Someone needs this WORD today.

While in my prayer time I asked the Lord, “What do I need to write today for all of us (The SUMites)?”

At first, I didn’t hear anything but as I rose to leave the Lord began to speak over me…. And He said this is for all of us.

I know how difficult it is.

I know the challenges of your life. I see the struggles in your home, with your spouse. I know that you are alone fighting for decency and for Godliness for yourself and your children. In the night hours, I am sitting next to you as the tears drop from your eyes. I am holding your hand, my child.

I recognize the blows come in words that tear at your very soul. The disappointment that works to tell you it’s not worth the effort. And whispers of lies that are convincing you to stop fighting, to admit defeat. I see your torment.

But today, I want you to know deep in your soul, how I’ve been by your side every minute. You have a great hope. Your hope isn’t just a wish or a thought that perhaps something will change. Your hope is alive and filled with truth that something will be better tomorrow.

HOPE in the Kingdom is a substance and powerful. It is a word that when wielded in faith decimates the strongholds of argument. It silences the defeat of unchanged lives and heart. Hope is the greatest gift given to my children on earth.

When you lift words of prayer, with hope, this is the activation of your faith. I’ve blessed you with life and new beginnings. As believers, every morning that you rise is a choice to step into a new life, new hope, and redemption of past lies, sins and failures.

This is real hope. You have promises that hold power. Truth that brings steadfastness and love that changes everything.

I know you feel weary. Bring your battle scares to me in the morning or evening and I WILL HEAL THEM. In their place are medals of honor. They seal up the wounds and release power.

You are an overcomer. Let me remind you of this truth. You overcome the arrows of the enemy and you release light and truth. Your marriage is the one thing the enemy wants to destroy more than anything else. So, when you rise and fight, serve and pray for your family, GREAT IS YOUR REWARD. Every day you continue to hope releases a power to support. Angels are set on assignment to walk with you.

Walk it out. Pray the torment stops this hour. Demand it stop speaking lies to you, your spouse, and children. Pray the Holy Spirit into your home and the hearts of those you love.

And hear me now…. I AM THERE WITH YOU. I will not let you fail. The fire rages about you but what you are gaining in knowledge and experience is everything.

When you are doubting or feeling defeated, open My Word. Read the promises from Matthew aloud to yourself. Tell your soul, as David told his soul, these are my promises and I want every one of them, for myself and my family. In Jesus name.

Hope is your life. It is the substance that will carry you home and into the gates of the Kingdom. You will enter in with great celebration and adorned with badges of honor because you chose hope in the dark and you saw it come alive in the passing of the years.

I adore you. And I leave you this promise to stand upon today: I will never leave you nor forsake you.

The Lord, God , Almighty

I pray this word has encouraged someone who was wavering. Stand strong and know you are not alone. I’m with you. The angels are around you. The Holy Spirit is whispering truths to you. Jesus created every opportunity for you and God, Almighty is your strength, power, and wisdom. Hugging you tight today, Lynn

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. —Psalm 103:1-5

Hi friends, Ann here.

Today I want to share something that God showed me about the homes within this community: the Spiritually Unequal Marriage community. These homes are deeply special to Him, and although they are unconventional in Christian terms, what He showed me is that they 'sit under an open heaven'.

That's a great promise; I'll take it! But what does that mean?

To give you some background, most of you will know that my boys are teens and I have struggled to bring faith to them. Not all of us struggle with that, but some do. For those of us who do, it can feel overwhelming. Overwhelming, that is, until we have one of those moments where we stop and say "Nope, God's got this!"

A couple of days ago, against this backdrop of yet again wondering about my boys' faith, God showed me a picture that illustrated my home. It was pretty cool, and it cheered me along so much that I share it now with a smile.

What I saw was a nest, and inside sat two baby birds. “Those are your two boys,” I felt God say. These two babies had their mouths wide open, waiting to be filled.

The nest didn’t look a plain brown nest. Instead it had heavenly sparkles around it, within it, and above it. I sensed these sparkles were diamonds.

Then, in contrast, I saw a different house. That house was an actual house. It had a roof, thick walls, but its walls were also made of diamonds. I sensed my house was the nest; the other house was another kind of believer’s house. This other kind was one where there was a roof, where both parents were actively bringing their children up in faith, providing safe cover together (illustrated by the roof and walls). I actually sensed God was saying that my home will look like that eventually but, for now, it's the nest version.

Each house had its own strengths; neither was better than the other. They were both beautiful. In fact, both were adorned with Heavenly jewels (the diamonds). However, they looked totally different to each other, so to compare them would be like comparing apples and oranges. 

Back to the nest -- The SUM home. This kind of home can seem roof-less, lacking protection. It might appear far too exposed to the elements. For example, media might come into our home that we hope wouldn’t, or other influences. The diamond-walled house in the other scenario with its thick roof and walls appears safer to the eye. But the truth is, our own homes have safety too: It takes the form of an open heaven above us; and a God who takes care of His wee birds (Matthew 6:26). 

An open heaven was what the prophet Isaiah cried out for in desperation:

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!” Isaiah 64:1 (NIV)

Friends, I love that image of God rending the heavens open above us and bringing His presence. Like Isaiah, we can say to God, "Oh please, rend the heavens, come down into my home, and let all the mountains I’m facing tremble before you!" 

In our open nest, while we gaze at the stars, our beautiful babies (children, teenagers, adult children) sit under that open heaven with a protective parent -- God -- hovering above them.
The fact we’ve built our house with such care on the rock of Jesus Christ looks something like the carefully crafted nest they now sit in. It means they have a great foundation as well as an exciting Heavenly life directly above. The Spirit of God hovers and broods, like a protective bird of prey. 

Finally, in this nest picture it's worth noticing that the baby birds’ mouths were wide open. This tells me that our children – The children of this SUM Nation – will surely open their mouths and receive God’s food. Perhaps it will be God who feeds them directly, more than us parents.

So with this beautiful picture, I rest. And I hope this post helps you along in that sense of rest too. As I said earlier, God's got this.

How are those of you who are parents finding it, bringing your children up in faith? If you'd like prayer for this, post a comment and our community will pray for you.

Ann

SUMite Nation,

Lynn Donovan here. I wanted to share with you some free resources that are available for your personal study time.

I've created a number of video teaching and PDF handouts to accompany each. THE FIRST FIVE ARE FREE and you can find them at MarchingAroundJericho.com. 

Click on: Equipping Warriors. There you will find the first Module:

Module One
Intimacy & Identity

All five modules are free. (click here)

Intimacy with the Father (The Goodness of God)

Intimacy with Jesus 

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit

Hearing The Voice of God

Kingdom Identity

Original Design

If you want more, the next four modules and accompanying Field Guides are $35 for each module of five or more videos. Your purchase goes directly to support the ministry. I'm very excited about the second series:

Module Two 
Partnering with the Holy Spirit

The Power of Forgiveness

Spiritual Authority in Christ Jesus

Spiritual Power and Partnering with the Holy Spirit (This video contains a wild surprise in the middle. The Holy Spirit shows up.)

The Power of Our Voice

Speaking in Tongues

And

Module Three will blow your mind. So much of my life changed when I truly learned who my enemy is and how he works to control and destroy our lives. Armed with this understanding, EVERYTHING CHANGED going forward. 

Understanding the Demonic

Who Is Our Enemy?

Legal Rights

Generational Curses/Word Curses/Land Curses

The Occult

Witchcraft

Angels, The Good Guys

And if you want more, I offer personal Spiritual Development, one-to-one teaching, faith mentorship. $39 for two hours. Spiritual development is about $100.00 an hour. But I want to work with you and share what the Lord has show me. Take a look at the program and pray about doing some personal mentorship work to grow in your faith.

Acceleration Your Journey - Faith Mentoring, Click here.

Hugs, Lynn

Hello SUM family, Tiffany here!

Today I want to talk about trust.

The Lord revealed to me that past childhood trauma has altered my view of relationships. My eyes have been opened to the fact that I keep everyone at a controllable distance in order to protect myself. I am not talking about setting healthy boundaries. That is something that we absolutely MUST do. I do not want to sound like I am downplaying the very real struggles that some of us experience in this community.

I did not realize this but my (unnecessary) distrust in my husband has significantly effected my distrust in God. This was a complete mind blow to me.

First, I didn't realize that I have trust issues with my husband. He is a good man. He does not do drugs, smoke, drink, gamble etc. My husband is a hardworking, honest man. He sacrifices and provides for his family. He is wise and discernible. What reason could I possibly distrust him?

Second, I didn't realize that I had as deep seeded distrust in God as I do. Let me be clear. I absolutely love God. He is such a good good Father! I am so blessed beyond measure. I love His kisses from Heaven. I am moved to tears as I think of His great love for me. How could I distrust the One who gave everything for me? He is constant. He is faithful. He is merciful. I could go on and on.

I won't go into all of the inner workings that are happening right now in my heart and mind. But I will say I had a lot of questions.

God, what exactly IS trust? What does it look like to completely trust You? What is the difference between faith and trust? Can you have one and not the other?

As I wrestled with these questions in my time with the Lord. The following verse resounded clearly to me:

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3)

This was one of the passages that I had memorized years ago. I could quote this in my sleep.When it says "lean not on your own understanding," I always thought this meant logic. Things that I can make sense of. However, a very real application came to me that day.

Whether in "romantic" relationships or regular relationships with friends; people would tend to get what they wanted and then they would move on. Past experience showed me that people can't be trusted. They must be kept at a distance because all they want is to use me. When I lean on my own understanding, I am looking at my current life through this worldview. This would cause me to fear relationship instead of trust it. I have done this with my husband, children and God.

Getting back to the issue of trust. I am a "word nerd." I love to really do in depth studies. I got out my Strong's concordance and began to dig.

The word trust referenced above in Proverbs 3 is batach (pronounced baw-takh) which means to trust. It also means secure, have confidence, bold and careless.

As I began to dig a little further I found this same word in one of my favorite scripture passages:

⁶ Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
⁸ Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. (Psalm 112)

And then this got me really excited:

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)

There is a very important progression here. First we must trust that the Lord knows what He is doing. Trust with our whole heart and look through the lens of God's way instead of our past experiences. Humans will fail us. Even the noblest of people will still get it wrong now and again. Once trusting in the Lord with our whole heart, we will have no fear. No bad news - the biggest in this time, COVID-19 and all that is coming about from it - will shake us. In this trust we are steadfast, our hearts are secure. And as His righteous, we are bold as lions.

WOW! I don't know about you but I am pumped. I still have to live this out day in and day out. This will be hard as I permanently sever these ties of distrust from my life. However, I have a lot of artillery in my arsenal that I can now pull from.

I hope this has helped someone today. I bless you with batach today. Trust, confidence and boldness - straight from the throne room of Heaven.

See you in the comments! 

Hello SUM Family, Tiffany Here!

Over the last month, school went to e-learning from home. My husband, Jason, was sent to work from home by his employer. His mother had helped with schooling for a week while my husband adjusted to this new setup. On April 1st, my husband took leave to be able to teach our kids at home. Overall, the Carter Crew is hanging in there as we've had to adjust to life with the Coronavirus.

Can I be really vulnerable with you for a moment? I am having a really hard time with all of this. When my kids were barely one and barely two, I desperately wanted to be a stay at home mom. My husband was against it because we couldn't afford to have a one income family. Some of you may remember my anguish. Instantly, because of the given circumstances, nearly 5 years later - my husband gets to live my dream.

Now, before I go on, I need to be very careful here. This post is not meant to be a bash fest on my husband; it is not a chance for me to vent and complain. I want to speak a little bit about how God is using this situation for our good (Romans 8:28).

Let me make it clear that my husband didn't just decide to stay home. He is a logical person. He is very meticulous when looking at our finances. He is always one to talk with me before making decisions. He truly is a great leader in our home. When he first talked to me about this idea, I told him, "You will be living my dream and I don't know how I feel about that." I put on a brave face and we both agreed for our current job situations, he should be the one to do this.

I am ashamed to admit that I gave him an occasional passive-aggressive blows. I argued with God. I whined. I complained. I just couldn't understand why things didn't seem to line up the way  I wanted them to.

Here is the amazing thing about God. As our Father, He knows exactly what me and my family needs. He is compassionate, caring and kind enough to 

listen to our protests. He understands our hurts. He isn't afraid of our questioning. However, in the end, He is a good good Father. He does what is in our best interest.

Over this last month, I have had to look at the dark and ugly parts of my heart. I've realized some areas that I am really selfish. I have awakened to some areas that I am really immature. This has been a really hard process! Deep heart surgery from the Great Physician isn't easy or painless.

Exposing the things that need to go is just one of the things that has come out of this time. I've also gotten to see the bond between my husband and our kids begin to strengthen and grow. My husband hasn't really ever been the affectionate type. He isn't cold and distant; however, he isn't a snuggly and huggy person.

It has been a beautiful thing to see my daughter really crawl up on his lap and snuggle with him. I've loved watching the goofy and playful moments. I've seen my husband's heart soften and open up. He has been silly. He's even sung to the kids a couple of times. (This is huge because he won't even sing for me, his wife!)

God is doing a divine reset in our household. I have physically been out of the way (I still have to work at my job outside the home) and my husband has been able to make decisions, assert authority, and truly lead. Remember I mentioned I've had to look at the ugly parts of my heart - ::GULP:: I've got a lot of work to do on letting my husband be the authority in my home! Please be praying with me as I march around Jericho on this one.

It hasn't been easy living through this new lifestyle change. BUT God! He knew exactly what I needed. I needed to see how amazing my husband really is. I have a deeper appreciation for him. I am realizing how much of diamond in the rough I have.

Sometimes God doesn't give us what we want. But in those times we can rest assured that He is for us and He is working it out for our good and His glory.

*Photo Explanation - We took a walk as a family a couple of days ago and it was amazing to see my husband and kids interact with each other. I chose this photo originally to prophetically show how my husband is taking the lead in our household. When I attached the photo to the blog post I heard "we walk by faith." Notice the sign in the background. We were walking on the land owned by the church in our neighborhood Faith Westwood. In this same yard my kids found some beautiful feathers and gave them to me. My husband found some too. Feathers to me are the kisses from Heaven that I get just like Lynn and her mylar balloons. Friends, we walk by faith and not by sight that one day our spouses will know, surrender, and love the Lord. Hallelujah! Let's keep marching in FAITH!

Until next time, let's talk in the comments. What are some lessons you've learned when God gave you what you needed (even if it isn't something that you wanted)?

By Martha Bush

Coming up this weekend is Easter Sunday --- the day we celebrate The Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

In the week prior to Easter each year, by way of the scriptures, I visit the sites of “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”

I enter The Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed. I stroll down the Via Dolorosa path trying to visualize the sights and sounds of that horrendous day. Moving past the city gates of Jerusalem, I make my way to Golgotha, where He died on the cross. Ending my visit at the tomb, I leave rejoicing that He is not there.

During my visit this year, not only was my heart filled with gratitude for what Jesus did for me, but it was also stirred with an awareness of what common ordinary people were doing for Jesus.

I invite you to pay a visit to these people with me, and let’s examine our own lives to see what one person can do for Jesus.

Mark 14:1-9 - One Woman Did What She Could

A certain woman heard that Jesus would soon die and wanted to prepare his body for burial. While He was eating at the home of Simeon, the Leper, she came into the house with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The people rebuked her harshly for not selling the perfume and giving the money to the poor. But Jesus said: “Let her alone. She has done what she could. She has done a beautiful thing for me. The poor you will always have with you and you can help them any time; but I won’t be here much longer.”

        When we do what we can do with the abilities we have, or give of those things we treasure the most, we are doing a beautiful thing for Jesus.

Mark 15:17-21 - One Man Carried the Cross

Jesus was sentenced to die and began his journey to the site of the crucifixion. The Romans recognized that Jesus had grown weak and ready to faint under the load of the cross and feared he would die before he got to the site. So, they drafted Simon of Cyrene, a visitor to the city, to carry the cross for Jesus.

        When we help carry the burden of someone who has grown tired and weary, we are doing a beautiful thing for Jesus.

Mark 15:42 - One Man Risked Persecution

After the crucifixion had taken place, Joseph of Arimathea, went in boldly to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus for burial. He did this knowing he could incur displeasure, reproach, and persecution of the Jews. He was not ashamed of being associated with Jesus nor afraid to appear in his behalf.

        When we are willing to risk the persecution of others to be obedient to His call on our lives, we are doing a beautiful thing for Jesus.

Mark 16: 9-13 - One Woman Told the Story of His Resurrection

Mary, the mother of James and Salome, and Mary Magdalene, a woman whom he had cast out seven devils, came to the tomb. Not finding him there, they fled trembling and bewildered. Soon, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. Running to his weeping disciples, Mary shouted, “HE’S ALIVE!” Bible commentaries say it is possible that Jesus made His first appearance to this woman to show us as an example of his abounding grace.

        When we catch a glimpse of grace, God’s unmerited favor, we will do a beautiful thing for Jesus by sharing the gospel with everyone we meet.

Luke 23:39 - One Man Accepted Jesus as his Savior

As Jesus hung between two criminals on the cross, the conversation went like this: First thief: “So, you are the Messiah, are you?” “Prove it by saving yourself and us, too!” Second thief: “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus said: “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

        When we accept Jesus as our Savior, not only are we doing it for our eternal life, but we are doing it for him so that His suffering will not be in vain.

My friends, when we think of the Easter story, may our hearts cherish what Jesus did for us. But, when we think of ordinary people like you and me, may we be reminded of what one person can do for Jesus.

Could it be that what we do for Jesus will also be written down as a memorial to us like these people? Oh, I long to hear Him say: “Well, done, my good and faithful servant.”

I wish you a most joyful Resurrection Sunday.

Don't forget to tune into Lynn and the Facebook team for a special Easter Service. 

April 12, 2020
3 PM Eastern - 1 PM Pacific USA
On the SUM main FB Page ----> SUM FB
And also on the SUM Sisters Group ----> SUM SISTERS (Request Membership)

Hello SUM Nation,

Lynn Donovan here. I wanted to let you know that our Facebook Team and I will be steaming a LIVE service on Easter Sunday. Amanda Pace, Gladys Arias, Libby Finan, Ann Hutchison and Lynn Donovan

April 12, 2020

3 PM Eastern - Noon PM Pacific USA

On the SUM main FB Page ----> SUM FB

And also on the SUM Sisters Group ----> SUM SISTERS (Request Membership)

We will worship together and then the five of us will share short messages and then I will wrap up the service. I want to share what our Good Father is doing in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak. And also tell you what God is revealing to me about what is to unfold in the months that follow our Stay-at-home weeks.

It's bigger than you think!!! Also, we will take communion so have your elements ready. A piece of bread and a grape will work. Any bread and juice. I'm going to explain something about communion that most people don't know. 

Also, have you listened to all the videos and worked through the Field Guides I created on MarchingAroundJericho.com?   Please hop over there and listen in. And if you have, consider supporting the ministry and purchase the next series of videos and Field guides. It all goes to support the ministry. 

Here is what you will learn about in the next series. And I'll tell you the Holy Spirit video is a demonstration of God's power. AND PS. God told me to demonstrate and God showed up. I'm still freaked out and it all happened to me.

• The Power of Forgiveness
• Spiritual Authority In Christ Jesus
• Spiritual Power and Partnering With the Holy Spirit
• The Power of Our Voice
• Speaking in Tongues

All the video titles can be viewed here: Marching Around Jericho/ Equipping Warriors

By Martha Bush                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Once upon a time in a small southern town USA, there lived a family who had seven children. When the mother was in her mid-forties, she gave birth to their eighth child, a little boy.

The father of the family was a farmer who worked hard to feed his large brood of children; the mother sewed for the public to earn extra income for their large brood. The older children described their mother as a beautiful Christian woman. However, their description of their daddy was different--often spoke demeaning and harshly, but had a sense of humor although a bit warped at times.

A case in point was when his wife was pregnant with each of the eight children. He would always remark, “Well, it sure ain’t mine!” At the age of forty-seven, the father died. The older children had all married and left home, so the mother and the little three-year-old boy were left alone to fend for themselves. Thankfully, on his death bed, the father accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Fast forward 30 years---The mother was in the hospital at the point of death. She could be heard crying out, “Please, don’t tell him I’m pregnant.” Obviously, her husband’s words had not been funny to her. The wound of his rejecting each child was buried deep inside of her. No doubt, Jesus met this mother at The Pearly Gates and wiped away all her tears.

As the author of this story, it’s one of many stories I have written on the history of this southern family and their ancestors. However, no other story has intrigued me more than this one.

You see, the little boy in the story is my husband.

*******
Recently, I wondered if my husband might fall into the category of The Orphan Spirit Lynn writes about in Marching Around Jericho (Chapters Five and Seven.) She also speaks about it in Module One’s Video and Field Guide.

Video: Kingdom Identity

Lynn noted that God’s sons and daughters often get stuck and not walk in their Identity in Christ. Why? They believe the lies of Satan related to the characteristics of an orphan child. To name a few:

1. orphans have to take care of themselves,
2. must always be strong,
3. only trust themselves,
4. don’t get close to anyone,
5. tries to prove their self-worth.

On the Field Guide, one paragraph really leaped out at me.

Quote: “The enemy of our soul is relentless to corrupt and deceive our true identity and his assault begins from conception. Yes, even in the womb, a human spirit can sense when mom or dad is unhappy about the baby. It seems impossible to comprehend that in our pre-born state, we can take on a belief that we are unwanted, unloved---rejected.”

So, I asked Lynn: “If my husband is a candidate for The Orphan Spirit, how can it be healed since he is not a believer?”

Quote: “As a spouse you carry great authority and can ask Jesus to release your husband and to help him find acceptance. This is likely at the core of his rejection of God. Fascinating!” (MAJFBG, March, 18)

I immediately implemented Lynn’s reply as my marching orders. I believe as I partner with Jesus, it will bring my husband out of the pig-pen of rejection and start him on his way home to his Father.

In my wildest imagination, I believe Father God will have a conversation with him that might go “something” like this:

Father God 

First of all, I know you heard those words of your earthly father. Even medical science today confirms that babies can hear in their mother’s womb. Let me assure you that you were not a mistake. Now, listen to me carefully-------

“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Although you took a detour around my plans, I pursued you as I did Israel. “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV)

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:5 NKJV)

Or, if you want to, call me Daddy.

BTW: You were a stubborn one coming home to me, but I am going to use that stubbornness like I did with Paul to bring glory to my name. And no, you are not too old! Don’t you remember the stories you learned in Sunday School when you were a little boy about Moses and Abraham? Get ready.

One last thing.---forgive your earthly Father and also thank your Mama and wife, along with Lynn and the Sumite Community for praying for you.

To be continued----------

*****

My dear Sumite Friends, with the cornonavirus spreading throughout the world, may we know our Identity in Christ, and as Lynn stated, ask Jesus to release our spouses to help them find acceptance. May we cry out as a family, “Father, we humble ourselves before you; come heal our land.”

I leave you with the words to this old hymn:

In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, Yes He's the One
This Rock is Jesus, the only One
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Roc

Hi friends, Ann here!

During this time of incubation in my home, I've been reflecting on what I'm to focus my energy on. I sense it's this simple thing: Lock my eyes onto Jesus. As far as I can, I need to fix my eyes firmly on Him and steadily hold that gaze. This week, with that in mind, I’ve been marinating in small verses from the Gospels.

Today I thought I would share one little Gospel moment: The time when Jesus visited His special friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

The reason that I was drawn to this passage is that Good Friday is in a week’s time, and I noticed that the last thing Jesus did before embarking on that dramatic last week in Jerusalem was pay a visit to His friends. Maybe He just needed some camaraderie. 

“Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. They prepared a supper for Him there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pint of very costly ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.” John 12:1-3

This event followed the resurrection of Lazarus. Having a grateful heart fit to burst, Mary could do nothing else but show her love for Jesus, for ALL He had done.

SUMites, let that be us!

The ointment she broke was a heartfelt act of worship. Worship doesn’t have to involve music, it’s just absolute adoration. It's casting our crowns of glory at His feet, like Mary did with her hair. When we worship Jesus, the fragrance can fill a house.

SUMites, let the fragrance of our worship fill our homes during this time!

To Jesus those girls – Mary and Martha – had many titles. They were His close friends, His collective bride, His daughters, Princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven, Priests (Revelation 1:6), and more. How many titles do we hold in His eyes, and in His name?

Then there's Judas, who stands by sneering, nitpicking Mary for her devotion. We know what his end is to be. Nitpicking another person for their hunger is easy to do, but Jesus says this:

“Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” (v. 7-8).

The poor are a-plenty out there – And today that word 'poor' makes me think of those who don’t know God today in this hard situation. It’s hard to reach those poor at this present moment while we're house-bound. What we do have is an opportunity for time with Him, to focus on His presence within us, in our home, and we can break open the very best of what we own, especially for Him.

SUMites, may you find treasures this coming week as we commemorate His death, burial, and resurrection!

Image Courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography and Free Digital Photos.net

Hi, Ian here from sunny Sydney. Wow, who could have imagined when I wrote about supernatural happenings and wilderness experiences in my last post that a few weeks later almost the entire would be thrust into wilderness.

It’s scary with how fast things have moved. Our lives have been turned upside down haven’t they, normal routines (as Ann reflected yesterday) for entire households have been dramatically changed, there’s no short term certainty about many of the physical things of life: jobs, incomes, schooling, church attendance, exercise regimes and of course the health of our families, particularly those of us who are in the ‘more vulnerable bracket.’

God is Unchanging

But God. He is the one certainty we have, and I also believe it is certain that this wilderness experience will end, however, none of us can be very sure either, when it will end, and what the next season will look like for each of us.

God is good. All the time. All the time, God is good.

What we Focus on is Important

Lynn in her weekend post shared of the bombardment of bad news. My morning routine usually involves me reading the paper before heading off to the gym. But I found I was carrying this understated anxiety and tension as a result of allowing myself to receive the bad news. The Holy Spirit nudged me one day as I trudged off to the gym and told me to stop reading the news. Now it’s been a habit since I was about eight years old (I used to sit with Dad reading the paper together eating breakfast), however, the next morning, I went straight to a meditation app as I sat down over my morning coffee. I’ve enjoyed the freedom of receiving good news first thing in the morning while setting my eyes on the Lord as soon as possible in the morning.

We’re probably all familiar with the following verses in Hebrews:

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

How do we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus when everyone is home ALL THE TIME and trying to get some alone time is near impossible. I know there are many couples (put aside the kids for the moment) are just not used to spending so much time together and these couples have to work our new habits for both their relationship and each other.

May I encourage you to talk often about each other’s needs and how the other can help out. For example, for most of our 25 years together I’ve known it’s important for my wife that we spend time together in the evening. It’s not so much about doing the same thing but simply being present and enjoying each other’s company and presence. And so that’s we’ve done.

I suspect for many husbands this is a very unsettling time as we’re used to heading off to work, having a clear plan for the day and being away from the home. Similarly, for the girls, it’s strange having hubby around 24x7. And then there are the kids. Can’t take them anywhere, can’t have friends over and so on. There are only so many jigsaws you can do, right?

It's hard and unsettling.

But God knows this. He loves us so deeply and understands all that’s going on inside and outside us. He knows our needs and so staying close to Him is really good for us in this season.

Ann wrote about abiding and I want to share a little about how one can do this.

1. Start in the morning. If you are able.

I’m a morning person and it’s easier for me to do this because of the season I’m in. Getting the house up and running is a very normal daily activity for moms. A particularly important one. But may I encourage you though to consider tuning your soul in the morning. Why do you think Jesus went off to meet with the Father every morning?

Our souls get out of whack overnight. I’m continually amazed how I can be on fire for the Lord when I put my head on the pillow, only to wake in the morning like He’s a complete stranger. And that’s why our soul’s need tuning. Think of it like a piano or guitar; before we play them we tune them. It doesn’t have to take long. It can just be a few minutes of prayer, inviting God into our day and checking in on our heart, asking ourself how we’re feeling and giving those feelings, good or not so good over to God. Even ask Him, why am I feeling like this Lord? And listen for an answer. It may not be immediate but sometime during the day you’ll probably discover why.

2. Repeat this process during the day.

As often as you are able. You might even give yourself a reminder using your phone.

What’s important is connecting how your feeling in your heart with God. He knows, He cares, He wants to help us. If you’re reading say Psalm 23: v1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” And you’re feeling tremendous lack of something: peace, hope, money, etc tell God that (He won’t be offended) and repeat the verse in your own words, “You tell me you’re my shepherd, Lord, I really need a shepherd now, help me see you as my shepherd today, taking care of my needs.” Gradually, God’s Word comes alive in our hearts as we discover that He is indeed a good good shepherd.

3. Ever so slowly it will become a habit.

A habit you’ll look forward to even when you’re at your crappiest because you’ve discovered how much God loves to be the one who tunes our hearts and souls.

It would be great for us to encourage each other with what we do to fix our eyes on Jesus in these strange and unsettling times.

Be blessed and keep fixing our eyes on the Lord. He’s a good, good Father.

Hi friends, Ann here!

How are you all doing, I wonder?

Well, here we are with a new normal that has been thrust upon us: That of being house-bound with all regular routines interrupted.

As far as I’m concerned everything has been interrupted, including my routine with God. And that last part is the hardest. Because right now I need my time with God.

Here’s the thing: Lately I'd developed a lovely routine of waving my family off to work and school, making myself an enormous pot of coffee and settling in for a couple of hours with God. I had time for prayer, reading scripture, and recording any things I seemed to hear from Him. It felt oh so healthy. I relished those times of stillness, it can get addictive being with God. In fact, I wanted more. What would happen, I thought, if I gave God my entire morning every day?

Well, some can now do that more than they could before, which is a beautiful treasure. But here in my home it's not quite so. The pandemic struck, and suddenly my family and I found ourselves together in our tiny little house, 24-7. When I say tiny house, we really do have a tiny little house. We’re talking one living area, and a small TV room off the living room.

For me, at points in this pandemic story the world's situation has felt intense. At times I've needed to do battle with fear and, to do that, I've been retreating into my precious prayer room (TV room). However, it quickly became clear this was not going to work. My family wants me around. And my husband wants me. He doesn’t want me sitting in that room being a hermit. He doesn't even want me 'mentally checking out' by spending too much headspace on spiritual matters. He's noticing my mind is elsewhere and he wants me to be present. This is a new challenge.

This is just one way that our faith difference is bubbling to the surface within this situation. We have different ideas about how useful my ‘quiet time with God’ is.  And hey, we have completely different responses to the whole situation. This could lead to frustration, and I’m battling that too.

What's the solution? Stay … Happily married. Be kind. Work hard on my family life. But also somehow carve out some time for stillness. Through it all, be kind, be kind. 

Love is patient; love is kind … (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Meanwhile, what is God saying to me during this time? He has been gently present, showing me that it’s all ok, it's all part of some grand renovation. This is a potentially strenuous time, but He knows it. If I can paraphrase what I’ve heard over the last few days, it’s something like this:

Ann, focus your eyes entirely on Me now, make that your strategy. It's ok to keep it simple.

Ann, yes it’s a dark period but My kindness is coming.

Why don’t you pause your usual scripture reading? How about instead you feed on parts I give you from the Gospels?

On that last point, over the last few days He has pointed me to little gems in the gospels here and there. He is speaking to me about the word ‘Abide’, calling me to consider what it means to 'Abide in Him' now. Perhaps in this current lockdown situation, where I am a busy Mum, 'abiding' doesn’t require me to fight my husband for quiet time but instead it means walking in a posture of trust, awareness, and waiting, through every hour of every day. While closed in my home, I can be closed in with Jesus.

This means I invite Him in while I’m washing up, I chat to Him under my breath while tucking my kids into bed; I acknowledge Him while I play with my kids, I wait on Him and stand still whenever I see a faith difference emerge, I acknowledge His presence while I’m watching the news, I stay believing, I remain hopeful and fearless, I last this thing out, and I dip into Gospel material – Because, after all, that is the good news. Who wants to watch the bad news when I’ve got the Good News -- Jesus -- in front of me?

So, friends, that’s me. How are you doing, and how is your faith routine changing during this period of staying at home?

Hello Sumite Nation,

Lynn here. I wanted to check in on everyone. Our house is feeling the strain of the shut-in as we go into week three. Two weeks and we are feeling a bit stir crazy. You?

I want to share a story with you. About a week ago I found myself sitting with my phone in the morning reading a news site that captures headlines from major news sources around the world. Here are a few from today:

• Heart Attack? No, It Was Coronoavirus
• Bill Gates warns lock-down could last 10 WEEKS
• INTERNET BREAKING
• AMAZON DELIVERY GUY DELIBERATELY SPITS ON PACKAGE
• One dies every 17 minutes
• Rhode Island Police Hunt Down New Yorkers Seeking Refuge

These are somewhat tame from last week. 

So here is what happened. I was reading these apocalyptic headlines and found myself growing uncomfortable, even a tiny bit fearful. Will I catch this virus? I'm not typically fearful of much, but a strange uncomfortableness began to reside within.

This week the Lord spoke to me, "Lynn, why are you reading these lies?" You know much of this is over sensationalized news to attract readers. You are reading all of this and it's affecting your soul and this weakens your immune system. Also, Lynn, AM I not your healer and YOUR TRUTH?"

What is a bummer is that I now wished I HAD STOPPED reading them last week because I broke out with a virus, Shingles, for the first time ever. SAY WHAT????? Good grief. I've nearly prayed them into submission but I believe God was providing me with real time lessons about faith. I was allowing so many lies and destructive "what-ifs" into my mind, and soul that it manifested in my body. (Lord, have mercy.)

My friend, what are you reading? 

What are you listening to?

Don't get me wrong, we need to be informed and vigilant. But do we need to add more to our soul that we can't control or healthily process? Is the INTERNET BREAKING? No, it's slower, much slower than usual. Is our world out of control? No, it's in an unprecedented time but there are smart people on task working hard. Our world is filled with dedicated doctors, nurses, grocery store personnel, brave delivery people, and everyday ordinary people who are sewing masks and checking on neighbors.

God isn't surprises by this AT ALL!

STOP allowing the doom and gloom in and protect your heart. Protect your body and strengthen your immune system. ---> This is my message to myself. Ahem! Sheesh!

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

Put down the phone. Read the WORD. Smile, love and stand in faith. Rebuke the virus from entering into your home and touching your family. 

We will get through this. And when it ends and it will - Every game will sell out, every restaurant will have a two hour wait, every kid will be glad to be in school, everyone will love their job, the stock market will soar, every other house will get TP'd, and we'll all embrace and shake hands. 

That's gonna be a pretty good day. Rise up SUMITE Nation. Let's lean into truth and BELIEVE for the miracles that surround us today. With Love, Lynn

Today a word from Anja Grotto-Ingold who lives in Switzerland.

Psalm 125:1 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.”

Dear SUMites,

This is important knowledge for all who battle storms in their lives!

Daddy has shown me this morning that what I received yesterday concerning trust towards the current situation with the corona virus goes so much deeper and he took me back through my experiences of the last years and showed me what kind of trust he meant in verse 1 and he has a powerful word for all of us!

First, we need to understand what “Mount Zion” is: The ancient Hebrew word Tsiyon (Zion) is “a Canaanite hill fortress in Jerusalem captured by David and called in the Bible ‘City of David.’" Zion can refer to one of three places: the hill where the most ancient areas of Jerusalem stood; the city of Jerusalem itself; or the dwelling place of God. (christianity.com) Keep reading up on what “Mount Zion” all stands for and you will be amazed by the spectrum of meaning coming from it. However, I want to focus on its “geographical” attribute as a place.

So basically what we can say with security is that the places that can be referred to as “Mount Zion” have been and are battled for, built upon and torn down from. But still today, they stand! It is all there and archeologist find more and more evidence of proof in the stones of “Mount Zion” that shows the Bible to be true!

So what’s the point I want to make for our lives as believers in the Most High. In the storms of our lives and particularly those brought to us by a spiritually unequal marriage we often feel that everything we have known, we think to be true or hope for is taken from us and we are left with nothing. For me it always felt like slowly drowning and while fighting it, being stripped off of everything I know. Pure despair, fighting to keep afloat and fear every time you allow yourself to only think of what the future holds!

Do you know this feeling? If you do or are in such a place right now God is saying don’t give into it. This is not his TRUTH because whatever is taken or chipped away, whatever fortress is being destroyed in your life, the foundation on which you stand still remains and can never, ever be torn down. It’s your FAITH.

It’s the deeply ingrained knowledge that God is Lord of Lords, King of Kings and that he is the Truth and the Way. And this knowledge is HOPE for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrew 11:1). In your Hope, even if it as small as a mustard seed, you are able to trust. Because the in order to stand like Mount Zion, unshakable and enduring forever, in any storm life throws at you, you need to trust. Note that trust in Psalm 125:1 is a verb so it refers to an action - it is something you willfully chose to do! So this is what I hear God say: “Don’t confuse FAITH and TRUST - Faith is what you have, something nobody and nothing can take away from you, but in all circumstances you need to CHOOSE to fully TRUST me. It’s choosing the action of trusting that will keep you from drowning, that will give you peace when everyone around you is in fear, that will help you open yourself to me so that you can dwell in my presence where I teach and speak to you! Then you will be like Mount Zion, the place where the God of Israel, dwells (Isaiah 8:18; Psalm 74:2), the place where he is king (Isaiah 24:23) and where he has installed his king, David (Psalm 2:6). You will be like the place where I held my seat of action in history and continue to do so in the future. Steadfast and unshakable. So, let everything crumble and fall, let it be swept away, don’t try to hold onto or to fix things you cannot influence. Give it all to me and trust me with every fiber of your being because on your trust I will rebuild and bring forth fruit.”

To the whole SUM community I hear him say ”You are my chosen ones and as you stand in Trust you are my “Mount Zions” which I surround and protect and from which I will build my kingdom in your husband’s lives and in the lives of your families. It’s not time to be afraid, it’s time to trust for never will I forsake any of you. I will allow the storms of life to form you, but I will never allow them to tear you down!

So choose trust every time fear creeps in.

Choose it and you will see the walls of Jericho crumble!”

Hey Sum Family, Tiffany here!

Each passing day brings news of another thing in the Carter Crew's daily lives that is affected by COVID-19. Though we are currently on spring break, the Elementary School is going to e-learning for the following two weeks. The zoo is closed along with movie theaters, public libraries, hair salons, family entertainment establishments, restaurants etc. As the days progress, I find the anxiety level of my husband is slowly rising.

Obviously the Coronavirus is nothing to take lightly. We should all take precautions to help prevent the spread and keep ourselves safe and healthy. I take no issue with doing my part in an earthly sense. However, I know the power and authority of the blood of Jesus. I know that when I plead and apply His blood that I am protected and safe. I am healed and whole. I am redeemed and restored. Because of the blood of Jesus, I have peace in my heart and mind. I am confident in knowing that everything is going to be alright. My Daddy has got this! In many ways, I "forget" there is a pandemic on our hands.

That being said, I was heartbroken when my husband told me to call my grandmother and tell her that she is not allowed to come and visit this week. Our two perspectives collided. I scrambled in my head, "Lord, what do I do? I am right about this. You are protecting us. We are all covered by the blood of Jesus!"

My grandmother is a mighty woman of God. She knows the power of the blood of Jesus. She is healthy and she is a fierce prayer warrior. She and I both agreed that she would be fine in coming. It was as though I had those cartoon characters on my shoulders. You know the ones - a red devil with horns, tail, pitchfork and an angel with a white robe and glowing halo.

At first I protested. I tried convincing him that we would be fine. I prayed for a change of his heart. I asked God to intervene.

I called my grandma and explained Jason's concerns. I sat there crying as I told her how much I was looking forward to her coming. I told her not to cancel just yet. I would talk to him one more time.

Jason wouldn't budge. I texted my grandmother later and told her the news and said, "I feel it's best to honor him at this time. I'm heartbroken but looking for the days ahead. Seeing you soon."

I understand my husband's concern. I am grateful that he loves my grandma and wants to keep her around for a while. The hardest part in all of this is not that she won't be here for the kids' spring break; but, the ugliness in my heart that rose up against my husband. When times get hard and we don't agree, isn't it so easy to say, "If only my spouse was a believer..." or "If only my spouse would agree with the truth of God's word..."

For a few brief moments, I had made my husband out to be the enemy. It is his fault that she can't come. I am angry at his decision and I am angry at him. I could feel the bitterness rising. I praise Jesus that He stopped me in my tracks. I had to repent. I had to forgive.

Colossians 3:13-14 — "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

John 17:23 — "I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Mark 3:25 — "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."

Friends, this is exactly what the devil wants. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. This time is crucial as we actively march around Jericho. We are
understanding our authority. We are breaking ground and taking back what is rightfully ours. We are standing in the gap and interceding. Mountains are moving. Hearts are changing. Miracles are happening.

Let us fix our eyes on the prize. Don't allow the enemy to distract you. Keep focused and remember we do not fight against flesh and blood. In times such as these, it is important to give our spouses grace and mercy.

I know I am not alone in this. What are some hurdles that you have had to jump over in your marriage? What wisdom has God shown you in how to settle disagreements in your home? What scripture or prayers have helped you to overcome?

Most importantly, how do you encourage your spouse in times of anxiety or fear? This is something that I personally could use some advice on!

See you in the comments. Blessings!

Hey Sum Family, Tiffany here!

On Thursday, my husband felt it was time to stock up on groceries. I had heard the "rumors" but as we walked the aisles, I was amazed to see that there truly was a shortage on many things. I couldn't believe the long lines, rationing and deep concern on the faces of shoppers. If one person would cough or sneeze, they were quick to "swear" that they weren't sick. My heart was broken for these people who were legitimately scared. I released an audible outcry in the aisles, "Lord Jesus, I bless these people with peace."

With the times that we are living in, there is a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and downright fear. The media isn't helping ease any tension when it is the most talked about subject. It is important to keep up to date; however, we have to be careful on what we are filling our minds.

What does the Word of the Lord say about bad news?

Psalm 112:6-8 New International Version (NIV)

These verses are my go to in times of uncertainty and fear. We are God's righteous. The promise for us is we will never be shaken. We will have no fear of bad news. Our hearts are steadfast as we trust in Him. We walk in a unique place. We know the perspective of the Kingdom and we know the perspective of the world. Because of our march around Jericho on behalf of our spouses and families we are able to walk the line "in between."

Even though the darkness seems to be closing in, our light becomes all the brighter. In the midst of fear, our boldness for the Kingdom begins to shine brighter.

When we choose to stand in faith on the Word of God, it gives us a confidence in the God of the Word. Verses like we've read today are tools in our arsenal.

Just this last week, I have been able to witness to my husband with words. The conversation went like this:

Jason - So, I think that we will probably get the Coronavirus now.

Me - No we won't. Why do you think that?

Jason - My coworker was at that event where the first reported person was before being admitted into the hospital. She is doing nothing to self-quarantine herself. It is really frustrating.

Me - Well [the news] said that people at that event only need to be concerned if they played in the tournament. Besides, I plead the blood of Jesus over us every morning. We are going to be fine.

As we sat in silence for a moment, I was honestly surprised to see how easily that flowed from my vocal cords and out of my mouth. He was stopped in his tracks. I wasn't sure if he was receptive or if he quiet as to not start a conflict. A few days later, we had a similar conversation and again the words flowed, "My grandma is covered by the blood of Jesus. She will be fine." This time the response was, "Every time we talk about something like this, you don't have to always find a way to bring religion into it."

Whether receptive or not, we get the privilege to share the love of Jesus to those around us. We get the blessing of peace in the midst of the storm. We have the confidence and joy that the world needs.

Do not forget that perfect love drives out fear. Be blessed today. Know that the blood of Jesus covers us and our loved ones. Know that God is in control. Know that He is not surprised. He is still on the throne. In the words of Lynn - march on warriors. We win!

Let's talk in the comments. What are some of your favorites verses to help drive out fear?

By Martha Bush

Hello, my fellow SUMite Marchers. Can you give a big shoutout to Lynn for this remarkable teaching in her new book, Marching Around Jericho!

Today, I want us to talk about those false belief systems and lies Lynn refers to in Chapter 1.

Quote, page 20:

“The majority of my march consisted of displacing deceptive mindsets and lies. I’m convinced seventy-five percent of spiritual warfare is stepping into awareness and out of deception. The remaining twenty-five percent, well, that is faith and prayer. Together, we’ll battle through false belief systems, religious mindsets, doubt, apathy, fear, and displace false identity. Expect the cheers of heaven each time we step out of a lie and become fully aware of God’s truth, his whole truth.”  (End of quote.)

Join me as I share with you a false belief that had almost paralyzed me both in the natural realm, and was about to paralyze me spiritually.

False Belief: “I must be approved (accepted) by certain others to feel good about myself? Approval Addict is the name of the game.

Some of the Symptoms I experienced were:   people pleaser, fear of rejection, easily manipulated with guilt trips, don’t rock the boat, strive for peace at all extremes

Those traits kept me paralyzed with fear of making a decision on my own. It got pretty bad when I couldn’t even make a decision in Walmart about the type of paper plates to use for Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, yeah, I would stop other customers and ask, “Which plates would you choose?"

My self-esteem rating was ZERO! And isn’t that just what the enemy wants us to think about our self-worth?

I finally discovered that this False Belief (I must be approved by others to feel good about myself) actually started in my childhood, where most of our beliefs, attitudes, and behavior patterns are formed. Sometimes, those beliefs are true; sometimes they are not.

My road leading to this false belief went something like this:

I never doubted for a moment how much my parents loved me as a child. They showered me with hugs, provided my every need, and disciplined me with firmness, yet with love and kindness. Through their love, I also sensed how much Jesus loved me.

So, what could be the problem with that? Many children would die for a touch from their parents, especially their father, whom I believe forms the basis of our relationship with God.

Here is where I was blocked: Out of my parents’ deep love for me, they kept me under their wings to protect me, in their view. In short, they smothered me. The results: I became a cripple at making decisions on my own and lost confidence in myself. I lost sight of how I felt, what I desired, and was too intimidated to pursue my own thoughts and beliefs. I became a puppet on a string in my adult life trying to please everyone with whom I interacted.

I began to sense the emotional strain this was having on me, but did not realize the extent of it until in my forties when I began to feel God leading me down a certain path. Upon discussing this new direction with my husband, I was met with total opposition. I was brought to a crossroad in my life: One road led to continuing to please others, the other road lead to pleasing God.

The truth of The Word of God literally stared me in the face with the following scriptures:

1. “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10 KJV)

Can I just say that it is hard to truly be a servant of God when all our efforts go into pleasing people and their desires, even our spouses.

2. We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29 KJM)

By now, I was getting close to making my decision to follow the direction God had talked to me about. The final scripture that brought it on home to me was Deuteronomy 30:19: I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.

Though we are no longer under the curse, I believe there are times we have to make a choice as to which road we choose to take in order to become God’s servant. Stop and think about it—the world we live in is filled with people who demand that we please them in exchange for their approval and acceptance.

Praise God for Jesus’s sacrificial payment for our sins. Through this payment, we all can find forgiveness, reconciliation, and we are totally acceptable to Him at all times.

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him Holy and blameless and beyond reproach. (Colossians 1:21-22)

What about you? Are there lies that you have believed? Let’s talk about them in the comments, and let’s all go marching into truth together.

Can I hear an Amen all across Cyber Space for the truth that sets us free? (John 8:32)

By Martha Bush

Little Cypress Mauriceville Battling Bear Stadium, Orange, Texas, is exactly what its name implies: The Home of the Battling Bears!

There was a time I spent every Friday night at the stadium watching the boys battle it out with that brown piece of pigskin, with their opponent. Not a football fan, I really went to the games to watch my two daughters perform at halftime with the LCM Honey Bear Drill Team.

After my girls graduated from high school, I became a regular attendee at the LCM Battling Bear Stadium. You see, it was here that I, too, did battle with my opponent, Old Slewfoot himself, as he began to send an assignment of grief to destroy my marriage, finances, and health, as one crisis after another made its entrance into our lives. I walked, ran, and skipped around the track praying, taking refuge from the storm that brewed from our opponent, Slewfoot.

In the past couple of years, due to changes in circumstances, my time at Bear Stadium has subsided. However, I was drawn back to the stadium March 4th to reminisce about those battling times. Though this stadium represented a place of real battling, I had some laughs with Jesus about some of my experiences, as I walked slowly around the tracks that day.

Come! Take a stroll with me around Bear stadium.

Passing by the vistors' bleachers, I spotted the bleacher where I lay flat on my back one afternoon about 5 PM with my arms stretched toward heaven crying loudly, “Oh, God, Oh God, help me, help me!” I grinned as I remembered the kids practicing pole vaulting nearby pointing toward me, laughing.

I giggled as I recalled running the track like "Warrior David," slinging his stone toward Goliath. I'd raise my index finger and verbally sling a chain of "for it is written" scriptures at my Goliaths. I was a sight to see for the other early morning walkers scattered around the track, but I didn’t care---there was a battle to fight for my family—I was determined Slewfoot would not destroy us.

I laughed out loud as I looked behind the bleachers. One morning, I ran to the bathroom underneath the bleachers, only to discover the doors were locked. With the adrenaline still flowing from my warfare on the tracks, I almost let loose, “I bind you, locked doors. In the name of Jesus, turn loose this door and let me in-I have an emergency!”   Some things you just don’t ask amiss; just tell yourself not to drink coffee before a morning of walk and pray. 

I shivered when I thought of the morning I arrived at the track at 4:30 AM.  My fellow walkers were not there yet. A nudge from the Holy Spirit told me it wasn’t a good idea to be out there alone. I was about to ignore the Holy Spirit’s word of caution when three men emerged from under the bleachers, making their way out to the parking lot where I sat. Their dress attire told me they were not there to walk the track. I quickly cranked up my car and sped away. No laughing matter.

I glanced at the picnic table in nearby Bear Park. One afternoon, I escaped to my safe haven at the stadium. The picnic table, nestled among the trees, looked inviting, and thus I began my battle cry. A woman crept up behind me and asked, “Are you okay?” I looked at her with tears flowing down my cheeks, snotty nose, and stammered, "Uh-uh; just doing a little praying."  I don't think I convinced her I was okay.

I remembered other experiences I had at Battling Bears' Stadium, as I strolled around the tracks March 4th, but today was different.  I wasn't  binding strongholds, throwing stones at Goliath, or whooping it up. I was not even asking God for a Word, because He had already spoken His promises to me years ago.

How well I recalled those promises when I stood still on the 50-yard-line and glanced up to the top row of the bleachers. Many mornings I didn’t run the track. Instead, I’d march up those steps and take a seat on the top bleacher. Sitting in the presence of the Lord, I listened as He spoke His promises to me and recorded them in my notebook.

Would you believe that as I stood there on the 50-yard-line March 4th, Jesus showed up again? He began talking to me just like my daddy did when I was a little girl.

“Little girl, pay attention; I’m a-fixing to tell you something important. It’s your season for those promises I made to you here at Battling Bear Stadium to be birthed. I am ready to perform My Word.” (Jeremiah 1:12 NKJV)

“And BTW, little girl; I have a new work for you to do for Me. Get ready!”

Wait! Did I just feel a hug and a little fist punch on my shoulder like Daddy used to do? I got goose bumps all over my body.

As if on clue, a soft, gentle rain began to fall, but I continued walking, with my hair getting soaked, my glasses clouding up, and my hands stretched toward heaven in praise. I’m sure the men mowing the grass saw me. Oh, well---

There’s nothing like an intimate walk in the rain with Jesus.

Go Bears! Thanks for the Memories!

In the comments, I would love to hear your experiences of battling, as well as your intimate talks with Jesus.

Hi friends, Ann here!

If there's one passage in the Bible that brings a SUM moment to life, it's the one where David dances to the Lord, his wife Michal sees him through a window, and she 'despises him in her heart'. Gulp -- Let's take a look:

“Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart."

(2 Samuel 6:14-16, NKJV)

David then returns 'to bless his household', and Michal is not feeling it:

“How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” (v.20)

We don’t know what marriages were like in those days, but David must have felt sorely misunderstood. Nevertheless, his response shows determination:

“It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore, I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” (v. 21-22).

To leap and dance for God like David is akin to the intimacy with God that we're currently talking about in our community. I think we all have a leap to take when it comes to intimacy, and for my own part I can say I found it ever so risky to leap towards God and trust he would catch me. Specifically, I struggled to trust that I would not lose Bryce's favor. That was a biggie.

I was helped in this area by a friend whose Dad was a pastor. I wrote to this friend one day when it was all feeling too hard. My words went something along the lines of, "I think Bryce will go off me if I keep going." My friend duly consulted the Dad, who was old and wise, then flicked me an email:

“Ann, with God, the only way to go is forward. Now that you know that God is real, what else are you going to do? Sit in a dark room with a blindfold on? The fence is too sharp to sit on. But here’s what my Dad says: The closer you get to God, the more Bryce will see the spiritual bloom on your cheek. So keep going!”

This was great advice in theory, but I struggled to believe that Bryce would see this elusive 'spiritual bloom on my cheek'. My friend was saying, “Take the leap, Ann. God will catch you!” but the lie I was believing was “If I move any closer to God I'll lose out.” 

To cut a long story short, eventually I let go of the lie. Having leapt into God's arms I truly believe now that the more you love Jesus … Well, everything blooms. As David said to Michal, God has shown himself faithful.

David's response is a good one for us. Essentially he says to Michal, “Look, there is good reason I dance for him the way I do. I am going to carry on, and I will be playing my Christian music.”

Friends, did you catch that? Michal doesn't like his Christian music! I'm laughing as I type and I can't help but wonder if God slipped that part in for humor for us. Even in David’s day, Christian music was hard to play in front of the less believing spouse. Well, nothing there has changed. Eventually, like David, perhaps we stop caring and just play it. In fact, that's been a shift for me only in the last few weeks: I slip the Christian music on, Bryce laughs but doesn't really mind, I keep it on, and as I listen to it I leap -- In my heart.

Well on that happy note, I think the story got a bit more cheerful than at first it seemed. So keep on with that Christian music, friends. And perhaps we can chat in the comments: Has intimacy with God involved a leap for you?

Photo supplied courtesy of imagery majestic and FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hi! Ian here. Lent began last Wednesday with Ash Wednesday. I’m observing this season once again as I enjoy being intentional about seeking more of God and Lent and Advent seem to help me do that. Yes, I ‘give up’ something (sugar and Instagram this year) as it helps me focus on the wilderness element of the season; Lent, of course, mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness.

But this isn’t a post about Lent rather a sense I’ve had in the past week about stirrings within me that I thought I’d share. Recently, I’ve read a couple of short passages on the supernatural happenings of God. Abraham and Sarah only birthed Isaac through supernatural intervention. Mary and Joseph birthed Jesus only through supernatural intervention. Paul and Barnabas’ ministry work that took the Gospel to the Gentiles is attributed to supernatural means (Acts 14: 27)

And here in SUMite land we read in Ann’s previous post of some of our tribe’s spouses experiencing a revelation of God in being saved. Hallelujah! Yes, salvation requires a supernatural happening as it is not something that will occur in the natural.

How Does This Happen?

If we look at the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Mary and Joseph, Paul and Barnabas, what can we glean?

Deep intimacy with God

They all had their wilderness experiences. God uses these times to clear everything else away so we can be with Him. He wants us to let go of control so He's in charge. Interestingly, in Mary’s experience it was after she was impregnated supernaturally as we really didn’t know about her prior to her angelic encounter.  Similarly, Paul’s wilderness time was after his miraculous Damascus experience. God had to deal with his years of being a Christian terrorist before unleashing him on the Gentile world.

As frustrating and painful being in the wilderness can be, step into it. It’s a clear tactic of God’s to draw people closer to Him, so He can equip them for something more. Such seasons can involve unemployment, illness, relocation, sabbaticals and more.

Remember God wants deep intimacy with each one of us. It’s why He made us. For Himself.

This is why I love Lent because I get excited about being with God. Like one of our kids gets excited when Dad or Mom arrives home from work. Remember those days?

What do I do?

1. Soak in His Word – look at Psalm 1:

“Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
    you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
    bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
    always in blossom.” (v2-3 MSG)

I love that idea of the Word thrilling me? I want it to thrill me everyday. The Word is alive with supernatural wonder desiring to reveal Himself to us. Reflect on Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and how He batted back the temptations Satan put before Him: He used the Word. Don’t just rely on wonderful devotionals where it’s someone else’s interpretation that fills most of the page; read God’s word in the Bible. If you’re not sure where to start, start with the Gospel of John and/or the Psalms. I’ve been reading the Psalms repeatedly for the last three or four years; I just can’t get enough of them.

2. Spend time Adoring God

Talking about the Word thrilling you, there's a lady who helps us bring the Word alive. I’ve mentioned Sara Hagerty’s before. She's been on this “Adoration” journey for over five years now. She provides a monthly one-verse a day adoration prompt. It’s how I’ve started my day for the last five years.

Sara says: “Adoration is finding a pulse behind that Word and then saying that Word back to Him, in our own dialect … it all starts with a simple conversation, a friendship that ends in our destiny: falling in love with God.”

Try it for a few days, a month. Sit and speak the daily verse back to God. Thank Him, praise Him, adore Him using the words in the verse. 

3. Spend time Listening to God

My hunch is that the modern church lacks listening skills. In some ways it goes hand-in-hand with a lack of Bible awareness, we ‘listen’ to the Word when we read it. I discovered recently that the word, obedience, comes from a Latin word which means: “to listen attentively”. My logical brain tells me that if we lack listening skills, we’re lacking in obedience. And what does Jesus tell us is the way we demonstrate our love for Him?

“If you love Me, keep My commands” (John 14:15)

Jesus tells us that the sheep know His voice. But it takes time to learn to discern His voice and that’s why knowing and meditating on the Word is so important.

May I encourage you to use some of the time you wait, perhaps it’s in the school pickup line, at the grocery store, in the medical clinic, etc just to be quiet and invite God into this moment and say hi! And ask him a question or two. He may not answer immediately, especially in the beginning, but over time you’ll be surprised to find how many times He does give you an answer.

Let me stop there.

Believe the supernatural will happen. Think how often Lynn finds balloons on her prayer walks.:) Keep being intentional connecting with God. He wants it more than anything. Believe that deep in your heart. He made each one of us so we would fall in love with Him. I'm praying that we all will develop greater intimacy with the Lord and that He is indeed birthing something in each of us and our spouses that only He can bring to life!

Anyone else observing Lent this year? If yes, what are you doing to be intentional in drawing closer to the Lord? Please share in the comments.

Hi friends, Ann here!

There’s a curious thing happening in our ministry right now: We're seeing significantly more spouse salvations than we have before. For years we’ve known it would happen, and now it's visible. We’re seeing it mentioned in emails or on closed Facebook groups; that's how we know.

It started about a year ago. Before then, we’d had the occasional salvation posted on here, and often it was a story with a wow factor. Those stories helped us keep going, which we badly needed. But what we're now seeing is a quieter kind of conversion.

What’s happening with the current shift is that the stories are not being posted because the process is intense and private. One SUMite described it as feeling like she’d finally made fire, and now she needed to cup her hands around it and protect it at all costs. 

The shift comes at an interesting time. It’s a time where many are hearing God say He is bringing global revival and doing a new thing in the church. It occurs to me that revival might not be instantly visible because it happens first within hearts. For a community like ours we might be some of the first to see it because we have this online ministry and recognize change easily. What we’re seeing right now is spouses begin to turn their hearts, and a few have already been baptized. Others have publicly accepted Jesus.

From this steady trickle of salvations, I’m learning some lessons. The first is that I may have dearly wanted salvation, but it might not be as I expect. I should prepare for hiccups, stops and starts. Here's an analogy I keep thinking of:

If salvation is like a baby being born (John 3:3-5), the last bit where the baby passes through is especially tough for all involved; and then there’s the afterbirth. If we’re the midwives catching the baby, we’ll have to get to work: check the baby is breathing, give it its injections, make sure it can feed, clean up the mess. It’s serious.

On that point (thinking of midwives and their equipment), I hear God say this for us:

I’m giving you new kid gloves.

Yes, kid gloves are what we’ve used while 'winning without words' but now perhaps it’s a time for a new set that look more like pragmatic midwife gloves. Our new season will require delicacy, but instead of delicate evangelism it’s now to be delicate discipleship. Because many of our spouses are natural skeptics, it might be harder than discipling an eager churchgoer. There may also be the mess of spiritual battle. Well, friends, we are duly equipped with new kid gloves! Gloves for His new kids.

I'll share this: My own adult conversion was hard, so I feel for anyone who changes late in life. I myself faced intense doubt to the point of torment. I struggled with church culture. I had to handle issues like, "That Christian over there behaves really badly!" And then, the topic of Satan did it for me: In my mind it was just too far-fetched. However, then I realized Satan was real, and that was even worse. The day I realized demons existed was a bad day in the office. At that point I wanted to jump on the nearest boat, like Jonah, and sail away (Jonah 1:3). Except I couldn’t, which made it all the worse.

My conversion involved things like going to church, seeing people abandon their dignity just like King David did in heartfelt worship (2 Samuel 6:14) and thinking to myself, "If I go any further with God, I’ll be that.” All of these mental complexities happened while I had a prayer life with God, but it was just such a leap to go further with Him.

So as I write I'm sitting here thinking this thing won’t be a walk in the park. After all, when a person turns to God they have to respond to a call to bow their knee and to do that they have to decide if they believe it enough and want it enough. This means that they might stop for a while before carrying on. Salvation is a deep matter of the heart, and the path may be winding.

Nevertheless, it's a very exciting time for us. Now I'd love to hear from you, SUM friends -- Are you seeing it too? What do you think we can expect?

Nice chatting!

Ann

Hi friends, Ann here!

We're spending time talking over on Facebook about intimacy with God, so I thought I would follow suit in today's post. Many years ago, I observed another Christian's intimacy with God, and it was so eye-catching that it kick-started my own relationship with Him. Here’s what happened:

I was at my parents’ table in Reading, England. I live in New Zealand, so only visit once a year. On this visit I noticed that in their home ‘everything felt nice’. Even the coffee had that little ‘something special’.

Are you suspecting something? Yep, my parents were both growing in their connection with Jesus. As a non-Jesus-lover, I didn’t recognize the atmosphere for what it was, but I did notice my Dad seemed to spend a lot of time in his study. The door was closed for one or two hours, then he’d emerge for a late breakfast, cheerful.

Huh?!!

One morning at the table, I said to him: “What do you spend your time on?”

He cast me a secret smile: “Well, Ann, the only thing that matters to me these days is my relationship with God.”

Huh?!! I pulled a face but eyed him up quietly. Never heard such a thing.

Well, um, as you can tell, these days I’m a closed-door kinda girl myself with that same secret smile; it's the kind of smile that says ‘God is exciting!’ It’s funny how these things are catching.

Yes, a while after asking my Dad that question, my heart got stirred and I began to do business with God on the couch in my living room. I am a couch potato, so can do time on the couch very easily, and this is where my relationship with God has happened. That couch is so meaningful to me now it’s like a family treasure. It's in the TV room, which I now term 'the prayer room' (much to the laughter of my family) and I retreat to it throughout the day -- Especially when life as a Mum gets intense.

Those years ago, on that very couch, I began to ask God some direct questions. The first one was ‘Um God, Do You Exist?’ Blow me down, He answered over a period of weeks with some extraordinary occurrences. Oh. Next question: ‘What is True?’ At this point, I bought a special notebook and started to record these questions, documenting my blossoming relationship with Him. One notebook led to another, and these days I have a pile of them. The questions seemed to open up closeness.

After asking ‘What is true?’ God started to show me it was Jesus who was the Way, and there was no other. It was so compelling that all I could say was ‘Ok, this is true – I’m in.’

Then came a time I prayed a dangerous prayer, without realizing it was dangerous. By dangerous, I mean it was the kind of prayer that brings the Kingdom of Heaven near because it is completely in line with His will and you end up never the same again. Dangerous, but exciting. The prayer I prayed was this:

Align my desires with yours Lord.

I've heard of others praying something like this (e.g., Let me really know you, Lord), and I've heard them say 'Sometimes I wish I hadn't prayed that prayer because it’s not been easy.’ That's a little of how I feel about that prayer though I would never, ever want it to be different. See, after praying that prayer, I could never get God out of my head again, and then I noticed how far from Him our culture is. That was the difficult part. My head and my heart became filled to the point that I felt constantly aware of Him. It felt like He had become as real to me as the person in front of me. Real.

Align my desires with yours, God.

Align my desires with yours.

This request, simple as it was, helped me draw closer to Him. 

I've been helped vastly in years past by others on this blog -- Not only the writers but also those in the comments who've shared how they get close to God; so I hope you enjoyed this one little piece of my own story. But now I'd love to hear your stories: How much do you ask God questions, and what other things do you do to draw close to Him?

Hey there SUM Family! Tiffany Here!

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

I come before you today to confess something with you. I have been struggling with the fear of man. This has been a reoccurring struggle. This fear causes me to distance myself from those in the family of Christ. I place so much expectation on myself that I don't want to let anyone down. I don't want to fail them. I don't want to cause anyone to stumble or struggle. I don't want to be honest with others because then they may think less of me.

I often shrink back from our amazing community because as a writer for the blog I have been deceived to believe that it is not okay for anyone here to see me struggle. I have believed the lie for several months now that in order to teach, share, etc I cannot have any faults. Who would take what I have to say seriously if they only knew...

I've talked with Lynn a few times and I know now that it is better to be honest with the struggle. I've looked back at my life and I've felt that XYZ is grounds of disqualification for ministry, my marriage, parenting, healing and restoration, etc. Does anyone hear me on this one? I'm sure I'm not alone.

So first I want to apologize for distancing myself from you all. I've been absent in commenting on the blogs as well as in the SUMite Sister group on Facebook. I am not angry with anyone. I am still here! I am still marching (though the last few months have felt like an army belly crawl underneath barbed wire).

Secondly I want to share with you a freedom encounter that I had on Sunday at my church.

We started worship and my mind was really struggling to get focused on the Lord.  One Thing Remains by Bethel Music started to play and as the worship team began to sing, I was struck by the lyrics

And Your love never fails, it never gives up
It never runs out on me
And Your love never fails, it never gives up
It never runs out on me
And Your love never fails, it never gives up
It never runs out on me

Holy Spirit caught my attention. We continued to sing and I really began to press in.

And on and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I'll never, ever, have to be afraid
'Cause this one thing remains
This one thing remains

The atmosphere changed and I felt an overwhelming outpouring of the love of God. A Heavenly Daddy who had scooped up his frightened daughter. (*Enjoy this painting from an artist named Lisa Caldwell. I rescued this painting from going to the thrift store when my previous church closed down.)

Like I mentioned earlier, I have been so afraid to let everyone down. The reality was I felt I was letting Him down. Little did I know that the anxiety and performance struggles I had were deeply rooted in a tainted reality.

"I am letting my Father down. I'm not doing enough. I'm not doing it right. He MUST be disappointed in my behavior...in me."

I'm sure that you know what I'm talking about when I say that when Love steps in, we can't help but be affected and changed. There is nothing like the love of God. With billions of people on the planet, in those intimate moments with Him, it feels as though you are the ONLY one that matters to Him. His devotion, His attention, His focus, His heart, His embrace is only on you.

It settled in my mind that Jesus' death on the cross and victorious resurrection is proof enough that He loved me. If I wasn't worth it to Him, He wouldn't have suffered and died for me.

Do you KNOW that is the same for you? Friend, you are worth the lashes, the crown of thorns, the scoffing, the spitting, the hatred, the jeering that He endured. His blood was shed for YOU! You are so special. It's truly amazing.

In the process of reading Lynn's new book Marching Around Jericho, I am seeing the importance of holding on to my identity in Christ. It truly is the difference between victory and defeat. When Satan and his minions distract me and I forget who I really am, my standards are lowered. I leave my place in heaven where I am meant to be seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). I fight in the flesh and not the Spirit. I fail to put my armor on. In my own strength, I can be beat up and dragged around by the enemy. I give away my authority.

Maybe you're in that place too. Maybe you've gotten into a rut. Maybe you are struggling. Maybe you are about ready to call it quits.

I can tell you that His love is right here for you. His embrace is assured. All you have to do is lean back.

Let's meet in the comments. Can I pray with you? I would love to encourage you today.

SUMite Nation,

Lynn here. I'm leading a study of Marching Around Jericho beginning today! Join the PRIVATE Facebbook Group and accelerate your study.

To pray with power and authority you MUST stand upon the two pillars of Intimacy and Identity. This week we are talking about intimacy. What would it be like to all day long ask Jesus questions and He answers you back? How would it change your life if you knew that you knew that you knew in your knower that your good Father in heaven had your back?

Join now and purchase your book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible or any book retailer. 

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:14

This scripture is ours. This promise is NOW. Let's learn from Jesus and see His glorious Word come to life! Hugs, Lynn