Writing

Cover Up

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You seek to cover

that which is wrong

 

To hide sin

and secrets

and lies

 

As if a thick layer of deception

will do the trick

 

And what is really needed

is a blanket of grace

 

A covering of God

 

Humility, repentance, a turning

from that which you want to cover

 

Rip the blanket off your sin

and accept the robe of righteousness from Him

 

He sees all

and all will be exposed

 

Choose your cover this day

 

– Susie Stewart

 

What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”

– Isaiah 29:15 (NLT)

 

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.

– Ephesians 5:10-14 (NLT) 

 

Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed.

– Luke 8:17 (VOICE)

 

Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

– John 1:16 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Forgive

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

If you are waiting for the offender

to be worthy of your forgiveness,

that time will never come

 

just like it never came for you,

before your righteous God

 

Unworthy, we came to our Savior

and humbly accepted His beautiful gift

of forgiveness

 

And we turn around

and we forgive people

 

Always

 

because we can’t receive forgiveness

and then not give it back out

 

This is not an option

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

– Matthew 6:14,15 (NLT)

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

– 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

 

But You, O Lord our God, still show us compassion and forgiveness even though we have openly rebelled against You.

– Daniel 9:9 (VOICE)

 

You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them. As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.

– Psalm 103:12 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

More and Less

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

The more we grow in Christ

and learn to love Him

and to trust Him

 

the less our peace and joy

are dependent

on people

and circumstances

 

What a relief

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

– Romans 15:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Gift

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Do you know you woke up to a gift today?

 

This day,

this very one,

is a gift

 

You are here,

and your Sustainer

has enabled you to be here

 

We tend to think we are self-sufficient, don’t we?

That all is because of what WE do?

 

No

 

God gifted you with today

 

– Susie Stewart

 

This is the day the Lord has made. Let’s rejoice and be glad today!

– Psalm 118:24 (GW)

 

This is the very day God acted— let’s celebrate and be festive! Salvation now, God. Salvation now! Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

– Psalm 118:24 (MSG)

 

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

 -2 Corinthians 9:15 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Posession

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

We act sometimes

like people are our possessions

 

to be controlled

and manipulated

 

We act as if they should do our bidding

and it comes from a selfish heart

 

But God is the only One

who can safely have people as His possessions

 

 

We are His

because He created us

and because we were bought with a price

 

with the precious blood of Christ

 

His goodness flows to us

because of being under His God-sized umbrella of grace

 

How blessed we are to be

so lovingly called out of darkness

 

to be His own

 

– Susie Stewart

 

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

 – 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

 

Remember you are people who have been set apart for Him; He has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the earth.

– Deuteronomy 14:2 (VOICE)

 

 

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

– 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 (NLT)

 

Photo by Andy Stewart

 

Come

/ Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

The Son is rising

Do you sense it?

 

His return is near

and our enemy knows

his days are numbered

 

The earth and its inhabitants

are groaning

from the spiritual clash

 

The bold in Christ are getting bolder,

and the evil more heinous

 

And I say Come, Lord Jesus!

 

We know you are rising

to take us Home

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us,
who blood-washed our sins from our lives,
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father,
forever—and yes, He’s on His way!
Riding the clouds, He’ll be seen by every eye,
those who mocked and killed Him will see Him,
People from all nations and all times
will tear their clothes in lament.
Oh, Yes.

– Revelation 1:5-7 (MSG)

 

With a loud trumpet call, He will send out battalions of heavenly messengers; and they will gather His beloved faithful elect from the four corners of creation, from one end of heaven to the other.

Now think of the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and greenish, as soon as it begins to sprout leaves, you know to expect summer. In the same way, when you see the wars and the suffering and the false liberators and the desolations, you will know the Son of Man is near—right at the door.

– Matthew 24:31-33 (VOCE)

 

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

– Revelation 22:12-13 (NLT)

 

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

– Revelation 22:20 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Still

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

So often people stay busy

to keep from feeling alone

 

They don’t slow down

for fear that life will not feel meaningful

 

without activity

 

But I have found

that when I am still

that’s when I realize more than ever

that I’m not alone

 

God is always with me

and being still helps me focus

on His being there

 

Stillness

affirms

His existence

to me

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Be still, and know that I am God

– Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

 

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

– 1 Kings 19:11,12 (KJV)

 

I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, who will remain constantly with you.

– John 14:16 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Rain

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Rain down on us

sweet Jesus

 

Living Water, flood us

with Your love

 

We long for Your refreshment

in a dry and weary land

 

Cover us

Drench us

 

With Your kindness

Your forgiveness

Your acceptance

Your joy

Your Light

 

With YOU

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

A song of David while in the wilderness of Judah. O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I seek You with every fiber of my being. In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence.

– Psalm 63:1 (VOICE)

 

Skies above, open up and let the clouds rain down righteousness! Let the earth below sprout triumph and justice. For I, the Eternal, have created them.

– Isaiah 45:8 (VOICE)

 

His voice thunders through the heavens, and the waters gush from the sky; He summons the clouds to build up over the earth. As the rain falls, the lightning flashes at His command; the wind rushes in from where He alone can store it.

– Jeremiah 10:13 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Your Number

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

No matter what you do

or where you go

or who you come into contact with

the Lord has chosen the number of your days

 

You can’t grit your teeth

and will

one extra day

out of life

 

He is the Author,

you are the created

 

He gets to choose

 

And we often don’t understand

why some have 1 day

and some have a 100 years

 

But we trust

 

And we know

that He will fulfill His purposes

for each of our lives

 

– Susie Stewart

 

You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.

– Job 14:5 (NLT)

 

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

– Psalm 138:8 (ESV)

 

You see all things; You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb; Every detail of my life was already written in Your book; You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it.

– Psalm 139:16 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Words

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

– Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

 

Did my words

encourage today?

 

Were they chosen carefully?

 

Did they build people up?

 

Did they affirm

and bring glory to God?

 

Were my words

reflective of the faith I profess?

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (AMP)

 

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.

– Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

 

Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

– 1 Peter 4:8-11 (MSG)

 

Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you.

– Ephesians 4:29 (GW)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart