Luminance

When we continue to

acquire holiness from being obedient to the Word of God, the grace of God begins to set us apart from the World such that the fruits of the spirit will begin to flourish - and the world will begin to see Christ through you

Right from the beginning, when the angel of the Lord appeared to announce the birth of Jesus Christ the Bible says 'the glory of the Lord shone around them' - Luke 2:9

This demonstrates that when the angel spoke concerning Jesus, he was accompanied by the light; A concise definition of light is to stimulate sight and to make vision possible,
Therefore the presence of light is an indication that the saviour that we have now received would be able to liberate us from the darkness of the World; deliver us from our spiritual blindness and teach us to walk in the light.The Word of God clearly states this in John 9:39 (KJV)

"39 And Jesus said, For judgement I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

As we have died with Christ and Christ now lives in us (Gal 2:20) , many people will begin to see that you are a Child of God by of the fruit that you bear.
They will begin to see the Glory of God because the Light of the World who is Jesus Christ, lives in you and continues to illuminate yourself amongst those who walk in the darkness.
This becomes an issue amongst certain people of the World,because things attained by the Grace of God such as favour will be despised by the eyes of the wicked;They will see the Glory of God radiating through you is because you have Jesus - the Light of the World;However they despise this Light because when we go back to our definition, it makes vision possible- hence allowing exposure to their evil deeds, ultimately revealing truth.Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life - therefore because with Jesus there is the light of truth this causes darkness to restrain and hide in their wickedness - which Jesus knew would be an issue as He mentioned in John 3:19-20 (KJV)

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

As oppose to Jesus leading Christians and non Christians out of the darkness,Jesus being the Light of the World also reflects the power He has over the darkness, and everything associated with the darkness.In addition, in Genesis 1:16

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also."

This depicts the light will always rule over the darkness whether it be present or not, Giving us hope in Jesus Christ that whenever we may find ourselves in the darkness, the Light of the World who is Jesus Christ will still always be there to save us.

To conclude, Jesus Christ who is our Light of the World has authority over the enemy who brings darkness in the world, 

Our God the Father will always have the final say and there will always be the Light that we find in Christ Jesus which will lead us out of the darkness.

The enemy will never comprehend the power Jesus Christ has to save, therefore will continue to try and blind you from seeing the Light, but we must stay sober and refrain from spiritual blindness - be vigilant to the truth and surrender our sins to Christ that He will forgive our sins and make us as white as snow.

John 1:5 (KJV)

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Love & Blessings
Ann Melissa
xo

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What does is mean to have trust in God?

To me, having trust in God is about being confident about what God has said concerning your life, and therefore being obedient to what God has lead you to do.

And this is the point which arises questions like:

- How do you know what God has said concerning you?

- How do I tell the people it affects?

- How can I be so sure this is what God wills?

First and foremost, in John 15:5 Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing.

Therefore God should be our ultimate source of direction in everything we do, hence trust being such an important element otherwise we'd be building our initial plan's foundation on sand.

And I speak on this because,

There are occasions where we've been to a particular service and we've heard what God has said in His Word. We've allowed the Holy Spirit to enhance our understanding concerning the Word which we had received, and He then deposits an intuitive or a form of direction which would be relevant to your current situation.

It may not happen in that chronological way and it may not be that simple, however in a circumstance like this God has put something in your heart which concerns only you and has put you in a position to either be obedient to God and take action, or to be passive.

A place where many of us fall, is when God has revealed something to us and we try to do it ourselves.

Some of us have developed a habit of trusting ourselves to fulfil something we want to achieve, possibly because when we trusted in others for help it ended up in disappointment.

Or on the other hand, maybe some of us have a couple people we trust that can work together and possibly try to make sense of what God has told you.

So in both cases, are you really trusting God?

If we have received Jesus Christ as our personal saviour and He dwells within us, we have instantaneous access to Him through prayer, and the Holy Spirit is here to intercede on our behalf,

Wouldn't it make sense for us to continue to seek God for a sense of direction concerning what He has shown us?

To continue to seek God to ensure we are on the right path?

Because man will only be able to advise and direct us based on what they have already seen,

God has prepared for us what no eyes has seen and what no ears have heard, therefore God is will be able to advise and direct us on what is to come.

Sometimes its that stubborn case of consulting your friends to seek their opinions before we take action.

In all of our affairs with God there shouldn't have to be debates based on what God has shown us,

Why?

Because when we received from God we were of one mind and you interpreted the information based on what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you;

based on your personal understanding ;

and based on what you have been praying for.

Therefore if we consult a second party for their opinion based on what God has said concerning your life will make space for doubt, make space for fear, and other things that are not of God.

And this is where the element of trusting in God is lost again.

Did any of the Israelites encourage David to defeat Goliath?

Wasn't Eliab outraged and said he came to the battle out of pride and insolence of his heart?

Didn't Saul say David is not able to go against him for he is only a young youth?

But what did David do?

1 Samuel 17:46-47

New King James Version (NKJV)

46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

David had total trust and faith in God, he knew it was not by his own strength that he will conquer Goliath but by God's - which I note from 'for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands'

Galatians 1:10 tells us if we are still trying to please men we would not be servants of Christ

In all circumstances we should remember God is with us wherever we go, 

He will never leave us nor forsake us

God will not open a door for us if He was not going to lead you to your destination; we just need to continually seek and trust in Him for our guidance and continue being obedient to His Word.

When we trust in God we are walking in faith.

And in every opportunity, God can demonstrate His love and faithfulness.

God's understanding is beyond comprehension of man, therefore we cannot lean on our own understanding nor man's understanding concerning what God is telling us.

There will always be situations where we are faced with an ultimate decision which is to trust man or to trust in God - and as Christians this question is very self explanatory.

Love and Blessings

Melissa-Ann Rose

xox

Proverbs 3:5

New King James Version (NKJV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

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What does being a Christian mean to you?

This question alone will arise so many different answers, but a mutual understanding of being a Christian is knowing that we belong to Christ.
This sense of belonging encompasses the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, 
because once the Holy Spirit dwells within us, our bodies becomes a temple of God which has therefore been restored and justified of our flesh's sin, (1 Cor 6:19)
hence becoming set apart from the world as we have ultimately been purchased by the blood of Jesus.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we have been transformed into a new creation after being crucified with Christ on our day of baptism,
A new creation that submits to the Word of the Living God therefore enabling us to unravel the plans God has for us according to His will.

Notice that it is the Holy Spirit who has empowered us to attain many of the things God wants us to receive, however in order to receive we must be working in a vessel that is relatable to the Holy Spirit.
After becoming born again we have surrendered our lives to Christ, and our spirits are therefore being lead by the Spirit of God, moreover putting to death the evil deeds of the body and not gratifying the desires of the flesh -
And because we no longer submit to the desires of our flesh but walk with the Spirit, the innate behaviour God originally deposited in us when He made us in His image and likeness will begin to manifest.
We will grow to become obedient to the Word of God, and because of our developing relationship with God we will be able to instinctively determine anything that is not of God.

And I say instinctively
Because these are the aspects God originally birthed within us when He created us in His image and likeness,
However it was only by our step of faith, our dismissal to the flesh and being submissive to the Holy Spirit that we allowed our knowledge and understanding to grow, and to become aware of things we didn't know or understand without the Holy Spirit.
For Example,
Someone may have been born with an inherited blood disease - emphasis on a person being born with the disease therefore it has always been there.
Perhaps this person didn't know they had the inherited blood disease until a couple years later a doctor was able do perform a blood test and outline to them that they have the disease.
At this moment of time it isn't until the person's knowledge and understanding of having the disease can they act on it -
The same way we cannot execute Gods will concerning our lives without the submissal of our flesh, is the same way that person cannot do the following actions required for his or her condition before going to see a doctor.

We will begin to realise many of the things God reveals to us had already been there but we hadn't acknowledged God had been working on our behalf even before we accepted Him.
We will begin to experience it becoming a bit more easier to forgive than to hold a grudge,
It becomes a bit more easier to love your neighbour than to hate them,
It becomes a bit more easier to treat everyone as your equal than to compete with them out of pride.
All of these types of behaviour becomes easier because they are innate. 
As a chosen people we instinctively do acts that are pleasing to God because he is our creator.

In addition,
God tells us in John 15:16 (NKJV) -

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

This is telling us although it took however amount of time it took to come to the realisation of our need of Christ to be our personal saviour,
Our faithful and covenant keeping God who knew us before we were formed in our mothers wombs had already chosen and appointed us, therefore equipping is with the sufficient provision required to grow with the Lord.

If God didn't want us to have a relationship with Him, He wouldn't have shown us the things He can do concerning our lives.
God put in us an innate desire to deter from sin, seek his face, and yearn for forgiveness.
All of which enable us to grow as children of God and to prosper as a holy nation.
We have been chosen at a royal priesthood to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
As children of God it is within us to continue being obedient to the Word of God and do things of God, this of which I call our 'spiritual instincts'.

Love and Blessings
Melissa-Ann Rose 
xox

Romans 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him,that we may also be glorified together.

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Isolation.

Sometimes we become confided in the walls we've built around ourselves.
Walls built out of anger, pain, betrayal,
Or possibly be it pride or vanity.
But on all occasions there is a diligent intention to guard ourselves from something we see as opposing,
Something that stands as a threat towards us so we try to block all things relative to it.
For example, 
If Ella had a friend named Belle that betrayed her, it's most likely that she's going to make sure that doesn't happen again right?
But the flaws come in when instead of Ella confessing her upset out of love and talking things through with Belle, she decides to build up this wall of defence laid with bricks like bitterness, bricks like pain and bricks like anger,
And at this moment of time Belle doesn't even realise how much she's hurt Ella until she faces her resentful brick lain wall.
Ella's intentions were to prevent the possibilities of that betrayal occurring again, but what she's really done is entangled herself more with the yoke of bondage.
Now, around her is the brick lain wall of disgust, resentment, and anguish that she built herself to be set free from the betrayal, but as a result she's become captive of her own outrage.

So now that Ella's been imprisoned by her own fury, how then can she be set free?
Many of us are going through Ella's situation, but because these walls that some of us built as a line of defence turned out to be walls of hatred and seclusion, we almost don't even want to be set free.
However, we can't try to convince or justify ourselves that isolation will be able to save us from what we're trying to protect ourselves from, because by not seeking God we are infringing the freedom we have through Jesus Christ!

Now let's take it back and remember our position as Christians!
Are we not free from the guilt of sin because we have experienced God's forgiveness?
Are we not free from the penalty of death because Jesus died for us on the cross?
Through Jesus Christ we have been called to liberty, because God sent forth the Holy Spirit so that we are no longer a slave of sin but a son of God, therefore making us heirs of God through Jesus Christ.
We have no power of our own that is able to free ourselves from our sinful nature which is why we are in need of a saviour.
In John 8:32 (NKJV) it reads : "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
As we begin to know the truth we will learn about how much God values love towards one another, 
We begin to love each other as Christ loved us and we will be able to respect and grow with each other instead of conflict and dispute.
However, there is a personal accountability for us falling back into bondage which is when we become inconsistent with the Gospel and hearing from God, therefore we need to 'Stand fast' and make that effort and commitment to stay in this place of liberty and maintain our freedom with Christ.

God has given us freedom not to live selfishly, but to live to love and serve one another.
If we conform to the flesh, we'd expect others to conform to us and giving heed to our selfish desires,
But if we conform to the Spirit, we are operating on completely different principles to our One and utmost Master Jesus Christ, who gives us power and strength to conquer the flesh.


We must stand guard of our Christian liberty or else the world will continue to try and entice us from our salvation, therefore "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" - Galatians 5:1

Love and Blessings,

Melissa-Ann Rose 

xx

Galatians 5:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;
only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.

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Preservatives

As we grow up as Christians and become more indulged in the Word of God, 
The trials we face when it comes to evangelising the Word of God in a decaying society becomes more evident, & this is because we are more aware of the devices the enemy uses in order to destroy the body of Christ.

But before I speak on that,

One of the many things I've become aware of is tasteless Christians.

Christians that have lost their flavour, and most importantly their purpose to preserve.

And these are Christians that proclaim the Gospel in their good will, but their lives don't reflect the glory that they are proclaiming, which ultimately dilutes the message.
Some of us are degrading the value of the Word of God because our lifestyles don't reflect what's being preached.
This hypocrisy makes it seem like its acceptable for people to preach about humility but they take glory in their acts out of pride;
As if it's acceptable to preach about forgiveness but they're holding a two year grudge,
And then they justify it with things that may be said in the Bible but interpret it in ways that are of benefit to themselves instead of what God originally intended.
Such as quoting Psalm 37:4 'Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart' in order to say God will allow them to do what they want so long as they love Him.
There's so much more to it than that alone.

Coming to think of it, 

In order for the enemy to get to Christians that are stood affirm with the Lord, he works in a way that twists with the truth to make it sound like the truth.

And if we are preaching a concoction of the truth mixed with what sounds like the truth, we are unknowingly creating a route which is an invitation for the enemy to deploy corruption, doubt, and denial -

Which is the same way Eve was tempted by the serpent right?

The devil, as crafty as he is manipulated Eve with a question proposed to make himself seem innocent saying “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
He spoke of God's law to be unreasonable or uncertain and then spoke the opposite of what God had told Eve and said 'You will not surely die.'
Eve knew what God had commanded because she recited it back to the serpent when he asked, however the serpent made room for her doubt which then resulted to the fall by eventually disobeying the command that was given to her.
And these are the same acts some Christians are portraying in their daily lives, we know what God has commanded, but somehow an excuse is made or we take certain things too lightly which results to our disobedience.

I refuse for us to fall in the enemies deception!

God has righteously declared that we are the salt of the earth.
As mentioned earlier, one of salts purposes is to preserve, therefore one of our missions is to preserve the world from the principalities of evil and from those corrupted by sin. 
In a decaying society we have been sent forth to season it with the Word of God equipped with grace and knowledge,
All things that we preach should be agreeable to the scriptures, things that exalt God's glory, magnify His Holy name and encourage those that are lost to turn their hearts back to Christ.
As children of God, we were not convicted by the convincing of man but we were convicted by the Word of God's authoritative power.
And by this conviction we live under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and by His power we will ultimately influence those who haven't found Christ or those who don't believe to turn back to God.

However,
Christians tend to lose their flavour by having a passive attitude towards the Gospel,

therefore ignoring some of the vital components to our Christianity and being involved in the works of the world.
They have become dissolved into the likeness of the world therefore drifting further and further away from God.

But because they have portrayed themselves as Christians before the world, and to many people of the world we are the only representation of Christ,
Many people of the world will begin to receive this half worldly half Christian image, this lukewarm image, this half dead half saved image.
How can a man be half saved?
How can a man belong to the world and belong to Christ?
The middle ground between any two factors is full of contradictions and hypocrisy and eventually people begin to overlook these kind of Christians because they have made way for the enemy to deploy confusion!
Which will inevitably result to being rejected by the world because a saltless Christian has lost its purpose to preserve.

Losing our saltness demonstrates our distancing from Christ.
It demonstrates the incapability of carrying out God's will without being teased with the world's likeness.
We have not been made to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men, for we are more than conquerors and we have power over the enemy's corruption.
God is our strength therefore we must abide in Him, in order to be able to overcome many of the enemy's provocations to bring you back down from our elevated position with Christ.

Love and Blessings,
Melissa Ann Rose
xox

Matthew 5:13 (NKJV)

13 "You are the salt of the earth; 
but if the salt loses its flavour,
 how shall it be seasoned? 
It is then good for nothing 
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 

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What kind of relationship do you have with Christ?

A secure broadband connection? 
Or a wavering dial up connection? Dependent on your surroundings or outside factors and conditions?

Maintaining a faithful relationship with God is an open invitation to have spiritual encounters with Him.

But one of the areas we as Christians fall is understanding our position in this relationship -

We find it hard to grow with Christ, because as mentioned in the earlier post 'Passion', some of us are still yearning for worldly desires due to the lack of knowledge concerning the promises God has declared for us to receive, and therefore it's a struggle to maintain this relationship if God knows what's best for us but we're still 'flirting with sin' as my youth leader would say.

We need to trust in the Lord, and be patient as He unravels the plans He has for us.

One of our major purposes as Christians is to be a vessel whereby God can intervene through us and move in our generation.

Christ came and demonstrated the way by which we must follow, and although Christ had died and risen, an advocate has been left on our behalf which is the Holy Spirit who is our immediate relation to Christ because He lives in us, therefore we must avail ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to manifest His glory through us, because ultimately our everlasting God is still living and is still in control, all we have to do is trust in Him.

In order for God to intervene and save this decaying world, as ambassadors of Christ we are in the position to carry out God's will.

If we look closer into the modern role of an ambassador,

A successful ambassador is someone who understands and has knowledge of the afflictions concerning their representative(s).

Therefore, being an ambassador for Christ means we need to understand and have knowledge of the things God is telling us through the Word of God.

But we can't merely read the Bible and draw conclusions from it, we have to pray without ceasing and hear from God the desires of His heart concerning our generation by being empowered by the Holy Spirit for our understanding,
And as we start to develop this kind of relationship we begin to understand our purpose in this position of righteousness He has placed us in order to intervene in worldly affairs and proclaim the gospel.

Quickly looking back to when we first met Christ,
We were not convicted by the convincing of man, we were convicted by the authoritative power of the Word of God.

Therefore as ambassadors we need to stand firm in His Word and proclaim truth, but at the same time submit and give way for the Holy Spirit to convict people through you who don't know Christ.

If you think about it,

When you develop a relationship with someone, many of the emotions they feel are easily passed onto us because we have that mutual connection with them.
We need to desire to be at a place in our relationship with God whereby whenever we are faced with things that aren't according to His will, things that break Gods heart will easily break ours and we'll be in a position to make that appeal for God.

Our mutual connection with God is made evident because we are operating as empty vessels and fruit of the spirit such as wisdom will be synchronised into our spirit at times we are faced with arguments that could result to foolishness;

Patience will be synchronised in order to tolerate ignorance and opposition,

And most importantly love.
God is love, and He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for us in order for our salvation.

We have been crucified with Christ so that we no longer live but Christ lives in us - (Gal 2:20)

Therefore by this process of synchronisation we are equipped to function like Christ by the grace of God.

However, we have to stay connected to Him in order for the sync to be successful and to be able to function like a true ambassador of Christ.

There is nothing too impossible for God to do in His will,
We just need to avail ourselves to Him, and let the Holy Spirit take absolute control.
Trust in Him, and all is well.

Love & Blessings,
Melissa Ann Rose
xox

2 Corinthians 5:20

New King James Version (NKJV)

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were pleading through us:
we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

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Crossroads.

I thought I was on the right track this time
Swimming back from this far county as my soul drowned in despair

I knew it was unusual to leak sweat as I traced back my steps,

and although it wasn't hot enough, its like I could sense dehydration causing my spirit to become faint

The presence of that living water became faint

But I guess I was unconscious to the subconscious dismissal of this overflowing well Isaac dug in this foreign land for me as my conciousness of the world grew

I could've sworn I was light headed in the right direction

Like I was one step away from the collapse of my prodigal heart

This mirage of righteousness at my countenance, this escape from the world seeming prevalent its

Like I could almost taste the anticipation although my throat ran dry cause of all the running from those demons My,
thirst for transformation was like Abimelech when he needed Isaac in need of restoration of those life sustaining wells

but then like a horror filled fairytale my hallucinations became tainted

trembling, trying to turn back while this traducement teased at my torment tainted

tarnished as it trespassed that transcendent topography tainted
And it kept flashing back at me

Whip lashing every time I looked back at sin staring right back at me

It's like it knew my spiritual anatomy,
Conceived the conspiracy of my Christ lain corpse
And the rebirth of my sins grew back into my thoughts 

Manipulated the parts of me most in need of a revival

Making it feel difficult to turn back to the Bible

But Its all I've got
And no matter how many times my imaginary middle ground got my self harmed
to the point where sin became that painful addiction,
Although its relapses became violent, not knowing my complacency caused it to become domestic,
And even when I became sick bathing in this lukewarm ocean, 
despite the amount of lather I added to revitalize the aroma
This agony my heart of stone couldn't bear any longer, and at the voice of the Word forced my sinful desires to commit suicide

So before I didn't wake up to see tomorrow come, because of my ungratefulness of His protection
Before I wheezed my last breath because I used it in sin rather than to glorify HimBefore I don't remember yesterday because I failed to acknowledge His faithfulness from the time I was conceived
Before sin dilapidates the foundation I built with Christ, before my rejection on earth results to rejection of salvation
I'll surrender,
This is my sacrifice, for my life with Christ.

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