Isaiah

Come

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You hear my heart

as I turn to You

 

You know my thoughts

not a single one missed

 

No pompous prayer needed

or pretentious posture required

 

I come as I am

in what state I am in

 

The highs and the lows

bowed before Love

 

Imperfect speaking to Perfect

adoring one another

 

All bowed down

 

– Susie Stewart

 

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

-1 john 1:2-4 (MSG)

 

“…those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them.”

– John 6:37 (NLT)

 

“Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.”

– Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

– Revelation 22:17 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Not Good Enough

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

If any of us waited to get our act together

before coming to Christ,

we’d all still be waiting

 

We will never be good enough to approach God

on your own merit

 

That’s why we all need a Savior

And that’s why it’s called “asking Him into your heart”

 

We accept in our heart of hearts

that He is indeed the Savior

 

And we are the saved

 

His perfect sacrifice was the only thing

that could rescue us out of our mess

 

Thank you, my precious Lord,

Savior of the not good enough

 

Because You are

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented Himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.

Romans 5:7-9 (MSG)

 

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

– Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)

 

Don’t be mistaken; in and of ourselves we know we have little to offer, but any competence or value we have comes from God.

– 2 Corinthians 3:5 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

A New Day

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

God can give you

a new day

 

in the middle of your moment

in the middle of your day

in the middle of your life

 

He’s all about new

 

He refreshes

He restarts

He renews

He begins

 

What was broken

can be repaired

 

What was torn apart

can be mended

 

What is tired

can be made alive

 

Jesus

can bring anything

to new life

 

After all,

He specializes

in death to life

 

You can count on Him

for a new day

 

But you’ve got to turn to Him

in humility

for all things new

 

 

We can be stuck

and stubborn

and unrelenting

 

preventing new

 

He wants us free

He wants to bring new

 

We need to let Him

 

– Susie Stewart

 

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

 

Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

– Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

 

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)

 

…You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.

– Ephesians 4:20-24 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

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

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

 

Moldable

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Would I rather stay a lump of clay,

or be molded

into something beautiful?

 

Would I rather be safe?

Or would I rather experience life

in abundance?

 

Would I rather God grow me through the tough stuff

or stay unchanged,

stagnant?

 

He uses all for my good,

and I can rely on this promise

 

I trust Him to mold me

with His loving hands

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Still, Eternal One, You are our Father.

We are just clay, and You are the potter.
We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth.

– Isaiah 64:8 (VOICE)

 

We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.

– Romans 8:28 (VOICE)

 

Every man’s character remains as it is, or continues in the direction in which it is going, until it is compelled by IMPRESSED FORCES to change that state. Our failure has been the failure to put ourselves in the way of the impressed forces. There is a clay, and there is a Potter; we have tried to get the clay to mould the clay.

– Henry Drummond

 

What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’

– Isaiah 45:9 (NLT)

 

Online photo

All His

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to Him.

For He laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

– Psalm 24:1-2 (NLT)

 

You established all of it, God

 

You created it all, every thing and every person

 

and even though some do not acknowledge You

or they shake their fists at You

 

it’s still all Yours

and always will be

 

You spoke

and it all appeared

 

You created in love and power

 

God, You sustain us

and I am so grateful

 

that the One who spoke life into

oceans and galaxies and babies and whales

 

loves me

and I am Yours

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are Mine.

When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior….

…you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

– Isaiah43:1-4 (NLT)

 

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.

 -Revelation 21:3 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Defender

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

He is defending you,

firm and resolute in your corner

 

He Himself,

when all others have turned away

 

The God of the Universe

is your defense

your strength

your vindication

 

And isn’t it so good

to have a Defender

who sees all?

 

Who sees what you are going through?

 

Who sees what is not fair

or right?

 

Be at peace knowing

that He’s got you

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The LORD, the LORD Himself, is my strength and my defense;  He has become my salvation.

– Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)

 

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. …The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

– Exodus 14:13,14 (NIV)

 

I love you, Lord;
You are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and He saved me from my enemies.
The ropes of death entangled me;
floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from His sanctuary;
my cry to Him reached His ears.
Then the earth quaked and trembled.
The foundations of the mountains shook;
they quaked because of His anger.
Smoke poured from His nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from His mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from Him.
He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath His feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, He flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded Himself in darkness,
veiling His approach with dark rain clouds.
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around Him
and rained down hail and burning coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded
amid the hail and burning coals.
He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies;
great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.
Then at your command, O Lord,
at the blast of your breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
but the Lord supported me.
He led me to a place of safety;
He rescued me because He delights in me.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
He restored me because of my innocence.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
I have followed all his regulations;
I have never abandoned His decrees.
I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right.
He has seen my innocence.
-Psalm 18:1-34 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

My brother, Danny Oertli – “Fight For Me”

Spirit Gift

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Walk in His Spirit

Speak in His Spirit

Rest in His Spirit

Serve in His Spirit

Love in His Spirit

Be Strong in His Spirit

Be wise in His Spirit

Hear His Spirit

 

Do you realize

the gift the Holy spirit is?  

 

And do you realize 

how many times you are trying

to do it all in your own strength?

 

Trust the Holy Spirit in you

to be everything for you

 

– Susie Stewart

 

But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

– Acts 6:10 (NIV)

 

I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.

– John 14:25-27 (MSG)

 

A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words.

– Romans 8:26 (VOICE)

 

Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves.

– 1 Corinthians 16:9 (GW)

 

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

– Isaiah 11:2 (NLT)

 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

– 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)

 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

– Acts 1:8 (NIV)

 

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

– 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Andy Stewart

 

No Fear

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

– Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

 

I imagine myself

standing on a mountain

 

when the ground begins to shake

and rocks start to split

 

the noise is deafening

and it’s hard to stay standing

 

I watch as mountains around me

crumble and fall into the sea

 

I stay standing

and I do not fear

 

my senses are heightened

my heart beats fast

 

but I do not fear

 

All is chaos

except inside of me

 

That is trust

 

A refusal to fear

because of who You are, God

 

That is the fearlessness I desire

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].

– Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)

 

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

– 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart