Enlightening Ideas

Dynamics of having a growing relationship with God include the discovery of new dimensions of His character, new aspects of His Kingdom, and new truths hidden in His written word. That which is new revelation to me may also be new revelation to you. Glean from these blog entries whatever fans into flame your desire to live a life set apart for Him.

Safety and Peace in the Storms of Life

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

Link to watch on YouTube

We are living in tumultuous times when disturbing things happen on a frequent basis. I have heard one prophet declare that Martial Law will be coming to the USA in all 50 states. Regardless of whether or not it happens, there are often unsettling or downright troublesome things suddenly arising in the world.

How do we stand firm trusting God, keeping a sound mind when we feel the shaking? We learn to abide in his presence as we have special times with him. Then we learn to carry that connection we’ve developed with him throughout all that’s going on during the rest of the day. God becomes our anchor in the storm, our light in the darkness.

To develop the ability to abide, spend special times with the Most High God. Trust him. Draw close to him by yielding continuously in your spirit. The epicenter of your spirit is located in your Bible heart deep within you, not in your head. Special times can be spent in worship, by reading and meditating on scripture, or by talking with him in prayer. You can simply sit silently in his presence as he comes to you. Any or all of these are good, alone or in combination.

Take time in the secret place.

He’s already reaching out to you and me. He’s speaking. As you and I get better at being still before him, as we practice tuning into his frequencies, we learn to discern his presence. We come to recognize his voice. We grow in hearing him more clearly. We become more aware that he is with us. We abide with him and live by the Spirit more. So, since you’re hungry for God, persist and you’ll receive increase.

My special times vary from season to season. Sometimes I meet the Lord in the morning. Sometimes in the evening. Sometimes it’s both! Sometimes I am more focused on scripture and at other times I am more focused on prayer. Either way, I’m seeking encounters with him. Needs and seasons change. My patterns do too. Regular, frequent meetings with him build this relationship. They equip me to stay in fellowship with the presence of God throughout the rest of the day.

Hopefully you’re enjoying special times with the Lord already. If not, start now! As you seek him with your whole heart, give him permission to do what he wants to do in your time together. Connect to him with your heart and your head will follow along. Your spiritual senses will develop. Your understanding will expand. Deeper fellowship with him will follow. You’ll move into that place of abiding. There’s always more!

Your special times with the Spirit of the Lord anchor you in God’s love. Persist! If you miss a few (or a lot), just briefly receive forgiveness and get back to connecting with him. It’s the long haul that counts. Focus on the present and the future, not the past. Be kind because he is.

Your intimacy with God equips you for the storms that come. If a certain routine in your time with him becomes dry, then try something else. He’s after your heart not religious performance. Be after his heart too, as the biblical David exampled!

One way to practice abiding in the secret place of his presence is to memorize and meditate on Psalm 91. Consider personalizing the scripture as I have done here. Recite the passage out loud. Your confidence will deepen. Then, when you need help, you’ll be ready to recite his promises, reassured that he’ll keep his word. That’ll give you peace in the storm and influence the spiritual world in your favor. Learn to live in the secret place. As it says in verses one and two, and the promises found in the rest of the Psalm will be yours.

God bless you as you take time to be still before him. Enter the secret place, and put your trust in Him! Sometimes you’ll discover that you have entered in and didn’t even realize it! (That’s happened to me.) Most supernatural is too quiet for our flesh, as Dennis Clark likes to say. So, keep at it! Practice brings increase. When you look back, you’ll see your growth, probably more clearly than in the moment. God sees all. Blessings!

____________________________

Copyright 2025

Forgiving for Healing ~ Letting Go of Pain

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

Listen on YouTube while you read.

“Mercy! Forgiving when it’s Hard” covered certain misconceptions about forgiveness, misunderstandings that get in the way of our willingness to forgive. It was written primarily to help us take down strongholds of the will and strongholds in our understanding, so we will hopefully let go and take the forgiveness plunge.

This second post on forgiveness focuses more on the emotional aspect: forgiveness in situations that are loaded with heartache and trauma! As we learn how to release what we’ve been carrying around emotionally regarding specific forgiveness situations, whole memories can be redeemed. Then our emotional reactions in the present can change. No more “faking it until you make it!” Real change is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. It’s quick and easy once we decide we’re ready to let go and know how!

 We release our painful emotions to God. He takes them and gives us his loving emotions in their place. We can receive deep cleansing. We can be set free, restored and made even stronger. We can give him our hurts. Then Lord can then remove ugly buttons from our hearts; buttons that get pushed and set us off in the present because of something unhealed in our past.

As we entrust him with washing out our hurts, we’re taking intimacy with God deeper, moving our relationship with him to a whole new level. We’re moving in childlike faith. We’re exposing those painful emotions associated with our memories to his tender loving, healing, cleansing river. Then God can wash us on an emotional level. We’re cleansed and more able to express the beautiful fruit of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit more of the time.

"How do I change the way I feel?" you may wonder. Without the Lord, you probably can't! All you can do is push the pain back down...to have it pop back up later. But God within you can!

“How do I change the way I feel?” you may wonder. Without the Lord, you probably can’t! All you can do is push the pain back down into the subconscious to have it pop back up later. But GOD within you can if you’ll let him! He can remove any emotion we’re willing to give him. He can change our hearts. He can do it in seconds. He can put the opposite emotion in its place, and he will do it when we make room for him to work within our hearts and ask. What an amazing trade! Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness! What a trade! What love! Will we trust him enough to let him do it?

Ready to let God move? Great! Pray this way: “God, I trust you with my heart. Lord, change me. I let go of what happened. I set all others free and I set myself free of this memory and its pain. I give you my feeling of _____.  I don’t want it anymore. Not just the idea, but from my gut I give you the actual feeling itself. The new me, the completely healed me seated in heavenly places with Christ does not have this feeling, so I don’t want it in me here on earth either. I give you permission to do emotional surgery on me and remove what does not belong. Release your holy river and wash through my innermost being.

I won’t hide my feelings from you or try to manage them on my own, I give it all to you…. (*Now wait in silence with an open heart until you feel an emotional shift. It only takes a moment. It may help to imagine God’s river washing through your belly. You’ll know when it happens. You’ll feel the shift.)  I receive your peace and your joy. Thank you for taking that emotional burden away. Thank you for giving me the courage to trust you with all this. Thank you for helping me let go. Thank you for this new ___ feeling inside. I feel so much better!”

Isaiah 61:3 ESV

…to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

Copyright 2025

Comment below was added based on private reader feedback:

*The shift that can be felt, at minimum, is, that icky feeling in the person draining away. If they feel nothing afterward, keep in mind, nothing is a big improvement. Nonetheless, when the hurt is gone, the person can receive the opposite feeling by faith and thank God. It’s done.

_________________________________________________________

Copyright 2025

Resources for further study:
Live Free (paperback) by Dennis and Jennifer Clark

Emotional Healing Made Simple by Praying Medic

Your Path to Spiritual Maturity: Embrace the Journey

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / 6 Comments

Listen while you read with this YouTube link.

There’s always more to the journey! But let’s start at the beginning. Are you familiar with the term “being born again?” Some are not. Let’s cover what that is for those who don’t know.

Somewhere along your spiritual journey you encounter Truth in the person Jesus Christ. You become convinced He is the only way to genuine love and lasting life. You encounter His presence. Your heart tells you it’s true that He gave His lifeblood to pay the price for everybody’s mess-ups, even yours. Thankful for His generous sacrifice, you take Him up on His offer.

You say “yes” to the invitation to receive the seed of His presence. Jesus plants it in the soil of your heart. He introduces you to His Father, your Creator, who becomes your Father too. The seed of God is planted in your heart and now you’re in what the Bible calls a covenant. You’re adopted into His forever family. You receive a new heart and a new spirit. You’re born again!

In the natural world when a baby is born, if the child is fed and cared for s/he grows up and becomes an adult. This natural development parallels what happens in the spiritual world. By spending time with God and consuming His word, you grow on the inside. The God-who-sees you accompanies you everywhere you go, so you’re never alone. You begin getting to know Him. You learn how to receive forgiveness, and how to forgive. You begin releasing to Him the hurts within you heart. Incrementally you are filled with more light. The soil of your heart gets free from rocks and weeds. Your relationship with Him which began small, like a seedling popping out of the ground, is growing.

At some point along your journey you encounter challenges. You discover that you have spiritual enemies that want to drag you down and destroy you. It’s no joke! You enter training with spiritual weapons and begin learning how to fight. You practice defeating dark entities. Your knowledge of who you are and who He is expands, along with your growing authority and power in Him.

Your relational journey is like the growth of a little tree reaching for heaven. You’re like a young tree making progress under the protection of larger trees. You’re shaded, nourished, and shielded.

One day after much practice, you discover you have learned to live in victory in an ongoing way. Congratulations! You have matured to young adulthood in the Spirit. Your relationship has grown like a tree that is now too big to be stepped on, hopped over, or chopped down and put in someone’s living room for Christmas.

You’re wearing spiritual armor, and you’re practiced in using it. You hear God’s voice speaking, and you’ve learned to trust Him more than yourself or anybody else. You live yielded to His direction. You know who you are and you’re fulfilling your purpose. You use the gifts He gave you to build His Kingdom. God has become your best friend. You are strong! You’ve learned how to live victoriously.

After much adulting in the Kingdom of God, you become a father or mother in the Kingdom. You know God deeply. You have great spiritual authority and walk in God’s power. You’re no longer focused on yourself and what you can do because you’ve got that down well enough. Your eyes have turned to the younger ones. Your heart is with them. Rather than feeling excited about doing the stuff, you get more excited about helping younger ones know God, discover who they are, heal from their hurts, and get free to do what they are called to accomplish. You think multi-generationally.

You are part of the corporate body of Christ. You understand oneness. You see beyond yourself and your generation to the bigger picture of the Kingdom of heaven coming to earth. Oftentimes you love the way God loves. You have built a reward in heaven that no one can take away and it’s growing larger.

You are like a grand tree in the forest; the kind people will drive miles to gaze at with amazement. But you hardly notice. It’s all about the Kingdom of God now!

This is a rudimentary description of growing up by the Spirit to become a mature son or daughter of God. The Bible tells us the earth and all of creation are groaning, moaning, and crying out for the mature sons and daughters of God to walk the earth. Be an answer to that cry! Don’t get stunted in your spiritual life. Keep growing! You are needed! We are all called, have purpose, and a destiny to fulfill. The reward of being on track with your destiny is greater than any other reward. So, stay on the journey to adulthood in the Kingdom! There is always more to your spiritual journey. As long as you are here on the planet, God has MORE for you. God is THAT BIG.

________________________________________________________

Copyright 2025

Willing to Trust?

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / 2 Comments

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:37 NASB 95

Are we willing to trust, to come closer, to snuggle under the shadow of the Lord’s wings and stay there?

When He spoke these words, Jesus knew difficult days were coming. He longed to gather God’s people together, close to himself, and protect them. Yet He finished His statement by making this sad comment, “and you were unwilling.”

Recently I had a strange dream. I saw a man-sized hen walking among people some distance away. Suddenly she was in my face. It startled me – to suddenly be eye to eye with a huge chicken. That chicken was in my personal space and close enough to peck my face! Unnerved, I looked in her eyes. The tenderness that was in the hen’s eyes became apparent. Maybe this hen likes me. But could I trust her, or should I flee? I awoke with the dream’s memory freshly intact and feelings of uncertainty swirling.

That chicken reminded me of a traumatic childhood incident. While walking through my neighborhood a German Shepherd approached me wagging its tail. I liked dogs so began petting it. Suddenly that dog stopped wagging, bared its teeth and lunged for my arm. He tore a big swath out of my coat. The experience deeply frightened me. Would this chicken be unpredictable and turn vicious as that dog did? Could I trust it?

The eyes of that hen looked strangely familiar.  Lord, was that You? Did You come to me in the form of a hen, in my dream? Dreams can be strange that way! As I researched and pondered the possible meanings of this dream, I came across the Matthew 23:37 and the dream began to make sense.

In Psalm 91 it says:  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:1-4 RSV

Tumultuous times began before the Presidential election of 2020. They continue into this 2024 Presidential election cycle. We live in unprecedented times. Unusual events are happening and they are not over. The closer the people of God can get to the heart of God and to each other, the more deeply we can trust in the Lord, the safer we will all be from any coming storm.

Let us receive healing from our past traumas and anything else that causes us to remain aloof from the One whom we should trust. Let us put our trust more fully in the Lord. Let us find our resting place close to God, remaining stable and fixed under His wings, near each other, safe from any oncoming trouble.

There is much deception out there these days. Whose report do we believe? Is this or that real? What is the truth? “Jesus said…, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 ESV

 My suggestion to you is to draw near to the author of Truth. Put your trust in Him. Shed all internal misgivings you feel toward Him. God is absolutely good! Avoid what distracts from building that trust. Get closer to Him. Stay under His wings! How? Keep reading and you’ll find one suggestion.

For help with heart issues consider utilizing the Praying Medic’s relatively new book entitled, “Emotional Healing Made Simple.”  I have found it helpful. The author doesn’t know I am suggesting his book to you. May the Prince of Peace be with you in ever increasing ways!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Jesus loves you and wants to gather you under His wings like a hen gathers her chicks!

Note: Bible references taken from blueletterbible.org

 Day of Atonement Basics for Believers in Jesus

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment
Yom Kippur Begins in the Evening. New Days Start around Sunset in Genesis

The story of God’s great rescue of mankind from destruction begins in the Old Testament.  There the preeminence of Jesus Christ is foreshadowed throughout His Story. Hidden among many other nuggets pointing to Christ are the annual Jewish Appointed Times that take place in the Spring and the Fall Seasons.  Considered by practicing Jews as the most holy of all, the Day of Atonement is one of them.  It’s also called Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur 2022 begins Tuesday evening October 4.

The book of Leviticus specifies that on this special day the Israelis are to gather at the temple in Jerusalem, rest from all of their work, afflicted themselves, and cleanse their souls from sin. Back when there was a temple in Jerusalem, the priests would offer animal sacrifices on Yom Kippur as specified, including two male goats. The goats were sin offerings of one sort or another. (See Leviticus 16: 7-22).

Here’s what happened back then with the goats: A priest would offer up one goat as a sin offering at the temple in the usual way and use its blood to cleanse certain places as well as all the people from their uncleanness.

Later Aaron would put his hands on the second goat’s head and confess the people’s sins, imputing their sins into that goat. Then the goat would be dropped off in some remote wilderness area. It would not be able to find its way back to their camp and probably would not survive. This practice of shunning and casting away one goat that is bearing the sin of the group is where the term “scapegoat” came from.

Continue reading →

Fall Feasts Basics for Christians

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

Link to watch on YouTube

How Old Testament Fall Feasts are Relevant Today.

We’re mid-stream between two of three major annual Old Testament Fall Feasts; moving away from the first toward the second. The first was the Feast of Trumpets, (which corresponds with the Jewish Civic New Year). It’s called Rosh Hashanah, began at sundown on September 25th and ended at sundown on September 27, 2022. According to the Jewish Civic Calendar we have now entered the year 5783. The next major appointed time is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, which begins on October 5, 2022. After that comes Sukkot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles. Sukkot 2022 will begin in the evening of Sunday, October 9 and ends the evening of Sunday, October 16. It has 6 plus days, and the 8th is also celebrated.

The Feast of Trumpets is the first major biblical appointed time of the Fall Season. It corresponds to the Civic New Year. According to scripture, on that day the Jewish people were to rest from work, make a food offering , shout and blast shofars,  and present themselves to the Lord for his blessing; not necessarily in that order.

For Christians the Feast of Trumpets, can be considered a call to look for Jesus Christ’s return. It’s also possible the blasts and shouting specifically foreshadow the catching away of the church, with the marriage supper of the Lamb to follow. This feast reminds us to be awake, watch and live ready.

Continue reading →

Jesus is the Superstar and We Need Each Other

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

Piecing the Parts Together

Take a look at these photos one by one without peeking ahead if possible:  

What do you think is going on here? Is he angry? Is the sun making him squint? Perhaps he’s looking off in the distance. Maybe he needs glasses. Could he be frustrated? How does he feel?

Let’s add another part to the whole.

What impression do you have now? Could he be surprised? Maybe he’s at the dentist or possibly getting a throat exam. Perhaps he’s calling out to a loved one? With only eyes and mouth to look at, it’s hard to tell, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it help to see more of the body to better figure out the puzzle?

Of course! But take a guess, if you will, before you go ahead and look.

Continue reading →

ONE IN THE GLORY

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

Days of Extremes

We’re living in a new era; the nebulous grey zone in the middle is disappearing. Lines are being drawn. People can no longer sit on the fence but rather they’re falling off on either the side of light or darkness. Some, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with where they landed, are finding they want to switch sides. Many are beginning to look to God for answers, for hope, for freedom and for life; some for the first time. Hunger to escape darkness is more and more propelling seekers of light into churches.  Will they find what they’re looking for? Will they be drawn by an adequate witness, seeing how good God is and how much He loves them?

Oneness is Lacking

Will there be an adequate witness within churches as gazillions of denominations and non-denominations argue over points of doctrine, faith, and practice; with believers criticizing other believers? That’s not impressive or strikingly different from the world’s ways. What will cause God’s people to become one; to focus on what we have in common rather than obsess over our differences? Only the body of Christ moving

as One, mature in Christ, showing the love and power of God can present an adequate witness to a lost world.  How will we become ONE? Not by human effort but by the Spirit of God.

Continue reading →

Comfort in Times of Turmoil

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

nature texture sugar luxury

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Enjoy, meditate on, receive encouragementy from, and even memorize this promise for the righteous. It’s so appropriate for  this stormy time in history: Isaiah 54:11- 15.
This morning a scripture came to mind and this evening I heard another read it elsewhere on a prayer call as a promise at this time. So I take that as confirmation this is a NOW scripture for this turmoltious time. Here it is:
Isa 54:11-15 KJV
(11)  O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
(12)  And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
(13)  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
(14)  In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
(15)  Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
God wants to be your stable place in the midst of the storm. Say ‘yes’ to him. Follow him. Trust him and fear will ease its grip on you. Believe his promises. Yield to his leading. Then you will find his peace. The peace of his presence will surround you and increase upon you as you continue in your direction toward knowing God; this in which you have begun. Your choice will have a postive effect on the generations to come.

Be Transfigured! What?

/ Fire Starter for Jesus / Leave a comment

The Bible could have translated it that way! Instead Romans 12:2 usually reads “be changed” or “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” but they could have written “be transfigured.” It’s the same word in the Greek!

butterfly-4847628_1920

The Greek the word is Strongs #G3339 – “metamorphoo.” Our word metamorphosis is related to it. This power packed word is only used five times in the New Testament and three of those times describe what happened to Jesus during a supernatural encounter when he met with Moses and Elijah on a mountain top in view of three of his disciples. Jesus face shown like the sun. Father God spoke. Jesus’ disciples became terrified and fell on their faces. That’s the word being used! The other two times the word is used, it’s translated as “transformed” and it’s directed toward believers. We are instructed to receive transformation from the LORD.

Let’s expand our understanding of this amazing word. It’s describing metamorphosis of soul; making God’s kids into people of excellence, beautiful, pure and holy; perhaps barely recognizable in comparison with the way folks started out. We’re not talking about just a wee bit of change here and there, a new idea or two. Transformation is to receive an entire makeover; day by day becoming a mature new creation reality, a mature son, more and more displaying the character of Christ, walking out his heart, mind and actions in the way we live our lives.

Continue reading →