Waking up to the goodness of God | with Susie Larson
I love few things more than a conversation with someone I highly respect, and am always learning from. Susie Larson is right at the top of the list for me. She is a best-selling author, popular radio host, and Bible teacher, and most of all, she is full of hard-earned wisdom and a tangible love for those of us who are on the frontlines of battle. That is you and me! So, it is a great joy for me to spend an hour with her in your company today. We have a raw, honest, deep conversation that will bring you hope, fuel your faith, and most definitely invite you to reframe your story with God’s perspective!
In her latest book, Susie reveals something she’s struggled with for a long time – something to which many Christians can relate: “I’ve lived much of my adult life bracing for impact. I love Jesus. I worship Him, enjoy Him, and spend hours in His Word. How is it possible to pursue Jesus earnestly yet simultaneously live with elbows locked? Though I loved my times with Jesus, I had developed a posture of self-protection, just waiting for the next storm to hit. Then, one day, God showed me my heart… I realized that because of my chronic battle with illness, I was disappointed in Him. Hurt by Him. Not enough to walk away from Him (where would I go?) but enough to rob me of the gift of expectancy. So I’ve spent the last couple of years earnestly cultivating an expectant heart around God’s goodness. And it’s changed everything!”
Here are some elements you can look forward to learning from this episode:
- Discover the transformative power of imprinting God's love, marveling at His mercies, and rehearsing His miracles in your life.
- Gain insights into reframing your story with God's perspective and stewarding your words for positivity and empowerment.
- Understand the impact of fear and trauma on our lives, and learn how to overcome and face these challenges with perseverance.
- Uncover the importance of unity and collaboration in the Kingdom, breaking away from competition and embracing community.
- Explore the concept of living in holy expectancy and seeking guidance from the Lord as you navigate life's challenges.
Want more? Here are some of the topics Susie and I covered today:
- Overcoming physical and spiritual challenges
Susie’s battle with chronic Lyme disease and exposure to black mold resulted in a devastating relapse eight years ago. The impact was profound, leading to memory loss, difficulty speaking, and a struggle with fear and worry that caused a spiritual shift. Despite her love for God, she found herself in a place of deep mistrust. However, through this harrowing experience, she underwent a spiritual transformation, recognizing the need to appreciate God's miracles, marvel at His mercies, and imprint His loving kindness on her heart.
- The power of positive physiological changes through faith
As Susie applied herself to appreciate God's miracles and imprint His love on her heart, she experienced positive physiological changes, increased vitality, resilience, and strength. This emphasizes the powerful connection between our thoughts and physiological reactions, underscoring the impact of imprinting God's love on one's heart. Susie Larson's journey serves as a testament to the profound relationship between faith, mindset, and the body's response.
- Trusting in God's promises
We switched to a discussion of the Israelites' lack of faith in God's promises, highlighting the importance of meeting God's promises with unwavering faith. Drawing from the book of Psalms, Susie share excerpts that reflect on the Israelites' grumbling and God's response, emphasizing the significance of faith and trust in God's goodness. Susie underscored the essential nature of embracing God's promises with faith, and how this paves the way for receiving His goodness.
- Embracing God's perspective in difficult seasons
Throughout the conversation, Susie candidly shares personal struggles with physical health, financial hardships, and spiritual depletion. Amidst the challenges, she experienced a profound sense of God's silence, questioning His plans. However, as God reassured her of a new season and the fulfillment of His promises, Susie’s heart was renewed with hope and faith. This serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of reframing our stories with God's perspective, especially during seasons of adversity.
- The power of our words
Susie reflects on the potent impact of words, realizing the significance of her own negative affirmations and the need to guard against speaking negatively. The conversation touches on the biblical and scientific evidence supporting the power of words, underscoring the importance of addressing heart issues and stewarding our words with intention and wisdom.
- Unity and collaboration in the Kingdom:
Susie shares her struggles with entering ministry and navigating the competitive nature and territorial behavior in the industry. Emphasizing the importance of unity and collaboration in the Kingdom, she speaks against individualism and competition, championing the spirit of collaboration and support within the body of Christ.
- Living in Holy expectancy:
Susie Larson's journey of faith, resilience, and spiritual growth is a powerful testament to the transformative power of God's love and the unwavering strength found in Him. Her willingness to share her struggles, triumphs, and deep insights transcends the podcast, offering a profound guide for navigating life's challenges with faith, hope, and a steadfast belief in God's goodness. The conversation today ends with a prayer focused on living in holy expectancy, capturing the essence of hope, faith, and anticipation for God's goodness and provision.
To summarize, here are priceless nuggets of wisdom from my conversation with Susie today:
- Marvel at God's mercies, imprint His loving kindness on your heart, and appreciate His miracles to receive His goodness when it comes.
- Understand the connection between thoughts and physiological reactions, and seek to imprint God's love on your heart for positive physiological changes.
- Reframe your stories with God's perspective, dealing with the heart issues and stewarding your words for positive impact.
- Seek to live a life for God's glory, knowing His love, and sharing your experiences to help others navigate their difficulties.
- Embrace a philosophy of abundance over scarcity, realizing the importance of unity and collaboration in the Kingdom, instead of individualism and competition.
- Overcome fear and refuse to let it hinder your purpose, recognizing the impact of fear and the importance of reaching others for God.
- Seek guidance from the Lord and face your fears, acknowledging them but not allowing them to hinder your potential.
- Refuse to live in perpetual insecurity and fear, understanding God's promises and meeting them with faith.
- Acknowledge your missteps, mistakes, and sins, and believe that God can use them for your good and His glory when you love Him and are called according to His purpose.
- Live in holy expectancy, being ready to meet Jesus and living a life for His glory.
MORE ABOUT SUSIE LARSON
Susie Larson is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live. Whether behind a desk or behind a mic, Susie lives out her passion to see people everywhere awakened to the depth of God's love, the value of their soul, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus. Find her at https://www.susielarson.com/about/
A two-time finalist for the prestigious John C. Maxwell Transformational Leadership Award, Susie is the author of over 20 books and devotionals, and her Daily Blessings reach over half a million people each week on social media. Her radio show is heard daily on the Faith Radio Network, as well as around the world through her podcast, which has more than 7 million downloads. A popular media guest and guest host, Susie has appeared on shows like Focus on the Family, Life Today, and Family Life Today. In addition to her work and ministry, Susie loves to laugh and relax with her family. She and her husband, Kevin, have been married since 1985. Together they have three wonderful (and hilarious) sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, a growing bunch of delightful grandchildren, one adorable Golden Mountain Doodle named Bella-Joy.
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK, “WAKING UP TO THE GOODNESS OF GOD”
In Waking Up to the Goodness of God: 40 Days Towards Healing and Wholeness, Susie has been purposeful in her choice of readings, reflections, and prayers, all designed to awaken readers to God’s goodness and retrain their hearts and minds to believe for God’s best:
- The opening prayer is designed to help grow the reader’s faith and secure their footing.
- The short devotion on that day’s topic points towards God’s beautiful intentions towards His children.
- The day’s closing faith declaration and “brain-retrain” statement are meant to be said, prayed and rehearsed throughout the day. We tend to default to positions of fear, discouragement, and hopelessness. We have to practice a posture of faith, hope and love. Rehearsing God’s goodness will feel like nourishment for the soul because God has wired us for hope!
Scripture highlights the significance of forty days as typical length fora pilgrimage or spiritual journey toward a more profound dependence and reliance on God (Genesis 7:4; Exodus 34:28; Matthew 4:1–2). However, Susie stresses that there’s “no need to be restricted to forty days here. What if you decided to set out on this journey but gave yourself permission to go slow, to linger over the truths that resonate with you, and to allow those truths to seep deeply into your soul and cells? I’d rather you take your time as you read these devotions and experience transformational change as you go than to rush through these pages and miss God’s invitation to you. Move at the pace of God’s grace and you’ll move from a posture of bracing for impact to one of holy expectancy. It’ll change your life.”
Join Susie Larson on a transformative pilgrimage in Waking Up to the Goodness of God, exploring God’s invitation to flourish, heal, and know His peace in a way that changes us forever.
Buy the book here: https://www.susielarson.com/susies-book-store
We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with.
Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog
Identity in the battle | Ephesians
https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/
Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience
https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/
Shades of Red | Against human oppression
https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/
God's glory, our delight
https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/
You are invited to join us on the Gospel Spice Prayer Bible Study, titled "The heart behind prayer" starting September 20, 2025! Details and registration here: https://www.gospelspice.com/prayer
There are a few things in our Christian life that we know we should do more, or at least better – and prayer just might top the list. Prayer is a mystery. Why would a conversation with a human have any influence on God’s eternal, sovereign plan? It defies logic, and beckons love. How can God, the Almighty Lord of Hosts, be this close, this personal? It defies understanding, and beckons involvement.
But, lack of time, inspiration, and discipline, combined with the ruthless tyranny of our busy lives, push prayer to the periphery, to the “one day I’ll get to it” pile. And yet, we can excel at what we endeavor to undertake. So, why isn’t prayer more of a spiritual priority? Could we develop a mindset around prayer that made it attractive, inspiring, even maybe delightful? What if we attuned our spiritual ears to listen to God, and our spiritual eyes to see His provision?
As an unassuming student, I’m going to humbly offer to share the little I have learned from others about the joy of prayer. I will give us theology, practical tips, and useful resources, sharing what works for me as we, together, learn to pray.
If you find prayer intimidating, or if your lack of prayer makes you feel guilty or “less than,” then this is the place for you! If you have been a student of prayer for many years, this is the place for you too! If you have breath in your lungs, then prayer can become one of the deepest joys of your day. Don’t miss out!
A PERSPECTIVE ABOUT PRAYER
To pray is to believe that God not only hears, but that He responds. It is to stand in the gap for a broken world, wielding the authority of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, and trusting in the goodness of the Father. The question is not whether prayer works, but whether we are willing to pray the kinds of prayers that invite God’s Kingdom into the darkest places of the earth—and of our own hearts.
We may never fully understand the mechanics of prayer, or how it intersects with God's sovereignty, but we are not called to understand everything. We are called to be faithful. And faithfulness means showing up—in prayer, in persistence, in expectation.
So today, let us pray not only for the comfort of our hearts, but for the transformation of the world. Let us take our place as image-bearers, co-laborers, and co-heirs. Let us believe that God is still listening—and still acting. Because He is.
There’s only one way to find out what might happen when we truly pray like this.
Let’s begin.
THE MINDSET BEHIND THIS COURSE
Before we begin, let me tell you the obvious: I don’t really know how to pray. I’m a humble student and absolute beginner at the holy endeavor that is prayer. So, this course isn’t really about what I’ve learned, or any wisdom I might have gathered. But, I’ve sat at the feet of many prayer warriors over the decades, through books and teachings.
So, I’ll share what I learned from them. Humility is going to be our primary heart posture! With each lesson, I will offer a few thoughts, practices, and ideas – with much humility, and not taking myself too seriously. I will also share her favorite books and resources about prayer. FInally, I will introduce you to some of the most influential prayer warriors of our history as the Body of Christ.
Most importantly, I will invite YOU to pray! Learning to pray comes from praying. Our humble ambition is to inspire you to pray, and to give you a few tips on how to do that. Then, it’s up to you! Prayer is a lifelong endeavor. Let’s make it delightful together!
So, let’s get started.
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