Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s the first morning in a while that the fog hasn’t been lingering on the fields at sunrise and today it is crystal clear in every direction. The frost has finally covered the fields and everything around the farm is beginning to change for the winter. I know God didn’t clear the fields of fog just for me to have a better view this morning, but He DID clear the way for me to have a better view of my Heart…and I’m grateful for both. There are Seasons for everything in life…including fog and Joy, and sometimes when the seasons change, we need to work a little harder to adjust. But just the same as God can clear the fields of fog, He can help us turn those difficult corners in the Journey of Life too as long as we keep searching for a crystal clear View of Him all the days of our lives. What a beautiful reminder straight from the Throne of a Mighty God this morning and it all began with a clear field.

There’s no shame when you find yourself fighting through the fog in the Journey of Life – the “shame” is denying you do. I’m known to share my Battles with the world because I Know my Life (and yours) is a Testimony of the Power of the Creator of Life for all the world to see. Once in a while, someone will reach out to say “I can’t believe YOU struggle like that if you’re a Christian” as if “good” Christians walk around like God’s Stepford Army immune to sorrow and oblivious to life. David cried out plenty of times – in Psalm 6 David says -“I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears” – that’s enough to make anybody cry! David wasn’t licking his wounds and feeling sorry for himself no more than I am…but David was in agony over the state of the world around him and I am too. When we fight through the fog, it isn’t a sign of weakness at all – it’s a Journey to Endure, and it’s where our Strength is found…as long as we don’t deny our “weakness” and we go to the Lifter of the Fog for the Journey. That’s what Humility looks like.

The world is dark and it’s getting darker by the minute…just the way the Bible says it will be. There’s not much we can do about how the End plays out because God has already Ordained the days – but we have a LOT we can do about what the End will look like for all the ones caught up in the fog when it arrives. It’s so sad to see so many lost in the fog! The suicide rate is up – homicides are off the chart – almost every day we hear of innocent children being abused or murdered by a parent. There is a drug “epidemic” and overdoes have become almost commonplace in this broken world. If we don’t Understand HOW we are to live out this Journey of Life in the dark world, it IS impossible to endure. What so many don’t seem to know is that we have a War Manual that tells us step-by-step what it takes to see Victory in every Battle, and we have a Battle Cry that the dark world needs to Hear. This is what Sharing Hope looks like.

Far too many people are hiding their feelings or the trials they think got them there in the first place – a sure sign of pride or shame. Some are lost in the shuffle and they never slow down – a sure sign of too many distractions and not enough Focus on Hope. And some prefer to be in the fog as they entertain the dark places by giving the circumstances all their time and attention. As for me, I’m like David… I’m not ashamed to cry out to the Source of Hope and in agony over this dark world and all the lost people in it…ESPECIALLY knowing that the Time is drawing near. The pain of the trials I endure in my own life doesn’t hold a candle to the Pain I feel for all those lost in the fog…the ones too ashamed or too prideful to speak up…the ones that don’t know the way to Hope! That’s what Christlike Love looks like.

I’ve hovered in the fog plenty of times in my Life but the Author and Perfecter of my Faith cleared the way every single time. Just like David before me, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song of praise on my lips” AND just like David…I was Restored with a new song of praise on my lips too! All it took was a Heart desperate for Him and the kind of Humility it takes to cry out to the Living God. He’s my Rock. He’s my Strength. He’s my Fortress. He’s my Deliverer. He’s all I ever really need. This is what Surrender looks like.

I’m a force to reckon with in a very dark world so I’ve got LOTS of work to do in His Name. Seeing things with Crystal Clear Vision is imperative to win the War. If I struggle from time to time it doesn’t mean I’m a weak Warrior…it means I am a Strong Warrior with a Heart that breaks for the ones in the fog. Through it all I Know that “He’s my glory and the lifter of my head” and I know that I am “the apple of His eye.” He’s Jehovah Shammah…He’s always there…He’s the Bright Morning Star…ready to Light the way…He’s the Prince of Peace…ready to calm any storm…He’s the Living God…the same yesterday, today, and forevermore…He’s a Wonderful Counselor…ready to listen 24/7…He’s the Author and Perfecter of Faith…He’s where Hope is found. He’s my EVERYTHING…rain or shine…fog or clear fields, and I want the WHOLE WORLD to know Him as I do. That’s what the Great Commission looks like!

How about you?