Susie Larson

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 leave a comment, share a story or insight, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend!

As most of you know, I have a new radio show,Live the Promise with Susie Larson The program now airs 6 days a week! Join us every weekday from 2:30-3:00 CST, and on Saturdays from noon to one, KTIS AM 900, on the Faith Radio Network, or listen online at: www.faith900.com

I have a great line up this week! Some of my guests include, Dr. Jack Hayford, Gary Thomas, and Leigh Ann Tuohy (Blindside). Be sure to tune in.

Also, I want you to have the inside scoop. Be sure to check my Facebook page for a heads up on my weekly giveaways (that way you'll know when to call for a book you may want). I'll also post daily questions and may read your comments on the air. Let's do this together!

Now on to my topic...

On Monday I had the privilege of interviewing author and pastor Dr. Will Davis, Jr., and let me tell you, he was a great guest! We discussed his latest release, "Faith Set Free: Pray for Yourself With Reckless Abandon."

Our call screen lit up right away with callers wanting to discuss the whole issue of praying for yourself, not to mention, praying for yourself with reckless abandon (and only one caller got through for some odd reason). :(

I posted a question on Facebook asking whether or not people felt comfortable praying BIG for themselves. A number of women admitted that at least initially, it was difficult to dare to pray such a bold prayer.

Many people feel a sense of guilt about praying for themselves, though Jesus calls us to ask, seek, and knock. Many feel it's selfish to pray for yourself, and it can be, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still pray about everything on our hearts. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us. As we close the gap between us and God, we become more like Him, more aware of His presence, and more passionate about His concerns for us.

We can pray for others and do great exploits in that regard (and part of our prayer life should always involve the needs of others), but, we will never realize our fullest potential until God is given access to work in and through us. He has gifted us, He has written a destiny over our lives that only WE can live out; and He has put desires in our hearts that are straight from HIM.

Imagine how it must make Him feel when He breathes life into one of our hidden desires and we are so sure that the inner nudge is our selfishness talking, that we turn a deaf ear to God and instead scold ourselves for thinking such a ridiculous thought.

We cannot please God without faith. He delights in every detail of our lives. He is crazy in love with us. He has written our name on His hand. He has a plan to prosper us, not to harm us. He ordained and appointed us for good works long before we were born. And, when we delight in Him, He establishes us, in our desires, in our giftedness, and in ways that we never thought possible.

Some of our desires are simply selfish. But tucking them away and pretending they don't exist, is not the answer. Some of our desires seem selfish but are really linked to our God-sized call, and we'll have a ball when we dare dream with God and walk out those desires. How can we know the difference? We determine not to be so self aware. We run boldly into our Father's presence and ask Him to listen to every one of our concerns. We determine not to edit ourselves before we reach His throne (would you ask your child to tone down his dreams before he dares share them with you?).

The Father, in His love, will shape our desires to fit His will. He'll change our hearts and renew our minds. And the cool thing is, our dreams are often too small. As we dare to admit our heart's desires, we will find a loving God right there to stir up our faith and lead us in the way that we should go. And remember, our God-sized call will always further His Kingdom and make life better for others.

Pray BIG for yourself today. And tomorrow. And the next day. See what God will do.

If you want to listen to the podcast of my interview with Will Davis, click here.

Now to HIM who is ABLE to do immeasurably MORE than ALL we can ASK or IMAGINE, ACCORDING to His power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

~Until next week.

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Wednesday

Aug252010

Make Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories...

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 6:00AM

Greetings, Dear Friends!

As most of you know, I have a new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson . The program airs every Saturday morning from noon to 1:00 CST. And guess what? We are going live on weekdays starting in October! More details to follow...

Last week I guest-hosted for Connecting Faith and my special guest was Terri Savelle Foy, author of, "Make Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories. We had a great discussion (and it's the springboard for my blog topic today).

Check out the podcast from that show.

And, a quick note about this week's show! Listen in as I interview author Jerry Rankin on his new book, "Spiritual Warfare and Missions." Listen in on KTIS AM 900, or listen online at: www.faith900.com

Now on to my topic...

I have a few questions for you...

Do you tend to look BACK more than you look FORWARD? In other words, do your thoughts default more to your PAST than they do to the POSSIBILItIES in Christ?

Do you tend to look DOWN more than you look UP? In other words, are you more SELF-AWARE than GOD-AWARE?

Is easier to believe that God could NEVER USE YOU or to believe that GOD WANTS TO USE YOU GREATLY?

I have great news for you today! It's a new day! The old is gone - it's behind you - it can no longer hurt you unless you breathe life into it. As a new creature in Christ, your sin is buried in the sea of forgetfulness. It's out of God's memory. Think about that on a consistent basis! There is NOW therefore, NO condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus! (See Romans 8:1). God intends to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE. His plan and highest will is for you to live in the NEWNESS of today and in the PRESENCE of His promises that you might live life ABUNDANTLY.

As I mentioned in the intro above, this past week I interviewed Terri Savelle Foy on her great book, "Make Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories." Though outwardly as a young woman she appeared to have everything a girl could want going for her - she was dying on the inside - so aware of her faults, sins, and missteps. But at one point the Lord spoke these wonderful words to her heart, "Terri, why do you keep bringing up sins I've chosen to forget?"

Why do we do that?

I am guilty of this very thing! I spend a lot of time calling to mind Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. And since I'm such a visual thinker, God tends to speak to me in word pictures. One day as I prayed about the past being dead and gone I pictured the ground behind me giving way as I walked forward. Every sin, every misstep and mistake, dropped into a canyon of forgetfulness, never to be accounted against me again. And yet, as the ground gave way and began to drop, what I did for Christ suddenly defied gravity and ascended to Heaven to be written in the book of remembrance.

What incredible, scandalous grace! Our sins are covered and forgotten, but every act prompted by our faith, remembered and rewarded.

We get stuck in our past not because God remembers but because we remember... and because we care that others remember. We put more weight in man's ability to remember than we do God uncanny ability to forget. God forgive us!

To have bigger dreams than memories, we must forget was lies behind us and press forward that which Christ paid such a high price: A redeemed, renewed, powerful, fruitful, world-changing life!

Who cares if people around us still hold judgments against us? God Himself has made a public spectacle of the powers that oppose us! (See Colossians 2:15).

At some point we need to trust God, take Him at His Word, and shake the dust of the past off of our feet!

Dream big with God today, my friend! Nothing is impossible with Him.

Blessings to you!

~Until Next Week

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Wednesday

Jul282010

Eventually, the Light WILL Break Through...

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 6:12AM

Greetings, Dear Friends!

It's time to announce the Starbucks gift card winner for July. Drum roll please...

Christy Mitchell, congratulations! You are the winner of a Starbucks $10.00 gift card! Just email me at info@susielarson.com with your address (before I announce next month's winner) and I'll get your card in the mail. Thanks everyone for your posts!

As most of you know, I have a new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson. The program airs every Saturday morning from noon to 1:00 CST. And guess what? We may be going live-daily in the fall! I'll keep you posted.

Last week my guest was Pam Pierce and we had a great conversation about her new book, "The Rewards of Simplicity." She says that living a simplified life has everything to do with our faith in God. I agree. Check out the podcast from that show. This Saturday, my guest is Christin Ditchfield and we'll talk about the power of our words and about her new book, "A Way With Words: What Women Should Know About the Power They Possess." Listen in on KTIS AM 900, or listen online at: www.faith900.com

Now on to my topic...

I've observed something in the past year that has really captured my attention. I've noticed two distinct 'camps' among Christians (although, there are many more sub-groups among Christians than these). One on side you see unapologetic, sold-out, passionate followers of Christ who are sincerely concerned about the times, and, serious about their role in the Kingdom story. On the other hand, you also see a large contingency of Christians, totally consumed with their everyday life, totally oblivious to the urgency of the times and ignorant of their role in the events that are unfolding before our eyes.

These two distinctions are especially apparent among the young people in our day, but they exist in older more 'seasoned' Christians as well.

Another thing I've noticed is how many of the sincere-sold-out Christians are in the fire right now; going through the battle of their lives; fighting for their homes, their marriages, and their sense of security. Godly people are learning to suffer well, and yet are desperate for their breakthroughs.

Though I'm not presently in the fire like some of my friends are, I've got a number of heavy burdens that I'm carrying close to my heart; things in which I've waited and longed for a breakthrough. And yet, I have seen little to no evidence that my prayers are working.

However, every time I'm tempted to view my prayers as inconsequential, or to pull back from my stubborn stance of faith, I remind myself of this truth (and I say it out loud so that my own ears can hear it):

The earnest prayer of a righteous man or woman accomplishes great and powerful things! (See James 5:16).

The other day while biking the trails and praying about those things that weigh heavily upon me, God brought a wonderful revelation to my heart. I saw a picture in my mind of a brick wall. I was on one side (with all of the forces of heaven standing with me, agreeing with me; and with the Light of God's truth shining on me, and showing me how to pray). On the other side of the wall were those walking in darkness. They are blind to the ways the enemy has dulled their senses.

Though they were on one side of what seemed like an impenetrable wall, and I on the other, all at once I began to see the impact of my prayers. Every prayer I prayed was like a wrecking ball to that thick brick wall, chipping away at the enemy's shrewdly constructed fortress. Eventually, the bricks crumbled and broke and the light broke through.

The Bible says that when you pray God's will, you can KNOW that you have what you've asked for. Pray His Word, pray His will, and you will see the Kingdom of God advance through your prayers.

He desires that we walk in fullness and freedom with Him. He desires that we know and love Him for who He is (not for who the world has made Him out to be). He desires that those who walk in darkness would come into the light. He desires to comfort the suffering, refresh the weary, restore the broken, and provide for those in need. He is a good God; a powerful God; and He is on a rescue mission. He has determined to work through our prayers!

Pray earnestly, with GREAT faith, my friend! Every prayer is like a wrecking ball to the enemy's plans. You may not see it, but God is at work in your midst. He moves on the prayers of His people. Most of our prayers - at first - initiate invisible changes. But suddenly - oh how I love that word! - yes, suddenly, the light will break through and things will start to change.

Do not look down. Do not give up. Look up. Stand strong. Know the power of His Word!

Blessings to you this week~

Susie

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Wednesday

Jul072010

Taking Part in a Loaves & Fishes Miracle...

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 9:13AM

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Two quick announcements:

In celebration of my newest release, Growing Grateful Kids, I'm giving away a 4G-I-pod Shuffle to someone who posts a book review on Amazon (only one week left on this promotion!). Go to my Facebook page, click on the Free I-pod! tab for more information. My quarterly E-zine goes out on July 15th and I'll announce the winner at that time.

My new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson launched several weeks ago (airs noon to 1:00 CST every Saturday)! My guest this Saturday is clinical social worker and author Leslie Vernick. We'll talk about her new book, "Lord, I Just Want to be Happy." Is happiness our right as Believers? You may be surprised by her answer. Be sure to listen in! For more information, go to: www.faith900.com

Now, on to my topic...

This morning I re-read my blog post from last week simply because my thoughts continue to linger around the significance of Jesus' encounters with His disciples described in the Gospel of Mark.

Let's take a look at the first several verses in chapter eight:

In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

First, we notice from this passage, that as serious Christ followers, Jesus will make us aware of the needs around us. He will draw us to Him to show us them. And that's where we must start when facing a loaves and fishes need. We must draw near to God - and He will draw near to us.

I've never been one to think that the need dictates the call. We are surrounded by countless needs, and we have the capacity to burn ourselves out by running to and fro, trying to be the answer to everyone's problems. That's why drawing near is essential. We have to get our marching orders from Him.

Jesus had compassion on the multitudes who came out to meet Him. Out of His compassion, He brought the vast need of the people before His disciples.

The disciples responded this way: “How can one
satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

Look closely at their question. In essence they are asking, "How can one, or even a few of us, satisfy (translation: fill up to overflowing) such a vast need when it's only us?"

When faced with a gigantic task or insurmountable problem, we do the same thing. We look at the mountain, and then, we look down at our little feet and wonder how in the world we'll ever pull this off. But I love Jesus' response to them. He simply asked them, "Well, what do you have?" In essence, He is saying here, "Let's start there. Give what you have."

But the thing is, even though 'what we have' falls woefully short of the vast need before us, make no mistake about it - giving 'what we have' will cost us. A lot. He's not asking for our leftovers or that we skim off the top of our resources and hand those over. Have you noticed in these multiplication stories how much was given before the miracle came? All of it.

When we are faced with a vast need, though our offering may be small in proportion to the need, it's not an easy give. We still have to lay it all on the line, go out on a limb, and give of ourselves in ways that sometimes make us tired and self-aware.

Divine efficiency starts with small offerings, to be sure. But to be a part of a loaves and fishes - divine multiplication miracle - we need to be all in, fully present, willing to step up and take a risk with our offering.

Of course, we know how the story ends in Mark chapter eight. Thousands of people ate to fullness with baskets leftover. We serve a more-than-enough God.

Now let's go back to Mark 6 where Jesus had just multiplied the bread to feed - count 'em - five thousand men (not counting women and children!). Try to get your mind around that miracle. In the next scene the disciples were out in a boat when the storms hit. When Jesus walked out to them and calmed the storm, they were amazed. I would have been as well.

But 'amazement' wasn't what God was after. In fact, Scripture tells us that they were only amazed because their hearts were hardened, for they had not understood the significance of Christ's previous miracle.

Here's the crux of it all: it's not enough for us to vacillate back and forth between anxiety and awe as we walk with God. If we want to be mightily used of God, we cannot be like Dori in 'Finding Nemo' and constantly struggle with short-term-memory loss when it comes to the previous faithfulness of God.

At some point, we have to acquire an inner knowing - a core understanding of what it means to be an heir of God - a joint heir with Christ. You know, our association with the Most High God is a really big deal.

If we want to be part of the divine multiplication process that is consistently presented in Scripture, we need to be all in, ready to give what God asks of us, and then, be expectant that He'll take it from there, and do the impossible. And when it's all said and done, we'll look back, shake our heads, and know for sure - that we serve a God of Divine Efficiency.

Have a blessed week!

PS ~ I'll be away from my office next week (and out of cell phone range) so I'll look forward to connecting with you again on the 21st of July.

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Wednesday

Jun302010

Have Faith...

Posted on

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 4:41AM

Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. This week I'm posting late Monday night because I'll be out of town for the next few days. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a comment, share a story or insight, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend!

This month I promised to give away not only a Starbucks gift card but also, a copy of my book, "Balance That Works When Life Doesn't."

And the winners are:

Lisa Wilson, you're the winner of a copy of my book, "Balance That Works When Life Doesn't"

Heather Holterman, you're the winner of the $10.00 Starbucks gift card

Congratulations, girls! Just email me your mailing address and I'll get your treats in the mail sometime in the next week (email me at: info@susielarson.com) Blessings!

Two quick announcements:

In celebration of my newest release, Growing Grateful Kids, I'm giving away a 4G-I-pod Shuffle to someone who posts a book review on Amazon (only one month left on this promotion!). Go to my Facebook page, click on the Free I-pod! tab for more information.

My new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson launched several weeks ago (airs noon to 1:00 CST every Saturday)! My guest this Saturday is bestselling author and minister Larry Christenson. What a wise and godly man he is! We had a great conversation about his new book, "The Mantle of Esther"; we talked much about the power of prayer. Be sure to listen in! For more information, go to: www.Faith900.com

Now, on to my topic...

I'm on the road right now, heading back home from a whirlwind trip in St. Louis. As I prayed about what to share today, this is what the Lord impressed upon my heart:

Remember the scene in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8, when Jesus fed four thousand with seven loaves of bread? He had compassion on the crowd of people who forsook their physical hunger just to be with Him for three days. He miraculously multiplied the miniscule resources available to meet the vast need of hunger before Him. Verse eight says that after everyone ate and was satisfied there were seven basketfuls of broken pieces left over! Pause and think about that for a moment.

Jesus and the disciples started with seven loaves. They fed a massive crowd by divine multiplication. And then ended up with seven basketfuls after it was all said and done. We serve a more-than-enough God.

In the next scene the Pharisees meet up with Jesus and demand a sign from heaven to validate Jesus' claims that He is Lord. Jesus' response? He sighed deeply, confronted their motives, and refused to jump through their hoops.

Then Jesus and the disciples got back into the boat and headed to their next destination.

While en route the disciples realized they had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them.

They forgot the bread. They made a mistake. Oops.

During their trip, the disciples focused on one thing, Jesus on another. Jesus was still bothered by His encounter with the pharisees and therefore cautioned His disciples about becoming rigid and religious like the pharisees. He said, "Watch out for for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." Watch out! Jesus is saying. Do not let your faith walk stray from a living-breathing faith to one of demands, rules, and regulations. This was an important teaching moment.

And yet, the disciples were self aware at that moment. And so, their minds instantly connected Jesus' comment about the yeast to their mistake about forgetting the bread.

How quickly we do the same thing!

Though our choices are significantly important, they are not everything. When we love and follow Jesus, He forgives our sins; He makes provision for our weaknesses and missteps. He wants us to focus more on His goodness than on our badness. He wants our faith to rise up because of His sufficiency. And yet, we so often lose faith because we are constantly aware of our own insufficiency.

How did Jesus respond to the disciples' earth-bound thinking?

"Why are you talking about having no bread??? Do you STILL not see or understand? Are you hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

"Twelve" they replied.

"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

"Seven" they answered.

Then He asked, "Do you still not understand?"

Now let's jump back a couple of chapters. Look at chapter 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand (with 12 basketfuls left over). In the next scene the disciples are in the boat without Jesus and a storm hits. He walked out to them and the winds died down. The disciples were completely amazed by His power because they had not understood the significance of what He had just done with the miraculous feeding of the multitudes. In fact, verse 52 says, "For they had not understood about the loaves; for their hearts were hardened."

It wasn't enough for the disciples to be wowed by Jesus power. He wanted them to possess an inner knowing that they possessed everything they needed because they had Him.

Okay, I know I'm keeping you a bit too long today, but there's an important message here:

When faced with a storm in life. Have faith! We must discern God's ability to not only carry us through our current circumstances but to show Himself powerful on our behalves. And how do we do that? We consider the significance of what He's already done.

The disciples had too quickly passed over what Jesus had done in their midst. They should have pondered it; remembered it; considered its implications on a much deeper level in a way that altered their core beliefs. Jesus is our divine supply. He is our divine deliverer. He is not subject to the laws of nature; they are subject to Him. We follow the King of Kings. And He will intervene at just the right time with just the right solution.

Jesus is not after a perfect performance in us, He is after our absolute faith and trust.

He forgives our sins - thank the Lord!

He makes up where we lack - thank the Lord!

He knows where we are weak and forgetful - thank the Lord!

He cares when the winds threaten to overcome us - thank the Lord!

He is our God and we are His beloved ones. Thank and praise the Lord!

To stand strong in our current circumstances, we must remember the significance of what God has already done in our midst. He is faithful and He will be faithful again. We have suffered, and we will suffer again. But right in the midst of our heartache and trials, God's power will emerge, His promises will be our treasure, and His provision will more than deliver us.

Have faith, my friend. Our God - right in the midst of where we live - is mighty to save.

~Until next week.

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