â Today's Promise: "In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, âLet there be light!â So there was light. " Genesis 1:1-3
 Words of Encouragement
Dear brother,
Weâre certainly living in times of darkness. Everywhere I look there is unprecedented anxiety. It feels like the light has gone out on the economy, society, the church, difficult challenges and marriage circumstances face you.
But let me encourage you, into the darkness the light is going to shine. Dear brother let me assure you that the Lord is with you if you are following Him. He is light and whatâs that in the face of the darkness? Vanquished! Therefore, donât be afraid, do not listen to situations about the darkness and how God lost control over it. Many good things happen in the darkness because the Lord owns it and has control over it. He uses it to birth new things in us. See how the Lord hovers over the darkness:
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, âLet there be light!â So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light day, and the darkness he named night. There was evening, then morningâthe first day.
2 Samuel 22:10-12
He spread apart the heavens and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
 He rode on one of the angels as he flew, and he soared on the wings of the wind.
He surrounded himself with darkness. He made the dark rain clouds his covering.
 Psalm 97
 The Lord rules as king. Let the earth rejoice. Let all the islands be joyful.
 Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. Fire spreads ahead of him. It burns his enemies who surround him. His flashes of lightning light up the world. The earth sees them and trembles. The mountains melt like wax in the presence of the Lord, in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Exodus 20:21
The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where God was.
I realise you may be fighting depression, loss of direction, fear, confusion, presence of evil, despair, hopelessness because the darkness has many things in it. Do not allow the darkness to change you for the worse, do not let these things that are in the darkness define you. No! You are there to take mastery over them by the strength of the Lord! See how he has control over the darkness in the verses above?
It is my testimony that the Lord will never let you be overcome by the darkness, the Lord is birthing something new in your life in the darkness. Sometimes it looks like itâs all over but the light can never be overcome, defeated, overpowered, mastered, stopped, or taken hostage. The light cannot be overwhelmed or used up. You may be knocked down but not knocked out! We may bend but we do not break.
The book I am reading divides the darkness into four phases, 6 PM p.m. to 9 PM when the lights are going out (darkness taking hold); 9 PM p.m. to 12 PM darkness asserts itself and this is when the fight starts â they came for Jesus at this time. The next phase is 12 PM p.m. to 3 AM is pitch dark and the ultimate trial time (Peter denied Jesus at this time). The last phase is 3 AM to 6 AM when the cock crows, Jesus rises from the tomb and light is coming.
You may be in any of these phases, the lights are slowly going out, the darkness asserts itself, the darkness remains itself, and then the light comes! Do not fret. Allow the Lord to show you mastery of the darkness by remaining in obedience.
~ Tad RESTORED in Australia
If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to read my testimony and then my wife's encouragement.