by Suellen | Faith, God's Guidance
You and I need triumphant faith.
Why?
All of life is in a state of flux.
Now you may think that I am talking about the current state of affairs. The virus. The discontent. The political divisions.
No. I am talking about all of life.
All of it.
From the time we are born until we die, we are going through changes. As we mature and have families, engage in careers, develop friends, we are continually encountering opportunities – and challenges.
That’s life. Everyone has challenges which need prayer and they need faith to overcome them.
Then we ask, “Is this supposed to be? What’s going on? And if it isn’t God’s will for my life, how can I change it?”
That’s when we go to that miraculous book, the Word of God, the Bible. We find out what His will is and how we can overcome. He gives us instruction.
Then we pray to Him and we speak that word – His word – into the atmosphere.
And continue to do that.
You know that
faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17 NASB)
So as we pray and meditate on what God is telling us, our hearts begin to grow in that faith. We continue to speak that word, and we find ourselves believing it more and more as we go along.
Time goes by. It takes time.
Ugh!
We want everything done instantly. We want to snap our fingers or find out a few words which can be spoken for instantaneous reward.
But we all know that life isn’t that way.
Just as Oaks start out as tiny acorns and eventually reach their destiny, so do we, our children, our health, our marriages, and our finances.
And so does our faith within us start as a tiny seed and grow to maturity.
A few year ago I had an experience with the Lord which I’d like to share. I had been fasting, praying, and reading the word.
I was reading in Matthew 13, when my eyes fell on verse 44:
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44, NASB)
That verse is very familiar, and there have been many concepts drawn from it. I had always thought of a pot of gold, or treasure chest, hidden in the middle of the field.
On that special day I saw something different. Quickly a picture flashed across my mind, like a mini-vision.
I saw a plot of land, freshly plowed and planted, with rows and rows of dirt. Since I lived in a farming community, the scene was very familiar. There was no green anywhere; only rows and rows of slightly mounded dirt, signifying that the seed had been put into the ground.
It was planted, but there wasn’t a sprig of green in sight.
Suddenly I knew what the Lord was saying. I had been praying for my children, as they were going through some challenges.
He was showing me that the treasure is the seed – the Word of God. When I was taking the word of God and planting it into the soil of my heart, and then speaking it out in prayer, I was burying treasure in my field – and it was hidden.
As I saw this picture, with no sight of green – only fresh dirt, I knew that the seeds which were planted would eventually spring forth into a luscious, green crop.
In the same way, as I planted and watered the seed of God’s word, there would eventually be a harvest.
So what about the “selling all that he has?” The Lord showed me that when you are in the midst of praying for something which needs to be changed, you will see plenty of evidence which could discourage you.
Until the change comes (the seed begins to produce), the circumstances will scream at you that nothing is happening. There is no seed; there is only dirt!!
But because of your faith in what your God is doing, you sell those thoughts- totally tossing them aside – and buy the planted field, knowing that the seed of God’s word is producing the desired result.
There is a process which takes time, and that is why patience is so important. If you give up in the middle of the process, you will never see the desired result. You have to hang in there and be patient, knowing that God is at work on your behalf.
Through faith and patience, you inherit the promises.
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:11-12 NASB)
So let me challenge you to look at those things for which you are praying.
Are you praying for health, family, finances, a co-worker, the awakening of the church in America and around the world?
Whatever you have on your heart to pray for, you will have many opportunities to give up. You will look around and it will look like nothing is happening. You will feel like you are wasting your time.
But don’t give up! Promise yourself and God that you will not quit, but that you will see this thing through. You will continue to look to Him and His word, and you will continue to pray it back to Him and to speak it into the atmosphere.
So be encouraged. Know that God watches over His word to perform it.
He will bring forth His word in your life as you bring it forth in your heart and tongue. If many of us will rise up and do the same, we can see great changes come to our families, our communities, our country, and even our world.
Never, never, never quit!
by Suellen | Faith, Successful Living
Do you talk to yourself?
I hope so. If you don’t talk to yourself, you might wind up in trouble.
Let me explain…
My 9 year old grandson was having trouble focusing on an assignment that he thought was boring. So my daughter tried to help.
She said, “Think of your mind as being like a computer. When you have trouble focusing, you have too many tabs open. Just close those other tabs so you can think about this one thing.”
“O.K.” He said…
“But, Mom, sometimes I have all of these pop ups!”
He said it just right, didn’t he? All of us can relate to the “pop-ups.” And usually those pop-ups are not positive thoughts. They are negative ones.
The “what if’s”…
So what do we do? We close the tabs, of course. And we close the pop-ups. We take charge of our thought life.
David in the book of Psalms demonstrates some terrific lessons. He took charge of his thoughts by talking to himself.
He said, Bless the Lord, O my Soul. And all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. (Psalm 103:1)
Then another time he said, Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your trust in God.(Psalm 43:5)
Or what about this: My heart is steadfast, oh my God. My heart is steadfast. I will sing praises to my God. (Psalm 57:7)
If you look through Psalms, you will see many times when David said, I will praise Him. Not I want to, but I will. He was acting from a spirit of determination. Not from his feelings. He knew how to close those tabs of negativity and replace those thoughts with faith and trust in God.
Right now, when there is so much anger, fear, and sadness in the world, we really need to learn how to do this. To take charge of our thought life, and put our trust in God. He is the answer for everything. Our shield. Our deliverer. Our Savior.
When we replace those negative thoughts with thankfulness, something powerful happens. What happens is that instead of fear and anxiety, true gratitude begins to rise up within us. We begin to thank Him, and even more gratitude rises.
Those negative emotions are replaced with hope.
Regardless of what we are going through, and sometimes it can be terrible… when we allow hope to rise within us, our outlook is different. We know that there will be a brighter future.
Now we are ready to pray. Our prayers won’t come from a heart of hopelessness and desperation. Our prayers will come from a place of faith.
We know that our God hears our prayers and we listen for direction. Then we do what He says. He has the answers, if we will do what He says…
We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our heart. We enter His courts with praise.
As we give thanks and praise God, let’s see ourselves entering His heavenly throne room. He has the answers.
Over the years I have had moments of great disappointment and injustice hurled at me. Just as you have. Everyone has had this happen to one degree or another.
When I would calm my soul through thanksgiving and go before Him, His love and grace would wash over me. There were times when I would just stay there and soak in His presence. There were other times when He would impress upon me some answers – some scriptures – and some steps I needed to take. Then I would take those steps.
One thing is for sure: God always has the answers.
So let’s do what David did. Let’s talk to ourselves and calm our souls.
Then with thankful hearts, let’s run to God for all that we need.
He’s always there waiting for us.
by Suellen | Angels
What Are Your Angels Doing?
Mom! Dad! I’m scared! Our 4 year old son had jumped out of bed and run into our room.
You see, we were in a season of transition, and were temporarily living in a rental house near some railroad tracks. Every night a train passed through.
Our son was afraid that a man was riding on top of the train and would jump off and come into his window.
His active little mind had clearly embellished this picture, and he was quite shaken.
So we prayed, and I helped him get back to sleep.
The next morning, he excitedly surprised us as he said, “I’m not going to be afraid of the train anymore.”
Great!
And then the real surprise…
”Three tall shiny men came into my room last night and told me not to be afraid. So I’m not afraid anymore.”
And he wasn’t. Ever again.
Only three tall, shiny angels could have accomplished such a feat. Their presence instilled faith and not fear, totally obliterating the anxiety of a four year old.
Over the years I have had many other encounters with angels. Sometimes they appeared as people. Other times I saw nothing but the effects of their presence.
But they were real, and the proof was in the results when they showed up.
Each time, after the instance, we would say, “That had to be an angel.”
Yet though I have been aware of angels, I have never taught about them – or written about them.
One reason is that we are not to worship angels. They are part of God’s great kingdom, but only our triune God is to be worshiped. Sometimes people get into error by seeking angels, when they need to seek Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
But recently I felt a nudge from Holy Spirit to share some thoughts about angels.
Of course, it’s clear from reading the Bible that angels are busy among us.
The Hebrew word for angel appears in the Old testament 214 times. The Greek word for angel appears in the New Testament 186 times. That’s a total of 400 times.
Obviously our Father wants us to know about them.
Hebrews 1:14 says that angels are ministering spirits (servants) who come to the aid of God’s people. And Paul later remarks that we should show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
Interesting, isn’t it?
So why do we need to know anything about angels?
First, when we are going through difficult situations, it builds our faith to realize that God has His troops working on our behalf. Protecting us. Guarding us.
In II Kings 6:15 Elisha’s servant arose before the prophet, and discovered that the city was surrounded by enemy armies. Horses and chariots were all around them.
Frightened, he ran to tell his boss: They were in big trouble.
But he was in for a surprise.
Elisha said, Don’t be afraid. More are those with us than those with them… Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.
Then to the servant’s amazement, his eyes were opened to see into the spiritual world – and what a sight!
Horses and chariots of fire covered the hills all around Elisha.
Needless to say, the prophet and his servant won the battle – even though there were only two people. They were assisted by an angelic host.
And then there is a second reason to be aware of angels, which seems more important.
We, as Christians, can actually be involved in commissioning them.
That’s what we especially need to learn about.
Psalm 103:20 says Praise the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His Word, obeying the voice of His Word. (NASB)
The angels perform the voice of God’s Word. And what gives it the voice?
We do.
When we speak God’s Word in faith, the angels stand to attention and get to work performing that Word.
All of the spirit realm obeys the voice of God’s Word. Angels and demons alike.
Remember how Jesus addressed Satan while being tempted in the wilderness. (Luke 4:1). Again and again, His response to the temptation was It is written…and He quoted scripture.
God’s Word was the reply He gave to the devil…who finally had to flee for a time. Demons – as well as angels – obey God’s spoken Word. When it is spoken in faith.
Even though we knew this, and had operated in it on occasion, my husband had an experience some years ago which has stayed with us.
A number of years ago, as one of our teenage daughters was going through a rough spot, we were praying – and worrying.
You know, the kind of prayer when it’s as if you are trying to row a boat without your “oar in the water.” We were going through motions, but there was not much faith involved.
We were mostly worrying.
Suddenly my husband had a vision. He saw what looked like an ice hockey arena. And all of the players were in the penalty box. None of them were on the rink playing the game.
He quickly realized that those figures crowded in the box were angels and all of them were looking at him. As if to say, Say the Word…
My husband stopped wringing his hands and started speaking God’s Word concerning our children. Immediately, he saw the angels leave the penalty box and get to work.
He had commissioned the angels by speaking God’s Word.
Very soon the issue with our daughter was resolved.
When we look at the Bible and at the many examples of angels in action, we realize how significant they are in our lives. They are working on our behalf as we go about our daily routines.
And when we face difficulties, we can speak the Word of God, and angels will come to our rescue.
So back to my original question: what are your angels doing?
If you are facing a difficult time, let me challenge you to find the scripture concerning your problem. Then begin to speak that word.
It’s an exciting life we live when we live it with our God – and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
He will give us wisdom so that we can live our best life. And the hosts of heaven will be working to perform God’s purposes for us.
by Suellen | God's Guidance
On the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea stands what many say is the world’s largest church. David Yonggi Cho (formerly known as Paul Yonggi Cho), is the founder and pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church. The latest counts have his congregation close to a million!
His story is an awesome one of a poverty-stricken young man who had an encounter with God on what seemed to be his death bed. He was healed as he embraced the new life from God. From this new-found life he has grown into one of the world’s most powerful men of God.
Needless to say, spiritual leaders have swamped him with requests for advice. How did he manage to inspire so many people? What is his formula?
When confronted with these questions, Pastor Cho’s characteristic wisdom and humor converge as he responds with a broad smile… “I pray… And I obey.”
What a formula!
It seems so simple. Pray and then obey. Whatever God says do, do it.
Throughout the Bible we see this concept in action. Someone will be in trouble and they will call upon the Lord. “What should I do?”
One of the most notable examples of this is David at Ziklag. (I Samuel 30).
He and his men had been away from camp, fighting with the Philistines. They returned to Ziklag to discover a horrible scene. Their camp had been raided and burned. All of their wives and children had been captured – and all of their possessions had been stolen.
There was nothing there but a burned-out camp!
Needless to say, David’s men did not take it well. They wanted to stone him!
Distraught, David pulled himself aside and “stirred himself up in the Lord.” He fasted and prayed and asked God for guidance.
“Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
God’s answer was certain. “Pursue them. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
So that’s what David did. He and his men pursued and found the camp where the raiders were gathered and retook all that was stolen.
Just as pastor Cho has done, David prayed and he obeyed.
It seems simple. So why don’t all of us do that? Pray and obey.
The key is knowing what God says. And, of course, what He says starts with His Word.
While you are in prayer, God will impress you with His plans. Then if you continue to listen carefully, He will show you how that lines up with His Word. He will give you scripture which will back up what you are hearing.
Today we have many advantages which David didn’t have. Jesus has come and paid the price for our salvation, and He has given us the Holy Spirit within so that we can hear more clearly.
Also, we now have the Word of God. That’s how you know for sure that God is speaking to you.
We can read the Bible and see what brings life and what brings death. We can see what works and what doesn’t. And we can understand God’s plan more completely.
As we read, the Word will speak to us, and we will have confirmation of what we believe God is saying.
Knowing that God’s plans are perfect and that He always has an answer for our problems, we can count on His direction. And we can be sure that His way is the best way forward.
We pray … and we obey.
That’s the way to the Good Life He has for us. That’s the way to success
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.
