Ann here! SUMites, today I have a question for you: What does Heaven's record say about what you've walked through in your spiritually mismatched marriage? There are places in the Bible where it says there are records in heaven for the things we enact ...
What does Heaven’s record say about what you’ve walked through in your spiritually mismatched marriage?
There are places in the Bible where it says there are records in heaven for the things we enact on earth.
For example, God listens to the words, stories, and conversations that believers share with each other when they talk about him. And those things get recorded.
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Malachi 3:16, KJV)
Isn’t that an amazing thought! Every time you have a chat with another believer about God and the things he has done in your life, your faithfulness is recorded.
God also records the tears we have shed:
“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56:8, KJV)
No tears are shed in vain.
God also has books that will be opened once we are resurrected, telling of our lives — our faith, our deeds, our choices to believe, and the fact that our names are written in the book of life (Revelation 20:12-15).
All of this means that in Heaven there is serious record keeping going on, as we potter through our lives — the mundane parts and the less mundane parts.
When we look at our SUM lives, then, we can say to ourselves: “Ok, on earth, my spouse does not believe. But what is Heaven recording about all this?”
Heaven records it:
Every single time you choose to pray
Every single time you choose hope
Every single time you choose love
Every single time you look at your marriage and think of God’s heart and will for it
This week, I was speaking to my friend and mentor, Pam Farrel. For those of you who may not know Pam, she and her husband, Bill, wrote the bookMen Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti. They are well-known Christian speakers and have written 60 books together. I’m so blessed that Pam took me under her wing.
She shared a daily practice that she follows, and I’ve adopted it. Today, I’m sharing it with you in the hope that you will adopt it as well.
Every day at 3:20 p.m., Pam has an alarm set on her phone. Upon hearing the alarm, she prays Ephesians 3:20 for someone.
Sometimes, she prays it over a family member. Sometimes, she prays it over the last person she spoke to. Sometimes, she prays it over her ministry team or whoever the Lord places upon her heart. And she has witnessed the results of her prayers in the heavens. It’s cool.
So, right now, take out your phone. Set an alarm or a calendar event for every day at 3:20 p.m. to pray this over someone on your heart:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.—Ephesians 3:20
Lord Jesus, today, bring into the life of the person reading this Your exceedingly abundant goodness, above all that they can ask or think, according to the power that works within us as Your disciples. AMEN, Jesus. AMEN!!!
I love you, SUMites. Go and pray to break the chains and bring freedom to the captives. Hallelujah.
Hey SUM Nation. Lynn here. The other day I was texting LuAnn and she shared that it might be good to go back to some basics from Winning Him Without Words. So, today, I’m going to share a quick summary of Key One of the book.
Scripture reminds us that a husband’s heart can be influenced through the quiet testimony of a wife’s faith and character.
The first key provides a foundation for this life-changing approach.
Key #1: Trust God More Than Your Efforts
One of the greatest struggles for a wife who wants spiritual change in her husband is the temptation to become the Holy Spirit.
It often begins innocently. We share encouraging articles, recommend sermons, point out areas where growth is needed, or remind our husbands of what they should be doing. Our intentions are good, but over time, our efforts can become a form of control rather than faith.
The truth is that no amount of persuasion can accomplish what only God can do.
God never asked wives to carry the burden of changing their husbands. That responsibility belongs to Him. When we assume that role, we often become exhausted, resentful, and discouraged because the results don’t match our efforts.
Trusting God means releasing our timeline and our expectations. It means believing that God loves our husband even more than we do and that He is actively working behind the scenes, even when we cannot see evidence of change.
This does not mean becoming passive or indifferent. It means shifting our focus from managing our husband’s spiritual journey to deepening our own relationship with Christ.
When we choose prayer over pressure, faith over fear, and surrender over striving, we create room for God to work in ways we never could.
Many women discover that as they stop trying to force change, they experience greater peace. They find freedom from carrying a burden that was never theirs to bear. They learn to trust that God’s timing is perfect and His methods are far more effective than their own.
A praying wife can accomplish far more on her knees than she ever could through endless conversations, arguments, or reminders.
The first key is simple but profound: Let God be God.
Lynn asked me to provide an update on my healing adventure. Hi, Ian here from sunny springtime in Sydney.
I was diagnosed with aggressive multiple myeloma on. 27 March and was in hospital to start treatment 3 days later. Myeloma is currently an incurable blood cancer but the great discoveries in medical science are assisting in survival rates and hopes that one day soon a cure will be found.
I was also diagnosed with a nasty protein called amyloid which sometimes comes about from myeloma, as in my case, but can also occur in other ways. It typically deposits itself in prominent organs, in my case, the heart. It causes your heart muscle to thicken reducing the pumping ability of the heart. If it’s not treated it can result in people needing a heart transplant and people dying from cardiac amyloidosis is becoming a more common occurrence.
So Many Blessings
I’ve experienced so many blessing through this adventure. My medical team is top-notch. Significantly, the cardiologist called into manage the amyloid issue in my heart happens to be one of the few amyloid experts in the state.
The medical team pushed hard to access an immunotherapy drug in addition to my chemotherapy treatments, to tackle the amyloid issue. It costs a significant sum of money and we were fortunate to able to access it under the Govt medical benefits fund.
Only two weeks ago, I had my checkup with my cardiologist who was amazed at my results. In fact, she said my heart was no worse and, might have slightly improved. A wonderful answer to prayer.
The chemo nurses at the infusion centre have become guardian healing angels. I attend every week for anywhere between 60 minutes and 5 hours, depending on the treatment scheduled for that week. After seven months, I’ve become a regular and they;’ve made what could be very traumatic a calming and at times enjoyable experience getting to know these ladies of various nationalities.
Fiona and I are blessed with various support groups. Fiona has a strong group of girlfriends who check in on her, take her out and give her hugs and listening ears as she deals with the emotional challenges of being the major carer. It’s a tough gig. I have a wonderful global group of prayers (some of which are SUMItes) who are going into battle for my health and for the family as we walk this adventure together. I have a few very close friends who are always close and keeping watch over me.
What’s Next
A stem cell transplant starting on November 10 November. This is a procedure Lynn’s husband, Mike, had with his leukemia, and comes with some risk primarily due to the fact it smashes your immunity to nothing. Meaning you are highly susceptible to infection if a bug comes near, hence, I will be in a secure room at the hospital. Nurses and the like will all be in heavy PPE like Covid days and my family will probably talk to me at a distance for the first few days/week. I’ve been told to allow for a 3-week hospital stay as this is the time it typically takes for one’s immunity to reach a level where you’re able to step back into the world, though with a mask, and with limited outside contact for another 2-3 months.
Well, that’s probably more than enough for you all to digest. I’m in good spirits and have been through most of this adventure. God is very close and tender and I’m experiencing my own wilderness season which I might write about another time. I’m now a firm believer that a wilderness experience is an important one for us all to walk through in developing intimacy with our Lord.
Thank you for all of you who have prayed and continue to pray. We cherish every prayer. I’ve always been a big believer in the more the merrier going into battle in the prayer room for people. Lynn, Ann and Lu receive a weekly update and Lu passes that onto the prayer team which I appreciate.
Don’t hesitate to drop me a line or in the comments below if you have any questions or wish to join in the prayer team. We can hook you up via the 3 ladies.
Go well, my friends and may you experience some of wonder and joy this week.
