I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
I often despair when I hear or read the headlines of daily events in our world. It is so apparent that darkness is winning. But, taken from the perspective of God’s Word, what is happening is only for a season. We who are believers in Jesus Christ know that His ultimate triumph is assured, and good does overcome evil. In the meantime, while we wait for His deliverance, it is a good thing to ask God daily to show us what part we can play in overcoming evil with good. No matter how small, we can make a difference!
God will guide us to do the work that He has purposed for each of us, if we are open vessels for Him. We all live in darkness these days, but God has placed us as lights in the darkness so that we can guide others onto the path of peace. Jesus is our example, a rising sun that we can reflect to others.
It’s honestly beyond comprehension that Jesus can be the light of all mankind and that He uses each of us to shine the light that began with Him. So, yes, there is definitely darkness in the world, with evil being called good by evil, manipulative people. But, we win in the end…we just have to persevere and keep asking God to help each of us do our part.
May your day be blessed with a multitude of reminders of how you can help God’s final purpose, fulfilling your destiny and God’s plan for your life.
“If the room in which you are sitting is dark and you hold the only flashlight, who is at fault?” ~Dr. Denison’s Forum, October 4, 2021
Think about this quotation. I don’t know about you, but I have been guilty of going around blaming everyone else (specifically the liberals) for the problems in our nation and around the world. Then, God spoke to me through Dr. Denison’s Forum the other day and I haven’t been able to get out of my mind the fact that the world is a mess and I have a flashlight to shine light on its darkness.
This is what is happening today. Satan is bolder than ever, roaring around and establishing himself as the ruler of this world. Well, we already knew that, right? But what we have to keep in mind is the fact that he is desperate to wreak as much havoc and destruction and to take as many people to the lake of fire with him as he can. And he knows that his time is short, so just as when we know we are running late, he is running around frantically and creating mayhem. What are the Christians doing? If you’re like me, you have been wringing your hands and crying out to God, “Do something, Lord! Don’t you see what is happening here?” Hmm. Well, God gave me the answer. He sees and wants me (and each of you) to shine our lights on what is happening, to point out evil and not to cower away from our responsibilities. If we are watching for evil, we will recognize it when we see it and be able to stand against it.
I was appalled when I read this morning in my daily news blurb that the DOJ and FBI have been unleashed against parents fighting school boards who are pushing Critical Race Theory. These parents are doing what parents should be doing, fighting for the minds of their children not to be indoctrinated by false teachings; unfortunately, the power of the government is standing against them. So, what are we to do? Gird up! Put on the whole armor of God and stand. Shine our lights so that others may see the truth. God does not create divisiveness and such false teachings that promote it. God desires unity, peace, love, serving and forgiveness.
Light and darkness? We have to choose. Do we want to live in the dark and be silent, even though we know we have the light? Or do we want to boldly turn on that light and show the world what is really happening and what they are missing in their lives? If the message about Christ and His sacrifice for all mankind is filling us, then we should be overflowing with it. Not in an angry confrontational way, but in the way in which Jesus confronted evil. He calmly spoke the truth and moved on to the next place that needed to hear it. I’m preaching to myself here because in my own frustration against the current tide of evil, I have had a tendency to grasp the light closer to myself instead of letting it shine. I have not wanted to be condemned by a judgmental world because of my faith. But I am realizing more and more that it is not the world who gets to judge me. God does. He wants me to shine His truth to a people who need to hear it. Light vs. darkness? Light wins every time! There may only be a small glimmer of light at first, but then if we all shine our lights of truth, the light will overcome all of the darkness. That’s what I want to do. My personal beliefs and attitudes towards the evil in today’s society will not make a difference because few people really care what I believe. But maybe, just maybe, if I share the truth of God’s Word, someone will listen and a life will be changed. One more light to shine. One at a time, we can make a difference.
My prayer for you is that the Scriptures above will become a reality in your life and that together, we can shine lights into the darkness of this world. God bless and keep you safe, bold and ever brighter daily.
The United States is in a big mess, not that we didn’t make the mess, just an observation that it exists. Of course, we made the mess, so we might as well own it. For years, we have rested on our laurels, knowing that we are the best, the most powerful, the peacekeeper of the world. And then, things started to change. First, with a President who wanted to put America first. Now, we have a President who wants to put America last. Neither attitude is right. The correct attitude is to clean up America and put her at the feet of Jesus, submissive to the will of God.
“And Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he was king for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was correct in the eyes of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David his father and did not turn either to the right or left. And in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a young boy, he began to seek out the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from high places, Asherah poles, idols, and carved and cast images. So they tore down the altars for the Baals, and he cut down the incense altars that were above them and smashed the Asherah poles and carved and cast images. And he crushed them to dust and scattered them before the graves of those who sacrificed to them. In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, he broke down the altars, beat Asherah poles and the images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 6-7 MEV https://bible.com/bible/1171/2ch.34.1-7.MEV
An eight-year old ruler of Israel was wiser than any of our 500 + Congressmen, our President and our Supreme Court. He recognized that the way back to prosperity and peace was by cleaning out the sin and the idols and following only God. My prayer for our nation is that we turn back to God.
It broke my heart yesterday when I saw what was happening in Afghanistan. No, I do not think that we could or should stay there forever, but whenever a vacancy is allowed to happen, evil has a tendency to sweep in and take over. That is what is happening in Afghanistan. Evil is reigning there, and we are powerless to stop it. The plan to leave the country in the hands of their own military failed because they were not ready. Do you leave your three year old to cook dinner after showing her how it is done? And when she gets burned or destroys the house, do you then say, “I thought you were ready for this responsibility. I guess I was wrong” and then walk away? How sad that this is exactly what the U.S.A. did to Afghanistan!
My prayer today:
Have a blessed and safe day. Please keep the Afghanis in your prayers.
I am disturbed, very distraught, about all of the evil in the world. In these days, we are seeing evil called good and good called evil in ways that I have never seen before in my lifetime. Surely, the Lord’s judgment is coming, and His wrath will be over all the earth! I am not prophesying here, folks; I am just declaring truth as I have read it in God’s Word. Franklin Graham is leading a prayer march in Washington, D.C. on September 26th. I hope that multitudes of people go to support prayer for our nation. I can’t go, but I will certainly be praying at home.
Today’s article from Dr. Denison reminded me of how much evil is in the world, but it also encouraged me by the good that some are doing in order to overcome evil. In fact, that was the daily verse today in my Bible study, i.e. overcoming evil with good.
Here is the link to Dr. Denison’s forum for today:
I hope that you will read the entire article. Some of the statistics, like how many believe that pre-marital sex is okay, were eye-opening to me. I admit that it should not be because I have seen this happen repeatedly with former students, just living together until they get married. The problem is that this not the order that God established. Call me old-fashioned, but marriage is a sacred union before God and when you are “just living together”, then there is no vow to stay together through the hard times. It all just saddens me, but it is also a call to action.
Not a big revelation there, is it? But I felt that it needed to be said, if only for me. You see, I have been feeling a deep discontentment in my heart these days. I have been angry about what has been happening throughout America. I support the protests, but NOT the riots, so the destruction of the businesses of innocent people angered me. Righteous anger? Probably not since it has been boiling inside me. Then, this morning, the Lord calmed my spirit and spoke softly to me that life is short, so why should I let the misdeeds of others upset me so? God is taking care of things. Maybe I can’t see it or understand the end of it, but God is there and He is aware of all of the crimes, both against humanity and against Him. So, I can just relax. Life is short and in the time that God has given me, I want to be and do only what would honor Him.
Yes, the battle still rages in some of the major cities of the U.S. But my spirit is quiet, knowing that God knows that these days are evil and He will bring the final judgment. He will judge the police who acted rashly and murdered a man. He will judge the destructive rioters who have killed and looted and tried to destroy a great nation. He is the final Judge. My responsibility is to walk as a wise person, avoiding evil and showing people the way of life as much as I can. One day, I will no longer be here on earth because this is the way of all of us. Whether we acknowledge or choose to think about it or not, everyone dies. The thing is that it is my choice whether to live walking quietly and in peace with the spirit or to let the evil of the world stir me to sinful anger. I choose peace. I choose God. I choose to live my short life(God’s Word says it is but a breath) focused on Him who has given me so much joy and love, without asking anything of me in return.
I am thankful for each of my followers and wish for each of you the peace of God in your hearts. Bless you, my friends.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 