The Financial Markets are shaken and the Marketplace is going through challenges that vary from survival, downsizing and merges to seizing new opportunities. During such turmoil we seek answers, expecting to hear a promise of hope that things will change for the better.

This has not been the first financial crisis and it will certainly not be the last. We go through cycles of rising and falling money markets. We know them as the years of plenty and the years of famine.

As I fellowshipped with the Lord, discussing these seasons and how to go through them, He showed me the mental picture of our invisible spiritual Armour in the Marketplace! It consisted of a helmet, breastplate, two edged sword, and shoes of bronze.

Marketplace Application:

Helmet of Salvation:

Through salvation He brought us deliverance. He has not only given us salvation for eternal life but also for all the trails and adversity we face in every day life. It brings solutions to the problems we need to face today.

Wisdom starts by knowing and seeking God; He gives us thoughts and ideas that will prosper us during good times and through difficult times. It is through these thoughts that He gives us hope and direction.

He directs us through the years of plenty and the years of famine. During turbulent seasons, He provides the way out. Our decisions are based upon His direction and actions taken will produce the desired outcome.

Solutions, innovative ideas and vision all takes place in our thought processes. By wearing the Helmet of Salvation we submit to His direction and we are assured of an outcome that will prosper us through seasons of scarcity and abundance.

Breastplate of Righteousness:

The Breastplate of Righteousness represents our conduct. When we act righteously in all that we do -with integrity, uprightness, fairness, being trustworthy and honourable, the darts of the enemy will bounce off our breastplates.

Proverbs 13:6a Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

Deceptions, gossip, backstabbing and dishonest conduct; all these will not stand against righteousness. When any of these darts are fired against you from colleagues or business partners, they will bounce off and fall to the ground. Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without a cause shall not alight. Proverbs 26:2

Belt of Truth:

Truth is the raised standard against which all else is measured. No lie can stand against it. When you wear the belt of truth, you are protected against any chains that the enemy wants to use to bind you with or to keep you in captivity. 

John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make your free.”

We need to test all things against the standard of truth. Much of the financial turmoil in our day has taken place due to a lack of measurement against true financial principles.

Two edged Sword:

The Word of God is our two edged Sword. We have His written word in the Bible and His spoken word through the Holy Spirit. It is our double edged sword that cuts to the bone with wisdom, knowledge, insight, guidance, understanding and discernment.

Hebrew 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

When using this weapon wisely, we will be able to make decisions and take actions that will prosper us and not harm us in all business and career endeavours.

Shoes of Bronze:

“Shoes of bronze” I asked?

 ”You will be able to walk through the heat and move forward, your feet will not melt or faint in the face of opposition. You can stand your ground and walk forward with the solution.” He replied.

Do we not all need the ability to stand our ground and be the carriers of a solution needed in our market place? We need shoes of readiness that can take us through the rough terrains that we tread. God will not only give us the solution but He also provides us with the Armour to take the good news into our workplace.

Therefore Go!:

Equipped, armed and clothed with protection, we can walk forward through each challenge and opportunity to bring solutions and obtain victories!

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Is the Artist not greater than the picture he paints? Is the Architect not greater than the building he designs? Is the Writer not greater than her best selling novel?

That which we do or create, only reflects a part of which is within us and because it came out of us, we can continue to do amazing things. Just ponder for a moment - how much more is the sum of you and me than that which we do or create?

Living in Switzerland, in the Engelberg valley between the Alps, brings that acute awareness of God’s greatness and majesty, as He is infinitely greater than that which He has created.

We have so many hiking trails and my favourite hobby nowadays is to explore the mountains in awe of His creation. I discovered that there are lessons to be learned and I invite you to join me on my journey, as I share with you those insights I gained, starting at climbing my first mountain!

Walenpfad hiking trail: Hiking from the Brunni Mountain along the Engelbergertal (”Angel mountain valley”) to the Bannalp Mountain and then through the Oberrickenbach village down to the village of Wolfenschiessen. +/- 20km.

Hope!

Looking forward to a day of hiking high up in the Alps, our daughter Lindie and I took a cable car and then a ski-lift to the height of 1860m.a.s.l. at Brunni. From there we started out towards Rosenbold at 1863m.a.s.l. The sun was shining with clear blue skies and the Alps were covered in a carpet of flowers and peaks were capped with snow. What an inspiring view!

When we occupy our Mountain, the view is awesome!

Along the trail we stopped to appreciate all the different flowers and fresh ideas flooded our minds. It is interesting how creative our thoughts became in such an environment of colour and beauty.

A free mind has space to receive new ideas, dreams and visions.

The path trailed through the flower garden of God into a forest filled with green ferns, moss and cool air. With the sun beaming through the trees and displaying all the hues of green, we felt refreshed and hope of all good things to come, filled us to the brim.

Romans 8:25; 15:13 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Coming out of the forest, the path winded through another field with different flowers. As we reached Rosenbold, we took a last breathtaking view of the Engelberg panorama before we descended towards Walenalp at 1667m.a.s.l. Descending was easy and we could walk a bit faster to make up for some lost time. Especially for Lindie who took so many photo’s.

 In times of acceleration, we must act swiftly and capitalise on the momentum.

At Walenalp we could see down the valley towards the Lake of Lucerne. I experienced a view that brought the thought of planning to mind. How much better can we strategise with a broad view from the top. A place where your mind is clear, without cares and fears and you can see things for what they are. This is the place where Eagles fly.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Just a few metres ahead, we came across a little Alpine Cottage where we could fill our bottles with fresh water and renew our strength for what we saw laying ahead of us.

Face your Hill - climb one step at a time

The path ascended steeply as we made our way up to Walegg.  I was quickly out of breath and I was forced to cut my pace back drastically. This was not a hill for speed. I took a few moments to recover and started out again, this time one step at a time.

It just became steeper and more difficult. By then I was not only gasping for air, but every step was filled with effort. This was a hill where I hoped to reach its highest point soon - as it was painful. I saw the edge on my horizon and knew that if I could endure, this strenuous effort would soon be over.

The edge came closer and closer, I could hardly wait, the point of relief was in sight!

Finally, just a few more steps and I have reached the end….

Endurance = Challenge, Trials and Adversity

I could not believe my eyes, at the end where I was to descend; the path made a bend upwards and a new hill filled my horizon.  I mustered together all my courage to continue upwards. To turn back was not an option and the only way forward was up that mountain!

My pace became slower and to breathe became increasingly more difficult. By then I was huffing and puffing my way up! The word “endurance” spilled over my mind. I just wanted this to end….finally I could see the point at which we would cross over the edge to descend - or at least that is what I thought.

On top and……the path continued upwards and a new hill has moved into my horizon!  How would I overcome this trial? The answer was clear…ONE STEP AT A TIME.

If I could have bailed out, I would have - but the journey back was longer than the one ahead of me and my muscles felt the strain. Is this not what we endure during difficult times? It always seems as if the end will never come.

Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

I continued forward thinking, “and this too shall pass!”  These are the words we use as a family to encourage each other through times of difficulty.

I am here to tell you that the path uphill made another bend upwards with a new hill moving into my horizon and then yet another one appeared - more to overcome!

By now I was humbled, exhausted and the creation of All Mighty God was greater than the sum total of my strength, or so I felt at the time.

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

As I climbed up towards the crown of that which was in my horizon, I knew that I could not overcome in my own strength, but that I had to rely on the Lord to take me through. Climbing that mountain, I caste my cares upon Him, and trusted Him to carry me through each step to the top.

Overcoming - Reaching the Top - New Beginning

My limbs numb, my eyes watery, we reached the top at Walegg!

We have ascended from Walenalp at 1667m.a.s.l. to Walegg at 1943m.a.s.l. the highest outlook point of the hiking trail. My joy was now filled with humble appreciation and in awe of our Lord. With all the pain of endurance behind us, we were overcome by the breathless view ahead of us!

The only way I could explain to my daughter what I felt was to say that this was the closest experience to giving birth.  After all those contractions and time of endurance during the birthing process, the joy of seeing your new born baby wipes out all that you have just gone through.

With a new beginning, we put the past behind us.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to Him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Breathless view!

By now the clouds have moved in over the mountain top and we crossed over the edge into a ribbed basin with the path winding through the ribs formed by water and ice. At 1943m.a.s.l. the mountain towered above us and dropped beneath us to a level of 1690m.a.s.l.

Feeling small in this big scheme of creation filled us with awe.

Suddenly I had energy, my soul was filled with joy and my strength renewed!

Habakkuk 3:19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Focus upon the Lord and walk forward

Coming out of the basin, we continued to descend towards the Bannalp Restaurant where we first enjoyed a cup of warm Alpine Coffee before we continued our journey down the valley through Oberrickenbach towards Wolfenschiessen at 500m.a.s.l.  We were filled with joy and shared the goodness of our experience on our way down.

We each have a mountain to climb and to occupy.  This concept is nothing new to the farmers in the Alps.  During the summer months they take their cattle high up the mountains to feed on the grass and herbs while they cultivate the vegetation and gather hay for the long winter months on the hills and in the valleys.

I have learned that my horizon is not my boundary!

When we focus upon the Lord, He will take us forward to overcome and excel in our calling and there is always more to achieve than what we see on our horizon.

Wilhelmien

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“You Can!” is a touching story of a father’s love for his child. His dedication takes his son beyond the constraints and disabilities that he is faced with.

Fulfilling their purpose, they bring us the living example of a father’s love, courage and tenacity and a son who breaks through his limitations to bring hope to those with and without disabilities.

When you focus upon the potential you have, you can transcend all the constraints that you are faced with!

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Please pass this on to your colleagues, family and friends. It might just help one of them to look past their hurdles or limitations in taking their next step towards their dreams. 

Remember: Your Destiny is Needed!

Wilhelmien

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I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deut.30:19

Difficult Choices

Are you standing at a junction in life or at cross roads with many options? Maybe your heart wants to take one direction and your mind tells you to go the other way. Sometimes the opportunities even appear equal in benefits which make it harder to discern between this way and that way.

God created us in His image and with that we received the ability to choose. Even though choices appear to have more or less equal benefits, one of them is filled with life and blessing.

Important to Choose

Not to choose is a choice already made.

“It’s choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.” Jean Nidetch

Our decisions do not only influence us but they impact those around us. Making the right choices advances opportunities and blessings for the people in our influence sphere.

3 Influencing Factors

There are three factors that mainly influence our decision making. Feeling, Faith and Facts. It is the order in which we apply them that determine this way, that way or the right way.

The Feeling Folks:  They base their decisions mainly upon “it feels right” or “I have peace about it”. The danger lies in the fact that feelings can be deceiving.

The Faith Folks:  They base their decision purely upon faith. Because they believe it, it has to be right. They say “I step out in faith” and when it crumbles “God has put me through a test”

The Fact Folks:   They accumulate all the information and spend much time upon it before they make a decision. If the facts are equal in both directions they will at times offer it to someone else to help point out the direction.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death Pro. 14:23; 16:25                      

3 Guiding Lights

F.B. Meyer (1847-1929), a British preacher relayed the story of one of his travels at sea:

He was standing on the deck of the ship, wondering how the crew would safely steer it through the stormy waters into the harbour that night with such low visibility. He peered through the window and asked, “Captain, how do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbour?” “That’s and art,” replied the captain. “Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they’re all in a straight line I go right in!”

God has given us the choice to eternal life with these three lights (influence factors) in the following order:

Facts - Faith - Feeling

First we are taught the facts about God, His love for us and the good news about His Son Jesus Christ through Whom we receive our salvation. Based upon that knowledge, we take a step in faith and choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Being saved brings us those feelings of joy and peace and we usually cannot wait to share the good news with others.

We need to turn to God for His direction. When we have those three lights in a straight line, we can make the right choice.

3 Steps in Making the Right Choice

Step 1: Facts - Gather all the facts, so that you can eliminate those options that are not reasonable. The truth sets us free. There are circumstances and events that we need to take into consideration, some of them are not under our control but they do signal warnings or changes ahead for us.

Step 2: Faith - Go to the Lord with your options and facts and ask for His guidance. He promised to direct our footsteps, to teach and guide us and follow us every step of the way.

Lay your own desires before Him and ask for His will rather than your will. Do not fear that He will direct you in a direction that will not be good for you. He wants to bless you.

If you are not sure which direction He is pointing you to, you can ask Him to close those doors/opportunities which is not of Him, and to open the door/opportunity He wants you to take.

In faith know that He will not leave you in the dark but will shine His light for you in the direction you must go.

Step 3: Feeling - When we make the right choice, we experience that inner witness and peace that we receive from the Holy Spirit. This peace is a witness to what we know and the direction the Lord has pointed us.

If you have unrest in your spirit, go back to Lord and confirm the direction you need to take.

F.B. Meyer later said: “When we want to know God’s will, there are three things which always occur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances….Never act until these three things agree.”

May you be blessed and choose well!

Wilhelmien

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For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 1Cor. 14:8

The Clarion

The Clarion was a medieval trumpet with a clear high-pitched tone which they used to summon people to action and as a signal in war.

This clear unmistakable sound led to the figure of speech, “The Clarion Call” derived from the Latin words “claritat” [clarity] and “clarus” [clear] which are used to express clearness of expression, thought, sound or image.

Sounding the trumpet is described 60 times throughout Scripture as a call to action and clarity in understanding.

God Has a Clarion Voice

I clearly remember sitting in our church and looking up to the Preacher, high above us on the pedestal, nearly touching heaven with his head from my point of view as a little girl. He spoke about listening to God’s voice and I wondered what He sounded like and how we are suppose to hear Him?

During later years I learned to listen and wait upon Him to speak to me. Though He speaks in different ways, one common denominator is always present; when He speaks I know with-out a doubt, I hear Him and I can clearly state His answer and which direction I need to take. He has a clarion voice!

Just read throughout the Scriptures, where God has spoken and you will discover that His words are always crisp, clear and direct.

Jesus says in John 10:4-5 that we know His voice and the voice of a stranger we will not follow.

Hearing Your Clarion Call

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Ps. 32:8

God created you and me with a unique purpose for this time and hour. He instructs us in every season of our walk. This is our Clarion Call. When you and I are obedient to executing His instruction, we will achieve great exploits for God in our spheres of influence. Through our clarion calls, He directs our footsteps and leads us to victory, not only to bless us but also to reveal His glory through us.  In our obedience we bring Him the honour.

It is important to make sure that we are certain what it is we are to do at this time.  To be obedient and to do it with excellence is crucial. Upon this building block we will build during our next season.

May you build with joy!

Wilhelmien

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And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Deut. 7:22

The Israelites allowed their fear of man to overpower them, not obeying their call from God to enter into their promised land. They died without fulfilling their purpose and missed the blessings they would have received from the Lord while manifesting their destiny in the land of milk and honey.

A whole new generation had to be raised up for this purpose except for Joshua and Caleb who trusted God to give them victory in Canaan.

We are not taken into a promised land that lays waste, bare and empty but one that is cultivated, taken care off and producing fruit. For this reason, we need to focus our eyes on the vision He gives us, obey His call to action and trust Him to give us the strategy to drive out our enemy from before us, one by one.

You and I can trust the Lord that He will have a solution to every problem we face, a strategy for every mountain we need to overcome and victory over the giants in our land.

Friends, the Promised Land comes with hard work, battles and victories…”be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31: 6

May you be blessed in your pursuit!

Wilhelmien

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It is with great excitement that we announce the official launch of the Clarion Call Ministries website today.

We invite you to join us in this interactive Ministry experience where we share, learn and encourage each other to know our purpose, be obedient to our call from God in each season of our journey and to manifest our destiny with excellence in all we do.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8

We will be posting articles and weekly messages assisting you along your journey and we encourage you to take part in the discussions for the edification of the Body of Christ. You are invited to become part of this world wide network of Believers who embrace their calling and occupy their territory for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Together we will influence the World!

I am looking forward to meeting you in the Blog.

Blessings to you this day,

Wilhelmien