of our early years
of pain. And that I’m truly sorry. And I asked him, “Do you feel that I haven’t
loved you or that you haven’t felt loved in the way you need?”
Let me tell you that asking a question like this takes a ton
of courage but I’m in a place with my Lord to receive whatever answer comes
because I honestly want to love this man better.
He replied, “No honey, I really feel loved by you.”
Wow, so much better than I expected…….
-----
My friends, I wonder if you are like me? Perhaps we are
doing a better job at this marriage thing than we give ourselves credit. After
all, we have the Master of the Universe walking every minute with us. Loving
us. Teaching us. Loving through us. If God is in our house, then love is
lavished upon all that reside there. (1 Corinthians 7:12-14 – read this today
and let it fill you up.)
I love you. Now I leave you with a question. Is it time to
wash your spouse’s feet?
Have an amazing day living in The Presence. Hugs, Lynn
So often we look at our circumstances, trials and challenges as contrary to what we think or thought God was doing in our lives. We see them as setbacks, deviations and mishaps—out of our control and seeminly out of God’s.
But lately I’m seeing the seemingly out of control chaos of life in a different light and I think many of you are starting to see this too, in terms of being mismatched.
We’ve talked a lot about how God redeems not only us but everything in our lives as well. Good and bad, He uses it all. But what I’m trying to get at is, what if we looked at even the hardest parts of our lives as preparation for whatever it is that God has called us to? What if in our attempts to just persevere we’ve limited ourselves to just the next step when God is working on our lifetime picture?
I want to show you some incredible examples right from the Bible—ones you and I are familiar with but sometimes need to see as a whole and in a slightly different perspective.
Specifically, God’s.
Take Esther. Her story is definitely ours. God put her in a position to move from simply being one of “the people,” an Israelite, to a queen who would use her influence to save her people. She went through a year—an entire year!—of preparation to step into this position. And God prepared the way for each step with His favor and provision in the form of a eunuch who saw her potential and a king whose heart was softened by her gentle presence.
How about Joseph? God gave Joseph a glimpse of his future purpose in dreams. His brothers’ jealousy led them to throw him into a pit, which led to slavery. As a slave, Joseph learned to run the household of an Egyptian official.
Joseph most likely learned the customs, culture and laws of this foreign land during this time. He organized and ran everything for Potiphar until his lust-driven wife falsely accused Joseph of assaulting her.
He’s thrown into prison where God’s favor leads the captain of the guard to put him in charge of an entire prison. All of it, including those incarcerated there. Joseph must have taken what he’d learned in running a household to now run a “household” of a much larger scale. Here he meets the cupbearer and the baker whose dreams most likely remind him of the ones God gave him as a youth.
Two years later the restored cupbearer remembers Joseph and suggests him to Pharaoh as a dream interpreter. Joseph is brought from managing a prison to now running an entire kingdom! All that he has learned again is crucial to managing the biggest “household” of all.
His journey begins and ends because of dreams and everything he’s endured, suffered and experienced has prepared him for what God first showed him—to be the saving presence and provider of a race of people. From pit to prison to palace, Joseph’s legacy would go on even after his death.
And what about Moses? He grew up in a palace and saw the workings of a kingdom managing its people. He’s then “thrust” into the seemingly menial task of managing herds of sheep for forty years. He’s gone from being an observer to having hands on training in managing masses.
All this was his preparation to step into leading over a million people from slavery to their promised land. From 40 years of corralling thousands of sheep to 40 years of managing an entire people population.
I’m sure at times these people must have wondered how God was working, just like we do. Or was God even in the picture! Just like we do at times when we see only the impossible standing in front of us so much taller than we are.
But what if instead, we faced down our giants? What if we began to see the potential instead of the purgatory? What if our entire mindset were to shift from just looking for how God would get us through to what is God preparing us for? Teaching us?
How is He growing me through this so that I am equipped to manage and do what He has next for me?
Many of you have shared in the comments recently that you are seeing how your mismatched marriage has drawn you closer to God, and that you even wonder if you would have gone so deeply and craved God’s presence otherwise.
I say let’s not waste time wondering but instead expend that energy asking God to show us what we can learn and jump in with both feet with expectation for what comes next.
Because this is our trust in action. This is our faithfulness to God. And right now I am astounded at how strongly, greatly, massively (I can’t find a better word) God responds to even the smallest step of faithfulness on our part with His great and overwhelming faithfulness to us.
We walk with the Holy God of the impossible. My friends, let’s walk like we believe it. I know it’s not easy—trust me, I’m struggling to do this myself right now, but the more I determine to do this and see things from this perspective, the more I walk in the Spirit and the joy of the Lord.
I begin to see what is impossible for me as POSSIBILITIES with God!
These are exciting times. We are living in a time of great revival, awakening—whatever you want to call it, God is doing it. And He’s preparing us—each of us—for our unique part in this great movement. Right now, right where we are. We are in training.
Let’s look for and walk in His presence, my friends. Every day. Every moment! Call out for Him to pour out His Holy Spirit over all the nations, over all His people, over all of us, and especially for those who don’t know Him.
Now is the time to get ready. God has big stuff for us!
Love you all so very, very much. You have my heart!
Dineen
My precious friends, you've seen Martha Bush's name many times in the comment. On Mother's Day, she sent this email to Lynn and I—the story of a miracle! And it's a story to be shared! Wow!
I have a testimony of praise on this Mother's Day. I left my home in Orange Friday morning at 4:30 A.M., headed for Georgia to spend Mother's Day with my mother. About an hour into the trip, the following is what happened.
Just before I got into Sulphur, LA on Interstate 10, all of a sudden there was a big boom and I didn't know what had happened, but I knew that my body was moving around in the car, and I knew I did not have control of the car. But, I didn't know what happened.
Somehow, I got back into driving position, and I was traveling straight ahead in the right lane, as if nothing had happened. But, I knew it had. I saw am 18 wheeler pull over to the outside lane, and my first thought was that he had pulled over to help me, so I pulled up behind him—I didn't know what had happened.
Now, here is the miracle. He walked up to the side of my car, and I said, "what has happened?" He said, "I am so sorry, but I dozed off to sleep, and when I woke up, you were there in front of me and I couldn't stop."
Yes, I was hit in the rear by an 18-wheeler, my car is totaled, and I don't have a scratch on me.
I couldn't find my glasses, so I had to ask him to help me look for them. He found them on the floorboard behind the driver's seat. That's when I realized that the driver's seat had been laid back upon impact. Later, I realized that was when I was spinning in my head, not knowing what was happening—the driver's seat was laid down away from the steering wheel, but God picked me up to put my hands back on the steering wheel, and my car kept going down the Interstate as if nothing had happened.
This is 1-10, no other cars were around us at that time.
I give God all the glory. He truly drove that car for me when I was in a laid back position. He sat me back up to the steering wheel of the car, and I was driving down in the right lane as if nothing had happened.
I know that you both believe in miracles and I just had to share this with you—I am a living, walking miracle today. Praise Him with me.
I had to call my Mother and cancel the trip. But, I could only tell her that I had car trouble—she would not be able to stand up to this kind of news. My husband has been an angel himself. Actually he was out of town, and I had to call my neighbors to pick me up. But, Glen started driving home immediately, and I have held nothing back of testifying of how God's hands were on me. He agrees.
To God be the glory!!! Martha
Needless to say, we were so thankful and praising God that she was fine. A couple days later I asked Martha if she'd experienced any soreness or stiffness since.
She said none! She's had no after affects at all!
I don't know why but that completely brought home the magnitude of God's miracle in this for me. As Martha said, let's praise God with her!
Precious Lord, You are so AWESOME and AMAZING! Thank You for Your love and care for Martha and for us. Thank You for keeping this dear sister in Jesus with us because You have more for her to do here. We ask for your anointing and blessings upon her to do the works that You have prepared for her. In Your saving name, Jesus, we pray all this. Amen!
Have a great week basking in the presence of our Mighty God, my friends! Love you all so much! Dineen
About Martha Bush:
Martha's love for teaching led her into areas outside the school system as she began teaching Bible study courses in jails, prisons, and at her local church. She also writes a monthly inspirational post at Created Woman and is a contributing editor for Created Woman Magazine.
In addition, Martha is a contributor to Girlfriends Coffee Hour and a member of the Orange County Christian Writers Guild.
Through her years of teaching, as well as being an avid reader of human behavior and grief counseling from noted Christian psychologists, she recognized how a team effort can help build a foundation in children at an early age that will enable them to cope with the losses in their lives.
She believes this team, made of up parents, grandparents, educators, and spiritual leaders, can guide a child to healing from losses he or she might experience. They can do this simply by recognizing his pain, listening to his pain and then teaching the child how to apply the principles of God’s Word to his hurting heart. This led her to write Helping Hurting Children: A Journey of Healing.
My friends, no matter where I go I keep hearing this same message. Special thanks to a friend who shared that a specific verse was on her heart and mind. When I read it, I knew it was meant for us and for all of God's daughters whom He's calling forth in amazing ways right now all over the world.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. — 1 Peter 2:9
Right before the last conference Lynn and I spoke at, God gave me a dream that I shared with the women who attended. I've had prophetic dreams before, just a couple that were directed just to me. But this one, this is the first one I've received that related to a global scale. I believe He wants me to share it here as well.
I was half awake, half asleep (it's possible it was a vision...I honestly don't know). I stood before a tall crop—corn I believe. Jesus stood next to me.
He gestured to the crop and said, "This is the Great Harvest."
I said, "Lord, I can't see past this, can you show me more?"
Suddenly I was up higher and could see tall mountains in the far distance. The crop spanned all the way to the mountains!
My friends, pray and seek God for how He is calling you forward. These are exciting times! God is moving in such a large scale right now. Many of us are hearing the same things! Share in the comments what you are hearing. I'd love to hear your thoughts and impressions of what God is doing.
I am so thankful for each one of you. That I can share this amazing journey with my fellow SUMites. God has so much and even more for us! Love you dearly! Dineen
This is the entire worship session with Jesus Culture from the 2013 Power & Love Prophetic Conference at Bethel Church in Redding. Listen to all or bits and pieces, but do listen to Beni Johnson's message at about the 59 minute mark. You will be blessed with hope!
My friends, I'm so happy that I get to share these with you! The entire weekend was amazing! So full of love and joy. I felt all your prayers through the weekend for the wedding, for my daughter, for my health—all of it. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
As we drove to the wedding venue, my daughter Leslie excitedly pointed out this in the sky. Can you see the dove? It was so big and clear. I know this was God's sweet message to tell us His blessings were all over this event and marriage.
My biggest fear was having a coughing fit during the ceremony and I was fine for the entire day. The reception afterwards was truly the celebration I'd hoped it would be and more. Most of us danced and laughed into the night. It was glorious!
Here are some pictures that are the highlights of the day. The photographer, Nerinna Valera, has even more on her Facebook Page here: Nerinna Valera Photography. She and her team are amazing!
Dad and Mom getting the bride ready...
Rachel with her sister Leslie
A sweet moment between the bride and her grandma (my mother, Donna).
"First Meet" (Gives the bride and groom a private first meeting before the ceremony.)
Bridal Party!
Dad (Mike) walking our girl down the "aisle."
Mr. & Mrs. Silva!
Yes, that's Princess Leia with Han Solo (May 25th is the release date of all the Star Wars movies.)
Leslie giving a toast to the couple (and making us all cry!)
Thank you for sharing my joy, my friends, and for indulging me in this photofest. God so exceeded my expectations and answered all our prayers for an amazing and joy-filled day. I can't believe I have a married daughter! I can't believe I have a son-in-love! And I almost can't believe how richly blessed I am, but God keeps reminding me.
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. — Psalm 17:6
My friends, this is a special day for me and my family. It's my oldest daughter's wedding day. For me it's also a testimony to God's faithfulness.
For years as I prayed over my girls, I have also prayed for the future men in their lives—for their future husbands. I prayed for men of integrity—godly men who knew Jesus and lived it out in their lives. I also prayed that God would prepare my girls and help them to be godly wives and helpers to their future husbands.
Today my daughter, Rachel, will walk down the aisle with this young man, Keith, who started "courting" her six years ago and is more than I prayed for or imagined. God answered my prayers far beyond my expectations. He is so good to this praying mama.
I'm so excited to see these two start their lives together. Already they exhibit the love and respect for each other as God intends it to be. I am so very proud of both of them and will now continue to pray for them to be united in their marriage and to love and respect each other as Christ tells us in Ephesians 6.
So, rejoice with me, my Sumite family. Besides seeing my daughter and son-in-law speak their love and unite as one in marriage before family and friends, nothing gives me more joy today than sharing it with you.
I treasure and love you all so very, very much. Thank you for sharing this special day with me!
Dineen
