Tag Archive: deliverer


DJ Martin (SingleFocus Ministry®)

'DAWN' by D.J. Martin

‘DAWN’ by D.J. Martin

Have you noticed that no matter how darkness crowds out the light of day, dawn still comes in the morning? It looks truly dark these days. While there are mad men all over Africa and the Middle East trying to wipe out the name of Jesus Christ from the lips of the people by murderous slaughter, there are delusional leaders in the free world, thinking the people gullible, declaring war and making treaties on climate change. They are like blind men, in the dark, groping for reading glasses or artificial light.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.” Nehemiah 9:6

We are in a time where the voice of the people overwhelmingly cries out for a return of our nation to righteous God-fearing laws, while the judges hastily declare evil to be right and good to be evil. They do not hear or listen to the voice of God; it’s no wonder that they do not listen to the voice of the people. So the government tries to silence the lips that declare, “The Word of God is true and Jesus is Lord” by passing ungodly laws; declaring that babies should be killed at will and men and women should be allowed to behave even as animals don’t do, and psychologist and counselors are forbidden to try to break the chains that hold perverted minds captive.

Every generation has had challenges that causes the darkness to try to conquer the light. While the children of Abraham were in Egypt, the Pharaoh tried to quench the birth rate of the Israelite by legalizing the late-term abortion of all baby boys. Spiritually speaking, this was the devil’s attempt to squash the promise of God to Abraham. Even so, they still grew in number. Though the time was dark, Moses, the deliverer, was born (Hebrews 11:23). And when he was older, he lead his people from the darkness of oppression and slavery in Egypt to the light of freedom.

King Saul insanely tried to snap out the life of David, because he was jealous and wanted to prevent him from becoming king in his stead. Alas, Saul died at his own hands and David became king anyway (1Samuel 31:4).

Though they captured Samson and blinded his eyes so that he walked in darkness the rest of his imprisoned life and would no longer continuously defeat the Philistines; which was what he was anointed to do. Even so, Samson defeated more Philistines when blind than he ever did when he could see (Judges 16:30).

King Herod tried to prevent the coming of the Messiah by killing baby boys, but Jesus was born and lived anyway. The religious leaders tried to stop the ministry of Jesus Christ. Therefore they tried Him in an illegitimate court and unjustly convicted Him to death on a cross. It was a very dark day; the day He died. Hope faded into darkness for some, on that day. There was no light on the day He died (Mark 15:3334). Then to prevent any resemblance of His resurrection (for He said He would rise), they placed guards around His tomb, rolled a huge rock to cover the tomb where His body laid and then they sealed the tomb. But, He arose anyway! It was at dawn, in the early light of the morning (Matthew 28:1), that they found the tomb open and the stone rolled away and that Jesus, the Light of the world, was no longer dead. He had risen just as He said He would.

They intimidated the Christians and sent those who uttered the name of Jesus Christ into the darkness; hiding from the Romans for fear they would be crucified also. But there in the upper room, the Light of the Holy Spirit came and the disciples emerged from the darkness and boldly declared the name of Jesus Christ. They were thrown into the darkest of prisons, beaten, beheaded, crucified, ridiculed and exiled; all to silence the lips who called Jesus Christ, “Lord.” Even so, His name continues to be on the lips of people of every tongue and every nation.

I’m thinking that the reason every generation has their days of darkness is because, there is in every generation someone or some government or ruler, who is on the devil’s side (Ephesians 6:12), trying to hide the Light by trying to silence the lips that call the name of Jesus Christ and declare Him Lord. But I’m reminded that the light of the truth of Jesus Christ emerges despite all that darkness tries to do.

John tells us in the book of Revelation that darkness will come with great vengeance and the rulers of darkness, in the last generation, will again ferociously try to silence the lips of those that call the name of Jesus Christ. They will beat, oppress and kill their bodies. They will pass laws to oppress and silence them and chase them into darkness, hiding for fear of persecution and death. But, dawn will come and there will be a removal of darkness and the light of the Son will rule and vanquish the rulers of darkness into a pit (Revelation 21:23). The dead in Christ will rise and the Light of the world will visibly rule forever more.

Jesus put it this way, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man [the Light] coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30).”

How fascinating that God put in place a demonstration of the victorious truth of this spiritual warfare. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).” No matter how dark the night on this pilgrimage, the dawn’s light of day effortlessly comes and consumes the darkness.

Truly, this generation, is witness to darkness, but praise be to God, just as surely as the dawn comes after the darkness of night, we know that the Light ‘cometh’ and conquers the darkness of this world.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1

  That’s Today’s’ Single Focus…

GOOD NEWS!

DJ Martin (SingleFocus Ministry®)

Good News AngelIn a time when the ungodly, claiming to be deity, was in power and ruled and demanded that all the people leave their jobs and travel to their homeland by foot or donkey or wagon or camel to pay unjust taxes (Luke 2:1); Mary and Joseph arrived in the city of David, Bethlehem, which was so overflowed with people that they could not find a place to stay. All the inns (hotels/motels) were full.  Mary, being pregnant, was ready to deliver and they had to find some place. They had to stay in the stables or barn. So here they were in a smelly barn with hay as the pillow and having to deliver the baby where the animals were kept.  Joseph was a small business owner who worked as a carpenter.  Mary took care of the house.  But because of the tax law, they had to lay her new-born baby in a manger (Luke 2:7); from which the animals ate their food. There was no time to get to a hospital or a midwife. It was just Joseph and Mary, then the baby which they wrapped in swaddling clothes.  In the same city, but in the fields, were poor shepherds watching their flock. These were men of meager means, who had to work nights and a stone or a sheep or the ground was their pillow. They kept warm by a fire in the field; night watchmen if you will. A pregnant woman who has to deliver her child in a stable in an overcrowded city; a hardworking man has to use his earnings to travel from his home to pay the Roman Government part of his wages as an unjust tax; poor shepherds in a field who have to sleep on the ground; and as they are there in the field, the sky breaks and the shepherds see angels filling the sky making a joyful noise saying to them; “Good News…!” “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings (news) of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11 (KJV).”

Truly these were people who needed Good News, and so do we.  Thank God for ‘Christmas Celebration’ for it is a reminder that in spite of the difficulties in our lives, Immanuel: God is with us! A Savior was born and is and will always be.

We in the twenty-first century live in a nation where obviously the ungodly rule (champions of infanticide; burdensome and unjust taxes; champions of perversion; etc.).  Streets are littered with homeless people, joblessness is skyrocketing; government powers and judges are trampling on Christian religious Freedoms; adultery and divorce is epidemic; diseases from promiscuity and drug abuse is epidemic among the young; Corporations are closing and/or fleeing from a nation with unjust regulations and the highest corporate tax rate in the world; parents are burying their children; poverty is growing so that even the food banks are hungry. Unusual disaster has people still trying to find a place to stay. It’s hard to be in a celebratory mood these days. For some, it is a time of mourning and memories of grief gone by.  For many, it’s a time of uncertainty: bills are due and the company you worked over twenty years for has just announced Bankruptcy and closing of its doors.  It has not been good times for the majority of us. It seems like an odd time to announce Good News, but actually it is the best time!  We need some Good News!  Christ our Savior is born!  Though oppressed, He can make you free even when you work for a hard taskmaster…; even when your government oppresses you with unrighteous laws and regulations. Though depressed, Christ can give you joy in the midst of sorrow. Though weak, Christ can give you victory when everyone around you is defeated. Though broken-hearted, He can mend your broken heart. Trust Him! Though hungry, He will not forsake the hungry nor will His seed beg for bread. Christ will provide!  Though unemployed, Christ will open doors so that you can start your own business. Listen, I’ve been hungry, without a place to stay and jobless and couldn’t pay my bills. But in the midst of those times, ‘Good News’ was always in the mix. He was always providing when it looked like there was no provision. Christ, the Savior, always saw that I had food to eat and a place to sleep. He provided transportation and gave me favor and provided a job.  Even in the bad times, watch Christ work in your life. He is providing ‘Good News’ every day in every situation.

I know that for the majority of us, there doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate, but let’s celebrate anticipation of ‘Good News’! Christ the Savior was Born and He sits on the right hand of God making petition to God, our Father, on our behalf. Start looking for His hand of grace and mercy. You will start seeing how He’s providing and comforting. You will see Him use the unlikely to take care of you. Notice that the angels did not announce His birth to the rich and famous. The kings and the rulers didn’t know He was born until He had long left Bethlehem.  It was the poor and oppressed, it was the lowly that needed ‘Good News’!

Christmas is about the physical birth of Jesus Christ. It’s also about the spiritual birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts. Christmas is also about “Good News” to those who need a Savior, a provider, a friend, a healer, a deliverer, hope and peace giver, a mender of broken hearts, protector, etc. Christ is all that you need!

“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”       Luke 4:18-19

Good News! Christ the Savior is born and will ever reign!

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).     Isaiah 7:14

That’s Todays’ Single Focus…

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