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By: Tresa Walker 

With the new year, we often make a plan for a new start – a resolution for a new or better life. But no matter how hard we try, we often fall right back into old habits, and those New Year’s resolutions are tossed like worn out socks. Instead of resolutions, maybe we need a new perspective. Resolutions focus on what I can “do”; perspective focuses on how I “view” things.

I met a young lady this week who is going through an extremely difficult time after being displaced by a hurricane. Her young children are in Michigan with their grandmother. Her husband is on the road driving a truck trying to make a living. While they wait on FEMA funding, she has relocated to a shelter in our little town and is searching for a job. Everything about her situation could cause bitterness and despair, but she is choosing to praise God through the storm and seeking His will for her life. She has a glass is half full attitude rather than focusing on how much is gone. It is truly all about perspective!

God is bigger than any problems we are currently face or may experience this year! Faith allows us to have a positive perception even in the worst of times. We must be careful to keep our focus on God and not focus on the circumstances, then we can find true peace in the midst of the storms that rage.

So, how do I change my perspective? How do I keep my focus on Him?

Read God’s Word daily to shed some light on His perspective. – “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 HCSB

Remind yourself that God loves you and His compassion never fails. -“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Reflect on God’s deliverance in the past. – “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” Psalms 40:2 NLT

Be purposefully thankful and praise Him. – “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Psalms 13:5-6 NIV

Pray – “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 HCSB

Rely on God. – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees the new year will be perfect or even better than last year, but even when our circumstances are far from what we had hoped, God is faithful and good! Stop worrying about what you can do to fix the situation, and let God. Instead of focusing on the problem, turn your attention to God’s love and those previous times that He rescued you. The situation may not dissipate or even improve, but a new perspective and continued faith can help you survive the storm!

https://strengthrenewed.blog

Today, I bring you living understanding, living wisdom, and grace that moves with the rhythm of your breath. These gifts come with bubbling joy—the mercy kiss of my Spirit who guides you.

A new joy is yours! Joy that comes when you know that every step you take, I have planned before you were born. Before you start to speak, I know every sentence that will come from your mouth. Before you go on a journey, I have gone before you to make your steps firm and faithful to my ways. I release to you the joy of being guided by my Spirit. Wait upon me, and I will show you the steps to take. When you turn to the right, you will hear my whisper in your heart saying, “Yes, this is the way you are to walk.” Supernatural guidance will end the pain of the past. Your heart will taste the joys set before you in this season of new beginnings. Your life will bring me praise and show my glory. A new joy is yours today, as you say, “Yes, Lord, lead me into greater glory.”

Psalm 32:8–9
The Passion Translation

“I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide. So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!”

I Hear His Whisper written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez – Published with permission.

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By: Fran Gardner Mora

Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Ezekiel 1:20

I was recently immersed in the inaugural vision of Ezekiel and marveling – once again – on how similar it is to the apocalyptic vision of John. The fantastically strange imagery and over-the-top details always make me feel like I’m getting sucked into the vacuum created by the black hole “Ponder.” I could easily spend hours, or even days, considering each item mentioned. This time, however, the Holy Spirit placed His spotlight on something new and directed my attention to an interpretation that held a specific message for me.

In the vision, the four creatures each had four faces: man, lion, ox, and eagle. I immediately understood that this was a reference to the four writers and their gospels in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are often associated with those particular motifs, and there are commentaries that point out this parallel. But what I was seeing for the first time was the holy calling of the writer, and the required commitment that is inherent with this calling.

When I was in college in Munich, I had the opportunity to visit Prague a couple of times. My favorite place in the city was a medieval monastery that housed an incredible library of very old Christian documents. There was a huge room full of small writing desks that had carved out places for ink wells and pens and candles to provide light. That room left a serious impression on me. I could vividly imagine a monk at each desk hunched over his arduous task of precisely copying pages, chapters, and books of the Bible one perfectly penned word at a time. There were incased examples of their work all over the room and the walls were lined top to bottom with bookcases that held volume after volume of religious and sacred offerings. It was difficult for my young mind to grasp a level of reverence for God’s Word that was so deep, a person would spend their entire lifetime working silently in a dark, cold room to ensure that it was preserved and disseminated. It was further beyond my comprehension that this would have been one of hundreds of such places during this time period. Making sure God’s Word was accurate and available was a top priority for the Church during that period in history.

Although it’s true of all the authors of the Bible’s many books, it is particularly true of the New Testament writers, that Holy Spirit inspired writing had to be paired with action. In the Ezekiel vision, each of the four creatures with the four faces had a huge wheel beside them that moved as they moved and the scripture states twice that, “wherever the spirit would go, they would go.” For me, seeing the four gospel writers through the lens of this Ezekiel vision helps me to understand how complex their God-given purpose was and how invested they were in living out God’s will. And this principle was also demonstrated with the other writers of the New Testament. These people not only wrote their witness and testimony down, they strapped on their walking shoes and took their show on the road … for the rest of their lives.

And because of this, the world was so changed and so hungry for the grace of God and the hope of a Savior that other people spent their lives copying, storing, and sharing these records and letters. And still others, carried these writing as far as they could reach. A process that has continued until present times.

While it’s true that the Bible is a finished document and celebrated as the most widely distributed literary work humanity has ever known, it is equally true that there is so much more to write. Because the Holy Spirit gives the gift of revelation, the Bible is a living document. It serves as an applied lesson in countless everyday situations. It becomes a brand new understanding of some aspect of God’s glory. It contains an infinite number of exciting connections and intriguing possibilities. And, it’s a book that can satisfy all your spiritual, emotional, and intellectual needs.

This is great news for me – I am a writer. I have always known that’s who God made me to be. So, when the Holy Spirit illuminates something for me and allows me to watch it unfold and blossom, I know it’s my purpose to write it down…

…And share it.

But I now wonder if I’ve been as obedient to God’s will as my holy writing predecessors. Does my wheel, which contains my spirit, listen to what the Holy Spirit whispers? Is my wheel moving in the direction designated by God without straying from the path He has indicated? In other words, is my spirit fully aligned with The Spirit?

Will I take my offering in whatever direction I’m told – even if it leads me out of a place of comfort and acceptance and into a place of obscurity and challenges? Yes, I will.

Can I be confident in God’s will and His plan for my life when I don’t have any idea what lies at the new destination? Yes, I can.

God is good and faithful in all things. I am a pen in His hand and I will be His voice wherever He sends me.

It doesn’t matter which part you play in the flow and movement of God’s Word – the avid reader, the inspired writer, the missionary traveler, the generous giver, etc. If God’s Word is resting in your hands or passing through your lips, it’s vitally important that your wheel is moving in the direction of the spirit and your heart is beating with the love of Jesus. Every day, new souls are born into the world and they all need to know about Jesus – God knows where they are, and the best way to reach them.

Ezekiel 1:12-21 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

https://www.pearlsandpresence.com

By: Nancy Kilpatrick

Do you recall the scene on crucifixion Day?  There were two criminals that were sentenced to death along with Jesus.  Matthew and Mark both report them ridiculing Jesus along with the crowd.  While one continued to ridicule Jesus and saying that if he was really the Christ then he could save himself for this entire crowd to witness and free them also.

However, Luke records the fact that the other thief recognized that Jesus really was innocent, and he quickly reminded the other thief of their guilt and deserving of their sentence.  He said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus looks on the heart and despite his own pain that he was dealing with he heard the thief make that decisive statement and Jesus immediately focused His attention on him.  He turned his gaze on him, saw into the depths of his soul, and declared that he would meet Him in paradise.  He said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the phrase “remember me” my mind immediately goes to the Last Supper when Jesus is passing out the broken bread and the cup of wine representing his blood.   I wonder how many times, and when, do we remember him?  Is it only when we have communion together at church or when we sometimes do communion at home?  Or is it only when saying ‘grace’ at mealtime?  Or a quick nighttime prayer before going to sleep?  Or are we constantly, during the day, keeping Him in our thoughts and listening for His direction in the choices we make each day?  Or do we ‘make a date’, a special time each day to just sit in His presence and feel His Holy Spirit embrace us and sometimes even thoughts that could only come from Him become real to us?

I was recently reading again the story of Paul in the later part of Acts; he is determined to make a trip to Jerusalem.  There was something that stood out very clearly and I think you will understand what I’m talking about.  In Acts 21:4 he is in Tyre, and the people there loved him very much, so they are seriously warning him not to go to Jerusalem.  They fear that something very dangerous may happen to him there.  But he will not be discouraged from making this trip.  I began to wonder what it was that kept him so determined.

It was one of those days when I was just sitting in His presence in my living room and trying to not think of anything except just to whisper His Name and feel His presence.  But I’d been reading about Paul and the thought just popped in my head and flooded over me, “He was remembering his Damascus experience, when he truly met Jesus on that road to Damascus.  Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, which was his given name at that time, in a real, very dramatic way, that changed Saul’s life forever and is name was changed to Paul.

I went back to Acts and here is what I found:

• He left Tyre and Acts 21:8-14, he had arrived at Caesarea and at Philip’s house where a prophet named Agabus was staying. Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound up his own wrists and feet with Paul’s belt.  Then he told Paul, “This is what is going to happen to the man this belt belongs to if he goes to Jerusalem.”  He was warned again!
• Paul’s response to him was that he was ready to die if that was what was in store for him, but he was not changing his mind. He was going on to Jerusalem.  Still determined.
• Acts 21:27-28, some Jews at the temple started the people to riot against Paul.
• Acts 22:1, Paul got permission to speak to the crowd and he recalled to their remembrance his experience on the Damascus Road. He remembered and shared his testimony.
• Act 23:25, He was put in prison and went before Felix.
• Acts 24:27, two years later Felix left the office and Festus took his place.
• Act 26:1-32, Festus arranged a meeting between him and Agrippa. And again, Paul remembered and repeated his entire story of his life, his education, and his entire meeting with the Christ that he had spent his life fighting against.

So why was he so determined to go to Jerusalem that even the thought of prison or death did not deter him from making that trip?   HE REMEMBERED!!!!

The words to this song are so meaningful that it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it or try to sing it:

TAKE TIME

Are you living your life in a hurry, Spending each day on the run.

Do you make big decisions without a clear vision, just hoping that God’s will is done?

God has given His Spirit to lead you if you’ll only take time to hear.

By His Word with His wisdom, He’ll feed you, He’s just waiting for you to draw near.

And to take time to sit at His table.  He has a place prepared daily for you.

So, make time to sit in His Presence, to hear His voice whisper, “My child, I love you.”  

I can only say that I believe; I’m absolutely convinced, that our faithful, loving Jesus is so ready to come back after His bride so very soon and there are people all around us every day who are totally unaware of their unpreparedness for His return.  The ten virgins did not know when their groom was coming but they were told to be prepared.  They all thought they were prepared; they had their lamps.  Their lamps were trimmed and glowing but as the night grew long, five of them realized that their oil was beginning to run low so they asked the other virgins to loan them some.  However, the five wise virgins had brought extra oil just to be sure they would not run out and because they could not share what they had the five foolish virgins had to quickly run to purchase some more.

Unfortunately, while they were gone, the groom came and when the foolish virgins made it to the wedding celebration, they found the door locked and they could not get in.  These five foolish virgins were not bad people.  They were not the hateful, the thieves, the murderers, the condemned people.  They were part of the invited people, expected to be at the wedding.  They were the ones who attended church regularly, maybe taught a class, always there to help when the church had an event planned.  But they had not enough oil to last through the night until the groom arrived.

We are now in the middle of the night and the groom, our Groom Jesus Himself, is about to arrive and I challenge everyone reading this article to be prepared.  And to also look around you.  Do you know someone that may need more oil in their lamps, so they are prepared?  Once the groom arrives, it’s too late to go running for more oil.  We must all be prepared now, and we must be about His business to prepare those around us to be prepared as well. Next year, next month, next week, perhaps even tomorrow may be too late.  “Remember, Today is the day of salvation!”

Finish what you started!

By: Eglaide Seiber Barroso

The vision of the Lighthouse Newsletter in 2019 was to provide a platform for Christian writers to honor God with their writing skills and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first steps taken for this vision to become a reality, besides the publication name, was the tagline and the picture for the front page. Both came simultaneously as a download from Heaven, followed by a support team dedicated to giving their best to the LORD. The first issue was published in June of 2020, almost a year later, amidst my foot surgery and the COVID-19 world pandemic. During that time, the political arena was becoming a boiling pot here in the US, focusing on the possible re-election of then-President Trump and with the conservative group shouting, “Four more years!” Today, as I sit here to write about the direction that the LORD has given me for this coming season with the publication, some conservative groups are still echoing these same words about the former president. At this point, so many things have changed in the world arena pertaining to family values, freedom of speech, immigration matters, gender equality, and financial and global peace stability that one must wonder why we, as the church, are still placing our faith in a single man or even in a political party. Something must have happened to change the direction we have come thus far as a nation because it is quite clear that going around this same mountain since 2020 has kept us in bondage to the systems that, without a doubt, have failed us.

During these past two years publishing The Lighthouse News in hard copy, we reported on the national presidential campaign and voting challenges, the new administration’s left-wing detrimental public health decisions with mask mandate and vaccine enforcement, the abortion law changes, the supreme court’s new nomination and decisions, the Russia-Ukraine war, the woke harmful education agenda, mass shootings and the big tech companies’ cohorts with the media to sell us lies about everything we knew to be the truth. Because of these things and the actions of extremely corrupted leaders on both sides of the arena, life, as we once knew, will never be the same!

Our publication tagline clearly states who we are. “We are CHRIST Inspired, LOVE Driven, and Followers of GOD’S WORD. But we got into the Trump and politics train, deviating from our Evangelistic mission and becoming newsworthy instead of God-focused. We took a direction of our own instead of following God’s lead. As the founder and publisher of The Lighthouse News, I am the one to blame and the one being called to go back to the missionary field, returning to the publication vision of spreading the good news throughout the four corners of the world. In our last quarter published issue, we celebrated our two years of publishing in hard copy with a beautiful design highlighting that accomplishment. It was not an easy ride by any means because besides the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I had undergone six surgeries, and my husband had many health issues too. Publishing The Lighthouse News quarterly kept my focus on serving others instead of the health hardship we were dealing with daily. Celebrating the second anniversary of the publication came at the same time things were coming back to normal around us, so looking back and seeing how far we had come as a team and as a publication was almost surreal. We gained new writers’ contributions and new nations with possibilities for partnership in the near future. Our website is another reason for our excitement because it was a gift from one of our team members in September 2021. The next issue would also feature this major milestone. But soon after all copies were on the distribution route locally and sent by mail, I began to feel as if we had reached the end of the road. I saw no purpose in continuing to publish, trying to follow the dark cloud covering the country and the world because, in my view, we were too small to try to report on major issues confronting the global community. My experience with world news reporting since 1999 allowed me to see we were neglecting major events and our target audience was becoming lost in the process of trying to be both an evangelical and world news publication. With all these concerns on my mind, praying for God’s direction was the best route to take. “Do I need to walk away from this project and do the next thing you want me to do, LORD?” I knew I had time to set my concerns aside and wait on an answer from the LORD until it was time to start the next issue. Because I didn’t hear anything from the LORD about quitting when the time to start the next issue came, I did what I knew to do in my heart. But this time, the emptiness I felt was distressing me to the point of having agonizing doubt that I was supposed to continue with the publication. When everything was done, with more than 90% of the articles, pictures and layout approved, I became very sick with a hives attack that covered my entire body, including my face, that led me to the emergency room twice in one week. That ordeal kept me from doing any of my work at my regular job and for The Lighthouse News. For over ten days, I had the mindset to completely quit this project. The support I had from everyone to quit if necessary was like a kiss from Heaven. Everyone was praying for my healing and encouraging me to rest and let things unfold as they eventually would. As my healing began to slowly take place, I started to hear the LORD say to me that this situation was not bringing me to the end of The Lighthouse News. That it was the pause needed for me to go back to the beginning of the revelation vision of moving The Lighthouse Writer’s Group into a publication. The Bible says in Romans 8:28, KJV: ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.Writing and publishing is God’s purpose for my life, and writing about HIS goodness, character, power, joy, miracles, and LOVE is the way the world will know about Him and will come to know Jesus Christ as the only son of God, who gave His own life to save mankind from going to an eternal hell.

This past July, when our family came together for my second granddaughter’s first birthday celebration, I had to stop at a gas station before meeting them at their rented beach house. As I began to fill my gas tank, I was prompted to look down, and when I did, I saw I was stepping onto a large sticker with the number 7 screaming at me. I promptly picked up my phone and took a picture of it with my foot still on it because I had learned in 2015 that the number 7 meant completion, the end of something and that a new beginning was at hand. I had lived through my 2015 transition ordeal and knew how much better my life had become. How the LORD had brought me to become a confident Christian entrepreneur and how everything I had suffered in the past built solid steps to the latter that brought me up from the abyss of despair to be closer and closer to HIM as my Heavenly Father. He walked me through every hardship holding my hand and whispering to me not to give up on my dreams. When I was going through the valley of indecision this time, I remembered hearing from Him so loud in my spirit saying, “FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!” That prompted me to search for a picture with that phrase online, and when I found it, I used it as my desktop background at work and at home because I knew He was giving me a mandate to finish what I had started with The Lighthouse News. Not knowing exactly what to do, I began to pray for HIS strategies and direction. That’s when we decided to publish the articles from the last unpublished issue online. As we obeyed, we became more focused on the evangelical mission freeing ourselves from the need to report on world events and the political chaos surrounding our nation and families.

Our first women’s group resumed soon after I returned to work from my last health problem, with a new song as the opening of our worship. The song’s name on the YouTube video read “Potter Song X Finish What You Started.” It is needless to say how much His presence invaded our prayer room with joy and confidence that He who had started this beautiful work is faithful to finish. Philippians 1:6, KJV: Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

As new beginnings take place in our lives, the old must die, and its death is truly painful because we don’t understand God’s plans and the ways He completes His purpose in our lives. My prayer today is that we all embrace changes and become teachable to learn that what GOD has for us is so much more than our mind’s preconceived notion of what will bring us success, peace, joy, and life more abundantly.

As the new year arrives, be encouraged regardless of what is going on around you or even with you because the Potter always finishes what He starts. “ Let me tell you what my God does best, what He starts, He finishes!” In quotes is part of the lyrics from the “Potter Song X Finish What You Started” YouTube video.

In 2023, Let the LORD take complete control of your life and direct your dreams and future. May His Mighty hand lead you to fulfill HIS PURPOSE for you and your family. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

“Potter Song X Finish What You Started” YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq9YsNcREKE

Colossians 1:24–29 – Colossians 1:24-29: Christ in You the Hope of Glory.

By: Jeff Sutherland

Often at Christmas you will see two things or feel two things that seem to have nothing to do with each other. But they do. You have seen the eyes of a child light up when they get their first bike, or you remember that joy when you got that first bike. But if you help others at Christmas, through a mission or some other ministry, you may also see real sadness. In fact, you may have been there yourself. You miss your parents, your child, or something else that really mattered to you.

On Christmas 1952, my Father lost his Mother. He had just gotten married to my Mother, but the hurt affected him greatly every year at Christmas. In 1954 their first daughter brightened Christmas by being able to give to her and see her joy at all the gifts. Their first son was to be born mid-March 1959, but he showed up on Christmas Day 1958. The years that followed began turning my Father’s depression at Christmas into joy. I was that early arrival. Eleven years later my brother was born, and Christmas’ became a time of love, joy, and tradition.

So, if you have a bad memory at Christmas, if the joyful time becomes a time of mourning, if you didn’t get what you wanted, what do you do? Focus on others. Focus on giving. Focus on helping. Turn your focus off yourself and your bad memories and sadness by being there for others and encouraging them.

Every Christmas since my wife and I have been married, we have followed the tradition that her family started at her birth. On Christmas night they would sit down as family and before opening any gifts, they would read the story from Luke 2 of the best gift of all time. God sent His Son, as a baby in a manger, to grow and die for us, taking our debt of sin on His shoulders.

If you are alone at Christmas and focus on those who are no longer with you, bitter, angry, hurt, depressed, follow Christ’s example. He left His Father in heaven to do something amazing for others, humbling himself and focusing on our greatest need: Salvation. You know others in need. You know others alone at Christmas. You know those who have not heard this story of the Christ child.   Refocus. Share the joy. HOME | Fortmorgan (fortmorganministries.com)

By: Tresa Walker

strengthrenewed.blog

Christmas is such an exciting time of year! It is a time of tradition for family and friends, a time of anticipation for children awaiting special gifts, and a time of singing both silly and inspirational songs reserved specifically for the Christmas season. It is a time of decorating, shopping, and gift giving. It is a time of precious memories, great joy, and most importantly a time to remember the birth of Jesus. Christmas is also a time with a very complex history, a bustling present-day, and a hopeful future.

Past

For centuries before Jesus Christ was born, December was a month when several pagan traditions were practiced. People rejoiced during the winter solstice as the worst of winter was over. The Norse people of Scandinavia celebrated the return of the sun as the days finally grew longer. In Europe, most of the cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed through the winter, and the people enjoyed a supply of fresh meat. In Rome, Saturnalia festivals honored the god of agriculture on December 25th. Christians surprisingly had no celebrations at this time of year. They celebrated the resurrection of Christ at Easter, but had nothing to honor His birth.

As far back as the 4th century, church officials declared December 25th as Christmas although the Bible does not specify the actual date of Christ’s birth. This may have been a way for Christians to escape all of the pagan celebrations at that time. It may have even been an effort of the church to counteract the influence of the pagan festivals. Eventually, it worked.  By the Middle Ages, Christmas traditions had spread throughout the world and in effect replaced the pagan celebrations.

When Pilgrims came to North America, they did not celebrate Christmas because they wanted to refrain from all things connected to Britain. After the American Revolution, Christmas celebrations were literally outlawed in Boston from 1659-1681. It did not become a federal holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870. Immigrants later brought many festive traditions with them including the Christmas tree and Saint Nicholas.

Present

Today, unfortunately, Christmas has become very commercialized and busy. Often people are so immersed with the festivities of decorating, shopping, parties, programs, and other activities, that many never pause to reflect on the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which was the true purpose in creating the Christmas holiday so many years ago. It is imperative that we remember that Jesus is the reason for the season because, without His birth, there would be no salvation. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Christmas is the perfect opportunity for us to pause and teach our children of the miracle surrounding Christ’s birth – how He took on human flesh becoming fully human in order to offer eternal salvation to all. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Families are the most important influencers in the spiritual growth of children because there are many daily opportunities to share Jesus. We have to do more than just live out our faith; we must make time to teach our children about the love of our heavenly Father, the birth of Jesus, the gift of salvation that only comes through His death and resurrection, and the importance of faith. We must intentionally slow down and talk to them daily about God and not assume that they will learn through observation.

Future

Christmas is celebrated around the world by Christians as well as non-Christians on December 25th each year. If Christians are not cautious, all of the commercialism and busyness surrounding Christmas will eventually lead us back to a time of celebrations which lack any consideration of Christ. This would be a solemn future for our families and our nation. Deuteronomy 4:7 says, “For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to Him?” We must deliberately preserve our Christian heritage and share our faith now so that future generations will know of the birth of our Savior and the great love of our heavenly Father.

Regardless of the past, present, or future of Christmas celebrations, there is one thing that we can count on: Christ, the one who should always be celebrated, will never change. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

By: Dawn Hill – Lovesickscribe

I recently watched a video where a popular female minister was telling other women the power that they possessed in making the devil tremble and in shaking hell. While pacing back and forth on the platform and asking for more heat in the microphone, she began to tell these women how she was the enemy’s opposition and that she was his worst nightmare. Women all over the building were up on their feet clapping, cheering, and amening this young lady’s words. She exhorted them to understand how the devil feared them and he should fear her, in spite of the fact her heel had been bruised. It is worth noting she attributed a portion of the verse in Genesis 3:15, the first prophecy foretelling of Jesus, to herself.

As I listened to this message, I could not help but to be sad for the women listening to this message. The hero of the message was not Christ, but it was each and every woman in that room. The focus was not on weakness and the need for God, but on the power and fear these ladies instilled into the heart of Satan. It was sad how much burden this was placing on the women to be significant by demonstrating power and authority deemed by another woman. It was their job to conquer the enemy. It was their job to exert power and force. Let me encourage you, ladies. You and I are not called to shake hell, and we do not need to focus on making the demons tremble because we do not have that power. Focus on Christ.

I am sure there were women in attendance who entered a spiritual high so to speak, but once away from the crowd, the high wears off and reality comes crashing down. Real problems and real-life do not stop because of an amped up gathering, and unnecessary burdens were yoked to these women. The hero became self with Jesus as a passenger. The rhetoric of being the one who will storm the gates of hell covered in gasoline is fiction. The truth is that Jesus has already defeated Satan, and the devil does not fear us. He fears God. Hell is not the devil’s playground. Our hope is to be in Christ, and we are to take up His yoke and to find rest in Him. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:29)

There is another issue going on here. When we see such women on public platforms and on social media, we can feel the pressure to be significant in the body of Christ. This is our definition of significance. We may even have been taught or believed that without doing great exploits for God and without having such influence in ministry, our normal daily lives are less than God’s best. When you are in a movement such as the hyper charismatic movement, you are doing quite a bit it seems. The desire and temptation to be relevant is like a dangling carrot, and there is little to any teaching for women to understand Biblical roles and order set by God in His Word. Public ministry is coveted by many and serving in relative obscurity is not appealing.

Case in point: Throughout the years I spent in the hyper charismatic/ New Apostolic Reformation movement, I remember not wanting to be outside the sanctuary serving in other areas during services or conferences, thinking I was going to miss out on the move of God. At times, there was the thought of missing an opportunity to minister publicly or to receive or give a prophetic word. What if there was a moment to receive an impartation? It is humbling to admit such a selfish and unbiblical mindset. I understand it does not have to be a charismatic or hyper charismatic church to have this kind of perspective, but I do believe it is easy to embrace this way of thinking when you are conditioned to desire manifestations and the next move of God. When you attend services to hear something fresh and new or to participate in an experience, the temptation is there to focus on self rather than on serving others. I am thankful for a Biblical understanding of this now and for the desire to serve and to think more highly of others than self.

So, for those women who have come out of this movement and who are detoxing from spiritual significance and ministerial relevance, what do we do? You may feel that you have gone from being a workhorse to doing nothing. It can be a struggle when you go from doing so much that is said to be ministry to living life at a slower pace and seemingly lived in obscurity. Where do we find purpose when what we thought made us relevant and powerful, such as public ministry, the intercessory prayer team, the prophetic team, the worship team, the deliverance team, the dance team, the microphone, the platform, and social media influence are stripped away? What do we do when we have attended numerous church services, Holy Spirit services, prophetic conferences, prayer meetings, and spent most of our time going to gatherings and giving in many ways to these churches and to the vision of the leaders? What do you do when you come down from the spiritual high to feeling discouraged you are doing nothing of significance for the Lord in simply being a disciple of Christ, a wife, and a mother?

Elisabeth Elliott said this about being a woman,

“The world looks for happiness through self-assertion. The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment…A Christian woman’s true freedom lies on the other side of a very small gate—humble obedience-but that gate leads out into a largeness of life undreamed of by the liberators of the world, to a place where the God-given differentiation between the sexes is not obfuscated but celebrated, where our inequalities are seen as essential to the image of God, for it is in male and female, in male as male and female as female, not as two identical and interchangeable halves, that the image is manifested.”

Scripture reminds us of the instruction and blessing in being a wife and mother submitted to the Lord and to her husband (1 Corinthians 11:8-9, Ephesians 5:22-24, Titus 2:3-5). Our greatest ministry is to our husband and to our children. Both the world and sadly even portions of the church have saddled women with the burden to be significant in building their own empires and usurping the roles of men. Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Submitting to God’s instructions and commands displays our reverence for God.

The question as to what we can do is found in this: The best detox to discouragement when coming out of this type of movement and these beliefs is to return to the Word of God. It is truth. Commit to being a student of the Word of God. Feast on His Word daily. Cultivate fellowship with God by abiding in His Word and obeying what it says. Remember your First Love and your first ministry. When you know the Word of God, you can teach it and share it effectively with your children. You can serve your husband in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. This is ministry.

If you are a stay-at-home mom, consider it a blessing rather than a demotion. You are the first line of defense for your children. Teach, discuss, and model Biblical principles to them, including repentance. Sunday is not the only day to hear God’s Word, and we cannot depend upon church leadership to be the sole teachers to our children. Lastly, get involved in your local church in ways such as outreach, children’s ministry, and women’s ministry. Encourage other sisters in Christ by talking about God’s Word and learning together. There are many ways we can serve and minister in accordance with Scripture

As someone who understands the struggle in detoxing from ministerial relevance and striving, I have compassion for other women in these positions. It is possible to find rest and peace. You do not have to hold a microphone or have a public platform to have eternal significance, and the position has already been filled for Victor and Conqueror. Look to Christ for your identity, and rest in God’s finished work on the cross.

Listen to this episode of The Lovesick Scribe podcast as we discuss what women’s roles are in Scripture, and how to detox from ministerial significance: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: How Women Detox from Ministerial Significance on Apple Podcasts.

https://lovesickscribe.com

By: Eglaide Seiber-Barroso   

This is the Heart of The Father in Heaven

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13 (KJV)                                  

Finding HIS heart in moments of hardship, despair, rejection, loneliness, lack, and desperation will bring us to the shadow of HIS wings, where you fear no evil. For His glory.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4 (NIV)

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11 (KJV)

I am sharing HIS presence in my life in a series of testimonies of His Mercy, Grace, and unfailing Love throughout my life, hoping that will inspire others to be shameless of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Through HIM, we can overcome anything. With HIM, we become conquerors of ALL things, and by HIM and with HIS word, I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalms 27:13 (NIV)

I found this heart-shaped sea coral walking on the beach in the early morning of 2007. I was praying, searching for the meaning of life, and wondering about the events that were slowly developing in my life. I had peace, although I could sense I was stepping into an extraordinary time in my life. Until that moment, my life had been led by a powerful force moving me forward. Unaware of how much I had accomplished because I was numb by the constant emotional pain. I didn’t know that the emptiness and overwhelming sadness I felt throughout my life came from my soul’s need to be one with Jesus. I worked very hard. I became focused on doing good works, receiving praise from man for my good works, taking in the pain of others, and trying to solve their problems emotionally, financially, and in every area I felt I could make a difference. And I did see a lot of good things happening all around me. People praised me but often hated me for accomplishing what they could not. I was torn between the emotions of self-accomplishment and the ill feelings coming from envy, jealousy, and competition from those I was seeking approval.

I took that morning walk on the beach to pray. I was feeling physically and emotionally tired of fighting the immigration system, the labor injustices pertaining to American and immigrant workers’ rights, and the unfair competition as an international employment agency. I was tired of traveling abroad, of trying to direct people’s lives into living the American Dream. I had given up my own American Dream to fight the battles of others. I was full of resentment because it all led me to NOTHING. My marriage had fallen apart because of an exhaustive work schedule, lack of quality time with my family after September 11th of 2011, and high marketing investments for multicultural awareness. Divorced since 2004, I had drifted to a world I didn’t know. After Hurricane Ivan, Katrina, and a company takeover, all I could see was a tsunami wave of unpaid bills rushing my way and no one to rescue me. Deprived of the very thing I was amazed to attain through my hard work, that being financial security, I was beginning to feel I was stepping into a new phase in my life. I had no idea how I would cross that road ahead of me, how long it would take me to go through it, and how I would make it to the other side.

It was a late October morning, and I decided to take my morning walk on the beach. There was a gentle cooling wind blowing through the sunlight. The sand was hard and cold from the icy water in the early morning. As I strolled through the beach, teardrops bathed my face as if to cleanse my soul from past mistakes and experiences. For a brief moment, I felt very alone and without direction about what to do with my life. I then felt a wave of love embracing me with acceptance, as if I had a lover walking with me, embracing me through my morning walk, whispering in my ear, “It’s okay….you will be fine….I love you, and am with you always….you are not alone….I will never leave you….you are mine, and together we will overcome this too.”

At that moment, I spoke aloud to ensure I was not having a nervous breakdown. “Oh God, please let me know you are somewhere out there hearing me. Let me know I am not falling apart. Just let me know I am hearing your voice.” Then a thought dropped into my heart, and I said: “Thank you for hearing me.”  As soon I had spoken these last words, the lyrics of the song my South African friend had sent to me a few months before came to my mind, and I started to sing and dance all alone on the beach. Acceptance, happiness, and joy invaded my heart, making me feel secure and protected. After that, I decided to go back home and walked towards my car. The waves were crashing softly, touching my feet. The water was very cold, waking me up from daydreaming about my future. I rushed to the sand, stepping on something that gently scratched my foot, causing me to want to pick it up and look at it. The picture you are looking at on this page is what I held in my hands on that October morning of 2007.

Looking at this special heart-shaped sea coral makes me understand that the Father’s Heart is also broken as He sees us walk through pain and trials. But He watches us closely, whispering His love messages into our hearts, letting us know we are His beloved. Letting us know He will never leave nor forsake us, that it’s okay, and things will be fine. He loves us, and He is with us always, letting us know we are not alone. We are His, and He is our Eternal Father, and together, we will overcome ALL things.

By: LeeAnn Mora

My daughters spent Thanksgiving week with their dad in another state. While they’re gone, it’s typical that my phone calls go unanswered and usual that I never get to speak with or see my youngest daughter, Kara. So, when we picked them up from the airport Sunday evening, we started the recovery phase of our life cycle: rebuilding and reigniting the flames of love in the hearts of our children.

Kara didn’t talk at all for hours and when it was time for bed, she was unsettled and restless. In the middle of the night, she woke up and came into my room to lead me by the hand to her bed. Over the next few hours, she must have given me a hundred hugs. It broke my heart and filled it all in the same moment. They were full on, wrapped around me, never letting go kind of hugs. I’ve never been embraced like that before and yet I knew exactly what she was communicating with me. Sometimes, I turned to face her and was overwhelmed by the joy in her smile. Other times, I didn’t have the strength to wipe my tears, so I held her even closer in response. As I lay there overtaken by gratitude and unraveled by the magnitude of her non-verbal love, I felt someone else in the bed with us. It was Jesus and He was whispering into my soul the intimate knowledge of these sacred moments between a mother and her child … and that He once gave His own mother the same heartbreaking and heart revealing hug before He endured the cross.

Like Mary, I was tucking away these precious hours in my heart, while also being aware of the mystery of it all. A warmth came into the room as I recalled the Bible verse that details the first miracle of Jesus when He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Mary was so sure of the supernatural ability of her Son, because she had seen it for herself His entire life. She had cultivated a home where impossibility did not exist and the atmosphere of her family was a cocoon of Heaven here on Earth. She raised her children with the innermost care of who God declared they were, and she protected their God-given destinies with all of her heart. As Jesus grew in favor and wisdom and stature with God and man, Mary was right there as each prophecy was unfolding and coming into full life in the fallen world. Before anyone outside of their home had seen a single miracle of Jesus, Mary had already compiled books of them in her heart. Before Jesus touched and healed the multitudes, Mary had held those same hands and felt that healing power inside of a boy the world would not understand. Of the many astonishing records of the life of Jesus Christ we can read and now experience for ourselves, Mary had the very first eyewitness position. And if any mother who has ever lived has felt the pain and pleasure of a hug from their child, it is certainly Mary.

I woke up this morning holding onto a gift, both in the flesh and in the spirit. My heart was held so tenderly that I know last night is sealed somewhere high above me. I believe Jesus came near to remind you and I that He cares deeply about how we are mothering our children. He showed me that His mother knew things about Him that only God could have revealed to her and she defended those holy truths until the triumphant end. He encouraged me that I will continue to see miracles and healings and supernatural answers to prayer inside my home and that what He is doing in my family cannot be harmed by human attacks. I sense there is a rumbling in our children’s bedrooms and an awakening rising within mothers and fathers. And I know Jesus is joining the embraces we share with our children and turning any heartbreak into savored glory!

https://www.pearlsandpresence.com