JESUS is A Beacon of Light, shining bright for all to see across the expanse of the earth and out beyond the vastness of the sea.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light, a towering lighthouse calling out to a lost ship, drifting off course and alone, burning bright to bring a safe passage home.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light, our hope in the dark. Through your personal storm He leads you to a place where you can feel safe, and by His Mighty hands you are transformed.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light. He is the foundation, the rock of ages that keeps us from drowning. We simply need to look in His Word among the pages.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light. Remember, when life leads you astray, He is a safe harbor patiently waiting to bring you back and show you the way.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light. When the ocean waters get too treacherous or deep, don’t forget to keep moving forward in faith. It is essential to pleasing God. He does not forsake.
A Beacon of Light, Keep your eyes on Christ. Look to the cross, and His atoning sacrifice.
He will safety bring you home when you feel lost and when the seas of life cruelly toss you here and everywhere. You can faithfully trust that He is always there.
JESUS is A Beacon of Light with His beckoning beam, an everlasting reminder of His precious blood that cleanses and redeems.
No matter where you go, be rest assured and know without a doubt or unease, that Jesus can turn the raging sea into a transcendent steam that flows with grace and love.
— Inspired by Psalms 27:1 KJV
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
In the Christian circle, jealousy is not something you talk about.
Not openly, anyway.
It is preferred to be kept silent, hidden and not expressed to those who might judge you for actually having feelings of jealousy towards another.
Especially, if you claim the title of a Christian.
However, you cannot hide how you feel, even if you tried.
There is that old saying, “Faith over Feelings.”
I agree with that statement, however you cannot run, hide and pretend that your feelings don’t exist.
All that will do is cause you more harm than good.
God knows you are going to have feelings.
Some good feelings and some bad.
There is nothing wrong with having feelings.
It is all part of being human.
What is wrong is when you don’t own up to them and take responsibility for them.
That is the first step.
The next step is to take those unwanted feelings before the Lord.
Be honest with Him.
You are not hiding anything from Him that He doesn’t already know so just confess and talk to Him about them.
Allow Him to heal you from those unwanted feelings and ask Him to show you how to become more confident in who you are in Him
Ask Him to show you ways in which you can drive out these envious thoughts.
You can do this in so many ways.
Some examples are:
• Stay in His Word.
• Pray continually to God.
• Talk to Him like you would your best friend, because He is.
• Never forget the Lord’s great love for you.
• Know that your true identity is in Christ Jesus.
• Put on worship music and praise Him for who He is.
• Lift up your voice and proclaim the great things that He has done and will do for you.
• Know you are uniquely and wonderfully made in God’s own image.
• Stay in a mindful state of gratitude; which will drive out envy.
• Look for ways to celebrate the blessings of others.
• Welcome the simple act of having a giving heart which will free you from thoughts of envy.
• Express how you are feeling with other believers.
• Listen to sound advice from other believers on how you might be able to overcome those feelings of jealousy towards someone else.
If you try to pretend that those feelings are not there, brush them off, condemn yourself for having them, then you are essentially denying your feelings and that can detrimental to your health and emotional well being.
Lets face it, we have all felt jealousy towards another individual at some point in our lives.
We have compared ourselves in so many ways it can be hard to keep track of them all.
If you say that you haven’t felt jealousy or envy toward another, then chances are that you are not being honest with yourself and you are certainly not being honest with God.
I know that as a Christian having feelings of jealousy towards another is not something we want to carry around within our hearts and spirits.
It is a heavy weight and a burden that we want removed, and removed swiftly.
I myself want my attitude to be one of encouragement when I see others; especially other Christians, accomplishing great things in God’s Kingdom work.
I want to stand proud and cheer them on with gladness and purity of heart.
But sometimes, the flesh takes precedence over our emotions and feelings and we just can’t seem to feel in the way we hoped we would.
That is when we need to take it before the Lord.
Even in our shame we can still lay it at His feet.
He will lift it and carry the weight of it for you.
Psalms 55:22 says –“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
This should be a tremendous encouragement to all true Believers.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there!
1 Peter 5:6-7 says –“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Go before the Lord in humility and seek His counsel.
He will not stir you wrongfully.
Trust Him and let him lift your burdens.
Jesus said we could cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us!
There is nothing we are going through that we cannot cast on the Lord.
God cares for what concerns you.
I understand how difficult it can be to avoid the trappings that the enemy so cleverly persuades upon the human heart.
James 4:7 reminds us to –“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Remember Satan was defeated at the cross. He has no authority over Christians.
1 Peter 5:8-9 is a beautiful reminder to –“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
Every true believer has faced or will face the onslaught of the evil one so we must stay mentally self-controlled, awake and watchful at all times.
This battle is not yours, it is the Lords!
Remember in 2 Chronicles 20:15, which plainly states – “…Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Allow the Lord to fight for you.
If we try to fight the battle on our terms, we will lose; if we fight the battle on His terms, we will win.
Remember beloved, as long as we walk in this fleshly body, we will be tempted.
We will be tempted in mind, body, and in spirit.
Our feelings and emotions are not immune to the devices of Satan.
In fact, that is how he accomplishes the majority of His evil schemes.
Don’t allow shame and condemnation to filtrate into your soul and spirits.
Remember what God’s Holy Word tells us in Romans 8 –“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
But even against all of our greatest efforts, the enemy will faithfully and without any resistance, continually remind us of our past failures, mistakes, and misgivings.
This is done so that we will continue to feel shame, regret, and guilt.
Remember that it is only our sin that is condemned and Jesus has set us free.
Remain steadfast and allow His love, grace and mercy to pour over you each and every day.
This will prevent you from having envious thoughts that will only cloud your mind, heart and spirit.
Give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit within us to convict us of sin and turn us back to Christ Jesus.
Be not forgetful, Christ already fought the battle and won, and did so at the Cross.
By doing that, the Holy Spirit has guaranteed us victory through Christ.
Pray this Prayer
Dear Lord, We come before You, and ask that you purify our hearts and minds. Remove from our spirits those unwanted thoughts of envy and jealousy. We know that these feelings that so often accompany us along our journey are not pleasing to You. We want desperately to walk with sincerity, love and holiness. Help us, Lord, to uplift, encourage and edify other Christians as they diligently and faithfully go about Your Kingdom work. Strengthen and guard us against the evil one, Lord! Let Your peace and Your Word be our shield of faith that repels us against our unwarranted emotions and feelings of inadequacy. Remind us of who we are in You- beloved and cherished, forgiven and free. Bring your life and peace into each of our days and help us to walk righteously. Empower us to overcome a spirit of jealousy and the condemnation that often stricken us from accomplishing the plans that You have for us. May we forever grow in Your truth, grace, and love. We ask this in Jesus’ precious Name, Amen
In His Love, Tina ♡
* Some Expositor Notes were paraphrased and taken from -JSM Expositor’s Study Bible – KJV
The Lord is undeniably good. This simple truth is well understood.
It’s not just what He does; it’s who He is — who He is — never changing.
Our mortal minds are like the constant sun; From the east to the west it ranges.
He is our refuge, defense, high fort, strong tower, strength in the day of distress. Our deliverer, Our shield, a stronghold in times of trouble.
He perceives those who place their trust in Him and His Word, and consoles His children who faithfully follow after Him.
He offers solace to those who are blessed by Him.
He delights in them, Children of God whose confidence they place solely in Him and Him alone and not in the frail arms of men.
Repay God for all His goodness by highlighting in your daily life and living how abundant that goodness has been. Thank the Lord for all He has done and will do for YOU.
Inspired by - Nahum 1:7 KJV
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
When I think about all that I have been through, All the pain, all the heartache, and all the suffering, Nights of tear soaked pillows, All the mistakes I have made, And will make, Feeling like a failure In everything, Never quite measuring up, Defeat etched into my mind, Self worth all but diminished, Feeling abandoned, Unloved,
I am comforted by the assurance that through it all God was there.
Even now I have immense battles that I am desperately trying to conquer, Enormous struggles that no one knows about, Trying hard not to be what everyone else wants me to be, But to just be me. Longing for the wisdom And strength to make wise decisions, Reaching, but never quite grasping, what I was created to be. Wanting desperately to be freed from the toxic relationships that bind me.
Through it all, Even Still, God is there, Seeing my through.
Though my life isn’t what I had hoped it would be, I have never given up. I will never give up. Taking each day as a lesson, Watching, waiting, trusting, seeking and learning all that God is teaching me along this journey.. Holding nothing back and laying it all at His feet.. Letting go, Allowing Him to teach me, To lead me, To guide me, Filling me with His wisdom, His strength, His courage, Helping me to face each day anew. Loving me as His precious child, Renewing my mind, soul and spirit with His Truth, Instilling in me a new found confidence to rise above the challenges and the struggles, To claim victory over my life.
He has given me the life-giving keys that I need to free me from the things that keep me bound. The keys are hidden in His Word (the Bible) empowered by prayer, and completed by the work of His Holy Spirit living in me, Giving me a newfound freedom and a hope so that I may share it with others, Not only so that I may find my own way, but in the hopes that others might find theirs. He has called me out of the darkness To be a bright and shining light for and to others.
I find peace and rest in knowing that through it all He was there, Is there still, In the midst of it all. My rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower (Psalms 18:2 ).. My ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).. He fights for me continuously,
Never once have I ever been alone. Even at times when I felt alone He was there, Comforting me with His love and presence.
He is here, Even Now, Speaking to my heart. When I silently listen, In stillness I hear, He says softly that I am worthy, I am loved, I am cherished, I am valued, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, And I am His. And He is mine.
God has promised that He will never leave or forsake His children.
Knowing the Omnipresence of God, He is everywhere and He comes to us wherever and whenever we call on Him.
“I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.” ~ Psalms 17:6 KJV
Words can’t adequately express just how eternally grateful I am for His love, mercy and grace.
Thank you, Lord, for loving me so, And for making me your child. I choose to walk the rest of my days in Your truth, Knowing that, through it all, You are there Walking beside me.
Your beloved daughter.
.
.
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I wrote this several years ago and although my relationship with the Lord has deepened to a greater degree, this still holds true today.
Through it all, Even Still, God is there, Seeing my through.
She writes With humility, A grand gesture Offered in a spirit Of Gratitude For the things He has done. Oh Lord, I humble myself Before You and Exalt Your Precious Name. May my character Exhibit one Of Virtue And praise that is expressed In everything That I say, And In everything That I do. May my desire be To always Glorify You.
Just like the ocean tides That ebb and flow, So goes the hours That come and go When our hearts Reach with Graceful intention To fill the empty spaces That gathers amongst The crashing waves To bring forth beauty In the unknowns, In our wanderings, And beyond the mystery Of understanding. When hope rises up Past the harsh elements, Bringing His light Into fruition And by the Touch of His hand The tide recedes Leaving behind Beautiful seashells Of every shape upon the white glistening sands. The seashore is Built up, revived And strengthened In resemblance to Our once tattered But resilient souls. His love carries us Just as the ocean Carries the waves That ebb and flow. It is here we find In this knowledge That we can Face tomorrow When the hours That come and go Fill our hearts With contentment.
. . .
For all the brave, resilient souls who have found contentment along the journey, regardless of the unknown mysteries that may lie ahead.
I wrote this poem in honor and in memory of my sweet sister in law –
KaronDawn Mullis,who recently went home to be with the Lord.
~ April 17, 1964 – July 17, 2021 ~
Always in my heart. ♡~ . . . Walking with Jesus, Talking with Jesus, Hand in hand Along the glistening sands.
He is my Savior; He is my friend, The one I can depend.
Take my hand precious Lord; Walk with me; Talk with me.
Guide me along eternity’s path. I surrender my all To you; I am in awe.
My blessed Savior, My Redeemer, The Rock of my Salvation.
Walk with me Jesus Hand in hand Along the glistening sands.
The shore is just within my grasp. I am finally free everlast. Abounding in love, my eternal home is at last A dwelling place to cast All my worries. Fears and concerns Now are just things of the past.
Just as the sun was rising When once I beheld a splendid dream, My heart began to beam. Such beauty I could not imagine; Heaven is just over the horizon. . . .
