You Have

POWER

Over The Enemy

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord."

(Isaiah 54: 17)

Horses are physically powerful animals, but their natural instinct is rooted in prey behavior which includes fear. A good horse-master can teach a horse to be brave by teaching them to be "pro-active" instead of "reactive".

Horses are large and powerful animals with the innate ability to buck, rear, kick, and run as fast as the wind. And yet, I've seen horses spook at the mere sight of a small puppy! So, what's up with that? It's simple, really. Horses are prey animals. That means that their nature is rooted deeply in survival instincts. And that means that without a healthy dose of fear, they might become some predator's lunch buffet. Does the horse become lunch for some predator because the horse isn't powerful? The answer is no. The real reason a horse becomes the enemy's next meal is because he doesn't know that he has more power than his enemy. Until a horse is taught that he has delegated power (power that comes from the Master), he will continue to act like a prey animal. However, when the Master teaches a horse to use the thinking side of his brain, instead of the reactive side, the horse learns to be brave.  

Now, let's talk for a moment about the reactive side of our brain. And yes, we have one! Have you ever been faced with a situation that just seemed to come from out of the blue and broad-side you when you least expected it? If you've ever been in that kind of situation, then chances are good that you've experienced the "reactive side" of your brain. The reactive side of your brain is the part that is ready at any moment to take flight when you are suddenly surprised, fearful, or threatened. When the reactive side of your brain takes over, you might respond physically, psychologically, emotionally, or even spiritually. But whatever the case, much like a knee-jerk reaction, it will not have any power. Why? Because it's an action that is simply "reacting" to a stimulus, or trigger. Keep this in mind...

In order to have real power,

you must be pro-active instead of reactive. 

Horses can be amongst the bravest of all animal species when they learn to "act" on what they've been taught, instead of "react" to what happens around them.    

In past newsletters (see our archives), I've taught on the power that resides in your mouth, and the power of your words. This is a delegated power that has been given to you as a believer through the name of Jesus Christ. It is also a power that allows you to declare a thing, and see that thing come to pass, or to call that which is not as though it were. In essence this power equips you for battle.

And the seventy returned again with joy saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." And He said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

(Luke 10: 17 - 20)

Wow - talk about real power! But guess what? There is even more power that is available to you as a believer. However, in order to experience this kind of extraordinary power, you must be willing to put on the whole armor of God. And why do you need to put on the whole armor of God? You need to put on the whole armor of God so that you will be equipped, not just for the battle, but for the war! 

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

(Ephesians 6: 11, ESV) 

THE WHOLE ARMOR

OF GOD

(as described in Ephesians 6: 10 - 18)

1. The Belt Of Truth (Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life)

2. The Breastplate Of Righteousness (Our righteousness is not of ourselves, but from the Lord)

3. Feet Shod With The Gospel Of Peace

(As Christians, we bring good tidings of peace and joy, and yet, our spirits are equipped and ready for battle)

4. The Shield Of Faith (Our faith is not in and of ourselves, but our faith is in God who protects our heart/vital organs)

5. The Helmet Of Salvation (Christ is our Savior, and we have been given the mind of Christ that we might know His perfect will) 

6. The Sword Of The Spirit (The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword)

7. Praying Always (God's Word commands us to be watchful and observant; an army of God that would seek Him as General, continually)

 OLD COWGIRLS

AND

HORSES

A blog/diary of my life with horses, and a few other adventures along the way.

Is this love? If you have to ask, it probably isn't! Look for the signposts of passion and you'll find the trail to love. 

I'm a passionate person. To say that I'm passionate about my horses is almost an understatement. It doesn't begin to cover the range of emotions or the depth of love I have for them. Having said that, the crazy thing is, I don't remember my mom or dad being passionate people. They were both very salt of the earth folks, and as far as I could see, they were not given particularly to demonstrative behavior or passionate thoughts of any kind. As a consequence, when I was a child it was often hard for me to figure out just where they stood on a lot of matters. Of course, I often tested the boundaries to find out just where they really stood, and found out to my surprise (with the help of a hickory switch) that they were a bit more passionate about some things than I'd realized!

Nevertheless, from early on, I sensed the world was too gray for my liking. I wanted black or white, yes or no,  will or won't, can or can't, do or don't. You know, clear lines of delineation, and no hedging. But that in-between place - that place where people sometimes reside comfortably - that place where gray matter lives and nothing is black and white, well, it drove me absolutely nuts growing up. It still does. I need passion! Which brings me to the subject of my blog today and a question. Just what is passion anyway?

Remember the 80's, and the big-hair rock n' roll bands? Alright, some of you are wondering what this has to do with anything. Just stick with me for a moment. As for the rest of you, you just need to take your halo off and confess - you really do remember those big-hair bands! Truth is, I couldn't have cared less about rock n' roll pretty-boys with guitars in their hands. However, I confess that one band did capture my attention (if only for a moment) with a particular song. The band was called Whitesnake, and the song was titled, "Is This Love?" The first moment I heard it, I recognized the passion in lead singer David Coverdale's heart-rending and soulful vocals. And yet, I remember questioning his sincerity. After all, how could he sing so passionately about someone and not know if it was love or not?

This morning as I rode my horse around the arena, my little Boombox radio (remember those?) sat on an old wooden chair blaring away. Suddenly, an oldie-goldie song came across the air-waves, and there it was again. Coverdale's voice cut through the air with a passionate cry, "Is this love that I'm feeling? Is this the love that I've been searching for?" Between asking my horse for a correct lead departure, while at the same time trying to listen to the lyrics of this "blast from the past" song, I realized that this rocker with "hair to die for" didn't have a clue! His words belied his passion. And that got me to thinking about another question. How can you feel so much passion and not know that it's love?

Ahhh, passion and love. Can we really separate our passion from our love? Is it even possible? With the reins in my hand, I thought about my horse, Samson. It was impossible for me to separate my passion for him from my love for him. Could it be that my passion for him is what gave my love physical expression and displayed it for the world to see? In the deepest part of me I knew it was true. Of course, the idea of the union of passion and love didn't start with me. It originated with Jesus. It was His passion that took Him to the cross where He laid down His life for us. And it was His passion that caused Him to rise from the dead and conquer death and the grave that we might live with Him forever. What extraordinary passion he must have felt and experienced. And what an incredible love story He wrote just for you and me.

Q & A

Each month I receive emails filled with interesting and great questions. In this segment of our newsletter, I will share some of the special emails I've received. All names have been changed to protect the individual's privacy. 

Dear Susan,  You probably don't remember me, but I met you years ago when you ministered at a church in Shelbyville, Tennessee. I was new to the area and just happened to see a sign for a cowboy church service and decided to go. I wasn't saved at the time but what really caught my attention was the service wasn't going to be inside the church but outside in an open field, and it said you would be ministering the entire service off the back of your horse. I thought to myself I have got to see this.   

When I got there everybody was sitting around on hay bales out in the field by the church building. It was cold too but nobody left. I remember you had on some leather gloves with fringe and you joked about having on so many layers of clothes that you might need a forklift to get up on your horse. I loved your sense of humor. I had two of my kids with me that night and they were mesmerized. I was too and I don't think any of us ever thought church could be fun like that. I had quit going to church a long time ago. I won't go into the reasons here. But the night I saw you up on your horse I knew God had directed my feet there and something was about to change in my life. 

I think the ice finally broke for me when your horse kind of got upset over the music being so loud and the drummer hitting his cymbals. You just rode it out and that's when I knew that nothing was fake or rehearsed with you. You just calmed your horse down and never missed a beat then started singing a Patsi Cline song. When everybody chimed in that was it for me and I think I smiled for the first time in a long time. I am writing now to tell you that someone forwarded your newsletter to me and I am so glad to have discovered you all over again. I also want you to know that your horse ministry changed my life that night in Shelbyville and I gave my heart to the Lord. You have made such a mark on me that I may even get myself a horse! I love you Susan and thank God for you. I hope I get to see you again. Please let me know if you do any more horse ministry in the Nashville area.

(Katy, Tennessee)

My Response To Katy

  Hi there, Katy. Thanks for taking time to write, and yes, I do remember you! I remember your kids, too. One of your little boys sat right up next to the round-pen, and every time I loped my horse around to his side, he shouted, "Make him go fast! Make him go fast!" I looked at him and said, "This is fast for us!" He just grinned, and the look on his face told me he was trying to figure that one out. 

 I also remember how cold it was that October in Shelbyville. I did two night's services back to back, and it never did warm up. More than once, I thought I must be nuts to be out in this weather! The church rented the round-pen I used, and they set up hay bales all around it for people to sit on. They also had a hot grill fired up and cooked hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone. Initially, I wondered if anyone would come out for the services because it was so cold, but it was a "packed house" both nights, so to speak, and no one complained about being cold.

Speaking of cold, you're absolutely right. I was so cold that I had put on layer after layer of clothes. I felt (and probably looked like) the Pillsbury Dough Boy! It was also my horse, Samson's first ministry outing. I chose the meeting in Shelbyville to "break him in". Up until then, he had been my western pleasure show horse. I pulled up in my truck and horse trailer the day of the first service, and unloaded him and my other horse, Montana, who had been used to doing cowboy churches with me for years. Montana loved everything about cowboy church meetings. The louder the praise and worship music - the better he liked it! But poor ol' Sam, - he ended up getting baptized with fire straight out of the shoot!

If you remember, the band had set up their equipment right next to the roundpen I was riding in. I was about half-way around the pen loping my horse, and getting him warmed up for the service. Unbeknownst to me, the band decided they would warm up, too. Suddenly, the drummer felt a move of the Spirit, and hit one of his cymbals with some real authority! It scared Samson so bad, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. This horse who had never bucked a day in his life suddenly started humping up and crow-hopping around the pen, and of course, the drummer totally unaware of what was happening just kept clanging those cymbals. The good news is, I managed to hang tight in the saddle and get my horse's mind back on me. As for Samson, I have no doubt that he decided to give his life completely to Jesus that night after that scare! It might interest you to know that the next week, I went to Walmart and bought a kid's toy drum set  complete with cymbals. I set them outside Samson's stall and every night for a week, I banged on those drums and that cymbal while my horse enjoyed his dinner. It didn't take long to desensitize him to the noise. Now he thinks he needs a band and music every time he dines in!  

 As for singing Patsi Cline, what can I say? After surviving the antics of my show horse turned bronc, and trying to keep icicles from forming on my cheeks all evening, Patsi Cline's song, "Crazy" just slipped out of my mouth! I love God's people. They all just chimed in as if it had been planned, and praised the Lord anyway!

I know this is a long response to your letter, but I have to tell you that I will always be grateful to Pastor Wagoner for hosting my horse ministry that weekend, and give credit where credit is due. Pastor Wagoner has since retired, but he was a wonderful man with an innovative spirit and a desire to win the lost in his community. He knew absolutely nothing about horses, but he was smart enough to know that he lived in Shelbyville - a strong mecca for the horse community, and he was willing to cast his net on the other side! It thrills me to know that you gave your heart and life to Christ because of our efforts. Welcome to the family of God, Katy. And by the way, I think I hear the Lord saying that you definitely need to get a horse!

Natural Horse

Faith-Man-Ship

(Teaching biblical faith using horses)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FAITH RIDE OF

 YOUR LIFE?  

To Learn More... 

WRITE or EMAIL

Susan Klaudt Horse Ministry

P. O. Box 4994

Cleveland, TN 37320

or  

ksworldmin@aol.com