Tag: faith

EPISODE 13–LIGHT OF LIFE

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “LIGHT OF LIFE”

The world is in darkness, and moral decay is on the rise. The only answer is Jesus. We are called to be a light. It is our duty to show others the way to Jesus. Light and Darkness cannot exist in the same place; light will drive out the darkness. However, if we hide our light, it will seem smaller and smaller. The darkness will press in on all sides.

The word shining means to give out or reflect a bright light. We are to give out the light that God has given us. We need to reflect on the God inside of us.

John 8:12—Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Focus on that phrase for a moment, “the light of life.” Our life will have light once we have accepted Jesus and decided to follow him. It comes into us when we receive Jesus into our hearts. We are then called to share this light we have with others. It is the only way they will be able to see their way through the darkness of this world.

It is the job of the enemy to keep people blinded by sin and temptations. It is only in the darkness of sin that Satan can keep us bound. But that darkness cannot hold us when the light of God’s love is shared. Sometimes it takes a little time for people to see, but love wins every time. We just have to see our way through and keep consistently shining our light.

Have you ever been in a room when the electricity has gone off, and it is pitch black? A simple match will light up the corner where it is found. Many matches together will light an entire room. As we show more people the truth of God’s love for us, they will accept Christ and receive their own light. “The light of LIFE” The more light we shine into the darkness, the less threatening it becomes.

Have you ever stood on a hilltop and looked down on a city below? It is not one large light. Its beauty comes from many small lights together. Being a Christian means that we share our light and combine it with others to encourage them to do the same.

Without the darkness, how would we recognize the light? Or we could reverse that statement. Without our light, how could others see that they were in darkness? Just as our eyes adjust to the amount of light there is out there, sinners adjust to the darkness. They are so used to stumbling around in the dark they don’t realize there is a better way.

I used to pray for God to make me a big bright light. In my mind, a big light would be better. My heart was in the right place. I figured a big bright light would reach more people. Like a lighthouse beacon. One day I was praying and I said, “Make me a big bright light” and God said, “Why, a big light is blinding.”

Then I got it, too much light and it is a reflex to close your eyes against the brightness. A little light, will help you to see. It is better to let our light shine in many small ways every day, instead of doing one big thing.

We need to spend alone time with God. He will fill our hearts with his love daily. Then, we can take that love and light our world. It really all boils down to a relationship with him. We need to be authentic; the world will see through fake Christianity. That is why it is so important to walk in integrity and do the right thing even when no one is watching. We will never be a good light unless we can focus our lives on walking with integrity.

God doesn’t tell us to share our light just to have something to do. Being a Christian is not about a list of rules. God tells us to avoid things for our own good, not because he doesn’t want us to enjoy our life. He wants us to have an abundant life.

I think about a dream I had a few years ago. I was on a platform off to one side; Jesus was standing in the middle. I could see his back from the shoulders down and he had his arms full of bread. There were many kinds of bread. Some were rolls, and some were loaves. In front of me was people as far as I could see. All colors, nationalities, shapes and sizes. Then God said, “The people are hungry.”

It was up to me to give them the bread that was in Jesus’ arms. As Christian’s it is our responsibility to find those starving for the light of the gospel. Then we need to share that light.

There are so many people that are starving for the word, starving for a fresh start. They are depressed and starving for anything that can give them some peace. They are burned out and tired of life as it is, they need a turnaround. It is my prayer we reach them before it is too late.

There was a guy who worked in a convenience store. He was a new Christian and was trying to be a light. So, for certain customers, he would say God Bless you as he gave them their change. One day there was a guy who came through his line, instead of the usual comments he felt like telling him that God loved him. The customer left and the clerk finished his shift, not giving it a thought.

Two weeks later the customer returned and asked if the guy remembered him. The clerk apologized and said he didn’t remember him. The customer then said, “I have something I need to tell you.”

The clerk responded with an “Ok”

The guy then said, “I don’t know if you remember or not but the other day, you told me that God loves me. What you didn’t know was that I was on my way home to commit suicide, that evening, I had already made my plans. I had my note written; it was a done deal all but pulling the trigger. But when you told me that God loved me, I got to thinking about it. I decided to wait a couple of weeks. I started researching about God. Because of you, I was around long enough to find someone who could lead me to Christ. I am a Christian because of you.

We never know how a little thing to us can be magnified by God and reach someone else before it is too late. God values courage and asks us to be brave.

I am going to leave you with that thought until next time.

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Thanks for spending a little time with me. I encourage you to go out and let your light shine into the darkness. Until next time, Be bold, Be brave and keep your God Focus.

PRESS ON

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In this life, we have many troubles and trials. Many situations arise that we worry about that are nothing. We allow the day-to-day routine to rob us of our focus. The main thing for us is to press on, closer to the goal. Our main goal should be seeing Jesus face to face.

The things in this life that we pay so much attention to will all fade away. Our stresses and disappointments will be a thing of the past. So I want to encourage you to keep your eye on the prize. Press on toward the goal. Never look back. We have nothing to look back to, if we had been satisfied where we were, we would have stayed there. But the life of sin was misery. Why would we want to go back? If we aren’t going back, we have no choice but to press on and go forward.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

FAITH

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is seeing light with our hearts when our eyes see only darkness. Often, situations look bad in this life, so it looks dark. But if we believe that God will work it out for our good, then there is hope. Hope creates a small pinpoint of light. God takes that small pinpoint and starts chipping away at the darkness until it disappears. Having faith is knowing he will see us through any situation.

We don’t have to see things with our eyes to know that God is going to move in our situations. This is what it means to walk by faith. Believing that God will take care of our situations even when they seem impossible. It is about having hope that God will deliver on his promises even when we don’t see it.

God wants us to have pure faith, not mixed with any doubt.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

DRY LAND

Psa 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Psa 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Psa 63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

We have all walked through spiritual deserts in which we feel like we are alone. We feel like God is not there. But he is walking silently by our side while we work out our issues. Being in the desert gave David a good perspective. It was during the time he was running from Saul that God used to grow him. It was in the solace that God taught him to be king.

Our bodies desire water; we cannot function without it. But just as our flesh needs water, our soul needs God’s living water. I want to take time to remind those who feel like they are in a spiritual desert that God is there and will not leave you. He has promised he will never leave us or forsake us. Just when we think we cannot go one more step, he sends a refresh to our soul. We feel like we can begin to take one more step. O Lord, how our souls thirst for your presence. Help us when we find ourselves in a desert place. Remind us that you are with us and doing a good work within us by preparing us for the next level in our Christian walk. Fill us up, Lord.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

REFLECTION

Often the last day of the year, we reflect on the past 12 months. We think about the good and the bad. Some have regrets and fears over things that have happened. This year’s end I want to ask a question: Do you know anyone who is true to their word? The truth is a dying courtesy. Very few people today are true to their word.

God is always true to his word; if he says it is going to rain, get your umbrella. If He says He is going to come again for His people, He will. Learning to depend upon His word is part of our walk as Christians. I think this was easier in ways for generations gone by because most men were true to their word, unlike today, when few people are honest and walk with integrity.

I try to take a few minutes to reflect on the lessons I have learned over the past year. I try to think about where I fell short of doing what God asked of me. I spend some time praying that the year ahead will bring me to a deeper walk in Christ. I don’t make resolutions like most people because I have found that they are normally broken by February. This is why I chose to reflect. This year, I included a flip through my prayer/ bible study journal to help me reflect.

As you reflect on this year’s end, remember what God has brought you through. Remember how much he loves you. Look to the new year with hope that no matter what happens in this life, God is true to his word. He will save, heal and deliver his people. 2024 is a year to expect great things from God. Remember that it doesn’t matter how scary things look, we walk by faith. There is nothing we face that God cannot see us through.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

SYMPTOM OR CAUSE?

We often see people and we judge them by how they appear to be. We see their actions and judge them to be evil. In reality, they have let Satan move in and guide their life. Often, what we see is the symptoms and not the cause. We try to change people’s symptoms, instead of introducing them to the one who can cure them.

Look at Mark Chapter 5. There is a story about a man that had a legion of evil spirits (sent by Satan). People judged this man by his actions. He was naked, he cut himself with stones. He had great strength because he had broken chains and fetters. The people were afraid of him.

Mark 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Then they were afraid because Jesus had the power to get rid of the unclean spirits. They knew he was different because he was clothed and in his right mind, sitting calmly. Often, people try to get others to change the way they dress, speak or act. But when someone truly meets Jesus, the change that comes on the inside will show on the outside.

All the people around knew that this man was different. The big question on their minds was why and how? Once people learn how and why we are different, they will want to follow Christ, too. But we have to allow Christ to work in us to make us different from the world.

When you look at someone who needs Jesus, who is not living a moral life, don’t look at them with judgment. Look at them with compassion, knowing what you see is a symptom and not a cause. Everyone grows at their own pace, none of us are perfect. We have to allow God to do a work in us. We have to allow him to do a work in others. Be encouraged, if you have lost loved ones. Jesus can still change the cause of their symptoms.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

COMING JAN 1, 2024 I am launching my YouTube channel. There will be short daily devotional videos and longer teachings as God leads. Follow the link to subscribe to my channel. https://www.youtube.com/@AngelaDempsey-xy9ny

PREPARING FOR A STORM

Mar 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. Mar 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Mar 4:39 And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mar 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Mar 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

I often write about peace in the middle of the storm. Because there is almost never a day that goes by without someone asking for prayer because they are in the middle of some kind of storm. All around us, people are suffering and dealing with great big problems. However, we should never think that Jesus is asleep in our boats. He is ever vigilant, always looking out for us. Just because he hasn’t answered, or calmed the storm, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. He is waiting for the right time to calm the sea.

There are things we can do before the storm comes. Think about what people do when a Hurricane is heading to their location. They go into preparedness mode. They get batteries, bottled water, and supplies in case of power outages. They put boards over their windows to protect the glass from flying debris.

We can sense that something is brewing on the horizon. The enemy will often give himself away before he sends a massive storm. We can prepare ourselves to be ready for attack by putting on the whole armor of God. (EPH 6). We can pray for God to help us face what is ahead of us. Ask for him to make our path straight and for him to light that path. Get in the Word and allow him to prepare us to be strong. Prayer is the final step to prepare us for the storms that try to come into our lives. We can declare that the storms will not overtake us. We can declare that God is our deliverer.

Isaiah 54:17 -No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

God doesn’t want us to fear the storms that blow into our lives. Sometimes it looks really scary, like a tornado would look. But God is always there to see us through the storm. So hold on and keep believing that he will one day calm the storm. He will speak peace at just the right time.

Trust in the Lord and do not look at how things appear to be; we walk by faith. We can overcome any storm if we walk in faith; God will direct our path.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

GARMENTS OF PRAISE

ISAIAH 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Lately, a lot of people that I know have been dealing with a spirit of heaviness. Evil seems to press in from all directions. It doesn’t take much discernment to understand what is going on. The enemy is fighting hard because he is about to lose his control over our world. The Lord is about to release the Spirit on this earth.

As Christians we are all called to witness to the world. We are to bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom to the captive. We can help people be set free from the captivity of the evil one. Everyone is in prison unless you are a set free child of God. We can be the one to help them find the key to unlock their prison. Jesus is the key.

He is there to help us have peace in our troubles. JOHN 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. We have no reason to fear. There is nothing that we have facing us that we cannot make it through as long as we are with Him.

We cannot allow the spirit of heaviness to overtake us. It is a real thing to feel down and like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. The world is un chaos, but he is going to give us beauty for ashes. As things in this life seems to be burning down our lives, God will take the ashes and make from it something beautiful.

He will wrap us in the garments of praise to overcome the spirit of heaviness. Anytime we are pressed down and feel like the world is on our shoulders, we can start to praise and worship. As our worship invites God’s presence, he will lift that heaviness off us. He will restore joy to us. I encourage you to put on the garments of praise and have quiet, alone time with Him. He will deliver us from all our fears. Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight. It doesn’t matter how much the enemy tries to press in on us and destroy us. We have nothing to fear, because God is with us.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

Do you have a slave mentality?

The Children of Israel that came out of Egypt numbered over 600,000 men. This was not counting women and children. The Pharaoh took his army of 600 chariots after them. Each chariot normally held one person. The word doesn’t say if there were any men on horseback. But needless to say, the Israelites seriously outnumbered the Egyptians. They could have gone to war and defended themselves.

Instead, they complained that Moses had brought them out into the desert to die. They were afraid of the Egyptians. They still had a slave mentality. They didn’t understand who they were and who had been watching over them. Even after the ten plagues of Egypt, they could not grasp that God would protect them. They had been slaves their whole lives and it wasn’t easy to realize they were free.

We have been held captive by satan. He is like the Pharaoh he doesn’t want to let us go. He is so evil he wants to take as many souls as possible to hell with him. Even though cartoons and television shows depict him as being in charge of hell, this is not biblically accurate. He will be there to be punished.

Satan has only the power we allow him to have over us. Just like Egypt used fear to control the children of Israel; satan uses fear to control us. He tries to keep us bound with fear. We have a blood covenant with God almighty, which gives us power over our oppressor.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

We are given power over the enemy. God is on our side. He is our protector and savior. He will never allow the enemy to overtake us. We have the power to let our flesh overpower us and give in to the enemy. Because God gives us free will. It all comes down to us. Do we have a slave mentality? Are we going to believe in the enemy’s words or God’s? Are we going to let the flesh fear the enemy?

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

I have often heard the second part of this verse. Resist the devil and he will flee. But if we are not submitted to God, we will not have the power we need to resist the devil. The children of Israel had not learned how to submit to God. They let their fear be bigger to them than the fact that God had delivered them from the ones they feared.

We cannot allow our fear of the enemy to keep us bound. God has set us free. Freedom is scary sometimes if we have spent a long time in bondage. God will break off our shackles if we ask him to set us free. But because we have been bound so long, they have become a part of us. We have a hard time knowing who we are when we are free. Like the children of Israel, at the first sign of trouble, we want to go back to bondage.

The path of least resistance never leads anywhere worthwhile. This is why we need to stand strong and resist the devil. The understanding that we are free is a realization that every Christian needs to get a full grasp.

John 8:36 – If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

It is time to shake off the shackles. Resist the devil. Embrace the freedom we have as God’s children. We are free because he made us free through and by the blood of Jesus. We have no reason to fear the enemy.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

ONE MOMENT

Life would be amazing if everyone was as happy as they appear on social media. For the most part, we only post the good stuff. But it is only a snapshot of our lives. It only shows who we are in that moment. One moment is not a complete picture.

We often feel like we do not measure up to other Christians. We watch as other people do what we know we are called to do, and it is intimidating. But we need to remember first that we should not compare ourselves to others for two main reasons. One, if we see someone we aspire to be like, we will feel inadequate and never wish to try to do what we are called to do. If we feel superior, we run the risk of being self-righteous and judgmental, and not seeking God’s plan for our lives because we can do it on our own. If it is truly a calling of God, it will not be a cakewalk, especially at first. It will always be something that causes us to step out of our comfort zones.

That being said, we should never look at someone else and wonder if we will ever get to where they are because we are looking at only one moment in time. For example, I know I talk a lot about my grandfather; he was a powerful man of God. By the time I was born, he had been preaching for almost twenty years.

I never knew the man he was at twenty-two that said he couldn’t even testify. He knew he was called to preach. He said he would study a testimony, and when he stood up, he would go blank. I can sort of relate to the story. When I see the red light on a video camera, I go blank; that is why I must read everything. He said one night, he got up to testify and God took over; he was on the floor for about twenty minutes. After that, he never had any trouble with what to say. He had learned to yield to God and His plan for his life.

Walking out God’s plan is not easy. If it were easy, we could do it on our own; we wouldn’t need God. I didn’t see the young man who went to the woods with his bible and prayed for God to give him a revelation. I didn’t see the moments of hardship, moments of triumph, or any of the things he walked through to make him that powerful man of God. I only saw the result.

We can’t look at someone else and compare where we are walking right now. Who knows what our walk will look like a year from now, five years from now? Only God knows what he is going to do with our lives. Only God knows what he will allow in our lives to make us stronger.

We look at that person who is anointed to sing and we are often in awe. We think, “Oh, to sing like that,” but we are only seeing one moment. We do not see all the times they hit their knees in prayer that God would give them an anointing to stir people’s hearts. We don’t see the countless hours of practice and planning. We don’t see the work involved; we only see that one moment.

We see a prayer warrior cut loose with a prayer that gives you goosebumps, and you feel like fire is going to fall from heaven. Their words are precise and powerful. They intercede with precision. We stand in awe of such a prayer. We feel like we are puny and cannot even pray. That is only a moment in time. We do not see all the hours of prayer that gave them the ability to move heaven. We do not see the painful things that they have walked through to get them to the place where they pray with such bold authority.

On the other hand, we should not judge someone by the moment that they make a mistake. It is easy to look at them and judge them for not having better control. But we don’t know what they have endured and what made them make the choices they made. We may make the same choices under the same circumstances.

I Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

This verse is a warning to not think that we are so perfect that we could never make a mistake. When we get to the point that we are so holy that we cannot make a mistake, God has a way of allowing satan to come in with just the right temptation to cause us to fall. I don’t ever want to be found guilty of judging someone in their one moment of weakness. Because we do not see all the times that they are strong. Judging someone for one moment in their life is like judging a book by one sentence. That one moment is not the full picture. Just like one sentence cannot give all the details of a book.

Peter denied Jesus; in the moment that he did, some would judge him to be unworthy of God’s forgiveness. But Jesus didn’t let one moment of weakness define Peter. He gave him the keys to the kingdom. Jesus called Peter a rock. Jesus knew how strong Peter was and would be in the future.

It is easy to get caught up in one moment and forget that life is a journey. We are not meant to stay stuck in a moment. But we are to make the most of every moment we have been given. We are supposed to forget the things that are behind us and press forward.

If you find yourself in the middle of a regretful moment where you’ve made a mistake. Do not let it define you. If you find yourself in the middle of trying to step into a new calling. Don’t let it hold you back. It only takes one moment of faith to propel us into the future of who we are and are becoming.