Author: Sue Wilson

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Plagues of Judgement

Sue’s Views
People often ask ‘How can a God of love allow such bad things to happen?’ We should be asking ‘How can a Holy God allow disobedient people to live?’ The plagues of Egypt are a great answer to that question. God told Pharoah through Moses to ‘Let my people go!’ Pharoah refused so God gave him a demonstration of what He was capable of. Still Pharoah refused! So God began to bring plagues of pestilence ….. destruction ….. disease  ….. and finally ….. death. Each time Pharoah hardened his heart until God said ‘Enough!’ He is patient with us ….. and gives us every opportunity to turn around. But He sees our hearts and knows our choices. This resulted in the deaths of the firstborn in each Egyptian family. Could it be that the ‘plagues we see in our world today are a result of our not heeding God’s commandments?

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Spiritual Conflict

Sue’s Views

We are all aware of the many conflicts going on in our world today. International conflicts ….. political conflicts ….. social conflicts ….. family conflicts ….. to name a few. But what we may not all be aware of is ….. that behind all these is a spiritual conflict. There are forces of darkness that have waged war against the Kingdom of God since the beginning of time. These are demonstrated in the book of Exodus. Moses was told by God to go to Pharoah and command him to ‘Let my people go’! Pharoah was stubborn and proud. He thought he was God! He refused! So began a contest. At first ….. the Egyptian priests called on their gods to replicate the miracles God did through Moses ….. and they did. Moses turned his rod into a serpent ….. and they were able to do the same. The only difference was that Moses serpent swallowed all the others! What followed was an onslaught of 10 plagues that proved God’s power and sovereignty. Today ….. many turn to the occult for answers and power. There is a fascination with the supernatural. But things like horoscopes ….. ouji boards ….. and seances ….. will only open a door to the demonic world. If you want to experience the truly supernatural ….. become a part of God’s army! 

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Burning Bush

Sue’s Views
Moses grew up in the King’s palace but he never forgot he was a Hebrew. He saw the way his people were treated and tried to help ….. but things only got worse. After murdering an Egyptian slave driver ….. he ran away in fear of his life. He settled down and started a new life in the wilderness ….. but God still had other plans for him. One day ….. God spoke to Moses from a bush that was on fire but not consumed. Thankfully ….. Moses saw it and went to investigate. That day ….. he received the great commission of his life! To go back to Egypt and set his people free! ‘Who me?’ ….. ‘the one who messed up?’ ….. ‘I missed my opportunity!’ ….. ‘send someone else’ ….. ‘I can’t even speak well.’ Does any of this sound familiar? One thing Moses was about to learn was that it’s no use arguing with God! He can do more with a man who has spent 40 years running away ….. than with a man who spent 40 years in a palace! It’s never too late ….. your past failures do not disqualify you ….. God will make up for your inabilities.

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Attitude

Sue’s Views

Our attitude makes all the difference as to whether we win or lose in life. Joseph was an amazing example of that. His roller coaster journey took him to some very dark places. Sold as a slave by his own brothers ….. wrongly accused ….. sent to prison ….. forgotten! But in each of those dark places ….. the Lord was with Joseph. He became the head slave in a wealthy man’s house ….. the head administrator in prison ….. and finally the Prime Minister of Egypt. When his brothers knelt before him in fear of their lives ….. Joseph told them it wasn’t their doing but God’s. Through all his hardships and struggles ….. he could see God’s purpose in it all. What an attitude! 

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By gad or by God?

Sue’s Views
Many would say that life happens by chance. You are born ….. grow up ….. get a job ….. marry and raise children ….. live your best life ….. and die! They would put success down to them having made good decisions. Others would say they got lucky. There’s an old saying ‘by gad’ ….. which means ‘by luck’. We can either live ‘by gad’ or we can live ‘by God’. Right throughout history ….. we see design ….. purpose ….. and destiny. Abraham had to leave his comfortable home to go to the place God showed him. Jacob had to leave his home to find a wife. Joseph had to go to Egypt in order to save the lives of his family. Jacob had to leave his home to go to Egypt with a family of 70. It still amazes me how God brought Frank from Fiji to New Zealand ….. and me all the way from England to meet in Manurewa! Our tribe now numbers 18! Did that happen by chance? I don’t think so! 

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Life’s Journey

Sue’s Views

Do you ever trace your life back and think ….. ‘If that decision hadn’t been made my life would have turned out very differently!’ 55 years ago ….. my Dad made the decision to migrate to New Zealand. The journey took 6 weeks on the ship in the photo. My pregnant Mum and I were not so keen but left our home and family to go to this far away country. I had no concept of God at that time ….. but have since come to realise that He was in control of our destiny. Of course we have to obey him ….. but through the Bible ….. He moves people to where He wants them. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and He became a very large family. One of his sons ….. Joseph ….. was taken prisoner to Egypt. Through some amazing occurrences ….. he ended up as the Prime Minister and helped his family out of a dire famine. He later saw that all the trials he had gone through were because God was directing his path for His purpose. We often won’t understand the journey until we look back. 

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Back to School

Sue’s Views
It’s back to school for many today! New things await you ….. new friends ….. new teachers ….. new schools for some ….. and lots of new experiences. Some may feel excited while others are feeling apprehensive ….. but life is full of new beginnings. I pray you will find your place ….. the right friends ….. and the best way to learn for you. Blessings to you all ….. and to all the wonderful teachers!

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Prayer

Sue’s Views
Is life a struggle? Welcome to the human race! We sometimes think that God is there to make life easier for us ….. to get us out of tight spots ….. to provide for our needs. When I read through the Bible I see people who struggle! It’s almost as if God gives them a promise and them makes it almost impossible to fulfil. He promises fruitfulness but they experience barrenness. He promises possession of land but they experience conflict from enemies. And yet ….. God chose to teach us through our trials ….. and build our character through our struggles. He chose men and women of faith ….. and faith has to be tested! His main aim was to make us realise that we depend on Him. He wanted a relationship with us. The great men and women of faith learned to be prayer warriors. Turn your struggles into prayers ….. not that God will get you out of the situation ….. but that He will be with you through it! Maverick needed God’s help to get through that bowl of chips! 😂

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Relationships

Sue’s Views
It was lovely to spend time by the water yesterday ….. and see the yachts preparing for the next race. Just as we arrived American Magic was being put on the water for a test drive. I love how ….. in the midst of competition ….. when one team was in trouble ….. the others rallied round to help. That shows true sportsmanship! Some of us have to learn the hard way though. Jacob in the Bible ….. having cheated his older brother out of his blessing ….. had to go away from home and find a wife. He found a girl he loved and was willing to work 7 years for her. After the 7 years were up, he was given her older sister as a wife. He then had to work another 7 years before he got the one he loved! (Yes! They allowed polygamy in those days!) I guess he reaped what he had sown. All those years he lived in fear of the repercussions of cheating his brother ….. but when they finally met ….. Esau forgave him and welcomed him with open arms. It’s nice to win ….. but relationships are far more important!

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Arranged Marriage

Sue’s Views
Marriages in the Bible days were very different to today. As with many cultures still ….. they were often arranged by two families. There are two examples in the book of Genesis. Abraham sent his servant to find his son Isaac a wife. His conditions were that she must be from among his people. The servant ….. feeling the tremendous burden of responsibility ….. prayed and asked God to make his journey successful. He looked for a girl who would be generous and welcoming to strangers ….. and one who would be willing to leave her family and home to be with her future husband. In other words she needed to be not only beautiful on the outside but a woman of beauty and good character on the inside. Their marriage was successful! Years later ….. they told their son, Jacob, to find a wife among their people as well. We probably don’t like the idea of our parents deciding who we will marry ….. but parents can play a huge part. First they can pray for their future son or daughter in law. Second ….. they can teach their children the kind of qualities to look for in a spouse. Then they can provide the right environment for their children to meet people of similar beliefs. As my Dad used to say ….. ‘Do it once and do it right!’