Be the Light

You are a single rose In a sea of darkness. You will always be surrounded by darkness, But you are light. Light dispels darkness; Let your light shine.

Where Is It Found?

People look all over the place for true love, something that will give them joy from within, peace, and comfort but there is only one place that those things can be found. You cannot work for it. You cannot do anything to deserve it. You cannot pay for it in any way, shape, form, or fashion. You must receive it as a gift. You must trust that the Son of the one true God died for you on the cross and was risen from the dead. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was with God before the creation of this world. He was born a helpless baby, had a childhood, was a teenager, went through his twenties, and was about 30 when he began his ministry. Jesus knew that his purpose was to die for our sins. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and established with us a new covenant. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and fellowship is restored between God and us who believe. The same holy spirit that Jesus was filled with and that was given to his disciples is given to us still today. The holy spirit is our teacher, guide, and comforter. The fruit of the holy spirit that we have as believers is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our Heavenly Father gives freely to us who believe.The one true God, our Heavenly Father, gives us mercy, salvation, grace, the holy spirit, healing, answered prayers, unanswered prayers, eternal life, having a loving Father stand by us and strengthening us through every hardship, and so much more. The Holy Bible is full of promises that we can receive as believers today. So look no further for godly things in other people or things that you can buy or make with your hands. Only true love, joy, and peace come from God. And believe me when I tell you, no matter what you face in this world God can and will give you a perfect peace that is beyond all understanding while you are going through it. The wonderful things that we seek are from above and can be forever with you and inside of you. Just look to your Heavenly Father and believe. Lisa C

The Whole Armor of God - Part 1

What is the whole armor of God? I am going to open the scriptures with you and go through a passage of scripture in the book of Ephesians. This passage of scripture is about the Whole Armor of God that is available for all believers. God provides us with the Whole Armor of God to stand unscathed in the presence of darkness and the powers of darkness. We are comrades with Christ and are given everything that we need to stand up to the powers of darkness, overcome the world and all it throws at us daily, and stand up for our Heavenly Father, His Word, and our beliefs. This passage of scripture was written by the Apostle Paul. Apostle Paul was a disciple of Jesus Christ from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was a follower of John the Baptist but was called by Jesus to follow him towards the end of John the Baptist ministry. If you are not familiar with the Apostle Paul and want to learn more about his ministry and the miracles that he performed by way of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth let me know in comments and I will write about him. We are going to begin in Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren (a fellow believer), be strong (be strengthened, increase in strength) in the Lord, and in the power (force, mighty with great power, dominion) of his might (ability, force, strength). [Bible verses in italics. King James Version] Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole (clothe oneself) armour (includes shield, sword, lance, helmet, greaves, and breastplate; armed) of God (which God supplies), that ye may be able to stand (continue safe and sound, stand unharmed, to stand ready or prepared; to be of a steadfast mind; the foundation of a building; to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything) against (position and state looking toward a thing) the wiles (to follow craftily, frame devices, deceive) of the devil (a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer; the prince of demons, the author of evil). We are given the armor of God and directed to put it on to. We are not left in this world defenseless. When we become followers of Christ, being washed by the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are no longer of this world therefore we become enemies with the prince of this world, Satan, and as such need to not only believe in Jesus and live for him but live prepared to face our enemy, that old serpent, and stand up to him. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle (the term is transferred to the Christian's struggle with the power of evil) not against flesh and blood (a living creature (because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or animal), but against principalities (from the beginning; angels and demons holding dominions entrusted to them in the order of things), against powers (used in the plural of a certain class of angels), against the rulers of the darkness (office given in charge ), of this world, against spiritual (a being higher than man but inferior to God) wickedness (evil purposes and desires) in high places. Ephesian 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Some of you at this point may be wondering if this is true. Are there really demons? Is there evil in the world? Is it good vs evil? And the answer is yes. There is a spirit world. We are being battling evil forces every day. But we are comrades in Christ and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ defeated sin and evil and all the powers of darkness. However, until Christ returns to get the church, the body of Christ, we are in battle daily with forces of evil and most of the battles that we fight are in our mind. The very thoughts in our head are used to destroy us. But God, foreseeing the evil we would face, has given us armour that we can wear daily. Lisa Clewis

Keep Your Eyes On God and You Will See Things More Clearly

Holy Spirit spoke to me one day and told me to sit down to mediate and to pick a leaf on a tree to concentrate on. I've been meditating like this for a while because he taught me to. This brings rest to my mind and allows me to be quiet so that I can receive from him and hear him. It helps me get centered on him. We really need to quieten our mind to bring rest and restoration to our mind and our soul. 

I sat down on my doorstep and picked out a leaf on a tree in my front yard to meditate on. I wasn't wearing my glasses so the leaves blended in but I could make out the shape of this one particular leaf. As I was sitting there, with a quiet mind, looking at this leaf as a focal point, it became very clear. I could see the veins in the leaf. Then I noticed I could see the definition of every leaf and the veins in the other leaves. Everything was so clear. I was amazed by this especially since, like I said, things look blurry at a distance.

Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, 'Keep your focus on me and you will see things clearly.' This excited me so much. I had been agonizing over things and this helped me put my focus back on God, not on the way things seemed. God always works things to our good. He loves us so much, more than we can fathom. 

Keep your eyes on the Lord. Focus on him not on the things going on around you. When things seem bleak, return to what his Word says. Profess his promises into your life through the name that God set above all names, Jesus Christ. There is power in the name of Jesus. Praise God for always making a way for us. 

Lisa C

Church?

Often I hear people say they don't go to church because of the way people act who go to church. I was guilty of this for awhile because of how I was treated. Once you've been the topic of the church gossipers and backbiters and felt like you were being stared at when you go to church, you don't want to experience that again. You feel judged, like everyone is looking at you under a microscope. In some cases you are judged and talked about and wonder how it's different from any other place. You can go to work or school and get talked about. You can go anywhere and experience situations where there are people who smile to your face but all along think they're better then you and talk about you behind your back, even telling lies on you and slandering your name. You see people who are religious. They remind you of the Pharisees and Sadducees you read about in the Bible. They keep traditions of men, not God. They worry about what they look like on the outside, but inside they're full of evil. They care about their position, money, and bringing lots of money into the church but their community suffers. You don't know of any good they do for their community or citizens of that community. You wonder why bother when you can watch preaching at home, after all, your relationship with God is between you and him. BUT I'm here to tell you, church is a beautiful thing when done according to God's Word. If you study the Christian Church in the New Testament you will see that no sin is condoned and people who stir up strife, lie to the Holy Spirit, or are religious are put out of the church. I don't mean ordinary people who are trying to live right and mess up daily because we all do, but people who pretend to be perfect and talk about others or look down on them. Satan sends into the church people who on the outside appear like lambs but on the inside are ravenous wolves. They are there to destroy your faith, to cause conflict in the church, and to stir up strife. Whether you realize it or not, stay home on Sundays or go to church, fellowship with other believers or stick to yourself, YOU are in a constant spiritual battle between good and evil. How can you look at all the evil in the world and not believe in God, because all that evil wants to destroy all good in the world and all good people. When you separate yourself from church and the assembling of other believers you cut a vital lifeline to your spirit. Your spirit struggles to win the good fight and tires from the daily battles. Church services and like minded believers build you up and help prepare you for those daily battles. Yes, there may be a wolf in your midst at church, the Bible says to test the spirits to see where they're from. Find out if there's good or evil in their heart. The best test is that of looking at their character. The Bible says you can't get salty water and fresh water from the same source. If a person appears to be good and evil then you know they're evil. Church is a community in itself and the members support one another, lifting one another up, encouraging one another, helping one another, and by being that honest friend who calls you out when you're wrong so you can get straightened out and be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. Churches are a pillar in the community because the church organization gives to causes and helps other organizations who help people, and helps individuals in need, and supports people and organizations to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ so that other people can be saved. Yes there's churches who don't. They hide behind the church to get rich. So know them by the fruit they bare or don't bare, and don't affiliate yourself with them. Don't cut out a huge part of your life and privilege as a child of God by cutting church out of your life. Find a church where good seeds are being sown in your community and the lives of regular people like you and me. Test the spirits in the church keeping in mind that the powers of darkness want you to fail, to feel condemned, to feel like you're not good enough, to feel like you don't belong. When you go to the grocery store you don't buy everything, right? And you look at the expiration date, you want fresh, healthy food. There's a lot there you don't want but you go to get what you do want. Go to church to get what you need and want. Be clear about your intentions. Are you going to church to be closer to God, to serve the Lord, and to form new godly relationships with people, or for some other reason. Do everything you do as unto the Lord, not people. Don't be a people pleaser. Be a God pleaser. The benefits of being a member of a church far out weigh any opposition you may face. Expose the wolves. Keep the church.

Lisa C

Supernatural Strength: Where it Comes From

When I was younger and healthier I was more confident in myself and what I could accomplish all on my own. After journeying through the valley, through years of sickness, debilitating pain, and the mental and emotional trauma that goes with it, I have leaned that I do nothing by myself. I am never alone. I never have to rely on my own power, abilities, or strength; I never have. God is my sufficiency in all things.

He gives me supernatural strength to do what I cannot do on my own. His promises are true. He is not a man that he can lie. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

There were times when I was younger and healthier that I took credit for the things that I did. I took all the glory for the things that I accomplished, never realizing that God is my everything and everyone to me. I loved him. I believed in him. I turned to him when I needed someone to be there for me. But I never fully realized just how vulnerable, limited, and small fries I was until he showed me that he will supernaturally give me physical strength, strengthen me mentally and emotionally, and give me joy and peace that is beyond all human understanding.

I fell into the trap of being prideful. I would say, "look what I did, look what I accomplished, look at how I did this", not realizing it came from the Lord. In Colossians 3:23-24 we read, 'Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).

God not only gives us what we need to do what we do, but he rewards us for doing it. I used to look for my reward from people. I wanted to be recognized for what I had done. I wanted to be praised, to be given credit where credit is due not realizing that I could not do it without the LORD. He is our sufficiency in all things. He endows us with knowledge, talent, gifts of the Spirit, guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, life, and the air that is in our lungs. How could I have thought that I did anything on my own or deserved the credit?

Credit goes to the LORD. He and he alone deserves to be glorified, honored, and praised. He deserves to be lifted up, blessed, and recognized for all he does. We should be humbled and in awe of what he does and accomplishes through us. I know I am. 

Lisa C

Diversionist

What do you call someone who sabotages, who lays waste to your efforts to have a full life, a fulfilling relationship with someone, or who prevents you from accomplishing something? Satan and the powers of darkness come in many forms. The most deceiving form is as someone who loves you and has your best interest at heart, but they deceive to accomplish their own selfish agenda. Do not be deceived by others. The word of God says to test the spirits. You can not get bitter and sweet water from the same well. 

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

John 10:10 AMPC

Lisa C