The Impact of Compromise...

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.

If you take the time to post on my blog in February, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

Years ago I was involved in Beth Moore's wonderful "Believing God" Bible study at my church. She encouraged each of us to wear a blue bracelet which signified our commitment to "up our level of sanctification."

We all have areas of subtle compromise or sluggishness, and the challenge was for us to step it up in our commitment to holiness.

Though we know that only God by His Holy Spirit can affect real change in our lives, we are the ones who who take the first steps in either flirting with compromise or walking away from it.

So what about you?

Can you think of an area of your life where you have let down your guard or simply blended with a godless people?

During one of our family meetings when our sons were young, we all stood in a circle, holding hands. I looked each of them in the eyes and said, "You are so important to this family. You are a gatekeeper. Whatever you allow in your life, you allow in ours. Your decisions will always impact more than just you. God has made you that important."

God has been speaking to me lately about that truth in my own life.

Because of the authority God has given my husband and me in our home, our choices carry even more weight than our sons' choices.

With all my heart I believe that where I compromise, I open the door for my sons to struggle even more so.

I'm that important.

And so are you.

This morning I was reading about Lot and Abraham.

Two men.

Both with a knowledge of God and an awareness of right and wrong.

One blended with a godless people, the other interceded for them.

My commentary wrote this about Lot:

(Because of Abraham's intercession...)

"The angels insisted that Lot and his family leave the city. But when he tried to persuade his sons-in-law, they thought he was joking. His backslidden life nullified his testimony when crisis came...We know from 2 Peter 2:7,8 that Lot was a just man, but because of his worldliness, he lost his testimony..." (Believer's Bible Commentary, p. 57).

Now here we see the incredible impact of Lot's decision to compromise:

"Leaving Zoar, Lot fled to a mountain cave. There his daughters made him drunk and enticed him to commit incest with them...Thus began the Moabites and Ammonites, who became recurring thorns in Israel's side. It was the Moabite women who later seduced the men of Israel to commit immorality (Numbers 25:1-3) and Ammonites who taught Israel the worship of Molech, including the sacrifice of children." (p.57)

When most people think of Sodom, they think of sexual perversion, of which there was an abundance. But in Ezekiel 16:49 it says this:

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

What a sobering word for us!

We live in a blessed and abundantly wealthy country and as a result, we mistakenly think that life is good because we are good. While many die of starvation every day, we struggle with eating, drinking, and buying too much. And though we are aware of the needs around us, we often think mostly of ourselves.

You've heard it said that whatever issues you have as a single person will only be amplified once you're married.

I submit that in whatever ways we compromise, so will our sons and daughters, and even more so.

Not to say that they cannot make the choice to repent for the sinful tendencies we've handed down to them. They can do that, and God will redeem the low areas in their character, but do we really want to leave them that kind of legacy?

If you have a tendency to gossip and judge, I can almost guarantee your kids will follow suit.

If you tend to be the one to grab the best seat, your kids probably do the same thing.

If you tend to cut corners and tell partial truths, turn around and watch, because your kids are learning from you.

May we understand and embrace the impact of our choices today and everyday!

Take an inventory today and ask God to show you what in your life has to go, so you can lay hold of more of Him.

Have a blessed and fruit-filled week!

In Your Corner...

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.

If you take the time to post on my blog in February, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

If you've ever attended one of my speaking events, you've no doubt heard me joke about my once strong willed child.

My middle son, Luke, spent more time in the corner than not; so much so, that if I wanted to be with him, I'd have to go visit him in the corner! I remember several times going to the corner, sitting down next to him, and striking up a conversation.

I always wanted him to understand, that though there were consequences for his behavior, I would always be in his corner, loving him, cheering for him, holding him accountable, and challenging him to grow into the man I knew he could be.

Well I'm thankful to report that Luke recently turned 20 years old and he is an honorable, godly, young man, with no traces of that feisty, strong-willed toddler I used parent.

God gave me a rich piece of wisdom when I was raising my boys and I would like to share it with you.

Early on in my parenting journey, the Lord spoke this to my heart, "Susie, remember the 25/75 rule: 25 percent of your communication will be correction and discipline; and 75 percent should be love, affirmation, enjoying life, dreaming together, and teaching them about Me. There'll be stages in your kids' lives when it seems all you are doing is correcting them, but it's especially during such times they need to know you're in their corner. If their particular season requires increased discipline, then increase your loving communication as well. You must never reduce your relationship to correction after correction; especially during the teen years; otherwise you'll lose them."

My topic this morning is twofold:

How we parent by the 25/75 rule...

And how we allow God to do the same for us.

Luke and I laugh now about how things were way back when he was young.

Shortly after he graduated from high school, he said the most amazing thing to me. He said, "Mom, I know I was a handful for you when I was little. And yet I never for a minute thought I would get away with anything. I knew you were right on top of me, never allowing me to make excuses for my behavior. But the amazing thing is that you never made me feel like I was a trouble-maker. Quite the opposite. You always made me feel like my dreams were too small and that anything was possible if I chose to walk closely with God. Because of you, I feel like there are no limits to what God can do through me."

Well, you can imagine what those words meant to me.

And though I so wish I would have made my boys eat more vegetables and I wish I would have done a better job at keeping their elbows off the table, I do know that by applying God's profound wisdom throughout my different stages of parenting, I now have sons who know that their dad and I are in their corner, and even more importantly, God is in their corner, and nothing is possible for those who walk closely with Him.

So how do you apply the 25/75 idea when you're parenting through the various stages of life?

Take advantage of the times when you're not correcting your child and fill those moments with laughter or insight. Talk about something funny you recently heard or recall a funny memory you have with your child.

Use those in-between times to affirm your child. Tell her what you appreciate about her. Point out your son's strengths. Dream with your kids and encourage their faith.

Ask God to make you sensitive to those teachable moments when you have a divine open door into your child's soul. God's truths are written everywhere! Use nature, hardships, sickness, or money as analogies and train your kids in the way they should go.

Tell them what you like about them. Tell them what's unique about them. Don't be afraid to encourage them in their growth (or weaker) areas.

Look for every opportunity you can find to speak faith, hope, and love into your child's life.

Life can be a rough journey, but if our sons and daughters know we are in their corner, and that God is too even more so, then they will will possess the Holy Confidence to be everything God intended them to be.

And now a word about your own soul...

If you feel that your relationship with God has been reduced to one correction after another, then you're not listening to everything He's saying!

The Bible says that daily the heavens pour forth speech. There isn't a language where God's voice isn't heard. The skies are filled with His mercies and compassion and His love is extravagant.

He is in your corner and on your side.

Yes, He will have to correct and redirect you on occasion, but always, with a voice of love and concern.

When you believe that He is with you and for you, you will also possess that Holy Confidence to be everything God intended you to be.

Remind yourself daily that YOU are the object of His affection. He loves you, He has dreams for you, and He wants you to know that NOTHING is impossible for those who take Him at His Word.

Until next week~

The Time Between...

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.

Last month I mentioned that if you post on my blog you would be eligible for a $10.00 Caribou gift card. Well, that was so much fun, I've decided to give away two gift cards for the month of January!

Drum roll please...

Kathy Peterson and Rebecca Marshaw - you are the proud winners of a $10.00 gift card from Caribou; sure to keep you warm during this blustery winter season.

Please email me at: info@susielarson.com and let me know where I should send your card.

For February let's give away either a $10.00 Caribou card or a $10.00 Target card - your choice.

It blesses my heart to no end to hear from you. This journey can be a lonesome road and it always encourages me to know you're out there.

Now on to my topic.

The other morning, I was reading the 32nd chapter of Exodus. Moses was up on the mountain having a face to face encounter with God. His followers hadn't heard from him in a while and they got bored waiting for him.

Let's look in at their response:

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt."

This fellow?

Moses risked his life to secure their freedom. God used Moses to preform mighty miracles on their behalf. Moses wasn't just a fellow, he was the one God used to save them.

Moses' journey with the Israelites very much parallels Christ's journey with us.

And with that in mind, I noticed three things about the Israelites' reaction to Moses' delay:

Impatience with God's plan.

Minimizing God's place in their lives.

A willingness to default to idol worship.

And we do the very same thing.

We just have to look back over our shoulder to see some of the mighty ways God has moved on our behalf. We don't have to think too far back to recall the times He has met us and spoke directly to our hearts. Our faith is encouraged when we remember the ways God has come through for us when we needed Him most.

And yet, when we are asked to wait longer than we want for the thing He has promised, we get impatient, and we wonder about plan B. We are very quick to make a back up plan when God takes too long to come through for us.

Wouldn't God appreciate a little help on our part to, you know, hurry the plan along?

I mean He has the whole galaxy to manage, and well, this is just a little itty bitty thing to Him. Right?

Wrong.

Nothing is too hard for God, but that doesn't mean little things mean nothing to Him. He is the God of detail! Look at the butterfly, or the hummingbird, or the pedals of a flower. Try to wrap your brain around the human body! He loves detail and He is madly in love with us.

God is big. He is near. And He is intimately engaged in this journey with us. Even when He seems silent, He has a divinely wise purpose for being so.

His part in our journey is of ultimate importance to us. He hasn't forgotten us. He doesn't ever accidentally look away when we take our leaps of faith. He catches us when we jump. He lifts us up when we stumble. And when He makes us wait, it's because He's making us ready.

Our part is vitally important as well.

We must not think for a minute that He won't come through for us.

During the waiting season, we'll be tempted to get bored and lose heart. We'll be tempted minimize God's involvement in our process. And we'll be tempted to build a counterfeit with our own hands.

The time in between the promise and the realization of it, matters. Infinitely so.

The time in between shows us what we're made of.

The time in between is like the tide that pulls back to sea and reveals the garbage on the beach.

The time in between reveals our motives, our intentions, and our character.

When you are waiting for a certain breakthrough, how do you spend the time in between?

Do you see it as a time to leave the Well and play in mud puddles instead?

Do you stay by the Well but just bide your time by chewing your nails and watching the grass grow?

Or do you consider your time of waiting an active season? A time to lean in and listen. A time to keep your ear bent towards heaven and your eyes fixed on Jesus?

Waiting is a true test of our hearts.

When we don't get what we want when we want it, our impatience surfaces. Our selfishness rears its ugly head. Our sense of entitlement makes us clench our fists and grit our teeth.

And that's why the time in between is so important.

It's a time to humble ourselves and admit our need for more of Christ's character in us.

It's a time to allow God to make us more fit for the blessing He so longs to give.

And it's a time to pursue a deeper relationship with God. More than the treasures we receive from His hand, may we treasure the gift of better knowing His heart.

Over and over again, we read stories from the Bible of people who mishandled the time in between.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Joseph from the Old Testament.

God gave him a mighty vision for his life, and then allowed him to endure one injustice after another. And what did Joseph do with his time in between?

He was faithful and patient and humble. And every time, he rose to the top of the pile.

His character proved him ready to handle the management of a mighty nation.

This morning I was reading from the book of Matthew where Jesus was warning the disciples not to be deceived. He said that many will be partying and getting drunk right up to the moment Christ returns to earth.

Here again, whether we like it or not, we are living in the "time in between" when Christ came and when He comes again.

Will we get bored of waiting and make our own idols?

Or will we use this time to deal with what our inconveniences bring up in us?

Jesus wonders this, "When I return will I find faith on the earth?"

May He find faith in our hearts and faithfulness in our footsteps!

No matter what breakthrough you're waiting for, be faithful in the waiting.

It's important time.

Have a blessed week~

The Road Narrows...

Hello, 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 want to mention that next week I will be giving away a $10.00 Caribou gift card to one of you who posted on my blog in January. Like coffee, smoothies, green tea? Post a note and share what God is doing in your life! Your name might be drawn for a sweet treat!

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend and we enjoyed a candid conversation about the church, our lives, and the world in which we live.

"This is a different day than we've ever known" my friend said. "If we want to make it, we can't pretend; we have to talk about stuff. There are too many temptations to pretend that they don't exist, and there's too much at stake to just pretend everything is okay."

She's right, you know.

If you've heard me speak or read some of what I've written, you've no doubt heard the analogy I've repeatedly shared with my sons:

The Christian life is like a winding, country road - with deep ditches on each side. One ditch represents your rebellion, the other, your response to someone else's rebellion. Satan could care less which ditch he gets you into, he just wants you off the road.

Last night as I tossed and turned and battled sleeplessness, I found myself thinking again about that analogy.

Many today are painfully pretending to be something they are not. In public, they look like the stereotypical Christian, but behind the scenes they are embroiled deep in addictive behavior.

Other Christians are squeaky clean on the outside, but their hearts are hard with pride because they love to look down on those who struggle with such blatant sins.

As I pondered my analogy, I pictured more and more of the road giving way, creating cavernous ditches on both sides, and leaving a very narrow road on which to walk.

As the love of most grows cold, the ditches will widen and the road will narrow.

Daily we'll be faced with the choice:

Do I forgive or do I pick up an offense?

Do I love or do I hate?

Do I offer grace, or do I hold a grudge?

Do I believe the best, or do I assign a motive?

Do I chase after a pure heart, or do accumulate unloving assessments towards others?

Will I reach down and rescue someone from the fire or will I straighten up and with my hands on my hips declare, "Thank God I'm not like them!"?

If we are committed to this walk of faith, we are committing ourselves to love and forgiveness, obedience and mercy.

Did you ever play King-of-the-hill when you were young?

Well imagine this: you're on the narrow road, and your faced with the various temptations that seek to pull you down (the temptation to drink too much and or the temptation to judge the one who does). Now picture those temptations as the neighborhood bully who is trying to join the game just so he can send you flying off of the hill (or the road in this case).

Every time you're tempted to rebel - one way or the other - take that thing and fling it into the ditch. Refuse rebellion; it's not cute and it's not funny. But refuse pride too; it's an insidious sin.

Keep your heart pure and guard it for everything you're worth.

Cherish your oneness with God as your highest and most precious treasure.

As the days grow more evil, the road grows more narrow.

You may feel like you're walking alone at times, but you never are.

Greater are those who are for you and with you, than those who are against you.

Finish the race with grace and strength.

God is on your side.

Blessings to you this week~

Inseparable...

Hi, Everyone!

Susie Larson here...

Before I get into my topic, I want to mention that I will be giving away a $10.00 Caribou gift card to one of you in January. Like coffee, smoothies, green tea? Post a time or two this month and share what God is doing in your life! Your name might be drawn for a sweet treat!

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

Many of you know that I've made it no secret that I'm no Martha Stewart. My friends say I don't give myself enough credit, but I say that I am a one-time wonder.

I can plant one kind of flower, maybe two, and it will thrive. I can make one kind of dinner, maybe three, and it will taste fairly good and nobody will get sick afterwards. I can decorate, to a degree, but I don't care about it enough to see my projects through to completion.

I remember a particular year when I was especially busy, and when spring approached, I was even too tired to plant flowers. One of my neighbors gave me the great idea of putting fake, plastic flowers in my hanging baskets outside!

What an idea!

Without further thought, I went to the store, purchased some bright, plastic flowers, and stuffed them into my hanging pots. Beautiful!

Beautiful that is, until the first spring showers. Rain is good for real flowers, but not so good for fake ones.

Though I thought I had saved time by not buying and planting real flowers, I really gained nothing. I spent time and money on a counterfeit and that's what I got.

Jesus calls Himself the Vine and He calls us the branches. We are to abide in Him and bear much fruit. He strongly stated, "Apart from Me, you-can-do-nothing."

When we strive on our own, we disconnect ourselves from the life-sap required to do His will.

When we get ahead of God, our branches thin out, our leaves wither, and our fruit ends up under-developed, and that's our fault.

When we take shortcuts because we're tired of waiting through the process, we plant fake flowers, and when the rain - that's meant to nourish - falls on us, our work is easily uprooted.

Our job is to stay connected to the Vine. Our job is to be the branch. Our job is to abide so closely with the Lord, that fruit super-naturally grows in every area of our lives.

Read on...

In the 1800's, Henry Drummond wrote, "A man may think he is doing God's work when he is not even doing God's will."

You may be doing lots of good things with your time, but are you sure they are "God-things?"

Dare to ask the Lord in prayer:

"In what areas of my life am I producing fake fruit?

In what areas of my life am I getting ahead of You?

In what areas of my life have I taken Your dream for me, into my own hands?"

I once did a word study on the word "abide" and I was blessed to find out that at its core, abide means "to be held."

What a beautiful thought!

There's no striving to bear fruit; fruit is born out of a place of rest and assurance that the Vine will supply everything the branch needs to fulfill its calling.

The branch doesn't need to remind the Vine of its job. On the contrary, the branch needs to remember its very specific calling to abide, and thus to bear fruit.

Just as any vineyard keeper will cut off useless branches from the vine, so will the Divine Vineyard Keeper cut away any branch that does not bear fruit.

As first that seems cruel, but it isn't. In order for a fruit-less branch to remain on the vine, it needs to continually take nourishment away from the other branches, causing them to bear less fruit.

God is protective of His investment because we are dear to Him and because He wants "our fruit" to feed a world in need.

Read this powerful passage from John 15:1-8, 16-17...

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."

Remember, being cut away and being pruned may look like similar actions, but they are for very different purposes.

You may be in a season where God is "cutting you back" from lesser priorities and worthless affections, but don't despair because He is getting you ready to bear much fruit.

Notice in the passage above, the powerful promise made to us who remain in Him:

(v.16)"...then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

When we cultivate the abiding life, His desires become our desires, His convictions become our convictions, and His prayers become our prayers.

When you abide in Him and you ask for His Kingdom to come to bear in your situation, His answer will always be yes.

Here are two declarations that I make on a regular basis. These statements of faith help keep me rooted and grounded in Him:

I thank You by faith, dear Lord, that there's no striving in me because I know that You are God. (See Psalm 46:10)

I will abide in You, and I know that You will establish me. (See John 15)

Don't settle for fake fruit, for under-developed fruit, or for a less-than harvest.

God wants your life so fruitful that your fruit keeps bearing fruit long after you're gone! Imagine that! Imagine making such an impact in your lifetime that others continue to be blessed and nourished even after you've left this earth.

Be blessed as you rest in Him this week!

Determine that you - the branch, and Jesus - the Vine will be absolutely inseparable.

Rest in Him - He will establish you.