Today we’re featuring a website for the first time. It’s title is GazeUp Arts: Messages of Hope. According to their About page, “Gaze up arts is a prophetic arts ministry focused on speaking the heart of God through artistic creations to encourage and guide people around the world.” Encourage the authors by clicking the titles which follow to read these devotionals where they first appeared.
Do not quench the Spirit
Prov.20.27 – The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
We are reminded that we all have a “candle” (our spirit man) that we carry around with us. That candle is the potential we have in us to receive the light and warmth of the Lord. It carries our faith and our hope. When we stay in faith, we allow ourselves to experience the Lord’s light: His guidance and His joy. In times like this, we keep aware that the Lord is there to be our teacher, to enlighten us.
The image of God gives us confidence. On this battlefield of life, we serve under a brilliant Military Strategist who does not see us as expendable but who wants to keep us protected. Meanwhile, He is helping us to advance, to move forward.
We remain confident in God for His directions towards the path to His Light.
We mustn’t keep our faith and hope in God to ourselves but rather we must share with those whose “candles” (spirits) have been put off by the kingdom of darkness. That is, these people’s spirits have no flame on them.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”~Matt.18.20
We are edified when we move in the company of Spirit-filled people.
The Word of God gives life to man and causes us to see and deal properly with those dark areas of our hearts.
Through salvation, the Life and Light of Christ flood our hearts by grace, through our faith in Him, we become His hands to help, His feet to go, His heart to love, and His Light to shine forth His Life in our human frame.
Job.32.8 – But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
Beloved, let your spirit be lit up with the Flame (The Holy Spirit) of the Lord.
Ps.18.28 – For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
Your spirit has no flame to keep it burning until you’ve received the Holy Spirit.
In all you do, as long as you live, let the Spirit of God be the flame of your spirit.
No matter the number of trials and tribulations you face, let the Holy Spirit be your spirit’s flame.
Of course, the devil will want to mess with you, but never blow out the Flame of your spirit with your words or actions.
The Bible says, “Quench not the Spirit”. 1Thess.5.19
Just like a candle stick, till you take your last breath, let the Spirit of God be your Flame!
Second Helping: From the same website… You may have noticed that using a visual arts perspective, the image of quenching a candle fits perfectly the closing verse from 1 Thessalonians. In today’s bonus link, the writers visualize trusting God as taking hold of his hand. There are illustrations that go with these two articles so make sure you click through.
Why you need to take hold of God’s hands
Beloved,
As a child of God and the apple of His eyes, You need to know that you’re not alone in that ”storm”.
Jesus has been with you from the start but you’ve never noticed.
You’re not at peace with yourself because you think you can conquer that battle all by yourself with your feeble strength.
He’s waiting patiently for you to take hold of His outstretched hands.
Take hold of His hand and with His divine leadership, you will get to the other side as a conqueror.
In Romans 12:12, the apostle Paul describes ways of living above our circumstances, no matter what we may be facing. He says: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
As followers of Christ, we are never without hope. We know that even if our circumstances seem negative now, brighter days are up ahead for us. Why? Because God is a good God, and His love for us is everlasting and unfailing.
The psalmist wrote: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11). When our hope is in the Lord and His goodness, we will experience the supernatural joy that is our inheritance in Christ.
Take hold of God’s hand.
Let Him order your steps to the destination He had planned for you.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure”.
Proverbs 20:24 says, “Man’s steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way?”
When God directs your paths, He sometimes leads you in ways that don’t make sense to you so you’re not always going to understand everything.
If you try to reason out everything, you will experience struggle, confusion, and misery—but there is a better way.
“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on your insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths “.(Proverbs 3:5-6)
This sounds so simple, yet too many people make the mistake of trying to figure everything out themselves. You may have spent all your life trying to take care of yourself, but when you accept Christ as your Savior, you must learn to entrust your life to His care. When you do, you can say with the psalmist, …I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands…(Psalm 31:14-15).
Beloved, the Lord wants you to take hold of His outstretched hands and let Him lead you to where you need to be in your life.
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
Christianity 201 
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