"This is Amazing Grace."

I haven't been writing on here since Thursday due to the busy-ness of life but I have been in contact with The Lord so time to catchup here. I have realised how easy it is to just become busy with life and not take the time out each day to have precious time with Him. We become distracted and this distraction can be dangerous and indeed good to be aware of. Today's devotion in 'Jesus Calling' by Sarah Young (I really recommend this devotional. You can get it as an app or book. Oh and thank you to Shona, Becky and Lisa for lending me their extra copy until I have one of my own which will be soon I assure you hehe :) <3) , says,

REST IN MY RADIANT PRESENCE. The world around you seems to spin faster and faster, till everything is a blur. Yet there is a cushion of calm at the center of your life, where you live in union with Me. Return to this soothing a Center as often as you can, for this is where you are energized: filled with My Love, Joy, and Peace.

The world is a needy place; do not go there for sustenance. Instead, come to Me. Learn to depend on Me alone, and your weakness will become saturated with My Power. When you find your completeness in Me, you can help other people without using them to meet your own needs. Live in the Light of My Presence, and your light will shine brightly into the lives of others.

I sat here feeling guilty for not blogging even though I said I would for Lent and for Him as this was a different way of connecting with Him, and I had got distracted. This passage reminds me that Jesus wants to be the center of our lives and assures us that He is a, "soothing Center" where we are, "energized: filled with [His] Love, Joy and Peace." What more do we need? If God is all you have, you have all you need. (John 14:8) We can be filled to the brim with Him and His spirit, the very same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave. I am really challenged by this and frustrated at myself when I think of it like this because I got distracted. I mean, my excuses are pretty lame, "I had no time" and "I did really need to have that second dinner." Okay that second one has actually never been an excuse haha but generally I would love life with a second dinner. Although yes, not as an excuse lol... Anyhoozles, my point is that at these times I need to get my life back on track and make Him the centre, not my excuses, not anything else, Him.

Although it is also important to note that he died to take away any guilt; I mean we should spend time for him out of a want, not legalism. That legalism and guilt and shame were taken away with the cross so please don't spend anymore time getting worked up and again letting the enemy drop seeds and lies that are not from Him. Don't let the devil sneak up on you. Be productive, proactive and pray; do something about it. If you're not spending as much time with Him as you would like to then go do something about it. The more time you spend beating yourself up and feeling guilty, the more time you're actually wasting. You have been given freedom through the cross; through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our saviour. Let nobody hold you back. God needs people who are available. He doesn't ask for a CV, just availability. Let yourself be reached by Him.

So, as I sit in the burgh thinking and chatting with God, I must readjusted my heart and look to Him.
There is no doubt that this may happen again and I'll find myself being distracted, again. I think the most important thing is to be aware as then we can be productive, proactive and pray about this. So do not be disheartened! Be encouraged that we can turn back to Him. The Kingdom of God is within you, you are a citizen of it and where you are walking with the Holy Spirit, the kingdom is with you. Yield your heart to Him. The Kingdom of God is about the performance of Christ, not yourself or your failings. Change your thoughts to Him and his performance, who gave you access.

Let Him take your heart, your heart of, for example, "I can't be bothered" and replace it with a heart that has been made specifically for you. Let Him reach out and give you that heart through Jesus Christ.

As soon as I met Him I knew my life would never be the same :).

Lovelove,

~*Susie xoxox

P.s. I can't seem to edit this post very well on my iPad. The image below popped into my head as I wrote this post so thought it would be helpful to include this in terms of being distracted and being aware. Listen to His voice. God once told me some words to describe his voice and the devil's voice. God said that His voice is consistent and love whereas the devil is inconstant and weak compared to God. He told me that the devil acts out of fear and thought he was powerful but as a matter of fact that this was his downfall. He told me to not be afraid and to tell others that he has claimed us as His. He kept repeating this to me and I was filled up with so much love that I (literally) skipped around the whole day haha :). I repeat the end of my previous post, Our God is good.

If anyone wants to speak to me about any of this, you are so welcome to :). Love you all so muchly!
Second apologies for the "Click "Like" if you listen to God!" Haha never blogging on my iPad again!! Well you learn new things everyday... <3

Generosity.

Day Two

First of all, I would like to say a very Happy 21st Birthday to my fantabulous flatmate, Hazel and my great friend and flatmate from first year, Ross :)!! Happy Birthday, you legends!

Today I had to create a generosity jar, "set aside a generosity jar and commit to putting in a small amount daily or whenever you have spare change. You’ll be invited to use the contents later in the challenge..." So excited for this! I think this is such a great idea and I might actually keep this idea long term. God is so generous to us and looking at my jar I realise that if we are to be a mirror reflecting Jesus and his light into the world, then it is important to be self-less and generous, showing God's love at all times. I feel blessed to have the gift of life from God and it is such a gift to be able to bless others :). I hope future Susie doesn't forget this and makes the choice to be thankful and generous as much as possible, especially when it's the most difficult.

So, I didn't have a jar and instead got my Guinness glass (living up to my stereotype haha) and edited that :).

Today I wasn't very well and I mostly slept after my classes were finished for the day. I sadly had to miss CU and Ross' birthday, although I was there in spirit and in mind, just not in body! I woke up to these three lovely ladies having dinner in the kitchen. Meet Tatianna ((middle) our new and wonderful flatmate from Aracadia who is here for this semester), Liz ((left) Tatianna's best friend from home who is also here for the semester) and Elizabeth ((right) who is from Minnesota and on study abroad for the semester too). Along with Laura and Michael we played Saboteur, a card game I had never played before which was hilarious and one that I defo reccommend. We also ate beautiful gingerbread cupcakes made my Elizabeth that I actually can't get enough of... My birthday is the 2nd May hehehe!! Jokes lol! I also realised that deep down I am an American gangstaaa and although my body may restrict me, it's all about the heart, homies!
Tonight was so much fun and now I am back in bed :).

One thing I have learnt during my time at uni is to embrace spontaneity when it comes frolicking along, as spontaneity naturally does. I wasn't expecting to miss CU tonight and was disappointed that I missed that and Ross' party. Again, God had other plans. Today I am especially thankful for my amazing friends both old and new who bring such joy and happiness to my life :). You are all such Blessings. God knows exactly what we need and he constantly provides in abundance. This thought is something I always need to repeat to myself every day to remind myself of this truth. It is so easy to begin to condemn yourself and think you are not worthy in a world that will tell you at some point that you are just not good enough. I admit that I do struggle with this and so to anyone who has ever felt this way, I feel your pain. I will also tell you though that those thoughts of condemnations and unworthiness are simply not true. You are good enough and God loves you so much that he gave his only son to take our sins away and to make peace with the world, bridging the barrier between us and Him. Jesus died for you. Lent is such a great time to remember this fact and it's really started to bring me back to basics; exposing places within me that I never realised were there. As I fill my generosity jar I am inspired to be generous in my giving by the greatest God who is beyond generous to us.
He is so good.

Lovelove,
~*Susie xoxox

Lent 2014

Welcome to Lent, everyone!

 

Every year I really look forward to Lent. This year I felt I wanted to do something a bit different but obviously with the same meaning. I really enjoy Lent because it is a great time to grow closer in our relationship with God and understand what Jesus did for us. Even though he spent 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness and being tempted by the devil, Jesus prevailed and conquered :). Woo! With Him by our side anything is possible, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) so I really want to dig deeper into this and grow in this truth and in faith. I also want to challenge myself during this time with what this all means and looks like. I just love the whole build up to Easter and then I'll cry my eyes out with happiness over the Good Friday/Easter Saturday/Sunday weekend lol! :)

So for Lent 2014 I have decided to do three things.

1. I am going to take part in '40 acts' (http://www.40acts.org.uk/), "40 days of giving back, doing good and living generously." I want to be able to give back to people and bless them in doing this. I want to show God's love.
2. Blog every day. I am going to give my blog over to God and will be telling you about my act for each day. Today, as part of the '40 acts', I had to start a journal. I will put all my thoughts, feelings and lessons learned through the acts in the blog. You can take the journey with me :).
3. F is for Fast, F is for Friday! I am going to spend extra time with God and fast every Friday. I will eat at sunrise and sunset on this day. I have actually never fasted before so I am extra excited for this bit.

Below is my beautiful journal that was given to me by my dear friend, Kirstin. This is where I have listed things I am grateful for today and also a wish list of people I would like to bless throughout my 40 acts. I thought about sharing these but I have decided that I would like to keep those between myself and the good Lord but you will obviously see the results of these throughout the next six and a half weeks :).

Roll on the next 40 days! 

Lord, I welcome everything that you have in store for me over the weeks ahead and I ask for your blessing and encouragement as I go forth and bless others in your name through the 40 acts of kindness :). Amen.

Goodnight all,
~*Susie xoxox

My plan is to trust your plan.

I wanted to write my first blog tonight about something that God has placed on my heart recently but that will come soon enough. God had other plans for my night tonight. He is so incredible that he blows my mind so often that my heart just expands more and more for him every day. I'm really feeling and experiencing how much God cares for everyone and especially those that do not know him just yet.

I feel that my night sums up our walk with God as Christians. As people we may have a plan as to how our life will span out, or even on the smaller scale, how our day will go. What is even more exciting is that it rarely turns out the way we expect it to be. Expect the unexpected for with God all things are possible, "Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’" (Matthew 19:26). With every twist and turn of my day I know that my Saviour doesn't just walk beside me but goes ahead of me, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8). Even if something that I deem to be terrible happens in my day, I know that God is right there with me, picking me up and bringing me through, "I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). These are truths that I must remind myself of daily. I am not saying it will always be easy but I'm saying it WILL be worth it "For I am the perfect father." (Matthew 5:48).

My challenge to you is to wake up this morning (or if you're reading this in middle of the day that's cool too) and embrace the day that God has planned for you. Do it. I promise you that it will be bigger and better than you ever expected it to be, "I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine." (Ephesians 3:20). In fact, when I know I have given something to God who created the universe, knows us "I am familiar with all your ways" (Psalm 139:3), loves us "Because I love you with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3) and is bigger than our problems, "One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth." (Revelation 21:3-4), my day automatically changes. Give it to God "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7).
Let go and Let God.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

~*Susie-Sue xoxox