So we are Christ’s ambassadors;
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead,
“Come back to God!”
 2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT

Many people recently have told me they have given up listening to the news. It only depresses them. The problems in the world seem to get worse and there is nothing we seem to be able to do about them.

Our enemy, the devil, would like to tell us that we are helpless victims. He whispers, “You are already defeated. Why even try.”  But is that true?  Of course not!  The Bible says Jesus won the war. Because we belong to him, Jesus not only announced his, but our victory, on the Cross by saying. “It is finished.”  Christ has all authority in Heaven and on the earth.  He is the King of the expanding, coming Kingdom. Every knee must bow to him.  And he called and appointed us, his disciples and coworkers, to be his representatives, his ambassadors.

Because God, the Holy Spirit lives in us, Jesus’ Kingdom is in us. So, we bring Christ’s Kingdom wherever we go.  We enter a room, and it becomes Jesus’ territory and as we exercise our Kingdom authority as ambassadors, the enemy must flee.  Satan will tell us there will be a battle, but he is a liar.  The only battle is for our minds. Let’s just stand in the truth of our new identities, dearly loved, belonging as adopted children of the Most High God, and given the role of declaring and representing Christ’s victory.

Are you Christ’s ambassador?  Are you growing in knowledge and at home in the Kingdom you represent? At the same time, are you growing wise in the ways of the culture you live in, so you can make the maximum impact there? As ambassadors with Christ’s authority, we are to call down and bring Heaven into our families, classrooms, workplaces, churches, media, and government.

We do that by standing firm in the things our King Jesus loves. We are to represent and transmit his compassion, wisdom, and ways to the world we live in. We follow in Jesus’ footprints and he brings his love and power through us to a world waiting for their King.

Dear friends, be blessed as you choose Psalm 32:8 to meditate on as you start your summer.  Then be amazed as new doors of freedom, prosperity and peace open to you along the way.  May you rejoice as you look back and recall all the ways God has been gracious to you and your loved ones as you chose his best path for you.  May you claim Jesus’ victory on the Cross and rest in the shadow of the Lord’s wings and smile.  Amen.
Mary Sumner ~ May 21, 2024

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.  
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon,
that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented
 and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:31,32 NLT

If you have been a follower of Jesus for a while, you have experienced, like most of us, that there are mountain tops in our faith when we feel God can do anything. And then there are valleys, when we need enough faith just to get out of bed in the morning. So, the passage from Luke above should encourage you, as it does me.

On the night of his arrest Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciple and then turns to Peter and addresses him by his old name Simon, not Peter, the rock that he will become.  Soon Jesus will be gone, so he is preparing his beloved friends for his absence.  Satan will be out to distract them from their mission, disrupt their lives and ministry and kill them.  Satan has asked Jesus to sift each of them like wheat, and Jesus is going to allow that. 

The answer to why he allows it may lie in Romans 5:3-5 where Paul tells his Roman friends to rejoice in their trials, because ultimately those hardships will create endurance in them that will strengthen their faith.  We shouldn’t miss that Satan asked for Jesus’ permission, since Christ has all authority in heaven and earth.  Jesus is not afraid of our failures.  Jesus’ plan is to use our failures to purify and strengthen our faith. If we let him, he can lead us out of defeat into victory.

That same Christ pleaded to the Father for the disciples who would abandon him, that their faith be strengthened, so that they will repent and will turn back to trusting in Jesus.  We have all been in a place of depression or despair when we could not see a way out by trusting Jesus, but chose to fall back into doing it our way, or the world’s way.  Jesus knows our weaknesses. The Bible tells us he himself was tempted to sin, to disobey God and let fear, deception or pride lead him into trouble, as we are, but he did not give in and sin.

I love to think that Jesus is praying for each of us that our faith not fail.  That strong faith, more precious than gold or silver, will develop the strength of character needed to use our experiences to encourage and strengthen others. 

Dear friends, be blessed as you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and strengthen your spirit.  May you see God use what you learned by your apparent failures to strengthen others in their faith.  Be encouraged as you trust that God is with you every moment and he is working for your good, and smile.  Amen.
Mary Sumner ~ April 9, 2023

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed
as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
Colossians 3:10 NLT

Summer is here and many are having to adapt their schedules and lives to fit the changes summer inevitably brings with it.  Maybe you decided to walk in the mornings and put Bible study on hold during the summer.  Maybe children’s activities are beginning to dominate your time.

Still others, like many I know, are in a time of transition.  Perhaps things are suddenly turned around, upside down, by an accident, a death, a sickness or a move, and you are grappling with finding a new “normal”.  I get that.  Just growing older can cause unplanned for changes.

I suggest we don’t complain.  Well, maybe a little!  Let’s look at it as an opportunity.  In searching for the reset button, we might remember that God is sovereign and in control of our circumstances, and knows everything about us.  And since he is Creator, he is not governed by time.  He knows the end from the beginning.

We are not lost.  We may feel lost, but God knows exactly where we are and wants us to get back to walking with him.  He never went away.  Maybe we just stopped looking for him.  So, we might search the Word of God for direction and encouragement.  We might be surprised at how God can use his inspired Word to help us regain solid ground and point us to the path where we belong.  Let’s ask the Lord to help us to remember who we are in Christ, and why he chose us and called us.  We may have been looking for those answers in the world where we will never find the truth to strengthen us.

We are created in the image of God, and, whatever that looks like for each unique person, we are called and equipped to learn to grow more and more to be like the child of God we were designed to become. We won’t break, just bend under the weight of the spiritual battle raging around us.  The storm is designed to make us more like Jesus, more and more beautiful, not battered!  So, if you are feeling your life is off course, take a little time to reach out for Jesus, and let him help you reset your guidance system.

Dear friends, be blessed as you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and strengthen you.  May you experience God in new ways this summer and grow in your understanding of who he created you to become.  May you stay focused on Jesus and see his power and goodness reflected in your life.  Smile and enjoy your summer.  Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ May 7, 2024