Arise and shine
Isaiah 60:1 KJV “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
“Arise and shine” are two things that the Lord has been speaking to me heavily in this season, not just for me, but for the whole Body of Christ. When we rise and take our positions, so does the glory of God in the earth, and God wants to be glorified like never before throughout all the nations on earth. The truth is, he is already being glorified in this new way; revival has begun. However, God raises people so that he will be raised and exalted through them, that he would bring all men to Him. In John 12:32, Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” When God is glorified, he will bring people to Himself; this is a promise. So if we want to see people coming to Christ, Lift God Up. If we want to witness God's presence manifest in the church in such a mighty way, lift Him up if we want to see revival take place in our personal lives and families, lift God up, if we want to see revival in all nations, then lift God. The problem is that we have become our own idols, desiring the glory of God not for Him but so that we can be seen by people ourselves. This is why allowing the Lord to purge us and deal with our hearts is so important.
What does it mean to “arise”?
Well, according to the Hebrew Concordance, the word Arise translates to the word Qum which means to arise, become powerful, to stand, come on the scene, to maintain oneself, to be established, be confirmed, to stand, endure, fixed, valid, proven, fulfilled, to persist, to be set, be fixed, to fulfill, to build, to erect, set, station, rouse, stir up, investigate, to carry out, give affect to, to be raised, constitute.
What does it mean to “lift”?
This word translates to the Greek word Hypsoo, which means to lift up on high, exalt, to raise to the very summit of opulence and prosperity, to raise to dignity, honour, and happiness.
The point is, when we decide to arise when God tells us to, we also exalt Jesus.
When Jesus is exalted, he becomes bigger than any circumstance we face, and simultaneously, he casts down rightful judgment on the things that seemed too much for us so that we can be free from them and sit at a place of dominion with Him. We see this in the story of the woman who was caught in adultery in John chapter 8, verses 1-12. Jesus was sitting on the ground when the woman’s accuser came to cast judgment on her, but the Bible says in verse 7 that he raised himself. “So when they continued asking him, he lifted himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” In this moment, when Jesus had raised himself, he also exalted himself above what they were presenting to him. When it became exalted over the situation that had occurred, and through that the woman was released from the bondage of both her sin and the accusations, and then released into the freedom that she has in the identity of Jesus Christ, the Savior.
When God says to arise, it means to rise and take your rightful position in the earth.
Arise from that pit of shame, despair, depression, and sin.
Arise from your past and past mistakes.
Arise from hiding and shine what God has given you.
Stop playing small and stop playing dumb because you're scared to be seen by men when you have something that will shift the nation(s), the earth, and even generations to come. We need what’s inside of you. Just think about every great person that has come upon the earth, what if they didn’t make that decision to step out on the things God placed inside of them? What inventions, sermons, businesses, and music we wouldn’t have that would glorify God? You may think, “Well, someone else has already done it”, but this is false. No one else has already done it like how God gave it to you. When you enter the store, you see different chocolate brands, toilet brands, bread brands, makeup brands, and even clothing brands; however, everyone of them caters to a specific people who love their particular products. There is a target audience that God has assigned to your existence, and their lives are attached to your yes to the Lord’s calling for your life. If that is the case, how much more is your no impacting them when you are the fire that is supposed to spark the fire inside of them? We need you to rise.
When you arise, understand it is God who is raising you; it’s not something you can do by your own strength, nor by another person or group. God prepares a man before he trusts them when the rising of His glory, so it can only be done by His spirit and His timing, not prematurely. You want to make sure that your heart is always right when God is showing that He is getting ready to raise you because it is not about at all, it’s about the Glory of God, something he cares so much about and is very intentional with who he wants and how he want’s His going to be illuminated throughout the earth. Our hearts should never be that people see us when they see His power working through us, but that they see the King Jesus Christ and encounter Him as well. During this time, it is extremely important to stay in a place of complete surrender, killing what is not of God that is inside of you by asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. All insecurity, desires to be seen, desires to be liked by people, desires to have the glory of God so that you can prove others wrong, all shame, all pain, anger, and pride must be dealt with during these stages, so that the fruit and ways of God will be found in you.
There’s a light that shines when you arise.
God prepares us to rise up he will never lead us into something prematurely because he cares more about the heart of a person than the ministry they are called to birth. Whether you represent God in the church, government, or even the industries in the world, God does not just want to use you for your glory but to be intimate with his heart, which is the center of his glory. When we experience the glory of God, we also experience His goodness.
Also, If you would like to accept the love of God and His son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or even if you have backslidden and want to return to the Lord, here’s a prayer to guide you.
“ God almighty, I come before you to accept your love, to no longer reject you and what you have done for me. I choose to stop running from you and to finally stop rejecting myself of your love. Thank you for dying for me Lord Jesus, thank you for taking on my sins and shame. Thank you Lord that you became a curse for me so that I would no longer be bound by them but set free by your blood that was shed for me. Thank You for making yourself available to me, as friend, father, Lord, God, helper, comforter, savior, and all the good things I need in my life. Jesus I love you and ask you to help me keep loving you like how you want me to. I accept you completely as my Lord and savior, not what this world and demons have presented to me. Now I declare in the both spiritual and physical realm, that I not longer belong to Satan nor his Kingdom but according to Colossians 1:13, God has delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and has placed me in the Kingdom of light, where Jesus Christ is, I declare I belong to Jesus Christ and I now seat with Him In heavenly places. I rebuke all demonic retaliation in me making this decision and come into agreement with a sound mind in Jesus’ name. I repent, renounce, denounce, and divorce myself from all the sins I’ve committed (list what you can remember) and break the evil covenants associated with them, and I declare once again I am a part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray and seal this prayer in His blood, Amen.”
Hallelujah! Congratulations if you made this decision. I pray that you prevail in your walk in the Lord, that forces of darkness continue to fail concerning you, and that the forces of light continue to persevere and propel you in the name of Jesus.
And if you have not yet, get yourself a Bible. Please, it’s a lot of ghetto foolishness concerning Christianity and religion. The Bible is the only way to protect you from it and will show you how to be a Christian and have a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
