Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

Last week ….. my calendar was very full. As I contemplated the days to come ….. I began to feel overwhelmed but each event was out of my control. I prayed for strength and help ….. and the week turned out to be nowhere near as demanding as I had thought. So much of our stress comes from the anticipation rather than the actual! We are complex creatures! Spirit ….. Soul ….. and Body! The three work in conjunction and affect one another. Many physical illnesses are a result of our mental processing. But it’s also true that much mental disease is a result of our spiritual health. When God is at the centre ….. everything else will take its rightful place. Who you worship will determine how you think ….. and what you believe will determine how you treat your body! My prayer for you today is:

‘Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.’ 3 John 1:2

Sue’s Views

With more and more people being exposed to Omicron ….. many are having to discover a whole new way of living. Isolation is so foreign to most of us. Some are better than others at being in their own company! But knowing there are others in the same situation should help combat the loneliness. Take the opportunity to rest! For those who have families to look after ….. I pray God will provide the peace and protection of your household. Remember ….. this too shall pass!

‘For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’ 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Sue’s Views

During the storm last week ….. many branches came off trees. I was actually sitting under a Pohutukawa tree watching the waves when I decided maybe that was not a very wise thing to do! But storms have a way of separating the weaker branches. Jesus taught his disciples to ‘abide in the vine’. Branches that are not firmly connected to the tree will not produce any fruit ….. and will therefore be cut off. It’s in the storms of life that we really need to be connected to the source of life ….. strength ….. and sustenance. Jesus is the Vine ….. and we are the branches. How is your relationship with Him. Are you firmly connected or are you barely hanging on? How will you fare in a storm? Now is the time to strengthen that connection before the next storm comes!

Sue’s Views

What does freedom mean to you? Does it mean being able to do what you want? Having no one telling you what to do? Or does it mean being free to choose what is right? The problem is ….. there are so many different opinions about what is right! This was the situation when mankind turned their backs on God and wanted to do things their way. They went from one tyranny to another.

‘In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.’ Judges 17:5. 

I’m all for the freedom protests! I don’t like the mandates because I don’t believe they are in our best interest. But the only way to true freedom is through Jesus, the Son of God. Only when we live according to His will can we know true freedom!

‘So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.’ John 8:36

Sue’s Views

This photo is a great illustration of how the devil works. The tree represents your life. The roots ….. your belief system. His method ….. lies! He attacks the roots by questioning your beliefs ….. and by slowly eroding the way you think. Erosion takes place over time. Everything looks ok above the ground ….. but underneath there is instability and insecurity. Why does he attack us? Because he hates truth! He twists and turns it like these roots until we no longer know what’s right or wrong. Right now the devil is working overtime to bring confusion and division. He asks ‘Did God really say …..?’ So we need to know what God did really say! God’s Word is the standard which exposes the lies.

Sue’s Views

One of the aims of our few days away last weekend was to hear more clearly from God. I seem to connect with Him best while walking ….. and especially on a nice long sandy beach! So with great anticipation ….. I waited for my ‘message’from Heaven! By the third day ….. I heard loud and clear the words ‘Trust Me’! ‘Surely that’s not it!’ I thought. Two words? But as I continued to ponder on them ….. I realised they are probably the most powerful two words in the English language. They are the answer to every question ….. problem ….. and dream! We so often want an answer that is specific to our needs. He says ‘Trust Me!’ We look for a way out of a difficult challenge. God says ‘Trust Me!’ We want to see our dreams fulfilled. He whispers ‘Trust Me!’ Those words ….. when obeyed ….. can see battles won ….. lives changed ….. and things that don’t exist become reality. Of course I still ask my questions ….. but before I get them out ….. I hear those two words ‘Trust Me’! I hope that helps someone today!

Sue’s Views

‘Love is in the air’ ….. but it doesn’t necessarily mean seeing eye to eye! Having been married 45 years to someone who is as opposite to me as they come ….. we have both had to learn that true love is hard work! It means learning to walk in their shoes ….. sacrificing your own will for theirs ….. learning to speak their love language when it’s foreign to yours ….. and choosing to ‘love’ when you don’t necessarily ‘like’. Sorry to spoil the Valentines Day vibe ….. but if you want to find true love ….. it will cost you more than flowers and chocolates! It will cost you your pride ….. your rights ….. and your self. But it leads to a love that money can’t buy. We are still learning. That’s why marriage is ‘till death us do part’. It takes a lifetime!

Sue’s Views

We are spending a few days at my ‘happy place’. After five minutes of this view ….. I began to feel the tension leave my mind and body. As I focussed on the One who created the vast oceans ….. separated them from the land ….. and set their boundaries ….. the craziness of the world began to pale in comparison to the greatness of our God. Peter was able to walk on water while He focussed on Jesus ….. but as soon as he turned his eyes towards the waves ….. he began to drown. Whatever ‘storm’ you are facing today ….. keep your eyes on the One who calms the storm ….. heals the sick ….. provides for the poor ….. and brings order out of chaos! I’m not talking about being in denial ….. it’s about seeing things from God’s perspective. That’s where the power to make a difference comes from.

Sue’s Views

As things becomes more and more volatile around the world ….. let’s remember what the battle is really about. 

‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ Ephesians 6:12

The battle began when Lucifer wanted to be God. He wasn’t content with being the leading angel. He wanted to be the boss! He used deception and coercion to influence other angels and humans ….. and so the battle has raged ever since. It’s a spiritual battle and can only be fought with spiritual weapons. Prayer ….. declaring God’s Word ….. taking our authority in Jesus Name ….. and living in obedience to God ….. are some of these weapons that are ‘mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds.’ 

No amount of talking ….. arguing ….. or fighting will do it. Let’s unite against the real enemy!

Sue’s Views

The sound of the cicadas was ear piercingly loud yesterday ….. but I couldn’t find one! Either they were playing hide and seek ….. or I need to go to Specsavers! I finally gave up looking for the source and decided that the sound was evidence enough of their existence. Many don’t believe in God because they can’t see Him ….. but the evidence is all around us! 

‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’ Romans 1:20