Now is the Time!

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. 

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. This month I'll give away a gift card from Starbucks. So leave a post, share a story or comment, and bless lots of people!

Now on to my topic...

Years ago I worked as an aerobic coordinator for a large health club system. The owners were meticulous when it came to excellence and customer service. We were drilled every which way about our mission, our customer, our goals, and how to implement those ideals into our specific departments. So, when we received some kind of recognition for excellent customer service, we weren't exactly surprised because it was something we worked hard at, something we had been aiming for. As you know, you don't just happen on upon excellence, you aim for it.

For those of you who've heard me speak or read this blog with some regularity, you've probably heard me say to 'get out your buckets!' About seven years ago the Lord spoke to my heart that in the future, He planned to release a great outpouring on the 'expectant' Church. His word to me: Get out your buckets! Prepare for rain! Prepare the soil. Remove the rocks of bitterness or the weeds of wasted time and cultivate an atmosphere for growth in your life. Plant lots of seeds of faith on behalf of your family, your nation, and the world. Be ready so that when the spring rain comes your planted seeds will spring up and produce a mighty harvest.

As I spend time with the Lord, I so strongly sense the urgency of the hour. While the world is running to and fro, completely freaked out by this economy (it is troublesome, that's for sure), a remnant of the Church will see its finest hour. 

In the Gospels we read about the virgins who had oil in their lamps (they were expecting their Groom to return), and the virgins who didn't have enough oil in their lamps (they got tided up in the affairs of life and were not prepared or expectant). Now is the time to fill our lamps with the oil of an intimate walk with God! Now is the time to plant seeds of faith by giving to those in need, fully believing that God supplies all of our needs. This is not a time to shrink back, it's a time to step up! 

Just as I worked very hard at excellent customer service and aimed for the target set by my employer, I work specifically to cultivate a listening lifestyle. I'm not surprised when God speaks to me because I order my whole day around giving Him room to communicate with me. Always, I try to keep an ear bent toward Heaven. Not that I do it perfectly, but I'm aiming at intimacy, I make choices to that end, and I know I have oil in my lamp. 

Things are going to get tougher before they get easier and we don't want the church running scared with the rest of the unbelievers. God's promises are true! He gave us plenty of warning and instruction not to get tangled up and bogged down by the cares of this earth. 

No matter your situation, stop for a moment today and set out your buckets of expectancy. Name them. Find Scripture to support your requests. Bring them before the Lord every morning. Give to the poor and to those who have less than you. Pray for your family and for the lost around you. Stand on the side of justice. Walk in faith, hope, and love. 

God is about to pour out a fresh and powerful time of refreshment for the Believer and I believe, to the extent that you prepare your soil now, will be the extent that you'll reap a harvest of righteousness later. 

God bless you, dear friend!

PS - If you haven't signed up for my quarterly Ezine, you might want to. A bunch of my author friends give away some of their books, I write a devotional thought, offer great book recommendations, and give you a prayer to send you on your way. Here's the link:

Sign up for Susie's Ezine...

The Balance of Grace & Fear...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here.

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So be sure to leave a post, share a story, and bless lots of people with your insights.

For the month of January, the gift card is from Barnes & Noble. And the winner is...Tami Boesiger! Congratulations, Tami! 

Here's the catch: you have to email me to claim your prize. I don't have the time to chase you down. :) Tami, send an email with your mailing address to: info@susielarson.com  

Now on to my topic...

This past year I read a great book by John Bevere titled, "The Fear of the Lord." I loved this book! Here's an excerpt:

"When the doctrine of the love of God is not balanced with an understanding of the fear of the Lord, error is the result. Likewise when the fear of God is not balanced by the love of God we have the same results. This is why we are exhorted to 'consider the goodness and severity of God' (Romans 11:22). It takes both - and without both - we end up imbalanced." p.95

Without realizing it, many of us can tend towards an imbalance in one of these two areas: Either we're too casual with the things of God, thinking He will come through for us no matter what we do. Or we walk in such an unrighteous fear of Him that we can never relax in His presence. 

Unfortunately, neither of those scenarios describes a healthy interpretation of grace and fear.

Since I tend to think in word pictures, indulge me for a moment. As a Believer I like to think of myself as sort of a trapeze artist. Hang with me for a second. If I really take God at His Word, then I believe with all of my heart that He has called me to heroic feats that I could never accomplish on my own. Though I've never met a trapeze artist, I imagine they have a huge respect for gravity. I know I did as a gymnast. Standing on a four inch piece of wood (which back in the day, was not padded and had sharp edges), and bending backwards to do a back-walk-over required focus, precision, and a respect for the beam. I'm sure it's the same with the trapeze; even more so.

As Believers, we are called to high places and to do great things that we may not be qualified for, but as far as God is concerned, we're equipped for. But He doesn't take us to high places without some rigorous training on the ground. Through practice, and repetition, and focus, we learn to respect gravity. But we also learn that with God's help, we can stand on high places. (See Psalm 18:32-33).

To be who God wants us to be, and to do what He wants us to do, we need to listen to Him, respect and honor His Word, and do what He says. To me, to fear the Lord means that I will do what He says because I know that He will do what He says. God is mighty and true and He is serious about our obedience, and that we have faith, and that we grow in love. He means what He says and there are consequences for disobeying Him.

As trapeze artists, sometimes we're going to make the jump, miss the bar, and fall through the air into a blessed net. That net reminds me of grace. He's got us. He's made provision for our weaknesses and missteps. We don't live in the net, but it's there to catch us when we fall. 

If we count on a life of leisure and ease and call it grace, we miss out on the wonderful adventure we've been called to and we make light of the costly sacrifice of our Savior. Grace is there for those who earnestly seek after Him, but desperately need His mercy, every moment of the day. 

For those with an unhealthy fear, who don't trust God, and would thus never climb the ladder and take the jump for fear that God will be absent or mad that day...I pray, that you will put your hand in the Savior's, and let Him lead you to fields of grace. I pray that God will restore your joy and excitement and expectancy of what is possible for those who love and trust Him.

God is always good. He's always with us. And He absolutely loves it when we follow Him to the heights He's prepared for us. May we count on His grace and have a healthy reverence for who He is, because He is, after all, God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. And the fact that He even wants us to join Him on this journey is downright mind-boggling. 

Amazing grace.

Have a blessed week!

Marvel...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

Susie Larson here...

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Most of you know this already, but for our new visitors, I want you to know that each month I giveaway a gift card to someone who posts on my blog. This month someone will win a $25.00 gift card to Starbucks! So leave a post, share a story, and maybe you'll win a treat for you and your friends.

Now on to my topic.

Today...this week in fact, I ask you to pause and do a little marveling. Ponder right now, who God is and what He has done for you. Read this great excerpt from my 'Believer's Commentary':

"The converted person boasts in the Lord - not in his own character or achievements. When we understand the gospel of grace we realize that we did all the sinning and He did all the saving. So our boast must be in Him alone." (p.596)

We did all the sinning. He did all the saving. He is good to us every single day. Even when we don't notice it.

What does it mean to marvel?

To marvel means to: be amazed, be surprised, be astonished, be awed, stand in awe, wonder, stare, gape, be dumbfounded, be flabbergasted. 

Let's look at scene right out of the Word of God:

Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep.  And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it. Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I'm giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they'll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground. I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you."

Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, "God is in this place - truly. And I didn't even know it!" He was terrified. He whispered in awe, "Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God's House. This is the Gate of Heaven." (Genesis 28:10-17 NLT).

It's so easy get sucked into the rat race of life and completely miss the idea that there are angels all around us; encamping around those who fear the Lord; serving and assisting us; going with us on our journey through life. 

We are not alone. Not even a little bit. Far greater are those who are for us than those who are against us. May the eyes of our hearts open up this holiday season; may we be more keenly aware of God's divine presence all around us. May we understand on a deeper level the resources and assistance to which we have access. Imagine. God, there for you, pulling for you. The Son, interceding for you day and night! The Holy Spirit nudging you, correcting you, convicting you, assuring you - all for your benefit. The angels, assisting you, cheering for you, protecting you. You are someone important!

Yesterday I had a number of heavy things weighing on my heart, when all of the sudden Selah's Christmas song, "Joy!" came on the radio. Instantly my perspective lifted and my heart swelled with joy. I hopped out of my sink (oh, um, that's where I sit to do my makeup), and I started dancing around my bedroom. I was doing a happy dance. The Marvel Dance. 

Try it today. Put on a great song. Look up. Make yourself smile (I don't know why, but this does something for the soul), and do the Marvel dance.

In quieter moments, marvel with your heart's perspective. Be amazed; be astonished; wonder and stare at the story of the Christ-child and be in awe that He would hand Himself over in such a vulnerable way. For you.

Regardless of the state of things around you - marvel today because you are surrounded by a host of heavenly angels cheering you on; hear the noise in Heaven; they're all talking at the same time! But there's harmony because they all want the same thing for you: To live in the light of God's presence, and to walk out the divine, world-changing call on your life. Marvel at that thought of it.

Smile today. Keep Smiling. Dance today. Keep Dancing. Marvel today. Keep Marveling. 

Until next week~

PS - If you haven't signed up for my quarterly E-zine yet, you might want to. My next issue comes out on January 15th and I have a stack of fun books to give away! Here's the link:

Susie's Ezine...

Manifold Wisdom...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! 

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. As most of you know, each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. Thanks to your response (and because some of you have never heard of Caribou Coffee), this month's gift card is from Starbucks! So leave a comment and share your thoughts. 

Now, on to my topic...

This morning during my prayer time, I paused and pondered the following passage of Scripture...

"...that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 3:10)

I did a little study on the word, 'manifold' and here's what it means: varied hues, colorful expression, different shades, a palette of colors

God expresses Himself profoundly. Creatively. He speaks to us in a variety of ways. He teaches us wisdom through His Word, His creation, His people, and by the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

James, chapter one teaches that if any of us lacks wisdom - we just need to ask for it - and then believe - without a doubt - that we will receive exactly the expression of wisdom we need for the moment. 

Over and over again I've told my boys that the promise of more and increasing wisdom, is one of the best kept secrets in the Bible. Wisdom is better than money. It's better than gold. 

And yet, every day people throw away time and money on get-rich-quick schemes. Not a wise thing to do.

We race to and fro with our eyes on the ground and our minds skipping ahead. We lean on our own understanding. We trust in our own insights. We rely on our own perspective.

If wisdom is better than wealth, and we have an open-door offer to gather all of it we could ever want or need, why don't we ask for more? 

Is it selfish if I ask for more? 

If I ask God - on the hour - for more wisdom. Does it mean He has less for you? 

I didn't think so.

Let's go back to the passage from Ephesians. Paul expresses here a hope and an expectation that the Church (you and me) will live and breathe and display a life of such wisdom and authority, that it serves the enemy notice. And it gives the angels pause.

We are the evidence of Christ's victory.

If we receive the insight that God daily offers us, and if we make choices that reflect His active involvement in our lives, things will change. Lives will change. The world will change.

However, if we refuse so great an offer, and determine to go our own way, the evidence of wisdom in our lives will simply be a dull shade of gray. Like a dirty window.

But if we replace our earthly perspective and understanding (our dirty window) with God's other-worldly influence and insight (His stained-glass window), then, when His light shines through, His varied hues and beautiful colors will shine in and through us.

Read this powerful excerpt from my 'Believer's Commentary'...

"From Heaven the angels are compelled to admire His unsearchable judgments and marvel at His ways past finding out. They see how God has triumphed over sin to His own glory. They see how He has sent Heaven's Best for earth's worst. They see how He has redeemed His enemies at enormous cost, conquered them by love, and prepared them as a Bride for His Son. They see how He has blessed them with all spiritual blessings in the Heavenlies. And they see that through the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, more glory has come to God and more blessing has come to believing Jews and Gentiles than if sin had never been allowed to enter. God is vindicated; Christ has been exalted; Satan has been defeated; and the Church has been enthroned in Christ to share His glory." (p.1928).

Wow!

I've said this before, but one day we will have to give an account for how we lived. Sin repented is gone forever. But what about Kingdom living? In light of all God has offered us - on a daily basis - are we gathering more wisdom? More grace? Are we standing on His promises? Walking with an increased awareness of His presence all around us?

I hope so.

A Heavenly host is watching us. Pulling for us. Praying that we will understand the urgency of the hour.

The times call for great wisdom.

But I have great news for you.

God offers it freely. 

Until next week~

 

Conviction...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul and encourage your faith along the way.

Before I get into my topic, I wanted to remind you of a couple of things. Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card from Caribou Coffee to someone who posts on this blog. Next week I'll announce July's winner. I love to hear from you! There were some incredible comments on last week's post. God is moving in the hearts of His people!

In celebration of my new release, "The Uncommon Woman" I will award a $50.00 VISA gift card to someone who posts in August. Each week I'll post about what it means to be uncommon and I know you've got things to say about that! The call to be uncommon is straight from the Word of God, and I want to hear from you!

Here's another way to win a $50.00 VISA gift card. Read my new book and post a review on Amazon (follow the link above). Email me letting me know you posted your review. One of you will win the gift card. I'll announce that winner in my quarterly E-zine (next issue releases October 15). Want to subscribe? Click here: Susie's Contact Page

Now...On to my topic:

Do you ever find yourself watching the news and wondering how people can do the things they do? I almost can't bear to watch the news before I go to bed at night. If I hear that one more young man has assaulted an elderly woman for the $35.00 she has in her purse, I think I'll have a fit. 

I guess we shouldn't be surprised since the Bible tells us that in the last days, people will become lovers of themselves; haters of God; haters of others. Lord, forgive us.

Now let's take a look within the Church. Many are desperate for a fresh revelation of God. Some fumble their way through with their one-foot-in-one-foot-out lifestyles. And still others, are perfectly content to live by the moral code by which they were raised.

In light of the evil that surrounds us, morality and goodness are, well...good, right? Right. These are great things. But as Believers, is it enough to subscribe to a moral code? 

What about conviction?

And what's the difference? 

I'd say the difference is this: A moral code gives us guidelines in which we live: boundary lines we do not cross; places we would never visit; things we would never do. 

Conviction on the other hand, compels us to a much higher standard.

Living simply by a moral code allows you to go on auto-pilot. You do what you should do. You don't do what you shouldn't do. But there's no expectancy, no spiritual tension within you. No readiness to respond to the inner voice that calls you to pick up and do something radical for the sake of obedience and love.

Living by conviction is something different altogether. It's the living breathing voice of the Holy Spirit within us. Sure, we don't do the things we shouldn't, but not because these things are on some sort of list. 

We do what we do because we cherish our oneness with God so much that we respond to anything and everything He says to us.

I can't remember if I already shared this on a previous post, so forgive me if you've heard this before. Because I wanted my sons to walk closely with the Lord, and to cherish His voice in their lives, I told  them about the 'Conscience Box' analogy when they were very young. This is what I said, "Picture Jesus placing in the center of your heart, a small box with four sharp corners. Whenever you do or say or think something that is different than God would want for you, that little box will turn and prick you. That's how you'll know you're on the wrong track. Listening to Jesus' voice within you is everything! It's a gift to you. If you ignore the little pricks, your ignorance acts like sandpaper, sanding down the corners. And next time you make a wrong choice, you won't feel it as much. Unless you ask for forgiveness and determine to listen when He speaks to you." Jake looked up at me and asked, "Is that why bad guys can kill people without thinking too much about it? Is their conscience box spinning because they're not paying attention to right and wrong?" "That's exactly right" I replied.

The conscience box analogy was something I heard from another mom when my kids were babies. 

Conviction makes us uncomfortable. It calls us to care for the weak and the hungry. It spurs us to forgive the unforgivable. It compels us to love the unlovely. Conviction call us to morality, yes. But it also, sometimes, calls us off the beaten path to messy places where faith is required. 

Living by a rigid moral code requires that I give my lunch away to someone who needs it. 

Conviction leads me to give my lunch to Jesus so that five thousand others might be fed.

To the extent that we listen and obey, is the extent that we will be entrusted to do greater things still. To the extent that we take the time to listen during our prayer times, is the extent that we will recognize God's voice amidst the ruckus of our crazy schedules. 

In the Gospel of Matthew we read about a time when Jesus went up in the mountains with Peter, James, and John, and he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as light. 

The 'goodness' in Peter compelled him to start talking...and to start doing. 

God interrupted Peter's automatic response with these words, "This is My Beloved Son. I am fully pleased with Him. LISTEN TO HIM."

A moral code allows us to act out of instinct. Not such a bad thing.

Conviction compels us to make choices out of the moment-by-moment leading of the Holy Spirit within us. Definitely a better thing.

Daily He's speaking. Daily listen.

Until next week~