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Summer Newsletter 2023

"Through Thick and Thin"

By McKade Marshall

Sometimes bad things happen in life for no explainable reason. You give it your all. You do your best. You pray. You work hard - but you still fall short. You didn’t meet the quota. You didn’t save the marriage. You’re in the red. You go into bankruptcy. Your health turns south. Your best friend betrays you. Your loved one passes away unexpectedly. The truth is bad things happen to good people. We live in a fallen world that is going through a spiritual war in the unseen realm. The Scriptures tells us in Psalm 34:19 (NASB), “The afflictions of the righteous are many, but the LORD rescues him from them all.” 

Over Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to revisit some of my old stomping grounds in Los Angeles. The timing of the visit was perfect, as the previous month was harrowing. I lost a grandmother, the ministry imploded financially for the first time ever, and a destructive hailstorm all occurred on the exact same day. It was as if an atomic bomb went off, and my life was at the center of it. Like any tragedy in life, the aftermath lasted much longer than the events themselves. As I found myself traveling through a dark tunnel mentally and emotionally for several weeks, the Lord gave me a great reminder.

God is always with us - through thick and thin. He still has a plan.

Whenever we suffer hardship or loss, we are being tested. Those around us are being tested as well. We see this all the time in relationships. We find out over time who people really are - who your true friends are and who was never truly a friend to start with. Jesus tells us that He is not a fair-weather friend. He is always with us. However, the Lord allows us to be tested so our faith will grow deeper and stronger over time. Jesus warns us of having a shallow faith when He says in Luke 8:13 (NIV), “Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”

God is not a fair-weather friend, and He expects us not to be either. God’s people are committed. We are loyal. We are to be set apart from what I would describe as a “flaky” generation. We are to be a people of our word and not like the rest of the world. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:37 (NKJV), “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” In other words, say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t be wishy-washy. One reason so many people are unable to keep their word, the reason many are lost, is because they do not know who they are.

The only way people can know who they are is by knowing who they are in Jesus Christ.

There are lots of great self-help books, counselors, churches, and ministries in the world today. However, apart from knowing Jesus Christ, none of us can truly know who we are meant to be. This is why Jesus tells us in John 15:5 (NIV), “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” Again, the Scriptures tell us in Acts 17:28 (NLT), “For in Him we live and move and exist.” If we are spiritually disconnected to God the Father through Christ the Son, we are without power. Living without God and His Word in your life is like trying to vacuum your house without plugging in the vacuum cleaner or trying to drive the car without firing up the engine first.

We aren’t going to get very far without Jesus Christ living, breathing, and moving in and through our lives. As a matter of fact, we aren’t going to get anywhere. Spiritually speaking, we are dead without Jesus. We have no life whatsoever. Ephesians 2:1-2 (NLT) says, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.” You are either living for Christ or for the devil. There is no in-between. We are living in the last days, when the hearts of all men and women are being tested.

Those who journey with God through thick and thin are truly the children of God. The good news today is I believe you are a believer. You are sticking close to God every single day because you know He loves you (John 3:16). You know He is never going to leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). You are redeemed and are now full of life because of Christ in you! The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT), “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” 

Life is like the high and low tides of the ocean shore. Some days are like high tide. Things are going great. You get the breakthrough. You make the sale. Your kid aces the test. Other times, it’s low tide. You get a disappointing phone call. Your car breaks down. You get into a fight with your best friend. The key to keep from being washed away every time the waves come crashing in, whether it’s high tide or low tide, is by standing on the Rock. The psalmist declares in Psalm 18:2 (NLT), “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

God is immovable.

There is nothing and no one who can stop God from accomplishing His purposes and fulfilling His word. Not even the President can stop God from doing whatever He wishes. Isaiah 46:10 (NLT) says, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” One reason God can tell us the future before it happens is because God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). God is before time, in time, and after time. He created time. He already knew the ending before day one of creation in Genesis chapter one.

One of the spiritual gifts God has given His people is the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is a powerful spiritual gift. It is God’s Spirit that shows us what is coming so that we can plan accordingly. Without prophetic words and prophetic vision, we are going to find ourselves living aimlessly and unprepared or even worse, following the course of this world. There is a dream and a prophetic vision God has put in each of us. When we spend time in God’s presence, His Spirit draws out what He has already sown into our hearts. This is why the psalmist says in Psalm 37:4 (ESV), “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

At one time or another, all of us have had a dream. Some of us have realized those dreams. Some of us have seen those dreams partially come to pass. However, most of us still have dreams we are hoping will one day come true. For me, my dream has always been to write, produce, and star in feature films. As a writer, I always have something to say. When I visit Los Angeles, this dream really starts to come to life. Los Angeles is full of people who are artists and dreamers aspiring to see their artistic work be brought to life, especially through film. On one of my recent visits to Hollywood, God reminded me that His promises concerning the life He has given me are going to be fulfilled. The same is true for you.

God’s promises concerning your life are going to be fulfilled.

Friends, don’t give up on your promises from the Lord! Right now you may be in the waiting room. There is a nature to things. There is seed, time, and harvest. The promise is the seed God plants in our hearts and minds. The time is the period when we must allow that seed to take root and begin to grow. The day of harvest is coming if we will allow faith to build during the waiting period. The Scriptures tell us in Isaiah 60:22 (NLT), “At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” God is never early. He is never late. He is always right on time. What seems like a delay or a setback to you is God moving things around. He is preparing you for victory as you wait on Him.

Right now I’m studying screenwriting techniques and the details of making a feature film step-by-step. I am laying the foundation of knowledge in this area for the future. When I began writing my first screenplay a little over a year ago, everything was happening so fast. The main characters popped up with ease, I met my beautiful co-star in person (who happens to also be the girl of my dreams), and the screenwriting moved quickly. However, there has been a pause in the actual writing - an interlude if you will. This happens all the time when I am writing a new book. I find myself writing and writing and writing; then, all of the sudden, there is a pause. Usually it is God slowing things down so He can show me more before I pick the pen back up to write.

In the same way, God is causing some things to come bursting forth in your life. He is causing other things to slow down so you can get focused on what He is showing you in this season. The pause, the interlude, the break - it all serves a purpose in God’s divine plan. Having a moment to reset your thinking could be the break you need before moving forward to the next step. The starts and stops of God are what build your trust and faith in Him. As you journey through life walking with God, you begin to have a history with Him. You begin to remember what He has done for you in the past, what He has delivered you from, and what He has helped you overcome. This is what gives your faith depth that is going to last through thick and thin.

One stopping point is a starting point for something new.

In May, this ministry came to a stopping point. The funds ran out. The donations were down over 50% from the same time last year, all while the ministry and ministry expenses had continued to grow. I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. Everything had to be paused - the ads, the weekly videos, and the newsletters. However, as I was able to start things back up with some sizable donations from very generous donors, I began to prune some of the ministry. Certain time-consuming activities needed to be cut. As I have reassessed where we are as a ministry, I have found myself focusing more and more on film production and screenwriting. There has been a notable shift over the past few weeks.

Because I was forced to set aside some old things, I now have had room to pick up the new thing God is wanting me to focus on. Likewise, you may feel like you are being called to let go of some things in your life. The prophet Isaiah declares in Isaiah 43:18-19 (BSB), “Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” One reason a lot of people never fulfill their destiny is because they get stuck on the past. They are so accustomed to the way things have always been that they miss the new thing God wants to do in their life.

This summer you are stepping into the new thing God has planned for you.

We are in the midst of a summertime spiritual revival. Those who are seeking God in this season are going to find Him. God rewards those who are earnestly seeking Him (Hebrews 11:6). Yesterday, Pastor Clint and I had the privilege and joy of baptizing several members of the church. As Clint and I dunked each person who publicly professed Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, I was filled with so much joy! Seeing people come to know Jesus Christ, be baptized, and experience the power of the Holy Spirit for the first time never gets old. It is a 24/7 party in Heaven celebrating these very things (Luke 15:10).

I want to thank you for being a ministry partner.

Thank you for your continual prayers and support, as my prayer team and I are praying for you every single day. The reason this ministry continues to exist and even grow - reaching people all over the world - is because of people like you. You have sown in time, money, and prayers, and we are seeing the harvest! Last year we launched an ongoing MLM Publishing Pledge Drive in order to garner monthly support so we can continue to expand this mass media ministry. If you would like to become an MLM Pledge, you can go to mlmpublishing.org, click the “donate” tab, and check the “Make this a monthly donation” box at checkout.

Your monthly giving impacts people all over the world. You are helping reach countless lives every single day. 100% of every donation is used to promote ads to reach new people and for ministry purposes. For those that qualify, your donations are now officially tax deductible to this 501(c)(3) approved ministry. When you sow into MLM Publishing, you are investing in weekly gospel videos, a new Christian talk show on web TV, seasonal gospel newsletters, an upcoming Christian inspirational movie, monthly sermons, a growing prophetic word ministry, spiritual revival retreats, Christian books, #31DayChallenge, prison ministry, and so much more.

We need you. We need your prayers. We need your love and support!

Since the beginning almost nine years ago, I declared this ministry would be a global ministry. I have declared this would be a mass media ministry that reaches all 195 countries on earth. Today MLM Publishing is reaching people in 25 countries every single week via our emailing list. Our seasonal gospel newsletters are traveling across the globe to 15 different countries. These newsletters are mailed to people in all 50 states in the United States. When I first began writing gospel newsletters in 2014 only a handful of people received the first seasonal newsletter in Texas and California.

Since January 1, 2017, over 300 Sunday evening Word of the Week messages have been edited, uploaded, emailed, and shared with people all over the world. Weekly emails with a gospel message are sent to subscribers in all 50 US states, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales & England), Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Nigeria, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ethiopia, France, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, and Puerto Rico. By faith I’m still calling in all 195 countries of the world, and I invite you to join me through prayer and giving in this divine quest to reach more souls with the gospel message of salvation and God’s goodness. If you know someone that is not signed up to receive these newsletters and weekly emails, or you are not signed up, I encourage you to go to mlmpublishing.org, or my personal website mckademarshall.com, and submit your information there.

I declare this summer you are stepping into the new things God has planned for you. You are experiencing God’s faithfulness through thick and thin. As you go through the inevitable disappointments and losses in life, the roots of your faith are going deeper, and you are rising higher. You are a part of the summertime revival that God is doing in His people. As you pray, rest, read the Word, and seek the Lord’s presence, the Holy Spirit is revealing things to you that are going to bring real life transformation. You are breaking free of any chains of the enemy. You are seeing loved ones come back to the Lord. You are going to new levels of success like never before. With God’s help, there is nothing you cannot achieve! I love you so much, and I am praying for you every single day.

Through Thick and Thin,

McKade “Levi” Marshall

Author of "Why I Stand With Israel", “Finding Your Keys”, “BREATHE”, and “Tasting the Goodness of God”

P.S. Donations to MLM Publishing can be made online or by check (mail to: PO Box 6463, Abilene TX 79608). All proceeds from one-time and monthly recurring donations will go towards promoting weekly gospel videos, seasonal newsletters, and ministry purposes. Even small amounts can make a large impact! For example, on average, for about $2 spent on a lead ad, a person from any part of the country now signs up to receive weekly gospel videos and seasonal newsletters after seeing a “lead ad”. For perspective, just $10 dollars can change the lives of 5 people, plus whoever they share with, for years to come! Your gift makes an eternal impact!

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