Chocolate Truffles & Bacon

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

Chocolate truffles and bacon

That’s all it took

for me to fall into the ditch

from my higher road

Resolved to eat better,

I was on my way

less sweets

less carbs

more exercise

The usual song and dance

for many a New Year enthusiast

only 13 days in…

But it had been a rough day

and I really wanted to eat bacon

and I really wanted to eat truffles

and I jumped in

with both feet

Not just a little

but a lot

and man it tasted good!

Then

the after…

the feeling crummy

the regret

the guilt

the sigh

Isn’t it that way with sin?

Without vigilance

we can find ourselves

up to our necks in it

Sin can be so tasty

But there is always the after

and in Jesus

we are free from those chains!

Sin reigns no more in us

because of Christ!

So when we choose to sin

it’s like bacon and chocolate truffles

It is blatant

it’s because we haven’t taken up our armor

Something is slipping

and I have left myself exposed

without a piece of my armor

Flesh exposed

And I’m not just talking

about the supposed “biggies” of sin

How often do we know

the Holy Spirit is pricking our hearts

when we start to speak gossip about another?

And we know we should stop

but we’ve already started

so we jump in deeper

because we’re already there

Run from sin’s snare!

Christ will fight for us

We need to surrender to Him

Don’t be burdened with slavery

free Warrior

– Susie Stewart

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

– Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

– Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

– Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

– Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

Photos taken by Susie Stewart and Arik Stewart

Not Safe

January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

We are not all called to go to El Salvador, or Moscow, or Calcutta, or even the slums of New York, but none of us will escape the moment when we have to decide whether to withdraw, to play it safe, or to act upon what we prayerfully believe to be right, knowing that with all our prayers we may be wrong, and knowing that we will probably be punished by those who do not want universe-disturbers to stand up and be counted. Perhaps what we are called to do may not seem like much, but the butterfly is a small creature to affect galaxies thousands of light years away.
– Madeleine L’Engle

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed Him.

A little farther up the shore He saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And He called them to come, too. They immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
– Matthew 4:18-22 (NLT)

Life is short, hell is hot and eternity is forever!!! The world has NEVER been impacted by Christians who spend their whole lives in a car seat and beg God to never let anything bad happen to them!

Ask HIM to set you on fire with HIS plans…and THEN GO FOR IT!

– Perry Noble

My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus’ words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to Him.

– David Platt

Photo Taken by Arik Stewart

Infinite

January 11, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

I feel the tug

the Martha in my head

pressuring me to go

to do other things

to leave

And my heart longs

to sit here at Your feet

to gaze into Your beautiful eyes

to hear You

to learn and grow

to connect

So many distractions

pulling me away

an infinite amount it seems

And yet

what my heart and soul truly want

is You

Jesus

truly Infinite

truly Fulfilling

truly the Better

place to be

at Your feet

May the seemingly infinite

distractions

be overruled

by my desire to connect

with my Infinite God

– Susie Stewart

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

– Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

– Galatians 5:16,17 (ESV)

Brothers and sisters, because of the blood of Jesus we can now confidently go into the holy place. Jesus has opened a new and living way for us to go through the curtain. (The curtain is his own body.) We have a superior priest in charge of God’s house. We have been sprinkled with his blood to free us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with clean water. So we must continue to come to Him with a sincere heart and strong faith.

– Hebrews 10:19-22 (GW)

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Remarkable Existence

January 10, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

O Lord my God, how great You are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
You lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
You ride upon the wings of the wind.
The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.

You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels You decreed.
Then You set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.

You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.

May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all He has made!
The earth trembles at His glance;
the mountains smoke at His touch.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.

– Psalm 104:1-9, 19-22, 24, 25, 31-34 (NLT)

It is absolutely illogical to believe that nothing produces something, or that profoundly intricate designs have come into existence by self-generation. The more simple and natural conclusion is that there is an immeasurably great Creator and Benefactor back of all the remarkable existences which we observe and experience.
-Gordon Olson

Photo taken by Andy Stewart

God-Man

January 9, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

Jesus was touchable, approachable, reachable. And, what’s more, He was ordinary. If He were here today you probably wouldn’t notice Him as He walked through a shopping mall. He wouldn’t turn heads by the clothes He wore or the jewelry He flashed. ‘Just call me Jesus,’ you can almost hear Him say. He was the kind of fellow you’d invite to watch the Rams – Giants game at your house. He’d wrestle on the floor with your kids, doze on your couch, and cook steaks on your grill. He’d laugh at your jokes and tell a few of His own. And when you spoke, He’d listen to you as if He had all the time in eternity. And one thing’s for sure, you’d invite Him back.
– Max Lucado

Christ Jesus… being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!
– Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)

Jesus is like us in every respect—human body, heart, mind, and will—except for sin.

How amazing that the divine Son of God would not just take on part of our humanity but all of it—and then take that true humanity all the way to the cross for us.

Jesus took a human body to save our bodies. And he took a human mind to save our minds. Without becoming man in his emotions, he could not have saved our emotions. And without taking a human will, he could not save our will. In the words of Gregory of Nazianzus, “That which he has not assumed he has not healed.”

He became man in full so that he might save us in full. Hallelujah! What a marvelous Savior!

– David Mathis

For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.

– Hebrews 2:17 (NIV)

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.

– Hebrews 4:15 (NLT)

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Offended

January 8, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

I’ve been realizing more and more that being offended is a choice. And really, when I concentrate so much on a person who offends me, I’m not able to concentrate on God or where He’s leading me. I’m spending too much time and energy thinking about how I’ve been offended. I’m thankful that God doesn’t do that with me. I’ve given Him plenty to be offended about. I heard Michael W. Smith speaking on a video once and he said something like, “I’ve made it my goal to never be offended by another person again.” That really made me think! How often do I get bent out of shape by another’s actions or attitudes when my focus really just needs to be on Jesus and running this race He’s called me to, and to extending the grace that’s been given to me.

– Susie Stewart

Therefore, I accept weakness, mistreatment, hardship, persecution, and difficulties suffered for Christ. It’s clear that when I’m weak, I’m strong.

– 2 Corinthians 12:10 (GW)

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.

– Psalm 109:4 (ESV)

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

– John 8:36 (ESV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

– Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Photo taken by Arik Stewart

Created

January 7, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

So many of us are marveled by His majestic power via His nature; the nature that He created and called “good”, but we so often fail to have that same sense of awe with each other…. He created all of us and called us “VERY GOOD”. The best of all that He created! Besides His Spirit that He gave us, WE, ALL HUMANS (no matter race, socioeconomic boundaries, culture, religion, or anything that we have done nor will do), are the closest thing we have to experiencing God Himself. That’s a priority changer huh? Yes, it’s wonderful and perfectly rigtheous to glorify God by marveling at His nature, but there is so much beauty we are missing in our neighbors, people we pass by every day, and we even miss it in our spouses, family, and best friends. Convicting huh? I do it all the time, and if you’re honest with yourself, you do to. We are made in the VERY LIKENESS OF GOD, let’s start treating each other that way (even if they aren’t perfect like He is). Yes, I know a tree doesn’t talk back to you, drive slow on the freeway, or act selfishly, but a tree also doesn’t have the capability of deep meaningful conversations, loving you, building you up when you’re down, or making you cheesecake either. People are more AWEsome than we give each other credit for. Be marveled at someone today because God has already said they are VERY GOOD, and afterall, we ARE made in His image.

– Taylor Bodin

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

– Job 33:4 (NIV)

Then God said, “Let Us make human beings in Our image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in His own image.
In the image of God He created them;
male and female He created them.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:26-28 (NLT)

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

– Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Rest

January 5, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

To every toiling, heavy-laden sinner, Jesus says, Come to me and rest. But there are many toiling, heavy-laden believers, too. For them this same invitation is meant. Note well the words of Jesus, if you are heavy-laden with your service, and do not mistake it. It is not, Go, labor on, as perhaps you imagine. On the contrary, it is stop, turn back, Come to me and rest. Never, never did Christ send a heavy laden one to work; never, never did He send a hungry one, a weary one, a sick or sorrowing one, away on any service. For such the Bible only says, Come, come, come.”

– Hudson Taylor
My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.
– Exodus 33:14 (NIV)
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

– Psalm 62:1,2 (NIV)
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

– Matthew 11:28, 29 (NIV)
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

– Psalm 116:7 (NIV)

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Doors

January 4, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

No matter how hard you try to open that door,

to break it down

No matter how much you want something,

or someone

If God closes that door,

it won’t be opened to you.

Rest in His love,

and wide scope of your life.

– Susie Stewart

…the Holy One, the True One, and the One who possesses the key of David, which opens the possibilities so that no one can shut them. The One who closes all options so that no one can open…

– Revelation 3:7 (VOICE)

I know what you have done. See, I have opened a door in front of you that no one can shut. You only have a little strength, but you have paid attention to my word and have not denied my name.

– Revelation 3:8 (GW)

…yet not My will, but Yours be done.

– Luke 22:42 (NIV)

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.

– Psalm 9:10 (AMP)

Artistic Illustration done by Carla Autrey

Best News

January 3, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Jesus’ apostles were beaten and murdered for their bold witness, and they rejoiced to suffer for the name of Christ.

What was my reason again for not opening my mouth to speak the Good News?

– Susie Stewart

They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.

The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

– Acts 5:40-42 (NLT)

He preached without fear in the name of the Lord. He talked and argued with the Jews who spoke the Greek language. They kept trying to kill him.

– Acts 9:29 (NLV)

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead.

– Acts 14:29 (NLT)

Always think about Jesus Christ. He was brought back to life and is a descendant of David. This is the Good News that I tell others. I’m suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God’s word is not imprisoned. For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive salvation from Christ Jesus with glory that lasts forever.

– 2 Timothy 2:8-10 (GW)