Sin

Condemn Me Not (with Video by Susie)

/ Susie Stewart / 6 Comments

Condemnation

 

heavy

burden

pain

ache

weight

 

It is what you used to be under

 

but because of the weight of the cross

and the pain He endured

 

you no longer have to be

 

Condemned

 

And if you feel as if you are,

even though Jesus saved you

 

resist it!

 

Open your eyes to freedom

from condemnation

 

The enemy is a tyrant

 

and he will heartlessly

try to convince you

 

that your actions will earn you

a sneer from God

 

and a turning of His back,

leaving you alone

 

BUT

remember Truth!

 

Truth tells us

the love of the Lord for YOU is eternal

 

and there is absolutely no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus

 

So don’t tolerate the weight of it

any longer

 

Confess

and turn

 

For every rule God put before you

is there for your good

 

not to harm

or stifle you

 

Walk in the absolutely

no strings attached

lavish grace

 

of the One who chose

to set you free of condemnation

 

– Susie Stewart

 

…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

– Romans 8:1,2 (NIV)

 

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

– Romans 8:1,2 (MSG)

 

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
    and I know I will not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near.
    Who then will bring charges against me?
    Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
    Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths will eat them up.

– Isaiah 50:7-9 (NIV)

 

The Lord will rescue His servants;
    no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.

– Psalm 34:22 (NIV)

 

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

– James 4:7 (NLT)

 

This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in Him, and He in us: He’s given us life from His life, from His very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent His Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

– 1 John 4:15-18 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

 

Refreshed

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

How refreshing

is Your forgiveness

 

How sweet

Your grace

 

How fierce

Your resolve

 

to save

and redeem

 

And how blessed am I

to receive this gift

 

of Light inside

my very being

 

where darkness

once ruled

 

And how blessed am I

to know

 

I am truly forgiven

by Perfection

 

and that I’m known

for the dust that I am

 

Yet loved beyond reason

 

Forgiveness takes the weight

from the accused

 

and Your forgiveness, Jesus,

took that burden hard

and painfully

 

on Your flesh back

 

so that I

could be refreshed

 

with redemption

 

~ Susie Stewart

 

 

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

– Acts 3:19,20 (NIV)

 

 

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will He harbor His anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is His love for those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on His children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed,
    He remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him,
    and His righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep His covenant
    and remember to obey His precepts.

– Psalm 103:7-18 (NIV)

 

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who grants us every spiritual blessing in these heavenly realms where we live in the Anointed—not because of anything we have done, but because of what He has done for us. God chose us to be in a relationship with Him even before He laid out plans for this world; He wanted us to live holy lives characterized by love, free from sin, and blameless before Him.  He destined us to be adopted as His children through the covenant Jesus the Anointed inaugurated in His sacrificial life. This was His pleasure and His will for us.  Ultimately God is the one worthy of praise for showing us His grace; He is merciful and marvelous, freely giving us these gifts in His Beloved.  Visualize this: His blood freely flowing down the cross, setting us free! We are forgiven for our sinful ways by the richness of His grace, which He has poured all over us.

– Ephesians 1:3-8 (VOICE)

 

 

Photo by Nicole Stewart

 

 

Dark Pit

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

How dark is your pit?

How deep your valley?

 

How far down have you gone?

 

Into sin

Into grief

Into regret

 

That hole of darkness,

is it so all-encompassing

 

that you think

you’ll never see the light of day

again?

 

Even there

God will come for you

 

As long as you are alive

here on planet earth

 

you  will never be so low

that Jesus’ light cannot penetrate your darkness

 

This darkness,

it blinds

 

Wake up

to White Light

 

And He will bring you out

of that pit

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in Me won’t have to stay any longer in the dark.

– John 12:46 (MSG)

 

Everything was created through Him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without Him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

– John 1:3-5 (MSG)

 

I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in Me.

– Acts 26:17, 18 (MSG)

 

Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

– Luke 1:79 (MSG)

 

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

Minority

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Do not be surprised,

dear ones,

that you are in the minority

 

Do not be discouraged

that the masses

are going in a different direction

 

Do not be overwhelmed

by the ugliness

all around you

 

Remember

that you are a lighthouse above the sea

 

You are a city on a hill

distinct from the rest

 

Sanctified

Set apart

 

Your one small flame

penetrates darkness

 

and the darkness

cannot overcome it

 

You are walking

the narrow road

 

while most are running

down the broad highway

 

Have compassion on them,

dear ones

 

Do not despise those

who are blinded by darkness

 

Make your light shine

in their world

 

And hold firm

to your hope

 

– Susie Stewart

 

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

– Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

 

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

– Matthew 7:13, 14 (NLT)

 

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

– Matthew 9:36 (NLT)

 

The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

– John 1:5 (NLT)

 

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)

 

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

– Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)

 

Tempted

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You were pushed to your breaking point,

weren’t you?

 

It was just too much to take

and you had to give in

 

to temptation

 

No one could withstand

that much temptation

 

….except they could

 

Except YOU could…

 

God is faithful to you

and He will not let you

 

be tempted

 

beyond what you can bear

 

And if God is the One

Who causes you to bear it

 

then you don’t need to fail

 

His faithfulness

gives you what you need

 

and there is no excuse that stands

against His promise

 

Take your rightful position

and STAND

against temptation

 

– Susie Stewart

 

No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].

– 1 Corinthians 10:13 (AMP)

 

So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

– James 4:6-8 (MSG)

 

Because Jesus experienced temptation when He suffered, He is able to help others when they are tempted.

– Hebrews 2:18 (GW)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Light in Light

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

In Light

we see Light

 

In darkness

all is dark

 

So, Jesus, open the eyes of the blind!

Awaken them to Light!

 

For the dark

is a scary place to be

 

It’s hopeless…

 

But those who dwell in Light

recognize Your Light

 

and want it

for those in absence of it

 

Those who dwell in blackness

can’t see it

 

Loose them, Lord!

Unbind them!

 

Let us be Your Light

to our fellow-created

 

May Your Light

Pierce the darkness

 

that threatens to overtake

those You love

 

– Susie Stewart

 

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

– Psalm 36:9 (NIV)

 

How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, To eat our fill at the banquet You spread as You fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light.

– Psalm 36:7-9 (MSG)

 

In Your house, they eat and are full at Your table.
They drink from the river of Your overflowing kindness.
You have the fountain of life that quenches our thirst.
Your light has opened our eyes and awakened our souls.

– Psalm 36:8,9 (VOICE)

 

But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.

– Luke 15:32 (GNT)

 

Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say,

“Wake up from your sleep
and rise from death.
Then Christ will shine on you.”

– Ephesians 5:14 CEV)

 

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

– Colossians 2:13 (NLT)

 

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

– Ephesians 2:1-6 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Salvation Strength

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Do you know

the strength of your salvation?

 

Do you know the power at work

in and through you?

 

You were saved for so much more

than you probably even realize

 

Jesus’ death and resurrection

broke the power of death over you

 

And you will live gloriously forever

because of the gift of your salvation

 

Your salvation brings you strong victory over sin

and you are no longer chained to it!

 

You have power in Christ

to overcome sin

to stomp on it

 

and before Christ

you were defenseless against it

 

Your salvation protects you

from the enemy who wants to take you down

 

He has no authority over you

so resist him

 

Your salvation brings you life-giving freedom

from your prison cell

 

and you have the power

to walk in that freedom

 

Your salvation brings you hope

in an uncertain world

and uncertain times

 

and this is a strong and enduring hope

 

Your salvation brings you peace

making you able to stand solid in chaos

 

Your salvation is strength

and defense

and endures forever

 

There is no need

to walk in defeat

 

– Susie Stewart

 

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News….

– Colossians 1:21-23 (NLT)

 

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

– Romans 8:38, 39 (MSG)

 

“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put Me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.

– John 5:24 (MSG)

 

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

– Romans 8:1, 2 (MSG)

 

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

– 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT)

 

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

– John 8:36 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Does He KNOW You?

/ Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

You know that you are going to stand before Him,

right?

 

You will stand before the God of the Universe,

alone

 

And the eyes you look into

will either hold joy

or sorrow

 

And the just Judge

will know

if you’ve known Him

 

He will know if you chose Him

and His grace

 

Or if you chose the world

and your sin

 

And I can’t emphasize enough

the importance of knowing Him NOW

 

For when you stand before Him,

and you will,

He will either welcome you into His Kingdom of Life

 

or He won’t

 

And when you realize that all you had to do

here on earth

was accept grace and love

 

You will forever be in regret

 

that you didn’t know Him

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

– Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

 

Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with Me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what My Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use Me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress Me one bit. You’re out of here.

– Matthew 7:21-23 (MSG)

 

So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, His choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

– 2 Peter 1:10,11 (MSG)

 

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

– John 3:16-18 (MSG)

 

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by My Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed Me, I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink, I was homeless and you gave Me a room, I was shivering and you gave Me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to Me.’

– Matthew 25:35-36 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Bear It No More

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

Heavy

burden

weight of weights

constraining

 

Shame

Guilt

Soul burdened

with wrong-doing weight

 

And I ask you,

Why do you bear it?

 

Why do you carry the shame

the guilt

the burden

of sins past?

 

It is all

nailed to the cross

 

Bear it no more

 

For Jesus carried the heavy

for you

 

He died to take your shame

 

To take away your sin

 

And you do Him an injustice

by trying to carry the weight

that He already bore

 

His sacrifice should bring you freedom

Not burden

 

You have accepted your Savior

Have you accepted grace?

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

– Micah 7:19 (NLT)

 

So now you need to rethink everything and turn to God so your sins will be forgiven and a new day can dawn, days of refreshing times flowing from the Lord.

– Acts 3:19 (VOICE)

 

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.

– John 3:16-18 (MSG)

 

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

A Covering

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Ashamed, we humans

seek to cover sin

 

In hiding

we want to conceal in the dark

the darkness in us

 

And graciously You call us

out of that darkness

into the light

 

For that is where

we find Divine covering

 

You envelope us by Your sacrifice,

with Your blood

 

Defending and shielding

the ones You love

 

So we go from a covering of darkness

to a covering of light

 

Sin is exposed

confessed

redeemed

Out in the open

 

But we are not exposed

 

Your mighty protection

comes over us

as a blanket of light

 

We are saved from our enemies

and from ourselves

 

A heavenly Paternal covering

wrapping us

protecting us

reassuring us

 

May we not underestimate

what a covering of God protection and love

does for us

 

And may we walk in Your righteous ways

making the most of that covering

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.

– Psalm 91:4 (VOICE)

 

You, O Eternal, are the One who lays all good things in the laps of the right-hearted. Your blessings surround them like a shield.

– Psalm 5:12 (VOICE)

 

The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield; My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him.

– Psalm 28:7 (AMP)

 

I passed by you again and saw you were old enough to love and to be loved, so I offered Myself to you in marriage. I wrapped my garment over you to cover your nakedness. Then I gave you My divine promise to always be your Beloved, and I entered the sacred covenant of marriage with you. I wed you, and you became Mine.

– Ezekiel 16:8 (VOICE)

 

Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper. Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion.

– Proverbs 28:13 (GW)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart