Life and Peace...

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.

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. Well, it's time to announce the winner for October. Drum roll please...

And the winner is...Carolyn Crust! Congratulations, Carolyn! Email me at: info@susielarson.com and claim your prize. Just a quick reminder, you have to make the connection and claim your prize before I announce next month's winner! 

Now on to my topic...

When my son Luke was in sixth grade, he attended a youth retreat and had a terrible experience. A bully held him under water. Luke used to struggle with terrible asthma, so much so, he couldn't even go on carnival rides because he couldn't get a deep enough breath to handle them.

Imagine Luke's absolute terror when without warning, he was shoved under water. He didn't have a moment's notice to inhale even a partial breath. 

His chest tightened up and his throat wrenched. He locked his jaw trying desperately not to open his mouth. He reached up through the water and clawed the arm of the one holding him under.

The boy felt the deep scratch and pulled his arm back. Luke exploded out of the water and gasped for breath. The bully shoved Luke for scratching his arm. 

This is what the enemy does to us. He shoves us under water and makes us feel as though we are at his mercy. When we respond in a way that's not pretty, he accuses us for it.

He seduces, then accuses. 

Lately I've been battling angst on several levels. I'm concerned about many things: the state of our country; the state of many Believers; the impact of the church; my capacity for smallness; and that I would be able to discern God's highest and best plan for me in the midst of it all. And every single day, I hand those concerns back to God and ask Him to carry them for me.

But sometimes I spout my frustrations first. Or I get angry. Or I have a less-than-charitable thought. Ugh. I hate my humanity. 

I long so-very-much to be righteous and to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ Jesus, that when I do misstep in even the slightest way, the enemy is there to remind me of my wrong-ness. And unfortunately, I'm all too quick to agree with him. 

The other morning during my prayer time, God revealed a profound truth to me. One that I already knew, but not on a deep enough level, obviously. 

Here's the passage that sparked my interest:

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is LIFE and PEACE (Romans 8:6).

When the enemy's accusations and taunts come in a like a flood, and threaten to drown you - and you become more aware than ever of your own weaknesses and missteps as a result - it's all too easy to focus on, dwell on, and mull over the deeds of the flesh (because that's just what the devil wants you to do). 

This is not to negate our call to holiness. Not at all.

In fact that's what maturing is all about. As we learn to handle opposition and trials with holiness, integrity, and perspective, we can know that we are gaining ground in this walk of faith.

But we are not perfect. Not just yet. 

We are going to mess up once in a while. And when we do, guess who is there to remind us of past mistakes and taunt us about potential future ones? The devil himself, that's who!

His aim is to 'set our minds on the flesh.' Now I know the primary meaning behind the verse above refers to those who devise evil plans in their minds and those who allow their thoughts to dwell on sinful things.

BUT, to take the enemy's bait and allow our thoughts to go towards our own wretchedness and stay there...or towards our own fears, and stay there...or towards someone else's flaws, and stay there...is to set our minds on the deeds and the issues of the flesh - which, according to the verse above, only leads to death (death of perspective, relationship, peace, joy, life, health, etc., etc.).

To me, it's the difference between eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and eating from the tree of life (See Genesis 2:9).

To notice and dwell on sin and shortcomings, be it your own or someone else's, brings death. To pride yourself in an acute ability to dissect someone else's shortcomings, is, evil and pharisaical, and, well, it breeds death.

But to set your mind on the Spirit, well that brings LIFE!

Does this mean we never acknowledge the truth about our sin, and other's sin? Not at all!

But the truth about such things must always be linked with love. In other words, "If I can clearly see how wretched I am and how wretched you are and my only response is angst, judgement, self-loathing, or self righteousness... well then I'm nothing but a noise maker; one that brings ruin and not life and peace to the situations God has entrusted to me. But, if in my discerning, I bow to my knees and pray for God's mercy to fall upon us both, well then, I'm bringing a little bit of Heaven to earth."

God calls us to perfection and He's the One who perfects us, layer by layer, in His own due time. Yes, we must respond. We must choose rightly. And every once in a while we are going to react - or we are going to come out swinging when we shouldn't. Yet, wonders upon wonders, God has already made provision for us. Praise Him!

God calls us to perfection because He can. He's perfect. And gifts upon all gifts, He loves us!

The devil on the other hand, doesn't get to ask us for perfection. He doesn't get to remind us of our imperfection. He is perfect at nothing except at being a miserable, lying, cheating, schemer. And he's not even good at that because he does the same thing over and over again.

So when you are in the fire or under attack, and you have a 'human moment' where you handle things in a way that's beneath you, don't listen to the enemy's taunts. Don't set your mind on the things you should have done. Right away, set your mind on what God has already done for you and what He intends to do through you. It's good stuff. :)

I'm a decent swimmer and a fairly strong athlete for a forty-something year old woman, but once when I was at the wave pool, I got caught in the undercurrent and was sucked to the bottom of the pool.

I was stuck face down on the pool floor and I could not move. My chest burned for air and I thought I was going to drown right there. 

With everything in me I mustered the strength to pull my knees in and push my feet against the bottom of the pool. I pushed so hard that my body shot up and I broke through to the blessed and beautiful air I was meant to breathe!

This is a picture for you and me. We were created by God. We were made for life and peace. Just like our bodies were made for oxygen. We are not designed to be held under water.

So, the next time the enemy pushes you under water, muster what you have, put your feet on the Rock and push past the 'deeds of the flesh' until you're breathing in the air of righteousness! 

I know this is a long post, I apologize. This just feels like an important message for some of you today.

In closing, here's a great poem that was written some time ago by W.M. Tomkins:

Reach my blessed Savior first

Take Him from God's esteem

Prove Jesus bears one spot of sin

Then tell me I'm unclean! 

Dear Friends, there's no spot on Him, which means, if you're a Christ-follower, then there's no spot on you!

There is now, therefore, NO condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1).

Until next week~

This even applies to others who are bothering you or 

Magnify Him!

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. 

Every month I give away a $10.00 gift card. Due to popular demand, this month the card is from Starbucks! Leave a post and you may be the one to a couple of cups of java on me!

Now on to my topic...

Yesterday morning I was reading Mary's Magnificat, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior." (Luke 1:46-47)

Let's take this declaration in two parts.

First, what does it mean to 'magnify' the Lord?

As I tossed and turned last night, I battled with fearful thoughts. The enemy of my soul was working over time and I needed to find my place of rest once again.

In the middle of the night it occurred to me that our brains have somewhat of a zoom lens. Whenever we think about something for an extended period of time, we zoom in on that thing and get a closer look. We notice the bumps and the crevices. We see what passersby miss. 

So when we fixate on our problems, we zoom in on them. When we focus on our fears, we get a close-up look at them. When we dwell on the past, we eventually get a distorted view of it because our necks weren't made to constantly accommodate a backwards view. 

Moreover, the Bible tells us that 'as a man thinks in his heart, so he is." If we dwell on our memories of rejection, our current financial crisis, or our fears of the future, we become walking, breathing organisms of defeat.

We were made to magnify the Lord!

Think with me for a minute about the universe. Picture one of those posters of the Solar system. Remember again just what a small planet we live on in the whole scheme of things.

Now zoom in.

Zoom in closer.

Consider the snowflake. Each one is different. Unique. Beautiful. Just like you and me.

Consider the caterpillar. The chrysalis. The butterfly. The process of transformation is absolutely staggering. 

Our process is miraculous. 

Consider the seed. A tiny little grain is buried under a pile of dirt and in a matter weeks and sometimes days, a fresh burst of life sprouts forth.

The idea of seeds and harvest is profound. 

The fruit and harvest growing in you and around you is...exciting.

Consider the Son. He came to die that you and I might live. He took on the forces of hell that we could inherit Heaven. He confronted our bullies that we might be rescued. He set us free so we could work with Him in securing the freedom of others. 

Think about the Lord. Zoom in on all of the good things He has done. Let His promises, not your problems, occupy your thoughts. 

Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. 

Magnify the Lord with me! Let us exalt His name together!

The second part of Mary's declaration calls us to rejoice. To be thankful. 

What are you thankful for? 

Count your blessings today and every day. 

Let your own ears hear your mouth say that God has been good. And He'll be good again. 

The enemy presses in hard, it's true. But God is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever!

Stand strong, my friend.

Look up. Zoom in. Be thankful.

Until next week~ 

Press In, Press Through...

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.

Every month I give away a $10.00 gift card. Due to popular demand, this month the card is from Starbucks! Leave a post and you may be the one to get a couple of cups of java on me!

Now on to my topic...

I don't know this for a fact, but I'm pretty sure that many of you are bearing up under a load of responsibility, waiting for a breakthrough of something hoped for, and tempted to 'move away from courage' by becoming dis-couraged.

If that's you, this post is for you!

I get the sense that for many, this season requires great perseverance. Great focus. And great tenacity. 

Maybe I 'sense' this because I'm feeling the same kinds of pressures. And maybe it's just me, but this feeling always seems to present itself this same time every year. 

I'm not a big fan of the October festivities, in fact I find it necessary to raise my shield a little higher in the month of October. 

When life's demands press hard against my soul and Satan tempts me to despair, I know this calls me to activate two strategic elements in my walk of faith...

Press In.

Whenever things feel difficult, stressful, or simply boring and uneventful, we must stop in our tracks and plant a few seeds. Seeds of hope. Seeds of faith. Seeds of expectancy. I've said this before and it bears repeating again: God is always up to something.

The Heavens are bursting with promise. The Heavenly Hosts are busy and active on our behalf. Answers to prayers we prayed yesterday, last week, and when we were seven, have enlisted a response from our gracious Heavenly Father. Even after you die, the world will continue to benefit from prayers you prayed (that's of course assuming you prayed prayers to bless this world and the generations coming after you).

Since we're such earthbound creatures, we need constant reminders of Heaven, of God, and of His great love and involvement in our lives. 

When we slow down long enough to plant a few seeds, we remember that God is growing good things all around us. He has been good to us. I heard a statistic recently suggesting that if your household income is $50,000 or above, you are in the upper 1% of the wealthiest households in the world!

John Bunyan once said, "The pathway of life is strewn so thickly with the promises of God that it is impossible to take one step without treading upon one of them." 

We must earnestly seek after God because everything we could ever want or need, is found in Him.

But there's another reason.

More precious than the gifts from His hand is the treasure of knowing His heart.

He is beautifully, wonderfully wonderful. 

He is a treasure beyond knowing.

He is scandalously humble.

He is terrifyingly powerful.

And He is intent on revealing Himself to those who seek hard after Him. 

Nothing compares to the priceless offer of access to the Most High God.

Press in to know Him more. Or to know Him again. Or to know Him for the first time.

Press in and He'll make the way clear; the boring sacred; and the burden lighter. Press in.

Press Through.

To persevere is to press through; to bear up under a heavy load for a prolonged period of time. 

The Bible says that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And that perseverance produces character (and reveals it). Perseverance leads to godliness. Perseverance matures us and completes our faith. 

Pressing up against unmoving, difficult circumstances - carrying a weight we'd rather not - holding onto hope when it seems heavy in our arms - all these things make us more like Jesus. 

When I consider how easy it would have been for Jesus to cancel His plan to be my Savior, I shudder. I imagine Him hanging on the cross, beaten, brutalized, and broken under the weight of the world's sin. I see Him with dried and fresh blood stinging His eyes as He looks down at a mocking, eye-rolling crowd. 

How easy it would have been for Him to look up and say to God, "Change of plans. These people are not worth it."

But He hung in there.

He hung there.

For me.

For you.

Amazing love.

You MUST hang in there!

Someone once said, "There are a thousand people waiting on the other side of your obedience."

"The idea that Christianity is an unending round of mountaintop experiences is unrealistic. there is the daily routine, the menial task, the disappointing circumstance, the bitter grief, the shattered plan. Perseverance is the art of bearing up and pressing on in the face of all that seems to be against us." (Believer's Commentary, p. 2290)

'Therefore, since we are surrounded by SUCH A GREAT CLOUD of witnesses, let us throw off EVERYTHING that hinders and the sin that SO EASILY entangles us, and let us RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE the race MARKED OUT BEFORE US, let us FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, the author and finisher of our faith, WHO, FOR THE JOY-SET-BEFORE-HIM-ENDURED THE CROSS, scorning it's shame, and SAT DOWN at the right hand of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

There you have it.

Since you are surrounded by a host cheering you on, hoping you'll choose to persevere, throw off everything that slows you down.

Throw off bad attitudes, low perspectives, and unbelieving tendencies. Throw them off like yesterday's clothes! (for you newbies, see my post from a couple of weeks ago).

Run with perseverance. Bear up under the weight. Believe God is good. And hang in there.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. 

Press in. Press on. 

It matters what you do and how you believe when you'd rather be bored or cynical. 

Believe for the best. Be strong. Be courageous. 

Let your perseverance be a witness to a desperate world in need!

Until next week~

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~

 

Yesterday's Clothes...

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.

Before I get into my topic, I have a little business to take care of. Each month I give away a $10.00 Caribou Coffee gift card to someone who posts on my blog (although my son thinks I should switch to Starbucks. What do you think?). 

Leave a comment; share your heart; you might win a couple of cups of java!

The picture above is of my son and his girlfriend after a time of dirt biking. I think it's adorable. It doesn't exactly fit my topic but sort of. 

Now on to my topic...

Last weekend I spoke at the beautiful Camp Lebanon in Upsula, Minnesota where two hundred women gathered to meet with God. It was a glorious weekend. 

But something troubled me...

Though my messages went well and women seemed to track with me, I felt something was blocking God's blessings for these women. It's one thing to hear a nice message, it's another thing to be transformed by the very presence of God.

Each night at bedtime, I curled up in a ball, hugged my pillow, and prayed. I prayed for the women and their precious hearts. I prayed for myself, that I might be a reliable messenger. I asked God to please show me if I was missing anything. Anything.

In addition to speaking at the main sessions, I offered to lead a Power Walk and teach a Power Stretch class. We had a great time together.

Sunday morning I prayed in the shower; I prayed while blow drying my hair; and I prayed as I put my clothes on for the day. I prayed that God would speak to me and through me.

I grabbed my socks off the floor and put them on my feet. They weren't especially clean. Okay, they were dirty. The Power Walk had taken its toll on my little white socks. But no one would see them under my black boots, right?

The whisper across my heart surprised me, "You might want to put on some clean socks." 

Huh? 

I prayed that profound prayer again, "Huh?" 

The Lord continued speaking to my heart, "You might want to put on some clean socks because you'll be removing your shoes in the service today. I want you to ask everyone to remove their shoes this morning because they are on holy ground. This is the Sabbath day and it's to be regarded as holy. These are My beloved Ones and they need to see themselves that way. My call is profoundly high and all need to consider it so. Re-establish the fact that I am a Holy God and you are My people." 

My knees were instantly weak and my eyes welled up with tears. 

I bowed my head and prayed. I committed the morning to the Lord, and I went and found the worship leader. I asked her to add a certain song to her list. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. She asked, "Are you okay? Do you feel sick?" 

I replied, "God has something special for these women this morning and I don't want even one of them to miss it." 

The worship was powerful and the stage was set. 

When the time came for me to take the stage, I was all choked up. I shared what the Lord had shown me that morning. I added, "God's arms are full of things He intended to give you this weekend. Some of you run the risk of leaving this place without ever receiving what He has offered; maybe it's because of a hardness of heart; maybe because of unbelief. But I ask you to humble yourself. Look up. Open your hands. Receive what He so lovingly wants to give. All too often we wear yesterday's dirty rags when daily, God offers new mercies to us. He has a new thing for you today. Receive it." 

Women responded right away. 

I put on a beautiful song and with the lights down, we took off our shoes. Many kneeled to the ground. Quiet sobs of repentance erupted. The room became a sanctuary.

Many women came forward and received the prayer and encouragement they so desperately needed. 

Something broke loose that morning and we were all so blessed to be there. 

You know, without even thinking about it, many of us put on yesterday's rags. The rags of sameness, of doubt, of unbelief, or cynicism. 

But what about expectancy? What about hope? What about God's promise to do a new thing in our midst?

In this world we are promised to have troubles. But we're also promised overwhelming victory. Overwhelming. Victory. 

No circumstance can keep us from a fruitful, powerful, thriving life. 

But our own unbelief can.

Dear Lord, 

Forgive us for the countless times we've picked up our dirty socks and put them on our feet without even thinking about it. May we remember anew each day that the earth is Yours and everything in it! May we embrace today, that You've offered fresh mercies and new garments to Your people. May we slow down long enough to receive the peace and the comfort You so willingly offer us. And forgive us for the many times we've treated holy opportunities as common, everyday occurrences. You are everywhere. And we matter to You. What a privilege it is to be linked in fellowship with You. May we never take that for granted. Thank You for Your great and unexplainable love. Amen.

Here's to new days and new garments of praise!

Until next week~