Overcoming Darkness

Do you feel as if there is a constant battle going on around you and that you alone have to contend with all these issues coming at you from every side?  Health, finances, family situations, work ethics, the government encroaching upon your liberty, society in general? If so, the only way to overcome the prevailing darkness is to remember the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross.  He is our Advocate with the Father and intercedes in prayer for us, His righteous called out ones.  Do not let the enemy of our souls condemn you.

Romans 8:34 (AMP)

Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us.

We need to remember that the battle is not with people, but with the spiritual principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness of this age. The accuser of the brethren, satan, is at work manipulating his hosts of wickedness in the second heaven to cause as much havoc to God’s people as possible.  We can overcome this darkness by the shed Blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11) and by putting on the whole armor of God.  [Writers’ note:  we are giving no ‘place’ to satan by not capitalizing his name.  He is Lucifer, a fallen angel, who poses as an angel of light to deceive mankind. 2 Corinthians 11:14]

Therefore, we are told to:  “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  (Ephesians 6:11-13 NKJV)

No doubt you have heard or read this passage from Ephesians many times. It seems to be a favorite to be proclaimed from the pulpit or dissected in theology books. We, too, could expound upon the layers of truth here, but for the sake of being concise, let’s just look at the words heavenly places. Really, what are heavenly places? Where are heavenly places located? Are heavenly places something which we, on earth, need to be concerned about? Understanding the certainty of heavenly places will help to take you a long way in overcoming the powers of darkness. First, there are three heavens which we should understand. The 1st heaven is the earth where we all live. The 2nd heaven is often thought to be just outside of our physical reality. It is a spirit realm with both holy and unholy angels. The 3rd heaven is where the throne of God is. Our spirits can have access to all of the realms if we are saved with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. Therefore, the principalities and powers we “wrestle” with are part of the 2nd heaven reality. But here is the cool part! …. We don’t have the whole armor of God on us in a physical sense in this 1st (earth) heaven. We put it on in the 3rd heaven when we are seated with our Heavenly Father. It is from this vantage point we bring the light of our Lord into this dark world. Yes, we understand that this may sound difficult to grasp but please meditate on this concept until God helps to make it a reality in your life! 

2 Corinthians 12:2 (KJV)

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth ;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

The apostle Paul wrote the above verse when he experienced a vision of Paradise. Before we became followers of Jesus Christ, we lived only in this world, or 1st heaven, which is influenced by the “Prince of the power of air”, satan. But now, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. 

Ephesians 2:2 (AMP) “…in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God].”

Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Heavenly (places) is the Greek word meaning: what pertains to or is in heaven; the celestial, heavenly realm. This realm is what is called the 3rd heaven.  The 1st heaven is on this current earth, and the 2nd heaven is what is between the earth’s atmosphere and the 3rd heaven where the throne of God exists.  

The truth is, when we stand and speak the truth of God’s word, the scriptures, into every area of our lives, we are giving testimony to the truth of God’s LIGHT vs the darkness that is around us on this present earth.

  

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB) “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

When we spiritually “sit” with God in the 3rd heaven through praise, worship, prayer and declarations we are agreeing with Him that His light and glory can be released in our environment. We are taking an action which literally brings heaven to earth. We leave you with the promise from 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

How do you overcome darkness?..... by being the light. Praise be to God! 

~Sarah & Joanne

The Herald of Hope is now on Facebook!

Greetings to you all in the wonderful name of Jesus! We would like to invite you to join our new Facebook page, Herald of Hope . We created this page so we can come together as believers to discuss our blog posts and to offer "real time" encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a private, closed group so we can operate in a safe environment. Remember, our goal and calling is to offer HOPE in these last days of a dark world. We look forward to chatting with you on Facebook!

 Click here: HERALD OF HOPE FACEBOOK PAGE

The Battle Between Light and Darkness

Many may not believe this truth, but 1 John 1:5 says, “… God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”  If this is so, then what is the darkness we perceive all around the world?  How can we battle against this darkness?  Will it overtake us? The headlines on the news and internet are echoed throughout social media.  There has been a shift from the truth of biblical standards to a worldly humanistic view of life.  For example, a human being is not a person until born and breathing life, but that “entity” can be aborted fully whole and discarded, or used for scientific experimentation.  Too graphic for you?  Did humanity evolve from some amoeba living under the ocean or from a monkey searching for food and shelter?  Did a big bang occur and set in motion the vast universe that runs like clockwork?

Genesis 1:3-4 (AMP)   And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness.
(The notation [a] is translated from the Hebrew to mean: “It is My will that this happen.” God literally commanded (willed) the world into existence.)

Since we tend to think in literal terms, many people have been confused by this scripture. What was this “light” in Genesis chapter 1? If the sun was not made until the third day, then it seems clear that this “light” was not the illumination visible to the human eye that we know as light. No, we believe it is speaking of spiritual light and spiritual darkness. In other words, God built a spiritual earth which laid the foundation for the physical earth we see all around us. This should help us to understand that part of the spirit world exists within our very realm of existence.  For Christians, then, what should we do?

Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)  and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
  rise from the dead,
  and Christ will shine on you.”

1 John 1:5 (AMP)
This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

Since God is light, we are to live as “children of light” because the spiritual reality for born-again believers is that we are “light in the Lord.” The “god of this world” (Lucifer / satan) has blinded the minds of those who do not believe and confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord, and that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9, 10) We are to ‘walk in the light’ as Jesus is in the light, because we ‘shine as lights in the world.’

2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 (NASB)
 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

1 John 1:7 (MEV)
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Philippians 2:15 (NKJV)
... that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

When we live as “children of light” and “walk in the light” of Jesus Christ our Lord, we will defeat darkness everywhere we go.  The shed blood of Jesus Christ is our covering, our protection.  The armor of light (Romans 13:12) keeps the world of darkness far from us!  The truth is, we have been delivered and rescued from the power of darkness and God has transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:13)
In this troubling world, may you receive the following blessing:

Numbers 6:24-26 (NKJV)
 “The LORD bless you and keep you;  The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;  The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace.”’ 

~ Joanne & Sarah

Angels Unawares

Hebrews 13:2 (ASV)
Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

This can really happen!  An angel can change appearances and look just like us, especially in a time of need.  In our last blog, we wrote about “Angelic Help” and how ministering angels are assigned to help believers in this world.

Hebrews 2:2-3 (NKJV)
 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.

“The word salvation here means ‘preservation, healing, soundness, and deliverance from temporal evils.’ This verse is referring not to our being born again, but to the deliverance that comes by the ministry of angels.  How are you going to escape in this earth if you neglect the great deliverance that comes by supernatural being called angels?
The ministry of angels is available to you.  God provided this deliverance for you.  But it is just like any other provision God has made: unless you believe it and act on it, you will not receive the full benefit of what is provided.” (Angels, by Charles Capps and Annette Capps, revised 1994, p. 60-61)
[For more information see: cappsministries.com “Angels and the Spirit World” materials, i.e. “The Endtime Ministry of Angels.”]

Here is a real story of angelic help that Joanne experienced several years ago:
Driving home late from a Christian conference in New Jersey, my friend, who was the driver, and I, the co-pilot with the map, made a wrong turn off an exit.  We drove into a remote area of what we assumed was part of the Newark airport.  It was eerie looking as no people were around, no activity whatsoever, just airplane hangars and a few sparse vehicles.  In the early morning hours, there was no indication of how to get out of there and get back on the highway towards home.  I remember saying, “Lord, we need help!” and a moment later, out of nowhere, a black and white cop car pulled up and a clean cut policeman asked us if we needed help.  We said we were lost and needed to drive back to PA.  We had a map and held it up.  He pointed and said to “go that way to get back on the highway.”  We looked at each other and then back outside and the cop car was gone!  There was NO WAY that it could just disappear like that!  We would have seen the car driving off.  We looked back at each other and said, “Where did he go?” Then, “which way did he say to go?” We definitely wanted to get out of there.  We hesitantly drove in the direction he pointed and looped around onto a ramp to a highway, but there were no signs on the road at that entrance.  We were still unsure which way to go, when we saw the same cop car and policeman parked on the side of the road opposite to us.  He again spoke to us and told us which way to go to get on the highway.  As we drove off, my friend who was driving said, “That had to be an angel” and I agreed.  We would NEVER forget that night when the Lord had sent an angel to help us in our time of need.

Have you ever had an encounter with a heavenly angel? Remember, these ministering spirits are allowed to interact with and help us by the grace of our Almighty Father God. If so, we ask you to please consider sharing your experience via our comment section at the bottom of this blog post, or if you prefer, send an e-mail to burlincat@gmail with the word "angel" in the subject line. May God bless you for sharing your angelic stories to encourage others.

Psalm 91:11-12(NKJV)
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

~Sarah and Joanne

Angelic Help

“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.” This line from William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, certainly sums up the vast topic of angels. Angels are real angelic beings and if you are reading this blog that fact from scripture is most likely a very basic one for you. There are holy angels obedient to God (and us) and there are fallen angels who are hell bent on destroying humanity. Today, we will focus on God’s holy angels because we want to show you that you have absolute power in your lives, through the authority given to you by Jesus Christ, to commission these angels to help you. We also believe that utilizing heaven’s help is of utmost importance in these last days. Serious Christians recognize that we are indeed in the last part of the last days based upon a reborn Israel and vast evidence found in the book of Matthew (chapter 24), Daniel, and Revelation. The world is reeling with discord and chaos. Regardless of where you live, if you are a Christian you no doubt are feeling the effects of the enemy’s attempt to tighten his fallen from grace grip on God’s people and the rest of the world. For example, in the United States, moral codes which have been in place since the inception of our country are eroding before our eyes. Imbedded in Russia’s new “Yarovaya laws” is a ban on preaching, proselytizing or handing out religious materials outside of specially designated places. While this law is said to be aimed at anti-terrorism, we have to wonder if the true intent is to stop Christian churches from spreading the gospel. Other forms of oppression are settling in throughout the globe….. But, there is still HOPE. Jesus gave us weapons to stand firm. They are not earthly, physical weapons but rather we can have earthly, physical help straight from heaven in the form of God’s angels. 

Here is a more in-depth classifications of angels:  Cherubim, Seraphim, Living Creatures, Worshipping Spirits, Watchers, Archangels, and Ministering Spirits.  All have been created by Elohim, God, the Creator of the heavens and earth. (Genesis 1:1) 

“Ministering spirits are those assigned to earth… The word for “ministering” spirits is the Greek word leitourgos.  It has the connotation of being a public worker or a servant for people.” (Angels in the Army – How to Release the Heavenly Host in Spiritual Warfare, by Dale M. Sides, www.LMCI.org, p.14)

Hebrews 1:14 (AMP) Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out [by God] to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? [Of course they are!]

If these angels are sent out to rescue, deliver, and save those who have made Jesus Christ their Lord (Romans 10:9-10), then why don’t we hear much about them?  How can we be sure that these angels will provide help in our time of need?  How can we ‘activate’ angelic help?

Psalm 103:20 (NKJV) Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.

When we give ‘voice’ to His word, the scriptures, we can do what Jesus told us in Matthew 16:19, bind the enemy and loose the ministering spirits in our time of need. Matthew 16:19 (NIV) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Luke 10:19 (AMP)

Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.

([a] is a reference to demonic powers, spirits)

The authority of our words spoken must be via the Holy Spirit’s direction.  When assessing a situation that you face, or any potential for harm, when you pray in the Spirit, you will know what scriptures to declare and what words to say (in your native language).  This is the revelation given to you from the Holy Spirit residing in you.  The Holy Spirit is the anointing you received when you were ‘born again’ and called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 10:13; 1 John 2:20, 27)

Angel Statue, Bradford County Veterans Memorial Park

Lastly, here is one example of how you can pray to bring God’s angels into your area of need. This is a prayer we often use before traveling of any kind:

“Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. We thank You for covering us with the precious blood of Your Son. We bind the enemy according to the finished works of Jesus as shown in Your Word in Colossians 2:15 (NIV) “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”And now, we call in [commission] Your holy angels to go before us on our trip, to ride with us in our vehicles and to be our rear guard. We ask you to protect us with your swords drawn so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 

You can pray like this in any situation where you feel led by the Holy Spirit and you will receive help.  

Thank you Lord, for Your ministering spirits (angels) and for the HOPE we have in You as we ride the tide in this world. 

~Joanne and Sarah