Aglow prayer

The following blog was submitted by Jessica Wilson, Aglow Administrative Assistant – Prayer/International Field.

Does anyone else notice that coming into alignment can HURT?
Not just the initial “I need to change”, but the whole process – from awareness to prayer to the actual walking it out.

Becoming Whole isn’t always fun. Sometimes the first part of healing and wholeness can be embracing change – and it can be hard.

Yesterday I had a back ache that was so bad, I made an emergency appointment with a chiropractor. During the chiropractic exam I listened to the chiropractor describe to his assistant the various bones and joints that were out of alignment. He even told me how common this was, and how many people often have similar misalignment, usually due to environment and physical routines. 

Fifteen minutes after that, I was adjusted and my body was inline. It was simple. It was quick. But it definitely wasn’t something I could have done on my own. In fact, I will likely need to come back again soon, and continue to come back over a period of time. Because, once my body is in alignment, it needs to stay in alignment. And I need to train my muscles to do just that.

Strangely enough, I woke up today feeling…just alright. It was rather anticlimactic. Walking feels ever so slightly different. I was surprised to notice one leg is slightly stronger than the other, and the effects of my body having being rather “twisted” are now seen more clearly. It’s obvious to me that I developed unbalanced strengths when being out of alignment, and that now I will need to strengthen other areas to bring balance again to my body.

OH, how this made me think of our Christian walk.

So often I pray for change. And so often I desire a miraculous touch. But sometimes, IT IS STRANGE to walk out that answer to prayer. It is not always seamless, and it can require a great amount of work on my part. In our ever changing world, we have been given a chance to embrace change. And that can look a little different than we imagined…

It means not giving up when the new change is uncomfortable.
It means embracing what healthy FEELS like, and not reverting to the dysfunctional past way of doing things.
It means doing things to strengthen areas in your life you THOUGHT were okay, but now realize might have been out of whack – some strengths that might have been overemphasized, and some weaknesses that have gone hidden and unknown.

So here’s to you today who are working to embrace change!
To viewing your flaws and recognizing that they are common – and you are not alone.
To not settling with going back to the “twisted” way that we all can be, without even realizing it.
To working on your areas of weakness, as the Lord leads you.
And to RECEIVING in full all that God has for you, wants for you, and wants to do through you. Isn’t that what alignment is about, after all? Being in tune with God and able to receive and have flow through you, all God wants to do.

Lord, help us come into alignment with You today. Help us to embrace the “NEW” that you have brought our way. Help us to let go of the old, the outdated, and the “last season”. Strengthen our spirit as we learn to walk in alignment with You!

Is dealing with anger essential for prayer? Important for Strategy? That’s what one intercessor found out when dealing with her anger over current issues.

The following prayer blog was written by Barbara Potts, State Prayer Coordinator of Maryland, USA.

I confess that I find it difficult to hear or read any media reports without anger rising within me. We are in turbulent times. Anger and anger-induced violence are rampant across our nation. An intercessor has observed that a spirit of anger has been released over America, creating a volatile atmosphere. Biblically, God’s anger is against sin, but is motivated by love. For His desire is to protect His seed. However, unredeemed human anger opens up a portal of agreement with the enemy. We must not allow anger to rise up in us, because, in anger we are giving place to the devil. (See Ephesians 4:26-27) As Believers in Christ, we have all authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19), but we can’t cast out what we have come into agreement with. So we find that the enemy uses our unredeemed anger against us to advance his agenda.

On the other hand, as we carry the Spirit of Christ, His Presence in us subdues anger. We must not react from our emotions, but respond from compassion and love. Indeed, “a soft answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1) As we walk in forgiveness and love, releasing SHALOM wherever we go, LOVE will displace and dis-empower anger. All of its children, including fear, guilt, and rejection, will also be dismantled.

This is so strategic at this time in order to turn the nation! The enemy uses our anger against us – even our anger against evil. As Graham Cooke says, we must come in the opposite spirit. Let’s agree that we will NOT give any place to the devil or come into agreement with him through our thoughts and emotional responses.
Our only alignment is with God – His nature, His purposes, His Majesty.

PRAYERFUL RESPONSES:

• Repent for any and all anger you have held against any situation or any person/people. Ask the Lord to help you to respond in LOVE and compassion that will disempower anger when you feel anger rise up in you. DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER. (Ephesians 4:26)
• Ask the Lord to release His SHALOM over your nation, over hearts fraught with fear, anger, and retribution; and minds captivated by hatred, suspicion and wounds of the past.
• Ask the Lord to release His SHALOM that subdues chaos, and brings a spirit of UNITY over houses of government where legislation is being mapped out amidst political dissention.
• Ask the Spirit of Christ, His love and compassion, to rise up within you, and do not come into agreement with anger, fear or condemnation. Instead, rise up in faith and trust in God to fight the battles against evil. (Isaiah 59:17-18) He loves to execute righteousness and justice in the earth! (Psalm 103:6)

Let the mind of Christ be in you . . .
Philippians 2:5-11

The following blog was contributed by Joan Bennett, Aglow Int’l Director – Asia/South Pacific

Something special happened at the Leaders’ Summit during the 2019 Jerusalem Convocation this month.

National Leadership from over 30 nations gathered together for this program, which was purposely focused on prayer for the nations where current events, including extreme difficulties, governments in turmoil, and terrorist activity, were being reported in the news daily. Prayers went out for Hong Kong, Korea, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Venezuela as well as nations in Africa such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Congo.
Prayer was also raised for Armenia and other nations and for Aglow nations where there is a new work beginning or new growth coming forth. 

As different National Leaders brought updates or concerns for their nations or region, Nancy McDaniel lead us in powerful “air supremacy” prayers for each nation with the leaders praying in agreement. About halfway through the summit, to our surprise the power went out! We were suddenly in the dark with only minimal light. The microphone was out of power, and the recording equipment was stopped. I was concerned that the women would leave… but we felt to continue on in spite of the darkness and lack of power. 

Surprisingly…everyone stayed.

Cell phone flashlights turned on throughout the room, their lights shining brightly in the darkness as the women stayed in their seats. We continued praying.
These Aglow women and men would not be stopped by the darkness. They were steadfast in their conviction to continue listening to each update and praying for each nation.   

As I looked out on the individual cell phone lights I felt the Lord impress on me… this was a picture of the army of Aglow positioned in the nations for such a time as this. 

We have been equipped.
We stand ready in our call.
We are as lights shining in these dark times. 
We will not be moved, because we know we have been called for this time in history! 

This is Aglow at its finest prepared to follow after His end times purposes. 

It was a powerful time of warring for the nations in unified prayer. One day we will see all that was accomplished in heaven and on earth as Aglow held ground and prayed for the nations that day and will continue to pray in the days ahead. The power came back on a few minutes after we closed our last prayer for the National Leaders Summit. But we didn’t mind. We have a Light. We are a Light.

The List

The following blog was contributed by Martha Stanley.

Have you ever put something off because in your mind it was “too” hard, would take “too” much time, “too” much energy, was “too” complicated, would be “too” costly in some way, or would just be “too” something? Me too. A few weeks ago I looked around my home and saw an overwhelming amount of things that were needing to be cleaned, repaired, or upgraded in some way. I don’t know about you, but when my environment gets “too” out of order it has a draining effect on me. Sometimes one reaches the point where the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change.

Look Around – Write it Down

At that point I had the choice to let things continue to deteriorate and perpetuate the chaos, or do something about it. I do believe God is a God of order, and I knew He was in this. So Lord, where to start? A list. Look around, write it down. My list quickly had 112 entries. Yes, really 112 thing to do. Oh boy! Again, where to start? Some of the things on the list would take days, some hours, and some just minutes. These things would never get done if I waited to “feel like it”, so I asked Him to lead me. And He did, systematically, item by item He would tell me, “Now it’s time to do ‘this’. Today let’s start ‘that’”. Did I always feel like it? Mmmmm, no. But once I got started, the energy, the anointing if you will, was there to push through to completion.

Our Exellent Helper

The Holy Spirit is truly our Excellent Helper. He even showed me creative ways to restore, not replace many things. Living in Florida so close to the water, outdoor furniture and fixtures rust and mold over time with the assault of the salt air. All the furniture on our expansive back porch had seen better days, and was in desperate need of an upgrade. With a little cleaning (and about 30 cans of white spray paint) every piece looks brand new. The whole porch is now an inviting and attractive place for family and friends to hang out.

The brass door handle on the front door and brass porch lights also had been kissed by the air of the sea, but would be very expensive to replace. I felt led to go to the paint section of the hardware store one afternoon where I stumbled upon a jar of metallic brass paint. Perfect! After cleaning the fixtures up a bit with vinegar and steel wool, and a couple coats of the paint, for about 10 bucks everything looked brand new.

For over a year the cold water on both sinks in the master bath had been turned off because they were leaking. So every night the challenge was on to wash hands, face and teeth at warp speed to try to beat the forthcoming scalding water. Plumbing repair was in my mind not only “too” complicated to do myself, but “too” costly to hire a plumber.

The list item taunted me. Then the day came when I felt a nudge from the Lord, “We got this!” The wisest response seemed, “Ok, Lord, You’re on! Let’s do this!” After one YouTube video and a trip to the hardware store for Moen 1224 cartridges, it literally took me 5 minutes to fix my husband’s sink. There was a bit of a learning curve for mine as there was more than one issue. But hey, I learned all about compression rings, ordered one online and when it came a few days later it only took a few minutes to fix my sink too. Ah, the joy of washing my face with cool water. It’s the little things in life, right?

There is one more repair I want to mention. A couple of years ago one of the double paned storm windows came off its “shoe” when I was cleaning it. The window is large, and heavy, so I’ve been using a bulky piece of wood to prop it open, but this was getting really old. After watching videos of how to reconnect it, and several attempts with several people, it was clear that this is one job for which a repair call must be made. I had put this off for all this time, because in my mind a repair call to the window company would be “too” costly. Imagine my surprise to hear the dispatcher say that repairs of this type were included in the contract at no cost. All this time, all this fuss, and provision had been there the whole time. Yep, big lesson there.

From cleaning the garage, to painting and organizing the spare bedroom, to fixing leaky faucets, cleaning every window, drape, and blind, to repairing the lid on the steamer pan, all 112 things have now been completed.

Just Start Somewhere

After all was said and done I wondered why in the world I had put everything off for so long. Once I got going it really wasn’t “too” hard, didn’t take “too” much time, and with a little creativity wasn’t “too” costly. It had all just built up because in my head it was “too”. I had to just start somewhere.

What in your life have you put off? What to you seems, well, “too”? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, just start somewhere. He really is our Excellent Helper.

This Anti-Human Trafficking newsletter by Jessica Wilson highlights an extremely important issue though it is something we seldom talk about.  The current generation of school-aged young people faces many concerns that can contribute to hopelessness and helplessness. Please join in prayer and declare freedom, hope and the fullness of life in Christ for this generation. They carry destiny and spiritual breakthrough for such a time as this.
– Nancy McDaniel, Aglow Int’l Prayer Director

Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter – June 2018

Dear Jessica,

I was going to write to you about pornography and this article from For Every Mom that highlights the danger of Snapchat’s Cosmo After Dark feature. It was a pornographic feature, completely inappropriate for Snapchat to host. BUT, because of public outcry, Snapchat has canceled the Cosmo After Dark Feature! (You can read about that here.) However, after some events this month, we’re going to take our insight and prayer in a slightly different direction.

Teens and Tweens

For many, school is out for the summer. However, my heart hurts for teens and I want to highlight prayer for teens and pre-teens this month. I’ll expound on this in future newsletters, but I want to quickly say that the porn industry targets kids – as users. Pornography offers comfort for pain, just like food, alcohol, relationships and more. Porn sells the lie that it’s completely natural and harmless – which studies show is gravely incorrect. Yet many seek out porn as a way to derive comfort from pain – often deep, traumatic pain, misunderstanding or hurt.

And right now, many tweens and teens are experiencing great hardships. A YoungLife leader who is a friend of mine recently said, “The pressure these kids have is nothing like I had, and I was only in high school 10 years ago.”

Kids, just like adults, are hurting. 

Some are cutting. Some are using. Some are even taking their own lives, and the fear (“Is my pain too much to escape from?”) is scary and deep. In addition to the news, this week in a town nearby two highly popular seniors, a week away from graduating, took their own lives.

“When the popular kids who ‘have it all together’ can’t escape their pain, what do YOU do? ” These are questions many tweens and teens are asking. Some reach out to God. Some reach out to friends. Some reach out to a trusted adult. Many reach out to drugs and prescription pills. Others reach out to alcohol. And many reach out to the comfort of the fantasy and escape porn brings them.

It’s time to pray. Not just for the eradication of porn, but for our kids.

This month let’s pray for the kids in our cities and communities:
Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. Psalm 10:17-18

• Pain is real. Pray for wisdom on how to promote and model healthy coping mechanisms in your family, neighborhood, and social media presence.
• Pray for peace for the children in your neighborhood, according to Philippians 4:7.
• Speak LIFE and HOPE over your community.
• Pray that girls and boys in your community would know their identity, value, and worth as an individual.
• Pray for freedom from porn for the kids in your life. Pray that they would see their and others value through God’s eyes.
• Pray for your schools. Pray for strength for teachers. Pray they have eyes to see and ears to hear when dangerous activity is going on, and wisdom in how to help.

So God heard their groaning and remembered...
Exodus 2:24a

Lord, hear the sorrowful groaning of young people who are in pain and feel hopeless and helpless. You remember them – reveal Your deep love to them.

Additional Resources

• Anti-Trafficking Prayer Guide – A guide to help you pray regarding human trafficking
• Teen Suicide Clusters: What Parents Need to Know – An article from Focus on the Family
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – (U.S. Hotline) Call 1-800-273-8255
  Available 24 hours every day.

Standing in the gap with you,
Jessica Wilson
Anti-Trafficking Specialist

This is How I Fight My Battles
The following blog was contributed by Jessica Wilson.

Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7

How Do You Fight?
Last night I joined some friends, only to encounter them already deeply entrenched in a funny movie. It was a goofy, spoofing film about an all-knowing English spy, perhaps a distant and slightly bumbling relative of James Bond. The film has been out for several years, and wasn’t particularly acclaimed by critics, but it certainly gave us a good laugh. As I joined them to watch this particular film, I was struck by a particular scene.

In every good spy film, there is always a foot-chase scene. The best of these usually involve skilled assassins who not only possess the skills to win any street match that comes their way, but also those of an Olympic gymnast. This film was no exception.
Deep in the chase on a rooftop building in a busy downtown setting, our protagonist – being a few years older – knew he was outmatched in physical strength. His opponent jumped off of a small shack, over his head, and onto the cement floor, looked at him with a cocky smirk, and ran away – jumping over a large rooftop air-conditioning unit as he went. As the older spy started to chase him, he suddenly stopped and the film flashback to his training instructor some years earlier, saying something along the lines of, “You may not have the strength of your youth…but you have wisdom.”

This proved his key for the rest of the fight scene.  (Spoiler alert.)

As the young assailant continued running, the Spy ran to the AC unit and…scooted between the unit and the wall, and continued his pursuit.
The assailant was a good 20 feet ahead – but stopped at a barbed wire fence – He dramatically grabbed a cloth, threw it on top of the fence, and scaled it effortlessly – the cloth covering the sharp barbs! The Spy…walked to the fence, saw a door in the fence, opened it, and walked through.

The Spy then turned the corner, and at the edge of the rooftop…there he was! The smug Assailant paused, made eye contact with our Spy and smiled a victorious smile as he jumped off the roof – and descended the scaffolding that we now see surrounded the building.

The Spy was upset! He was sad! He was defeated! He – – no. He was none of those things. He simply turned around and walked to the building’s elevator. The camera panned back to the Assailant to follow his journey to the ground – almost breathlessly he finished his descent and turned to run down the street – only to have the door to the building open, and the Spy walked out – just steps behind him.

The scene was obviously comical as the Assailant used such flash and drama to his moves, while the older Spy, unequipped with such flash, simply used…wisdom.

This is How I Fight My Battles
A popular song that has been saturating the Christian air waves recently is Surround (Fight My Battles). The chorus echoes ‘This is how I fight my battles, It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You.”
In looking at HOW we fight our battles, today I want to ask you –

Based on the specific fight you’re in, is your battle key today REST and WISDOM?
Proverbs 4:7 says get wisdom.

Not every battle is the same. Knowing when to attack, or hold your ground, is key. In Ephesians we’re called to put on the WHOLE armor of God. For the battle you’re currently facing, what is the wise battle plan?

What if today’s battle plan calls for walking in peace, when the enemy gives chaos.
What if today’s battle plan calls for simple obedience, when the enemy gives impressive flash and smoke.
What if today’s battle plan calls for seemingly boring persistence, instead of dramatic, self-led, self-focused change.
What if today’s battle plan calls for walking through a door, when the enemy wants you to follow him in scaling dangerous, but unnecessary, fences.

What is God’s wisdom telling you to do, to fight today’s battle?

Proclaim!  Declare!  Decree! 

At our Aglow Jubilee Conference a few months ago, Graham Cooke challenged us link our intercession to promise and purpose. As we do this, we pray powerful Kingdom prayers of proclamation, declaration and decree.

Recently, I’ve been asked this question several times, “What is the difference between proclamation, declaration and decreeing when we pray?” Great question!

In the moment of making “proclamation prayers”, I often use these words interchangeably. However, when I stop and think about it and craft my prayer more carefully, there are nuances of difference in their meanings. While we could probably find volumes of books and articles that explain this fully and with great insight, here are some short descriptions I find helpful.

Decree
This is more of a legal term. It is a command that sets something in place legally. It is aligning things on earth with heaven, bringing heaven’s rule, law or government into earth. It is an expression of God’s Kingdom government to align, shift or even invade earth and the systems of the world with the majesty of God.

How about if we make a simple decree for God’s favor upon Aglow International? That sounds like a great prayer!

We decree the favor of God upon Aglow International.

This is a prayer that aligns Aglow with the favor of God and renounces anything that comes against His favor. This firmly establishes that the favor of God is upon Aglow.

Declare
A declaration announces full support of something or makes our position clear. Let’s turn our prayer for the favor of God upon Aglow International into a declaration.

We declare the favor of God upon Aglow International. 

This prayer says, “Lord, You said that Your favor is upon Aglow. You have released favor upon favor upon favor upon favor upon Aglow.  Therefore, we rise in full agreement with Your favor. We stand fully in Your favor. This is our clear position – God’s favor is upon us! Nothing shall sway us or separate us from Your favor!”

Proclaim
This is to make a strong public announcement.

A proclamation is a strong public announcement. A proclamation removes any doubt, affirms our agreement with the God-head and strengthens us in our spiritual position. A proclamation releases the light of the truth of God to expose deception and dispel darkness. A proclamation announces on earth what heaven has already decreed. A proclamation for the favor of God upon Aglow International may sound like this:

We proclaim the favor of God upon Aglow.

This prayer is a public announcement of God’s favor upon us that releases celebration, liberty and confidence in us while binding and paralyzing the enemy.

Let’s keep stretching and growing in Kingdom intercession. I pray that deep revelation and empowerment comes by the Holy Spirit as we continue to marinate in the words God has given us.

Father, what are You decreeing from heaven to earth? We are aligning our proclamations, declarations and decrees with Yours! Truly, Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Recently I shared with you about “Authority and Distraction Part 1”. Today I have a few thoughts on “Distraction”.

Don’t be distracted! Stand steady and hold the course
Like you, I have been praying for world events, issues and chaos in our own nation and more recently regarding hurricanes, floods, fires, and earthquakes. For several months as I’ve prayed about these matters, I’ve heard, “Don’t be distracted! Stand steady and hold the course.”  As we continue to pray for issues in our nations, I share these words with you, “Don’t be distracted! Stand steady and hold the course.”

Here are a few keys to resisting distraction:

• Guard your place of peace and calm in your heart.  Don’t let the turmoil, urgency and anxiety of storms, fires, destruction and chaos invade your peace. War from a place of peace. Let your intercession BE the peace in the midst of chaos.
• Definition of “distraction”: a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else; extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.  While we seek information and news so we can pray focused on-target prayers, do not be so distracted by news and information that you lose sight of actually praying Holy Spirit led prayers. A simple prayer under the divine leading of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than a complicated prayer that includes all the information and insights that man can offer.
• Luke 21:28 “But when you see these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  God is concerned, but He is not panicked. As we pray with deep concern and passion, stand steady and hold the course!
  Do not be consumed by the urgency of current events, rather be consumed by the awesomeness of God’s master plan for the people of the earth.  Keep your eyes on Him, not on the storm.

In the past few months, we have faced extreme perils due to weather and natural disaster –
This is not a time to cry, to fall on our face or to beg in prayer.  This is a time to STAND – to stand in the full authority of Christ within us.

James 5:16-18 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

Here are a few very brief nuggets from this passage:

• We have authority over the weather.  If Elijah could stand in that authority in the times of visitation of the Old Testament, how much more can we stand in that authority in this time of habitation with the full, completed work of the Cross and Resurrection as our banner of authority and our position of being hidden with Christ in God!

• Confess, pray, be healed – This is a time to confess the sins of our land, pray for one another and receive the healing of our land. There are three areas of repentance I feel to draw to our attention as we pray:
  (1) Sins of dishonoring the dignity of people – this includes slavery, racial/ethnic prejudice and inequality, gender inequality, socio-economic inequality and dishonor of parents and civic leaders.
  (2) Abortion, both the acts of abortion that have taken place in our nation and the legislation which allows it.
  (3) Dishonoring God – this includes humanism in education, removing Judeo-Christian symbols from public places, silencing prayer in public gatherings, removing the 10 Commandments from display and movements to remove phrases such as “In God we trust”, “Under God” from pledges and national identification.
  Pray for a complete work of repentance in your nation – that our actions, legislation and mindset demonstrate a true turning to righteousness.   Receive healing!  Believe, receive and rejoice that God is our healer of our land.

• Elijah’s story demonstrates two reasons God will change weather: (1) So that people will know He is God.  Pray for a full acknowledgment of God in our nation. (2) To bring fruitfulness. Believe and decree the fruitfulness/fulfilment of God’s Word over our nation.

Well, that’s enough for today. We’ll touch on Distraction another day.  God bless you as you stand in prayer for your nation!

The following is a Christmas letter we received from Glenda Fleming.  I was so blessed by the beauty of this everlasting message that I asked Glenda if I could share it with you.  Glenda serves Aglow International on the International Board of Directors, as U.S. Regional Director of the Southern Region and on the Israel Council.

May your heart be warmed by this glorious Christmas message. Merry Christmas!
Nancy McDaniel, Aglow International Prayer Director

From Glenda:  The Everlasting Message of Christmas

The Sweetest Message
One of the sweetest messages ever announced from heaven is being sounded to us again this Christmas.  Luke 2:8-14: That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly and angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced and it is for everyone!”  The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem.”  Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the Armies of Heaven – praising God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven,” they sang, “And peace on earth for all.” (The Life Application Bible)

Fear Not
We can, in our hearts, go to Bethlehem this Christmas; and in the company of wondering shepherds, we can see Him who was born King.  Isaiah 7:14 – Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel (God with us).

On the first Christmas night God spoke “Fear Not” to the world. The shepherds listened to the angels. Inspiration took hold of their hearts, and grace took root in their souls.  Their fears were gone. Our Father wants that same inspiration and grace to fill our hearts this Christmas.

Prophecy Fulfilled
The love and joy that we feel at Christmas was manifested in that stable in Bethlehem. But the joy for us is that He is not in a manger this Christmas. For one day on a lonely hill called Mount Calvary He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. By His stripes, we are healed.” He was buried, but He conquered death and came forth out of the grave. He stood with His disciples on the Mount of Olives and promised them the power of the Holy Spirit. He told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel, baptizing in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Then, He was caught up in a cloud and ascended to the Father before their very eyes. Two angels came to stand beside them and told them that just as they saw Him ascend, that the same Jesus would come again in like manner.

Just as the prophets foretold His first coming, Christmas; they have also foretold His second coming. This should bring a Christmas spirit of joy and rejoicing to each of us. The next time He comes, He will not come as a babe in a manger, but in all the glory and splendor of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Gifts
Just as God the Father sent the first Christmas gift of His Son, the Son gives gifts to us not only at Christmas but each and every day until He reappears.  2 Peter 1: Grace and peace be multiplied to you (this Christmas season) in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue; by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises (gifts), that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

The precious Christmas gift of the Son of God wants to lead our lives, giving us the peace of Christ that will rule our hearts (Colossians 3:15).

Just as a loving Father gave a star that would lead and guide the wise men of the first Christmas, He still gives us a star (His Beloved Son) that will lead each of us willing to follow His star.

From my heart to your hearts comes all the blessings and love of Christmas. May each of your homes be filled with His glorious Christmas Light.