Turn on the Searchlight

The word searchlight originated  in the 1800's.  It's a device that projects a powerful source of light in a particular direction.  Once used as a weapon in warfare, in our world today, people use it for big events, fairs, advertising and much more. 

 

The most powerful searchlight is located in Las Vegas, but, Excellent Woman, the Greatest Searchlight was able to separate light from darkness from the very beginning.  This Light is able to turn your darkest hour into a brilliant radiance of a Holy presence.  

My question for the Excellent Woman today is this:  Are you choosing to walk in darkness because you prefer that path?

 

Romans 13:12

New Living Translation (NLT)

The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Pray this prayer with me:  Father, you are the Light of my world.  Your brilliance cannot be matched.  Any darkness that I face, You are able to interrupt.  Lord, I ask You to forgive me for those times I chose the path of darkness.  This day, my day of salvation, I ask you to remove all my dark deeds and put on me an armor of righteousness.  In Your Name, Lord Jesus, amen.

Are You Storing or Wasting

There is a familiar parable in Matthew 25 about ten virgins invited to a wedding.  Five were wise and five were foolish.  Apparently, the requirement for entry to this great celebration was to have oil in your lamps. 

While waiting for this celebration, they fell asleep.  Then they were awakened by a shout that the Bridegroom was coming.  Lighting their lamps, five of them had lamps that burned out rather quickly because they had no oil.  The other five had lamps that were still burning because they had oil.  The five who had no oil demanded that the five who did give them some, but they were denied because they realized it would not be enough for both of them. 

The ones without oil were called foolish and the ones who did have oil were called wise.  The foolish virgins were instructed to go back and purchase their oil, which they did, but when they returned, the doors were shut and the Bridegroom said He did not know them. 

The object of this lesson is to always be ready for the Lord's return.  We have been warned that no man knows the day nor the hour, but there will be signs that we can pay attention to that lets us know He is soon to return.

Many of us are involved in relationships that are not healthy.  We have to be careful who we associate with because, if we are not careful, we might be foolish enough to waste our oil when we have been instructed to store it for that special day.

Evaluate your relationships and see if the people you associate with are being wise or foolish.  Are they busy sleeping, when they should be purchasing or obtaining what is needed for that special day? 

Today's question for the Excellent Woman is this:  Are you going to give the oil that you worked so hard to obtain away, risking your own entry into the wedding? 

Do not be foolish! Be wise.  Prepare for the wedding and do not let other people's emotional ties entice you to waste your oil.
 
Pray this prayer with me:  Father God, help us to be wise and not foolish.  You have given us specific instructions on how to prepare for your return.  Help us, as we wait, to make sure that the wicks of our heart are trimmed and ready to be lit.  Father, help us not to cave into spiritual manipulations that will cause us to pour our oil into foolish vessels that are not preparing for your return.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen. 

Are You a Dumping Ground?

When the word pollution is mentioned, what comes to mind?   I personally think of a literal dumping ground of other people's unwanted materials. 

 

According to the Bible, we are made in the image and likeness of God, so why do we allow ourselves to be a dumping ground for other people's polluted transferences? 

 

A transference is a process where another redirects their own feelings or desires instinctively taken from their childhood towards a brand new object (person).

 

God never intended for women to take the position as the weaker vessel to a level of no self-respect.  He never intended for the woman to allow her spirit to be a dump.  

 

My question for Today’s Excellent Woman is this:  What are you tolerating that makes you feel dirty?

 

Child of God, keep yourself clean with affirmations of God’s best for your life, and safeguard your heart with all persistence because it is there that the issues of life runs.

 

Pray this prayer with me:  Dear Lord, thank You for making me in an image that is clean, pure and holy.  Thank You for giving me a powerful image that reflects light and goodness.  Lord, fortify my heart that I will not allow anyone to tarnish this image with unfavorable flaws.™

Danger, Danger, Read All About It!

This morning in meditation, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me about II Corinthians 6:14-18, but for purposes of this blog, I want to talk about verse 14, which I am sure we are familiar with in some aspect.  (Be sure to read the other verses.)

 

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  (KJV)

 

Most of us think about this Scripture when it comes to relationships, but I submit to you that this Scripture applies to ALL types of relationships.  Several years ago, the Lord ministered a message to me entitled The Power of Agreement.  He showed me the dangers that can come with connecting with things or people who reject the Words and ways of God.  Have you ever been in a situation where your relationship with another was affected because of what someone else said?  I have.  Sometimes we believe those we have a stronger connection to than others.  Somehow our allegiance to them overrides the what ifs from the other side.   God used my situation to teach me about the dangers of agreeing with a matter without thoroughly knowing what you are agreeing to.  We do this all the time with people we call friends or even family.  We also go so far as to say - "Blood is thicker than water."  The ones you feel closer to seem to weigh a little heavier than the ones you are not as close to - despite the outcome, despite the circumstances, despite not having an understanding in the matter.

 

When I came upon this verse, immediately experiences came back to me, and as I write, more are coming -- help me, Lord.   Agreement on any level can be a powerful weapon in the Kingdom of Light as well as the Kingdom of Darkness.  We have to make sure, as Believers, that we do not just AGREE to any and every thing that we see and hear.  We need to listen carefully and let the Spirit direct us.  Have you ever talked to someone and then out of no where comes words of resentment or attack?  Child of God, your spirits clashed.  It's called war -- not love!  Don't try to sugarcoat the experience.  War is war, and pride must be present -- which is a direct enemy to God.

 

Was Christ a friend of the Devil?  Of course He wasn't.  You've heard it said that two wrongs do not make a right but neither does a right and a wrong.  The only thing that works in the Kingdom of Light is a right and a right.  If we are right and the person or thing we are connected to is wrong, if we continue to fellowship, connect, agree or form an alliance with their thoughts, ways and communication, then pollution of our spirit is inevitable.  It just doesn't mix.  Bad mixtures are poison.  I Corinthians 15:33 confirms that it will ultimately make your character obsolete (no longer present).

 

My questions for Today's Excellent Woman are:   Would you drink poison?  Would you trust the plans of an enemy?

 

Pray this prayer with me:  Dear Lord God, we are anxious to come before you with our hands lifted saying, "I yield, I yield."  Lord, we have found ourselves compromising with darkness in subtle ways.  Your Word is clear that Light has no fellowship with Darkness.  Father, when we connect ourselves to those who do not receive Your word, we are compromising our faith and character.  Forgive us for doing that, Lord.  Father, whether it is through music, television, unholy groups, conversations, friendships or relationships, help us to understand Your purpose in that connection.  You should be the center of the equation.  Lord, you have demonstrated that a life without You as our solution is war.  Help us to live in peace by moving into equal yokes of suffering for Your Name's sake.  Have mercy, Father.  Give us the strength to not entangle ourselves in situations of darkness which will not reflect Your Righteousness.  We love You, Lord,  In Jesus' Name, amen. 

He Seeks That Which is Lost

This morning on the prayer line, we covered Matthew 18:12-20, but I want to draw your attention to verses 12-14.

What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray?   And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

As a woman or a mother, we probably have all experienced losing something valuable.  We will search and tear the house up looking for something we need or something that is important to us.    I have found that when you are older, you seem to lose a lot of things.  (LOL) 

Once you have found that which you have lost, there is nothing like that feeling.  Something you deemed important or valuable is now back in your hands.  Isn't it wonderful to know that if we go astray, our Heavenly Father is compassionate enough to go back and look for us?

Some of us may have experienced being in a relationship where it seems like the other person does not truly care if you are there or not.  Child of God, I want to tell you that God cares.  If you are lost, He knows the way. 

My question for Today's Excellent Woman is this:  How lost are you?

Pray this prayer with me:  Father God, we are mindful of your everlasting love towards us.  We cannot fathom this type of love.  Lord, thank You for assuring me in Your word that You are not willing that anything of Yours is lost.  Thank You for coming back to look for us.  There is no distance or depth of space that You cannot reach and touch us.  Your love is amazing.  Help us to not worry about how lost we truly are, but to only remember that you are our Spiritual Compass.  You know what direction we came from and what direction we are heading.  You consume all space and time.  We love You, Lord.  In Jesus' Name, amen.

A True Sparkler

Happy 4th of July, Excellent Women!!!!


As a child, and as an adult, I have never really liked fireworks up-close.  I've always enjoyed them from a distance.  My favorite piece of firework was the sparkler.  Every year my father would purchase those for me.  When I got married, I would have my husband do the same for our children.

If you don't know what they are, a sparkler has been defined as a hand-held firework that burns slowly while emitting colored flames, sparks, and other effects.

Sometimes in life we go through trials that cause us to lose our joy of serving Him.  We get bogged down in depression, condemnation, shame or guilt.  David went through this when he sinned before the Lord.  Look at Psalm 51:12 below to see part of his prayer.

Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance!  Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey!

My question for Today's Excellent Woman is this:  Are you willing to ask God to make you a woman who is willing to obey His Word so that you can experience permanent joy?

Pray this prayer with me:  Father, God, You alone are worthy of any praise in this small world that we live in -- our hearts.  Lord, we thank You for Your Word.  You have given it to us to inspire us, teach us and correct us, but You have also given us Your Word to restore us back to the joy of our salvation.  Father, let us be Your sparkler....hand-held that burns slowly while emitting flames and sparks that cause an effect in this world.  We love You, Lord.  In Your Mighty Name we pray.  Amen.

Endure + Hardship = Suffering

This morning I had an experience that caused tears to flow down my face.  For a moment, I felt weariness starting to arise and manifest in my inner being.  Then suddenly the Spirit of the Lord said, "Don't get weary.  Remain enlightened."  That simply means that I am not to give in under the pressure of standing firm under suffering, but that I am to remain totally free of ignorance, full of comprehension of the problems involved.

You talk about a mind-blower!

James 1:4 encourages us to allow endurance (suffering) to have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

Allow that to rest in your heart a minute.  We are constantly asking God to fill us or to give us this or that -- whatever we are lacking, but He has promised us that if we stand firm under suffering, we will not lack anything!

My question for Today's Excellent Woman is this:  Are you willing to be incomplete or do you want to be whole?

Pray this prayer with me:  Father, we appreciate Your honesty with us.  Lord, we thank You for speaking to our specific cry.  Father, You desire for us to have full understanding of all problems we are in the midst of, and You alone know us truly.  As we go through each day, give us the mind to endure.  Give us a mind to stand firm in our suffering.  Help us to be a whole person and not just dangling parts of a body that is missing vital characteristics.  Keep us in our quiet places, even if it is in the middle of a storm.  Help us to speak as Jesus did and say, "Peace be still."  In Jesus's Name.  Amen.