Light

During this season of Hanukkah and Christmas, we express a spiritual truth using lights. Hanukah is called the Feast of Lights, or the Feast of Dedication, and a menorah is lighted each night for eight nights, to celebrate the fact that the LORD extended the oil needed to keep the Lamp of the Temple lit beyond the one-day supply of oil that was on hand. As that Feast is observed today, the menorah is placed in a window, so the light of it can be seen by others.
The command of the LORD to Moses generations before regarding that Lamp in the Holy Place was that its lights should remain lighted continually:
"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn (ascend) continually...Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel."   Ex. 27:20-21
Our celebration of Christmas, the birth of our Savior and Messiah, Jesus, is also filled with lights. We cover our homes, trees, bushes, and anything that stands still long enough, with lights.
The quality and power of light cannot be separated from God:
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."     1 Jn. 1:5
It is His first act of creation in Gen. 1. The darkness that had entombed the earth, before the command of light was given, was total, and so deep and thick, it was like the darkness at the bottom of a pit, or an abyss. The light of God, contained in the power of His word, broke through the darkness, and light and dark were separated, even severed. When He spoke "light", it was not just natural light. By meaning of the word, "or", it is the light of day, the light of a lamp, the light of life, the light of prosperity, the light of instruction, the light of a face. In this case, the light of the face of God.
The importance of the light of God is revealed in His word:
"For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness."    2 Sam. 22:29
The light of the LORD is His quality of righteousness and salvation:
"For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns."
                                                                                                              Isa. 62:1
The Biblical prophecies of the birth of Jesus, and the description of His purpose and power, are very much tied into the lamp, and light of His Father:
"...By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."    Isa. 9:2, Mt. 4:15-16, Lk. 1:79, Lk. 2:32
The light of a star gave revelation of Him, and showed the way to His presence in the manger, the place where God touched the earth in the form of a baby. (Num. 24:17, Mt. 2:2).
The light quality of Jesus' life was told in John:
"In Him was life, and the light was the life of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (seize, overcome, overtake) it...That was the true light, which gives light to every man coming into the world."   Jn. 1:4,5,9
Jesus identifies Himself as the Light:
"...I am the light of the world. He who follows Me, shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life...As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."   Jn. 8:12, 9:5.
However, He didn't come to keep the light of God to Himself only, but to manifest it through men. He redefined those who would follow Him, and revealed to them God's great purpose in them:
"You are the light of the world. A  city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."
                                                                                          Mt. 5:14, 16
Apostle Paul tells us this same thing beautifully:
"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us."    2 Cor. 4:6-7
During this time in which we live, it seems that darkness is raising its prideful head as never before in the earth. More than ever, the light of the promise of our Christmas Savior, and the lamp of Hanukkah, need to shine forth to dispel that darkness. It shines forth through us, by the Living Word, and Spirit in us. Out of the thick darkness, the voices are crying out. If we stop and listen, we can hear them around us. It is the light of God through Christ in us that pushes back that darkness. We should not be fooled, frightened, nor overcome by the darkness. Even more so, we should SHINE!
"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."       Isa. 60:1-3
Hallelujah! Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah.

Our Father shines His saving, glory light through us.


"Mary, Did You Know?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE

"Light A Candle"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K2ocj4BvUQ

"Go Light Your World"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsM5lt9tCFo

Seed

Our Father has children who are born out of a prophetic knowledge and promise. In fact, this is the very foundation of who we are in our Father. In Romans 8:28-31, Paul is teaching that God foreknew those whom He called to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. The Father prophesied us from that place in His foreknowledge. In Romans 9:6-8, Paul again talks about the difference between those who are born of the flesh, and those who are born from the prophetic promise of God, and who continue in that prophetic promise. He calls those born of the prophetic promise "children" and "seed". We have to understand our origins, in order to understand how we are to continue, and what is expected of us from here.
John 1:13 describes those who are the children of God as being born not out of the will of flesh and blood, but born out of the will of God. In Isaiah 43:1, 7, and 45:4, the LORD is speaking about a people called (called out with a loud voice, appointed, summoned) by name, and more importantly, called by His name, even before those people knew who God was. This is the "seed".  Father called them forth prophetically. These are those who are called "Israel". As Paul taught in Romans 9, not everyone who calls themselves "Israel" are truly "Israel", but those born of and from the prophetic promise. Those not just born of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the flesh, but those of each subsequent generation called by God prophetically, and continuing to walk in that prophetic destiny and purpose. These are the children; these are the "seed".
"And if you are Christs's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
                                                                           Gal. 3:29
Those who have a knowledge of being children or seed of the Father, and His Kingdom, have a special challenge before them. Psalm 105 describes one of those who is a seed called by the Father-Joseph. He was called and appointed by the prophetic word of God. That same prophetic word and destiny tested Joseph, until that prophetic word or promise was fulfilled (Psalm105:19). What does this mean to us today, to us who have an understanding what it means to be the seed, called by the prophetic promise of God?
It means that the same prophetic word of promise will test us, as it tested Joseph. Before we see its fulfillment in its fullness, we will have seen many testings. The types of testings will be varied, but the ending of it produces the refining and maturity to which we have been called. The testing provides us not only with the head knowledge of the Father, but the experiential knowledge of Him that comes from walking through the testing of His prophetic promise. In Isa. 43:2, our Father assures us:
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flams scorch you."
The testing of the prophetic promise will also implant within us the "testimony" that is needed to minister to others, and teach others, in the time of their testing.
The challenge ahead of us is to not lose hope, to not lose faith, to not let go, or turn back from the very prophetic promise that called us by name, by HIS name, to begin with.

Our Father has seed from His prophetic promise.

"Have You Been Tried in the Fire?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbi3hG9ZZLY

"A Child of God"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r3JAV2r208