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Light Changes Everything

Light. Light changes everything.

Yesterday, my granddaughter was in the garage playing with her uncle’s dog. Next thing I know she is standing in front of me shaking from head to toe crying profusely. Apparently, a breaker had blown, and the lights went out. She was in the pitch-black darkness, terrified. She then could make out a sliver of light around the laundry room door and found her way out. That tiny speck of light made all the difference. It led her out of the darkness.

Likewise, in our lives we find ourselves in periods of unexpected darkness. Depression from an impending divorce. A diagnosis that took us by surprise. The death of a loved one or layoffs at work. These are times of sudden, unexpected darkness.

There are also those times when we are just living in “adjusted darkness.” You know, like when you walk into a darkened room and your eyes slowly adjust so that you can see? Many, many, are living here. Adjusted to the darkness. Living life with no true joy. Going in and out of each day with maddening mundane monotony.

I know for myself this was true. I had lived a life of addiction, depression, pain, fear, and all the rest. Daily in the dark. Until one glorious day…LIGHT appeared!! And when you see it, right where you are living, hurting, working, it changes everything. And that point is where I want to stay for a moment -
The Light that comes right where you are.

In the account of Jesus’ birth, we read in Luke chapter 2 that there were shepherds out in the field tending to their flocks. These were ordinary men who were working, living, doing life like you and me. They had probably walked far that day and then, as always, the sun had finally set. The sky grew dark, and night had come. They had settled into the surrounding, expected, darkness. Then suddenly, everything changed. Light appeared. An angel stood right in the middle of their camp. With the sudden, unexpected Light came the reality of a spiritual realm. This Light piercing the darkness of their earth, and their hearts, gave way to a Truth, THE Truth. That truth is that a realm in heaven must exist and that at any given moment, it can become very apparent. And if there was any shadow of a doubt within their hearts with the appearance and message of one angel, a host, an army, of angels are then made known, and heaven and earth had become one.

The Light appearing to the shepherds did more than change their evening, it changed their lives. It dispelled the darkness, changed their plans, redirected their path, put praise upon their lips, and forever altered their hearts. The Light in the darkness of that field, led them directly to Jesus. The Light led them to Life. And today, it is the same.

Whether you are you experiencing an unexpected darkness, or living in the adjusted darkness of your life, Jesus wants you to know that He is with you. There is a realm that is greater than just what you are experiencing, and it can shine bright in your darkness. It can lead you out.

There are times when Light comes bursting through our darkness when we don’t expect it, like with the shepherds, and then there are times when we have to cry out to see it. Whether or not you are aware of it, He is already there with you. That realm you can’t see exists right where you are. Personally, for me, I couldn’t see it. At the end of June 1994 while I was consumed in the darkest dark I had ever known, I cried out. “God, if you are real, please show me.” That was it. Days later I was arrested with the same amazement as those in Luke 2, I was captured by that Light. And like them, my plans changed, my direction was altered, and my heart was reborn.

Christmas is when we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the Light and Life. If you have come into the reality of His Light and Love, stop and take some time to thank Him and worship and adore Him. Perhaps there is some darkness that has invaded your life and heart. It is time to stop adjusting to it, and with His Light, cause it to flee.

But if instead you are still searching for Him this Christmas, searching for a way out of your darkness and pain, I pray that the reality of His Light and Love will fill your heart and forever alter your course.

With humbled amazement, Merry Christmas.
Pastor Annette

Luke 2:8-14 AMP
And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. 11 For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord! 12 And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find [after searching] a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. 13 Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].

August 2015 Prophetic Word

Prophetic Word from Prophet Cheryl Ballard
August 2015

This is a healthy house.

Jesus is stepping into YOU with a greater authority, power and anointing…let heaven come, through you.

We are in a time of an Eliakiam shift (his name means God arising, and God awakening)     
Elakiam had a unique mantle – the heart of a shepherd with a mantle of mentoring with an awakening for transformation – building sons, sons coming up because of the shepherding heart

Isaiah 22:20-22           
20 And in that day I will call My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 And I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your girdle on him and will commit your authority to his hand; he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg or nail in a firm place; and he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father's house. 24 And they will hang on him the honor and the whole weight of [responsibility for] his father's house: the offspring and issue [of the family, high and low], every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flasks and big bulging bottles.

The key has authority we are being given:             
1. Governmental prayer/land/territory shifts and confronts systems of idolatry            
2. Restoration of worship       
3. Causes power based shifts

He said, you are to begin to look for God’s provision in dynamic and astounding ways.

You are no longer held in the place of warring with the enemy in a constant battle, but will now walk in an authority that will eradicate the giants in the land, personal and territorial

Get ready for confrontation – shifting of the government power in the land an appropriating of Christs victory and authority individually and collectively is the power you walk in 

An overcoming mantle is coming upon you – the day of suddenly being upon you.

He is literally changing the robes of authority from those who have reigned in wickedness to those who will reign in righteousness. Be on the right side of those robes

The Lord says He is manifold in purpose – he is speaking to us authority in us and in the land. Sending us out to conquer those giants.  It is a Kairos moment for overtaking your enemy. What is it that has plagued you? Plagued your family, region, land? It is a moment when we can wage war and have victory in new realms

Joshua 1 is the word for the house – crossing over into a place of inheritance destiny and covenantal promises. We are crossing over to fight.

You are in a time of cross over; a time of victory His possession and His inheritance. The Lord says you are standing on the front lines of spiritual warfare. You are armed with the spirit of truth. You are awakening to a third day anointing to possess the inheritance of God in your lives and in which God will do wonders among you. This is the time to receive the promises given to us and carry the legacy of truth to the generations that will follow. You are stepping into a new place and stepping into a new grace. Do not think that the enemies of God will not try to stop you, for they will. But I have assigned victory to you. And the Captain of the Host to go before you if you will humble yourself before your King. If God be for you, who can be against you? You are in a Kairos moment to take down the giants in your lives and the giant in this land. The Captain of the Host will rise within you to annihilate that which wars against you and against His kingdom.

This is a Kairos moment of increase. You have been given the keys, the keys to unlock transformation, resource and restoration of relationship to this land. You have been given the authority to carry the ark of His Presence. And carry it you shall. There will be an increase in overcoming power, in finance, in revelation and glory. This is a day of beginning again. The past will remain in the past, but the present will rise before you with new clarity of cause. He says you are entering in to a day of greater glory. You are entering in to the doxa of God, the glory that Christ carried. Stepping into a new place of His authority. The kind of glory that commands the attention of those that are about you. The kind of glory that Christ carried; the kind of glory that carries Christ presence, not just His anointing but His nature. The ark of His Presence. Not just the power of Pentecost but the kind of glory that confronts the systems of men with truth; the kind of glory that brings change. The kind of glory that carries His nature; and His nature and His presence will release signs wonders and miracles

This is the kind of glory that release the miracle working power of God. (This is no small thing) dumas power the can do power of God. The kind of power that effectually expands the kingdom in great measure and greater momentum that we have seen in days past.

A clear definition is coming into your lives and into the lives of leadership on their levels of authority and along with that, riding tandem, is the tangible presence and favor of God. He says this will be given unto you as you humble yourself before His throne and rise to His will. We are in a Kairos moment of governmental order rising. The heart of a Shepherd within those who are carrying a mentoring and an awakening transformation. He says you have been called, you have clothed and you have been set in a seat of authority. The army of the Lord is rising within its structure and the ranks and the battalions are forming in this land. He says you have been given the keys to unlock the treasury of God. There is increase upon you and the tent of His presence must be enlarged in you. In your house and in this land. He is enlarging he is increasing.

Greater is He that in you than he that is in this earth. Greater works shall I do than that you have seen in days gone by. Mighty warriors, dressed for battle, holy is your Lord. He is your Commander in Chief. He will lead you to victory as you step out and step in to that place of His provision.

He is going to cause many of you to be expanded in influence. That where you have been ignored or overlooked or almost veiled in the seasons gone by that He is going to reveal His heart through you to others. There is going to be an increase of influence in you. You are going to begin to walk in a new authority even this day

I see a natural increase in the house, people increase, the house getting bigger, more room
the mentoring mantle that is on the house will become stellar; it is to literally become a mentoring platform here that God is going to s says that He is going to cause this to be established and it’s going to have great effect on the generations. He says that this will be a house of legacy and this is a house of legacy that will be passed down to the generations. There is a generational anointing on this house, but they won’t just be raised in the kingdom to know the king, but they will be raised in the kingdom to follow hard after His paths and transform nations from within that seat of authority before the king.