Life Around "The Fire"
This podcast is dedicated to those wanting to experience a living and real relationship with God as well as growing together in love for one another. We consider that to be a true sign of spiritual growth as we journey along The Way. If this is you then come along with us as we co-operate with God in what He is doing around the corner and around the world!
Life Around "The Fire"
When You Wake Up And God Lifts Up Your Perspective: A 4:30 AM Encounter
Ever found yourself wide awake at 4:30 AM, mind racing with problems that seem unsolvable? That's exactly where I found myself recently—depressed, worried, and unable to find rest as my thoughts spiraled around a situation that felt increasingly hopeless.
What happened next changed everything. Rather than continuing to toss and turn, I got up and had a heart-to-heart conversation with God. Not a formal prayer, but an honest relationship moment where I simply admitted, "I am depressed and I just really need your help." His response was immediate and transformative: "You're looking at the wrong thing."
This episode explores the powerful shift that happens when we lift our gaze from immediate problems to a higher perspective. I share how God invited me to think on things that are "above"—pure, lovely, and truly worthwhile—not to ignore my concerns, but to place them in proper context. We discuss the profound difference between trying to control circumstances through our own efforts (which leads to a form of spiritual bondage) versus operating from being "seated with Christ in heavenly places."
The liberation that comes from this perspective shift is real and immediate. Depression lifts, clarity emerges, and we begin to see beyond our narrow focus to the broader purposes God has for us. If you're struggling with overwhelming thoughts, feeling stuck in negative patterns, or simply needing a fresh outlook on difficult circumstances, this message offers practical spiritual wisdom for rising above and allowing God's glory to transform your situation from the inside out.
Reach out to us at liferonthefire@gmail.com with your thoughts, questions, or to share how this message impacted you. We'd love to hear your story of perspective transformation!
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
You know, recently I woke up it was about 4.30 in the morning and I tried to go back to sleep, and I could not get back to sleep because I had some stuff on my mind. You know how it is when your mind just won't stop thinking, and what I was thinking about was depressing me. And what I was thinking about was depressing me. It was a problem that I was looking at and I was concerned about, and I couldn't find a solution to what was going on. And the more I looked at it, the more I got depressed. And so, instead of rolling around in bed, I got up and I asked God. I said, lord, I am depressed and I just really need your help.
Speaker 1:And one of the beautiful things about relationship with God is that it's a real relationship and we really talk relationship and we really talk. You can call it prayer, but really it's relationship, we talk. Now there are times where I petition things, there are times where I really do pray, right, but more often than not, my relationship with God is intimate and we talk. And I'm finding more often now than not I do more listening, which I used to do more talking. Now I do more listening. And so I just laid out my heart and I'm like, I'm depressed and can you help me? And he spoke to my heart so clearly. He said yes, it was David. You're looking at the wrong thing, you're focused on the wrong thing. You need to lift up your eyes and not be so fixated on that. That's not the only thing that you can think about. In fact, that's not the only thing I would have you to be thinking about. In fact, I want you to think on these things.
Speaker 1:And he started listing off some things that are much higher than that Kind of like being seated with Christ in heavenly places. There's a higher vantage point that comes with that, and God is calling us up to come on up so that his glory can come on down. It's something that he's been speaking to me over and over and over again to come on up. Come on up higher, look at things from a different angle. Don't look at things from the bottom up or things that are just right in front of you, but come on up and look at them from a higher angle. Top down, they look differently, and I'm telling you they do.
Speaker 1:But also, we can think on other things. We can think on things that are above things that are truly. They are more worthwhile, they're more beautiful, they're more lovely, they're pure. We can dwell on those things, we can still keep in mind our concerns, but they're not the only thing that we think about. And as simple as that sounds, sometimes it's a real challenge to actually do. But when we do, when we allow Holy Spirit to, who lives within us, for those of us who believe in Jesus, who've placed our faith, our confidence, in what he's accomplished on our behalf, when we are born again and we have his life in us, holy Spirit dwells within us, the Spirit of God. He can elevate us.
Speaker 1:If we try to do it on our own, we enter into certain things that are actually forbidden. It's the craft of control. It's known as witchcraft. It's actually rebellion. It's a rebellious way of living to do it on my own. I don't need you, god, I can do it on my own. I can control things on my own.
Speaker 1:And there is an element of truth to that lie. But there's far more lie within that. It's actually bondage to live that way and it's much lesser than what God intends. That's why he's opposed to things like that. It's not because God can't handle it, it's that he doesn't want us to settle for second best, and also it's an insult for us to turn to other things that are lesser than him.
Speaker 1:But back to the point, god enables us, he enabled me to rise up above the situation, and you know what took place. I'll tell you what took place. My attitude, my spirit lifted, the depression that I was feeling lifted, and I once again saw. That's not the only thing that I need to be concerned about. In fact, there's much more that God has in front of me, and it's on a higher level, and so I'm passing it on as a word of encouragement today to allow God to bring you higher, to come on up, let his glory, come on down and function from the place where you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and make decisions from that vantage point.
Speaker 1:Let's pray. Father, I thank you, I thank you, we thank you for who you are, for what you've done, for what you're doing and how you're doing it. Holy Spirit, I ask that you would transform us into the very likeness of Jesus, so we could think like him, walk like him, talk like him, live like him, walk in his ways. And Jesus, thank you for revealing the heart of the Father to us. Thank you for revealing the heart of the Father to us. We look to you, we call you Savior and Lord, king of Kings, lord of Lords, and we stand here in your name, the very name of Jesus Yeshua, and we say amen. So be it, amen, amen. All right folks, we love you and if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to look us up and type in liferonthefire at gmailcom. Send us a letter or, as I said, look us up on the web, just type in liferonthefire. We would love to hear from you In the meantime. God bless you. Adios amigos.