RELEASE THE LIGHT

PRAYER JOURNAL 5/11/2020

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.

Early this morning, I was awakened out of a deep sleep with a vision.  The vision was of a small country church.  The church was painted white with a steeple rising from the roof.  It was the type of church you see on a Christmas card or in an old rural city.  There was nothing significant about the church except its peaceful nostalgia.  My eyes were drawn to the windows where every window was full of flames.  And the vision ended.

I have meditated and searched my mind for the interpretation; the significance of the little church in my vision.  Having listened to many sermons, read the Bible and been a part of many congregations over my life, I wanted to have a shouting interpretation….

The flames represented the HOLY SPIRIT and this was a Church ON FIRE FOR GOD!  It was a Church full of SPIRIT AND TRUTH! 

OR…

Perhaps, it was a Prophetic Word that the FLAMES OF REVIVAL had burst forth and something BIG was happening.

WHAT IF…

It represented the Church during the Pandemic and the fire was the Government closing and burning down the churches so that no one could gather for worship.

None of this connected with my spirit and the vision continued to nag at me all morning, so I prayed…Wow, I could have saved a lot of time and trouble because ONLY GOD has the true interpretation to the words or dreams or visions He puts in our hearts.

In the Old Testament Tabernacle, one of the pieces of “furniture” was the Golden Candlestick, representing the Word of God and filled with oil, representing God’s Holy Spirit.  .  It was to be tended to and never allowed to go out because it was the only illumination within the “Tent of Meeting.”  

The Golden Candlestick NEVER MOVED from its place in the Holy Place. The Outer Court was never to be illuminated by the Candlestick nor was the oil or the Candlestick ever to be used to light the path or the individual dwellings of the Israelites.  God was specific; the Golden Candlestick was to REMAIN in the Holy Place, illuminating the place of worship.

THEN THE CROSS CHANGED EVERYTHING!

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the World.

Jesus declared that He was the LIGHT OF THE WORLD; not a GOLDEN CANDLESTICK; not fashioned to only illuminate a designated area, but JESUS WAS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! A Light that would illuminate our path and bring light to our dwellings, our workplace, neighborhoods; our world.

When Jesus died, Satan thought he had extinguished THE LIGHT, but, the earth quaked and the Veil in the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Holiest of Holies was torn from top to bottom.  No longer would the light in the Tabernacle be sequestered, only giving light to the Holy Place.  No longer would the High Priest be the mediator between God and Man.  No longer would the blood of bulls and goats be necessary to push the sins of the People ahead for the coming year.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!

Acts 2:3-4 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

On the Day of Pentecost, the LIGHT that had been released was transferred to the Believer and we became A LIGHT TO A DARK WORLD!

Matthew 5:14 You are the Light of the World.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

BACK TO MY DREAM….

The little white Church with windows full of flames, BUT…there was no smoke; no flames shooting through the roof and there were no falling timbers or visible damage on the outside; just windows full of flames.

AND I REALIZED….

This was a vision of what the Church has become…JUST A BUILDING FULL OF FLAMES! All of the LIGHT sequestered in a building; never leaving the designated room.

During this Pandemic Quarantine, every Church Member longs to get back to the “Sanctuary,” gather with fellow believers, sing, worship, pray and hear a sermon in person.  We long to get back to the way “it was.”  We long to get back to where we LEFT THE FIRE BURNING!

BUT…IS THAT WHAT GOD LONGS FOR?

You see, one of the requirements for a fire is FUEL!  A fire will burn only as long as it is supplied with FUEL.  Once the FUEL SUPPLY is exhausted the fire will burn itself out.  The Church has kept the FIRE inside the 4 walls of the church for so long that the FUEL SUPPLY is just about exhausted AND GOD SAYS….

“I NEVER MEANT FOR MY SPIRIT TO DWELL AND BURN QUARANTINED WITHIN FOUR WALLS.”

Just as the Golden Candlestick illuminated the Holy Place for a time, the Flames of the Holy Ghost have burned in the Sanctuary.  

BUT IT IS TIME….

To remove the BUSHEL FROM THE LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT AND LET IT SHINE….Let it shine OUTSIDE the four walls….RELEASE THE LIGHT!”

Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the LIGHT has been transferred to each one of us.  WE ARE THE CHURCH…

Let the FLAMES begin to flicker; shine the LIGHT so that your FATHER IN HEAVEN MAY BE GLORIFIED.

RELEASE THE LIGHT!