Episode 98

My heart has been heavy with a compelling need to open the eyes of believers to the unconditional welcome we have been given to meet with the Most High God face-to-face as one meets with a friend. Listening to the previous two episodes of this podcast will prove my point. Over the last two weeks, I have focused on the accessibility and availability of God. As believers in Jesus, we have been invited into the throne room. Yes, the indwelling presence of God never leaves us as believers, so we are never apart from God’s presence. But we can magnify the glorious presence of God, and can be empowered by His Spirit in greater ways. Isaiah wanted the people of God to take notice of this, that’s why he wrote the words I read in today’s episode: Arise, shine, for your light has come. I picture Isaiah shaking the shoulders of a sleepy church and shouting, Arise! Shine! You already have the light within you! I can relate to the darkness making us want to close our eyes. We just changed our clocks by pushing them back one hour. I see the darkness out my window well before bedtime, and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and go to sleep. In the same way, the darkness of our culture makes us want to turn away, but Isaiah’s words won’t let us close our eyes. He wrote, “See! darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but…” That word “but” discounts everything in front of it. It’s like Isaiah is saying, “I know you see the darkness. I know it’s all around you. I know it’s hard to see in the dark, BUT you have what you need to shine. The light of the Lord has risen upon you and his glory appears over you. Therefore, the darkness cannot overcome you.” Christ’s light radiates from you, my friend. So, wake up! Arise and shine to believe and speak today’s declaration into the darkness. This week's scripture: Isaiah 60:1-2 Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance. Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart. Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.