“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt 5:14)
The Flashing Light
It was a Friday night in February 2020, and I paused work on the blog. I’d been aiming to publish a new post that evening, but the labor had become exhausting.
So, I stopped to pray, and found myself in a vision.
I was standing in the living room of a beach house, looking out of the window.
It was night, and I could see a flashing light, on the distant shore.
In my mind’s eye, I was back in Portarlington, on the Bellarine Peninsula, where I’d stayed for a prayer retreat a few weeks earlier.
“Put it on Airplane Mode”
For the first three nights I’d been there, I assumed the light was from a lighthouse—as there are a number of lighthouses in the area.
But on the fourth evening, when my husband Malcolm joined me, he brought binoculars with him.
Then, as I looked through those binoculars, I realized that the flashing light was not a lighthouse. It was an airfield beacon, set there to guide planes in to the landing strip.
I was looking across at the Avalon Airport!
I felt Holy Spirit’s familiar presence.
“Put it on airplane mode”, He said.
Go offline. Take time to rest.
“I am Your Pace-Maker”
Perhaps today, you need to hear the words Jesus spoke to me that night:
“Beloved, I am your Timekeeper! I hold your time in My hands.” (Ps 31:15)
He says, “Let Me be your Pace-Maker.
In My time zone, there is no pressure, as you know it on earth.
There is no hurry. I am your grace and empowerment.”
A flashing light can indicate a warning. And sometimes, we just need to need to take a break.
In life and in ministry, there are times we need to go offline.
But there is another type of rest we need to pay attention to.
Let Your Light Shine!
Your purpose, like mine, is unique.
You may be a lighthouse—be an anointed lighthouse! But if you are like the airfield beacon, be what your Father has created you to be!
And this also speaks to prophetic ministry.
The lighthouse shines a light on the problem—dangerous waters.
The beacon shines a light on the promise—the landing strip.
The lighthouse declares, “Don’t go this way!”
The beacon declares, “Come this way!”
The lighthouse warns, “There is danger here!”
The beacon welcomes, indicating “Your place of rest is here!”
Both are critical to navigation!
But their purpose is different; contrasting.
The Distinctive Nature of Your Anointing
You may relate more to being:
- An encourager or an exhorter
- One who comforts, or one who calls to war
- Someone who welcomes, or someone who warns
Or even both at times!
Both types of ministry are essential in the Kingdom.
So, let your light shine and honor the way God has created you to be.
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:10, NKJV)
As you are true to your DNA—the “Distinctive Nature of your Anointing”—God’s glory will shine out from you.
A Kingdom Mindset
“But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.” (1 Cor 14:3, NLT)
Yes, I do relate more to being a “beacon” (and am both at times).
But I am learning to be grateful to God for the lighthouse leaders He has paced around me.
They are an essential part of my life and ministry—and without them, I’m incomplete.
We need each other!
- Without the insights of the beacon ministry, someone with a lighthouse ministry could become focused on performance—being primarily about “do’s and don’ts”
- Without the perspective of the lighthouse ministry, someone with a beacon ministry could lean towards being permissive—lenient towards sin
It takes security in our gifts, along with a Kingdom mindset, to celebrate and embrace those whose ministries are different to ours.
So, if you have been struggling with weariness, insecurity, or with the style of others’ ministries, receive fresh insight to your heart today.
Perhaps your Father has some new “binoculars” for you; the ability to see your circumstances from Heaven’s viewpoint.
Hear Him say,
“Lean into Me. Draw breath from Me and be at rest concerning the way I have created you to be.
And know this:
“You are the light of the world.”
Leave a Comment
Which do you most relate to – the airfield beacon, or the lighthouse? I’d love to hear from you, so scroll down to share your thoughts in the comments box below.
Related Posts:
11 Types of Prophetic Ministry: Which do You Relate to?
Pattern and Presence, Apostolic and Prophetic (Why Both are Important)
Prophecy, Repentance and the Coming Move of God
A Glimpse into My World
Since the prayer time I’ve recorded above, I have recognized more readily when it is not wise to complete a blog post in a week.
Sometimes, it’s because I have other ministry—speaking engagements—requiring my time.
I may be taking a special break or have family commitments.
Often, a blog post requires extra research. For example, last week’s post, “9 Lessons on Angels” was the result of many days’ thought, prayer and study.
So—as I’m in my 12th year of blogging, the blog has gained a little more fluidity!
And while I could send out excerpts from past posts, smaller devotions, etc., and keep a strict weekly schedule, the Holy Spirit’s anointing is not in that for me.
(For now, that is).
Now, what does this mean for my readers?
I’m still aiming to produce 3 posts in a month, but sometimes the days of the week I send them will vary.
The Enliven Prophetic School (Video e-Course)
When our starting point is to see ourselves and others as valuable, we have a prophetic mindset.
This empowers us to speak life, even when we are identifying and ministering into that which needs adjusting!
If you would like to grow and sharpen in your prophetic gift, I warmly invite you to join me at the Enliven Prophetic School.
The Enliven Prophetic School includes the following classes:
- How to get closer to God and hear His voice
- The basics of the discernment gift
- Keys to growth in the seer gift, prophetic pictures and visions
- Find out how to receive and process prophetic warnings from the Holy Spirit
- Prophecy, foundations, prophetic guidance and more
You can view and sign up to my self-paced video lecture series in the Enliven Prophetic School here. Choose between a small monthly subscription, or a one-off payment with no expiry date.
© 2021 Helen Calder, Enliven Blog
Enliven Ministries: In the David McCracken Ministries family
Hello Jim Bowline here I am both, yet I have morning time with God everyday. I am a morning trader. I give Him all I have, a living sacrifice. I tell Him what is on my mind and what I think I need… Then He speaks to me… giving me what He has for me. Giving me insights and marching orders. Then He blesses me… I end in speaking in tongues…
Then all day long I have a continuous, constant relationship with Him. I cowboy up with Jesus. My wife Janet does the same.
This sounds truly wonderful, Jim. I pray God’s blessing on you both and may you spill over to touch many
Praise king Jesus, Helen.
I bless the Lord for the timely message God uses you to share
I’m more of a light house person though the holy spirit allows me to move as a beacon depending on the situation or season and creates the environment to flow as a beacon, Jesus is teaching me to follow his lead in all that he wants me to do.
God bless you Woman of God
I love the unique workings of the Holy Spirit through His gifted people. God bless you Tracy in your gifts and ministry
Praise the Lord! He is worthy to be praised!
Thank you for this timely message. I’m currently in transition to move to a new church to be with my children who are attending there. Leaving my church of 15 years isn’t easy. Prayer ministry, local and overseas missions have been a huge part of my life. I’m in my senior years of life and am open to God for my next step. It takes courage and trust in God.
Your posts always encourage and refresh me.
A light or beacon? I think I’m a bit of both.
God bless you!
Salome
Hi Salome, those are huge life changes! It helps to know our Father has gone the way before us. He is so gracious and loving. (Psalm 23)
He has an anointed future and a hope for you!
Hi Helen, I have aways known by the grace of the Holy spirit, that I am a lighthouse, but for many months I’ve been praying to be Beacon. Your emails, and courses have been a revelation to me, for now I fully understand my designation. I never fully understood ministry till now. I can not thank you enough. Blessing just keep raining down on thank you for knowing me, understand me, championing be and understanding you could be me. GOD BLESS YOU.
Thank you for the message Helen, your messages always come on time when I am at my lowest, I thank the Lord for your life, May the good Lord continue to take you to greater heights.
Hi Hellen!
Thanks for this insightful post! As a blogger this reseonates with me. I often had days of a standstill with my website and i used to push and accomplish nothing. Now I see it’s God’s way of making me rest and trusting in Him to do the work. I feel like a lighthouse, I feel it is part of my calling to warn women about the pitfalls of not knowing your worth in Jesus, but I also love to encourage people of their value in God. So perhaps I’m a beacon as well! This really gives me perspective so that I can make sure my message is balanced. Avoid XYZ, but run to The Father!
Hi Kristi, it’s exciting to hear about your blog! I pray you continue to overflow with inspiration as you write on a topic that is so needed.
Yes, “run to the Father”. I love that
Loved this article, Helen. Again very helpful in learning and encouraging to hear/read. This entry with the lighthouse/air strip light reminded me that I think that the theme of lights and them going on or being bright is a thing God is speaking to people in the Body of Christ, not just here. This past January the street light across the street from our house went out and I had to call the light company 4-5 times since then to to get the light back on. They’d send us emails telling us that the work was done, that they sent someone out to fix it, but we knew they did not because the light never turned on at night! So I called them and asked them to send me a text when they were LITERALLY outside fixing it so I could SEE the proof that they were here and that the work was done. They did this last week and we’ve had light again! Praise God! The light not only shines on the street but lights up our yard and the front of our home. I was telling a friend of mine about it, because that day and following God’s just been blessing and blessing us tangibly in the natural it’s amazing (!), and she said that the light going on now was a sign from God. A light in the darkness. And from reading things that God has been telling other believers I think that it’s all a tied together. I believe God is saying that it’s time. “For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” – Isaiah 60:2-3
Hi Staci, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in some amazing metaphors and parables through our circumstances, and you have the “eyes to see and ears to hear”.
I love that! Was just thinking again of how God told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and spoke to him there.
Yes He does doesn’t he? This was just one of many signs in the natural that God has put out over my lifetime. And it’s exciting when it happens in the natural. I hope that there will be more and more often and for the Body of Christ as well. Moments like that are like water after a long drought on some level. Praise God!
Thank you sister Helen, for all of your encouraging words. May God Continue to bless you and your family.
Thank you, Nadera
“Beloved, I am your Timekeeper! I hold your time in My hands.” (Ps 31:15)
I was praying in my quiet time this morning. I have been stripped.. completely.. health, home, job, vehicle even my social world as I was hacked. I live outback with my elderly parents now and can’t even go to church. I am housebound and only head out to go to doctors. This is very different to my workaholic adventurous charitable volunteer lifestyle I had 2 years ago. I left my last location to follow where God would lead, to travel Australia with my work and find a location that I can minister to the community and they to me. Be a lighthouse and a beacon. I would love to have a house that was designed to be a rest to the weary, where I can minister to and provide..I love cooking and being hospitable.
Instead I can’t eat myself, I am down to eating protein only as my body rejects food, I am weary of this life and I know God doesn’t want this to be me. So I pray like the persistent widow. I can’t understand how God isn’t helping me at this time. There is Godly work to do out there. Then your email dinged with the verse “Beloved, I am your Timekeeper! I hold your time in My hands.” (Ps 31:15).
Oh God… please help me to be patient…I thought I had being patient as one of my top 10 attributes as I had a very frustrating job that taught me to chill and trust in Him and I was. My life has turned upside down I am more the light under the water in pools than a beacon or a lighthouse..I am drowning. But every day I thank God that at least I have a roof over my head. I have to trust God has a better walk for me SOON.
Thank you for your timely message. As usual. You may not be giving us weekly emails but God knows when we need one to speak to us as yours popped up as I was praying and crying to God to help me
Oh Kerri, I’m very sorry to hear that! I pray that His Divine health infuses every part of your body and repairs your immune system, bringing a reversal to every condition that has robbed you of energy and health, in Jesus’ Name.
You are certainly a light! You have always shone out and been a testimony of His grace and this is no less a time.
I’m glad the blog was timely for you and agree, your time is in His hands, the miracle is unfolding. <3
I am a bit of both but primarily, I think, a lighthouse. Just lately I have been having difficulty with a dear man in my church who keeps “correcting “ what I say. He will propose almost exactly the opposite. It has hurt and undermined me ( or perhaps, I have ALLOWED it to hurt and undermine me) and made me question my prophetic gifting. But you have made me realise that he is a beacon and does not understand that I am a lighthouse. We are both necessary and “right” in our own ways. This has been such a help to me. I feel I can regain my equilibrium and take courage again. I will seek to find the right time to broach the metaphor with him and heal up this damaging situation. Thank you so very much for this insight, Helen.
Hello Joy, oh I can relate to exactly this tension! This has been a healing insight to me.
I pray that you are strengthened in your confidence and in the unique anointing on your life, and that the beacon ministry of the Holy Spirit will also touch you. May the relationships be strengthened in the grace of God.
Wow, Helen, we have lift-off! The other evening, while on a Zoom prayer meeting, I brought a word from the Lord and my “difficult” colleague prayed blessing over me and honoured me as speaking from the Lord. I later txted him to thank him for the affirmation and had a lovely reply. I then took courage and said I thought I’m mostly a lighthouse as opposed to a beacon. So I think my greater understanding and letting go of the hurt has enabled a reconciliation. Without your wisdom that would not have happened. Thank you so much. All glory to God! Joy