Month: August 2017

The Only Thing

/ Susie Stewart / 6 Comments

Some day

when my spirit soars to God’s side

 

the only thing

I really care to be known for on this earth

 

is that I made Jesus known

and lived my life for Him

 

for His glory

 

I care that people know

that I love Him

 

with my heart

mind

soul

and strength

 

and that they would be drawn

to His unbelievably fierce love and grace

 

knowing that I love them unconditionally

as He loves me

 

No matter the trials

no matter the pain

 

my life is about Him

and His renown

 

Nothing else

 

matters

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

– Philippians 3:7-11 (MSG)

 

We love because He first loved us.

– 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Solid

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Keep your focus

on the target that doesn’t move

 

All distracting targets move about

and are unpredictable

 

Fix your gaze on the Lord

 

And don’t look for fulfillment

in what is seen

 

for what is unseen

makes all of that pale and meaningless

 

Fix your gaze on the Lord

 

And don’t spend all your time thinking about

this temporary world

 

for it is not meant to last

and all will be stripped away

 

Fix your gaze on the Lord

 

Don’t trust in that which is fallible

and worldly

 

Fix your gaze on the Lord

 

Unmovable

Immutable

Undefeated

 

Our Rock

 
Solid and trustworthy

is our Lord

 

– Susie Stewart

 

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 4:18 (NIV)

 

Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.

– Hebrews 12:2 (VOICE)

 

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our Apostle and High Priest.

– Hebrews 3:1 (NIV)

 

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

– Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG)

 

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

– Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

 

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.

– Proverbs 4:23-27 (MSG)

 

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

– Matthew 5:19-23 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

 

 

CircumSTANCE

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

What is your stance

on your circumstance?

 

Do you only feel God is good

when life is trouble-free?

 

Do you only draw near to Him

when you think He is making things easier?

 

Or do you cling to

His faithfulness

His constant love

His unchanging nature

 

His holiness

 

in this imperfect life?

 

You see, He has warned all of us

that life here will not be easy

 

and that trials will pile up

upon trials

 

He

warned

us

 

And then

He made a promise

 

“I will never leave you.”

 

And He doesn’t

 

So when you are tempted to take the

“I’m mad at God” stance

in your circumstance

 

Remember

 

that He is the One you need most

at

all

times

 

especially in those trials

 

and that His love

does not shoot arrows

to make your life miserable

 

He is the One

who holds your tears

and provides

just when you need it

 

Your stance

in your circumstance

should be

 

I am confident in His perfection and goodness and love

in the brokenness of earthly life

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

– John 16:33 (AMP)

 

…God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.”

– Hebrews 13:5 (GW)

 

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    He’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give Him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under His loving correction.
It’s the child He loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

– Proverbs 3:5-12 (MSG)

 

My help and glory are in God
    —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
So trust Him absolutely, people;
    lay your lives on the line for Him.
    God is a safe place to be.

– Psalm 62:7-8 (MSG)

 

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in people.

– Psalm 118:8 (NLT)

 

For the Eternal will be a shelter for those who know misery, a refuge during troubling times.

– Psalm 9:9 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart taken in the deserts of Israel

 

 

 

 

 

Morning

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

As the pink-orange sun

slices through the morning haze

 

I bow my day to You, Lord

 

I gaze at Your beauty

with new morning eyes

 

I take in Your love

and I breathe it back

 

And quiet peace

grounds me to You

 

The colors of morning

draw me to Your side

 

and I enjoy You,

my beautiful

beautiful

God

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.

– Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

 

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

– Romans 1:20 (NLT)

 

Then God surveyed everything He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating its goodness. Evening gave way to morning.

– Genesis 1:31 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Spirit Walk

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

Holy Spirit

guide my mind and heart

this day

 

May I not heed

pop culture’s grasp

emotion’s wave

accolade’s hold

comfort’s woo

distraction’s tug

 

 

the wisdom of this world

or the lies of the enemy

 

May I follow You

wherever that leads me

 

confident in my trustworthy God

who sees the big picture

from eternity’s standpoint

 

Holy Spirit

lead on

into my unknown day

 

known by You

alone

 

– Susie Stewart

 

So now, where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the skilled debater, the best of your time? Step up, if you dare. Hasn’t God made fools out of those who count on the wisdom of this rebellious, broken world?

– 1 Corinthians 1:20 (VOICE)

 

When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, He was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit led Him away from the cities and towns and out into the desert.

– Luke 4:1 (VOICE)

 

If the Spirit of God is leading you, then take comfort in knowing you are His children.

– Romans 8:14 (VOICE)

 

Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit.

– Galatians 5:25 (VOICE)

 

But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

– Mark 13:11 (VOICE)

 

The Spirit of truth will come and guide you in all truth. He will not speak His own words to you; He will speak what He hears, revealing to you the things to come and bringing glory to Me. The Spirit has unlimited access to Me, to all that I possess and know, just as everything the Father has is Mine. That is the reason I am confident He will care for My own and reveal the path to you.

– John 16:13 (VOICE)

 

But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

– Acts 20:22-24 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

So Much

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

It is heavy

and overwhelming

and takes your breath away

 

It is the weight

of God’s glory

 

It is unending

and all-encompassing

and relentless

 

It is God’s grace

toward you

 

It is stubborn

and pushy

and raw

 

It is love,

God’s incredible love for you

 

All for you

 

All of it

weighs you down

and overwhelms

and chases you

 

until you relent

under His beautiful

pressure

 

and therein

find your peace

security

and hope

 

– Susie Stewart

 

All the loneliness, angers, hatreds, envies and itchings that [this world] contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all.

– C.S. Lewis

 

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

– John 1:14 (NLT)

 

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make Him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

– Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)

 

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

– John 15;13 (NLT)

 

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!

– Psalm 139:1-7 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

 

Know New

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

The enemy of your soul

would like you to believe

that new is not possible

 

He would like you to believe

that you are stuck

 

with no way out

 

He would like you to believe

that you are

your sin

 

and that condemnation weight

cannot leave

 

BUT

 

The Lord wants you to know

that He makes all things

NEW

 

He wants you to experience

His mercies in the morning

 

He wants you to see

all that He is doing in you

 

and to believe

that you have

a new day in Him

 

New life

New mercies

New day

New you

 

Renewed and redeemed

over and over and over

 

that is your destiny

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP)

 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

– Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

 

Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You.

– Psalm 143:8 (NLT)

 

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness;
    His mercies begin afresh each morning.

– Lamentations 3:22,23 (NLT)

 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

– John 10:10 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

 

 

 

Cherished

/ Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

It is hard to put into words

what I’m feeling today

 

for my boy,

who became a man,

 

the boy

who I spent minutes

and hours

and days

and weeks

and months

and years

 

nurturing

 

found a beautiful girl

and will marry her today

 

and he loves her

 

Such depth of love they have

and it enlarges my heart

 

 

And joy is right on the tip of my tongue

this day

while melancholy is not far behind

 

My thoughts are all over

 

This child I have poured into

will hold fast to the beautiful girl

 

He will be a husband,

and a good one too

 

And all those minutes

and hours

and days

and weeks

and months

and years

are cherished in my full heart

 

knowing they were worth it

 

and thanking God

for the love He has allowed me to share with this child

 

I gladly

with joy

and a few tears

hold my arms open

 

for both

when it used to be for one

 

for that is the way it is meant to be

and my mama heart knows it

 

and I will add it to my memories

fully cherished

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

– 3 John 1:4 (NIV)

 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

– Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

 

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

– 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)

 

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