Month: December 2021

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The Hand of God

Sue’s Views
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the Hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
This little poem seems appropriate today! I’ve heard many say they can’t wait for 2021 to be over as if a date change will make all the troubles go away. We can’t guarantee that things will get easier in 2022. The truth is they probably won’t. The key to living a successful and joy filled life in the midst of trouble ….. is putting your hand in the Hand of God! If you make one New Years Resolution ….. let it be that one. Thanks to all my FB followers for your friendship and encouragement this year. May you all be blessed with good health ….. and may you grow even stronger in 2022 ❤️ 

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Change

Sue’s Views
How have you changed this year? Confinement and limitation is never enjoyable ….. but it definitely changes us. A caterpillar may look at a butterfly with envy of its freedom ….. but instead of growing wings ….. he finds himself confined to an even tighter environment. He may even lose sight of the possibility of ever becoming a butterfly. He may think ‘This is as good as it’s going to get for me!’ But God is doing something amazing on the inside of him. Don’t let go of your dreams! But there is a process. There is no shortcut. Yield to the process while holding onto the dream. Nothing and no one can stop God’s plan but you!

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Roller Coaster

Sue’s Views
Looking back through my journal ….. 2021 has been a roller coaster ride! Ups ….. downs ….. twists and turns ….. and over before you knew it! But there have been lots of precious moments that have changed me ….. hopefully for the better. As we stand on the threshold of a new year we have an opportunity to decide what to take with us ….. and what to leave behind. By forgiving those who have hurt us ….. and letting go of disappointments and failures ….. we can enter in to 2022 light and free. Are you ready?

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Reset

Sue’s Views
It has been too hot to do our normal walk so yesterday we chose to do an early morning bush walk. The cover of the trees ….. the sound of the running water ….. and the birds singing ….. transported us to another world. A Covid free ….. stress free ….. restriction free world. And it doesn’t cost anything! I hope you too can find a place to enjoy. We all need a ‘reset’!

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Just Breathe!

Sue’s Views
This is probably one of my favourite weeks of the year! My calendar is blank ….. my ‘to do’ list is empty ….. I’m continually asking ‘What day is it today?’ No deadlines ….. no agenda ….. just breathe! After a busy season ….. it’s not that easy to relax. We are so accustomed to time pressure. But this kind of ‘no man’s land’ is a great time to unwind from the year past and prepare for the year to come ….. which will no doubt bring its own challenges. Here are some thoughts to ponder: 1. What has been my greatest lesson from 2021? 2. What do I want to do differently in 2022? 3. How can I prepare for the unknown?

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Expect Breakthrough!

Sue’s Views
The night before Jesus was born ….. everyone was going about life as normal. They were living under a tyrant, King Herod ….. and no one had heard from God for a very long time. You could say there was a lot of oppression and despair. They had no idea what was about to happen! Only a handful of people knew because they were expectant. Never give up on God’s promises. Your breakthrough could happen at any moment!

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Discernment

Sue’s Views
One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the gift of discernment. It’s the ability to see things from God’s perspective ….. and to perceive  the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, truth and error. It’s more than a gut feeling or intuition although these are definitely warning signs that something is amiss. It  comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our judgement may be flawed or biased. His will always be based on what is true and right. There will be many voices in our ears telling us ‘It’s not that bad’ …… ‘You can get away with it’ ….. ‘Everybody’s doing it’. The devil is doing a good job of watering down what the Bible teaches. That’s why it’s so important to know what it does say. When you pray ….. listen twice as much as you speak. That’s why God gave us two ears and only one mouth!

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Plain and Simple

Sue’s Views
We’ve had plenty of challenges this year ….. but one of the most challenging things has been trying to separate the truth from the lies. One of the problems with lies is that you have to tell more lies to uphold the original lies. It weaves a web of mistrust ….. cynicism ….. and deception. It also makes life very complicated. The Bible is the only source of truth! God cannot lie!
I love this verse from Micah 6:8. It is plain and simple and will never change or grow old.
‘….. the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.’

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Daily Choices

Sue’s Views
Each day when we wake up ….. we have a choice whether to be negative or positive. The way we start the day often determines how that day progresses. Instead of replaying past hurts in your head over and over ….. start by thanking God for all He has done ….. every blessing He has bestowed on you ….. focussing on the good things about that person or situation that makes you angry ….. and  committing your day to the Lord. I love this prayer from Joyce Meyer that goes something like ‘Dear Lord, I thank you for helping me through this day. So far I haven’t yelled at anyone ….. thought any bad thoughts ….. or messed up in any way ….. but in a moment I have to get out of bed ….. and that’s when I’m really going to need your help!’ Daily life presents us with many opportunities to be negative ….. but we can choose not to go there!

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Shelter From the Storm

Sue’s Views

We got caught in the rain on Saturday and had to shelter under the roses. We soon realised we weren’t the only ones sheltering there! This little bird sat perfectly still waiting for the storm to pass ….. while I was getting impatient because I had ‘things to do’! This is the time of year when we can easily make rash decisions ….. spend money we don’t have ….. and let our ‘to do list’ determine our actions. Jesus came to bring us peace in the midst of chaos ….. light in the midst of darkness ….. hope in the midst of despair ….. and salvation in the midst of a corrupt and sinful world. There is no other way we can find those treasures!