Tag: Light

Rise and Shine!

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭112:4 NIV

Being yourself can be an outright irritation to some people! There you are minding your own business, at your job or in your yard and someone saw you and caught an attitude!
Then the complaints come:
“She was humming a song in the lunchroom and it upset me”.
“I saw him planting in his yard and I think he is growing poisonous plants that might hurt the squirrels”!

Instead of feeling angry or picked on, rejoice!
What?
No, really. Give a belly laugh and smile from the inside out. You are shining. The world has become so caught up in reality shows and social media that promotes through negative propaganda, it appears to have turned proper perspective upside down.
What your “haters” are really saying is, they like how you are generally a happy person and wish that they could keep their spirits high like you do! Your complaining neighbors think you are lucky to have a green thumb because your garden is one of the loveliest in the neighborhood!

Yet the negative energy behind the complaints has a plan. If you take offense, and stop your humming or get angry and stop your gardening, well, your joy will weaken. You will become susceptible to the onslaught of fear and oppression that you have avoided.  Then, you will end up like so many down and depressed folks who do not realize that they have been lured into the darkness that seeks to overtake the Light.

Continue to be the light.

“Delay not to seize the hour!” ~ Aeschylus

maxresdefault.jpgmidnite

“For with You is the source of life, and in Your light we shall see light.
Extend Your kindness to those who know you
And your righteousness to the upright of heart.”
(Psalm 36: 10:11)

The Light is in us. When we are in prayer we are connecting to that Light in us. This is why prayer is so important. It is an intimacy like no other. When we think of intimacy, it is usually sexual union. Yet, the union between a man and a woman pales in comparison. However it is the marriage union that mirrors intimacy with God, as in a prayer filled life.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh”. Gen. 2:24

That word “cleave” is the Hebrew word dabaq, which means cling or adhere; figuratively, to catch by pursuit- to abide.

Prayer is how we can abide in The Lord; to dwell in God.

We abide in our homes. Our homes are protection from the elements, how we protect our possessions from thieves and how we provide a safe haven for our families. Prayer is like living in him every day!

With that in mind, how good is your housekeeping?

Are you taking the time to keep house? Or are you so busy that when you are home, it is only to sleep and eat? Many of us live to work and work to live, but never truly enjoy the benefits of all that working.

Sure we buy things, but so many times we are off to buy something else while our last purchase is still in the bag!

A life without prayer is like that. We are blessed beyond measure, though we seldom realize it. First of all we are alive! It’s only when the sh*&t hits the fan that we remember to call on the name of The Lord.

Let’s not wait.

All we are saying is, give peace a chance. John Lennon

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

images.jpgreality

There is so much strife going on in the world today. Wars, murder, oppression…it can be so overwhelming, especially if you watch daily news shows! Then, there is the stress found in day to day interactions with people; jealousy, racism, and overall “hateration” *my neighbor’s word- not sure if it is a “word” but you get it. Lately, I have found myself being drawn into arguments and basically getting my anger button pushed by people who are normally jovial and good natured. I wondered about this-Is everybody going crazy? Do I have an invisible sign on my back that says “fight me”?
Then I remembered Ephesians 6. It is not the individual, it is the age old spirit of darkness doing its work. I do not mean the devil specifically. It is negative energy overall.
All physical reality is made up of energy. Our thoughts are vibrations of energy. As such, they have a powerful influence in our lives. Put simply, where your focus goes, your energy flows (borrowed this statement from someone, somewhere-it really sums things up).
The upside is that we are in control of our thoughts. We can choose to not be moved by angry people or loved ones getting on our nerves! We can choose light instead of darkness-even in the midst of a blow up with your significant other or dealing with the annoying kid in drive-thru who could care less that you only have an hour for lunch!

I create the blacksmith
who fires up his forge
and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what GOD’s servants can expect.
I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”
Isaiah 54:16-17 MSG

“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”

Bride kogWe have directed our attention to walking as the Bride in the Kingdom of God. We see the spring blossoms begin to open. The garden of love beckons us and the Spirit of God is filling us, all in all. Humility is the 6th tenet.
Pridefulness may not be found in your character at present. You may be wondering why I bring it up. We have a spirit of righteousness developing within us and our spiritual wheels are turning. So far, so good. Caution: There is an adversary. Whether we choose to believe in the existence of Satan or not, we are not exempt from the devices of darkness. As a matter of fact, we become attractive to those seeking the Light and to those in darkness. Why? We are shining bright!

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house (Matt 5:14-15).

Our Light will cause others to want what we have. This is not good for business, if you are in the business of darkness. Enemy tactic #1: self-righteousness. You may think, “That would never happen to me”. Beware! The tactics of the enemy are subtle, which is why so many people believe the adversary does not exist. For instance, you know someone who is struggling with purity or worry. Maybe you have been through the same, yet Christ in you has helped you overcome. Nonetheless, your thoughts about this someone are, “Poor soul, they need to get it together”! The self-righteous spirit forgets that they once walked in the weaknesses that they see in others. They decide to elevate themselves above others. It happens. The Spirit of The Lord is doing such a great work in us that it is easy to forget where we once were. Or maybe we are so thankful for the new path of life that we don’t want to remember.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).