God is there

Sue’s Views
Here’s something to brighten your Tuesday! There is plenty of negativity and fear being spread around ….. but every so often we are reminded that God is still in control. He hasn’t changed ….. and neither has His plan! We may not see Him all the time ….. but He is always there. When we need Him most ….. He reveals His true colours!
 

Keep Going!

Sue’s Views
As a new week begins ….. let’s face it with anticipation ….. not skepticism. With optimism ….. not pessimism. With hope and courage ….. not fear and doubt. Right now ….. things may seem a bit shady. But shadows can only mean that the sun is shining up ahead! Keep going and everything will become clearer.

Pathways

Sue’s Views
What do you do when the path you’re on runs out? You have three choices ….. 1) You turn back ….. 2) You stay where you are ….. 3) You move forward and make a new path! There are times when we realise we have made a mistake and we need to do a 180. There are times when we need to pause and wait for further direction. But then there are times when we know God has told us to do something that may be new territory. Pioneers have no path to follow ….. no map for guidance ….. no Google for directions! They just have a deep sense of calling and purpose. All these require courage and obedience. Where are you on your journey?

Hope of Spring

Sue’s Views
Welcome to the first day of spring! The weather might be a bit of a mixed bag ….. but hope and promise are in the air! I think we’d all agree that we are in a new season. We have never been this way before! But much of life is about learning to live with hope while in less than hopeful circumstances. We must look beyond the darkness ….. because it is temporary. Without the clouds …..there would be no rain. Without the rain ….. there would be no rainbow!

Heaven on earth

Sue’s Views
I managed to go for a couple of walks this weekend. It was great to not only get out of the house ….. but also to discover a whole different world! The spring blossoms were blooming and attracting tuis who were singing and calling with their funny clicking sounds. Families were walking and playing together. Everyone greeting and smiling at one another. As I reluctantly came away ….. I realised that that was a picture of Heaven on earth. There are actually 2 kingdoms coexisting ….. the Heavenly Kingdom where God is King ….. and the earthly kingdom where Satan is ruling. It’s up to us which kingdom we choose to be citizens of. To be a child of God means being ‘in the world but not of it’. We have God given power and authority to influence those around us and change the atmosphere. We are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. Let’s not just fight against Covid ….. but against the evil forces behind it!

Daffodil Day

Sue’s Views
Today is Daffodil Day in NZ. It’s a day dedicated to focus on cancer awareness and research. Whilst Covid is a horrible and deadly pandemic ….. let’s not forget many more are struggling with other diseases that must be very difficult under our current restrictions. If you are suffering ….. or know someone who is ….. here’s a Bible verse for you to claim: ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!’ Psalm 103:2-5

Walk by Faith

Sue’s Views
Life at the moment is a bit like a mystery tour! We can’t see far ahead ….. but we just follow the path we can see. Our vision is limited ….. but God has a bird’s eye view of the whole journey. He wants us to walk by faith ….. not by sight! When we walk by sight ….. we can easily take a wrong turn. There is a way that seems right ….. but it leads to destruction. Let’s keep moving forward and more of the right path will become clear.

Learning from the Past

Sue’s Views
After all the rain we’ve had in the last few days ….. let’s hope the dams are filling up! But we can’t afford to be complacent. We humans can have very short memories at times. We need to learn from the past in order to prepare for the future. A preacher I admire said ‘History repeats itself. It has to because no one listens!’ Let’s be ones who listen ….. and learn ….. so we are better equipped for the future.

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Lemonade

Sue’s Views
When life gives you a lemon ….. make lemonade! Our level 3 lockdown has been extended a few more days. For me ….. one of the hardest things is the feeling of being in limbo. Not knowing what next week will look like ….. let alone next year! But the truth is we never do. The best way forward is to live one day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow! Today is all we are assured of. When tomorrow comes ….. it will be another ‘today’ ….. and will have enough for us to focus on. All our ‘tomorrow’s’ are in God’s hands!

The Glad Game

Are you a ‘glass half empty’ or a ‘glass half full’ person? Do you see a dry, barren tree ….. or a tree that’s about to burst into life? The way we view life makes a huge difference to how we feel. The thing is ….. we can change our natural or default way of thinking. We can create new pathways in our brain by continually replacing the old habits with new ones. That reminds me of Pollyanna’s ‘Glad Game’. She always looked for something to be glad about!