In A New Light to Stay out of Ruts

Light makes a difference, especially if you are looking for something in a dark, closet, dark room or in the darkest of night.
As a child, we never had "a night light". Never heard of one till I was almost grown. Not sure if they just were not available till then or if no one in our household needed one.
We make sure we have one in a couple of places for our grand-child when she comes to visit. Not readily acquainted with every wall and door, one might bump into them at a quick pace for the bathroom. We desire our loved one not to be bruised by running into a wall in the middle of the night.  But many people today walk in darkness. They walk during the day but have no "light" that will lead them in safety.  Safety is important, whether it is noonday or the midnight hour, right?

A friend of mine gave me painting about 10 years ago. It is a painting of a lighthouse on the rocks. Located next to the dangerous rocks on a hill, the Lighthouse looks like a beacon to welcome one in, yet it is there to "warn" there is danger ahead. In this painting, the "light keeper" lives in the house next door to the great light.

John 8:12
 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   NKJV

Ephesians 5:8-14

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12) For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13) But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14) Therefore He says: 

"Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light."   NKJV

In John we see the light in the Lord. And in walking as His child of light we have the fruit of the Spirit that is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are also told not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. But we are to expose them.

Awakening into His Light is to our benefit. As our grand-child has the help of a needed night light to give her surroundings light, so too, God's word will light our way.

It will give us the foundation of walking in truth and pulling the mask off anything that tries to pretend to be truth but is error.  The world teaches one thing, God teaches another. We should always keep watch on going astray. That going astray is staying away from any doctrine that teaches against God's Word. And that going astray can that of being led away with what is considered immoral. 

I went on a trip once into Puget Sound and out toward the San Juan Islands. We stayed at the Rosario Hotel and was going out to the see the "whales". Well, you know those whales were there "just yesterday" and of course, last week, "no one could count the multitude of whales along those islands." Still we took a whaling boat and tour to seek them out. And I got more of a download on those "lighthouses" along those islands. Each somehow appeared so lonely to me, and yet, I saw their importance. Still to this day, I think of those I saw and how they keep boaters and those in bigger vessels off the rocks of tragedy.

When we follow Jesus, we stay off the rocks of tragedy in our lives. Oh yes, a storm can appear, or even some kind of sickness may be reported, but our faith must be based on the foundation of Light in Jesus Christ the Word that directs us into God's love, God's power, and live by a faith that God has given us to live by.

In this group of believer's....they received the Salvation Message.......they believed in Jesus, confessed it and walked out in faith. Read below:

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10….NIV…4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit & with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia-your faith in God has become known everywhere.

(8) Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living & true God, 10 & to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 

1.      They saw the power of the Holy Spirit and recognized a deep conviction of where they needed a Savior

2.      They “welcomed the message”….accepted THAT Truth

3.      They became disciples to say who would be their LORD

4.      They became a model to all “believer’s” everywhere

5.      Their faith was known .… They spoke……..they gave Voice…PEOPLE OF FAITH GIVE TESTIMONY…..as the maturing believer. A transformation was evident.

I heard a teaching today very similar in the importance of giving our testimony. And in doing that we stay in the producing season. We do not venture into winter. For those who remain "silent" about Jesus become the rut bound person. When one remains silent about the goodness of God, those become the dust-covered, passed by, but giving praise and glory to God brings us to the life and light of God. It is in Him we are to live, move and have our being. It is not to remain silent, in a deep rut on the side of the roadway. We are to be the "unstoppable" ever moving with the strength of the fastest freight train with our focus on God who is ever leading by His Light into all that He purposed.

As those who believe, we stay off the rocks of adversity with others, we learn to stay in His council and heeding His wisdom for our decisions made daily. We become the active, not the complacent. We become the learned in Him, and not of the teachings of the world. We learn to recognize His truth, and remain in that which strengthens, keeps us peaceful and with a joy the world cannot duplicate or take from us.

John 14:27 Amplified Bible speaks this way:  27 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled].

Closing with this thought for today: Too many times, and too many of our days are spent by our speaking......."well if the kids would settle down, I would have my peace." " Well, if my boss would let me have a  longer lunch break, I could do better work in the afternoon hours." "Well, if my husband made more money, I would feel more secure with our finances." "Well if my kids, made better grades, I would never be concerned about their high school years and college." "Well, if I could lose that 5 pounds, I could focus better on my relationship with others." "Well, if I had a college degree in__________________, I would be moving forward in life."

Blaming others, only sets us up, to stumble over those things tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. It is like bagging up a big trash bag with back pain and instead of throwing it out you throw it out in front of yourself for tomorrow. It is like bagging up a big trash bag with all the complaints of why you cannot lose that last 5 pounds of weight and throwing in front of you to face again tomorrow. Or how about bagging up some noise kids for tomorrow after your trip to the dentist for that root canal? Yikes!
What we say today and believe will come to pass tomorrow!

Jesus said...........that "our hearts are not to be troubled" that means in anything. AND He said that we are to NOT BE FEARFUL, INTIMATED AND COWARDLY, UNSETTLED.

WHEN we make Jesus our Lord, the Lord of our lives, and He is that Light before us and in us, we see what needs to be changed. And it starts with us. It is not changing others, but having our heart changed to THE things of God.

Jesus bequeathed to us His PEACE. He made the transfer to our account. It is our "inheritance". He gave to us that which He operated in. Passed it on to us. It is time to "ditch" those voices of the world. Leave them in the rut for which they were intended.

Stay off the rocks that others are "speaking" for they know not your life or even you. But God knows you and has a plan for you, just like the expectant parents wait for the arrival of the baby of the their love and union as one voice. Let your life today become that which God spoke out of His love and out of the union with Jesus becomes that which keeps you in His peace, and well-able to walk on smooth paths, staying off the rocks of other's words that only bring defeat and despair. Keep in the light and stay where He places you and you will see victory after victory come to you and yours as you allow the Holy Spirit to give you the details the Father speaks of your life. In Jesus' Name, we expect His Words to go forth and be planted in hearts around the world and see His kingdom come where we walk in faith and not by sight. We believe we give the testimony of that others will hear and know that we have been with HIM! Amen.

Notice:
The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published: 
Praise Report of Faith: Jesus Speaking of John The Baptist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0I5xPxONv0

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

Is the World Dressing our Children?

Saw this most thoughtfully given encouragement on Tuesday the 13th of October. I usually am writing in the afternoon after my workout time. I had tuned to hear some praise and worship and missed the channel entirely. I had somehow picked the channel up one from the channel I frequent for worship. I tuned it on....raised the volume to hear.......and then went to the kitchen and ....got my ice water!  I was captured what this woman was speaking about the world dressing our children.
Of course, she was speaking of this coming Halloween Eve. She spoke of the importance of showing our children and grand-children that they are more than what movies can depict for them to be or become. This woman, probably a grand-mother today spoke on that which has been directed at our children and grand-children. Although she did not mention the title, you knew of what she spoke about.  She, a Jewish woman with the Hebraic heritage spoke how children, particularly girls need to know about the real Queen in the Bible. She immediately spoke of Queen Esther and how her normal life was forever changed when God showed up. The name of this Christian show was Rabbi Lapin on CTN.

I had tuned in today, but they were talking about those who cut themselves. It was very informative as well. But I was drawn back to yesterday's teaching on how we allow others to dress our "kids".
I also thought of Esther who was that young woman of courage. Although she was a stranger in that area, and had no living parents, she ultimately became Queen to an alcoholic, pagan king and saved a nation. Esther had Mordecai who raised her up after her parents death. She was one who faced a real enemy, never hurrying into anything, but taking time for fasting and prayer. She became the woman who acted on God's plan, even if it meant that she was going to perish. She certainly had the wisdom of God.

No, she did not turn anyone into an ice sculpture. She herself, encouraged those who were with her in facing an enemy who was not going to stop till he had seen the Jewish people annihilated. Serious things were going on in the land at the time of her life.

Where do we draw the line? Or should one be drawn.......to help our "kids" know they are more than that 45 dollar costume. How can we show them how we value them.........and teach them truth?

Now we certainly know  wardrobe styles change ..........for you certainly can tell that by looking in my closet and notice that right away. But I certainly do not dress as the world dictates.
I mean, if you look to Hollywood, most will not have much as covering anything that should be covered.
Now these are just my thoughts, but I am drawn back to some scriptures:

Proverbs 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.    NKJV

That "train up" means "chanak" narrow....discipline.......to dedicate. ( I think of the short amount of time one has in raising a child..........then they leave home.)

That "in the way" means a road......."a course of life".

Ephesians 6:4

4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.          NKJV

Of course this means to bring no wrath that you and your child participate in together, but bring that child up in training and admonition of the Lord. Teaching them that He is God in our lives, in our homes, circumstances, and those things we do throughout the year! It also means that the child will have reverence for God!
Admonish: to warn, to warn of wrong practices, to warn against danger

Music and certainly movies can play a role in what a child will think or do. If they are not brought up in the things of the Lord, they may look on the world as a harmless place to experience life. YIKES!

In the last thirty years, we can see darkness has taken the lead especially in October to lead people of all ages to dress up and present to others...... something they are not.
It is like at the recent "zombie" thing in Florida, and shot rang out...........one dead and several injured.
We can see some participate in things which bring no life. I am not sure why some think it is important to participate in such things. I know it bothered me when our daughter was young. And I was surely happy when it snowed on those days, because when it snowed, it was usually a blizzard. And you did not go out..........at all for anything!

What are we teaching our children when allowing them these things?

Well, Shelley, Jesus would not care about such. Did you ask Him about such things? What does the Bible teach us about dressing in things that are not bringing life to us? Well, Shelley, one can certainly dream. Yes, but what will our "kids" dream?

Jesus did not come to accommodate a culture, but He came to set up His kingdom. 

What if people got dressed up in those Dr. uniforms and went and fed the homeless?

What if teenagers got together...........made some sandwiches and went and fed the homeless?

What if we taught our "kids" to reach out to those "kids" who may not have that worldly costume to buy? What if we got together, made some stew, cornbread and fed like a neighborhood of people that night............instead?

Just thoughts here, remember.  I am just thinking what we could do differently to show people the "love" of Jesus.............in feeding them, bringing them a warm blanket or maybe some warm gloves. And talk about eternity with HIM!

What if we took that night and let others know about Jesus instead of worshiping the other?

What if we took our children or grand-children to visit the elderly in an old folk's home on that day? Well, Shelley that would scare my kids?    (and  queens with magic in their hands, ghosts, goblins, and witches don't) (the devil does not need a big "door" to enter your life and that of your children----all he needs is to get a foot hold into your home and family through one open area not guarded by God's word. He has had thousands of years to study mankind.)

Psalm 103:15-18

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 

16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

And its place remembers it no more. 

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting 

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children's children, 

18 To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.   NKJV

What we allow our kids and grand-kids to do comes back to us. What seeds we sow, will produce a harvest!   When we are those who truly fear Him, then our children and their children are secure. Those who keep His commandments and do them. What did Jesus say?

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."    NKJV

      From the blog:  LEADING OUR CHILDREN BY GIVING THEM TRUTH  .......So when the

world sees us, do they see us as in the image of God our Father or of the world?

Hebrews 12:1-2....1  therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   NKJV

That weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, can tangle one up in such a mess and delay God's plan for our lives.

"Well, everybody is doing it!" "Well. the pastor or the youth leader said the R-rated movie was okay to go see!"  "They think it has something to do with the Bible."  "Well, everyone else is going." 

No, they are not!

What if God is calling you to go on a missions trip around the world? You will take what you gathered in your heart from the R-rated movie and take it overseas to minister with  you too! And what about the anointing, is it possible to not operate in that which God called you to do when we spend time in and with those R-rated movies? (Just think about Samson and the anointing he had)

"Well God wants us to have fun!"  Yes, but will the fun be at the expense of our souls and those we try to minister life to? We are not to copy the behavior and customs of the world. WE ARE NOT TO FOLLOW THE TRADITIONS OF MAN. WE ARE NOT TO BE RULED BY A CULTURE.  JESUS DID NOT COME TO ACCOMMODATE OUR CULTURE, HE CAME TO SET UP HIS KINGDOM. Our transformation is to be in the new person, the 'new man' God intended.

(Check out my blog: Trading Glory for Sorrows........and find out more about Samson and how he lost his anointing) 


Are we showing our children that it is okay to dress up as the superhero? I know I have seen a few here in the neighborhood. But do the children know that "it is not real" that it is just a form of someone else's imagination? Well, Shelley, it is okay to dress-up! Is dressing up for our tomorrow's, the equipped in God with His Word and declaring truth or are we dressing up as one: a man in women's clothing, or a woman in man's clothing, or................???

Yes, seems like a fine line indeed! What will we do with it?

In closing: I leave you with this thought from scripture!
Matthew 27:15-26
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" 22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!" 23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!" 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." 25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.    NKJV

Having nothing to do with innocent blood, the people chose the murderer Barabbas. In reading about Barabbas, we find that he was guilty of that which both the Romans and the Jews considered a serious liability, but because of the Jews hatred toward Jesus, they chose the perverse to let the Prince of peace die! Each day we choose either life or death. I heard recently that anyone who takes an offense against the Lord and His divinity are the carnal minded. They are those who have the carnal hatred against anything the Lord is speaking or doing. We saw it in the above passage. Those priests, scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus and they wanted Him gone, so they could continue their living what they thought was holy to God. They were so wrong!
In mid 2004, I was going up my staircase at home.........at been praying and seeking a title for a message for Jail Ministry........ALL I HEARD WAS "GIVE ME BARABBAS!" And the Lord led me through how the world always chooses that which is something they can live with. If they are the carnal, they will choose that which is also carnal.
Are rallying with the world? Are we the "conduit" for which the world can flow through us to our children, or are we the "conduit" for which God flows from our heart to those around us?
What these people chose, came on them and on their children as well.

Father, thank You for Jesus, the Son of Your love. You gave us life through Your Son who took on the Cross with joy in His heart. In all  that was going on, He saw us and saw this day. Show us what to do in these situations. Is it right to dress our children and their children in that which appears as a lie and something of someone else's imagination? You certainly desire us to dream dreams, and see them come to pass. But we also know they are those You planted in us from the foundation of the world. Help us to see where we might be missing something that is totally wrong for our "kids" to participate in this month. Help us to speak wisdom and receive light in anything that is dark with the Halloween Eve event. Truly our children are an heritage from the Lord and we know that YOU have a plan for their lives. They are our future. Help us to keep them safe when we should be guarding their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from anything that might be presented as the good but is really evil to our children.
Father, I think of the book of Amos and what he presented to the people. As the prophet, he was NOT there to infuse them with faith, with confidence or even in zeal... But ........ he was there to fill them with doubt about their lives. He had to show them by YOUR hand and Spirit that what they were doing was wrong and they needed to recognize it. Amos sowed seeds that brought doubt to them that  their future was not as bright as they had thought it was. And it certainly was not a secure future if they continued to walk the pathway they were going.

Are we too, becoming so lax, they we are those, who are not following You correctly? Are we in Your eyes, the "wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked".........as we see in the Laodicean church in Revelation?

Father, we surely want our "kids" to have a wonderful childhood but not at the expense of their souls. As the believer's, and those who seek Your plan, is our future looking bleak ........is it one where there is no hope ........but ONLYa testing?

For Amos surely announced that God was NOT WALKING WITH THEM!
Father, we surrender our lives and those of our children and their children to You. Have Your way in them, and may they have life everlasting.  Today we take heed to ourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28) May we bring praise and glory to Your name forever. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV