Destiny – Karen Austin

Time marks the realm of man. Eternity marks the realm of God. We are always in a state of transition, ever changing, ever growing. Your destiny is not far away in your future. You are living in the present, which includes your past, as you are entering your future. You see glimpses of your future, even as you live in the present, and have stones of remembrance from your past. Can you look back and see where your past has thrust you to where you are now? Are there places in your life that seemed impassable, but you overcame which placed you in an area where you may never have dared otherwise?

Our lives may look like a patchwork. But as we trust Him, the Father will take every part of our lives and sow them together to make something beautiful. He desires to redeem every pain and every failure and turn them into our greatest testimonies. His design for our lives are originals and are so very precious to Him.

His timetable is not like ours. Forty years is not a long time to Him. We are the ones with a microwave mentality. We call it delay. He calls it perfect timing. We call it slow. He calls it just right. Your journey will last your lifetime. There is always something going on in the spiritual realm. We do not always see this in the natural. This is a faith journey. If we try to make it happen in our own strength and in our timing, our dreams may suffer.

When we allow others to squelch our dreams or determine what we can do, it is like a slow poisoning, We are not being who we are created to be. No one benefits from this. We are not being who we were created to be. The measuring rod for our life is God’s Word and His intent for our lives…not anyone else. If we really knew how much our Father loves us, our lives would be dramatically different. We would know who we are and what our purpose is. This is why He desires for us to spend time with Him, so He may tell us who we really are.

God once told Jill Austin, “Your dreams are like a cup of water, but My dreams for you are like the vastness of an ocean.”

These are the days of dreams and destinies coming to pass. God wants to partner with you in your dream. He gives you the ability to imagine, to create, and then He speaks with gentle whispers in His still small voice – all the while teaching you to trust His perfect timing.

Jesus is calling you to come forth, to take off the grave clothes as He did Lazarus. He is saying to put on your running shoes. It is time for the adventure to begin. This is the hour for the adventurous and not the faint of heart. Come and run with your Heavenly Daddy.

Psalm 20:4 “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.”

Walk as Children of the Light (Conclusion) – Karen Austin

Approximately fifteen years ago while in prayer, I got a deep sense that something regarding “light” was going to be significant in the days to come. I had no further revelation, just a knowing. I am now just beginning to receive a bit of revelation on the subject and am seeing others begin to teach on the subject of light.

In the natural sense, light therapy is beginning to be used as a healing therapy, which I find very interesting! They even have created “Happy Lights” that “mimic sunlight to enhance mood, energy, sleep and focus”. This is a created light, but the light I want to focus on is our Creator’s light.

The first thing that God did in creation was to release light. “…Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light.” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.…” Genesis 1:2-4

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His light was released to us. “…to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:18

His light is continually being shed upon us as we read His Word and spend time in prayer. His light reveals darkness in us just as when Isaiah saw the glory of God. Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5. When His light shines, revelation comes.

I truly believe in answer to our many times of intercession and tears, He is answering our prayers. It may not look like we thought it would, but He is doing just what we have been crying out for. We may wish we didn’t have to see the things that are being exposed, but they have existed for a long time, even if we didn’t want to acknowledge them. His light is shining exposing corruption in nations. His light is exposing the plans of evil to destroy and to silence the church. His light is also exposing wrong motives, jealousy, selfishness, pride and other works of the flesh in the church. The church is to be building His Kingdom, not our own Kingdoms. He is coming back for a spotless Bride and will have no less!

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:8-13

His brilliant light has been shining in our hearts, especially during this time of being shut-in, to expose bondage in our lives and reveal things we didn’t know even existed in our hearts. My prayer is that His Bride is allowing Him to expose darkness in us so we will shine even more brightly for Him. He promises to give us light. If we make a determined choice to remain in the light, we will become more like Him every day.

If you haven’t noticed, the world has not been running to our doors. Honestly, in many instances, the church has not looked much different from the world. The one thing that will set us apart is holiness. Holiness and purity. Not holiness as an outward adornment, but an inward beauty. Jesus was raised from the dead “with power, according to the spirit of holiness” Romans 1:4. The resurrection power of God is from true holiness. “For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

The world has yet to see this Bride coming out of these times of wilderness shining with the light of Jesus, clothed with the garments of holiness and resurrection power. Now is the time for this mighty army to arise because this is the hour that the world will need us the most. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isaiah 60:3

Jesus is still saying to us today, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” It is time, Bride of Christ, to allow His purifying light to search our hearts to see if there is any evil way that we may be made clean and pure to shine forth His glorious light in the days that lie ahead. I ask, by the power of Holy Spirit, that I do not allow my flesh to dim my light.

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” … You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.

Walk as Children of the Light (Part 1) – Karen Austin

What I desire to do today is to give you an overview regarding light. I want to then focus on the light of Jesus and how it relates to what I sense He is doing in this hour.

”And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:13-17 ESV

In this scripture we see the first place Jesus ministered, after being tempted in the wilderness, was in the land of Zebulun. This fulfilled prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah many years prior. This was a place that people were dwelling in darkness and there was a shadow of death over them. Sounds familiar also to our days. Zebulun was one of the twelve tribes of Israel who failed to drive out the Canaanites as commanded. Much like us, at times we have chosen to go on our own path rather than the path the Lord set before us. As we see, even in this example, when we turn back because of our love for God and His love for us, He draws us back to His desired path.

What I want to emphasize today was a great light dawned upon them. This is actually what is meant in Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.” Light always overwhelms darkness. A picture of this we have in the natural is daybreak. The sun rises in the East and releases light that dispels the darkness of night.

Matthew 24:27 “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”Some characteristics of lightning is brilliance, speed, cloud. The feature of lightning that stands out the most is its brilliance or brightness. This is a parabolic meaning of light in Scripture and a picture of Jesus’ soon return as His brilliant light will be seen by all.