Nov.

20, 2009 The Life that is the Light of Men Kathleen Maples

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

As we come to the Word carefully, prayerfully this morning, I am going to lean heavily on the
Holy Spirit to open some things to us and minister this precious Word of Truth to us. Oh, we
need Him so much, beloved. We can have nothing unless we are given it from above. Then He
alone is glorified as we are helped and transformed into His image, His likeness, by His
presence and work in our lives.

From the very beginning, from the start of creation, HE was there. Before there was anything
HE was. Oh, what a mind boggling thought. There was the Father, the Word and the Holy
Spirit. Together, in complete unity, as a Holy Trinity, they made everything. He took His
precious Word, wrapped it in flesh and sent His only begotten Son among us. In Him was life-a
supernatural, eternal, heavenly life, the life of the Holy Spirit of God and that life was so
different from the life of humanity. It was an absolute fullness of life-the life of God. He came
because humanity was in spiritual darkness, enslaved, chained up there, in a darkness so
complete, so strong, they could not see they were in darkness much less escape it. What a sad,
pitiful condition mankind was in.

But He sent His Word to deliver them, to heal them, to save them, to light up their path and
show them the way out of the darkness. His Son, who is the visible image of the invisible God.
His express image, Hebrews tells us. The life of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
the Word of God made flesh and walking among humanity lit up the darkness. What did David
say? Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. Amen. He appeared in the world,
which was in darkness, the only ONE with the Truth-He was the way, the truth and the life. No
one could make it to heaven without going His way-through Him. What an offensive message
to the world. There is not many ways to God-only ONE.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all.
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.

We have the Holy Bible, the Word of the living God to hold in our hands. The same Word that
was made flesh. If you have a heart for God, He will give you a love for truth-for if He dwells in
you, then you are born again, and how can the Spirit of truth live in you and you not love the
truth? He will lead and guide us into all truth as He creates by the WORD a hunger in us for
knowing God, and opens our understanding to the truth. What was hidden from us before
becomes clear. We embark on a journey, an incredible, miraculous journey with this Almighty
God, who lives in us by the Holy Spirit, teaching us how to have a personal, intimate, inward
relationship with our heavenly Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. We have the testimony of
these things in the Word. This is why we can have joy-because we know this world is not all
there is. No matter how dark and desolate the world is, He is our life and that life is the light of
men. As He was in this world, so we are to be. He has to show us this and show us how. That
discovery will lead us to the cross.

As we have fellowship with Him, as we pray and commune with Him, and learn what He
teaches us, we are walking with Him in the understanding of the truth He's given us. That's
called walking in the light. If we walk in the light, we have relationship, communion, with
others who are walking in the same light-the same Spirit given understanding and strength.
There's only one true light. It's not a denomination, not a certain physical church. It's those
who have this priceless Holy Spirit living in them, teaching them the Way, the Truth, and being
the Life in them. He will not teach me one thing and you something contrary. Where there is
something contrary to what He teaches, it's not of Him. I have been contacted by a few people
who have read some of what I've written and posted on the internet, people I have never met in
my life, nor heard of, and they could say the same of me. Yet, within minutes of reading their
email, there was an immediate bond of kinship, and at times, an exchange of phone numbers.
Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, you know who you are. It was immediate, it was that witness
in me given me by the Holy Spirit, this one is HIS, this one is your sister, your brother. There
was no sense of awkwardness, or unfamiliarity, because I didn't know them after the flesh but
after the Spirit. We speak the same language-the Word. I'd never met them, but I knew them,
and they knew me. Spiritually there was a bond of unity we could not explain but by Him.
Hallelujah!

As we walk with Him, learning Him, through communion, prayer, the Word, we are
changed..the blood of Jesus Christ actively cleanses us, keeping us fit dwelling places for this
priceless Holy Spirit. When we mess up, He lets us know it immediately, and when we confess
our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us. But if we deny we have sinned, we are
calling Him a liar, and oooh, we don't want to be void of His Word. We don't want to offend
Him, grieve Him, and cause Him to depart by being too proud to admit we have sinned, as He
shines the light on it. Let it go, not Him.

I have been struggling recently with prayer myself. There are some trials I have been weighed
down with, and have been battling confusion, disillusionment, discouragement and fear. I have
despaired at times of ever seeing the glory of God in His Church, in my own life, as I see it in
His Word. Things are so out of order. Our burdens tend to become too heavy and overwhelm us
when we try to carry them by ourselves, instead of bringing them to Him and letting Him take
the load as we take on His yoke-which is much lighter. (Mat_11:28-30) I have been struggling
with shame, and despair over my failures. He has taught me Himself, and as such I have
expected more out of myself-when I should have expected everything from and of Him, but
nothing of self because self is no good, amen? Another painful lesson hopefully learned this
time. It's always look away from self-you will only be disappointed and sickened if you don't.
Look to HIM, our perfection, our righteousness, our hope, our Standard-so high, we can never
measure up. We simply have to give up our rights to ourselves and let Perfection live and rule
in us. Alas, letting go of self is easier said than done. Only the Holy Spirit with that sharp
sword of the Word and His expertise in wielding that sword is capable of doing this. (Php_2:13).

Because of my struggles, at times I feel backslid, so far from God. I have to remind myself we
walk by faith not feelings. Feelings will deceive you, because they are rooted in the carnal
nature, and nothing rooted in that nature is acceptable to God. It's hostile to God. So feelings
have to be dealt with and overruled. When you live your life, as a student, a disciple of this
Word of God, taught by His Spirit, you see and begin to understand things those around you
will not see or know. Sometimes, it can be a heavy burden. We have to remember as He was the
strength of Moses, so He will be ours, if we let Him. If we run to Him, instead of going to a
juniper tree and laying down and wishing for death. Sometimes, we lose our fight and He alone
is able to renew it. And sometimes, when we feel dry, and desperate, understanding we can't do
anything to change our circumstance or condition, He will just show up in His mercy and begin
to renew our strength and set our feet back on the right path. We might have felt backslidden,
or cold, but for some reason, He's allowed us to be buffeted by the enemy, so we will learn and
can help others in the same condition.

This morning when I woke up, having struggled so much the past while, there was the
beginning of a cry I knew did not come from myself inside me. He began to deal with me that
what I and others I know are struggling with is more than just God trying to crucify our flesh-
even though that is what provoked this attack. For there is a real warfare, and those who seek
to embrace the cross and are clinging to it, will be primary targets. But we will get to that in a
minute. Sometimes, God is allowing us to be buffeted to teach us to walk by faith not feelings.
We have to endure these feelings-and they can be very unpleasant, to learn where they come
from and how to spiritually deal with them. We are told how in Scripture.

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We are flesh and blood, with a short lifespan in comparison to eternity. But we have weapons
to fight the battle we find ourselves in-and they are not physical weapons. Why? Because it's
not a physical battle. We serve in a military campaign to execute the apostolic function of one
sent (which is what apostle means) by the Holy Spirit in us to contend with carnal desires, and
demonic opposition to truth. It is a spiritual battle. The weapons we have to fight with are
powerful and well able to do the job. They do not pertain to the flesh, and they are not
unregenerate or temporal. They are powerful, capable, and strong. What makes them so? God.
Because they are HIS. They will demolish the fortifications of the enemy of the Lord-which is
our enemy, be it our flesh, our carnal mind, the world, or the devil.

We have the Sword of truth. We have the Spirit of truth in us to teach us when and how to use
and understand the Sword. HE makes it effective. Not us. We have been commanded to and
given authority to seize and violently demolish the reasoning of our own imagination, which is
much of the battlefield for believers. Every thing in us or around us that would exalt or lift
itself up in opposition to what we know God would have us do or be, the truth of God, or set
itself to be a barrier to us having the life of God in a deeper way, we have the weapon and
authority to throw that thing down, to destroy that argument-be it one in our carnal mind, or
persuasion of the enemy. We have the authority make that thing a captive of the truth of God.
Hath God said, the enemy whispered to Eve? YES GOD SAID IT, I believe it because HE SAID I
can believe, and that settles it!!! Bring every perception, every thought or disposition to the
submission to the will of Christ. But how to react with this mind, with this purpose? Training,
on the job training. Just like a soldier is given a weapon, and instructed how to use it, so are
we. Our Instructor is the Holy Spirit. WE MUST HAVE HIM. WE MUST BE TOTALLY
DEPENDENT ON HIM. WE MUST BE FILLED WITH, AND LED BY HIM. It is NOT an option, it's
not subject to debate. He is a necessity.

We know we are living in the last days. We know things are changing dramatically and
rapidly as the end of all things approaches. It is not a question that things will end, but a
certainty. As He has mercifully reminded me, so I remind you, I pray, with the same gentle love
and compassion, but urgency, as He showed me. Jesus warned His own about the last days.
Everything around them would be destroyed when Titus' army came from Rome to assault
Jerusalem in AD 70. Nothing much would be left standing. He said not one stone would remain
from that temple in Jerusalem that would not be thrown down. But that was not His main
concern.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I
am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Many are claiming to speak for God. Jesus also said many would claim to be His. They come in
His name, and how frequently, irreverently, and casually people take that name in vain. To
say I am Christ is to say I am God's anointed, I am speaking for God. That's a big statement for
a little human being to make. I would fear to say that. But they say it not with words so much
but with along with their claims of the anointing, (which in reality is the Holy Spirit's Presence
and Power to work miracles) but their false message, wrapped in Scripture and religion. It can
be very convincing. They will come in HIS name. This is very telling. To actually come in His
name is to come representing Him, as He is in His nature, His character, His position and
authority. To come in His name means literally to come acting and speaking as Christ would if
He were physically here as He was then. Discernment demands an investigation of the Gospels
and instruction from the Holy Spirit. He will show you, remind you how Christ acted, what
Christ said, and the results that were accomplished. The signs that followed Him everywhere,
proving He was of God. If you don't see these, put a big fat X on that preacher claiming to be
God's anointed mouthpiece. The focus should not be on signs, but on the character, the nature,
the fruit-He said by their fruit, the results of what they are doing, you will know them.

Many false prophets will lead many people into error, He warned. Because the Word of God
will be so blatantly and terribly violated before our very eyes, day in and day out, it's like an
assault against our faith. That's why He said because iniquity will abound, the love of many
will grow cold. Love for God, love for the Word, and love for the family of God. Love for the
souls of men who are lost and in need of the light and life of God. That is a clear warning that
our love for truth, love for the lost, and love for each other will be under vicious assault. The
Word warns us it is the Holy Spirit of God who pours this love of God in our hearts. If we
become disconnected from Him, through neglect, unbelief, or whatever reason, the light and
life and love He pours into us will run out and we will be left empty. Unplug that lamp on your
table and the light won't come back on when you flip the switch because it's disconnected from
the power source. Same with us, we go through distressing, and troubled times, and begin to
neglect the Word, we neglect prayer, we become distant from the Holy Spirit, refusing to
commune with Him, because we feel hopeless, and despair and wallow in confusion and fear. If
this behavior continues, we grow weaker, emptier and more vulnerable.

Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

He that shall stay under the yoke of the Lord, remain in, or abide in HIM, dead to everything
but Him, you persevere, hold on to His Word, that one will be saved. When everything before
your eyes is contrary to His Word, when it looks like all hope is lost of being saved, when
things look so dark and desperate, HE IS AN EVER PRESENT HELP AND HE KNOWS
EVERYTHING. Our faith must be in His Word and not what we see or feel. We must wait with
patience. He said endure, so that means there is going to be pressure to not endure. To give up
and to quit. Our natural (carnal) instinct will be to throw up our hands in despair and agree
with the enemy's lie that it's hopeless. But that is the illusion. It's not hopeless because HE
warned us beforehand what would come. Our faith must be tried and it will be tried in fiery or
hot trials, but those who have the Holy Spirit in them, and run to the Word, run to the prayer
closet, will not be swept away by the flood of iniquity the devil is spewing out. He's trying to
wear out the saints. He's spewing a flood of lies, lies, lies, out of his filthy mouth. He's inspiring
unregenerate men and women, even children, who are in darkness as he is to do horrible
things.

Satan has been before the throne, he has seen God, has been in His presence, has seen the
beauty and peace and majesty, the glory of God in heaven, and he knows he can never get back
the position he had there. There is no redemption for him, there is no forgiveness, and he's as
one eaten up with the worm of bitterness, furious over his defeat at the hands of God. He's so
putrid and defiled, he has no peace, he is constantly tormented by what he lost, knowing he can
never regain that, and he lives now only to steal that hope from as many of God's children as
he can. He wants to smother that life of Christ in us that is to be the light of men. He doesn't
want men and women to see the Way, the Truth and the Life. (Joh_14:6) He doesn't care if they
are religious, confused, arguing over theology or doctrine, or splitting up the church and
forming their own denomination. This just aids him in convincing the rest of the world that is
lost in darkness to stay there. It makes the truth of God appear to be a lie when men are
religious and appear to be godly but have no real power. But there is a group he targets more
than any other. Those who keep the Word as their standard, their light, and hold the testimony
of Jesus Christ.

Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the
dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

There was a war in heaven, and he lost. He lost his place in heaven among God's angels. He had
a lofty position there. For more on that, you can read up on Ezekiel 28, and Isaiah 14. I studied
this the last several weeks, and it's posted on the web site, "When God Sees Darkness". To
understand Satan's fury, and tactics, it helps to understand a little more about just what he
lost when he was thrown out of heaven-and why. Self love, the worship of the creature more
than the creator, was birthed in Satan-when there was no tempter to provoke this. He lost so
much more than just being an angel in heaven.

Rev 12:11 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.

He was cast down into the earth and he had great wrath, the Scripture said. He tried to go after
the woman-Israel, who brought forth the man child, Christ. But she was spared by God.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might
cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the
flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

He was cast out in rage, in defeat, under judgment, unable to ever again bask in the light of
God. His mind, like the other fallen angels, is chained in darkness. 2Pe_2:4, Jud_1:6 He lost the
war, he came down, he persecuted the woman, the nation of Israel, but God prevented him
from completely destroying her. He will always have a remnant who will be because they listen
to God, not the devil. The Lord promised Noah He'd never flood the earth again. But the devil is-
he's sending forth a flood of darkness and perversion. This is why you have our young people
feeding on sex, drugs, violence, and the occult in their video games, their music, the TV shows
that glorify homosexuality as an alternative, not an abomination. The airwaves are saturated
with it, pornography, violence, lust, occult themes, even children's cartoons are full of the
occult anymore, and rebellion. People are doing unspeakable things to children, children are
killing children, doing unspeakable things as well. Mothers are turning on their children,
fathers are turning on their children and their wives. When God's people feed on the news more
than the Word, their faith comes under assault more than ever. The devil is right there as we
watch his handiwork on display in our daily news, to whisper to our minds, "where is God? If
He is so just, and so good, why doesn't stop this? Why does He just let it happen?" The pressure
will weigh heavy if we just let it, instead of shutting it off and straightening our spines and
turning on him, and quietly refusing his garbage.

Let me tell you something, saints, the arch angel Michael had to say "The Lord rebuke you,
Satan." Christ did not. Neither did Paul, nor the disciples. Why? Because that Christ lived in
them. We don't have to say "The Lord rebuke you, Satan". Because the life of Christ in us, that
Holy Spirit, when we bow self down out of the way and let the Holy One in us speak, HE will
rebuke the devourer. We do not have to take it.

Satan is a copy cat. He is flooding the earth again, with darkness, with gross darkness,
covering the minds of humanity from the light.

2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

This is how he does it. He blinds the minds of people so they don't see there is another choice-
light. All they see is darkness. It's so complete, they don't even know they are in darkness
unless they see someone full of the light and life of God. My Lord, saints, no wonder he fights
those who let the Holy Spirit take them to the cross and put that self life to death so He can fill
that vessel with His own life and light. This is one not walking in flesh but in the Spirit.

Satan reproduces that darkness in the minds of others. This is where the danger ground is,
saints. When we are seeking truth and understanding, walking in communion with God, we
are safe, in the light, which is the understanding of the truth that communing with the Holy
Spirit will give us. BUT, then we are assaulted, assailed with feelings of inadequacy, failure,
when our minds are full of his fiery darts and he's telling us we aren't what we are supposed to
be, we failed God, we are useless, helpless, what we are doing isn't changing anything, God's
not hearing us anymore. What we do in these times is very important-for they will come to us
all. We are warned of this in Eph 6. We are to hold up our shield of faith-but if we have
neglected the Word, and denied the urging of the Holy Spirit to separate ourselves and go pray,
and we have been neglecting Him, then something happens. If this continues, our convictions
will begin to slip, our love and fervency for God cools, our faith grows weaker by the day, our
fear of God begins to fade, and we begin to forget what we knew of God. WHY? Well, Jesus
answered this question better than I ever could.

Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the
light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he
goeth.
Joh 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things
spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Live in the understanding of the truth He's shown you. Follow in the direction the truth points
to-the cross, and the throne. Denying self, and praying, abiding in HIM. Being filled with His
Spirit, His Life. His Truth. You'll walk His way. That is how you take possession of what you
know. Knowing and possessing is two entirely different things. I heard Pastor BH Clendennen
preach this message one time and it's so true. It's frightening that many think because they
have heard truth and agreed with it, even rejoiced and shouted over it, they possess it. But if
you possess the truth the Holy Spirit makes available to you by showing it to you, then there
will be evidence, or fruit. There will be a change. Jesus warned, walk (or follow the path the
truth is leading you on, live it in your daily life) in the light, while you have it. That word "lest"
means in order that darkness does not come and eagerly seize you, cloud your understanding
and cause you to fall away from the truth into a lie that will damn your soul. When you neglect
the truth, the only thing left is the lie. When you distance yourself from HIM, and you stop
talking to Him, stop reading the Bible, stop praying, and you continue this neglect long
enough, the enemy is right there watching, like a predator, waiting to devour what life of God
hasn't leaked out yet. He and the darkness that he reproduces will move right in and
overwhelm you. Then you are lost. As Jesus said, and don't understand which way to go.

The enemy is there to help us along in this direction. Darkness is there, waiting to cloud our
minds as our flesh yields to the lies of the enemy, the distractions of life, the weights and cares
of the world, all will seek to lead us away from the light and life of the Spirit of Christ, back into
our own natural life, which is darkness. The flesh-our human nature, and life is his area of
expertise, where he can afflict us. He distracts, pressures, cajoles sweetly, deceiving us into
putting off prayer and the Word, missing church, all the while, he watches with narrowed eyes
of a predator waiting to pounce. The hatred in his eyes belies the sweetness of his voice as he
whispers hellishly sweet lies to our minds, wanting to lure us far enough from God that he can
capture us, because his focus is on the Treasure in us, the life, the light, the testimony or Word
of Christ, his enemy. He watches for a place to enter and steal, kill and destroy that life, that
testimony of Christ, to leave us in darkness, like he is.

Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and
as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name
written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of
God.

There is something we are being prepared for and only the Holy Spirit can prepare us. Many
are called but few are chosen because few are willing to yield fully to the leadership of the Holy
Spirit. Few are willing to discipline themselves by denying the desires of their flesh and the
pressure of the world to conform to its image of how things should be done. The cares of the
world, every day life, the job, the kids, family, all can be used as distractions to overcharge our
hearts, and lead us away from abiding in Him, causing us to become weak, run out of oil and
be unprepared.

His wife-she's prepared herself, under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He
alone knows what preparations need to be and must be made. Because she's prepared (not
preparing-the hour is late we must take heed now!) to her was granted that she be given a
garment of fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But John, upon seeing this fell
down to worship the messenger showing him this wonderful truth. See you do not worship the
messenger-it's not the preacher, not the messenger that deserves this. Too many have their
religious celebrities. The messenger God uses is a fellow servant, one who serves the same
Master you serve, one of the brethren, who will also have the testimony of Jesus, which is the
Holy Spirit who alone can legally prophesy in God's court of law. That word prophesy means
prediction. Only the Holy Spirit can tell us what is coming, and prepare us. Only He can show
us things to come, in our spiritual lives, and in this world, concerning events that are
unfolding. ONLY His abiding presence in us will keep us.

See who really wins? You know the enemy is fighting those who are preparing to be this bride.
In verse 10, those who have the testimony of Jesus is the one Satan targets most. That
testimony is the life of Christ triumphing in us over the carnal nature and natural life. It's a
sacrificial life, it's the cross, working in that life, a life that can be poured out for the sake of
others. It's a life that is willing to suffer and be led by and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It's the
life and light of men and Satan is darkness. He's the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2)
who moves around breathing lies, death and threatenings to try to destroy this life in God's
people.

Beloved, if you are under attack, and feel useless, dry, weary, ready to faint, worn out,
hopeless, and you feel like a failure, like you just can't go on, hold on. You are only under
attack because you have this Treasure in earthen vessels. The devil desperately wants to steal
it but even in stealing it cannot make it his own. All he can do is deprive you of having it, if you
let him. The life of Christ, the testimony that the life of Jesus Christ triumphs and is better than
Satan's dark, selfish life, is the thing he doesn't want you to understand. Neglecting your
salvation, your relationship with God is very dangerous. There is repentance to be had if you
feel Him drawing you, calling you back, run to meet Him. Don't hesitate a second longer. When
the disciples were in the boat, and the sea was raging all around them, the waves crashing into
the boat, battering it, tossing it around, and the wind was howling in their ears, they were
understandably terrified. Does your storm feel like that? Do you feel like you are being
battered, and tossed, and buffeted until you are so physically exhausted from the spiritual
struggle that you just want to go lay down some where and bury your head under your pillow
and not think, not do anything but seek refuge in mind numbing sleep? Before you do that,
please remember one thing: The Lord Jesus Christ was with them in the boat. They thought
Him sleeping, but He knew the storm they were enduring. He let them toil in their flesh, trying
uselessly to deal with this storm that was much bigger than they were in their flesh. But when
they called on Him, yes, He rebuked their unbelief and fear, but He calmed the storm. He knew
it was the attempt of the wicked one to stop their progress because they were on their way to
set a demon possessed man free. That's why Jesus rose up in that boat and rebuked the wind.
Trust Him. Cry out to Him. The world needs to see again that light that was the life of me. Let
your light shine, don't hide it. Don't partake of things that will dim it. Feed on the Source so His
light shines brightly. You will never be sorry.