Spiritually Unequal Marriage

Chronicles Of A Humbled Donovan

2013-05-24T01:00:00-07:00

Okay….. So, ahem…

You know what ALWAYS happens when I share teaching with you. I live it out… Well, this series on taking a step into the Jordan is no exception.

So today I’m going to share with you an experience that has opened up a giant hole in my heart that only our merciful and loving God can fill. And I wonder if some of you will find this hole exists in your heart as well? Travel this path with me today because I bet it reveals something within you that you didn’t know existed.

Let me set the stage. Many of you know my friend, Maria. I’ve introduced her here before. She has a healing and deliverance ministry through a large church in San Diego where they help women who are emerging from the adult films industry. Pornography is, of course, an open door to demonic oppression. Maria prays and delivers many of these women and they find healing and wholeness in Jesus. AMEN.

I had lunch with Maria this week. This woman is quite insightful and we began a discussion about rejection. She and I have talked a lot about this aspect of pain because we are convinced so much of our hurts, and the lies we believe, our spiritual struggles exist because we have been rejected by someone whom we wanted to love us.

Much of our teaching at retreats and conferences center around this very aspect. And we lead women to discover the truth and identity in Christ and obtain healing.

What I didn’t expect at this lunch with Maria, which by the way included a two and half hour discussion, with prayers, healing and tears (on my part) was that I needed to hear a truth.

Gulp.

This truth hit me so hard when Maria spoke it I literally felt pain in my soul (heart) and I cried right there at the table in Macaroni Grill. Sheesh! I'm sure our poor waiter was thoroughly freaked out. Oh well.

Okay, So let me loosely recap our conversation:

“Maria, I want you to pray for me about an area in my life where I struggle.” I asked. (Yes, I struggle with stuff in my life, just like all of you.)

So, I explained to Maria my struggle, It’s too long to write it out here.

Wouldn’t you know it; Maria turns this whole rejection thing around on me. Ouch!

“Lynn, is this struggle rooted in rejection?”

I think for a minute and then it hits me. “Ah, yes.” I stammer staring at her across the table. You see the light of the Holy Spirit just went on in my heart.

“Maria, I guess I still hold pain in my heart because my husband was not capable of loving me how I needed to be loved.” i.e…. Rejection of my faith…. And likely other areas too. (Just being authentic here.)

Now this is where my world split open.

“Lynn, he likely was never loved in the way you want to be loved. Lynn, it’s most likely that he was rejected way back in his life somewhere, perhaps parents? I don’t know. But Lynn,

He’s hurting.”

How come I’ve never considered the pain and rejection he may be carrying and that he conceals from me? Sometimes God shows me just how utterly selfish I can be.

I could bawl my eyes out just typing this.

In an instant God opened up a door into my heart and revealed something that brings me pain and shame. I knew in that instant that I’ve withheld a small part of my love, genuine love, kindness and compassion from my husband. I withheld it out of rejection. Out of some twisted belief that because he didn’t love me how I needed to be loved, that I was justified to withhold part of my love that I could have given him.

“Oh Maria, he IS hurting.” It’s all I could say.

Maria, doesn’t judge me. She loves me. She prays over me. I release my bitterness, the past rejection. Then a new love floods my heart for my hurting husband who has likely never been fully loved and accepted himself.

EVER!

So, that happened on Wednesday. As I write this it’s Thursday morning. My husband is away on a business trip and will arrived home this evening after a grueling work week. He is going to come home to his safe haven, our home. But when he walks in the door tonight, his wife is different.

It is my life’s goal from this day forward to love that man with unconditional and a full and accepting love. My friends, I don’t even know what that looks like right now.

But, I do know what that feels like. My Papa, Daddy, loves me like that. And living in His Presence, His love, is a place where EVERYTHING is okay, good, grace covered and happy. My husband needs to experience this kind of love. It is the very least and the very best that I can give to him.

So as I prayed about all of this today God opened up his Word to me and this is what I read:

John 13: 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I sat stunned in my chair. God immediately said to me, “Wash his feet.” And God means this literally as well as to serve my husband with a new love and affection.

So, tonight after my husband’s long business trip as he sits down to watch television, I’m going to quietly kneel before him, remove his shoes, wash his feet, cover them with lotion and place slippers on his feet. I will rise and then kiss him on the lips and tell him how much I love him. I’m going to thank him for working so hard. I will tell him I could love him better and to forgive me for not doing so before now. And I will assure him that I’m going to be better at it in the future. And promise him I will try to do it better and better every day for the rest of our lives.

I’m not sure what will happen but I KNOW that my Daddy is proud. And after all, God does this for me…. every…… single….. day…

Signed, a humble and ever learning servant, Lynn

Beauty For Ashes

2013-05-22T00:00:00-07:00

My friends, below is a precious letter from Rosheeda's parents. They have reached out to Lynn and I and have expressed their desire to be a part of this community. Even in their grief, God's love shines so profoundly through them. Such beauty rising up from ashes...

If you scroll down in the side bar, you'll now see "Rosheeda Lee Legacy Page." This is in memory of Rosheeda and all she gave to our community, including our name, Sumites. Our desire and prayer is to honor her and share her legacy with others who come to this site down the road.

Now it's my pleasure to introduct Sheila and Roderick Lee:

Hello. I sat a while ago and re-visited the comments from the SUM community and cried and smiled at the many statements from so many people God allowed to be loving, encouraging and inspirational to my daughter. Somehow in this life we become focused on what we receive and don't realize what we give in return when we acknowledge our recognition of God's personal attentiveness to us through whomever it might be at the time.

My wife and I were privileged to have 2 children—1 daughter and 1 son. Rosheeda was oldest. Over the years we chose to teach them what we believed to be Godly principles regarding your service to Lord. One of the most important things revolved around the personal relationship between you and The Living God and how your service to Him is private. No accolades unless He chooses to expose your submission to the gifts provided through His Spirit. In saying this I am saying that neither my wife nor myself knew of her choice to be involved in the SUM Ministry. We are however so humbled that she chose to submit to God's leading in such a necessary ministry.

I cannot claim to understand the grief and anguish Our God must have felt when Jesus prayed so fervently to Him in the garden. But I do know the scriptures said "an Angel from Heaven appeared to him and STRENGTHENED Him, and being in ANGUISH HE PRAYED MORE FERVENTLY AND HIS SWEAT BECAME LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING TO THE GROUND. Our God provided MORE for His own Son to fulfill His plan for our salvation. My wife and I daily seek him to provide for us the same strength to Glorify Him in our lives as our daughter did.

Rosheeda had such a commitment in everything she chose to do... She understood that ministry isn't an act it's what we live everyday. As necessary as breathing.

My daughter shared a bond with us as unique as men are from women. However, the bond between she and I can only be compared to the Love of Our Heavenly Father and the Son he gave for us. Rosheeda lived in a way that was a likeness to her mother and a jewel in the Crown of her grandmother's. As she did for the "SUMites" she also coined a phrase for her Niece regarding the conduct of a "Lee Woman".

I won't tell you Sheila and I are good, I will tell you that we LOVE the God we serve and we are prepared to wake up everyday and Glorify Him because he is WORTHY.

We are humbled to be recognized as the parents of such a wonderful, dignified young woman. As often as we think of her we will think of each of you by name or need because she loved you all so.

Under His grace

Sheila and Roderick Lee

902 Cambridge drive

Duncanville, Texas 75137

rslee@att.net

Mr. and Mrs. Lee included their contact information for you, my friends. Reach out them as you feel led either here in the comments or with the information they provided or both.

Love you so very much!
Dineen

When God Shows Up!!!

2013-05-20T01:00:00-07:00

My SUMite family.

Where do I begin? I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers on Friday. Little did I know how much I would need them.

There was such a fantastic breakthrough at this event that I’m convinced the transformation in lives will echo through the generations to come. THAT is how BIG our God moved in this event.

I want to share with you some photos of the people for whom you prayed. Please know that these ladies didn’t know your name or even that you prayed for them. But in heaven, they will be in your line to give you thanks because so many found freedom, deliverance, new gifts in the prophetic and ministries.

Wow, just Wow.

And as for Dineen and I. We just get to be part of it. Only the conduit to watch our powerful God have a love encounter with a woman.

Here are some of my favorite photos. Have an amazing week.

And Dineen and I have a new series brewing in our hearts. Get ready community because you are about to be encouraged!!!! We love you. We really, really love you with a full heart and in the power of the redemptive love of the God of the Universe. Hugs, Lynn

Thank you Daddy for loving people and Your relentless pursuit to bring us into Your Presence, to free us from the lies of the enemy and to give us a life of joy, adventure and peace. We love you beyond words of description. Bless these women and send them forth. In King Jesus name. Amen.

Weekend Worship — Come Away!

2013-05-18T00:00:00-07:00

My friends, Lynn and I are speaking at a women's retreat at Rancho Community Church in Temecula, CA this weekend. We are anticipating an amazing work of God in the women attending. As I write this, I'm days away from the event and Lynn and I are both anticipating the rebirth and renewal of faith, the release of the Holy Spirit and healing on so many levels. It's all part of what we've been sharing on the blog—God is moving in HUGE ways and calling His daughters forth.

In other words, a completely astonishing work of God!

I am already in awe of what our Almighty God does when we just let Him into our hearts and lives and give Him everything!

Have an amazing weekend drenched in the love and power of Jesus, my friends. I'm praying for the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn brighter than ever before in all of us! Amen!

Hugging you tight with love and prayers!
Dineen

Prayer for The Many

2013-05-17T06:47:08-07:00

Good Friday Morning.

I completely spaced preparing my post for today. I guess there is a lot on my mind and heart.

For today may I ask the community of the SUMites to pray for myself and for Dineen. Tonight at 7 pm PST I will take the stage at Rancho Community Church. Dineen in the morning and both of us together tomorrow afternoon. Please pray that every word we speak releases the Holy Spirit into that room. Pray that every word is spoken with an anointing to bring hope, healing and His Presence to the women who attend.

Please pray with us that the audience does not hear Lynn & Dineen but they hear Jesus' calling them to a vibrant and full relationship.

On my walk on Thursday I looked up into the sky and I saw a single cloud formation and it looked exactly like a graphic Dineen uses all the time in her posts. Here it is.

As I looked at this single cloud in the brilliant blue sky, God impressed upon my heart, "This is an anointing that is coming to the valley.

Whoa... Can't wait to see what happens!

So Lord, let it come. Let your Holy Presence be so tangible, so powerful that it messes up people tonight and tomorrow. (In a good way) Let their lives be so totally turned upside down that they are never the same. Let them discover that living in Your Presence is all we need. Everything else falls into place when we walk in the light of the Most High. In King Jesus name. Amen

Love you all so much. I will be trying to post photos and such on my Twitter and FB page (friend me please) and our SUM FB page. See you there. Hugs, Lynn

A Keen Perspective

2013-05-15T00:00:00-07:00

My friends, I have to tell you that this post was birthed from the title first. I don't know why God does it that way with me but He does. So as I prayed for this weeks words, the title came. I looked up the word “keen” and found this definition and these synonyms:

—having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm, a keen desire to learn, sharp or penetrating, eager, anxious, intent, determine, champing at the bit, ardent, passionate.

A Keen Perspective. I typed it at the top of a blank page and sensed what God wanted this message to be about. I understood this is what kind of belief God is calling us to. What I have to share in the rest of this post will require you to have a “keen perspective” of God, of His kingdom and of what He is doing all around you.

I spent a lot of time in Acts the past week and I knew somehow (Thank you, Holy Spirit) the story of Saul's conversion—his encounter with Jesus, his ensuing blindness and three days of complete fasting and prayer. Then his scales fell and, in my mind's eye and my own interpretation, Paul was born.

It's about rebirth and transformation. Ongoing and never ending if we allow God to continually do these things in us. We are never completed or finished, which is a good thing. We have the privilege to constantly growing and changing and becoming more and more true to the image in which we were fashioned after.

It's not about the destination, it's about the journey.

As I shared, during my week of reading Acts I felt drawn read and reread Acts 9 and Paul's transformation. So miraculous and astounding, right there. Paul could have stayed in this place, figuratively speaking, for a long time, but God had so much more in mind for Paul than a moment. Jesus had a lifetime plan for Paul. Not an easy one but one I dare say was way beyond what Saul had imagined for himself as a scholar or a Pharisee.

Paul now had the very presence of Jesus to take his theology and connect the dots to this man's heart and soul. What Paul had read about now met him square in the face in truth and transformed Paul’s very being. The change would be unmistakable and very clearly of God’s hand. How else would anyone believe Paul was the real deal?

And as I read this somehow deep in my spirit I knew this message was for us. I haven't shared with you that one of my gifting is prophecy because there was a time years ago as a new believer that I was criticized in this area and shut it down out of fear and hurt. But it's always been there simmering under the surface. Since our encounters with God at Bethel Church in Redding, CA, God has called Lynn and I out to walk in our giftings in many new ways. We did none of this, aside from saying "yes" to God's call—a call He extends to all of us.

As I said, I read Paul's story over and over again. A message stirred in me and I now feel led to share it. I debated, to be honest, wondering if this is still part of my time of training (In the past I've gotten many personal messages, but lately what I'm hearing has been more for the community and my church.).

Okay, I think I've danced around this long enough. Here is what I heard and I do believe it is for our SUM community, the Sumites. Prayerfully read the rest of this post. I will be praying for the Holy Spirit to move in every person who reads the rest of this to receive whatever God has for you.

"My people are like Saul during his conversion. I’m speaking to their hearts, telling them great things in preparation for the scales to be removed. Three days—this time is invaluable. Fast, be still, pray, listen for my voice. Great transformation is coming."

I believe the “three days” is figurative. The call to fast, be still and pray as we listen for God’s voice is not. God is calling us out in a mighty way, my friends. Our Sumite community is being raised up in a unique way, all according to God’s plan.

What you don’t know and I now sense God wants you to know is that early last year, we received an email from a reader that her husband had come to Jesus. A tearful and joyful moment to be sure. As I praised God I heard Him speak to my spirit, “This is the first of many.”

Since then Lynn and I have been praying for “the many” and praying for the right time to share this with you. In the last two weeks we’ve received three letters either by email or Facebook—one man returned to his faith and two others are asking to go to church with their wives and praying.

And now I share one final message I feel God has given this amazing community of believers, sisters and brothers in Christ, who are walking in the love of Jesus and want to desperately share it because we live with someone who desperately needs that love.

Sumites, for that reason alone we have a unique calling that goes beyond us, beyond our marriages. As I’ve shared before God is a redeemer. He wastes nothing. We’ve been thinking and believing that our calling is right in our homes, in our marriages. And God is saying, that is just preparation for a greater movement that He is getting us ready for. God is calling us to believe Him like we never have before.

My friends, my heart for you grows daily! I leave this final message with you. Know that I love you all so very much and am praying for you! 
Dineen

Let’s pray: Lord, we stand before You with hearts and spirits ready to receive whatever You have for us.

Call to Preparation

As Moses prepared the Israelites, I am preparing this community for a great work. I need open and willing hearts ready to go forward because it’s time to step into new territory. This is my call of preparation. Prepare your hearts for my presence and my words. You’ve asked for the hearts of loved ones for a long time. I’m ready to move but you must be ready too.

I’m calling My army to rise up. I’m bringing dead bones back to life, bringing dead marriages back to life, turning hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. The time has come to act and move. This is your time, My daughters and sons, your time to walk in great victory and claim your inheritance.

The enemy has tried to convince you that you haven’t been faithful to Me and that you are powerless. This is far from the truth. My heart grieves to see you broken and weeping in these lies when the truth of your true victory lies almost right in front of you.

What lies ahead will be difficult but I am always with you. You don’t need to even ask that because I am always with you. Always. Trust Me for every step, look to Me for your every need. As I am with you, I am also already ahead of you preparing the way. And I am at the end of this journey as well, preparing your banquet table.

Do you not see My heart for you? Do you not see how much I love you? I sing over you and I dance for you. Every step of faith you take propels Me to rejoice and dance and sing in celebration. I beam proudly and point at you and say, “See her? She is my daughter and I am well pleased with her.”

The smallest of steps brings you closer to Me because you have chosen to trust Me more.

A God Encounter Changes A Marriage

2013-05-13T01:00:00-07:00

Crossing the Jordan series has covered a lot of new territory that we haven’t trekked before. I’m convinced that God is using this online community of The SUMites to take His love encounter to the communities where we live. Please know the Dineen and I have literally prayed and prayed for this very thing.

So why do we write about living in the Presence of God? Why do we share with you how to move closer to God and how to encounter His power, love and grace especially since this is a marriage blog?

It’s because when you have finally stepp over to the other side of surrender and fully embrace the love and power of the Most High, marriages change. Our children change. The very atmosphere of our homes change. For example.

A giant issue in my life was attending church alone……. Today, it just doesn’t matter.

Fears that my daughter won’t become a believer….. It just doesn’t matter (as much). I KNOW God's holding her in the very palm of His hand. I know because I've asked Him to do so.

Television disagreements with my husband….. don't mater any more.

Morality clashes……

Politics……

Money worries……

IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER.

It’s not that I don’t think about these issues, I do. And I pray about them a lot. However, they don’t cripple me emotionally anymore. Nor do I place unnecessary worry and fear in my heart over them.

And I share this with you with complete honesty and conviction. I serve an all-powerful God and He absolutely has my best interests in the forefront of His mind and heart. He is completely capable to handle all of these marriage issues and He WILL work them out for my good and His glory. The only thing I need to do is to pursue this fantastic love relationship with Him, to live in radical obedience and to move when He tells me to. And THAT move is usually a step of faith. A step of faith takes courage, and trust and absolute obedience. But when you step in with the Father leading the way, you will encounter Him in the supernatural and be astonished at the depth of His lavish love.

Dineen and I experienced this supernatural love encounter with the Most High in October in Bethel. And once you’ve stood in the Presence of God, you are never the same. It changes everything. We are desperate for all of you to jump onto this path with us.

We must settle two things in our minds, then we are ready to step over to the other side. We must believe what God says about us and Himself are absolutely true (Bible). We must KNOW who we are in Christ. We must settle these matters firmly and forever. Who is God? The absolute beginning and the end of all things.

Who am I? I am Royalty, a child of the Most High. God’s Word tells me over and over who I am, it descirbes the love that is mine, the power I possess and the purpose of my every breath. Wow, what peace comes when we have fully accepted the truth of our identity.

And as I type all of this I want you to know something. You don't need to be perfect. I'm far from it. I still have hangups and sin issues (Big stuff I'm still working through). God likes to use us broken and messed up people because when we are redeemed it SHOUTS to the world the power and love of our Great King.

So jump into this Great Awakening. I know many of you already have. Pray something like this.

Dad, I don’t want to sit on the sidelines any longer. I believe that if your word says we are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received then I want to do all of it. I desire to live in your presence Lord. Show me where I grieve the Holy Spirit and empower me to cast off all sin that keeps me from a vivid relationship with you. Affirm in me now and forever who I am. I am Royalty. A child of the Most High. I walk in Your purposes and privilege. Lord I’m hungry to receive your gifts of the Spirit. Healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues. Lord all of it. I want all of it that you have to give to your children. Teach me. Affirm me so that I will never come into agreement with the lies of the enemy again. In the powerful, name of my King, Jesus. Amen.

As we ponder these words today, who of you can share a story with me and our family of SUMites of how God changed you first then you saw change happen in your spouse or kids? I would so dearly love to read these accounts. Also, who would like to share an encounter they had with our Most High God? See you in the comments. Hugs, Lynn

So on Friday I will finally get around to sharing the words of Christ as He demonstrates the step of faith in front of a couple of guys. (I hope we get there on Friday *grin*)

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

2013-05-12T01:00:00-07:00

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God that I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me good-night
And I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt—
But that it's alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You smiled
And it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You cared
And I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking—
I looked . . .
And wanted to say thanks
For all those things you did
When you thought I wasn’t looking.
--Mary Rita Schilke Korzan

Weekend Worship — Overwhelmed by God

2013-05-11T00:00:00-07:00

Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servants house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Lord God. What more can David still say to You concerning the honor bestowed on Your servant? For You know Your servant. O Lord, for Your servants sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. — 1 Chonicles 17:16-20

I love this part of David's story. He wanted to build a house of cedar for the ark of the covenant, to create a permanant home for the presence of God. But God totally turns it around and basically says He will establish David's kingdom through his family line and even speaks of His plans for David's descendants. God promises David He will never take His presence away from David and his family lineage.

Then David goes before the Lord and says, "Who am I, Oh Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?"

As I read this I felt myself overwhelmed by God's goodness. Imagine how David felt in this moment? He desired to honor God in the best way he could think of and God takes his offering and turns it completely around and multiplies it back to David. Our Lord is that GOOD!

Wow. Now think of our offering of ourselves. We become the temple of God's Holy Spirit, not a home of cedar but a home of the heart. And God takes our humble offering and multiplies it over and over again. We are blessed to be this "temple" to His Holy Spirit in ways we will not completely understand until we are made complete in Christ and stand in His presence.

I am overwhelmed by God's grace, generosity and goodness. We can't outgive God. His delight in us exceeds perception and understanding. His faithfulness endures forever!

Oh Lord, who are we that You would give us Your very Spirit to live and dwell in us? We are Your children, Your chosen and loved ones whom You bless over and over again with Your very goodness. Thank You, Lord, for bringing us this far. Thank You, Lord, for regarding us and loving us in such high degree. Thank You, Lord, for Your greatness and all that You do in and through us. Abba, there is no one like You! We adore you, Jesus! Amen!

Love you, my friends, so very very much. We belong to the Most High God and we are His delight!
Dineen

Miracles and Why God Doesn't Heal

2013-05-10T01:00:00-07:00

Hello SUMites!

God has been beating me about on the head trying to share with me this “thing” I keep talking about. I’m trying to describe to you, our community, and to others I talk with in person this movement by God. It’s a movement in the spiritual realm that is bringing God’s Kingdom to earth. People are experiencing God in profound and different ways than in years past. Experiences such as the encounter I described on Monday. This thing, this movement God told me is

THE GREAT AWAKENING of the church.

I’ve seen this word written in giant letters on a wall. I’ve had it arrive over and over through email and finally on Monday I “Got it.” Sheesh, it takes me awhile. But, I’m now fully convinced that we are witnessing a giant awakening of God’s people. Did you know that in China over 23,000 people come to Christ every weekend? The Asian population is hungry for God. There are people dreaming dreams of Jesus in the Muslim countries. In America, we the people of God, are being filled with the Holy Spirit power and love. We are stepping fully into the truth of the Bible. Jesus said, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. (John 14:12).

This is not just a good thought or great theology. God REALLY wants expects His people to do greater things. Our command is exactly what I shared on Friday. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

This is not a command specific to clergy, pastors or great Bible teachers. It is for EVERYONE. You… Me… All of God’s people.

I believe this so fully and have been pleading with God for more of His Presence to serve His purposes that is why He showed up in that room weeks ago when a group of ordinary women prayed for healing. This story, His power and love alive and in action in our lives brings great honor to our God. And it’s is His will to bring healing. I absolutely believe that.

So why then are some not healed?

Do you remember that God reminded me the day following this crazy encounter that is was the “woman’s” faith and trust combined with God’s love and power that healed her? She believed God could heal her. She then trusted that God would heal her.

Our faith is very much part of the equation. Not always but most of the time. God wants us to be part of His work.

Through my extensive study and research about healing over the past six months I have discovered a few things about God’s miracles. First, you can’t put God in a box. He moves with full knowledge and power in a person’s life. Two, God will choose to heal some and not heal others. We won’t always understand why. But let me share with you a perspective that might bring you peace about God’s healing intentions.

This is an excerpt from an email I received on Monday and it best describes what I’m trying to say. It’s from Lynette, one of our SUMers:

Dear Lynn,

Good morning! Hope you are well. Great blog post today! I also believe God wants us healed, but something came to me as I was reading. While I believe in healing, I also know sometimes God doesn't heal. I asked many times for my mom to be healed when she was dying, but God didn't heal her. I asked God about it and He told me she had a hard life, and she was tired, it was time for her to be free of the chains of this life. (She was saved right before she died) So I do think sometimes God has His own reasons for not doing it, and it takes faith to trust in that too.

Another story I heard in my first church was a man had cancer and the whole church prayed, the pastor strongly believed in healing, and she was unsure of why he didn't get healed. She said God told her that if he healed him, the man would have walked away from God and went back to his life of drugs. So God in His wisdom and knowledge of events that were to come took him home. So in a way they were 'healed.' I'm not trying to contradict anything you said in the blog, just wanted to share how I have seen God work at times.

Hugs,
Lynette

Well said Lynette. Sometimes God heals and sometimes He doesn’t. We won’t always understand.

We are called to take a step of faith and at least try. Will we fail sometimes? Yes. So, we pray to understand what happened. We also must recognize we are all on a journey and it takes experience and wisdom to begin to move in a new realm of God. We are ALL, each one of us, in process and it takes time to arrive. But, we are to pull up our courage and take risks.

It was a risk for me to lay on hands and pray for physical healing. The experience was so strange that if I shared it with my husband, he would think I’m crazy.* I am willing to lose my dignity and look a fool in the eyes of others and specifically other’s whose opinion of me matters. But God’s opinion of me matters so more than any human that I am willing to lay down everything, my pride, my position, my reputation to be part of His Work on planet earth.

Okay, once again this post as gone looooooong. Sheesh. A girl can talk… I want to share more about how Jesus models a step of faith on Monday. See you then. Today, I’m wondering if you can share a story of healing from your life. I love you. I really love you, Lynn

*PS. I did share it with him. A story for another day.