"I Cover Up Your Mistakes"

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

Something really silly happened to me a few weeks ago. We had just come home from a trip and as I emptied my suitcase I also placed my new travel laptop on our bed that was raised quite a bit from the ground. Unfortunately I was careless and so my laptop slid and very quickly fell onto the wooden floor. I knew right away that something was broken.

I could hardly believe that such a thing had happened to me. In that very moment I regretted my clumsiness so much and I sighed to the Lord. You know, my husband had told me over and over again to take better care of my belongings. On top of my shame and grief, my mistake cost us a couple of hundred dollars and with a heavy heart we had to decide against a repair.

A few days later we received an unexpected phone call from the repair center telling us that the repair had been done and we could pick up my laptop. At first we were puzzled but were soon enough told that supervisor had authorized the repair and had asked the manufacturer to waive the costs on our behalf. You can imagine how light hearted especially I felt and I immediately said to my husband “Let’s pray together and thank the Lord for His intervention”.

What a precious grace came down that day from heaven and it is available to you too. It’s a free gift from your Heavenly Father with the purpose that your love, joy and thankfulness would grow strong and firm in Him. You will deeply experience this precious gift of grace in your weakness when God becomes your sole source of strength and hope.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tanner

“Be Alert!”

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8 & 9 NIV).

Let me tell you a story about our Chihuahua puppy. You know I like to declare over him that he is a small dog with a big attitude! Now that he is 6 months old he is developing quite a character. One of the things I have noticed about him is that if he doesn’t recognize a person walking around or in the house he will go ahead and defend the property or run towards the intruder with as much growling and barking that can come out of his little mouth. Also when he lies on my lap and seems to be asleep, I know that he is actually in a resting position, because when he hears something that is not familiar to his sensitive ears, he is immediately in an alert mode and wide awake. In a split second his eyes are open, his head is lifted high, and he perks his ears and is ready to attack. That’s the fine art of doghood!

There is a sleepiness and drowsiness that can befall us Christians like a cloud, but not you, Warrior of God. You cannot allow yourself to be in a slumber position whilst your enemy prowls around on the same battlefield as you. You need to exercise self-control and develop alertness every single second of your life.

So please make up your mind today to choose to be awake in the spirit and to submit to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I tell you, it is a triumphant moment when you realize that you are standing firm, resisting the devil and are walking from victory to victory.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

"Take Care of Your Weeds"

“I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

Have you ever made this observation, that when you plant a good seed in your yard the weeds spring forth automatically? Isn’t it just amazing that you have to protect your good seed all the time because otherwise the weeds will take over at some point and destroy your plant? It seems like I have to daily hand pick the weeds in order to defend the vegetables we have planted in our garden.

The thought that came to my mind the other day was that the good seed had been hand planted with a purpose. The weeds however spring forth automatically without a purpose and without a seed. In fact, since we have planted something good in our yard, you can just see how many enemies have showed up all of a sudden: all kinds of weeds, sometimes similar to the seed we sowed, colonies of ants and so forth. Now the war is on and I have to make it a daily effort to take care of my precious plantation.

Do you know that the hand of God planted a good seed into your life? It is the Holy Spirit and it is this new life that springs forth in you. What you need to do now is to make it your daily effort to protect this treasure that has been given to you. That’s the good news! The bad news is that you and I also have some weeds that spring forth automatically. It is our sinful nature which we were born into. If you do not watch it, it will soon overtake this treasure in you and destroy it. So you need to keep your life free from all kinds of negative influences and press on like Paul to win your prize. This means that you are responsible for your “weeds” and that you need to pluck them out daily. How do you do that? Go to your loving Savior Jesus and talk to him about your wrongdoings. He will always forgive you so that you can move on in victory. This is how you will stand your ground and bear tremendous good fruit!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tanner

"Born Again"

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29 NIV).

Now that we have a dog we get to take on responsibility for him that also includes consequences. One of the things we need to do now is take him out for his bathroom routine under all weather conditions.

One morning it was raining and thundering so heavily and both of us, our dog and I didn’t really want to go out and get wet, but we had to. Everything was soaking wet, our dog, my coat, the yard, everywhere were little puddles. It was a nasty day and we were glad to get back inside that morning and dry ourselves off. I thought it would be a rainy day and rain all day, but it didn’t. The rain subsided very quickly and when I went out again the sun was shining and there was a freshness in the air, as if the rain had been a cleanser and had washed away all darkness, dirt and heaviness. Later on that morning as we went to church I experienced the same kind of freshness amongst the fellowship of the believers. I felt like I was born-again, the same kind of sensation when I received Jesus as my Lord and savior in 1995.

You know there is a distinct freshness that comes from being born-again. It is a moment where all heaviness, dross, despair and hopelessness is washed away by the power of the Holy Spirit. As He pours himself out on you the heavenly gift of revelation begins to take place in your life and a hope that is anchored in God is birthed in you. It is my prayer for you that you would experience the same kind of freshness each day of your life and be revived in Jesus Name!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tannr