“To us a child is born,
to us a Son is given.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
A Real Time For Celebration...
Happy Birthday Jesus!
In Luke 2:13 we see a Great Celebration taking place in Heaven when Jesus was born on earth.....Why? Could they have known that....
He was the One being sent to save the world from their sins and to forgive them from the past?
He was the One being sent by God for each of us, to be our Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promises, the only One anointed by God to redeem the world?
He was the One coming down from Heaven to earth in order to take us from earth to heaven and to be God living in the midst of life while we are here on earth?
He Himself was the One who formed us and brought us into existence for His special plan?
He was the One to bring Light into our darkness, giving us the hope of a new day and a new life?
He was the One who would do wonderful things in us and through us?
He would be our Prince of Peace, quieting our hearts and calming our spirits, bringing rest to our souls?
He would be the very Counselor we would need to guide and lead us in the paths of righteousness, speaking the Father’s love into our hearts?
And then we are told again in Luke 15:10 how there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents...
You see, Heaven is a place of continual joy and excitement and celebration all because Jesus was willing to come down to our level to lift us up to His.
Jesus doesn’t have a yearly Birthday Celebration.....His Birthday is celebrated in Heaven every time another heart receives Jesus as their Lord! Isn’t that Good News.
Our world is filled with fear, trouble and chaos. The Bible tells us that we are “in” this world But we are not “of” this world! This world is Not our home because one day long ago in the city of David Jesus was born....the greatest gift we could ever receive....the gift of Love from Heaven to us!
So get excited child of God! Celebrate and share His love where ever you go! Don’t get caught up in the world’s problems! Keep your eyes on Jesus, your King of kings and your Lord of lords. Do what you have been put here to do and know that Jesus is coming soon!
We truly have so much to be thankful for, but so many times we just take things for granted. Why is it so easy to complain and so hard to find something to give thanks for?
Our God has done so much for each of us. When we really stop to think about it . . . if we started writing down all the many blessings in our lives, we would find that there would really be no room to record it all!
I love what David tells us in Psalm 103....”Bless the Lord and forget NOT all of His benefits.” He starts us off with just a few....
He forgives All of our iniquities.
He heals All our diseases.
He redeems our life from destruction.
He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
He satisfies us with good things.
He renews our youth like the eagles.
Oh my, the list just goes on and on.
David even gives us instructions in Psalm 100 on How to Offer real Thanksgiving....and by the way, this is NOT just for one day a year, but should be done in our daily lives.....Let’s look at it.
Psalm 100
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting. And His truth endures to all generations.”
Notice in this Psalm, David did not Once mention asking God for anything. Rather he shows us how to thank God for everything.
If it were not for Him, we would not even be here.
He is our everything. Our very breath is in His hands and He truly loves us with an everlasting love.
Truly His Grace for us is Amazing!
In one of Pastor Brad’s most recent messages, he made the statement that God will give us an Unobstructed Route!
He used the scripture from Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
He also used the scripture from Hebrews 13:5-6 Amplified Version....” Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money, and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have; for He [God] Himself has said, ‘I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down or relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!’ So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?”
We need to have a relationship with God for ourselves....not just depend on someone else’s experience or what they think! We will find ourselves being overtaken with God’s blessings when we put our trust in Him alone!
Also, we need to Stop trying to take care of everything and everyone by ourself. Don’t put your trust in your finances, job or your possessions. Put your trust and confidence in God. Let the Holy Spirit guide and direct your steps. Follow after His leading and give Him total control in your life if you truly want to walk in victory. In Hebrews, God is assuring His children that He will personally take care of them and in NO wise will He ever fail you or forsake you! He has a hold of us and He has promised to Never let go of us....nor can anyone or anything pluck us out of His hand! This is such Good News for the child of God!
Now it is up to us to believe Him and His Word and to put our trust in Him. Do only what He tells you to do. Take comfort in His Word and lean confidently in Him.....THEN, and only then you can say – The Lord IS my Helper and I will NOT live in fear or dread.
The main problem with all human beings is that we have an issue in some areas of our lives of relinquishing total control over to God. Oh we may be doing a great job in most areas of our lives....but there is that one or two things that we just can’t seem to let go of....and that, my friend, is where the devil will creep in and deal us misery. This is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding: In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” This is a beautiful and well known passage in the Bible. Why many people have it hanging on their walls at home or even in their place of business.....BUT are we doing it?
You see, really, the only part of God’s Word that will work for us is the part that we DO!!!
First, Solomon said to Trust in the Lord! Ok....to what extent? With ALL of your heart! Don’t leave anything out. This includes health, finances, job, kids, spouse and possessions. Do you really Trust God with ALL of that?
And then he says Do NOT lean on your own understanding. How many times have you said, “Well, I thought.....” that is the root of a lot of our problems in life!!!
And finally, if we really want God to direct the paths that we take, we MUST acknowledge (this means to recognize and include) Him in ALL of “our” ways....This is exactly what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed....”Not My will, but Thine be done.”
When we truly trust God like this, then we will find that Unobstructed Path through life
Our faith will be tried...this brings about patience.
Don’t be a doubter or you will be considered double-minded and unstable in all your ways.
God is NOT the tempter. He is the Giver of good gifts.
Be quick to here, slow to speak and slow to wrath!
Be a doer of the Word and Not just a hearer.
James taught us to show respect to one another.
Love your neighbor as you love yourself...this is the Royal Law.
Faith and Works are Both important!!! One without the other is dead!
Learn to Control your tongue...it can defile the whole body!
Ask God for wisdom!
Get rid of envy and strife!
Beware of loving the “things” of the world.
Do NOT be full of pride!
Submit to God – resist the devil and draw near to God!
When we humble ourselves before God, HE will lift us up!
Do NOT criticize and pass judgement on others.
Do good!!
Be patient.
Don’t hold on to grudges!
Pray in faith for yourself and for others.
If you’re going to confess anyone’s faults, confess your own!
How many of these can you check off of this list that you accomplish in your daily life?
We ALL need a little work don’t we!!!
I challenge you to take a little time and study the book of James.
It’s only 5 short chapters, but they are very powerful!
The more time we give to studying the Word, the more Victorious we will live in this present world.
Over the past month, the Lord has been directing us more and more to live a transformed life! I am going to share the scriptures we have been ministering on over the past month from The Voice. I encourage you to study His Word and do what it is directing you to do!
Pastor Brad shared Romans 12:1-2 the first Sunday of July, saying that The Just Shall Live by Faith.
“Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.”
He then spoke about The Life that I Now live....from Galatians 2:20... “I have been crucified with Christ, the Anointed One – I am no longer alive - but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me.”
And then he told us that I Am An Overcomer, from 1 John 5:4, 5....”Everything that has been fathered by God overcomes the corrupt world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the person conquering the world? It is the one who truly trusts that Jesus is the Son of God.”
And finally that week he used Hebrews 11:6... Without faith, no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.”
The following week he continued sharing along these same lines stating that Salvation covers....
The Past – we are delivered from sin,
The Present – we are delivered from the attack of sin and
The Future – we are delivered into a place where there is NO sin!
The scripture he used here was Hebrews 12:1-2.... “So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.”
He closed with Romans 14:23 b “.....any action not consistent with faith is sin.”
And Galatians 5:6 b “...What makes a difference is faith energized by love.”
The third week of July he spoke from 1 John 5:1-5... “Everyone who trusts Jesus as the long-awaited Anointed One is a child of God, and everyone who loves the Father cannot help but love the child fathered by Him. Then how do we know if we truly love God’s children? We love them if we love God and keep His commands. You see, to love God means that we keep His commands and His commands don’t weigh us down. Everything that has been fathered by God overcomes the corrupt world. This is the victory that has conquered the world our faith. Who is the person conquering the world? It is the one who truly trusts that Jesus is the Son of God....”
Then he said that we have Strength to Turn Back the Battle at the Gate when he read from Isaiah 28:6...
“He will be a spirit of justice to those who sit in judgment and a Source of Strength to those who battle at the gate.”
We need to take our position! Stand on the Word! Hebrews 11:1-3 says....”Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. It was by faith that our forebears were approved. Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.”
Make up your mind that this world is NOT going to limit you! It is time for God’s children to start receiving! Come out from among the world and Believe God’s Report....it never fails! Keep renewing your mind daily with the Word of God and you will find yourself walking more and more in Victory!
Our World has a lot of problems today...but we find The Way to Solve the World’s Problems in Romans chapter 12! First of all, in verses 1-2, Paul says (in the Amplified) “I appeal to you therefore brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting ALL your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Do NOT be conformed to this world, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you).”
Paul is speaking to the Christians. If we truly want our world to change, then we must be willing to change! We are told by Paul that we need to dedicate all that we are, spirit, soul and body to the Lord. He states that this is the reasonable thing to do! We understand our body and our spirit, but do we really understand our soul? This is our mind, will and emotions. This needs to be dedicated to the Lord daily, just like our body and spirit! Will you dare to ask God to think and speak through you? Do you really want to experience peace and joy in your daily life? Then, give your ALL to Him daily!
You see, God has a good plan for your life, but that won’t be fulfilled in us until we begin to renew our minds with His Word. We must learn to think like God thinks! Then, and only then we will see our whole attitude toward life begin to change for the better!
Now verses 9-21 gives us some practical principals to live by. These will help us “Live” it....not just “Speak” it! Following, I am going to list what I get from these verses. I challenge you to study this chapter for yourself and see what God gives you as well....
1. Let your love be the real thing...don’t fake Christianity!
2. Hate evil and hold on to what is good.
3. Really love one another, to the point of reaching out to bless them just because you love them.
4. Don’t be a lazy Christian....Shine with the glory of the Lord wherever you go!
5. Be happy and be filled with hope and expectation, no matter what you may be going
through.....knowing that God is with you and He is for you and He will see you through!
6. Never forget to pray.....tell God what is on your mind and heart and don’t forget to
listen for His answer.
7. Be a cheerful giver.....remember, your Father gave the best of heaven for you.
8. Be hospitable! This just means to be Friendly and welcome strangers and guests!
9. Bless those who are hateful to you.....BLESS and curse NOT!
10. Get along with others.....Don’t be full of yourself....We are
ALL precious to Him!
11. Never repay evil to those who have done you wrong.....
instead do good to them and live at peace with EVERYONE!
Do NOT be a trouble maker!
Do you see what a powerful chapter this is? And yes, if just ALL Christians lived like this daily, we would see a major difference in our world today! The choice is up to you and me....
but just remember, this is the way that Jesus lived and He is our example!
Through all of the Pandemic we’ve been going through, we find that there is Good News for the child of God. And....if you haven’t given your heart to Jesus, the Good News for you is that Jesus Loves you and He has already made a way for you! All you have to do is believe!
We are just going to take a look back at the messages we received in May and realize how much we really do have to be thankful for!
First of all, we were told that God is doing a New thing! He is bringing the church to the top! It is God’s children’s time to Shine! Read Psalm 27:1-5. Verse 1 says...”The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom (or what) shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
We are Not fighting “for” Victory....We are fighting “from” Victory! Living in Dependence on God = Abundant life! John 10:10. God is our Strength! As God’s children, we don’t want to lose sight of His presence in our daily lives! Focus on God alone...Remember He has blessed us to be Blessings in this world.
Next, we were told that God is our Everything. There is NO lack in Him. We are encouraged to leave our cares in God’s capable hands.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Trust Him and He will orchestrate your life!
Proverbs 3:5-6 If you are His child, He is working all things for “your” good!
Romans 8:28 Isn’t that great news!!! Sometimes God does a miracle and sometimes
He strengthens us to go through in Victory!
And then, we were told through God’s Word to STOP! Stand Still –
Joshua 3:8 Think on the right things –
Proverbs 23:7 Philippians 4:8 Obey –
1 Samuel 15:22 Isaiah 1:19 Psalm 46:10 Praise –
Psalm 107 We found that when we do these things we will operate daily in His Peace....
and that is something you cannot find in the world today!
And wrapping it all up we were told that God loves us, in spite of what we may have done in our lives. He loves us and He thinks we are worth it!
Romans 7:24-25, 8:1-4, 28-39 Our security is in Him. As soon as we are willing to let go of the junk that we have held on to through the years, we can live and operate in His peace and security!
Welcome home church family! We have missed you so much and are so excited to get to see you again. Following are just a few of the thoughts and scriptures shared from the past month!
March 22, 2020 was the first Sunday morning that our church doors were closed due to the virus. Some of the encouraging thoughts from God’s Word today were...
Psalm 23 – We have a Good Shepherd and He is watching over each of us.
Psalm 27 – He is our Light and our Salvation! We do NOT need to fear!
Psalm 37 – God takes care of His children! We must...Trust Him – Delight in Him – Commit our way to Him and Do good and rest in Him!
Psalm 91 – He is our Secret Place!
March 29, 2020 was Pastor Brad’s first Live Video and he did an awesome! Following are a few thoughts he shared....
NOW is “your” time to Grow – Trust and Mature.
This is an opportunity, NOT a problem.
This is NOT a physical battle, it is a Spiritual War!!!
This is a year of Miracles! Remember Jehoshaphat....This Battle belongs to the Lord! Position yourself – Stand Still and see the salvation of the Lord! Focus on God! He is our Hope!
Be of good cheer, God is going to be made known through the church! We are here for the glory of God! We will come back as a Miracle Factory! Build yourself up!!
April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday....someone sent me a text stating that “The church is NOT empty....the church has been Deployed!”
Celebrate God’s deliverance! Study Luke 19:28-44
Jesus is meant to be praised! NOW is the time of your visitation.
Matthew 23:37-39 We are totally protected in the arms of Jesus!
April 12, 2020 Easter Sunday....Don’t stop at the cross! It is a finished work...(1) Our debt has been fully paid! (2) The sentence has been fully served! (3) The battle has been fully won!
Read 2 Chronicles 20....the Battle is the Lord’s!
Praise your way to Victory! Yes, we get to Jesus through the cross....but remember, when He walked out of the tomb, He came out in power and He delegated that power to us!
In Luke 24 we read where the angel asked the women, “Why seek the living among the dead?”
What is your expectation in life? Focus on Jesus!!
Keep running, we win the race IF we keep moving forward!
Magnify the Lord! That’s what Jesus did when He came out of the tomb! If you haven’t done it yet, I encourage you to Study Psalm 34, which talks about the happiness of those who trust in Him!
What we are going through, can’t even compare to what’s in store for us!
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Focus on the unseen!
April 19, 2020 God’s Word is the answer...Praise the Lord all the time! Lift up the down and out! Give what you have to God – little is much in His hands! And be careful what you SAY....remember the power of life and death is in your tongue!
Isaiah 54:17 tells us that NO weapon formed against us can prosper! And Isaiah 26:3 tells us how to have perfect peace!
Proverbs 3:5-6 and for goodness sake, do NOT lean on your own understanding....just lean on Jesus!
April 26, 2020 I will trust in You! Proverbs 3:5-6...read this one daily!!! James 1:2-8 Focus on God! Yes, we will be tested along the way, but remember, the testing of faith =patience.
God is the ONLY one who can get us out of a bad situation.
Don’t be unstable! Romans 4:19-21 be like Abraham and focus on the promise of God. Dig deep and build on the Rock – Luke 6:46-49. Be fully persuaded that God will take care of it!!!
We love you and again, we are so glad to be getting back together. Keep praying and Keep moving forward for Jesus!!!
Since our Pastor’s birthday is March 9th and he celebrates his ordination into the ministry on March 11th, we have chosen to give you, in a nutshell, what God has laid on his heart to share with LWC over the past two months....
We are to live by Faith in Jesus and what He has already done! Remember, God HAS equipped us with everything, so we are lacking Nothing! We simply need to use the Faith we have been given.
Grace and Peace spring up from the knowledge of God....It is God’s divine power that has given us all things. He made us worthy to receive every good thing that was promised to us in His Word.
We are participants in His divine nature through the exceeding great and precious promises....So don’t just be an echo of the Word.
God has raised us up to sit in heavenly places with Jesus...we have the same authority through Christ, and we have the Peace of God that passes all understanding. We need to begin to speak “Peace” to our situations and circumstances in life! Remember, speak as a Voice, not an echo!
We have been fully equipped to bring light to the darkness. We need to know who we are in Christ so we can speak as He spoke...with power and authority.
It is time for God’s children to start making demands on what is legally ours! We find out what those things are in the Word!
The devil needs to be confused when we speak, thinking it is Jesus’ Voice!
God wants to bring a change this year....He wants to challenge us to go farther, do more, listen more and worship more! Will we accept that challenge?
We must learn to speak with confidence, not just confess what we’ve heard someone else say. Our echo needs to become a Voice!
Get ready to take action! We are being called into Active service....on the front line of the battlefield....Do NOT sit still! Do NOT back up....God has great things in store for each of us!
Our life is not our own! John 15 tells us to Abide, live, dwell and stay connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ.
Confession is a statement of belief...BUT a declaration is to make clearly known! And a Proclamation announces officially!
Jesus Proclaimed who He was! Do we know who we are? Does the devil know who we are?
The Spirit of the Lord is upon us because of Jesus! He has anointed us to do whatever He calls us to do!
The devil is no match for Jesus and he is no match for us when Jesus is living inside of us.
Understand this...we are dead and Christ lives in us and through us. Old ways are gone –
NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!
Pastor Brad Qualls Co-Pastor Jonelle Hammack
God’s Love never fails! His love is unconditional and everlasting! In Jeremiah 31, the Lord said, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
In the New Testament, in the Gospels, we see several times where Jesus looked at the people and was “moved with Compassion”. I know that the dictionary defines Compassion as sympathy... but to me, when Jesus looked at a hurting people, it caused His heart to go out to them in a way that brought about the miraculous. Thus the saying He was Moved with Compassion. That love He had for them moved Him into doing something about it!
In 1 John 4, we are told that God IS Love! So if we have God in our lives, we have Love! We need to be like Jesus, and let that Love within us Move us into action.
How many times in His walk here, did Jesus say that we are to Love one another? This was of uppermost importance to Him and it should be to us as well... in fact, it should be our goal, our motto to Love others as He has loved us!
The third and fourth chapters of 1 John have a lot to say about love! Take a look... Look at what love the Father has placed upon us that we should be called the children of God! We are His children and because of this we purify ourselves and walk in His love. We have been commanded to believe on the name of Jesus and to love one another! And we are to put action to our love... NOT just speak it. Yes, God is the Source of Love and if we do not love others, we don’t even know God! God manifested His great love for us when He sent His Son into this world so that we might live! If God loves us that much, we ought to love one another. We know that God is living in us when we love others. If we dwell in love, we dwell in God... Because God is love! There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. We love God because He first loved us. We can’t even say we love God if we can’t love our brothers and sisters in Him.
And then, 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that Love never fails and without it, we are nothing. You don’t have to buy a bunch of Christian jewelry or bumper stickers to convince people that you are God’s child... people will know you are God’s child because of the Love that lives within you!
We would like to give you the Prophecy that was given through Sister Jeanie for Lighthouse back in 2003. We shared this in our New Year’s Eve Service and we would like for the whole church family to have it and study it and apply it to your lives for this New Year that we have begun!
We love and appreciate each of you, and want you to know that our prayers are always with you and we are here for you!
The Message from the Lord to Lighthouse, given through Sister Jeanie Qualls in December 2003....
He’s saying to us...Children, you’ve come through another one and you’ve made it in Victory, whether you feel like victory or not. Because you’re here in My Presence, and you’re here to worship Me, and to see another year come in.
And I, the Lord your God say unto you, I have kept you, I have held you in the hollow of My hand. Yes, I have patted you on the head, I have hugged you, and I have said Yes, child, it’s going to be all right, and you’ve made it. You’ve come this far.
But I am telling you children, that this year that is coming up, I am going to stand you down, I am going to stand you on a rock, and you’re going to stand and you’re going to walk as a grown up person. You’re going to stand before Me in spirit and in truth and you’re going to stand in reality and in obedience to Me, the Lord your God. Because this year is going to be a year of Obedience...I’ve called you, says the Lord. What have you done with it? You must ask yourself these questions, for I the Lord your God have called you and I want you to hear yourself answer.
I sent My Son and He died for you and He paid the price...What are you doing with Jesus? What are you doing with the One that I sent to bring you salvation? What are you doing with the One that I sent to you to save your soul? What are you doing with the One that I sent to pick you up and to set you on that rock? What are you doing with the One that I gave to you to bring Abundant Life? Look around you, child...You hear it, you speak it, you pray it, But do you Walk it?
What are you doing about Jesus? What are you doing about My Son? The time has come, says the Lord, that you’re going to stand...You’re going to stand before Me, on your own two feet...Oh yes, I’m still going to protect you, I’m still going to keep My hands around you and see that you’re safe. But you’re going to stand and you’re going to walk before Me, says the Lord, as an army! You’re going to walk before Me as a people that knows strength, and that knows power, and that knows the One that has brought you through.
Oh I say unto you, children...You’ve got Health, and you’ve got Peace...and you’ve got strength...and you’ve got Courage...But what are you doing with it? Do you talk it? Do you hear it? Do you believe it? But most of all, My children, Do you Receive it? What are you doing with the things that I, the Lord your God have already given you? Already given you? You’ve got everything you need, says the Lord, to live in total Victory every day!!!
Oh, I have come unto you and I have taken you in My hands and I have pulled you out of the enemy’s snare, I have pulled you away from the devil, and oh yes, the devil has sought you, he has tried to take you down and take you under, But I, the Lord your God says, he cannot have you because I have stood you on a rock...What are you going to do about it?
What are you going to do about it? Are you going to believe it? Are you going to talk it? Are you going to walk it, says the Lord. Are you going to come out of it? Or, are you going to just stand there saying...Yes, oh I serve God, I serve One that can bring me out, I serve One that can set me free....Well, says the Lord, Are you going to LIVE it? Are you going to walk before Me in truth and reality? Are you going to go ahead and lay down those things that have tried to pull you under?
Oh, I say unto you My children...some of you have had heartaches and sorrows...Some of you have had things that would cause depression...But I the Lord your God have set before you a Hope...I the Lord your God have set before you Truth and Reality. What are you going to do with it?
What are you going to do with that Light? Are you just going to look and say...Oh there’s the Light, it is a beautiful Light, it is a brilliant Light and I feel it in my soul, I feel it in my heart....But what are you going to do with that Light? That Light is made for you to see...that Light is made for you to walk without stumbling...that Light is there so you can go and know that I the Lord your God have put it before you...and you don’t have to fall anymore!
Oh, the enemy will tell you that you are going to fall, that you’re not going to soar, you’re not going to get more. This is what the enemy is going to tell you, and he’s going to hit you from the left and he’s going to hit you from the right, and he’s going to fall on top of you....But I am telling you that you are My children and that you are going to walk in Victory, because you’re going to do what the Lord your God has set before you, in obedience and in truth.
My children, this year, you are going to Grow! You think you’ve grown already...you don’t know growth, because you’re going to begin to lay down more and more that has held y0u down. And so, you’re going to grow and you’re going to stand before Me, not as a baby any longer, not as one that I have to pick up and say....Come on, you can do it...come on, you can make it...
But oh, you’re going to stand before your Heavenly Father as a grown man and woman as the mature man and woman in Me, says God. And you’re going to be able to do those things that have been there so many years for you to do, and you have not done them.
What are you going to do about Jesus? What are you going to do about the Light this year? What are going to do about the Truth this year? What are you going to do about My Word this year, says the Lord. You’re going to grow! You’re going to grow because you’re going to receive it and you’re going to walk in it. And you’re not just going to talk it, you’re not just going to praise Me and Worship Me and Love Me... But you’re going to DO the things that are so pleasing to Me and that is the thing that I have called you to do...and that is to serve Me!
Yes, I want your worship, yes, I want your praise and I want your love! But, I want you to walk pleasing in My sight...and the way you will walk pleasing in My sight is to get in My Word and stand on that Word and not just hear it, but act on it...Not just hear it...remember My Word said to be a Doer of the Word and not a hearer only. And I, the Lord your God am going to see that come to pass in each one of you this year, because I have declared it, says the Lord.
Oh yes, there’s going to be hard times, there’s going to be troubles, there’s going to be things maybe that you’ve never seen before, but in all of it, there is the Hope, there is the Light, there is the Truth and the Way...and you will not fail, but you will come through each test, you will come through each trial, you will come through each heartache and sorrow, stronger than you’ve ever been before, and you will be able to reach out and help others, for I the Lord your God have given you the Light!
Hope on My child, hope on. And trust Me and obey Me and stand before Me as a mature man and woman in the Lord. That is what this New Year holds for you...You hope, you dream, you have desires. And when you serve Me and walk before Me, I the Lord your God will fill those desires...the very desires of your heart. I know them. I know them already, says the Lord. But I am waiting for you to grow up before Me and be able to receive what I the Lord your God have Already given unto you.
Take it and live in Victory, knowing that I am God and that I am going to see you through....you are going to please Me too, says the Lord, because you’re growing in Me and that delights My heart, says God...that delights My heart and it brings the blessings.
Look forward to this year, but when the tests and trials come, stand tall, stand strong, because you will come through in victory and you will be able to reach out and help others, says the Lord!