Susie Larson Wisdom

Stacy wrote a few weeks back about a book written by Susie Larson called Growing Grateful Kids. Stacy and I were fortunate enough to hear her speak at my church and we couldn't get enough of her and her wisdom. She sends out a newsletter every so often and I thought what she had to share in this last one was worth sharing here. If you have a moment after you read her message, check out her blog. She has some great resources to share. It is days like these where I am thankful for the body of Christ and the wisdom He gives each of us to encourage and challenge each other. We really serve a great God. Enjoy!

Replace the Good with the Best! Summer is a great time to pause and reflect, to wonder and to wait, to ponder and to pray. God has some very personal and specific words to share with you and me. He is ready to help us make a few adjustments in our lives. He wants to give us rest, He wants to teach us to run with more efficiency, He wants to train our hands for battle, and, He wants to teach us how to walk on high places. If you're like me, you're feeling the urgency of the times. And yet, far too many people, Believers even, are walking around in a spiritual fog, completely oblivious to the importance of the times. If we're out of touch with the sound of God's voice, we will commit to all of the wrong things, and we will miss the best of what God has for us. Proverbs 19:2 says this: 'It's not good to have zeal (passion) without knowledge; nor to be hasty and miss the way." Two things jump out to me here: We MUST be in the habit of waiting on God, and we MUST increase in the knowledge of Him! We cannot allow the pace of our culture to dictate our lives! In a day when leaders and people of influence fully embrace a lie or worse yet, only a splinter of the truth, followers and non-thinking people are at great risk of being deceived. We must ask for our own godly discernment and not just assume that because something sounds true, or even feels true, that it is true. We must know and walk in THE Truth. Read John chapter 15 and fully embrace the idea that you and I are appointed to make an impact, to bear fruit that lasts long after we are gone. That's pretty incredible when you think about it. And it won't happen by default. Life-changing fruit comes out of a our Divine connection to the Vine. So important! Use this summer season to take inventory of your time investments. Wait on God. Ask HIM to confirm His best and highest plan for you. Replace the good with the best. Your place in history matters. What you do with your time matters. We have this one life to live, and to advance God's Kingdom. May we walk in a high level of discernment (and not confusion), may our faith increase (and not decrease) may we step out (and not shrink back), may we increase in godly influence (and not be spiritually insignificant), and may we stand strong in battle (and not seem irrelevant to the devil). May we live in a manner worthy of our call. Visit Susie's Website