Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

Many will be starting back to school this week. For some it will be a brand new experience. Others will be returning to a familiar place ….. but a new classroom or teacher. Some will be excited ….. others a little nervous. The unknown can be daunting ….. but I want to encourage you that ….. waiting around that corner you are about to turn are some wonderful experiences. New friends ….. new opportunities ….. new things to learn. You can’t see it now ….. but it’s there waiting for you! Have a great year!

Sue’s Views

Today’s movies and tv shows reflect a facination for the Supernatural. From zombies and werewolves to superheroes and avatars ….. there is no limit to the possibilities. The definition of ‘supernatural’ is ‘attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.’ To me ….. living a supernatural life means living above the standards and limitations of our natural tendencies. Jesus ….. the greatest super hero of all times ….. was the perfect example. He taught his disciples to ‘love their enemies’ ….. ‘to do good to those who persecuted them’ ….. ‘to go the second mile’ ….. ‘to give sacrificially’. Not exactly hit movie material ….. but things that require power beyond our selves. He gave us that power by sending the Holy Spirit to be our helper ….. guide ….. strength ….. and everything we need to overcome our enemy. In His own words: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come.”

Sue’s Views

Before God introduced Eve to Adam ….. he prepared Adam for marriage! Firstly ….. Adam learned to walk and talk with God daily and to live in His presence. Next ….. he had to learn to be responsible for others and exercise authority by naming the animals. Then he was given a job that would provide for his family ….. as well as teach him to use his gifts in a productive way. Only then was he ready to meet the love of his life and start a family. Young men ….. these are the qualifications to being a husband. Young women ….. these are the attributes you need to look for in a future husband!

Sue’s Views

Your story is the most powerful story you can share. It may not seem very exciting to you …..but to someone else it may be just the encouragement they need. The valleys ….. challenges you’ve faced ….. even your failures ….. all point towards God’s grace and faithfulness. People identify with a simple testimony and you will realise that everything you’ve been through was not only for you ….. but for someone else!

Sue’s Views 

We live in a society where once something is broken ….. it is considered useless and is thrown away. But God sees things very differently! He is drawn to brokenness ….. He knows that a broken heart is a receptive heart ….. a repentant heart ….. a thankful heart and a heart that is willing. ‘A bruised reed He shall not break’ ….. He will not only mend ….. but renew such a person. The brokenness then becomes their testimony.

Sue’s Views

We were designed to be fruitful. Whether you can see it or not ….. your life is producing something that will be a blessing to someone else. Don’t go comparing yourself to others who seem to be more fruitful. Fruit trees produce at different times ….. and for most of the year there is nothing to be seen. But within the branches ….. something amazing is happening. It may not be your season right now ….. but it’s coming!

Sue’s Views

Can you imagine waiting 25 years for a promise to be fulfilled? Most of us would think ‘Maybe I didn’t hear right’ ….. ‘Maybe God changed His mind!’ ….. ‘Maybe God needs my help to make this happen!’ The Bible tells us that at the ages of 90 and 100 ….. when their bodies were as good as dead ….. Sarah gave birth to a son! God often waits until things are impossible. When we’ve exhausted all our human efforts ….. He miraculously shows up! He doesn’t act according to our timetable or deadlines. He has his own timetable ….. and it’s always perfect! The child’s name was Isaac which means ‘laughter’. The laughter of doubtful mocking was turned into boundless joy when Isaac was born! Wait for your Isaac! If God promised ….. it will come!

Sue’s Views

No doubt your calendar ….. like mine ….. is starting to fill up. Work ….. family ….. and other obligations will probably account for much of the time. But where there are blanks ….. highlight them in yellow. These are ‘your times’. Times when you get to choose how to spend them. Choose something that will restore your soul. Then you’ll have more to give to the many demands made on the rest of your time!

Sue’s Views

So the year is underway ….. the question is ….. ‘which way will we go.’ It’s easy to let life carry us along. The needs and expectations of others ….. or consequences of our decisions ….. can dictate how we live and what we do. The Bible gives us great advice. ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.’ He sees the obstacles and the better way to reach your destination.

Sue’s Views

12 Steps to a Good Year but Derek Prince

Step 12: Let Us Offer Up A Sacrifice Of Praise

“Through Him [Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15 NASB)

This final step of offering up a sacrifice of praise to God is related in a direct and practical way with the two previous steps, which were, “Let us show gratitude” and “Let us go out to Him outside the gate.” You see, gratitude naturally leads to praise. There are so many passages in the Bible where it relates thanksgiving with praise. One of the most beautiful is Psalm 100:4:

“[We] enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” (NKJV)

The step just before this one, “Let us go out to Him outside the camp,” means for us to be identified with the cross of Jesus. To follow Jesus, we must accept the reproach of His cross. This brings us release from the two slaveries of pleasing self and pleasing the world.

This step is directly related to offering the sacrifice of praise. You might not see it at first, but there are two hindrances to spontaneous, free flowing praise in our lives. They are: love of self and love of the world. As long as our affections are centered in ourselves or in the world, we are not really free to praise God. But the cross removes these two hindrances and sets us free to praise God.

Set free in this way, we are no longer affected by what happens to us. We are not affected by our moods, by our problems, by apparent adversity. We are no longer affected by what goes on in the world around us. You know, sometimes when we listen to the news, we think, “Well, the situation’s pretty bad—problems, disasters, crime, immorality…” But you see, we are not living in this world. The world doesn’t dominate us. It doesn’t dominate our thinking. We are in the world but not of the world.

When we are released from that slavery to the world—when the world doesn’t control our thinking and our motivation, when we have been liberated by the cross in that inner attitude toward the world—then there is nothing left to hinder our praise. We don’t praise God just when things are going right in the world. We don’t praise God just when things are going right with ourselves. Rather, we praise God because He is worthy to be praised. Our liberated spirit isn’t entangled with self-love and the love of the world.