Susan Smith Bennett

December 7, 2014

A Desire That Cries

My dearest sister in Christ,

I received your letter today. I want you to know that your cries for help in desperation were heard. Not only from me but (especially) from your Heavenly Father above. I was moved to compassion by your heartfelt prayer to God asking for the removal of the desires in your heart that do not please Him. Your longing to live with a pure heart that is led not by the flesh but by His Spirit is guiding my pen.

I want to encourage you to continue in your seeking after Him. Continue to cry out to Him, for this is our calling as daughters of the Most High King:

“So then brothers (sisters), we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (daughters) of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but the Spirit of adoption as sons (daughters), by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” ~ Romans 8:13-15 (ESV)

Cry out to the One who created your heart dear sister. For only He knows your heart completely. Only He can change your heart from being a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. From being a heart that is desperately wicked and deceitful to one that desires His pleasure. As his daughter He promises to change your heart into a heart that seeks only after His beauty, His holiness. Don’t stop crying out sweet sister! Follow hard after Him by spending time in His word and learning of Him….desiring Him.

Take heart sister for I am praying for your heart to be steadfast in the excellent pursuit of DESIRING for God and God alone.

Psalm 27: 1-8

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me:
therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee,
Thy face, Lord, will I seek

Blessings and Holiness to you sister,

Susan

June 2, 2014June 9, 2014

To The Praise of His Glory

“Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

Hebrews 11:12

The collage of pictures above were taken at one of my favorite spots in Florida; Fernandina Beach. Each picture represents a different perspective of the same beach. Each one is beautiful in and of itself, but together we see the whole. I love the one from a distance because of the vastness of it. God’s glory to me is so vast, it reaches from eternity past into eternity future. The second one is beautiful in that it represents God’s glory in the variety of the different bits of shells. However different that expression is, the source and standard of glory is God’s alone! The third photo represents to me the promise of God’s glory. God choses who He choses to reflect His glory by the personal application of his Son’s atoning work through the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill the promise God made to Abraham. Below is a summary of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ found in the first chapter of Ephesians. After you read it look at the picture again…to the praise of His Glory!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will…In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Because of His Grace,

Susan

April 14, 2014

Created For Counsel

Dear sister,

So often when the dark clouds of life’s storms come rolling in along with what seems like a torrent of difficult circumstances, our hearts become cold like getting caught in a down pour of rain. We often choose to run and hide away as though that will make it all go away. Sometimes, we walk around so numb from the chill in our hearts that we walk through life as though we were just a ghost, or at least we look like one.

So which is it sister? Which way do you tackle the problems of life? Do you hide away all alone? Or do you walk through them emotionless? Maybe you like them, after all they do bring a sense of drama to a somewhat hum drum life. Besides, you have been told what a great problem solver you are! Could it be you have convinced yourself “once a victim always a victim”? You may have become so identified with the problems that you sincerely cannot see yourself any other way. Possibly pride has entered the picture and you are going to “pull yourself up by the bootstraps by golly and just keep going” even if it’s in the wrong direction!

These are some of the reasons most people shy away (or run) from the idea of receiving counsel. Did you know that we were created to be counseled? It’s true! In Genesis 3: 2 we learn that God had told the man and the woman ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ I would say that’s pretty direct counsel!

God Himself counsels and His counsel is always good. Here are a few of my favorite verses regarding the counsel of God.

“With God are wisdom and might;
he has counsel and understanding.” Job 12:13

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you”. Psalm 32:8

“The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11

God has blessed us with His counsel in His Word, the Bible. We were created to be counseled. He created our hearts and only He knows our hearts. The Scripture tells us that out of our hearts spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23), so it makes sense that our hearts take the first hit if you will when life becomes hard. When our hearts are heavy from the burdens of this life God gives us counsel.

Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor and when He ascended into heaven at Pentecost His Holy Spirit which He promised (John 16) remained to comfort us and guide us (counsel) in the Truth of God’s word. Even those with faith as big as mountains need God’s counsel. Job is a powerful example of this. It helps us even when we know the word of God well, to receive counsel from another who also knows the word of God and believes in its final authority in life.

If you are struggling sister and you are confused about what to do, or how to respond to life’s undulating circumstances consider the counsel of the Lord. Consider opening your heart to another believer who is strong in the Lord and is trustworthy with the Word of God. If you are at a place where you don’t have someone to talk to seek out a biblical counselor in your area by going to www.biblicalcounseling.com.

I want to leave you with one last verse from the Psalms that speaks to the counsel of God.

“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices..” Psalm 16:7-9a

Because of His Grace,
Susan

August 12, 2013August 16, 2013

Glory Unto Glory

My dear sister,

I hope that this letter finds you well, and that the grace of God has overflowed into the hearts of others in your life. I know that at times when life is overwhelming it is difficult to see the hand of God working in our lives and hearts. Much less, His goodness and mercy towards us. Even though we can’t see, and we can’t feel His goodness it does not diminish the Truth that it does exist and it is real.

Two of my favorite Psalms are the Twenty third and the Twenty seventh. In each of them the Psalmist begins with the facts regarding our God: the “Shepard”, “Light”, “Strength”, “Salvation” and who we are in light of what He has done for us: “confident”, “restored”. But in rides the gruesomeness of life in this world “the valley of the shadow of death” and the “day of trouble” where the “wicked advance” against us. It is true that this world can be very ugly at times even downright wicked. We cause pain for others and in turn others cause us pain too. This truth reminds me of the saying “it is difficult to see the forest for the trees”. I become so focused on tree after tree after tree, that I miss the beauty of the whole forest. I miss the the completeness or totality of all the trees together.

The joy that I receive from the Psalms is that they never leave you in your miserableness. They inevitably round the bend where God’s shining glory causes the fear and angst of our hearts to arise out of the ashes to Praise Him! And what do we praise Him for? His goodness!

“I remain confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord be strong and take heart, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

I know that it is hard to imagine at times but God’s goodness always (let me say that again) always prevails! Sweet friend, it is usually my own limited thoughts and experiences that get in the way of embracing this Truth. I see hurt, I see pain, I see destruction and I see plain ole offenses and wonder “How in the world is there goodness in that?” And yet, in the heart of flesh that God has graciously gifted me with I hear the whisper of His love say “Trust Me, it is good!”

I will be frank with you sister. There are times in my own arrogance I dare to debate with God and I say to Him, “This suffering, pain, selfishness or ugliness displayed is senseless! There is no reasonableness in those words or behavior! Show me Lord where Your goodness is resident! Because I cannot see it!” Then I am gently reminded that God’s goodness being “out of this world” cannot be seen in this world in which I live. Sometimes the good God has planned is for beyond this world and my own imaginings. It is what I call my reality (Oh, yeah I am but a vapor or dust moment) check!

I can trust His word and His word tells me that He is working (Romans 8:28) and that He does have my eternal good in mind in all things that affect me (His child). That eternal good is my transformation into the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29), to which the final product is meant for His glory(Romans 8:30). So when I doubt or am feeling like debating over the lack of visible goodness in this world The Holy Spirit helps me to recall; 2 Corinthians 3:18 ” But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of The Lord!” Now that’s what I call goodness!

I hope this small letter encourages you today as you look about to see God’s goodness and are struggling to actually see it! May He make you aware of His glory and of your future glory which is to behold Him in heaven. Trust Him, He is good! Take a moment to enjoy this video and May your heart be blessed!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4tPkX0MG0

Your Sister in Christ,

Susan

June 10, 2013

Steadfast Love… Steadfast Hearts

My dear sisters,

How is your heart today? Are you feeling as though “the rug has been pulled out from under your feet?” Or as though ” your world has been turned upside down?” The implication with each of these phrases is you are being caught off guard by the element of surprise and then literally dislocated by a force stronger than your own.

Several years ago I could have used any of these phrases to describe my life. In truth it was not just the circumstances which made my life turbulent. But my heart lost it’s footing as well. It was beaten down and trampled on in such a way that like a tsunami I thought it had been swept away for good! By God’s gracious steadfast love My heart regained it’s foundation.

Sister, have you found yourself overwhelmed by internal and external forces beyond your strength to control? Have your emotions tried to take your heart captive? Your Lord has saved you, therefore He will sustain you!! Cry out to Him, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!” (Psalm 57:1) your heart belongs to Him and He will keep it safe and sound as He promises. So that as the Psalmist declares later in that same psalm “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.” (vs.7) you too can declare a steadfast heart.

Trusting in God’s steadfast love will bring your heart around to steadfastness, which will give rise to praise and honor of His name! (Psalm 57:7-11)This will be your anchor, your sure footing despite your topsy turvy life! I did a little search while writing this letter for the word “steadfast” in the Scriptures. Wherever the word steadfast is used with regards to God it is used in conjunction with His love. When it is used with regards to His people it speaks of our; hearts, our ways, our footing, our thoughts and our faith. (I encourage you to try it with either biblegateway.com or if you have the You Version app on your smart phone!) His love is the bond of perfection that keeps our hearts from despairing. His steadfast love IS the anchor of our souls. (Hebrews 6:19)

I pray that this letter encourages you today and that your steadfast heart will give praise and glory to God for His steadfast love which He lavishly poured out into your heart by His Holy Spirit (Romans5:5).

Your steadfast sister,
Susan