Susie Stewart

Evidence

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

So you say you need evidence…

 

that He is who He says He is

 

God’s Son

 

You are in prison

looking out

 

Can it be?

 

Jesus says to you from outside your prison walls,

 

“The blind see

The lame walk

Those with leprosy are cured

The deaf hear

The DEAD are raised to life

The Good News is being preached to the poor”

 

Grasping your bars

you want to believe

 

People can be so disappointing…

 

But you choose to come out

of sin-prison

 

Into light

 

And sure enough

 

Your blind eyes see

with wisdom new

 

Your lame legs walk

where you never thought you would go

 

Your leprous spots of sin

are cleansed snow white

 

Your deaf ears hear

your beautiful Shepherd’s voice

 

And GLORY!

 

Your dead self

is alive with His Spirit!

 

Your poverty of soul

is filled with the richness of His grace

 

Evidence

 

– Susie Stewart

 

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”

– Matthew 11:2-5 (NLT)

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

Spirit to Spirit

/ Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

Spirit

to

Spirit

 

The connection Divine

 

Unbroken

 

For You have taken up residence

inside my heart

 

I think about You

and I speak to You

and even when I do neither

 

Your Spirit knows

the worship that is all for You

 

In the mundane

I know I am heavenly connected

 

to Your God-Spirit

always there

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

– Psalm 42:7 (NIV)

 

There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we can be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs.  But deep within, behind the scenes at a profounder level we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings.

– Thomas Kelly

 

I will be in my kitchen cooking for missionaries or writing at my desk, my mind on “outward” things, but when I turn inward, where my Lord resides, it is as if I’ve never left.  I am aware that worship has been going on from my spirit to Him who is Spirit while I was cooking and writing!  Oh, it is so beautiful to be aware of the continuous connection, spirit-to-Spirit.

– Linda Dillow

 

Blessed are the people who know how to praise you. They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.

– Psalm 89:15 (GW)

 

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.

– 1 John 4:15-17 (MSG)

 

It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.

– John 4:23,24 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Inside

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Outward

Shell

Exterior

Shallow

Skin-Deep

Temporary

 

Inward

Depth

Core

Heart

Soul-Deep

Forever

 

Watch what you look at,

for beautiful can be deceptive

 

What lies within

is profoundly significant

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

– 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

– Proverbs 31:30 (NLT)

 

…but let it be [the inner beauty of] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God.

– 1 Peter 3:4 (AMP)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Relationship Over Religion

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Religious people talk to God

out of obligation,

in memorized words,

focused on what they can get out of Him

 

Lovers of God bask in His beauty,

seek Him wholeheartedly,

walk with Him,

and love Him with their words

 

Religion is man-made

Relationship is His Divine plan

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for Him, as if He couldn’t take care of Himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make Him. Starting from scratch, He made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find Him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; He’s near. We live and move in Him, can’t get away from Him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

– Acts 17:26-29 (MSG)

 

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

– Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

 

And I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.

– 2 Corinthians 6:18  (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

He Is There

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

Are you looking?

 

Are you listening?

 

Are you searching?

 

God is there

 

He is there!

 

He is communicating to you,

the child who He loves

 

He is conveying His

Mercy

Comfort

Love

Forgiveness

 

Himself!

 

But you’ve got to quiet yourself

 

Intentionally

 

You’ve got to look

to listen

to search

On Purpose

 

For all that entangles

and distracts

and pulls you away

from His loving presence

 

Will drown out the whispers

and the shouts

of God

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you;
collect my counsels and guard them with your life.
Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;
set your heart on a life of Understanding.
That’s right—if you make Insight your priority,
and won’t take no for an answer,
Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold,
like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,
Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;
you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

– Proverbs 2:1-5 (MSG)

 

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.
Teach me to understand so I can follow.
EASE me down the path of Your truth.
FEED me Your word
because You are the True God who has saved me.
I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

– Psalm 25:4-5 (VOICE)

 

But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to His voice. He calls His sheep by name and leads them out of the pen. After He has brought out all his sheep, He walks ahead of them. The sheep follow Him because they recognize his voice.

-John 10:2-4 (GW)

 

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

The Wait

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

When it comes to waiting on God

you can either wait with your hands on your hips

or you can wait with your hands outstretched in worship

 

Which do you think is the wise way

to wait on Almighty God?

 

Rest in His agenda

 

– Susie Stewart

 

At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, to that very day, all the hosts of the Lord [gathered into tribal armies] left the land of Egypt.

– Exodus 12:41 (AMP)

 

I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

– Psalm 27:13, 14 (AMP)

 

But as for me, I trust [confidently] in You and Your greatness, O Lord;
I said, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hands…

– Psalm 31:14, 15 (AMP)

 

One caution:  When we bring our questions to God, we need to wait for His answer.  We must not throw our questions at Him and then go to a friend and complain, “I can’t understand what God is doing to me.”  Such actions constitute unbelief.  So after you bring God your questions, hold your ground, even if you are still in the dark about why you are waiting or about how long you will wait.

– Linda Dillow

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Know It All

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

I like to be right

 

It feels good to be right,

at least that’s what I used to tell myself

 

I wanted to win every argument

no matter what

 

And just like God’s Word says,

it caused strife in my relationships

 

After all, who wants to be around someone

who always thinks they’re right?

 

The Lord had to humble me

to teach me

that listening to others

is vital

 

 

Even as I type this

I don’t want to type it

because I want to be right

 

But humbling ourselves

is part of His plan

 

He knows that pride

creates strife

 

Always having to be right

negates learning and growing

 

Wisdom is found

in those who listen to others

 

in heeding advice

and constructive criticism

 

Listening thoughtfully

to another perspective,

is godly

 

Where you find humility

there you will find wisdom

 

And we would do well to heed

God’s advice

 

Or are we too prideful

to even listen to Him?

 

There truly is joy

in listening more than we speak

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

– Proverbs 13:10 (NLT)

 

Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

– Proverbs 13:10 (MSG)

 

God treats the arrogant as they treat others, mocking the mockers, scorning the scornful, but He pours out His grace on the humble.

– Proverbs 3:34 (VOICE)

 

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

– James 1:19 (NIV)

 

Photo by Nicole Stewart

 

 

 

God’s Child

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

“He reacted like it was the best news he’d ever heard!”

 

I listened as my friend Carol

recounted one of her interactions in Uganda…

 

As she taught village children about God’s Word

and encouraged them to memorize the precious words,

 

She led some in a prayer of surrender

to Truth

 

And told a young one,

“You are now a child of God!”

 

 

The boy reacted with sheer

uninhibited excitement

 

With elation

inside and out

 

It was the best news

he had

ever

heard

 

No one could curb his enthusiasm

over the unbelievable message

 

And a life was changed that day

 

Because a young one

embraced His Father

 

And God’s grace

and love

and forgiveness

enveloped the child

 

He was grafted into the family

he longed for

 

An orphan’s hope,

to be adopted by God

 

– Susie Stewart

 

But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

– John 1:2 (NLT)

 

Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

– Matthew 18:2-4 (NLT)

 

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them.

– Mark 10:13-16 (NLT)

 

You are all God’s children by believing in Christ Jesus.

– Galatians 3:26 (NLT)

 

“I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.

– John 14:17-19 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Signs

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

If you were a sign

what would you say?

 

Really.

Indulge me here

 

What is the loudest thing about you?

 

What does your life shout?

 

If you were a sign

where would you point?

 

What do your words

and your actions

direct people to?

 

Is your life sign solid?

Clear?

Or is it falling apart and undecipherable?

 

Let your sign be clear

Let your life be loud

 

Point to Jesus,

worthy is He

 

the perfect destination

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Follow-Me-Arrow-300x211 (1).jpg

 

I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ Himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with His rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.

– 2 Timothy 4:1-3 (MSG)

 

36443.jpg

 

 

 

My brothers and sisters, I pray constantly to God for the salvation of my people; it is the deep desire of my heart.

– Romans 10:1 (VOICE)  

 

20687_road_signs_Page_038.jpg

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.

– John 14:6 (NLT)

 

We get to be God’s plan for the whole world by pointing people toward Him.

– Bob Goff

 

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

– Matthew 5:15-17 (MSG)