Your Secret Weapon for Spiritual Battles, with Susie Larson

You are in a spiritual battle. Humility is your secret weapon. In this episode of Grounded, author and radio host Susie Larson will give you seven questions to help you take inventory after a spiritual battle. You’ll also hear from a small army of women who are pushing back the darkness one church at a time.

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Episode Notes

Revive Our Hearts Ambassador Program

Strong in Battle book by Susie Larson

Beauty in the Broken booklet by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

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Erin Davis: There is a war going on, and I'm not talking about what's happening between Russia and Ukraine, this war that I'm talking about hits a lot closer to home. I'm Erin Davis, and you're watching or listening to Grounded.

Portia Collins: And I'm Portia Collins and we are here to give you two things – you already know what they are – hope and perspective. And today, we want to examine the spiritual battle that all of us face. We want to send you into that battle this week with a secret weapon. I like a secret weapon. 

Okay, So Erin, tell me when it comes to spiritual warfare, where do you feel the battle most intensely?

Erin: Two things come to mind. One is physical health. You and I were just like comparing ouchies before we went live. It is just a battle to stay healthy enough to serve the Lord a lot of weeks. 

The other one is the hearts of my kids. It is so clear to me that the enemy is gunning for their little hearts and minds. And so, there's a battle there. What about you, P? Where do you feel the spiritual battle most intensely?

Portia: You named the first one for me! It’s physical health. And I think, tethered to that is the mental component. Like for me, it is not so much the pain in the physical limitations. For me, it’s more of thinking and mulling over “oh, well, my productivity used to be so much higher.” or “how am I going to do this? How am I going to serve my family?” So, in those two things together the battle rages.

Erin: There is some raging in there for sure. Isn't it interesting that we're talking about a physical battle with our bodies in spiritual terms? There is a war going on. 

We always want to encourage you to just join the conversation. So, use that chat feature if you're watching live or even use it if you're watching after the fact. 

Where do you feel a spiritual battle most intensely? Of course, Scripture warns us that we're not fighting flesh and blood but there's a spiritual battle going on. Where do you feel that most intensely in your life? Maybe it's in your marriage. Maybe it's in your church. Maybe it is a sin struggle that you have. Where's the battle most intense for you today?

While you're already there at the keyboard, you might as well hit that share button. Let other women join this important conversation. If you haven't already, subscribe to Revive Our Hearts. You know, every time that Grounded is on, but we want to hear from you. Where are you feeling a battle today?

Portia: Mm hmm. And while you're doing that, let me tell you about our guest today.

Erin: I always say I am always excited. I'm really excited about this guest today.

Portia: Listen, we always say that we're excited. I am honestly, in my mind, I'm trying not to say the word excited to win. So, I need some synonyms. 

Erin: We need a new word, elated, thrilled.

Portia: Elated! We are elated to have Susie Larson with us today. You probably already know her and love her. She is a best-selling author, a national speaker, and the host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live. And she's got seven questions for you to help you take inventory after the battle. 

So, I want you to get your notebooks ready. Get your pens, whatever you need.

Erin: This is a notetaking episode. 

Portia: Because this episode is gonna be a notetaking episode and we want you to not miss a thing. All right. In the meantime, Erin, kick us off with some of that good news.

Erin: I always love it when I get to be the good news girl. Every once in a while, we like to put a smile on your face by celebrating. Those people that we call our Grounded heroes and women's ministry leaders serving in the local church. You have my vote for a trophy. We've got two women's ministry leaders with us today. Amy Gelatt serves in Hays, Kansas and Katy Little is joining us from Midland, Texas. Welcome to Grounded Amy and Katy, we're so glad to have you with us today.

Amy Gelatt: So wonderful to be here.

Katy Little: Yeah, we're really glad to be here.

Erin: Well, I said that I got to be the good news girl, but I'm going to recruit you to be good news girls as well. I want you to be our good news ambassadors this morning. And tell us, how is God working in the lives of the women in your church? Amy, I'll let you go first. And then Katy, you just follow up? How are you seeing God working where you live?

Amy: I think one of the things that is very evident is their love for the Word. And for each other. Like everyone else, COVID has made things difficult, but we're trying to get back together. We just had a wonderful get-together last Saturday as well, where we are trying to bond again together. But the word of God is a huge deal.

Erin: I love that. I feel like my church is just now starting to feel like it did pre-COVID It's taken us a while to get back in gear. How about you Katy? How are you seeing God moved there in Texas?

Katy: Well, last year, I was looking for a new Bible study to do on a Wednesday night because we always do our women's Wednesday night Bible study. And I had one on my shelf that my ambassador, Barbara had given me from Revive Our Hearts. It was Seeking Him. And so, I just grabbed it and started flipping through it because I had never really looked at it before. And I said, oh, this is what we need as a church as a study.

Erin: You don’t read that study, that study reads you. Isn’t that true?

Katy: Absolutely. And so, you know, I'm going through it the first time with my ladies, and it is transformative. I kept having more and more women sign up and I'd have to order more books, and more books and more books ended up having to reorder books like three or four times because I just didn't have enough because people would get it in their hands and they would go, “oh, I have to give this to my mom, I have to give this to my aunt.” 

And so, the work that we went through to prepare hearts for revival, the acknowledgment that we need revival. God is doing that work in our church. And it was really interesting how it popped up in various places at the same time, completely independent from each other. 

And so, God is doing an amazing work and I'm excited to see the fruit that comes out of the work that he has the groundwork He's laid

Erin: Me too. You can be prepared for some big fruit out of Seeking Him because God does big things in our life. That's what I tried to do every few years and you know, revivals are in the news right now. But I would just affirm that God is stirring in the hearts of His people through His Word. Amy, I know because I've served in your position in my own church that women's ministry can feel like a battle at times. Tell us about your Revive Our Heartsambassador and how she's helped you in that battle.

Amy: Oh, a lot. So, it's been it's also been a wonderful thing to be able to introduce all the resources that you guys have. Before I came to this church. They have actually heard Adorned and they have done the Adorned series and when I said I'm very familiar with Revive Our Hearts and I love it so much, we started getting into it more. And then shortly after that, my ambassador found me. 

And we actually simulcast your event last year. Actually, we bought the stuff and did it later. But with that, my ambassador physically came and talked a little bit more about Revive Our Hearts. And that support alone was so helpful because I think sometimes knowing everything she knows, it just was one more piece that I could just do is turn and do it and, and this time around when New Year rolled around, and we were doing our Bible study, what shall we do? What shall we learn? Seeking Him just kind of bounced out of it. And so, we are currently doing Seeking Him as well. And also, when my ambassador came, she gave away – of course, she came with goodies! So, she gave away some resources in the Quiet Place by Nancy, the devotional has become one of the things that people really loved, and had bought gifts to give away too. 

Erin: Love it. 

Amy: So, it's been really fun to represent that too. 

Erin: You two need to talk offline, you're both leading people through Seeking Him you need to be resources for each other connection here.

Amy: Yeah, so sometimes things yeah, for me what I really enjoy as a, I'm a pastor's wife, too. So, what I really enjoy about my ambassador is the non-bias. Very neutral party that I have, which is outside of my circle. Because I process a lot of stuff out loud. 

Erin: Me too.

Amy: I need somebody to just listen. And when they listen, I don't need them to be biased. I don't want them to take my side. 

So, the picture that comes to me often is like when Joshua was by Jericho, and he looked up and saw a man with a sword drawn, and he said, “are you for us or against us?” And I'd like some rendition of it just said, “no.” Some rendition of it said “Neither. I come to command the army of the Lord.”

And I felt like that's exactly what my ambassador does for me when she really listens. She is not geographically close to me. And she doesn't know anybody in my circle so she can listen with such an unbiased heart, and then gently guides me. 

One time she sent me this little Revive Our Hearts thing called Forgiveness. I’m like, “oh, does she think I'm not being forgiving?” But the beauty of her gently taking me to the throne of grace and her prayers are bathed with Scriptures. It's so full of Scriptures that I feel washed by the water of the Word and, and then guides me gently to stay the course and encourages me so I really, really value that.

Erin: I love that. So, this group that we're talking about, they are our heroes. They are the Revive Our Hearts ambassadors, a small army of women, somewhere around the world whose mission is to equip and encourage local women's ministry leaders, and as you just heard, they're doing it in a zillion ways. 

Katy, the Grounded sisterhood loves to pray. And if we give them something to pray about, man, they go to it! What is the best way for the Grounded sisterhood to pray for the women's ministry leaders where they live? What are the needs there?

Katy: Endurance, perseverance, you know, to continue doing the good work that God has set aside for us. It is so easy to get started. It's easy to jump in with both feet. But to continue the work to continue seeking God's face and, and being filled. Making sure that you are being filled so that you can pour out. 

Doing the long-term work is so hard and you can get worn down. But just pray that God would continually renew us and continually give us fresh vision, fresh hope, and fresh excitement about joining Him and the work that He's already doing. He's doing the work we get to join Him, He invites us to be a part of that. And what an amazing opportunity for us. 

If you would pray for us, that God would give us the exultation in our trials – like it talks about Romans 5 – that leads to perseverance and endurance and character and hope and that helps. We'll never be disappointed and we know that for sure.

Erin: Love it. You've stirred my heart Pray for Leigh Nightingale, she's a women's ministry director at my own church. And it's been a while since I reached out to her and encouraged her. Her name was on my lips as I was crying out the Lord. So, I'm gonna pray for Leigh, you pray for the women's ministry director wherever you are, could certainly pray for Amy and Katy as they're serving in the trenches where they are. 

But you heard good news. God is stirring in the hearts of His people. Women's hearts are being drawn to Him through His Word. And there are women's ministry leaders who want to serve Him faithfully, and there's ambassadors helping them along the way. Amy, Katy, thanks so much for being with us Grounded. What a delight you are.

Amy: Thank you.

Katy: Thank you. Glad to be here.

Erin: Thank you, we wanted to bring this to your attention because February is ambassador month at Revive Our Hearts. And that means that if you're someone who loves to encourage, or you want to come alongside women's ministry leaders, like Amy and Katy, our ambassador team would love to connect with you. So, we're going to drop a link for how to reach out and find out more – maybe you are our next Grounded hero because you become an ambassador in your area. ReviveOurHearts.com/ambassadors, is where we want you to go to find out some information, we're going to drop the link as well. 

We're excited to get grounded with God's people. And someone who is certainly an ambassador for Jesus is our guest today. Portia, I'm gonna let you take it from here.

Portia: Yes, class is in session. All right. Did y'all get the pens and the notebooks like I told you? I hope you did. All right. Susie Larson is here to teach us. And you know, like I like to say she is going to take us to church. All right. So, let's do it. Welcome to Grounded Susie.

Susie Larson: Well, I've already fallen in love with you and Erin. I'm just watching your faces. You're so accessible, so humble, and so passionate. I’m super honored to be with you. And thank you for letting me have a place at the table today, really grateful.

Portia: Praise God. Praise God for that. All right. I don't want to hold this up. Because I know everybody watching is just as ready as I am. So, I'm gonna jump right in. We mentioned the battle at the top of this episode. And so, I want to kind of dig in – what is the battle that every woman listening is fighting today?

Susie: Wow, that's a great question. All I have to do is look back over my shoulder over the last few years, and you look at the weapons that the enemy has used to really dismantle our sense of identity, he can't actually do that, but he can do that in our minds. As you girls were saying, that's where so much of the battle is. 

He often uses fear and isolation, because perfect love casts out fear. So, love and community are where we become who were meant to be. We can't be all that God wants us to be in isolation. And when we are living, bracing for impact, we can't live in a place of expectancy around God's goodness. 

Some of your followers may know my story, others may not. But I battled severe chronic illness through Lyme disease, mold toxicity that attacked my brain. It's been traumatic at times. And when I'd have these neurological surges, it would cause me to realize that my trauma was taking a toll on my soul to the point where I found myself bracing for impact – even though I love Jesus, I'm in the Word every day, I worship Him, He's my greatest treasure. 

I didn't translate that to a mistrust of God. But Portia, I think many people have come through what we've walked in the last few years, and maybe haven't resolved the messages of the battle in a way that's left God on His throne and declared that God is good. 

So, I think a lot of women are dealing with different kinds of fear, fear for their marriages, for their children, for their own health. And then, you feel so alone in it that you pull back further when really God wants you to run into His throne room and run into your community and say, “Here is what I'm feeling. Here's what I'm sensing. Here's the lies that I'm believing, and here are the truths that I need.” 

In one of my books, Fully Alive, I say that the storms reveal the lies we believe and the truth we need. It's not open access. There's a limit to what the Lord allows the enemy to do. But His point and purpose is that when the storm comes, it reveals the lies we believe and we must anchor to the truths we need. And when we come through that storm, the enemy has less real estate in our lives. Plus, we've got a fiercer grasp on God’s Word, and on His character, and on who we are. So, it's super important to understand who the enemy is and who God is and to discern the source of our hardships and the source of our hope.

Portia: See, we haven't been here for five minutes yet and you have taken us to church. I am just about ready – okay, I’ve got to introduce you to one of my favorite phrases – I'm ready to throw my shoe! And that is a good thing that makes me want to shout because you are spot on already!

Exactly some of the things that you mentioned, I've been seeing here in the comments, some of these battles and these things that women are wrestling with are the very things that you just named – marriages, children, health. 

I'm sure this is resonating with our audience already. So, I want to ask you this – you have a new book, titled Strong in Battle, Why the Humble Will Prevail. You've already alluded to a personal battle with your chronic health issues. I would ask, is that something that led you to write about your spiritual battles? Or is there something else that may have prompted you to share a little bit more through this book?

Susie: That's a really great question. So, just a quick synopsis. I came from a large family and grew up in a denomination where I knew God was real. I mean, as a child, I sensed His presence, but it wasn't where the gospel was presented. And I experienced some childhood trauma. When I was nine, I was pinned down by boys and had experienced a sexual assault. When I was ten, I was walking home from school and got jumped by a different group of boys and they beat me really badly, they punched my face, pulled fistfuls of hair, and kicked my stomach. I was just this four-foot little girl, and they were laughing wildly as if they just beat me up for sport. And when I got up from that beating, I heard in my ear (and I obviously wasn't audible) but it thundered in my ear, “I can get you anytime, anywhere, and God will never stop me.”

And so, at that moment, as a ten-year-old, I knew God was real and that the enemy was real. I think that's when fear really entered my heart and I've lived a lot of my life battling fear. Then, jump ahead, as a young mom I was on bed rest for six months. I got up one day, and that one day, was unknowingly bitten by a deer tick and contracted Lyme disease and a year later found out. And that voice just railed in my ear, again, “I can get to you anytime, anywhere, and God will never stop me.”

So, even though I was a seasoned follower of Christ, serious about His Word, there were some underlying conclusions that I'd made about, maybe I was an exception to the rule when it comes to the protections of God. And one of the things I want to say to those who are watching or listening, that have trauma fears because a lot of people do. If we don't resolve those with the promises of Scripture and the character of God, they will linger and continue to lie to us. And what was happening to me, Portia, was the enemy was baiting me into projecting it. Like, if God allowed this much, then what worse thing awaits me around the corner? That is what the enemy was trying to get me to do – project my worst-case fears into a future that God is not in. And I remember the day the Lord pressed upon my heart, “do you think I'm going to inform you about your future through the liar? That's his native tongue, I'm not going to speak to him about your future, there is no future moment of your life that I am not in that scenario does not exist.” 

His mercy, His goodness, chased after me. His goodness goes before me. And so that is really why I wanted to write this book because in real time I'm still working through a relapse that I had that was really traumatic and hard. But I just thought, these are some things I know, these are some things I learned. And when I started to take inventory of my battle, I realized, you know what, I know a few more things about the Word, about my enemy, about my God. 

And so, I wanted to help equip women to not to be continually disoriented in chaos and battle, to more quickly find their footing, because He trains our hands for battle. You know, He allows these things so that we can become skilled in battle. So, we become wiser to the enemy schemes. And I really believe that's a must for us in this day, which we live

Portia: Amen, amen! There's so much I want to respond to and say, but I know our time is limited. So I'm gonna keep pushing, but just know that everything that you are saying resonates deeply with me, these are things that I have experienced very frequently. And I think that you are giving me tools to better handle and deal with these things. 

Susie: Praise God.

Portia: Alright, so I want to dig into a little bit of your book. You wrote seven great questions in the book to help us humbly take inventory after the battle. So we're going to move through these rapid fire, but I want you to walk us through these questions and why each one matters. So, I'm gonna ask the question, and then you can give us a little bit of commentary on each one. So, number one, what do I know about God that I didn't know prior to this trial?

Susie: This is such an important question because I would say, pride presumes upon God. And humility relies upon God. And there are times when you're in battle, you start to become a little entitled and say, “God owes me.” And when you get into that mindset, you're already deceived. So, I think it's just so important to humbly say, “Lord, I need You for every breath. What did I learn about You?” and He will give you truth and show you some of the treasures in the darkness. And it's worth your time because that's how you steward your story. And it's really how you forge your faith. This is the way that you really want to do it so that you can come through wiser. Don't just bide your time, hunker down, get through the storm, and forget about it. 

Portia: Amen. All right, next one. How has this battle impacted my theology?

Susie: Super important question. And I think one of the ways you can discern if you’ve either grown in faith and confidence in God's Word or if you've lost some ground, is by asking, are there lingering disappointments in God, where He didn't protect you? Or He wasn't there for you? Have you come to conclusions that aren't actually accurate? Maybe you've got lingering disappointments in other people. Maybe you're indulging in things that you ought not in order to numb your pain because it was just so hard. There's no condemnation. There's no shame. But there is an invitation to resolve and sort through your story in a Christlike way because that's the path of healing.

Portia: Yes, yes. All right. Next one. How has this battle impacted my perspective of others?

Susie: All right, Jesus was a man of sorrows. He learned obedience through the things He suffered. And when you see how He encountered suffering crowds, He always had compassion. And as someone who's suffered for a long time, I've had people say –I've actually got an email from someone who said – you’re a leader at your level, and you're still not healed. Where's your faith? It is amazing to me how people can think A plus B always equals C, like we can dictate to God and if you're not getting what you want, the problem is with you and your faith. That’s such a painful theology to me. 

But when you start to think about Jesus, when He was met with suffering, He was Jesus, yet He was still moved by compassion. When you're coming through a trial, if you suddenly feel impatient with those who suffered less than you, if you roll your eyes like “that's nothing,” you're not in the place of Christ-like compassion, and again, no judgment. However, it shows that you need some healing, some correction, and redirection through the gentle hand of your Savior. It’s just good to pay attention. How am I viewing others? And if I'm cynical, judgmental, and jaded, it just means I need some time and I need to actively work through this thing.

Portia: Yes, yes. I always say cynicism is not…this ain’t from God.

Susie: It’s not a fruit of the Spirit!

Portia: Yeah, it's not! It's not a fruit of the Spirit as much as some people try to make it that way. 

All right. Next one. What biblical truths did I forget that I need to remember?

Susie: And the second part of that question is, what are the ones that I remembered that I don't want to forget? Because when you've been storing God's Word in your heart, and the storm comes, the storm reveals the lies, you believe, and the truth you need, and God will start to drop truths into your spirit. And we have this thing I call air amnesia. We are forgetters just like the Israelites, they constantly forgot what was true about God, about them, and their purpose. And that always gets us into trouble. 

And yet God is faithful in the storm. There is a path of peace through your storm, I can remember Portia, times when peace was there. But I was choosing fear because I was so stirred up in fear. But I could tell there was a place for me to put my feet in. 

So, find that place of grace in the middle of your storm. And if He gives you a truth, write it down. And if there are things that you lost sight of because you're so disoriented by your storm, when you come through, think, I don't want to forget that. I'm going to memorize it. I'm going to write it on my heart. I'm going to post it on my mirror because His truth is living and active and we need it.

Portia: Yes, yes. All right. Question number five. What were the defining moments of my battle?

Susie: This is probably the most important question of the seven. This is your story. This is your song. When the elements raged, the enemy, he uses intimidation, constantly, he uses threats constantly. Those are his modes of operation. And when he's coming in at you going, “you'll never get through this,” and he's projecting those fears. Listen for the Lord to thunder in your heart because He's with you in battle and His Spirit is alive in you. Suddenly you’ll realize what's true. You’ll see that intersection of the enemy coming at you with his lies, and God standing you up with His truth. That's your story. That's your song. Take some time to write it down. 

And Portia, you guys are mentoring and discipling women from all over the world. I'm challenging every single one of you to take some time with those questions. Craft your story, craft your testimony, and start speaking it out. Because the more that you are faithful with what God has entrusted to you, even in the storm, the more God will open new doors for you to testify. 

We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We love not our lives even unto death. The enemy can't stand your testimony and he can't stand against your testimony. So, this is where you start to develop your testimony right in the thick of that storm.

Portia: Yes, absolutely. I can almost feel and see the women out there scrambling to write all of this down. So, ladies, just know we're going to drop these questions in the chat for you. And you'll be able to go back and look at them. So, if you just pay attention right now, and we're gonna make sure you are taken good care of. 

 Alright, let me move on to question number six, and I like this one! What in me still needs healing? 

Susie: That is a deep passion for me – inner healing. This is the place where we see how hurt people hurt people and healed people heal people, right? We're constantly misreading our scenarios or relationships through a wounded lens. And Jesus is after the restoration of our souls. 

So, we ask, “what in me needs healing?” It means it's time to assess the damages. You know, trauma, hardship, long-term suffering in a marriage, with a prodigal, with an unhealthy body – it takes a toll on your soul. And you must know that trauma is met by a compassionate Savior. 

You may need a counselor, you may need to get your girlfriends around you. And please, that's where humility comes in Portia, because pride would cause you to isolate humility would say, I want to steward my story in such a way I want to be whole, so much that when I walked through this, God can use me in greater levels. I want the enemy at the end of the day to be sorry he ever messed with me. 

And that won't happen unless you learn to heal. And on my radio show, Jeff Mannion, he's an author and Pastor, he said years ago and I have not forgotten, “Susie, we've tried to become experts at not getting hurt. But we need to become experts at learning to heal.” 

One is a locked elbow posture, don't hurt me. I'm going to constantly practice self-preservation. The other is, I'm going to be hurt. I'm going to get battered a little bit by life, but I'm going to become an expert at running to the Savior, running to my girls, my friends, and finding the healing that I need; that's a good steward that takes humility and strength.

Portia: Amen, Amen. All right, question number seven. How am I better because of this battle?

Susie: I love this question, it's kind of like discerning the benefits of your battle. Because, you know, when I think of some of the things I've been through, and I wondered “how long Oh, God,” I shudder to think of who I would be if I hadn’t struggled in that way. If there would have been an absence of the battle, would I have gone in a way that was not of the Lord? I think I maybe would have because what these battles have done is forged a deeper faith and dependence on God's Word. And my husband always says your dependence on God is your superpower. 

So, when I look back over times of facial numbing, and my head feeling like it's going to explode, and my vision is blurring, and trauma and terror, I think, in those places, even in the midst of what felt like hell, there is nowhere I can escape His presence. Everywhere I go, He is with me. I know some things I didn't know before. You’ll know some things that you didn't know before. You're still standing. 

And I think that's super important to go, “Okay, I didn't like so much of this.” My husband always said when he came through cancer, “I don't want to go through it again. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.” 

You want to get to the point where you go, “Okay, that was hard. And there's a scar, but there's no more infection. And I know some things.” So, I think it's super important to take some inventory. And let that be part of your testimony.

Portia: Yes, yes, absolutely. We are winding down on time. And I want to ask you just one more question. What does overwhelming victory look like? Help us get past the struggle. What exactly does overwhelming victory look like?

Susie: That is another great question. I would say it looks like the fact that we will stand with Jesus on the final day. But how we walk it out is one small step at a time. I don't know if it was Corrie Ten Boom who said this first, but the enemy tries to get us to borrow tomorrow's trouble on today's strength. But His mercies are for today. His grace is for today. 

In Strong in Battle, I develop this faith statement that has helped me so much. And I'll just recite it because it just reminds me of what I possess are all based on biblical truths in Scripture.

“As a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom, an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ filled with the Spirit of the Living God, I speak with precision. I pray with power, and I walk in authority. I am anointed and appointed. I am blessed and beloved, I am bold and brave. I am called and courageous because I know God is with me. I will triumph over my enemy, and I will stand with Jesus on that final day.”

I recite that to myself because again, the enemy is threatened by your testimony. He's threatened by your life. His threat against you is very connected. You're a threat to him. And he wants us constantly playing not to lose. But that's not how we live. That's not how we roll. We're not hunkering down until Jesus comes back. We're rising up saying, I'm a child of God. I've got the purposes of God written over my life. I've got the Spirit of God alive in me, and the promises accessible to me. 

My faith, this is now when I can please God right here. One day, my faith will become sight. But now is when I please God by my faith. So, you access it today, you stay in the present moment, you stay in community. And when the enemy is constantly taunting you, the two things he's trying to get you to forget is the goodness of God and the value of your soul. And those things, Jesus won.

And God will never let someone gossip to Him enough to make Him change His mind about you. And when you temporarily forget who you are, He doesn't yank you from the table of grace, Jesus won a sound victory for our eternity and our identity. And yet, those are the two things the enemy is always trying to skew our perspective. 

So, overwhelming victory really happens when we go, I know who God is. I know who I am. I'm going to keep walking and I'm going to come through every storm stronger than I was going into it.

Portia: Amen, Susie, I could talk to you all day long. In fact, you have become my new best friend. Don't be surprised if you get an email or a call when I need encouragement.

Susie: Anytime, anytime.

Portia: You have blessed me and I'm sure you have blessed our Grounded sisterhood. So, we thank you so much for being with us, today. We are going to drop a link to your website and specifically to the place where our Grounded family can snag a copy of your book. I am super excited about that. I love the little part that you just recited. I want to take that copy and put it up on my bathroom mirror. So, thank you so much for being with us today. I pray God's grace and peace upon your life.

Susie: Thank you for your hospitality, and thanks for having me. God bless you, Portia.

Portia: All right. I would say it's time for us to get grounded in God's Word. But Susie has already gotten us there. You can tell she's a woman who is rich with God's Word, but we are gonna stay in the Word. And so, I am gonna pass it over to our sweet sister Erin, tell us where we're reading our Bibles.

Erin: I’m ready. I got my Grounded goosebumps, Portia when she was saying that faith statement, I started to stand a little taller, square my shoulders a little bit because everything she said was straight from Scripture. What a wonderful guest.

Yes, we're gonna stay grounded in God's Word in case you didn't catch it. The secret weapon we're offering for your battle and you are in a battle is humility. The subtitle of Susie's book is The Humble Will Prevail. And you know what? Humility, it's kind of slippery. You can't just muscle your way into humility. You can't just chant your way into it. And the second you declare I am humble. Well, it slipped right through your fingers. So how do we grab a hold of this secret weapon of humility? 

Well, let me take us to a place I love to take us to the book of Revelation, chapter 4 is where we're going to be. Revelation 4:8-11. I'm going to read it to you in just a minute. CS Lewis famously said that “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.” Now, I'm not one to argue with CS Lewis. 

But true humility doesn't have much to do with thinking about ourselves at all. In fact, it has more to do with our perspective on who God is. You just saw Susie, model that for you. Instead of declaring “I'm good enough, I'm smart enough. I am enough. I can make my way through this.” She declared who God is. And even though she was strong in saying it, she was actually taking a lot of posture of humility, because in declaring who He was, she was rightly declaring who she is. 

So where is God, this Monday morning, as I'm saying these words? He's right where he belongs, on his throne in heaven. So that's where I want us to look today. I want us to take a peek into that throne room. Revelation chapter 4. I'm going to start in verse 8. 

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

This is the passage that helped me finally start to grasp onto that secret weapon, humility, the Holy Spirit – by some supernatural thing that I don't fully understand – the Holy Spirit let John peek into the throne room in Heaven. And what's more, the Holy Spirit preserved that snapshot into heaven for us to see. What a scene!

And it forces us to ask some questions. There's all these crazy creatures, and they've got eyeballs everywhere there was worshipping. There's these other smaller thrones, and there's these people that apparently have earned some right to be there. But they don't even sit on their thrones. They're just constantly hitting their knees and tossing the crowns at the feet of Jesus. And here's the question that we need to ask when you read that – Where is your throne? Where's my throne? Who's worshiping us in the throne room? 

That's an uncomfortable thought. Because the truth is, we're not even in the throne room. And God didn't preserve this picture into Heaven to squash us, or to make us feel like bugs that were not important. The God who is being worshiped in this passage by those fantastical creatures, He loves us. And He wants a relationship with us. But there is a message in the throne room of God, it clearly broadcasts this message. The world isn't about us. The world is about Jesus, how many times does it tell us that He is the one seated on the throne, He is the one who lives forever and ever. 

True humility flows from understanding both how amazing God is and how worthy He is of praise. And then of course, secondarily, we understand how small we are compared to that. 

So, go ahead, try to be filled with pride, as you declare how holy, holy, holy God is. 

I teach a Sunday School of little girls. And yesterday, we were talking about prayer. And I was saying, hey, why do we bow our heads when we pray? And what sweet little girl said, “Because God is so big.” She was right. It's just an expression of humility. 

So, try to bow your head, try to bow your heart, try to hit your knees and say, Jesus, the one who is seated on the throne who lives forever and ever it is not just holy is not just holy, holy, He’s holy, holy, holy, and see what happens to the pride in your heart. It's gonna come right out. 

So, instead of living our lives worshiping ourselves, which, Susie mentioned this, when you're in battle, and you turn inward to some sense of entitlement or some sense of looking at others, and why don't they have the problem that I have, or God, I don't deserve this. When we turn inward during a battle, that's pride, and our weapons don't work. 

But we want to live our lives not worshiping ourselves worshiping the one who right now is seated on the throne. And that's why humility becomes a weapon because it rightly turns our eyes to the one who is victorious. 

So, are you in a battle today? Of course, you are. Are you naturally inclined towards pride? Do we all do? What's the answer? It's not just to talk yourself out of it, but to fix your eyes on the one who's worthy and to worship Him. And you're gonna find yourself way more emboldened for the battle in that humble posture. Portia. 

Portia: Listen…

Erin: What you got?

Portia: I have no words.

Erin: Do you have a shoe on?

Portia: Yeah, look, barely barely it's like hanging out. I'm about to throw it. So good, Erin Davis. So good. Thank you for taking us or keeping us centered right in God's Word. 

Erin: So glad I could. 

Portia: All right, guys. We're gonna keep laying it on thick and we've got some tools to help you stay grounded. I want to recommend to you this little booklet, it is Beauty in the Broken, and tomorrow is the last day to request this resource for a gift of any amount. And, for our monthly partners, you can get this for no additional gift, you could just go to your online account and request it. 

But this…I have loved this little book. In fact, I gave one to a young lady that I disciple and she has loved it too. And there is this little section inside that includes pride-fighting verses and I think you guys are gonna like it and you're going to benefit from it. 

So, I encourage you to check it out. You can go to the Revive Our Hearts website to get it ASAP. All right. Also, coupled with this I would recommend that you go and check out a recent Revive Our Hearts series that just finished airing, it is on Seeking Him specifically, humility, alright, and put both of these together, they're gonna give you a test to really see if you struggle with pride. And some of us would love to say, “oh, I pride is not my issue” until we really start digging deep down in there and we realize, okay, maybe I do have a pride problem. 

So, I encourage you to check this out, listen to the Revive Our Hearts series. And you know, ask God to deal with your pride. Ask Him to help you so that you can fight and win the spiritual battle with your secret weapon. And that is humility.

Erin: Portia, you told me to be ready to take notes. And I ignored your instructions. But I had to grab just a piece of paper and scribble down something that Susie said, “When we are living bracing for impact, we can't live in victory like He's called us to do.” And I think I had a little Monday morning bracing for impact thing going on. And I'm so grateful that she redirected us and thanks for engaging in the chat. Continue to tell us where you're feeling the battle. We're all in a battle, Scripture warned us of that. And we all need humility so that we can get out of the way. And God can fight it. So really, what a great episode.

Portia: Yes, like, honestly, what a way to start on Monday morning.

Erin: Right.

Portia: Sometimes, I creep into Monday morning like “oh, Lord, I don't know how I'm gonna do this.” But this episode and Susie have just gotten me all the way together. And I am ready to humbly walk into this week and just trust God to take life on his terms. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for Grounded, grateful for our sisterhood.

Erin: Yeah, I mean, I always try to picture the result of these episodes. So, imagining thousands of women facing the battles that will come this week in humility, and what God is able to do when we get ourselves out of the way because of that humble posture. So, bring it on, I say!

Portia: Bring it on. 

Erin: We’re not ready, God is so we have to get out of the way. 

Portia: Right, God's ready, God's ready. Well, in the meantime, you guys know, hit subscribe, turn on those notifications, and all of that because you don't want to miss us next week. We're gonna have Fern Nichols with us. She's gonna help us understand the purpose of prayer. And we will also hear from those serving on the frontlines in Turkey at the site of the massive earthquake. You don't want to miss it. Be praying. Let's wake up with hope together next week on Grounded.

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