The Goodness of God

Sue’s Views
Just sitting here reflecting on the past week ….. and how good God is! This time last week ….. I was feeling anxious about what was ahead. I’m one of those people who try to plan for every possible scenario. The problem is ….. God doesn’t usually fit into any of them! He has His own plan ….. and it’s always perfect. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Just take it one day at a time! Most of the things we worry about never actually happen ….. and if they do ….. we discover that we are able to cope with far more than we thought we could.
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His Strength in our Weakness

Sue’s Views
No matter how frail or inadequate you feel ….. prayer can turn the weakest creature into a mighty force to be reckoned with! That’s because the power doesn’t come from you. When you allow yourself to become a channel for the Holy Spirit ….. look out devil! From the smallest child to the senile grandma ….. from the least knowledgeable to the most broken ….. you can be a world changer!
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Mary or Martha?

Sue’s Views
My Word this morning was ‘Be still and know that I am God’. The Martha in me rose up! But you know all the things going on Lord. And there is so much to be done ….. who’s going to do it if I don’t? I almost heard God chuckle!! I’m so glad God has a sense of humour! He reminded me of all the times my stomach has been in knots of anxiety and stress ….. only to have Him go to great lengths to iron them out. When I’ve been in a sticky situation and begged Him to help me have a difficult conversation ….. only to have Him change the other person’s heart! When we think our situation is just too complicated ….. God says ‘It’s nothing to me. But you have to hand it over!’ That’s when the ‘Mary’ in me woke up! Instead of rushing here and there and trying to nut out the day ahead ….. I sat at His feet in adoration. My ‘to do’ list is on His ‘already done’ list! I hope this helps someone out there. I’m not saying I won’t go through it all again tomorrow ….. but the more we practice being still ….. the more we’ll know that ‘He is God’.
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God’s Perspective

Walking with God means ….. seeing things from His perspective! Sometimes all we can see is the mess we’ve made ….. or other people have made ….. and nothing seems to make sense ….. but from God’s point of view, it makes perfect sense! He can take all the tangled threads and make something meaningful out of it all ….. so give it to Him today!image0.jpeg

Life’s Journey

Sue’s Views 
The journey through life is never a straight line. There are twists and turns ….. ups and downs along the way. The path you were on may have lead nowhere ….. but what seems to be a dead end might just be a learning curve! God is more interested in building our character than protecting us from disappointment. He wants us to finish well ….. but He’s never in a hurry. The lessons we learn along the way are worth far more than gold ….. because they are not only for us! They are to be shared with others!
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Time For Every Purpose Under Heaven

Sue’s Views
Time is flowing by so fast ….. and it can seem like we don’t have enough of it. But whenever I get flustered about getting things done ….. I’ve learned to stop and ask myself, “Is this on Gods ‘to do’ list or just mine?”  In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” God gives us time to do what He has purposed. I wonder how much of what we take on is not part of His plan. Busyness is a major cause of stress ….. anxiety and family break downs. We need to get in flow with the Holy Spirit who is always at peace and always on time. Just some thoughts before things start to rev up between now and the end of the year!
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Pioneering

Sue’s Views
What do you do when the path you’re on runs out? You have three choices ….. 1) You turn back ….. 2) You stay where you are ….. 3) You move forward and make a new path! There are times when we realise we have made a mistake and we need to do a 180. There are times when we need to pause and wait for further direction. But then there are times when we know God has told us to do something that may be new territory. Pioneers have no path to follow ….. no map for guidance ….. no Google for directions! They just have a deep sense of calling and purpose. All these require courage and obedience. Where are you on your journey?
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Conflict

Sue’s Views
Do you find yourself in conflict a lot? Are you constantly fighting against your spouse ….. children ….. parents ….. workmates? You’re probably fighting the wrong enemy! Those kinds of battles are won only in the prayer closet! The people and situations that rile you up are not your enemy ….. they are just being used by the devil to destroy you. Take authority over him in prayer and he will flee!
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God Given Authority!

Sue’s Views
Yesterday was Fathers’ Day here in NZ. I’ve been thinking about the hugely significant role of Fathers ….. especially as we head towards our national elections in a few weeks time. There is no doubt that there has been an erosion of the family over time. Dads are depicted as the ‘geeky’ guy who needs his wife and kids to ‘show him how it’s done’. Like the proverbial frog in the pot ….. we’ve become used to the roles being reversed and in many cases totally abdicated. But being a father is a God given authority. Nothing can change that. We are in serious trouble because we’re not doing things God’s way. Men ….. we need you to be strong and take your place as leaders. You are highly valued!
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Spring is Here!

Sue’s Views
‘For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come.’ Yes, spring is here!Welcome to spring! It’s a season of new life. Every winter leads into spring. I can’t promise there will be no rain ….. but I can promise there will be flowers and birds singing. I can’t promise there will be no more pain ….. but I can promise a new perspective and understanding. The old adage ‘No pain ….. no gain’ ….. is so true. Everyone who has a story worth hearing has paid the price. And your story is going to make a difference in someone’s life. I pray ….. in this new season …..you will begin to see beauty instead of ashes ….. the oil of joy in place of mourning ….. and a garment of praise to replace the spirit of heaviness!

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