Every Day

January 13, 2018 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Every

single

day

we make the choice

who we will follow

who we will serve

who, or what, we will bow low to

And we forget

that it is a daily choice

for we think

YESTERDAY I was doing so well

seeking the Lord wholeheartedly

and following His lead

But TODAY

is today

and choose you THIS DAY

whom you will serve

How your time will be spent

If you will kneel before the God of the Universe

Who will rule your day

not forgetting the swirl of enemy soldiers

all about you

distracting

and deceiving

and demoralizing

Bring your thoughts

into agreement with the One who loves you most

Serve Him

Follow Him

Bow to Him

Listen to Him

Speak of Him

Speak to Him

Nothing in all your day

is as important as this

– Susie Stewart

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

– Joshua 24:15 (NLT)

Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

-Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

– Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart

The Most Important Blog You Will Ever Read

January 17, 2017January 17, 2017 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

As your friend

I must tell you something

And maybe it’s kind of familiar

but read it carefully

for everything depends on it

Everything.

So here it is…

You will either confess Jesus

as your Lord and Savior here on earth

which will bring you salvation

Or you will confess Jesus

as the Lord and Savior before His judgment throne

which will bring you condemnation

forever

Either way

you WILL confess Jesus

Take the opportunity NOW

to turn to grace, life and love

for once your life on earth

is over

your confession

will only bring you death

And if you read this blog

and you disregard its truth

you can be sure

that you will think of my words

when you stand before God

ALONE

without an excuse

– Susie Stewart

So God raised Him up to the highest place
and gave Him the name above all.
So when His name is called,
every knee will bow,
in heaven, on earth, and below.
And every tongue will confess
“Jesus, the Anointed One, is Lord,”
to the glory of God our Father!

– Philippians 2:9-11 (VOICE)

For it is written, “As I live, so I promise,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow down to Me. Every tongue will confess to God.”

– Romans 14:11 (VOICE)

I have bound myself with an oath. A word has gone out from my righteous mouth that will not be recalled, “Every knee will bow to me and every tongue will swear allegiance.”

– Isaiah 45:23 (GW)

…He has planted eternity in the human heart…

– Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

…each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…

– Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)

I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth. And then I saw all the dead, great and small, standing there—before the Throne! And books were opened. Then another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, by the way they had lived. Sea released its dead, Death and Hell turned in their dead. Each man and woman was judged by the way he or she had lived. Then Death and Hell were hurled into Lake Fire. This is the second death—Lake Fire. Anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the Book of Life was hurled into Lake Fire.

– Revelation 20:11-15 (MSG)

…when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power.

– 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Strong Tower

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

There is only one Name

that wields unimaginable power

That is the Name of the LORD

And when I need strength

sheltering

protection

comfort

It is the Name I call

the Name I flee to

This Name

in fact

is a Strong Tower

for those who trust God

with their lives

Calling on the Name of YHWH

when fleeing darkness

causes the darkness

to flee

It exasperates evil

I stand atop that LORD tower

and look down at the one who would destroy me

He cannot reach me

and I am secure

May I never seek anything

before You and Your strong Name, God,

My LORD

My Tower

secure

fortified

and strong

– Susie Stewart

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].

– Proverbs 18:10 (AMP)

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy.

– Matthew 6:9 (NLT)

So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.

And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
“Jesus Christ is Lord!”

– Philippians 2:10-11 (GW)

No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of His name.

– Exodus 10:7 (MSG)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Peace Sought

December 18, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

You who serve

the Prince of Peace

how are You

PURSUING

peace?

Do you run toward it

do you choose the opposite?

The Lord

would have you

SEEK peace

Which means

you diligently look for it

you hunger for it

and your first step in peace-seeking

is to quiet yourself

before the Prince

before the King

and the next

is to quiet yourself

before those

you don’t want to quiet yourself before

And the third thing to do

is to be alert and aware

of triggers in you

of the enemy’s tactics

of the ways people choose division

and choose peace

Pursue it

Seek it

Live it

Let it take root

in your heart

– Susie Stewart

…seek peace and pursue it.

– Psalm 34:14 (NIV)

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

– Romans 12:18 (NIV)

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

– Romans 12:17-19 (MSG)

Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].

– Colossians 3:15 (AMP)

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

– Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Closer

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

The closer I get to You

Lord

the less I desire the praise of people

the less I desire to please them

the less I am offended by them.

I gaze at You

and all the empty spaces are filled up.

– Susie Stewart

One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.

– Psalm 27:4 (AMP)

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?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

Photo by Gracie Oertli

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

Consecrate

November 5, 2014January 5, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

“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. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:1,2 (NLT)

Have you ever had times when the Lord was telling you to drop something, to strip yourself of it, to let it go? That you will be lighter, more free, less encumbered, more effective.

And yet…….

Ugh.

That’s where I am today. And have been. It has bee an actual mental, emotional, even physical struggle. I keep pulling back what I think I have already surrendered. Why have I been dragging my feet in the dirt?

Control.

Simply that.

My pride doesn’t want to give up control.

I want to effect the outcome.

I want to manage this.

I want.

I want…..

In the book of Joshua, chapter three verse five, it says that Joshua told the Israelites, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” God has been reminding me of this verse a number of times recently.

He has been speaking.

I’ve been hearing Him.

And I’ve been… well, I have not been allowing the Holy Spirit to permeate every corner, to consecrate my faith walk.

That would take complete surrender.

Not surrendering is so exhausting.

It’s like running the race in your coat and snow pants.

That sin, that extra weight that trips us up, its heavy.

Stripping ourselves of that weight, consecrating ourselves before our Lord, is essential for running with endurance.

“Tomorrow” God is going to do something amazing!

How can that be if I’m caught up in yesterday?

My surrender of the “high places” needs to happen today.

It’s not to be saved for later.

Today.

“They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places……..Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.” 2 Kings 17:32 & 41

These things that we hang on to, the things that gnaw at us, they become idols we are refusing to give up.

Focus is blurred.

Something else in view. We are straining to see God around “it”.

“Because of the joy before Him, He endured the cross…”

Jesus surrendered. God’s Son endured and took upon Himself that which we want to blindly hold in our tight little fists.

He surrendered and “tomorrow” held amazing things!

He conquered death. And purchased my freedom.

We run with endurance by fixing our eyes on Him.

Not the past.

Not our struggles.

Not other people’s actions.

On Him.

He is the Author and Finisher, the Initiator and Perfecter of my faith.

Time to throw it off.

I much prefer running without the extra weight.

– Susie Stewart

ChoiSes

August 18, 2013January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

I was jogging along this morning,

got to the end of a sidewalk where it forked two ways,

and I came across this:

Hmmm….. Which would YOU choose? Seems pretty obvious. Unfortunately my house was in the direction of the “worst” choise. I wasn’t about to run the long way to get back home so I went right.

It made me think about choises, large and small, that we make throughout our lifetimes.

Selflessness < YOUR CHOISE > Selfishness

Soft Answer < YOUR CHOISE > Harsh Words

Listening Much < YOUR CHOISE > Talking Much About Myself

Disunity < YOUR CHOISE > Unity

Love < YOUR CHOISE > Hate

Truth < YOUR CHOISE > Lie

React < YOUR CHOISE > Respond

Violence < YOUR CHOISE > Peace

Addiction < YOUR CHOISE > Freedom

Give < YOUR CHOISE > Hoard

Cheerfulness < YOUR CHOISE > Negativity

And the list goes on and on.

I have definitely made my share of wrong choises. Some that I seriously regret, but can’t take back. Every one of us has.

Throughout this blog, I deliberately spelled “choice” with an “s” just like our young chalk artist. Spelling it the wrong way on purpose reminds me of how we all make deliberate wrong choices.

Deliberate AND wrong — those are the “worst” choices.

I know better and I choose wrongly.

Praise God, love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), but when I do make the wrong choices, and it’s usually because of self, there is strain, relational scars, and consequences.

But here’s a choice that has ETERNAL consequences:

Love God < YOUR CHOICE > Reject God

If you love God and you believe Him when He says Jesus is the only way to the Father (1 John 14:6), then you make that choice to believe and follow.

The choice is simple, yet SO profound.

Eternity with God < YOUR CHOICE > Eternity apart from God.

I made the choice to be blunt, because it’s important.

Lord, help us make right choices. Give us discernment and a grounded sense of right and wrong

from your Word and Your Spirit.

– Susie Stewart

Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

-Psalm 119:105

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

1 Year Ago Today…

August 17, 2013January 5, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 13 Comments

1 year ago today I was diagnosed with cancer.

I want to thank God for preserving my life and bringing our family through a difficult year. As I look back at pictures from the past year I think of it all as a journey of growth, tears, strengthening, and lots of love. I share some of them here with you to bring my Savior Jesus glory for His goodness, His faithfulness, and His love for me, for my family, and for every person young or old that goes through cancer.

Right after I was diagnosed, special gifts, texts, calls, emails and FB messages started pouring in. What an encouragement! This fruit bouquet came from Dave & Rebecca, my cousin and his wife.

Thank you for the love!

Psalm 112:7

“He will have no fear of bad new; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Our son Arik headed to college a couple weeks after diagnosis. Such mixed emotions.

Psalm 18:28

“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

Our daughter Nicole shared her testimony, which included my recent diagnosis, at Fields of Faith, a teen event, about a week after my lumpectomy surgery.

Psalm 46:1

“God is our Refuge and Strength, an ever-present Help in trouble.”

Andy took me on a getaway to San Francisco before radiation.

Psalm 55:22

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous fall.”

My sweet neighbor Chloe in The Race for the Cure.

John 5:17

“Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at His work, to this very day, and I , too, am working.”

End of radiation celebration. We didn’t yet know I needed chemo.

John 10:27

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”

Hat & Scarf party put on by my sister-in-law Rayna the day before my head was shaved. What a wonderful show of love and support. I used these hats and scarfs to keep warm all through the winter.

Psalm 94:18,19

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping’, Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

First chemo treatment with daughter Nicole.

Psalm 42:5

“Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your trust in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

Nicole bravely shaved my head before the hair started really falling out two weeks after chemo started.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Trying to get used to the new norm.

2 Corinthians 4:8

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Wig-wearing began.

2 Corinthians 4:18

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Reading during chemo.

Ephesians 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

6 chemo treatments 3 weeks apart. My special “chemo-sabis” with me each time.

Psalm 138:8

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever – Do not abandon the works of your hands.”

Time with my friend Don as he was going through chemo too at the same place.

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

So very thankful for my faithful husband, so loving and encouraging in sickness and in health.

Psalm 3:3

“But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”

Christmas morning holding a beautiful scarf my son brought me from his December missions trip to India.

Psalm 18:1,2

“I love You, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my Shield and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.”

Never thought I’d be balder than my sweet dad. 🙂

Isaiah 40:29

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

End of chemo family celebration! I am thankful beyond words for my family’s support!

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Starting to grow hair back.

Isaiah 49:23

“…then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

By God’s grace I was able to go back to Africa in June, feeling good, and co-leading our True Impact Ministries team with my husband Andy! What a gift!

Isaiah 58:9-11

“…If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

One of the blessings of this journey has been meeting other cancer survivors and sharing experiences together.

Philippians 1:6

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Spending time alone with the Lord in the beautiful Colorado mountains.

Isaiah 26:3,4

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trust in you.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”

– Susie Stewart

Lyla

May 15, 2013January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

“We as a family are saddened, but also at peace knowing that God is in control.”

I read over those words in a message from my cousin Scott today. His mother, my Aunt Lyla, was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic and liver cancer. My heart is heavy because I love Lyla. She shines Jesus.

As I thought about writing something about this very difficult news on my mom’s side of the family, the word from this sentence of Scott’s message that has stayed in my head, amazingly, is “but”. This tiny, little three letter word.

It is the word that seemingly connects heaven and earth right now.

We as a family are saddened, BUT…

Not everyone says this little word when there is a cancer diagnosis. Only God makes this word possible. Only God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is sorrow and there is suffering here.

But.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…” 2 Corinthians 4:8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our hearts and minds grow faint with grief.

But.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life is hard here.

But.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body….” Philippians 3:20

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad news will come.

But.

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Psalm 112:7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life doesn’t always go the way we planned.

But.

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life seems to have kicked me down.

But.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Aunt Lyla. “She’s an amazing example of God’s peace and comfort. She’s confident in her faith and knows life doesn’t end here,” Scott says of his mother. That’s because she knows she is a victor, no matter what!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

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And here is why……. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son…” Galatians 4:4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heaven and earth connected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love you, Aunt Lyla. You are an example of Christ to me and countless people who love you. You may have been given a diagnosis, but you are a victor, conqueror, dearly loved by God, redeemed, precious. You are in the palm of His hand, just as you have always been.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

– Susie Stewart

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