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.
Meet the Authors.
Sarah Burlingame is passionate about Biblical truth. Her diverse church background has taken her through Mainline Methodist, Evangelical, Assemblies of God and Roman Catholic circles. Her calling as an intercessor led her to receive a certification in Advanced Spiritual Warfare from LMCI (Liberating Ministries for Christ International) lmci.org . Sarah has served as a small group leader, worship planner, liturgical dance leader and online ministry coordinator. She holds a M.S. degree in Education and lives in northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and their youngest son. Her older sons reside in northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York. They attend North Rome Wesleyan Church.
Joanne Reinhart asked Jesus Christ into her heart at the age of nine in a Sunday school classroom in Maryland. Her journey with the Lord took her through various careers, colleges, and universities. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Art/Dance, Theology, and Education, and a M.S. degree in Educational Administration. Her passion for the Lord is evidenced through worship, dance, and teaching. She was liberated into her spiritual gifts and callings through the teaching resources of LMCI lmci.org . Joanne has danced and taught at Christian conferences and various churches in PA and VA. She currently lives in Florida and attends church at Coastal Family Church in Flagler Beach, FL.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
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.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
The Herald of Hope is now on Facebook!
Friday, August 19, 2016
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
Saturday, August 13, 2016
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
Monday, August 1, 2016
Angelic Help
Angel Statue, Bradford County Veterans Memorial Park |