“Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19 NIV).
I am so blessed that I have a husband that loves to fish and is an expert in so many things he does. He recently bought me a fishing rod and all the utensils you need so that our next fishing outreach would be a success. I learned a lot about casting out the rod, waiting for the fish, knowing where they were, different animate and inanimate baits. I came to the conclusion if you want to be a successful fisherman you need to focus on the fish and you need to give them the best bait you have, otherwise they will not nibble at all.
I learned that wax worms are a very good and tasty bait, especially when they are alive. The only problem I had was that I just couldn’t touch the bait nor the fish when it was caught with my bare hands, it disgusted me too much. My husband was gracious enough to do the job for me for a while. All I now had to do was cast out my rod and wait for the fish to get caught. But you know what, although I was highly excited about fishing, I was dependent on my husband to do the “dirty job” for me and unless I had the courage to overcome, I would remain on this level and never become a skillful fisherman.
Perhaps you have some areas in your life that hinder you to go forward and to do the work of the LORD. You rely on others to do it or you say you are not good enough and let others do the “job”. Today the LORD wants to encourage you to overcome and to go to the next level of your walk with Him. He wants you to be a skillful fisher of man. Dare to be open enough to talk to the LORD about these areas and allow Him to bring you to the next level. The excitement for the adventure will arise again and you will be empowered with boldness from on high.
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Suzanne Tanner
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
(Psalm 37:4)This is an often quoted verse and a well known one to many of us. But what is LORD speaking about when He says that He will give you the desires of your heart? Do these desires include cars, houses, jewelry, money – I mean all the things you cannot afford? Let me share a little story with you to answer this question:
One evening it began to snow heavily and our sidewalk and porch were covered by a heavy layer of snow. Some boys were knocking at our door and asking if they could clear the snow for us. We didn’t have the money to pay them, nor did we have a shovel to do it ourselves. Besides, my husband was feeling very sick and couldn’t do the job anyway. The next day I had a look at our property and in my heart I so wished we could clear the way for other people to walk past our house on safe ground. Looking over to the house across the street I saw that they were working with a snow plough. I thought, “That’s a smart and efficient way to get rid of all that snow fast and without much strain”. I so desired to have a clear side walk for us. And you know what? Next thing I know, our elderly neighbor who had gone through some major surgery, comes walking around our house with his snow plough sweeping away all the excessive snow without us asking!
You see there is a fine difference between demanding and desiring. You need to realize that you cannot make demands on somebody you love. And when you replace your demands for desires you will discover the delight in the LORD that the Bible is talking about. I encourage you today to put your trust in Him and to talk with Him about the things you carry in your heart. And then you will see Him move in truly amazing ways in your life!
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Suzanne Tanner
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1 NIV).
One of the nice things I have experienced here in America is that you take good care of your neighbors! I think I have the greatest neighbor in all times and I just love to visit and talk to her. She is really a wonderful lady; she is always so friendly, has a great attitude and is just the nicest neighbor you can have. I know that the LORD loves it when we visit the widows and so when I spend time with her, I know I am in Gods will.
In my recent visit she told me that since we had removed one of our great trees in the backyard, she has more sun coming into her kitchen in the morning and she now has to cover up the furniture that is in her sun room with a blanket. We had told her previously that we needed to cut the tree down because we were about to build a garage that needed some extra space. But little did we realize that our tree had given her so much shade and protection in all these years. What was good and necessary for us had now brought about some significant change to her daily life.
What spoke to me right away was how often our actions affect others without our even knowing it! Think about it for a moment: we rarely realize how much our actions influence a persons well being. That’s why you need to make every effort to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Life or death, blessing or curse, joy or sorrow is in your hands. Chose to be a blessing today and realize that each and every step you take not only shapes the course of your life, but positively affects the lives of people you come across.
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Suzanne Tanner
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV).
Do you get busy at times? Do you find yourself doing so many things and then getting overwhelmed by them? On top of all that work you also lose your joy and hope. Oh, that’s a bad situation right there, isn’t it, when you lose the passion for what you are doing. But let me give you some encouragement here!
When you lose your joy and strength for the task, you need to stop right where you are and turn to Jesus. Then you will hear His tender voice gently speaking to you: do it for me. Whatever you are doing, do it unto me! And so your reply will be: Ahh yes Lord, of course I’ll do it for you! Why would I not want to do it for you, you are the love of my life. And as you take up your work again you will have a greater joy and determination in your heart. I tell you, you will accomplish great things for the LORD only by serving Him with this kind of attitude. And besides, think about it. Isn’t it a great thing to be a servant of Christ? So rejoice now and know that this satisfaction and honor is your inheritance. You are accumulating eternal rewards right here on earth!
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Suzanne Tanner
