Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

Just as a wall starts with one brick ….. a stronghold in our mind starts with one thought. When we come into agreement with that thought ….. we add another brick. Wrong thinking usually starts when we are young. If not checked ….. the lies become so familiar we believe they are the truth. But there’s a way to destroy a stronghold ….. and that’s by shining God’s Word on it. Is the thought in agreement with what God says? If not ….. grab it ….. and throw it away ….. before it can do any damage! One of the names of Jesus is ‘Chief Cornerstone’. Build your thought life around Him and you will have a healthy mind!

Sue’s Views

The Bible is not a book of fairy tales. It’s a book of true stories about real people who experienced everyday life. It’s about sibling rivalry ….. rebellious kids ….. unfair employers ….. poverty ….. incest ….. adultery.  You name it ….. it’s in there! Somehow ….. many have the idea that God is some kind of magician with a magic wand who is there to make all the bad stuff go away …..and give us what we want. The Bible is full of miracles ….. some of which are instant such as the healing of the blind, deaf and lame. But many miracles are only realised in hindsight. Once we are on the other side of the Red Sea ….. after we step out of the fiery furnace ….. once we reach the other side of the lake during a storm. The actual journey is not that much fun! God doesn’t promise to take us out of the situation ….. but He does promise to walk through it with us. Note in the following scripture He says ‘when’ not ‘if’. Your fiery trial which seems so unbearable right now ….. will one day be your personal testimony to a miracle working God!

“When you pass through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” Isaiah 43:2

Sue’s Views

We can learn so much from those who have gone before us. Their successes help us know what to do and how to live well. Their failures warn us what not to do to avoid living badly. We so often see the same cycles being repeated in families. If you recognise patterns of addiction ….. illness ….. violence ….. divorce ….. in your family lines ….. you can break the cycle. By acknowledging it ….. asking forgiveness ….. and making a u turn ….. with God’s help you can begin a new legacy of blessing that will affect the next thousand generations. Now that’s a life well lived!

Sue’s Views

You may feel small and insignificant but your life impacts others. Like the ripple effect on a lake ….. your realm of influence gets bigger and wider. You will never know how effective you’ve been ….. but God does! He sees every act of kindness ….. even those done in secret. He hears every prayer prayed behind closed doors. You may not receive thanks or recognition in this world but you are investing in Heaven where the interest will be amazing!

Sue’s Views

In the ‘Sound of Music’ ….. Maria got the children to think of their favourite things when they were afraid. It got them from being scared of a thunderstorm to singing and dancing for joy! It was good advice ….. because it changed their focus. Whatever we focus on will be magnified. When we focus on how big our problems are ….. they get bigger. When we focus on hurts from the past ….. they go deeper. By focussing on things that bring us joy ….. the chemistry in our body changes! We create feel good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. Make sure you have a list of things at your disposal that bring you joy.

Sue’s Views

We can’t all be perfect! These carrots are branded ‘The Odd Bunch’ ….. and I guess that pretty much sums us up! We come in all shapes and sizes ….. and we are all a little quirky in one way or another. How do you measure perfection anyway? When is it good enough? There has only been one person who is perfect ….. and He changed places with me so that I can be perfectly acceptable to God. Isn’t that amazing?  I can assure you that these carrots taste just as good as ones that are ‘perfectly shaped’!

Sue’s Views

Just as this sun dial will only work if it is in the right position ….. so it is with our conscience. Right and wrong are not just a matter of opinion. When we line our thinking up with God’s Word ….. we can trust our conscience to let us know when we get off course. It’s up to us how we respond. True north will not change course just because we want to go in another direction!

Do you sometimes fear stepping out in case you get it wrong? God is like a Dad watching his child walk for the first time. He lets go of his hand ….. but He’s right there to catch him if he falls. When he inevitably enters a ‘no go zone’ ….. Dad turns him around to point him in the right direction. God will do the same for you! You can trust Him to guide you and to catch you if you fall!

Sue’s Views

We all have those grey days when everything looks hopeless. We can so easily become negative. We don’t like what we see in the mirror ….. on the scales ….. in the bank balance. We misread people’s expressions or words as being judgemental ….. and get defensive. These are not the times for making decisions! Know this ….. things are not always as they seem. Behind those grey clouds ….. the sun is shining and waiting to reveal a true reflection.

Sue’s Views

Doctors are discovering that many diseases are connected to our thoughts and emotions. When we are angry and resentful ….. our bodies produce adrenaline and other stress hormones. As these build up ….. they are toxic to the human body. Medications that are prescribed to lower these levels may help temporarily but the root cause remains. Each time we remember the event that made us angry ….. we relive the trauma. The best medication is forgiveness! Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right ….. it releases you from the burden of holding them hostage. Before you grab those pills or pour that drink ….. ask yourself ‘Is there someone I need to forgive?’