Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

Everyone enjoys praise! We’ve praised our athletes for their amazing performances and hard work. We praise musicians ….. actors ….. chefs ….. artists ….. etc. But the one who deserves our praise the most is God! He created the universe ….. He chose us to live on planet earth ….. He provides everything we need ….. He is our Healer and Protector ….. He gives us gifts and talents! We should praise Him from sunrise to sunset ….. in fact the Bible says we are to praise Him continually! That just means that we are always aware of Him and thankful for all He has done. You will never run out of things to praise Him for!

Sue’s Views

Does your future look bleak? Maybe you’ve been given a negative medical report ….. the bank balance shows more is going out than coming in ….. that relationship you once treasured is going downhill? Remember ‘As a man thinks in his heart ….. so is he.’ Don’t allow your negative thinking become a self prophecy. No one but God knows the future! Do what you can to change the situation but never give up hope. He can make the rough places smooth ….. and rivers flow in the desert!

Sue’s Views

Communication is an art that takes practice and effort ….. but it’s vital to every relationship. We can so often assume the other person understands us when they have absolutely no clue! It requires being able to say what you want to say clearly ….. and being able to hear and understand what the other person is saying. It involves so much more than just words. Tone ….. body language ….. eye contact ….. volume ….. can tell us much about how someone is feeling. Also right timing is important. When you are angry or upset might not be the best time to resolve conflict. Neither when the other person is engrossed in some other activity. Good communication can bring down walls ….. and build strong relationships.

Sue’s Views

Have you been let down by someone you love? Has your trust been broken? Feelings of betrayal and disappointment can leave us very vulnerable. By all means ….. take some time to process and heal. But there’s a tendency to become self focussed and that’s when your mind can lead you down a slippery pathway. It may tell you that you are entitled to get even ….. that you deserve to hurt them back. And you can be sure that there will be well meaning friends who will encourage you along that path. But right now ….. your best friend is Jesus! And He said we are to love our enemies and do them good. Ouch! The point is ….. don’t allow their bad behaviour influence you to also behave badly. You ….. dear one who is hurting so badly ….. are In a better place than the one who did the hurting.

Sue’s Views

Have you wandered off the path ….. found yourself in a dark place? Are you telling yourself all kinds of lies to justify where you are? Does it seem too hard ….. and too far to get back on track ….. so you just keep digging a deeper ….. and darker hole? It’s not as far as you think! If you do a 180 turn and take 1 step ….. you’ll find your Father has run the rest of the distance to meet you! In fact He’s been there all the time ….. just waiting for you to turn around!

Sue’s Views

Whatever season you are in ….. God is there! When Moses asked God ‘What is your name?’ ….. God answered ‘I Am!’ Not ‘I was’ ….. or ‘I will be’! He is God of the past ….. present ….. and future. When you are troubled by past memories or regrets ….. He says ‘I am your healer ….. forgiver ….. and reconciler.’ When you are struggling with your present situation ….. He says ‘I am your helper ….. provider ….. and wisdom.’ When you are anxious about your future ….. He says ‘I am your peace ….. protector ….. and guide.’ This pic portrays 3 seasons in one. Autumn leaves ….. winter trees ….. and spring flowers. He is the God of yesterday ….. today ….. and ever more!

Sue’s Views

New month ….. new opportunities! No matter what mistakes we made yesterday ….. today is a new beginning. God’s mercies are new every morning. Mercy means ‘compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.’ God has every right to punish us for our disobedience ….. but He chooses to show compassion and forgiveness. When we show true repentance for our wrongdoing ….. He not only forgives ….. but also blots out our transgressions as a cloud blocks the sun. He no longer remembers them. Now that’s something to celebrate.

Sue’s Views

One of the greatest things a father can do is to pass his faith on to his children. Faith is both taught and ‘caught’! We can’t expect our children to do as we say unless we are doing what we tell them to do! They need to see it in action. Today is our son Jason’s birthday ….. and I chose this photo because it says a lot about who he is. He’s not only a gifted musician and builder. He is carrying on a legacy that will affect many generations to come. By baptising his eldest son ….. he is saying ‘As for me and my house ….. we will serve the Lord!’ Happy Birthday Jase and thanks for being a world changer!

Sue’s Views

Are you living with regret for mistakes you’ve made in the past? If only life had a ‘delete’ button ….. or a ‘rewind’! Most of us would be going backwards more than forwards! The truth is ….. we have all done things that haunt us. That’s why Jesus came! There’s no way we can erase the past ….. but through the Cross we are forgiven. God’s grace and mercy are the greatest gifts because we can’t earn them and we certainly don’t deserve them. Now ….. if God says we are forgiven ….. who are we to dispute that fact? He has ‘blotted out our transgressions like a cloud’ ….. and we can move on to see His promises fulfilled!

Sue’s Views

True faith to me ….. is not so much about believing for great things in the future. It’s more about seeing the greatness of God in my present circumstances. One of my favourite songs is ‘Even if’ by Mercy Me. It’s based on the story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, when the 3 Hebrew men refused to bow to the King. They said ‘God is able to save us’ ….. ‘and He will’ ….. ‘but even if He doesn’t ….. we will not bow down!’ When all seems lost ….. that kind of faith will keep you standing!