by adming2G | Mar 17, 2023
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.’ – John 8:12
As we follow Jesus, the Light of the World, we do not walk in darkness because of the Spirit of God. Light is one symbol of the Holy Spirit. He illuminates and breathes life in the Word of God. A word we read in the Bible, in a sermon, or in our communication with the Lord and others jumps at us. It’s personal and no one else receives the same. He zooms in on what we need and shines like a floodlight.
The Holy Spirit leads us with peace, clarity, and surety in our steps. His revelation and wisdom bypass our natural understanding. Thoughts to do this or that drop in our spirit. Big things. Little things. Call someone; check on something; do not go there; an undeniable prompting. As we obey, we find His protection and empowerment. The bigger picture unfolds.
To turn on the switch, we remind ourselves of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our loves. With gratitude, we yield to Him, seek His guidance, and receive it in faith. In humility, we pray for Him to remove any blindness and for more spiritual sight. He draws us to know Jesus more and more and to recognize His workings in our lives, from glory to glory
by adming2G | Mar 2, 2023
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair – 2 Cor. 4:7-8 NKJV
Crushed means pressured. It is the same Greek word for tribulation, also meaning affliction and adversity. It attempts to squeeze out our joy, peace, and rest in the Lord.
Pressures come from various sources. Self-induced pressure causes us to seek perfection because of our expectations. Peer pressure influences us to live up to a certain image, to look and act like others. External pressures to fit into the things of the world. Evil pressure from our adversary battles us through oppression, obstacles, and opposition.
In an oil press, they crushed olives and broke them to produce oil. In the Bible, oil is one symbol of the Holy Spirit. Before the Holy Spirit came, a crushing occurred through the crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He was crushed for us for our transgressions, paid the price for our sin, and rose victorious on the third day.
Under pressure from every side, we rest in the finished work of the Lord. Like Paul, we discover we may be hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. On the contrary, the crushing causes an abundance of the anointing of the Holy Spirit to flow in and through our lives, from glory to glory!
by adming2G | Feb 23, 2023
But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ – Mat. 15:23-25 NKJV
Rejected by the disciples, by the society of that day because she was a gentile, regarded with low esteem as a woman, receiving no answer from Jesus, she fell at His feet and worshiped Him! Not only did she worship Him, but she also cried out, “Lord, help me!” She didn’t give up. That’s never an option when we believe in the promises of God. Nothing could stop her, and nothing should stop us.
Faith in the Lord stirs up worship regardless of the circumstances. By faith, we press through rejection, offenses, and any opposition, with a heart of worship. Even when God seems to be silent. Lord, you are holy, mighty, faithful, and awesome. I love and worship you. Lord, I believe!
We war with our worship. Satan used to lead worship before his fall. He cannot dwell where we do what He no longer can do. Our adoration to the Lord lifts heaviness and burdens. Thoughts of defeat, hopelessness, and fear leaves. Worship flows on the wings of faith. Peace and joy overflows. Angels sing. We will not give up, but worship, from glory to glory!
by adming2G | Feb 22, 2023
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? – Mat. 6:25-27
Worry happens to all of us. It has been illustrated as a hamster wheel, going around and around, going nowhere; like being on a merry-go-round that does not stop. The challenge is not to let worry turn into fear. When we worry, the outcome of a situation preoccupies us and robs us of peace. When we fear, we expect the worst outcome.
For worry to turn into worship instead of fear, we need to answer the three questions Jesus asked the disciples as they apply to us as well: “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
Our answers will stir up praise and worship from our grateful heart! Our Heavenly Father takes care of all our necessities. He treasures our lives, provides and protects us, always. We see in these scriptures Jesus shifting their perspective to what matters the most, the Kingdom of God. We love and worship Him when we meditate on who He is and what He has done for us, from glory to glory!
by adming2G | Feb 20, 2023
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? – Ps. 27:1 NKJV
Dark seasons result from troublesome times: sicknesses, grief, financial setbacks, depression, lack of direction, addiction, loneliness and various trials. We might feel like stuck in a dark tunnel with no light is sight, but will discover that the absence of light does not mean the absence of God’s presence. God works in our lives the most when we realize it the less.
A blind person learns to use his/her other senses in a greater way to compensate for their lack of sight. When we go through dark seasons, our spiritual hearing, sight, and touch intensifies. Once we are out of the tunnel, we recognize that our faith and trust in the Lord has increased. We learn to see Him in the dark. To walk by faith, and not by sight.
Through it all, God increases His light, His glory, in and through our lives. Not only He is with us, but He makes a way of escape. Our lights become constant; not flickering, flashing, or flooding. But bright, with a forever life, not run by battery but by the power of God. We trust His amazing ways, from glory to glory!
by adming2G | Feb 18, 2023
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. – Col. 1:13-14 NKJV
The temptation to focus on the works of darkness makes us walk by sight, and not by faith. Its goal is for us to dwell on the darkness, analyze and talk about it constantly, until we lose all hope and are bound by fear. Even though the darkness seems to increase, we can trust the glory of the God is increasing much more.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, all He is and has done, we do not abide in darkness. God has rescued us from the power, the authority, of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. Evil works can seem overwhelming, but they have no authority in our lives. We are no longer under the dominion of darkness but of our King, Jesus.
Knowing our authority in Christ Jesus enables us to exercise it against the power of the prince of darkness, satan. The darkness cannot dispel the light. The light dispels the darkness. God and satan are not on an even level. God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent; satan is not. Jesus won the victory on the cross and we, in His name, enforce it and reflect the light of the Lord, from glory to glory!
