The Cross For Me...

Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

If you take the time to post on my blog in April, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi!

I'm writing this post on Monday because on Wednesday, I'll be flying home from a speaking event.

I just love mornings, and this morning was an extra special one for me. Today was the first time this season that it was warm enough for me to sit out on my deck and greet the morning.

With the breeze blowing in the trees, the birds singing a happy song, and the sun peeking through the clouds, I felt especially aware of God's incredible attention to detail. What a beautiful God He is!

For a brief moment, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and prayed for our country. I've been concerned about the intense divisions among us as a nation. I'm troubled by the desire of many to see God wiped from our history. I'm concerned about many of the youth in our day. There's an absolute disregard for authority, purity, honor, humility, gratefulness, and so on and so on. Needless to say, I prayed and asked for mercy, for protection, and for a renewed fire in my belly that I might live for fully for Him.

As soon as I said, "Amen" I looked up and what I saw took my breath away. I captured it in the picture at the top of this blog. A perfect Cross was etched in the sky. I took out my phone and snapped a picture (click on the picture and it'll enlarge enough for you to see the Cross).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is intimately acquainted with our ways, He is engaged in our journey, and He is high above every circumstance.

Within the hour the wind picked up and the clouds took on a different shape. Even so, I lingered a while with my thoughts.

That beautiful Cross for me, was a reminder of the brevity of life and the height of our calling.

This day, this time in which we live, calls for authentic faith, real passion, and a love that is less calculating and far more forgiving than we've ever known before.

The very thought of the Cross and the death Jesus died, forces me once again to ask myself, just how serious am I about following Him?

With all my heart I believe we are entering a day of acceleration. Things are going to happen faster. Things are happening faster.

Where once, it was unheard of for a young adolescent to shoot up his school, now, getting to that point seems a shorter road. Where once the idea that a wife would walk out on her family simply because she's bored, was something to make us gasp, is now a regular occurrence.

But it's not all bad news.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord raises up a standard against Him! Psalm 75:10 says, "For I will cut off the strength of the wicked and increase the power of the godly."

Those who are sowing seeds of faith, cutting from their lives that which is displeasing to God, and loving others because God loved first - those people - will walk in a Super-natural power that will bring some of God's Kingdom to earth.

Read this powerful passage from 2 Corinthians 6:16...

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

And here's another one from 1 John 3:21-23...

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He has commanded us.

The verse above is a big reason why I spend much of speaking prep time letting God deal with me.

I want to be so in step with Him that when it comes time to pray for the women to whom I'm about to speak, I can ask for the moon! The things I ask for are above and beyond anything my finite mind can comprehend. I ask God to deliver, heal, restore, renew, remind, strengthen, and save the women at my events.

When we're at home in the presence of God, when we give Him access to our character, and when we love the lost and the unlovely, it's easy to come boldly into His presence and ask for the things He wants to give us.

The Cross for me made all of this possible.

May we strip off every weight, every encumbrance, every lesser affection that we might make a God-sized impact in the world around us.

The times call for it!

Blessings to you this week~

Comments

[Susie Larson]

Dear Sweet Linda,

How nice to hear from you!

It's a sobering time, no? But you are right, while we need to acknowledge the times in which we live, we must always finish that thought by looking up and declaring, "But God in the midst of us, is mighty to save..."
Blessings, friend~

[Susie Larson]

Dear Aimee,
I love what you wrote in your post: "He's good at showing us how BIG He is in such little ways, if we'll only keep looking for Him."

He rewards those who earnestly seek after Him.

I love that. :)

[Susie Larson]

Carrie,
You are so right. There is huge power in obedience. When we act on His promptings, our lives become a great adventure.
And yes, I am so looking forward to my mornings on my deck. It's my happy place, indeed. :)

[Susie Larson]

Kathy,

Amen and amen! He is the Most High God; high above our circumstances, every day and in every way.
Be blessed~

[Susie Larson]

Dear Rebecca,
I am excited that the 'cross in the clouds' picture has blessed so many!
I hope you had a great time at the conference!
Blessings~

[Linda]

Hi Susie,
I agree, the constant events of our world are too much for me just to take in sometimes. There is a definite increase in the frequency and intensity of the signs that Jesus spoke of. To look up and see the power and reign of God represented in that cross is the only thing that can put it all in perspective. What a gift to you and now to so many others as you have shared this amazing picture. Thanks!!!

[Aimee]

What an awesome picture and a great reminder that God is always there! He is so good at showing us how BIG he is in such little ways, if we are willing to keep looking. Thanks for your encouragemet each week.

[Loree Arrington]

There's also an angel to the right and a seat to the left of the cross. (My friend saw those). Immediately beside it. The lamb's face is at the top of the large cloud above the cross. I know I sound a little kooky, but God shows me pictures in clouds alot. It's one of the ways He gets my attention, I think!! I have it on my desktop - thank you for sharing it!!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Loree,

I couldn't see the lamb's face but I might be totally missing it. :)
I saved this picture to my phone and I look at it every day.
What a blessed morning that was...

Peace to you~

[Loree Arrington]

Susie! Do you see the lamb's face above the cross? At first I thought it was a fawn, but it's not - it's a lamb!! WHOA! God bless you today with safe travel from your speaking event! Thanks as always for the encouragement to step higher, love deeper and walk closer to Him!!

Love in Christ,
Loree

[kuiken]

Dear Susie, I often say to people (that know me) if we just act on his promptings then God will show up. What a powerful reminder in the cross. And what a great way to start your new season on your deck. What an incredible season it will be!!!

[Kathy Schwanke]

Suzie, God takes my breath away!! What a wonderful gift!
God bless your ministry!
Love, Kathy

[Rebecca]

I love it!! What an amazing God we serve. I saved your picture to my computer desktop so I can remember this. Do you know about ReignDown USA happening this Saturday
4-26? It's a HUGE prayer event. The main purpose for it is to pray for our nation. Thank you so much for sharing this. I dont think this is a coincidence. It's just another confirmation that God is in control, even if we dont think He is.
Peace ~Rebecca