Back in the Saddle

Here I am again. It's been a while, but it's time to refocus on my writing. As I type this I can hear the song "Back in the Saddle Again" playing in my head. I can't help but grin as I think about it. I'm seriously amused.

Anyhow, being a mom keeps me very busy. I'll write as I go and post when it's ready. Writing is definitely a lifestyle that must develop over time and I am up for the challenge. So, wish me well as I endeavor to form new habits followed by great results.

Talk to you soon!

Light That Overcomes

By: Rachel Storms

In our society, darkness has been portrayed as this overpowering evil that dominates

everything around it. It has been glorified in Hollywood movies, television series, video

games, and even the media. Its power seems limitless, however there is a greater

power that not even darkness can overcome.

In John 1:5 the Bible says, "And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness

did not comprehend it." The word translated "comprehend" is the Greek word

katalambano which means to seize, to pull down, to tackle, to conquer, or to hold under

one's power. So, based on this definition we could read the latter part of this verse

"the darkness did not hold the light under its power or domain." 

Here are some other translations of this same verse:

(MSG) The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

(AMP) And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never

overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to

it].

(NLT) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

It is exciting to know that no matter how obscure things appear, there is a Light that

cannot be hidden neither can it be absorbed by the darkness around it.

So, what exactly is darkness? One of the definitions is the absence or deficiency of

light. It can also be defined as obscurity or concealment. 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 says,

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose

minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the

gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God should shine on them."

We see here how Satan has used darkness as a veil to conceal the gospel and blind

the minds of unbelievers. But wait! It says in the latter part of verse 4 that it is so that

the "light of the gospel" would not shine on them. Well, we know from John 1:5 that

darkness cannot hold the light under its power. What is the light referred to in John 1?

Verses 1-4 tell us that the light is the life of Him, the Word. So the life of the Word is the

light of the gospel. Satan may try to conceal it in an effort to hold people in a state of

blindness, but the light will always overcome.

Now, allow me to expound on this a little more by looking at 2 Corinthians 4:6. The

beginning of this verse reads, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out

of darkness..." Although Satan has tried to conceal the light, God commanded it to

shine. At God's word, it breaks through the barriers. The rest of the verse says, "...who

(speaking of God) has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of

the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Clearly, it is our responsibility to share

the light with those around us. Romans 10:14 tells us, "How then shall they call on

Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom

they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

It is time to engage in battle. We are in a fight of good versus evil, light versus darkness,

and we are on the winning side! So, let us declare the truth of the gospel, shedding light

on a darkened world. We are called to be beacons of light. Darkness cannot hide the

light, but light will penetrate the darkness.

Anticipating Opportunity

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “ You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” (Jeremiah 1:11,12 NKJV)

In this passage of scripture, the word ready is translated from the Hebrew word shaqad which means “waking, waiting, hastening, or anticipating.” It is closely related to the word shaqed which is translated almond in verse 11. The margin of my Bible says that in Hebrew thought, the almond is considered the “waker” because it, of all trees, blossoms early, watching diligently for the opportunity to bloom. What God was showing Jeremiah in the vision, and even explained to him, is that He was actually looking for the earliest opportunity to perform His word. 

In 2 Chronicles 16:9, it says that God searches the earth “to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…”

What is the word that God has spoken into your heart? God is looking and anticipating the opportunity to perform what He said and move on your behalf. Pray that God will show you how to prepare yourself and make ready that opportunity.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Dream Again

After having lost my father to cancer last year, I found myself in a state of hopelessness. Not only was my dad my natural father, but he was also my spiritual father. It was like our covering had been removed and so many of our plans and dreams had died with him. Everything we had been praying and believing so hard for was lost in a single moment. Or so it seemed.

In the midst of my pain I heard the Spirit say to me, "Dream again!" Over and over I kept hearing these words. I was reminded of Psalm 126:1 which says, "When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream." So, I began to study that verse. I found that the word "dream" came from the Hebrew word chalam which, according to Strong's Concordance, means 1) to dream 2) to recover. I realized that I was being held captive to circumstances, the death of my father and leader. However, when the Lord brings a person out of captivity, He brings about a full recovery. No longer is that person bound by their circumstances. Their vision which was limited by walls of captivity is renewed and their hope restored. The Lord was letting me know that, even in all the disappointment and pain, His plan for me did not change and He is bringing me out.

In Isaiah 60:1 AMP it says, "Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!" Notice that to arise requires effort on your part. Many of you are sitting in a spiritual dungeon acting like a prisoner not even realizing that the shackles have been removed and the doors have been opened. All that is left to do is to walk out.

So, my hope for you today is that you rise up! Don't let the enemy of your soul steal your dreams. It is time to take possession of your promised land. It's time to dream again!

Intimacy With the Father

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

About a year ago I remember asking God a simple, sincere question, “What is Your heart?” He gave me one word in response. It was “relationship”. As I pondered this thought, I realized that this is what it’s all about. Intimacy with the Father. Everything God did from creation to now was for relationship. He created us to be His family. When sin separated us from His presence, He immediately went to work to restore it and completed that work in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Right away I thought of David. Here we have the “man after God’s own heart”. Why was he called that? We know that he wasn’t a perfect man by any means. The reason he was given this title is because he was a man that would literally go after the heart of God. He sought God to do all His will (Acts 13:22). His songs express how he longed to be in the presence of God and would meditate on His law (Psalms 27:4, 119:97). This was a man who had an intimate relationship with the Father. Because of this, he was surrounded with God’s favor and enjoyed many victories even when it seemed impossible.

There is no denying that Jesus set the greatest example of all. In his ministry we see how he would separate himself from the crowds to enjoy time alone with the Father (Luke 5:16). Prayer was the key to the outpouring of miracles and revelations leading up to our redemption at the cross.

Now, we can enjoy the same level of intimacy with our Creator. The veil of separation has been removed. The world is looking for something real and has endured all the religion it can stand. What is needed and necessary is the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. We need to have such a close and intimate relationship with God that He illuminates our world around us, and so that His power may be demonstrated everywhere that we go. Just like Moses, we need to be lit up with the glory of God. That only happens when we spend time with Him.

Fulfilling Your Purpose - Step 1

The first step to fulfilling your God given purpose in life is to get a vision. In Proverbs 29:18 we read that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The Message translation says, “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves.” In other words, without the ability to see what we are aiming for (God‘s plan for us), we just blindly stumble about searching for the unknown. Chances are, we will miss our target.

Now, according to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions for vision is: the act or power of imagination. Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” The imagination is a gift from God which provides us the means by which we may envision our future. God gave you the ability to dream, and what you see and think on regularly will affect the direction your life will take.

Another definition for vision is: mode of seeing or conceiving. In order for conception to take place, a seed must be planted. To conceive an idea, a thought must be planted. The longer that thought is permitted to stay, the more it will take root in your heart and produce results in your life. "As he thinks in his heart, so is he…" (Proverbs 23:7a) "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." (Matthew 12:35) So what are you thinking on?

If you are wandering around aimlessly with no vision and no plan, the end result will be an unfulfilled life. What a tragedy! I encourage you to read God's Word. Let's look at what God told Joshua.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8)

David referred to the Word as, "...a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:105)

God has a great vision for you in His Word. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) So, dig into His Word and see what He has in store for you.

The Shepherd Who Encouraged A King

While praying earlier, God revealed something in His Word that I never noticed before. I love reading about David and Goliath and the lesson it teaches us about trusting in God's ability. Against all odds, God brought victory for His people by the hand of a young shepherd boy. What interests me is how this victory was achieved.

In studying the story, we see that David was given ample opportunity to doubt a triumphant outcome.

And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." (1 Samuel 17:33)

Instead of being moved by fear and unbelief, David recalled how God had delivered him in times past from the lion and the bear.

"Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:36-37)

What I never realized before is that he was not only encouraging himself, but also those around him who heard his words. Think about it. Here we find King Saul carrying the weight of a difficult decision. If he sends David to meet Goliath only to fail, then Israel would be made the slaves of the Philistines.

Then he (Goliath) stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." (1 Samuel 17:8-9)

This wasn't about the fate of one man, but about that of an entire nation of people. Of course, we know that David went forth at Saul's command, defeated Goliath, and spared all of Israel. This was accomplished through the faith of a shepherd boy who encouraged the heart of a king.