by Suellen | Successful Living
I can remember, as a child at my piano recital, waiting for my performance to come up on the program. I would sit, supposedly listening to the others, but totally distracted from music being presented. I was waiting for “my time” to come. That’s what I was there for. And when our group went back stage as “our time” got closer, it would have taken the National Guard to keep us from running and playing as we waited. We were waiting for “our time.”
I’m sure that many who played sports would have similar recollections. We were there to do our part. Of course, we pulled for the team, but we wanted our part.
As children we longed to be in the game… but what happened to us? Maybe put-downs or discouragements, maybe setting goals so high only supermen could have accomplished them, but for some reason, as adults we are different. (more…)
by Suellen | Awakening
My heart is so full this morning, it’s hard for me to settle into my post. Our Pastor started a series on Eternity yesterday, and thoughts began exploding within me.
First of all, I was drawn back to the passages within Isaiah which speak of the greatness of God. When you have been in ministry for awhile, it’s easy to acknowledge God’s magnificence, but not really meditate on it. Your concentration is on His greatness, but also on your place in His plan and what you need to be doing.
Today is different. Today I stand in awe of His greatness – and the realization of our smallness in the big scheme of things. When you contemplate eternity, you realize how truly small on the timeline is our lifetime. Even if we live 100 prosperous and prolific years, we are less than a speck on eternity.
When you contemplate this, His tremendous love for us and desire to fellowship with us is even more amazing. What an awesome God and Father we have. Our minds can’t comprehend His vastness or His love. Truly amazing.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in the balance, and the hills in a pair of scales?
Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of knowledge and informed Him in the way of understanding?
Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Isaiah 40:12-15
There is something else which rushes into my mind also, and that is pity for those who don’t know Him.
- I feel such sorrow for the many who are suffering in the world and don’t know about the Savior and their opportunity to know Him.
- I feel sorrow for the foolish “intellectuals” who want to prove everything by scientific method, and yet defy all science in order to prove that everything “just happened.” That some “big bang” created all of the order we see, when all of science proves that order never comes from “big bangs” – only disorder does.
- I feel sorrow for the people who think that their moment of celebrity and prosperity is all that there is, when their lives are but a speck, and none of what they are seeking matters in the long run.
- I feel sorrow for Christians who believe in Jesus and yet deny Him by their actions.
- I feel sorrow for Christians who believe in Jesus, but are too busy with other things to let Him matter very much.
Yet in all of this, I feel thankfulness to my awesome Father God that He will make Himself known to any who want to know the truth. I know that on the horizon is a Great Awakening which will be revealed to the world.
I also know that many who don’t believe now will be drawn to the truth and to His kingdom when they see the signs and wonders which will be displayed in days ahead.
He will show Himself strong to those whose hearts are sincere and willing to listen to Him.
He is an Awesome God.
by Suellen | Awakening, Prayer
Guest Post by Mickey Estes
[ Note: A few years ago, my husband was led by God to start a Pastors’ Prayer Meeting in the area where we lived. He spent a lot of time locating church leaders in the several counties around, and he began the bi-weekly meetings. During that season, the Lord gave him many words about the significance of leaders coming together for God’s purposes. The next few blog posts grew out of those words.
I am sharing them again since these same concepts are so important for this present time. This word is important not only for leaders, but for all of those in the Body of Christ who truly want to see God’s plans unfold in the earth today.]
Recently, the Lord has been speaking to me concerning the body of Christ. There are so many divisions; so many walls. There are denominational walls, racial walls, gender walls, and cultural walls. It’s as if His body is divided into many pieces with no connections, and it grieves Him.
Why is this so? Why have we allowed Satan to divide us? God has some answers for us.
We are all believing for a great awakening, and there are some keys to our preparation for it. One of those keys is humility. (more…)
by Suellen | Faith
If you’ve heard me teach for very long, you have heard me talk about “the woman with the issue of blood.” She’s one of my favorite people in the Bible, and an incredible inspiration to many.
In Mark 5:25-34 we catch her story. Here she is – a very sick lady. So sick, in fact that she has been going to every specialist she can find, and she has spent all of her money. For her to go to that much trouble, she must have been in great pain.
But she heard…
What did she hear? She heard about Jesus and how He had been healing people who were sick. And the amazing thought came into her mind that maybe – just maybe – He could heal her also.
So she went to where the crowds were gathered and observed His power over sickness and disease. She probably heard others talking about their healings, and she increased in assurance that this time would be different.
The day finally came, and this special lady was going to act.
Can you imagine how nervous she might have been? She was not even supposed to be out in public with her ailment, so her boldness put herself at great risk of punishment. And then think about the embarrassment involved. All of those people would see her erratic behavior… And what if it didn’t work?
All of those thoughts must have roared through her head as she pushed forward to make her claim. Yet she would not be denied the blessing she had come to believe was hers. This woman was determined.
So she pursued, and we know the outcome. Her healing came – not because Jesus had chosen to give it (He didn’t even see her there), but because she reached out with faith and courage.
“Who touched me?” He said – a question which confused His disciples. How could He ask that when the crowd was heavy and many were touching Him?
This was different. Someone had touched Him in a way so that he felt power leaving His body. Though He didn’t see her, Jesus could feel the anointing being transmitted to her. Her faith had pursued the healing available through Jesus, and this faith had appropriated that healing for her.
Okay, so here we are in the present day, and I think that this message should resonate with us now. There are many problems we encounter. Sickness, financial lack, and problems with families.
Perhaps we have gone to every professional and we have tried everything they have recommended. Perhaps we have even spent all that we had in order to find the answer. Yet the problem is still raging – with no solution in sight.
Yet as we think about Jesus, read God’s Word and pray, we begin to focus on a different kind of solution – a heavenly one. God is still working miracles – in the 21st century. He is healing supernaturally, restoring broken lives, and restoring broken families. He is also making a way for provision when there seems to be no way for it to come.
When I find myself facing difficult situations, this woman and her tenacity stir me to take action. I pray and read passages of Scripture or other books to elevate my faith. I have seen many miracles in my own life, and I expect to see many more.
And I know that there are times when you have to be bold as you go for your answers. You must pursue. You have to be determined to press through the crowd of casual believers and receive answers which seem impossible to many.
Then you’ll hear those words, “Who touched Me?” You’ll receive that power that only Jesus and His Holy Spirit can give.
by Suellen | Faith
It takes faith.
It takes faith to live any life with even a modicum of satisfaction. To live a great life which honors God and brings Him glory, takes great faith. We have heard that over and over, yet often this is the very place where we need some work.
Okay, okay, we say. We know that. But how do we get more? And why does it seem to slip away so easily?
The answer to the latter question is simple. The world – the cosmos – the natural way of thinking is enmity against God. His Kingdom operates on such a different plane that we sometimes find it hard to think in Kingdom terms.
For instance, in the world, we say, “You have to see it to believe it.” In the Kingdom, the truth is that “You have to believe it to see it.”
The world says to grab hold of everything you can and hold on to it. God’s Kingdom says, “You have to give to receive.” (more…)
