It Matters...

Hey 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 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend! 

Now on to my topic...

God confronted me on something today. As soon as He spoke to my heart, I knew He was right. And I, was absolutely wrong. Isn't it amazing how these kinds of conversations with the Lord bring only life?

This morning while on a walk/run with my dog I breathed in God's promises, and breathed out my unbelief and anxious thoughts. Each time I sucked in and filled my lungs with air, I breathed in the Scriptural prayers I often pray: You both precede and follow me; You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You make all grace abound to me so that I, having sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work. I will live out the number of my days in health and declare the works of the Lord!

There is such power in praying and declaring Scripture over our lives!

Right in the middle of my breathe-in, breathe-out exercise, the Lord whispered to my heart, "You were wrong to say what you did the other day." And instantly I knew which day and which moment He meant. It's too personal for me to share the details here but suffice to say, in reaction to feeling despair over someone's spiritual condition, I said to myself, "Maybe it doesn't matter that I've prayed, sowed, believed, and spoken consistent words of faith to this person. It doesn't seem to have mattered one single bit. The pull of the world is just too strong."

Even as I write these words, I'm reminded again how untrue they are. Even so, there I was this morning, enjoying some brisk exercise, breathing in deeply the promises of God when He lovingly confronted me about words spoken the other day. He said, "You were wrong to say what you did the other day. I want you to renounce those words; repent of them; confess them as sin and then accept My forgiveness so you'll be cleared and cleansed of all unrighteousness."

I pounded the pavement with my feet. My dog ran loose-leashed right next to me. I took in another deep breath and then renounced those faithless words and sincerely asked forgiveness. I was instantly wrapped up in peace and grace. What a treasure are His daily mercies. I reveled in them when the Lord whispered to me once more, "Now declare what's true. You know the truth, now speak it out loud."

I really didn't care who heard me or if people driving by in their cars wondered who I was talking to, I boldly declared: Lord, I thank you that it matters what I say, what I pray, and if I plant seeds. It matters that I speak life where there is no life. It matters that I believe You for things I cannot see. Your Word always accomplishes a purpose and never returns empty. You are Lord, Your promises are true, and You work mightily through Your people. It matters what voice I listen to. It matters that I respond to You! It matters whether or not I plant many seeds or only a few. I will live by faith and not by sight because it all matters, very, very much. Amen."

I ask of you, friend, if you've forgotten how much your faith matters, may you remember again today. Speak out some of these statements and you'll feel your own faith rise up within you. My soul was significantly strengthened after that little exercise. No pun intended. :)

So be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the Lord! ~ Psalm 31:24 

~Until next week

Preparing for a Breakthrough...

Hey, Friends! Susie Larson here...

Happy Wednesday. 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 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a post, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend.

Now on to my topic...

Has God put a desire in your heart that you've yet to see come to pass? Where are you in that process? Is the wait getting old? Are you starting to wonder if you heard God right? Have you given up altogether? Well, I hope today's post encourages you.

Maybe you're waiting for a promised blessing to come your way, or hoping for a loved one to come to Christ. Or maybe you're believing God for a promotion in ministry. Or, maybe it's healing you need. God is in the business of keeping His promises, saving the lost, engaging the saved, and healing our wounds! It is His will that we seek Him, find Him, serve Him, and find our restoration in Him.

He is always good and He puts certain desires in our hearts that we might pray them into fruition. Of course I'm not talking about 'name it claim it' theology, but I am saying that God sets eternity into the heart of man. He drops desires into our hearts because He intends to fulfill them. We must pay attention to the longings of our hearts. Sure, at first they may be unrefined or misdirected, but as we dare to place our hearts' desires before the Living God, He will shape, fill, and bring clarity to His desires for us.

Just yesterday morning I was reading in 2 Samuel chapter 7 and I noticed something very interesting. The prophet Nathan spoke God's promise to David and David's first response was to humbly bow and thank the Lord. Let's look a little closer at David's response to God's promise (my basic paraphrase of 2 Samuel 7:20-22, 27):

What more can I say to You? You know what Your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. Because of Your promise and according to Your will You have done all these great things and made them known to Your servant. How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You! And now, O, Lord, do as You have promised concerning me and my family...I have been bold enough to pray this prayer because You have revealed Your promises to me...

This is what I have learned about standing in faith while waiting for a breakthrough:

1.) Humble yourself before the Living God. Then make time and space to hear from Him. He will speak to you about His desires for you.

2.) Pray and believe that His Word is true and that His promises are backed by the honor of His name. How often do we pray without engaging any of our faith muscles? You know the difference between rote prayers and faith-powered prayers! Once God has revealed His promise to you, be bold like David and lay hold of it through prayer!

3.) Give thanks and embrace contentment for your current lot and your daily blessings. There's much to thank Him for today! He has blessed you today! Stay in the moment while believing Him for the future.

4.) Stay in the Word and trust Him to confirm His way for you through His Word.

5.) Refuse an unbelieving heart or a striving spirit. When you catch yourself living in reaction to these things, get back to that place of peace. Be still and know that HE is God! (Ps. 46:10).

6.) Trust His timing and process in this matter. He knows best and works all things together for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

7.) Remember that every promise He makes has eternity written all over it. In other words, His blessings to us are for more than just us. His promises to us are meant to spill over onto others and to create a ripple effect that we will carry with into eternity. No matter how we choose to view our hearts' desires, there will always be a broader perspective to gain and a bigger picture to see, because when we fully lay hold of His promises for us, our breakthrough will deeply impact and bless others. That's why things take time. And it's always worth it to wait for God's best.

Wait on the Lord. Listen for His voice. Take Him at His Word. Stand on His promises. Refuse unbelief. Choose humble gratitude and tenacious faith, all at the same time. And finally, step back and see your life from God's point of view. He's up to something so much bigger than you can imagine.

Isaiah 64:4 ~ For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!

~Until next week.

God Brings the Increase (at just the right time)...

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! 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 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So share a thought or an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for a friend!

Now on to my topic...(this one is a little longer than usual, but I think it's an important word for some):

Lately I've been in awe of God's divine intervention and attention to detail. In years past, there have been a number of specific desires in my heart that I longed to see come to pass; things that only God and my husband knew about, and, well maybe a few close friends. But as with anything worth having, readiness and preparedness take time. God can do anything in an instant, but we are the ones - with our free will and all - that need time to be ready, strengthened and prepared. 

We need time for our faith to grow. When we plant seeds, we can't repeatedly dig them up and pull them out of the ground to see if they are growing. We have to leave them in the ground. Those planted seeds (that we can no longer see) need to be watered by our faith. During the process we must learn to be content with seeing nothing while knowing that God holds everything in His hands, and that He moves on every act prompted by our faith, as the Scripture says.

The truth is, things just take time. Even 'suddenly-moments' take a while to spring forth. But one thing I learned about waiting on God is that He is always good. He always has our highest and best interests at heart. And when we trust Him enough to give Him room to work, He does His best work on our behalf. Truly, His loving attention to detail will woo any heart that loves Him!

Right now, today, I am walking in some of the most detail-specific answers to prayers of faith, prayed back then - years ago - when such things seemed non-existent and impossible. As I am sure is the case with you, the journey to this particular place of promise had its battles of refinement and pain. While I was stationed to the sidelines for a season, I watched as others ran full boar into their divine calling. And I felt jealous; which was why I was on the sidelines. God was intent on extracting from my soul the very things the enemy intended on using against me. God, in His infinite love, knew why I needed time. He is an ever-protective Father, no?

The amazing thing is, at their core, these desires of my heart were not selfish prayers, they were Kingdom motivated. And yet, our flesh is all too quick to lay hold of that which only belongs to God. He shares His glory with no one, and that's the way it is. The very fact that we get to be used by Him is mind-boggling, wouldn't you say? It's a glorious thing to lay hold of God's promises and toparticipate in the Divine Nature of Christ. Nothing on earth compares. 

Our hope is not in people; not in our bosses, or even in the next elected politician. Our hope is in the Living God who daily establishes His purposes for us! The Bible says that it's in His hands to make great, in fact, He stoops down to do so (see Psalm 18:35). He sets some on high for a season, while He sets another aside for a season; but, He makes all things beautiful in His time.

A.W. Tozer penned these wonderful words:

"What God in His sovereignty may yet do on a world-scale I do not claim to know. But what He will do for the plain man or woman who seeks His face I believe I do know and can tell others. Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped for in his leaner and weaker days." 

Trust Him with your dreams and your heart's desires. Refuse to manipulate your circumstances or to posture yourself with certain people. Your hope is in God. He is the one who will lift you up and establish you at the most divine time and in the most divine way.

Blessings to you this day!

~Until Next Week~

An Atmosphere for Answered Prayer...

Happy Wednesday, 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 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. It's time to announce March's winner. Joy Berry, congratulations! Please email me at: susie@susielarson.com with your mailing address and I'll send you your gift card in the mail. And thank so everyone else who posted on the blog!

Now on to my topic...

Yesterday on Live the Promise I got to interview one of my favorite return guests, author and pastor Will Davis, Jr. We talked about his excellent book, "Pray BIG." If you need a spiritual shot in the arm, take some time and listen to the podcast from that show. Here's the link: Pray BIG!

At one point we discussed what an atmosphere for answered prayer looks like and we landed on the importance of obedience. In ways big and small, it matters that we obey. And as Will said on the show (my paraphrase), the Kingdom of God comes to earth through countless, small acts of obedience. And, Will reminded us, obedience almost always involves others: blessing others, encouraging others, ministering to others.

Also, we can pray all day long about a certain issue, but if God has already asked us to make the next right choice, and we have refused, we might as well be banging our head against the wall. Until we decide to obey, that is.  

Obedience matters deeply to God. 

But you know what else? Obedience brings a strong anointing on our lives. When God entrusts us with an opportunity to do something that matters to Him, and He finds us trust-worthy, He entrusts us with increase: increased opportunities, increased capacity to hear His voice, increased sensitivity to His Spirit, and an increased faith that we are linked in fellowship with Almighty God.

Have you obeyed the nudges God has given you lately? 

Make the call. Send the letter. Reach out to the neighbor. Pray the prayer. Send the money.

Read this powerful verse: 1 John 3:21-22

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, BECAUSE we keep His commands and do what pleases Him.

Stay in step with the Lord Jesus. Mind the nudges. Do what He says. Ask Him to work miracles in and through you. He loves to answer those kinds of prayers for those who are serious about walking with Him. He moves when people pray. He moves more often through the earnest prayers of His righteous ones. 

~Until next week

God's Above & Beyond Provision...

Greetings, Friends! Susie Larson here!

And to those visiting, 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 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a comment, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend.

Also, be sure to check out our Faith Radio Page and Facebook page. Every day we have great guests on the show, and every day I pose a faith question on Facebook. We give books away practically every day! And, every day we're looking to hear from you! If you're not able to listen to the live show, you can always catch a podcast of the show whenever it does work for you. Check it out. You'll be blessed!

Now on to my topic...

Recently I had a conversation with a friend about her journey through the wilderness. It's been a slow and sometimes agonizing passage for her. The thing is, if she didn't love and fear God, she could take a few steps to the right and land herself on the fast highway that leads to her desires. But truth be told, that would be her way, not God's way. And above all, she wants God's highest and best will for her.

As she shared about the weariness in her steps, I leaned in, grabbed her arm, and said, "Listen to me, friend. Your sacrifice of praise and your sacrificial obedience have not gone unnoticed by God. There is NO sacrifice you could make to Him that will not met with a totally disproportionate response of His great love, and grace and provision! Any gift you give, any offering you make, and initiative you take to obey Him when it costs you, will be responded to in ways you cannot imagine. He is a disproportionate God! Understand your wealth in Him. Though you feel the pain of this sacrifice now, get a vision for the response He is preparing for you!"

I felt especially inspired to share that with you today as well. 

Some of you are making huge sacrifices for His Name's sake. Some of you could so easily grab for yourself a counterfeit version of something He has promised you, but ultimately, you want to wait for God's best for you. Do it, my friend. Wait for God's best and see if He won't absolutely blow your mind with His goodness, His grace, and His attention to detail. 

If at all possible, get your eyes off of what it's costing you right now, and lift your eyes to the Heavens, your unlimited supply. If you're lacking in strength or perspective, get alone with God. Spend extended time camping in His presence. Open your hands to receive more of what He so lovingly wants to give. Remind yourself of His Word and His promise to you. Strengthen yourself in Him by reminding yourself who you are TO HIM! 

There is no gift you can give, no prayer you can pray, no act of obedience that you can initiate that will not be met by overwhelming love, provision, goodness, grace, and power. You may not see its evidence right away, but it is there, affecting change, making a difference, and moving mountains. One day your eyes will see it. So know it now. Stand on the faithfulness of God now. Today. Believe Him for big things. Entrust your cares, your sacrifices, and your gifts to Him.

There is no better, no safer place than with Jesus. And, you'll not receive a better return on your investment of trust, time, and talents. God is in the business of exponential, over and above, beyond our wildest dreams, kinds of answers. Your everything is safe with Him.

Open your arms wide. Look up. Trust Him. He is good and He is crazy in love with you!

~Until next week.