Greetings Lighthouse Inc., Church Family,

Please see the article below.  This is very important especially in relation to the message that God gave today for the Am Service – “Anxiety”

In Christ,

Pastor/Evangelist Barbara Lynch

You Are Taking Ground! Greater Victories Are in Store
by Angie Stolba

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV)

As I was seeking the Lord recently, I felt He was saying that many have been experiencing an onslaught of anxiety, stress, and foreboding in the Body of Christ. Some have even been feeling the stress manifest in physical areas of their bodies through tension and pain. The enemy has attempted to bring doubt and confusion in the midst of the swirling that you have been going through. Doubt has even tried to make you question if you have missed God and His will and calling for you. These are lies of the enemy!

In reality, you are taking much ground and gaining a greater level of freedom. The enemy is terrified of this, so he is seeking to buffet you and get you to question the victory you have already won. Know that even greater victories are in store! Stay the course. Refuse to be dismayed. Be encouraged that the warfare and anxiety that have attempted to knock you off course will fail! Peace is your portion!

Fear not! Continue to resist the enemy and stand firm. Guard the peace and the victory that is yours. You are breaking new ground, and no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper. Every lying tongue raised up against you the Lord will refute!

“‘[N]o weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17 NIV)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

How to Protect Your Peace in the Age of Information
by Jeff Stolba

Information…more specifically, the age of information… Speedy access to answers of our curious passing thoughts, all the way to major events in faraway places, are now at our fingertips. It doesn’t stop there. With this access comes an insatiable addiction to click and scroll…sometimes for hours on end. Before we know it, we have seen and read of things that we may not have expected to encounter. We ponder them; we replay the content and images again and again, without actively capturing those thoughts and putting them into submission under the authority of Christ. We write them off as any other thoughts or pieces of information. They are dismissed, but the seed has been sown and the trap has been set. At the end of the day, we feel a level of anxiety, stress, and foreboding that has taken root. Sound familiar?

The Age of Information should actually be relabeled as “The Age of Information and Disinformation.” However you decide to address it, there are a few things about it that are certain: 1) it is truly screaming for your time and attention; 2) it is truly addicting; 3) many studies have confirmed that anxiety, stress, foreboding, depression, and suicide are at an all-time high, and are directly related to the amount of time spent on clicking and scrolling—especially among the younger generations. Again, sound familiar? Keep reading!

Soul and Body Working Together

The human mind and the human brain are two separate entities, yet they work together simultaneously. They are like air and car tires…both are necessary to perform. The two together have this unique ability to wipe away and erase the events of the day after a good night of sleep. This is the soul and body working together. Now, let’s add to this from the spiritual side.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV)

The Lord’s mercy and compassion are new every morning (spirit), the mind wipes away most information and events of the prior day (soul), and the brain and body are refreshed after a good night of sleep (body). Let’s keep going!

Many studies have shown and proven that how you spend your first hour of the day will likely be the compass and rudder for the rest of your day. Isn’t that interesting? How many stories can you find in the Bible where someone rose up early in the morning to seek the Lord? There are many. Even Jesus did this on several occasions, where He rose early to seek the will of His Father. If there is new grace in the morning, when the mind has been properly cleansed and the body is refreshed, then this is truly the most crucial and important time of day. This is the time to dedicate the day to the Lord, seek His will and protect the grace given to you for the day.

Put on the Full Armor of God

Each day is full of temptations. Having taken the time to properly suit up in your spiritual armor will protect your peace and help keep anxiety at bay.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)