I have probably read the book of Ephesians at least 20 times. I've probably heard countless messages on what Paul had to say. Why then did I not see what was written in Ephesians 5:8 when is says: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." I had always read this verse as "for you were once IN darkness, but now you are IN the light of the Lord." Craziness!!
The eyes of my understand not yet opened, I read this passage to understand that I was in darkness (which I was but that's a whole other story) and now I am in the light of the Lord (which I am, but again, a whole other story.) This verse clearly says that I was the darkness and now I am the light. Quite a concept to grasp, yet another to live.
I know that the things that I did were in the darkness, as most evil things are, and those things have been exposed by the light of Jesus. Once they are in the light, they can be dealt with accordingly. However, I don't think I have had a concept that not only was I in the darkness but I was the darkness. It's a little easier to grasp that I am the light in the Lord now (once again, a whole other thing to live it) because there are verses elsewhere that say this. I've read them, I know that they are there. But I don't think I've ever read that I was the darkness.
I'm going to take a little journey into learning more about this. Any insight that others have is obviously more then I have now. Please feel free to comment here about what you have learned in regards to this. I will do my best to share what I have learned with you later.
For what it's worth, that is what I wanted to share today.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Held Captive By Hope
Once again, I'm going to pass along a couple of paragraphs from a message sent through in an Elijah List e-mail. This message is by Victoria Boyson. I am constantly amazed by God in how He places things in my life at the exact moment I need them. This message this morning was another time He did just that. The entire message was really poignant to me, however, I'm going to share just the following two paragraphs:
" There are times during the birth of your destiny that you feel as though you would like to give up hope, but God will not let you. If feels as though you are held captive by hope. 'Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope...' Zechariah 9:12
There are times during the development of your dream when your hope seems to have turned into a prison. You cannot make your dreams come true, and you find it impossible to stop believing in them. You cannot go forward any faster than God will let you, and you cannot return to where you once were before you became pregnant with the promise from God. God will not let you give up! During this time you might feel like saying, 'Okay, God, this is enough! I don't want to hope anymore! I am tired of being pregnant with this promise! I want out of this prison of hope!'
It is during this time that your dreams feel so real to you, yet to others they are not. The conflict between what you feel in the Spirit and what is evident in the natural grates at your soul. You feel much like you are on a Ferris Wheel. You have your up times when you can see your dream's fulfillment far into the future, but you also have your down time when you cannot see anything. You think to yourself, 'Am I crazy to think that God could use me?' The enemy comes in like a flood and you begin to doubt, causing anguish to your soul. This is the time when God is doing His greatest work in you."
I was powerfully touched by this. God has His perfect time and perfect place for the release of His destiny into my life. I just have to trust that God is doing His perfect work in me and not give up hope. I have to keep my eyes and my heart towards the things of God. If my eyes are anywhere else, I will likely give up on hope because my hope is found in Him.
The message went on to say: "You may not like the circumstances you are in now, but do not run from it. It may be what is saving your life! The second half of Zechariah 9:12 gives us the answer to what we are looking for. Why are we going through what we are going through? It says, 'Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.' God says, 'Even now I announce to you that not only will I restore to you all that has been taken from you, but I will give you double for all the trouble you have endured.' He says, 'Don't stop now...keep trusting Me, because I can see your future and it is very blessed. Keep walking with Me and keep trusting in Me and I will give you rest.'"
My hope is found in Him alone. He is faithful. What He says will come to pass. So I believe that I will be restored, that God will bring me into the fullness of my destiny in Him and that I will have rest. Praise God for that!!
" There are times during the birth of your destiny that you feel as though you would like to give up hope, but God will not let you. If feels as though you are held captive by hope. 'Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope...' Zechariah 9:12
There are times during the development of your dream when your hope seems to have turned into a prison. You cannot make your dreams come true, and you find it impossible to stop believing in them. You cannot go forward any faster than God will let you, and you cannot return to where you once were before you became pregnant with the promise from God. God will not let you give up! During this time you might feel like saying, 'Okay, God, this is enough! I don't want to hope anymore! I am tired of being pregnant with this promise! I want out of this prison of hope!'
It is during this time that your dreams feel so real to you, yet to others they are not. The conflict between what you feel in the Spirit and what is evident in the natural grates at your soul. You feel much like you are on a Ferris Wheel. You have your up times when you can see your dream's fulfillment far into the future, but you also have your down time when you cannot see anything. You think to yourself, 'Am I crazy to think that God could use me?' The enemy comes in like a flood and you begin to doubt, causing anguish to your soul. This is the time when God is doing His greatest work in you."
I was powerfully touched by this. God has His perfect time and perfect place for the release of His destiny into my life. I just have to trust that God is doing His perfect work in me and not give up hope. I have to keep my eyes and my heart towards the things of God. If my eyes are anywhere else, I will likely give up on hope because my hope is found in Him.
The message went on to say: "You may not like the circumstances you are in now, but do not run from it. It may be what is saving your life! The second half of Zechariah 9:12 gives us the answer to what we are looking for. Why are we going through what we are going through? It says, 'Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.' God says, 'Even now I announce to you that not only will I restore to you all that has been taken from you, but I will give you double for all the trouble you have endured.' He says, 'Don't stop now...keep trusting Me, because I can see your future and it is very blessed. Keep walking with Me and keep trusting in Me and I will give you rest.'"
My hope is found in Him alone. He is faithful. What He says will come to pass. So I believe that I will be restored, that God will bring me into the fullness of my destiny in Him and that I will have rest. Praise God for that!!
A Prayer in a Time of Trouble
I was cleaning my apartment on Wednesday morning, preparing for a yearly inspection that our city does on all of its apartment buildings. As I was going through the process of cleaning, I found a book that I had bought several months ago called "Life-Changing Moments with God: Praying Scripture Every Day." I honestly thought I had lost this book so to find it was quite a surprise and in reading the prayer yesterday, I know that God had planned for me to find that book on that very morning to read that very prayer to help me walk through the very situation I find myself in. God works that way. And so, because I needed to see it, I'm putting it out there for whoever else may benefit from it as well.
"Lord God, You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. I will enter my chambers, and shut my door behind me; hide myself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, You, Lord, come out of Your place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. My life is hidden with Christ in You, Lord God.
I will not be afraid of evil tidings; my heart is steadfast, trusting in You, Lord.
Jesus has spoken to me, that in Him I may have peace. In the world I will have tribulation; but I will be of good cheer, for You have overcome the world.
You are my peace and hope, Lord God, my Refuge and my Strength - and I praise You."
For what its worth, that is what I wanted to share today.
"Lord God, You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. I will enter my chambers, and shut my door behind me; hide myself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, You, Lord, come out of Your place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. My life is hidden with Christ in You, Lord God.
I will not be afraid of evil tidings; my heart is steadfast, trusting in You, Lord.
Jesus has spoken to me, that in Him I may have peace. In the world I will have tribulation; but I will be of good cheer, for You have overcome the world.
You are my peace and hope, Lord God, my Refuge and my Strength - and I praise You."
For what its worth, that is what I wanted to share today.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Stop Trying and Start Being
I get several e-mails each day from a couple of lists I belong too. The following couple of paragraphs were part of a message from Kathie Walters that was sent through in an Elijah List e-mail. The whole message was really solid, but I focused rather hard on two paragraphs. They are as follows:
"If you are doing something tonight in the way of serving God and it's not delightful, forget it --it's just works. And, sorry to say, God is not interested in your works, He's interested in His works. He is not going to anoint your works, He anoints His works. The glory of God will never come on what you do --the glory comes on what He does. It's not trying, it's yielding to the anointing.
Isn't it easier to yield rather than to try and strive and work at it? Trying can be very trying. God is not running around your city trying to recruit workers for the Kingdom, He is just wanting His sons and daughters to rise up and be who He called them to be. You're not a sinner saved by grace -- you were a sinner saved by grace, but now you are a son or a daughter of Almighty God. You are royalty of the Royalty, an heir of righteousness and an heir of the Kingdom. You don't have to earn it, you can't qualify for it -- Jesus gave you this inheritance, freely. He paid for it 100% when He died and rose again."
I was powerfully reminded by these two paragraphs who I am to God. I am His daughter. He freely gives, whether I deserve it or not. I don't have to try to be anything, I just have to yield to God's anointing on my life and be who I already am. It's not about what I do, it is about what He did and is doing.
For what it's worth, that is what I wanted to share today.
"If you are doing something tonight in the way of serving God and it's not delightful, forget it --it's just works. And, sorry to say, God is not interested in your works, He's interested in His works. He is not going to anoint your works, He anoints His works. The glory of God will never come on what you do --the glory comes on what He does. It's not trying, it's yielding to the anointing.
Isn't it easier to yield rather than to try and strive and work at it? Trying can be very trying. God is not running around your city trying to recruit workers for the Kingdom, He is just wanting His sons and daughters to rise up and be who He called them to be. You're not a sinner saved by grace -- you were a sinner saved by grace, but now you are a son or a daughter of Almighty God. You are royalty of the Royalty, an heir of righteousness and an heir of the Kingdom. You don't have to earn it, you can't qualify for it -- Jesus gave you this inheritance, freely. He paid for it 100% when He died and rose again."
I was powerfully reminded by these two paragraphs who I am to God. I am His daughter. He freely gives, whether I deserve it or not. I don't have to try to be anything, I just have to yield to God's anointing on my life and be who I already am. It's not about what I do, it is about what He did and is doing.
For what it's worth, that is what I wanted to share today.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
More Learning
It never stops. Learning is a life long event, which I suppose is good because the minute you stop learning, you start dying. But sometimes the events which lead to the learning are not fun. Such was the case this past weekend.
I'm not going to comment here on exactly what happened, as that is between me and God, but I got an up close and personal lesson on how satan can strategically sabotage your walk with God by bringing things into your life that hit you where you struggle the most. I didn't completely walk back to the life I was living, but I was close.
So, now I'm having to deal with some of the backlash of the events of this past weekend. I'm bringing some selected individuals who stand strong with God along side of me to walk through this issue, and I know from experience, that no matter how bad the walk to recovery may be, I will be stronger on the other side because of it.
My daddy God is bigger then anything the world wants to throw at me and big brother Jesus is ready and able to put the smack down on anything that would prevent me from coming close to Him.
I'm not going to comment here on exactly what happened, as that is between me and God, but I got an up close and personal lesson on how satan can strategically sabotage your walk with God by bringing things into your life that hit you where you struggle the most. I didn't completely walk back to the life I was living, but I was close.
So, now I'm having to deal with some of the backlash of the events of this past weekend. I'm bringing some selected individuals who stand strong with God along side of me to walk through this issue, and I know from experience, that no matter how bad the walk to recovery may be, I will be stronger on the other side because of it.
My daddy God is bigger then anything the world wants to throw at me and big brother Jesus is ready and able to put the smack down on anything that would prevent me from coming close to Him.
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