God is an Equipper

My friends, we are witness to amazing times right now. God is doing some really big stuff right now all over the world. First, I want to share some Bible verses that caught my attention years ago and now God has brought front and center again. Take a look at two often overlooked people in the Old Testament by the names of Bezalel and Oholiab.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you. — Exodus 31:1-11

God literally put this ability into these two men and all who were considered skillful to create and build the Tabernacle as God designed it. We tend to think we are born with a skill set and it’s done. According to this, the specific skills and knowledge needed came at the time of need. Not only that, God called specific people forth, namely Bezalel and Oholiab.

Remember this is Old Testament times where God chose specific times to give His Spirit to specific men and women He called to specific tasks. And in each case God gave these people wisdom, understanding and knowledge and equipped them for their specified calling. (Consider David, Samuel and Esther to name a few.)

Now let’s jump to the New Testament, to another piece of Scripture that also captured my attention years ago and has intrigued me ever since. This one is about you and me.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. — Ephesians 1:18-21

Let me just interject here how amazing I find it that Jesus was also known as a carpenter. To think of His earthly profession in light of Him also being the One who created and all was created for (Col. 1:16-17), it makes perfect sense He would create with His hands as a man as well. Just a thought...

Now back to the equipping part. As I said, in Old Testament times God gave His Spirit according to a specific need or task or calling to specific people He chose to accomplish His purposes.

Then Jesus came to give all of us His Spirit, once and for all—not just a portion in accordance to a task or purpose here on earth but in the full sense of a heavenly calling.

According to Ephesians 1:18-21 God’s complete and great power is “toward us who believe” and is in accordance to the “strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.”

In other words, the same power that resurrected Jesus—brought Him back to life—dwells in us who believe—God’s complete and Holy Spirit.

Let that sink in deep for a moment, my friends. If I were speaking, I would stop here for a “pregnant pause,” because I am absolutely desperate for you to understand this. We are not given just a portion to accomplish a momentary task. No, we have been given “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” for now and all time—eternity. God has given what He holds dear to whom He holds dear. We are His saints and Christ’s inheritance (vs. 18).

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. —Ephesians 1:22-23

When I first stumbled upon this truth and spoke it out loud, I’m sorry to say my church family at the time thought I was a bit “over the top,” and me being so new to this walk of faith at that time thought I had overstepped my ability and knowledge to understand God’s Word. In truth it wasn’t me interpreting or understanding this truth, but the Holy Spirit—that same power that resurrected Christ, living in me and equipping me with the knowledge and wisdom to understand God’s Word.

When I first stumbled upon this truth and spoke it out loud, I’m sorry to say my church family at the time thought I was a bit “over the top,” and me being so new to this walk of faith at that time thought I had overstepped my ability and knowledge to understand God’s Word. In truth it wasn’t me interpreting or understanding this truth, but the Holy Spirit—that same power that resurrected Christ, living in me and equipping me with the knowledge and wisdom to understand God’s Word.

That same power lives in you, my friends. Why wouldn’t it? Ask yourself that. Why wouldn’t God equip you just as He equips all of us with the power and authority Jesus came and died for in order to give it to us? Will He give you less or more than anyone else? No, He came for all so that all would be filled and completely equipped!

My fellow Sumites, we are all part of the church, the body of Christ. The question is not whether the Holy Spirit lives in you but how much do you want Him to fill and empower and equip you on a day-to-day basis?

Ask for it, walk in it, live it. That’s what God is calling us to do right now—to ask for His Holy Spirit to fill and over flow in us, to walk in this place of boldness and reassurance of His presence in us in complete fullness, and to live as if we are seated in this power with Christ in the heavenly realms, looking down at our trials and challenges from a heavenly perspective instead of looking from the depths of our fear and wondering how God will show up.

God is already there. God is in every situation we face because He’s in you. In all of us. We are completely equipped.

So here’s a final question for you: If Jesus is seated in the heavenlies and also dwells in us, why do we think of heaven and earth as being so separate? What if the gap between heaven and earth is much smaller and thinner than we ever realized?

I'm pondering that one with you!
Love you!
Dineen

The Jordan River Is Only A Step

Hey, let’s continue with our series and -Part the Jordan, shall we?

I know many of you shared with me your “Jordan.” We all have areas that God is working out in us for our good and His glory. And my friends please know I have earnestly prayed for you.

So let’s talk about what it truly means to take a step of action.

I think we first need to define and believe that God can take action to accomplish His will anytime and anyway He sees fit. But, what is really cool if you think about it, is that God wants us to participate in His work. Like Dineen said on Wednesday, “He could do it all Himself but then where would that leave us? Mere spectators? A flat picture on a table with no substance or depth?”

HOW UTTERLY BORING!

We would find our faith unfulfilling and shakable.

Okay, I know some of you would like a space of boring in your life however; you truly rob yourself of witnessing the miracles. It’s in our calamity and trials that our utter dependence brings us into the realm of His Presence. It’s in His Presence the calamity, chaos, and pain let up and then finally disappear. It’s in this place of utter surrender that we experience a paradigm shift and see the world with a vastly different perspective.

I know this to be true as I am living proof. So is Dineen and many of you are on the road to this destination. But the road to experience the Presence and the miracles begins with a step of faith.

We all have faith. We believe that Jesus is the son of God, our Savior. But many of us truly don’t believe in the miracles of the Bible. Perhaps we have been taught theology that miracles were only for the first century church. Or that God doesn’t move in the supernatural in this era.

I have one word to say about all that….. Bull. *ahem* pardon me. But we either believe what the Bible says or we don’t. The Holy anointed Word of God reveals supernatural events, miracles, healings, and deliverance from evil, throughout all the centuries. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, I have faith that miracles are possible today. In fact, I know they are because I have experienced the supernatural.

My friends, faith for miracles often begins with a step of action. I truly see God wanting us to participate in His supernatural work for several reasons. One being that we will be astonished and a witness and receive His favor. Which propagates more of His Works and favor.

God deeply desires for us to be vessels of His love, purposes and His will. That is where a step of faith becomes critical. We must at times many times take action to initiate God’s purposes. I think there are moments when God is poised to move in the supernatural and He’s waiting anxiously for someone, anyone of faith to take the first step to release His power.

Let me explain how this has worked in my own life. Since returning home from our Bethel conference last October, I have been begging God in earnest, daily prayer and petition for the gift of healing. I’ve read a lot and searched out those who could help me to understand how God moves in this realm of physical healing.

And now here is where the story gets weird. And in fact, someone reading this is not ready to receive this truth that God moves in such ways. That’s okay. Some will not understand because they aren’t ready to receive this new glimpse into the Kingdom. And you may wonder why? Why would God not allow glimpses into the Kingdom? You must be in a place of spiritual development or maturity.Remember, Christ taught in parables because people who were to ready to receive the Kingdom truths would hear them and those who weren’t ready, they would not be held accountable to the truths. When we are made ready through a vibrant relationship with Christ, God stands waiting to share more and ever increasing glimpses (miracles) of His supernatural Kingdom.

Okay, with all that said here is my own personal experience. Please read this with grace and love and ask God to talk to you about what I share.

It was about two months ago that I attended my regular Bible study at church. And through an uncanny series of discussion in the group we came to a place in the discussion where I was asked to explain my thoughts on the following passage:

1 Kings:11-13 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” 

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I looked at the woman directly who asked me to share my thoughts and I said, “This passage is fascinating to me on many levels but today I’m moved by one tiny portion. Elijah was having an encounter with God. And all of these fantastic natural events happened. As the wind came Elijah hid himself in the cave. After the whisper of God’s voice, now get this, Elijah steps out of the cave and into God’s presence.

“For me, this is an example for believers today. We must take that first step of courage and step out to meet with the Presence. This first step of action is exercising our will. It is our faith in action.”

Okay, there is a ton more to this story and it gets crazier from here. I will tell you more about it on Monday and also about how Jesus teaches this same principal.

For today, I’m wondering about you. Think about your walk with God. Do you think you have experienced a moment where God was just waiting for you to step out in belief to do something that seems incredible, impossible, or would appear foolish to others?

I want to hear about your stories. Because I know you have examples where you were MADE to turn your faith into belief (action). My friends, I can’t wait to hear how God is moving you to grow in your faith and belief walk. Hugs, Lynn

Part the Jordan River, Part III

(Part IV of our current Series: Parting the Red Sea and Parting the Jordan River.)

Good Monday Morning Sumites.

This is going to be a fantastic week. And I think we are going to discover what can happen in an ordinary believer’s life when we take a step of faith and then step out in trust. Ahhhhh, hold on because this gets really, really good.

Let’s pick up our story from Joshua 3 and find out what happened to the people who were stuck on one side of the river with no way to get across to the Promised Land. Read with me.

Joshua 3:14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

 

I’m not a Biblical scholar however I have some interesting perspective and first-hand experience in watching faith activated. I’ve become convinced that somehow our freewill is tied up in all of this but how that plays out individually is a mystery to me. But I can say with certainty there are absolutely many times where God is anxiously waiting for us to say yes to Him. He wants to bring healing and hope and real miracles but we must take the step of faith. We activate our faith birthing trust and we step out into many times situations that seem impossible and can be frightening. And what I think happens most of the time is God calls us to step out in faith and we fear judgment of “man” and we stay sidelined because we assume we will look like fools to those watching.

So I have a question for our community today. Think about your life right now. Do you think God is waiting for you to exercise your freewill and to step out in a moment of faith to be part of what He is doing on planet earth?

I want you to pray sincerely about this all week. Ask God to place a burden upon you so heavily that you can’t escape it if there is some action He is calling you to take in your faith walk. Tell me about it in the comments. Be real so we can pray with you and can pray for one another.

My next post will be about how Jesus taught us to take a step of trust and how He modeled it for us here on earth. Good stuff ahead. We are planting the seeds now because the harvest is around the corner… Remember you are the harvesters and our God wants our participation in His purposes.

I can't wait to hear about your life and what God is directing in your faith walk. I love you my friends. I really love you, Lynn

Weekend Worship — Lay Me Down!

My precious Sumites, I love this song by Chris Tomlin because it's about the surrendered life and the JOY of living like we belong to Jesus. Because we do! We are His and He is ours. This is also what Scripture means when it says, "the joy of the Lord is our strength" (Neh. 8:10.)

When we walk in this place of surrender and obedience, we know freedom, joy and peace. To the world it makes no sense, but we know better, don't we? And oh, my spirit longs to share this with everyone! We want everyone to know our amazing healer and comforter, Jesus. Especially in light of the horrible events this past week.

We have the Holy Spirit and God is calling us to share Him! Have an amazing weekend, my dear sisters and brothers in Jesus. May His presence fill and rest upon you, may His blessings rain down over you and your family and may His strength, courage, love, power and authority reign supreme in your life!

We adore You, Jesus! Amen!

Love you so much, my friends!
Dineen

 

Part the Jordan River

Hey SUMers! 

Did you enjoy the read through Joshua 3:1-7?

I wonder about something. When you read the OT passages do you kinda view the people of the stories as characters. Like a character in a fiction book? Well, Joshua is a real man. He lived on this planet and I can’t wait to meet him one day. I’m going to ask him a bazillion questions about living to be an old man, yet still having the health and vitality of a youth. What was it like to see the pillar of fire at night and the cloud during the day. Were you as astonished as me because your traveled in the wilderness for 40 years and yet your clothing and shoes never wore out?

                I’m sure I will pepper him with so many questions that he will have to spend a least a 100 years with me alone to satisfy my curiosity. Ahhhh, to dream about our ever-lasting future…. It’s one of my favorite pastimes.

                My friends, there is so much we can learn from Joshua but what I want to take a look at what begins to play out starting in verse 7. Now remember with me that the Israelites have been wondering. They have witnessed God move for them with supernatural miracles. God has now released them to finally to take ownership of the Promised Land. We could do an entire study on these concepts alone. But what I want us to recognize is a couple of things.

                Verse 8: God commands Joshua: Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’

                Now catch something here. There is a shift in God’s expectations of His people. For years the people have watched God provide for them supernaturally with Manna, water from a rock, escape the Egyptians through the Red Sea. But today, this day, something is different.

                Read with me: 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” 

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. 

Okay, I can’t even begin to explain why the river is at flood stage during harvest season but it is roaring. It is wide and virtually uncrossable for the 1.5 million people of Israel. But, let’s not get stuck on that phenomenon. Let’s get stuck on the next one.

God instructs the people to MAKE THE FIRST MOVE. He commands the priests to step into the river FIRST. He instructs them to carry the Ark of the Covenant and to step into the raging waters. They must TRUST that God will do what He promised and cut the flow off.

They had to choose that very moment to activate their faith. For years they have watched God take care of them but today, they will take His Presence with them and step into the water. This is when their faith is activated and faith becomes trust.

God wants them to grow up. To become a people of trust to be participants in the miracles and not just the benefactors of His goodness and grace. I’m also intrigued that in just a couple of chapters the people ate grain from the land and I quote Joshua 5:12, “The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land.”

So I can bet you know where I’m going with this train of thought.

Do you believe this kind of trust is what God wants from us? Thoughts? Love you, Lynn

Where is the parting of my Red Sea?

I’m wondering if you’ve noticed???

There has been a shift in our atmosphere here among the Sumites. This house has gone through a transition in the last six months. Dineen and I have talked about this transition a lot but what was really cool is that last week I was talking to Beverly Etzel, one of our long-time readers at the conference and this is what she said, “In the early years our discussions (posts at SUM) centered around husbands (spouses). Now they are centered around our faith. They are upward focused (on God) instead of side-focused (on man).

Whoa!

She is so right. So I’m wondering if you have noticed the transition in yourself? Have you watched your Sumite friends here online make this shift also? Well, do you know why this shift has taken place?

In the last week I’ve talked to God a lot about our community and I keep hearing this passage that Jesus spoke in Luke.

He (Jesus) told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:2 NIV

I’m convinced that this family at SUM is in training to be Harvesters. My friends, think about it. I’m convinced by the Spirit that this time period and this generation sits on the precipice of one of the greatest revivals the world has ever experienced. We have been chosen to take what we have gained through our community here to the communities, the individuals, the broken and bleeding souls around us, we are to take the Good News!!!

You may read this right now and begin nodding your head because you know this is true. You may read this and think, “Lynn, you’re crazy.” But I want you to know that if you are part of this community, you are being called to be a harvester. Especially if you feel ill-equipped when you read this. I always feel ill-equipped. It’s us ordinary people that bring great glory to God when we move in His love and power to accomplish His purposes. So, as we move forward in this series, I want you to pray about how God is already using you as a harvester and ask Him about what more He has for you in the days ahead.

It’s gonna’ be a wild ride. Scary at times, completely over our heads at times, fantastic and supernatural, miracle-filled, kinda journey. But it’s going to be the best adventure you have ever lived. That’s a promise.

This interesting transition in our community ( our family) has been fascinating, beautiful and filled with God’s anointing and I bear witness to the fact that lives have changed. The Holy Spirit is alive and well here at SUM. Amen.. AMEN! And now we, the SUMers (Another Ro coined name) will step up and take what we know to people who need an encounter with the Most High God, His Son Jesus and the Spirit that lives in us.

Onward.

So, let’s launch into this new study. There is much to share and uncover and it’s so cool that when we approach a study God puts the same subject on both my heart and Dineen’s. This study is no exception.

Last Saturday Dineen did some teaching from the book of Joshua. This past week my Daily Bible took me through this very passage as well. So we are going to spend some time with Joshua, the Israelites and a few others from the ancient times. There is such a richness in the OT and it’s going to spring to life here in the weeks ahead and prove that God’s WORD no matter how old, still is living and powerful and filled with lessons that will grow our faith walk.

Get out your Bible and read with me Joshua 3. Read through verse seven and stop there. We are setting the stage here. The family of Abraham has been liberated from Egypt over 40 years ago through a series of supernatural miracles. And as they left Egypt the multitude watched God part the Red Sea and the people walked through on dry ground. This is a critical fact to remember as we move through this study.

But let’s camp today on verse seven. There is a phrase in this verse that intrigues me. The Lord says to Joshua, “so they may know that I am with you.” God wants the Israelites to recognize that God is with Joshua and is preparing to do the miraculous to confirm His Presence upon this man.

My questions: Are you attracted to people whom you recognize have the Spirit of God in them? Do you think people today want to see God is with you?

This entire series is going to be about the Presence of God in us. It’s about our faith and how faith in God isn’t enough to see the miracles we are looking for. We need to add something to our faith and when we add that “something” that is when we see the parting of the waters, the signs and wonders, the miracles. And I’m talking about real miracles.

You know what that component is? It’s Trust.

Trust is different from faith and that’s what we are going to talk about on Friday. For today, read through this chapter of Joshua and ponder what is it about trust that is critical to the kinds of supernatural miracles we are asking for.

It’s going to be a great series. I’ve have some new stories to tell and we are all being called to the harvest fields. Get ready my friends. We are going to ROCK this world with the Good News!!!

So share with me your thoughts on Joshua, faith, trust or just leave an AMEN, I’m in! Love you. Have an amazing week living in His Presence. Hugs, Lynn

The Surrendered Life

My friends, Lynn and I are just days away from meeting some of you at the Intentional Life Conference. I am so excited to finally meet you in person and give you hugs! This community (SUMites as Ro called us!) is so precious to me. Those of you not coming, I feel like I’m carrying each of you in my heart to this conference.

These last few months we have witnessed God do some amazing things right here in our online community. I’m excitedly anticipating what God is going to do this weekend in the lives of all of the women attending. We are praying down the heavens to rest in and upon the church in Kingwood, their precious team working so hard behind the scenes to put everything in place, and for each and every woman who attends to leave on Saturday with a fresh anointing on their lives and new freedom that will manifest on a daily basis.

Just as we pray SUM community here too because Lynn and I want so desperately to see each one of you walking in this place of power and freedom in Christ because of what He's done for us and who we are in Him.

The week before Easter I was struck by the complete and pure example that Jesus presents as "surrendered." We think we “giving up” so much when we surrender to God—the world certainly thinks so and the enemy has convinced us of it too—but I’m discovering that when we surrender our lives to Jesus, that's when we WIN! We receive our complete birthright and inheritance in Him! In light of this holy dignity and His righteousness, who would want pride-based dignity before men and rights the world determines and changes on an hourly basis?

Some things we surrender once and we’re done with it because we have chosen to follow God. Some things we surrender for a time, waiting patiently and expectantly (or at least try to!) until God returns it to us in His promises and miracles. And some things we have to surrender on a daily and even hourly basis because our best choice is to trust God.

Surrendering isn’t always easy, and most definitely is always a process but the more I do it the more I embrace this amazing truth in my life.

My friends, SURRENDER = FREEDOM!

When I have surrendered my pain, God brought healing. When I have surrendered my grief, God brought comfort. When I have surrendered my expectations, God filled my needs. When I have surrendered my wants and dreams, He has given me more than I ever hoped for or imagined. When I give Him my heart, my worship and my trust by stepping out in faith, He has given me Himself.

This is the surrendered life. It’s not easy but it’s worth it. It’s not for the hero but the humble at heart. It’s not always what you want but it will always be exactly what you need most.

It’s about finding the heart of God and resting there. My friends, this is our peace that surpasses understanding in the storms of life. In this place, we can do anything and everything with and through Jesus, who’s Holy Spirit strengthens, guides, comforts and loves us, and know JOY even when everything around us is chaos.

The better I know God, the more I trust Him. And the more I trust Him, the more I am able to surrender to Him. I’m learning to leave off the “buts” and just believe.

Just believe.

Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, I pray that every woman and man who reads this prayer would receive a fresh anointing of faith. I pray that doubts would fall away, fears would flee and every day would bring new and stronger belief in You! Lord, open our eyes completely to Your presence in Your Word, the world and in us! Forgive us our unbelief and help us BELIEVE! You are the God of the impossible. Help us to walk every day with the expectation that You are present and working all around us. We stand ready to take the next step, Lord! Show us the way! In Your powerful name, Jesus, amen!

I love you all so very much, my friends, and I am praying and believing with you!

Dineen

Weekend Worship — Set a Fire!

My friends, Lynn is at a women's retreat this weekend, serving as a leader for her church. I would love to direct our prayers toward her and the women she is serving this weekend. She has such a heart for these women and wants to see them walk in freedom. We are praying for godly breakthroughs and for God to set a fire in their hearts for more of Him. That's a prayer that God delights to answer!

We are praying this for our upcoming conference in April as well. God is moving in undeniable ways that are beautiful, stunning and for our generation, my friends. Let's pray for Lynn and pray for God to set a fire down in our souls that we can't contain that we can't control because we want more of God!

Love you fiercely with the passion of Jesus!
Dineen

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Conflict In Marriage - I Bet You Didn't Know THIS

I heard the most astonishing story this past week. And as I’ve thought about it, I’m compelled to share it with you. I was engaged in a discussion with a few people about marriage. You can imagine this particular subject will come up often because I’m so fascinated by God’s design for marriage.

The gist of the story was about conflict in marriage. What was fascinating is what one woman said about conflict with her husband. I’m going to share the story but I don’t remember it word-for-word so here is my adaptation.

A husband and wife were in the middle of an argument. (In the Donovan house, this would be called a fight. A heated verbal exchange would be accurate around here.) Well as this exchange began to elevate between this woman and her spouse, the husband and the wife became completely at odds and couldn’t understand one another’s perspective. The yelling heightened and then…..  all of a sudden the wife could see something, like a vision in front of her.

As she looked at her husband who was angered and speaking strongly to her, the vision opened up and she saw in front of her husband a demon who was grabbing and twisting the words of her husband as they came out of his mouth. These twisted words then landed on her ears. It was at that moment she realized she was hearing something entirely different than what her husband was intending.

I stood there listening to this story and it was as if I could see this happening in my own life. It was like a slow-motion replay. Mike talking at me. Evil twisting his words as they left his mouth and then the words landing on my ears twisted and angry, carrying along with them evil intentions.

Can I just say, “YIKES.”

My friend went on to say that she stopped the conversation with her husband and said, “I think I’m hearing you say…..”

“No, that’s not at all what I meant by that..” he replied.

That was the day they realized how the enemy can deeply entwine itself in the conflicts of marriage. That was also the day the couple agreed that in a time of conflict they would begin to ask each other for clarification. They would say something like this, “I’m hearing you say….. I think you are telling me….. I didn’t understand you exactly can you tell me again….”

Wow, imagine if we stopped and thought about what is happening around us in the supernatural realm during conflict. I hope this story changes how you have an argument with your pre-believer in the future.

On Monday, I will share with you another thing we discussed. And it’s something that has happened to me in the past. Now that I see it for what it is…. It ticks me off to know I was manipulated in marital conflict. Stay tuned.

So tell me… What do you think about this story and do you think this has ever happened to you in your marriage? See you in the comments. Live in love my friends because the devil is clueless to fight against you. BIG hugs, Lynn

We are Equipped!

As we walk in our faith, God continually puts a call on our hearts to be more like Jesus. It's a mystery we will walk through our entire time here and is part of God's Kingdom come here on Earth and is part of God's great plan.

The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. This is my life work:helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. — Ephesians 3:6-8 (The Message)

I'm using The Message paraphrase here because I think it makes this passage in Ephesians more understandable. First, Paul makes it clear that we all stand on the same ground before God. We are all offered the same promises in Christ. Jesus came to die for all of us and it's up to us to accept His gift. I think our SUM community here understands this probably better than most.

But it's the second part of this that I want to point out. Paul shares how taken by surprise he was that he would receive such a gift. He's referring to his past as a Pharisee and his brutal persecution of Christians. We see this happen even today when the least likely in our eyes become powerful tools for God.

The beautiful part (at least to me) is God's loving care in all the details. Paul says the same, that God equipped him to do what he clearly knew he could not. He even emphasizes this in saying it had nothing to do with his natural abilities.

Think about it. Here is a man who once stood in complete authority in the Temple who could have easily relied on his knowledge to move forward in his new standing with Jesus, yet he saw it as way over his head.

We feel that way a lot in our mismatched marriages, don't we? We feel like we're ill-equipped and in way over our head. That would be true if we were completely on our own. But we're not. Just as God equipped Paul down to the smallest details to share the mystery of Christ with Jews and Gentiles alike, God does the same for us.

My friends, this goes way beyond our words! God's Holy Spirit lives and dwells in us. We are equipped to the gills! Perhaps our greatest challenge isn't knowing when to act, speak, or do but in trusting this truth—trusting that God is there equipping us constantly for every situation we encounter or are called to.

Scripture backs this up too:

Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." — Matthew 28:20 (The Message)

We don't have to ask God to be with us. He already is so let's use that prayer power to ask for what we need. Ask God for something He can do, not something He's already done.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. — Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

God's grace doesn't stop at the moment we accept Christ. God's grace is active and working. We tend to think we receive it when we are saved and then it's done, but God's grace is powerful and continues to work in and around us to transform us from the inside out. And that "out" is what those near to us see as we are transformed day by day to walk in the confidence, competence and gifts that come from God.

My friends, we spent a lot of time in our spiritual warfare series on our identity in Christ because this is truly our foundation.

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. — Luke 6:47-49

Now I believe God wants to build upon our foundation the truths that are part of our inheritance in Christ so that we can walk forward in the promises and victories that are ours.

Any time you feel ill equipped or ineffective, I want you to pray this prayer over yourself and repeat it, out loud whenever possible, to affirm who you are and that Jesus has equipped you:

For I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do. — Ephesians 2:10

The Greek meaning of that word for “works” also means action, behavior, deeds, doing, effectual, labor, result and task. In other words, God created (in the Bible a word that is used exclusively of God and the energy He exerts) us and He planned significant actions that we would do effectively and with results (fruit).

Now repeat this to yourself, and out loud!

God intends for me to be effective and see results in my life.

When we are “walking in the Spirit”—following and seeking God in every part of our lives—we will be effective daughters and sons of the Most High God and see results in our life.

The choice starts with us, my friends. If we want this kind of life, we have to go after it, ask for it and believe it’s possible. God pursues us. We can choose to pursue Him.

Are you with me?

Lord Jesus, You came that we may know the Father as You do and to walk as co-heirs with You. Help us to truly believe this truth and to believe that wherever You are calling us to step out in faith, You have already prepared every detail so that we can walk effectively in this place and produce results (fruit) either in ourselves or to impact the lives of others. Thank you, Lord Jesus for this precious promise and gift! In Your powerful and mighty name, amen!

Praying & believing with you, my precious friends!

Dineen