Susie Larson - The Uncommon Woman: Making an Ordinary Life Extraordinary

Chapter Ten

T ell me about the most amazing God-moment you've ever experienced. What story has inspired you to faith more than any other? "

One of our church leaders asked this question as we sat around the table and shared a meal with a missionary who was visiting our church. Mervus (the missionary) spoke up and said, "I have one; it's about my mentor." (I'll call Marvuss mentor James since I can't remember his name. I was so captivated with the story that his name came and left before I had the chance to grab hold of it.)

Mervus continued. "James is the most amazing man of faith I have ever met. He knows what he possesses in Christ. It's like he brings an increased sense of God's presence with him wherever he goes. His understanding of the promises and the purposes of God surpasses anyone I know.

"James was invited to Africa to minister to some missionaries there. The people felt depressed and oppressed and couldn't seem to get out from under the dark cloud that had descended upon them. They were desperate for James to arrive.

"The plane landed on the tarmac in Africa, and when the door of the plane opened, a man was standing there waiting to meet James. The host weakly grabbed James's hand and said, 'Brother James, we're so glad you are here. We've been so depressed, brother James. Now that you're here, can you feel the darkness and oppression in this land?'"

With a pregnant pause, excited to tell us the best part of the story, Mervus leaned in and said, "James stepped onto the tarmac, looked this man square in the eye, and said, 'You listen here. I have the living, powerful God of heaven alive in my soul. When I step foot on this land, that oppression feels me.'"

This story about knocked me over. I sat back in my chair and imagined the exchange between these two men. Under my breath, I whispered a prayer. I must have more of You, Lord.

A little disclaimer here: This is not to say that we are defective disciples if we come upon times of oppression when we need someone to loan us their faith in order to help us stand. In fact, I walked through such a time while writing this book. We need each other on this journey of faith.

However, Mervus's story challenges us to more firmly, more resolutely walk out my life verse: "And so I walk in the Lord's presence as I live here on earth!" (Psalm 116:9 NLT). God's presence is bursting with promises, provision, and protection. And when we lay hold of, in an ever-increasing way, what we possess in Christ, we will believe (as we should ) that everywhere we place our feet, God's Kingdom comes to bear.

Uncommon woman, when you keep Jesus on the throne of your life everysingleday, and when you determine to be done with attitudes and activities that are beneath you, you will be positioned to march into your next place of promise.

You know, the Israelites took forty years to take a journey that should only have taken them a week or two. Many scholars say that the delayed journey was a direct result of their rebellious fears and unbelief.

"The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn't believe his promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord" (Psalm 106:24-25 NLT).

They refused to believe the Promise, and then they grumbled because their lives had no promise. Before we come down too hard on the Israelites, we need to look in the mirror. I cringe when I think of how many times I've grumbled because I didn't even consider bringing my need to my gracious Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

Do you know why God absolutely detests grumbling and complaining? Because God is the source of all things and we are the object of His affection! The Lord is our Shepherd and we shall not want. God has promised to meet all of our needs according to His riches. The Bible says that all of God's promises are "Yes" and "Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20)! He is and has everything we need. When we stay within the shelter of His loving care, He will more than meet our needs. God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of faith.

Divine powereverything you need for life and godliness. Great promises, precious promises, so that through them, you canevery single dayparticipate in His Divine nature. The more you know Him, the more you'll love Him. And the more you love Him, the more you'll trust Him and believe what He says. This is the powerful, uncommon life.

The Israelites' journey parallels our journey. They were not made for captivity. We were not made for captivity. They were made to live free and reign as representatives of the Most High God. We were made to live free and reign as representatives of the Most High God.

We live in captivity when we lose sight of our destiny. We won't take hold of God's promises if we don't believe they are true for us. The enemy's greatest desire is to get us to doubt the goodness and the honor of God, because then we will let go of expectancy and faith and hope and love. And then we will get comfortable in our captivity and make our own idols. As uncommon women, we are called to press on from one place of victory to the next, from one promise to the next, from one level of faith and hope and love, to the next.

What you do matters. What you say matters. If you pray, it matters. And if you choose to live a life without faith, it matters very much.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Think about that. You can't make Him happy if your unbelief always trumps your faith. He'll still love you, but you won't awaken His pleasure. He's done so much for you, and He wants to do even more in and through you.

When you come upon a difficult time, consider it a grand opportunity to make Him smile. Say to yourself, Normally my tendency would be to get tied up in a knot over this, but I am going to look to Jesus instead. As I prayerfully bring my need before Him, and I thank Him ahead of time for His answer, I will be twice blessed. I will find peace while I wait, and I will get to see firsthand how God wants to work in my life!

What we do with the promises of God will affect how we relate to our friends, our enemies, our husbands, our children, and the lonely woman who lives down the block. How we view our responsibility in light of what God has offered us will have a direct impact on how we contribute to the life of our church, our community, and the poor.

When the abundant promise of provision gets under our skin, we just have to make a difference in our world. In ourselves, it's natural and easy to pick apart our coworkers, and our church and government leaders. We could do it better, right? And yet, as the reality of God's Kingdom grows within us, our passion to become part of the solution (rather than cynically spout about the problem) increases as well. And you can make quite a difference in the world when you have access to the riches of heaven. You can make a difference, and you do have access.

Unbelief neglects the spiritual soil. Belief prepares for rain. Think about it. A farmer believes so much in this crazy notion of growth and harvest that he turns over the soil, removes the rocks, and plants his seed. He guards his investment by keeping out the weeds and the small animals that threaten to devour his harvest. He sets himself up for success.