Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “kingdom of light

The Contender Has Met Darkness Head-On

 

MARTY GABLER–The Contender Has Met Darkness Head-On.   The soaking-worship began at 6:30p.m. last Wednesday night. Melissa stepped up to the mic as the instruments began playing and she began to spontaneously worship Jesus. Pastor Bill, who was scheduled to teach on healing that night just laid down on the floor. About 6:55p.m. Kathy and I walked into the auditorium. We walked down to the third row under a heavy presence of the Holy Spirit.

I began walking, worshipping and interceding along the right wall. After a while I was leaning on the wall. A few minutes later, I was holding myself up with one hand on the wall and the other hand on a chair back. That wasn’t working so I knelt at the chair.

About half-way through the evening I and several others began intermittently releasing a yell as we were stirred and touched by the Holy Spirit in the midst of holy worship. It was at this point that Melissa stepped back from the mic and the instruments began to play a new song.

The music began to gently swell and recede in a most beautiful way. (As we compared notes after the meeting, we discovered that several of us had heard a keyboard though no one was at the keyboard.) As the music began to swell I had a vision like I have never had. I saw gently-rolling hills that seemed to be alive. Over the closest hill came a great hoard of powerful horses with flaring nostrils and great flowing manes. On their backs were fierce warriors who stood in the stirrups with hands fast upon their reins and leaning forward, alongside the horses necks. They seemed to be speaking to the horses. The warriors’ long hair flowed in the wind as did the horses’ manes. While they listened, the horses eyes were focused intently upon what was ahead.

The view was panoramic. On the far right were the horses and riders. There didn’t seem to be any ground that was not being covered with horses hooves. There didn’t seem to be any spaces between the horses. Their great strides were covering an amazing amount of ground with each gallop.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the left side of the panorama. Up from behind a rock a dark, startled creature popped up and began staring at the flowing tide coming down upon him. A ways over from this creature, another popped up from behind a bush and yet another popped up from behind a small knoll, all terrified at what was soon and inevitably going to happen. At this point, 2K 6:16 “more are those who are with us than those who are with them” came to mind. Then, the advancing tide of horses and warriors rolled over the creatures as though they were nothing before their fierce and focused momentum.

Just moments after I had seen the vision Melissa, without knowing what I had seen, stepped back to the mic and began to sing, “He is The Great Contender and He has met darkness head-on tonight.” Jehovah-Sabaoth, Lord of Hosts, is contending with those who oppose His purposes.

Psa 2:1  Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? 2  Earth-leaders push for position, Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks, The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: 3  “Let’s get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!” 4  Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first he’s amused at their presumption; 5  Then he gets good and angry. Furiously, he shuts them up: 6  “Don’t you know there’s a King in Zion? A coronation banquet Is spread for him on the holy summit.” 7  Let me tell you what GOD said next. He said, “You’re my son, And today is your birthday. 8  What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a prize? 9  You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.” 10  So, rebel-kings, use your heads; Upstart-judges, learn your lesson: 11  Worship GOD in adoring embrace, Celebrate in trembling awe. 12  Kiss Messiah! Your very lives are in danger, you know; His anger is about to explode, But if you make a run for God–you won’t regret it! (Msg)

We are not helpless and ineffective before the opposition of darkness. Darkness is not the insurmountable, indefatigable force its propaganda is meant to conjure up.   ( > This is a post I found in my notes from sometime back. I felt I should post it again today.)

(martygabler.com)


Children of the Kingdom of Light

Marty Gabler—As the people of God assemble today, may they realize that they are children of the Kingdom of God which is the Kingdom of Light and that there is nothing working in darkness that can defeat the unshakeable Kingdom of God. May they rejoice as those who walk in the Light and fellowship of King Jesus.  ”Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe;” (Heb.12:8, Amp)


Sharing in the Inheritance of Light

As the people of God assemble today may they be aware, yet not fear being assailed by the kingdom of darkness. May they praise Yahweh for His great power and light which is over them and acts in behalf of them. Col.1:12-13,Amp—“giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the Light. 13 For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,”


Discerning or Deceived

Kathy — When we are DISCERNING rather than DECEIVED, we can distinguish works of darkness because they do not reflect the truth or heart of God.  Holy Spirit discernment and the principles of God come from keeping our priority focus on knowing Him.  Knowing light will expose darkness.  Knowing the real will expose the counterfeit.


Keeping Darkness in Check

There are mountains for the people of God to rule in. There are seven mountains or mind-molders of culture: 1) religion 2) family 3) education 4) government 5) media MountainsSeven.jpg6) arts 7) finance. Every believer is to have some degree of influence at some level in one (or more) of those mountains. According to the mandate of God upon his people as far back as the Book of Genesis, we are to rule in those mountains. (Gen.1:26) There are “giants” in those valleys between the 7 mountains. They oppose the advancement of the Kingdom of God. As long as there is a Kingdom of Light and a kingdom of darkness, there will be opposition. The kingdom of darkness must be confronted and contradicted in each of its expressions. Jesus called us “light” (Mt.5:14). The Holy Spirit-energized church is the only entity on this earth to keep darkness in check.


Light, Dark and Opposition

LightAndDarkAs long as there is a kingdom of darkness and a Kingdom of Light there will be opposition. We must understand that the kingdom of darkness does not simply exist but it is forcefully moving against all that it hates with the intent to dismantle all that does not agree with it. But we have an unshakeable Kingdom! (Heb.12:28) 


Embracing the Light

There are two kingdoms that are recognized in Holy Scripture, the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness (Col.1:12-13; Acts 26:18). “I pray that you will be ManInSunlightgrateful to God for letting you have part in what He has promised His people in the kingdom of light. 13  God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son,”  (Col.1:12-13, CEV)  As long as there is a kingdom of darkness, the Kingdom of Light will never form a treaty nor will the two kingdoms ever even sit down for a parlay; there will never be a cease-fire nor an armistice; total hostilities will never cease because they will each be opposed to the other and must, by nature, contradict one another. The very nature and purpose of each of the kingdoms sets them, perpetually, at odds with the other. It is not possible to exist in a “no-man’s-land” between the two — neither is there any neutral ground. There is either the embracing/participation of Light and the works of the Light or the embracing/participation of darkness and the works of darkness (Rom.13:12; Eph.5:11). (Excerpt one from “Don’t Fear the Snakes” by Marty G.)


Era of Hope

The era of half-hearted church-maintaining, while sneaking peeks toward the sky hoping for an escape, is dying away. Do not think for one minute that it is not also the heart-felt wish of the powers of hell and the spirit of this age that the church might go someplace else, because the wisdom of God and the redemptive power of His Christ are being manifest through His church and the Kingdom of God is advancing in the earth in spite of the best-effort opposition of the kingdom of darkness. We are in a new era where there is hope for the future and there is determination of sons to be manifest as groan-stoppers (Rom.8:19, 22). In Jn.20:21 Jesus told His disciples that He was sending them even as the Father had sent Him. Then, we have record of the extraordinary results of that authoritative sending throughout the Book of Acts.  (Second excerpt from Marty’s article “The New Era and the Church Trampling”)