October 30, 2022
October has been a beautiful month and we are about to head into November. But before we get there we must pray for the last day of the month. This is a fun holiday for little kids to dress up and make believe in their princess dresses or cowboy outfit but the basis for this holiday is absolutely evil and more and more evil happens year after year. This world and especially this country is darker than it has ever been. People get caught up in the spiritual part of the demonic and then sell their souls to the devil and that is death not Light and Life. We are called to be the light of the world and bring light to the darkness. No darkness can repel light! Light always shines in darkness.
“Even if our gospel message is veiled, it is only veiled to those who are perishing, for their minds have been blinded by the god of this age, leaving them in unbelief. Their blindness keeps them from seeing the dayspring light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the divine image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
 
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9
 
“To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified[a] by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:18
One way to break the power of darkness over this world is to pray against it. Here is a prayer and decree from our friend Karen Hardin. We need to pray this and take authority over the evil powers that think they are going to win! Today and for the next couple weeks pray this prayer. This prayer will even break the evil over the election.
 
“The ongoing romanticization of witchcraft, wizards and the occult has been indoctrinating our children via Disney for years. The Harry Potter series was touted by Colin Powell as a wonderful achievement getting children to read. But at what price? The series got darker and darker with each book pulling young people into the idea that there are “good” witches/wizards and “bad” witches/wizards. But the Bible is clear. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us “that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Movies and books have also grown increasingly bold with the series such as “Lucifer” and another which was to introduce the main character as Satan’s daughter—the antichrist and her life as a “normal” person. Then each October movies such as The Omen, The Exorcist, Hocus Pocus, horror flicks and paranormal reality shows have turned the month into an ongoing “celebration” of ghosts, witches and death. Entire stores pop up each Fall selling decorations of skeletons, witches, ghosts, gravestones, etc. which people proudly display in their yards. I realize many believe it is just a harmless holiday. But ask anyone that has been involved in the occult and they will tell you different. This has become a stronghold that needs to be broken.
 
It’s time we take October back and take authority over the demonic activity that has been released over our cities, state and nation—especially at this time and regarding the upcoming election.
 
“Father, I declare over (your city), (your state) and America that the romanticizing of the occult will no longer be tolerated. I repent on behalf of my city, state and nation and take a stand to say no more! I bind the demonic activity that has been unleashed across our nation, in my state and city and plead the blood of Jesus over it to wash it from any curses, hexes and close all demonic doors that have been opened. I pray that the scales that have covered eyes to believe that it is all innocent and harmless would be removed to reveal the evil behind it. That such shows, movies, books and celebrations of the demonic would find no audience as hearts turn back to Jesus and long for Him. 
 
Through prayer we tear down the walls and stronghold of the occult. We declare an end to all witchcraft, and declare no more fortune-tellers, horoscopes, or promotion of the occult in our cities and our nation. We declare that no longer will we be a nation that practices witchcraft, devination or the celebration of witches, wizards and the occult.
 
No longer will we tolerate the sacrificing of our sons and daughters via abortion and to Molech. We declare the practice of fortune-telling, sorcery, interpretation of omens and horoscopes, engaging in witchcraft, casting of spells, and the practice of mediums or psychics and calling forth the spirits of the dead will no longer be tolerated in (your city, your state) or our nation!
 
We pray over our neighborhoods for protection of our children and those who would take advantage of them during the practice of “trick-or-treat.” We pray that every child that comes to our home will encounter Your Spirit and the peace of God. We pray instead that people will come into the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and that darkness will be cast out and for light to come. For light always overcomes darkness.
 
We repent that this has become a national holiday and pray that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened to recognize not only the hope of our calling but that these practices are not harmless but in opposition to the things of God.
 
We pray for those who have opened the door to this activity in their lives and in our city whether knowingly or unknowingly. We come boldly to Your throne of grace and present (name) before You. We stand in the gap and intercede on their behalf knowing that the Holy Spirit within us takes hold together with us against the evil that would attempt to hold our nation and those who have embraced these activities in bondage. We declare the bonds of wickedness and curses which have been unleashed in our nation are bound now and by prayer we take our shield of faith and quench every fiery dart of the adversary that would come against my family (specific person you know is engaged in this activity) (your city, your state) and our nation. 
 
           Father, You say that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Thank you, Father, that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan’s works are destroyed in (your city, state) and our nation in the name of Jesus. I declare as we cast out these works of darkness that in its place we walk in the Kingdom of God which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! We take October back and declare that no longer will it be a month of witchcraft and demonic activity but we declare it to be a month of revival, and release the light and love of God over it. Amen”
 
This activity is alive and well in our community. A community magazine that goes into every home around here had a full-page ad and explanation of witches and witchcraft. It included numbers to call to have spells cast. It glorified witches and told how the numbers have increased and that they are everywhere we go and you won’t even know them apart from anyone else, except through the Spirit. Continue to pray Light and Life into this evil darkness. Tell the Truth to others, share His love when the Holy Spirit unction’s you. Pointing out evil deeds in our culture is not mean-spirited, hateful or condemning. When you share, they have a chance to accept or reject the truth for themselves. I have heard ministers say this a lot lately, “When we don’t speak up, we are rejecting the truth for them”.  Wow! That is so very powerful. Thank you for praying. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

October 23, 2022
In the world, times are uncertain. In Him, there is no uncertainty. For me, that is a great reason to live in Him. The evil of this world is out of control and I believe Believers are starting to stand up to it. The gradual “frog boiling” concept goes too far when it is reaching when it is reaching every home taking away rights of parents. Some are still believing that this is all for the betterment of their lives but even more are saying it’s gone too far and they are starting to stand. What happens now? Many are seeing the obvious works of the enemy but don’t know the Truths of the Savior, Jesus. They want Truth, they want real Truth but it is hard to find if you don’t know where to begin. The enemy is still deceiving people with religious garbage. “Now is the time for us to progress beyond the basic message of Christ and advance into perfection. The foundation has already been laid for us to build upon: turning away from our dead works to embrace faith in God.” Hebrews 6:1
 
It’s important to know the “game plan” of satan and how he to destroy us but that cannot be our focus. What we are focusing on right now is what will save our lives and that of our families. We MUST know our Lord and Savior, Jesus. In John 1:1-5, 14 it says that Jesus is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
 
I haven’t been writing as much the last few weeks. The Lord is showing me so many things. He is showing me TRUTHS I must continue to stand firm on. He is revealing to me simple truths. Deep truths, truths I haven’t quite totally grasped yet. There are truths that I know that I let the distractions of life come and the truths were not my focus. He has showed me new truths. The circumstances of our lives cause different truths and perspectives to come alive and bring new light and life to His Word. All He has been doing in my heart the few weeks is hard to put into written words. I even struggle to speak and explain in words what is deep inside me. What I do know is I have a passion for His foundational truths that let us know His true character and we can then know who we are in Him. Doesn’t matter how prepared we are for the future of this world – food shortages, blackouts, contaminated water, nuclear war threats, if we aren’t prepared in our hearts with the truth of Who He is and guided by the Holy Spirit. Without knowing Him, we are not fully prepared.
 
This last week as I was preparing dinner for our Kenyan friends, Bill and Lenah, Ed called me. This was our last day with them and I wanted everything to be nice. Ed said, “They got us, we’ve been robbed!” My mind was trying to understand what he was saying. When he took Bill and Lenah by the church house before coming up to dinner he noticed the back door open on the chapel. This is usually locked. When he stopped to check it out he saw the door had been kicked open, the other doors were off their hinges, the 2 doors going to the sound booth had been forced open and stuff was missing. Makes your heart sick and sink. Ed made the necessary calls. The sheriff came, Josh came and we all started checking our phones to see what the cameras showed. We saw at 1:40ish AM 2 people with masks and gloves walking in the parking lot. Didn’t see a vehicle. So, inventory has been made and sent to insurance company, doors fixed and praying for next steps. We posted angels at every door, around the property and proclaimed the enemy can’t even see our place, it’s invisible to the evil.
 
As we looked further throughout the entire church, we saw they opened every door in the basement, pried open the pantry, tried to get in the office area and gym but didn’t. As I was checking out of anything else was missing the Lord showed me how blessed we were. No one was hurt, no graffiti or vandalism. Nothing was destroyed. There was computers and sound equipment missing but nothing large as we think they were on foot. Then the Lord showed me everything they saw when they were looking around. Downstairs there is the children’s bulletin board with verses on it. We have pictures with verses, plaques with verses, signs with verses throughout the entire church building. I’m praying the Word of God touched their heart in some way and it will not return void. I pray they walked out of our building feeling different than when they came in. They may not even know yet what happened but I pray the Word we shared without knowing it, will be brought to their minds over and over. We are thankful it wasn’t worse. It made us focus on some things we need to do different. We probably had dropped our guard a bit and realize how vital it is to pray protection, send angels and proclaim His Word over our property as well as ourselves.
 
As I was reading in Hebrews this last week this verse came alive to me.
“And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat” Hebrews 6:18-19 His faithfulness is a foundational truth we must hold fast to. If you doubt His faithfulness, then we have no hope. Without hope our hearts are sick. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
 
The verse says we find His strength and comfort as we run into His heart of faithfulness. It says to hide ourselves in His faithfulness. To me that means that I am so certain of His faithfulness that I stay in Him, hidden in His truth and to do waver or doubt or listen to the enemy’s lies.
Run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! This is a truth I don’t know how to put into words but it is in the Spirit you have to do this. Meditate on it and ask the Lord to show you the power in this verse. Here are some verses to meditate on this week. His faithfulness is a Truth we must get into our hearts to be able to stand against the enemy!
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
 
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7:9
 
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.: Psalm 36:5
 
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
 
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13
 
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” Hebrews 10:23
 
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
 

September 11, 2022
This week as I was reading through the Psalms I was so blessed with Psalm 34. This is when David was at one of his lowest points. His friend, Jonathon, was no longer with him, King Saul was chasing him and he was hiding in caves. Right now there are so many challenges in our lives and so much we need to hear the Lord clearly on. What an uplifting blessing these verses can be for us to focus on and bring us peace in a time of chaos.
 
The Lord is doing amazing and wonderful things right now. There is so much going on that we cannot see and we can be so excited about it all and always singing His praises and worshipping Him. Let’s life our voices together to praise His name forever!! 
Psalm 34 from the Passion Bible A song by King David composed after his escape from the king when he pretended to be insane
God’s Goodness
“Lord! I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me! My lips are full of perpetual praise. I’m boasting of you and all your works, so let all who are discouraged take heart. Join me, everyone! Let’s praise the Lord together. Let’s make him famous!


Let’s make his name glorious to all. Listen to my testimony: I cried to God in my distress and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears!


Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten with glory. You’ll never wear that shame-face again. When I had nothing, desperate and defeated, I cried out to the Lord and he heard me, bringing his miracle-deliverance when I needed it most.


The angel of the Lord stooped down to listen as I prayed, encircling me, empowering me, and showing me how to escape. He will do this for everyone who fears God.


Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God. Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives to all who turn to hide themselves in him. Worship in awe and wonder, all you who’ve been made holy! For all who fear him will feast with plenty.


Even the strong and the wealthy grow weak and hungry, but those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing.  Come, children of God, and listen to me. I’ll share the lesson I’ve learned of fearing the Lord.


Do you want to live a long, good life, enjoying the beauty that fills each day? Then never speak a lie or allow wicked words to come from your mouth. Keep turning your back on every sin, and make “peace” your life motto. Practice being at peace with everyone.


The Lord sees all we do; he watches over his friends day and night. His godly ones receive the answers they seek whenever they cry out to him.  But the Lord has made up his mind to oppose evildoers and to wipe out even the memory of them from the face of the earth.
 
 Yet when holy lovers of God cry out to him with all their hearts, the Lord will hear them and come to rescue them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and he is always ready to restore the repentant one.


Even when bad things happen to the good and godly ones, the Lord will save them and not let them be defeated by what they face. God will be your bodyguard to protect you
when trouble is near. Not one bone will be broken.


But the wicked commit slow suicide. For they hate and persecute the lovers of God.
Make no mistake about it, God will hold them guilty and punish them; they will pay the penalty!
 
But the Lord has paid for the freedom of his servants, and he will freely pardon those who love him. He will declare them free and innocent when they turn to hide themselves in him.”
 
In the Passion Bible there are footnotes from verse 14 about the word Shalom. I thought it was very good.
Psalm 34:14 Twice the Hebrew uses the word shalom. This word means much more than peace. It means wholeness, wellness, well-being, safe, happy, friendly, favor, completeness, to make peace, peace offering, secure, to prosper, to be victorious, to be content, tranquil, quiet, and restful. The pictographic symbols for the word shalom (shin, lamed, vav, mem) read “Destroy the authority that binds to chaos.” The noun shalom is derived from the verbal root shalam, which means “to restore,” in the sense of replacing or providing what is needed in order to make someone or something whole and complete. So shalom is used to describe those of us who have been provided all that is needed to be whole and complete and break off all authority that would attempt to bind us to chaos.
 
I knew about the basic meaning but the meaning from the pictographic symbols I didn’t know but is so important. “Destroy the authority that binds to chaos.”. So powerful especially in this season we are in!
 
I like this verse from Isaiah 44:23. Creation is praising Him always! Our praises and joyous songs of praise will change the world around us! May our every breathe glorify the Lord. May every cell of our bodies and every thought that we have praise Him!!
 
“Sing! Starry sky above, break loose with singing for Yahweh has finished it!
Shout! Earth deep below, give up your shout!
Mountains high, break out with joyous songs of praise!
    Let the forest choirs join in, with every tree singing its notes!”
 
Another this Lord showed me this week when I was praying was the importance of being still and knowing Him. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
 
Being still is sometimes a challenge for me. I don’t mean to run ahead of Him or let my mind wander and fret. It happens but when it does, I need to take notice of my thoughts and bring them back into line with Hs Word. As I prayed this week, He showed me that I was carrying too much to even hold His hand! He said that the problems, issues and responsibilities I am holding on to I have taken out of His hands and was trying to figure them out. He then told me to get a pretty white glove and to see it has His hand. When I am holding that glove in my hand, I cannot carry as much and it represents that He is holding my hand. That was powerful for me! Sometimes I need a reminder and this little white glove is that.  Be still in the mist of a chaotic world. Wow! That is something most people want and to know it is possible in Him brings hope. Get yourself a glove that can present His hand. Hold it. See it as Him. Know the power of love and rest that come with that. The stillness in your heart. It is possible! Remember, Jesus slept through the storm😊. We can rest in Him through every storm.

September 4, 2022
This past week as I was sitting on my porch praying, something came floating down in front of me. I figured it was a leaf off a plant. Then I saw it again and again. So, I decided to look a bit closer and on light string of the lights on our porch was a little chickadee looking for millers. I watched how the bird would find the littlest pieces of bugs and then fly away. Then it would be back for more. Then I saw another little bird on the ground in the grass gathering something. They were so cheerful, carefree and just going about their business. That’s when the Lord reminded me of Matthew 6.
 
“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?
 
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
 
“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:25-34
 
 
There is so much fear-based messages right about the horrible times coming. Store up food and water for a year, do this, do that. It is good to know what is ahead but never to be approached in fear. He shows us what to store up and plan ahead for but it should never be out of fear or lack. The Bible tells us the ants store up for winter. It is always wise to be prepared. It is predicted the next few months could be difficult but don’t stop living. Listen to His wisdom for you. Be prepared for a short time without electricity, which is something we should always be prepared for in case of snowstorms or weather-related problems. We were taught to think through and prepare for situations. Having some food stored for the future should be a normal thing not an emergency. There is nothing fear based to prepare ahead of time with food for your family and to help others. Always have extra water. This is how over half the world lives on a normal basis. We live in a country blessed by God and Americans have taken so many things for granted. Continue to be thankful always in all things. He is our Living Water and our Bread of Life! He is the I AM.
 
Ask the Lord to unveil your eyes to see beyond what is in front of us. Think on the things He tells you to think on in Philippians 4:8. “Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.”
 
Remember all things are possible in Him to those who love Him. “Jesus said to him, “What do you mean ‘if’?  If you are able to believe, all things are possible to the believer.”
Mark 9:23 That’s a powerful truth.
 
Right now, in this season, we MUST find our answers in the Word of God and in Him. His ways MUST define us and not the ways of man or the world. We must peel away the layers of fear and unbelief that effect our vision of Him and limit our faith.
 
“Surrender your anxiety. Be still and realize that I am God. I am God above all the nations, and I am exalted throughout the whole earth.” Psalm 46:10
 
“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” John 14:27
 
“Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
 
“Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”” John 16:15
 
He is there for each of us. He is our everything. No matter what the world may go through we have Him! For me, He’s enough!      

August 21, 2022
As I was reading through some of my devotions, I found this one that I wrote on January 10, 2021 as the new year was ushered in. I am going to share it again today. I look back to the words He gave me then and some are the same words He is giving me this week. The main verse He has given me over and over this week is, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6  My mind wants to try and figure some things out. We hear predictions from people we trust and some we are not sure of. We read different things, hear what others are saying to do or not do and it can get you confused if you are not listening to Him. This week I didn’t realize how many times I was leaning on my own understanding instead of His perspective. I found myself trying to figure out minute little things on my own and then thinking about how to handle or fix things that are out of my control. I MUST keep His Word before my eyes continuously. Anytime I am thinking about fixing situations, whether it is with people, healing, finances, daily situations and not considered Him first, I am leaning on my understanding. Acknowledge Him in all my ways!!  Or, With all your heart rely on him to guide you.
 
It’s an amazing time in history. One like most of us have never experienced. I used to look ahead and plan a few months out but right now I don’t even know what to think about yesterday. Yet, the Word says without a vision the people perish. My vision is to live His Word daily, trusting Him and shining His love. I am seeking the Lord for direction and wisdom. He is our guiding light for sure. This is what I wrote in January of 2021. As I read it, I realize He never left us through all the situations. We lost our grandson who was on drugs. My Mom’s husband left her and she is now living with us and part of our family. You don’t see those things ahead of time but His promises are still the same. What will a year from now look like? Can we reread what the Lord has given us and know we trusted Him and acknowledged Him in all His ways?
 
“January 10, 2021. As I was thinking about this past year, I started thinking how in so many ways I feel I wasted some time in 2020. I was thinking about the whole pandemic situation, life shut down and how many people we haven’t seen for almost a year. I thought of time I could have communicated better but then realized just how caught off guard I really was with things. Maybe I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been. I probably was taken life for granted to a point. As I recalled the times, I realized I had never experienced such deception, division and distractions. I have lived through and experienced many things in my life – death in my family, fatal car accidents in our family, financial devastation at times, family health issues, Adams heart surgery as a baby, step-dad’s cancer, Mom’s stroke, Tim’s stroke. We’ve had a grandson struggling with drugs, lost parents and friends, been through church division and yet the sudden cloud, the storm of deception and control caught me so off guard! I feel I was in a daze so much of the time and let the darkness cause me to lose sight of some important things. Don’t get me wrong, I spent so much time with the Lord, in the Word and in prayer. I didn’t let the darkness remain or overpower me. His light shone brightly and definitely kept me from buying completely into the deceptions and fears of the enemy. I stayed in Him and His Word and yet let myself at times get distracted, confused and controlled by the enemies attempts. I don’t know if that makes sense but it is how I felt sometimes. I feel I let some opportunities go – sat around in dismay at times when I could have reached out to others. I say all this to say that is not what I want to do in 2021.
 
This year I want to walk in more clarity than ever before. This year will probably be bombarded with even more deception, darkness and evil than last year. I feel a lot of 2020 I was preparing my heart for what is to come but I know I can’t stop going forward. I’m asking the Lord now to show me how I am to respond to any situation that are ahead. We all know how it should look if we are walking in His love and wisdom but that isn’t how it always ends up. He asks me, “What is in your heart today that could cause you to react or respond in a way that isn’t Me?” I don’t have any idea what tomorrow or next week will look like. But I do know beyond a shadow of doubt how I want to handle any situation. I want to be totally sold out – surrendered and 100% committed to Him. No matter what a day or season brings I desire and am asking the Lord to show me exactly how I can respond or react to it. My greatest desire is for His Light, life and glory to shine through me no matter how dark and black a situation appears. Darkness isn’t even a reality with Christ in us unless we chose to hide our light.  “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop?  And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place?  Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light.” Matthew 5:14-15
 
“It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night.” Psalm 139:11  I was talking a one of our granddaughters while we are here in Tennessee. She graduates this year and I was asking her how she sees her future. She shared her vision with me and said, “That is how I see it but may not be how it turns out.” I agreed and then shared with her that whatever our dream or vision we have to go forward – toward it and as we go the Lord adjusts, redirects and guides us as He sees it going. When we “arrive” many times things look different but we have a peace and know it is where we are to be. Now we don’t have to do it this way. We could fight to make it work the way we want it to be or how we originally saw it but the result will not be peace. Usually making it happen our way doesn’t bring the results we expected.
 
That is where I feel we are now. We have a vision of truth as to where our country is to be going. We have and need to continue to go toward that truth but cannot fight against Him to get the results we think we are to have. There is a fine line at times with what we think is right or leaning on our own understanding when He is showing us the path and steps we are to take. So far, the last few days things are not turning out or have not proven to be like I thought or wanted. Most of us could say that. But His word to me is to not give up! We all know these verses but they are a great reminder: “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom come when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong.” Proverbs 3:5-7 He is telling me right now that I need to be light in this dark world. I feel this light must shine brighter than ever before. Light ALWAYS dispels darkness.
 
“The earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness draped over the deep. God’s spirit hovered over the face of the waters. God announced, “Let there be light.” And light burst forth. God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful. He used the light to dispel the darkness…” Genesis 1:2-5 He isn’t at a loss for how to turn dark situations into something glorious. He is the Light and steps into the dark situations and wraps Himself around them and they are no longer dark. He speaks and darkness has to bow to Light. He is in us and we shine so bright that the darkness cannot exist and that is where the deceptions come in. Somehow the enemy deceives us into speaking and believing that we have lost and there is no way out of the situation. My answer is “Bologna, we have already won! We just continue to put ourselves in places that appear dark because we are listening to the wrong words. Our words are to carry life not death! His life. Our words of life dispel darkness because they are His words. His Life shines in every dark crevice and there isn’t even a shadow of doubt. We were created in His imagine – His light that allows so darkness.
 
How does this look in all that is going on? Well, I believe a lot of the issues we are seeing are because the light of the Believers is dispelling the darkness and the darkness doesn’t like it. Except for the protestors in black that were full of deception and darkness that place, DC, was shining so bright with the light, life and love of our Lord Jesus that the darkness couldn’t stand it. Evil cannot not stand light.
“I’ve learned that his anger lasts for a moment, but his loving favor lasts a lifetime! We may weep through the night, but at daybreak it will turn into shouts of ecstatic joy.” Psalm 30:5
 
When Jesus came and gave His life for us by dying, being buried and rising from the dead the anger of God was buried with Jesus. Jesus appeased God’s anger and now His loving favor lasts a lifetime. There are issues and situations in all our lives but His light takes away the darkness and turns them into shouts of ecstatic joy! That’s what we are about to see! That is what I talked about last week – shouts of joy in 2021 and they will want to keep our mouths covered and masked so we can’t be shouting for joy.
 
I continue to seek the Lord and prepare my heart so that no matter what may look like a set back or the end in my eyes I will see from His perspective and not my own understanding and continue to let His light shine bright in my life. After letting things get me down last year this will be a challenge I can only do with Him but I know, “And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.” Philippians 4:13
 
“Pass through, pass through the gates, and go from old to new.  Prepare a new path for the people. Build! Build up a highway for them to come to me! Remove every hindrance and unfurl a banner for the nations!” Isaiah 62:10 Keep seeking, keep asking, keep knocking. Let Him shine through you and the darkness will continue to disappear. What a glorious 2021 His light and Life is in us!!”