WE ARE NOT ALONE

 

WE ARE NOT ALONE

 

My husband loves to run, he often will take a run when he returns from work in the evening or occasionally in the morning when he wakes up. I am not a runner so it always fascinates me how after a long day at the office how could it possibly be enjoyable to go out running at night? what possible relaxation could he get from it? It seems like more work to me and definitely something I wouldn’t choose to do. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there is a tremendous health benefit to running but beyond that I couldn’t possibly imagine any joy I would get out of that activity.

I started pondering the idea of running today because our dear friends and ministry colleagues from Croatia are in town and they also enjoy running. So, every day they look forward to that daily run together around our neighborhood. One morning when they returned to the house from a run I noticed a glow in my husbands face. I remarked, “Honey, you look so happy!” He then said something in return that I cannot shake from my spirit, “It is so much easier and nicer to run with other people.” WOW!

Hebrews 12:1 immediately came into my spirit which says,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (NLT)

I thought about how hard it is to run alone, how easily we can get discouraged and slow down or even stop altogether. But to run alongside of someone gives us motivation and encouragement in the race we are running. Think about that moment that your legs are burning and you don’t think you can go one more second, you hear that voice beside you encourage you to press through and keep going. The Bible describes this journey of Faith here on earth as a race and we are to run it with endurance. I have heard this scripture over and over again in my walk with God, but this time the crowd of witnesses jumped off the page.

WE ARE NOT ALONE in this race! There is a HUGE crowd of witness cheering us on, and stirring us up to keep going. They are telling us to not give up! We also need to remember that not only are there a great crowd of witnesses in heaven but we also have our fellow runners in Faith by our side running with us. How much more joy comes when a brother or sister in the Lord is laboring with you and can come alongside of you to say, “You’re not alone.”

When I think about what the benefits are to running together I think:

 

• Accountability– It is so easy to simply skip a run, to hit the snooze button or to not run at all without people around us who know what goals we have set or even better may have similar goals to spur us on in our moments of weakness.

 

 

• Motivation– There is power in encouragement and the positive reinforcement of others. If we are running with someone side by side, your stride comes into sync with them. you know that what you are feeling they are feeling! They are running up the same hills and going the same distance. To have co-laborers in Christ is similar because they inspire us and motivate us on the journey. Isn’t it comforting to think we are not in this alone?

 

• Learn from each other– Many things in the sport running requires training and focus. Many people who are training for a marathon or specific type of run get a running coach to learn how to run more effectively. We learn from people who are more seasoned and have run longer than us to gain wisdom and strength to run the race ahead of us.

 

Be encouraged today that we are running a race, but we are not running alone! God has set a great cloud of witnesses in heaven to encourage us and we also have one another to motivate and keep us on course!

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Blessings,

Pastor Tarrah Deitrick

From Strength to Strength

 

From Strength to Strength

 

Exercising the apostolic authority that I have in Christ, let me take this opportunity to speak a blessing over your life, even as you read this blog today. That’s right, by faith, I reach into the unseen realm and appropriate the anointing of this season, just for you, and I declare it over your life!  I say, “…strength is your portion this year!  Be made STRONG – in the inner man!  Walk in it!  You will OVERCOME and do great Kingdom exploits in The Name of The LORD and for His glory!  Believe it!  Receive it!  STRENGTH!  Speak it daily over your own soul…over your spouse…over your children! Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eyes and say with me, ‘I AM Strong!’”

I’m sure you’re wondering what prompted all that!  Well, as you may already know, we have entered a new year!  Hallelujah!  On October 3^rd, with the onset of Rosh Hashanah, we entered the Hebraic year 5777!  That’s a GOOD NUMBER and it carries all kinds of prophetic significance for our lives!  Well, you know me, I like to look things up and dig into the deeper meaning, unlocking the secrets and mysteries that are preserved by God for the hungry!  And, guess what I found:

• First you need to know that Hebrew letters have numeric value and meaning

70

Ayin

ע

7

Zayin

ז

 

• This will bless you! The Hebrew word ‘oz’, which means ‘strength’, is composed of the two hebrew letters – ayin and zayin, which have values of 70 and 7 respectively, thus adding up to 77.
• 5777 is The year of STRENGTH!
• Also, in Scripture the number 7 represents completion and rest. God has established the Sabbath (the 7^th day) as the time to meet Him personally and rest in Him.
• As we meet with Him (in worship and prayer – daily) — we enter into His REST, a supernatural SHABBAT and we are STRENGTHENED as a result of communing with Him! Hallelujah!

 

That’s why the Word of God tells us…

• I can do all things through Him who gives me STRENGTH! – Philippians 4.13
• I pray that out of His glorious riches He may STRENGTHEN you with power through His Spirit in your inner being! Ephesians 3.16
• He gives STRENGTH to the weary and increases the power of the weak! –Isaiah 40.29
• But those who wait upon (qavah: to bind together by twisting: those who bind their hearts and lives together with…) the Lord shall renew their STRENGTH; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint! — Isaiah 40.31
• Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I AM STRONG! – Joel 3.10
• Finally, be STRONG in The Lord and in His mighty power – Ephesians 6.10

 

Did you get that?  Are you with me?  I recently formed a new LLC called, “Strength to Strength!”  This new outreach based on Psalm 84.7, joins the chorus of scriptures previously mentioned by promising us that as we determine to journey through this life with our hand in His — He will take us, “…from STRENGTH TO STRENGHT.”  My mandate from the Lord, in accordance with this WORD (and 1 Thess. 5.23) in the Hebraic year 5777, is to see YOU made STRONG – STRENGTHENED: Spirit, Soul & Body!  It’s time!   Let your expectation for STRENGTH soar!  Say AMEN somebody!

 

God Loves You and So do I,

Dr. Bernardine Wormley Daniels

Refiner’s Fire

The glory is everything. We are transformed in the glory of God. The glory is the most powerful force in the earth and even existed with God before the light of the sun or moon. This is a season where we will experience ever increasing realms of glory and be undone in the awe of who God is. The match of his movement has been struck; it is a glory movement.

Last Sunday we had a powerful time together where we talked about and focused on the Glory. We will be delving into this subject more as the week’s progress. We talked about 7 different words for glory, but there is one word in the Hebrew that I didn’t get to. It is the word Tôhar. Here is the meaning:

Another word rendered glory; ṭôhar (H2892) literally means brightness. Thus it is similar to the shine meaning of hâlal except the emphasis is not upon the outward effect of the brilliance so much as its inner character. The word is rare; rendered purifying (2) and clear (1).

This word and it’s meaning in the full understanding of God’s glory is particularly important for us in this season. In this season of glory there is a fresh baptism of fire coming upon us. It is a fire that is not meant to consume us but rather to purify us. When we introduce this word ṭôhar to the full understanding of God’s glory we get an awesome parallel. Part of what the glory accomplishes in and for our lives becomes clear which is to bring about a purifying of our inner character.

In the season where there seems to be so much raging on all around us, it’s easy to get focused on what is happening without. I feel in a fresh way, God is calling us to look at what is happening within. Within us, who are we? What are we becoming? How is the glory changing us even in the midst of difficult, perplexing and at times devastating situations? Our life in God is rarely ever about the outer, and most often about the inner.

Many times when we think of glory, we think of the weighty presence of God that rests upon us. We think of a covering mantle of his power or the resplendent light which scripture says he is robed in. These are all true and manifestations of God’s glory, but it is also the glory of God to bring upon us his refiner’s fire. This is the type of glory we often shy away from. It’s uncomfortable! It hurts! But if we will yield to the master, what a glory is being worked on the inside of us…a glory which far outweighs our current challenge.

It says in Malachi 3:3, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness…”

 

This is the season we are in; a season of testing, refining and purifying. God is getting to the depths of us and uncovering things. You can see it not only in your own personal life, but on the world stage. Things that have been there for a long time are being uncovered. God is turning the lights on and turning the heat up. In his good pleasure and will, he is refining and cleansing the hearts of people. Why? So that he will be glorified.

 

He desires to be glorified in our hearts, in his church and in all the earth. He desires that every corner of this globe be filled with the knowledge of God even as the waters cover the sea! He desires that the hearts and minds of all men know him and that justice and righteousness flow on like a never ending stream.

 

In this season, yield to him…yield to his glory that isn’t always comfortable. Do not grow weary in this season or shrink back from the process. Allow him to have his way and then…wait. See how you come through on the other side, tested and refined, useful in the master’s hand; ready to bring him glory.

 

Let me close with this statement from Mother Teresa of Calcutta:

 

“People are often illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish or ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”

Friends, in a world that has become cold, angry and cruel, LOVE anyway and always. Live a life of glory that starts…with you…on the inside.