It's a Sunrise, Not a Sunset: “See I Am Doing a New Thing” (Isaiah 43:19 Niv)—A Continuation from Housewives Can Change the World

By Ann S. Eagle

Have you ever wondered why we focus so much on sunsets and not sunrises?

Maybe because it's easier to watch a sunset as it happens in a more convenient time of the day. Maybe it's just become a habit to photograph and paint sunsets instead of sunrises. The same can be true in our own lives. We can form habits of focusing on the sunsets in our lives, and when we do, we can miss the sunrises in them. The sun setting represents the end of the day while the sun rising represents the beginning of the day. In the same way, sunsets in our personal lives can symbolize the end of something or the loss of something, while sunrises can symbolize the start of something or the gain of something. When we think the sun is setting on our circumstances, maybe the sun is really rising. God is always turning our circumstances together for good.

Is it time for you to proclaim, "It's a sunrise, not a sunset"?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512722901

Ann S. Eagle

American-born Ann S. Eagle, along with her husband and their five children, has lived in the Middle East for one-and-a-half decades. Through her own personal experiences she writes from her heart about how God has turned many sunsets into sunrises.

Book preview

It’s a SUNRISE,

Not a SUNSET

30080.png

See I am doing a new thing

(Isaiah 43:19 NIV)—A Continuation

from Housewives Can Change the World

Ann S. Eagle

30089.png

Copyright © 2016 Ann S. Eagle.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Cover image by Johan Eagle.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2291-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2290-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920241

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/15/2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction It’s a Sunrise, Not a Sunset

Part 1 - The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1 - Fulfilled Promises

Chapter 2 - That Day

Chapter 3 - He Never Said, ‘Easy

Chapter 4 - Hope as the Anchor of Our Souls

Chapter 5 - Hidden Treasures

Chapter 6 - God Speaking, Us Listening

Chapter 7 - Two Shall Become One

Chapter 8 - Camels and Needles

Chapter 9 - Kingdom Economics

Chapter 10 - It’s a Test, What’s the Answer?

Chapter 11 - Sheep, Shepherds, and Us

Chapter 12 - Jonah’s Tree

Chapter 13 - Feet, Footsteps, Destinies

Chapter 14 - Mysteries of God

Part 2 - The Beginning of the Beginning

Chapter 15 - We Finally Arrived

Chapter 16 - The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 17 - Our Rock

Chapter 18 - Psalm 18

Chapter 19 - There is More

Chapter 20 - Strength and Stamina

Chapter 21 - Keys, Gates and Doors

Chapter 22 - Iron, Horses and Horse Hooves

Part 3 - Life And Death

Chapter 23 - Loss and Gain

Chapter 24 - My Dad

Chapter 25 - Psalm 19

Chapter 26 - For God’s Glory

Chapter 27 - Then Came Friday

Chapter 28 - Born in Time to Die

Chapter 29 - How We Approach Death

Chapter 30 - Can a Funeral Glorify God?

Chapter 31 - For His Name, His Fame

Chapter 32 - Closure

Chapter 33 - The God of Proof

Part 4 - It Was a Sunrise, Not a Sunset

Chapter 34 - New Beginnings

Chapter 35 - God Makes the Dead Breathe

Chapter 36 - Inci

Chapter 37 - Authority

Chapter 38 - Courage

Chapter 39 - East and West

Chapter 40 - Jael, The Housewife

Chapter 41 - God Opportunities

Chapter 42 - Benefits

Chapter 43 - Psalm 103

Chapter 44 - Physical Blessings

Chapter 45 - Spiritual Blessings

Chapter 46 - Favored Sons and Daughters

Chapter 47 - God the Breaker

Conclusion

PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

I started writing this book exactly three months after I published Housewives Can Change the World. As you remember God speaks to me through numbers and patterns. Three is the number for holy. It is God’s number. Without planning it, I see a pattern of three again. Three months after publishing my first book I began to write this one down.

After several strong believers in my life told me there was more, I could only really embrace that when I heard it from the Holy Spirit a short time later. In my natural thinking one book was enough. Yet once again God told me to write it down and not to tarry in keeping with the same theme as my first book. He told me it was a continuation of Housewives Can Change the World and that you, the reader, will go further than I ever did.

To those of you who have not read my first book it’s not too late. You still can. If you don’t read it, however, you are still eligible to read this book. Though it is a continuation, it’s not hard to follow as the writing style and principals are repeated. It is a continuation on hearing God’s voice, radical obedience, and the blessings of reward.

Power is released in radical obedience. God is looking to and fro throughout the earth for a heart that is open as it is stated in 2 Chronicles 16:9a NKJV. Is that your heart?

I am praying for you even now that whatever is going on in your life, you will see the sunrise soon. It is coming. Don’t let go of hope. Don’t let go of the promises of God. I am praying for you to be able to trust God’s heart even when you don’t see the answers. He is good and loving and has your best in mind all the time. I look forward to the many stories that will follow telling of all the faithfulness of God to you. There are many sunrises yet to proclaim!

DEDICATION

I want to dedicate this book to my husband and five children who helped me write it by living it with me. You are true warriors of the King.

I also dedicate this book to the many housewives that read my first book. You have inspired and encouraged me to keep writing.

Finally I dedicate this book to all those who have read and will read, It’s a Sunrise, Not a Sunset.

CREDIT

I titled this book after my daughter’s song she wrote called It’s a Sunrise, not a Sunset. The credit for such a creative title goes to her. Thank you Mariah for letting God use your artistic gifts for His glory.

INTRODUCTION

It’s a Sunrise, Not a Sunset

18.JPG

A sunrise in eastern Turkey

This is how I ended my first book. It was with a photo of a sunrise over Hazar Lake in eastern Turkey. It’s also the title of a song written by someone special to me. The song is titled, Its a Sunrise and Not a Sunset. That sentence says a lot. This is how I am starting my second book. The end of my first book starts the beginning of my second book.

We go from faith to faith, from strength to strength and from glory to glory. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 NKJV says it like this, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We don’t arrive somewhere in the journey and then get comfortable. Life is dynamic. Life is always moving. That is why it’s called life. For life to be life it must be alive and therefore moving forward, growing into something or someone. If life were static and not moving, it wouldn’t be life, but death. Death stands still. Life moves forward.

When looking at that picture how do you know if it’s a sunrise or a sunset? Most pictures are of a sunset. It is what we most focus on. Think about it. How often does someone photograph or paint a sunrise? Yet there is no lack of sunset pictures and photos.

Why is that? Have you ever wondered? Maybe its because its easier to be awake for a sunset than a sunrise. Maybe sunsets have just become a habit to photograph or paint. We are usually more awake for a sunset than for a sunrise. If we do see a sunrise we are often too tired to photograph it or appreciate it like we do a sunset.

What does a sunset do anyway? It closes the day. It’s the beginning of nightfall when it gets colder, and harder to see due to darkness. It tells us its time to sleep and often can be lonely if we are troubled or alone. It can remind us of our own dark nights in life and of Jesus death on the cross.

What does a sunrise do? It opens a new day. It allows us to see because of daylight. It speaks of hope as a new day begins. It gives us a fresh outlook. It ushers in new life and potential promises to be fulfilled. It reminds us of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. It says in Lamentations 3: 22-23 NKJV, "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

The same can be true in our lives. We can focus on the day that is closing, or the loss, or the sun that is setting. If we only see the sun setting and the darkness approaching, we often can’t see at all and want to give up hope. Maybe we are stuck in the sunset. If so we are stuck in the death of Jesus on the cross and as a result we get stuck our own lives.

We can miss the sunrise when we get stuck watching only the sunset. Sometimes we sleep through the sunrise because it’s the beginning of the day and we are too tired to get up to see it because we have been so focused on the sunset.

In our personal lives we can do the same. We miss the gains in life because we focus on the losses. We miss the resurrection power of Jesus when we stay focused on His death on the cross. The sun set on His death, but the sun rose on His resurrection.

It is a matter of perspective. In looking at that photo you don’t know the time of day it was taken. It can look like a sunset if you want to see it that way. Sunrises and sunsets are not that different in beauty and appearance, but they are in the direction they steer us.

One directs us to view the finish of the day, while the other directs us to view the beginning of the day. The sunset reminds us of another day that has finished and it will never be relived again. All we have are memories of the day that passed.

A sunrise reminds us of the promise of the day to come. It has not been lived yet. There is hope for it to be blessed. The one directs us to view the endings or potential losses, while the other one directs us to view the beginnings or potential gains. What would happen if we lived our lives like it’s a sunrise, and not a sunset?

Note: Did you know the sun never really sets? It keeps rising somewhere on the globe as it appears to set in another place. There is a continual sunrise around the globe over and over, each day, week, month, and year. It never stops rising somewhere.

We are the same. We keep rising and not setting. What I am saying is that we go from test to test, trial to trial, strength to strength and glory to glory. That is how we grow and move forward. In other words, we live. If tests, trials, strengths and God’s glory stopped in our lives we would die. We would be stagnant, or not moving and therefore dead, not alive. The way to gain, is to loose. I am getting ahead of myself though.

My first book was about that. It was about gaining strength and blessing through radical obedience. It’s my life message and it’s yours too if you are a follower of Jesus who is completely submitted to His will and purposes for your life.

When I finished the manuscript for Housewives can Change the World, I had no idea my world was going to change as drastically as it did. I need to start this book where the other one left off. It was in May and June 2010.

This part of my story started within a month of putting the last dot on the finished manuscript of my first book. Two main events took place in my life in late May and early June of 2010 that started a whole new era.

Part 1

The Beginning of the End

The first event was the finishing of the first book I ever wrote. It was a momentous time to remember. I sensed and heard, It is finished. It is done. There was no more to write. It was truly a new beginning, and now in hindsight very prophetic of what was to come.

The second event was not as significant, at least to others, but it changed my life. We had a dog named Casus of whom we got from the streets of Cevlik while we were helping to prepare the hotel for the world leaders conference in October 2009. If you read my first book and remember, it was at that conference that my first book was birthed in vision.

I knew Casus was special. Even the vet we took her to mentioned how Casus was special. She was a street dog, but God’s presence was with her. Our lives as a family changed with Casus, and she opened doors for others’ lives to change too.

By early June 2010 exactly 9 months from the time we got her, she turned wild and we had to let her go. We released her on the very streets from which we found her. It was heart wrenching, but she was wild and dangerous. The other option was to kill her, which we couldn’t do.

Letting her go was symbolic of many things. I’ve never been a dog lover, but Casus was different. She caused me to overcome those things and discover new things about myself. I wrote my first book in the duration that we had her. To finish my book and to send her away at the same time symbolized an end and yet a beginning at the same time.

It should not have been so hard to let her go, but something deeper was at work. Casus symbolized something. She symbolized a change in Era’s.

By then end of June 2010, within the month of my first book’s manuscript finishing, and within weeks of Casus being set free, a supernatural life-changing event took place. I say supernatural, because there was NOTHING natural about it. I say life changing because it was the beginning of my life never being the same. What was it?

CHAPTER 1

Fulfilled Promises

Johan asked me to take a trip with him to Iskenderun, a small town one hour north of our home in Antioch, Turkey. What was supernatural and life changing about that? He had been going to Iskenderun faithfully for over five years and only once a year would he ask me to go with him. He knew how I felt about Iskenderun. I had no heart for it, and no grace to be there.

Since the year 2000 Johan wanted to move to Iskenderun, but agreed to live in Antioch for me. I had peace in my heart for Antioch while I had knots in my stomach for Iskenderun. Since they were neighboring towns separated by only a small mountain range and a village called Belen, it was easy enough for him to drive from Antioch to Iskenderun and back in just a few hours. He did that every week for years.

He would go, pray, love God and love the city. He would take our guests who came to visit us in Antioch to see Iskenderun. He would show it off as if he lived in it. I would always wait anxiously for his return home never feeling good about him being in Iskenderun.

One day in June 2010 Johan asked me to come with him to visit Iskenderun. It took courage for him to ask, because he was never sure of my reaction, which seldom was positive. However, when he asked that time, it was different. My spirit leaped.

I was the first one up, ready and out the door that day. I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening at that time, but I did notice the lightness I felt and welcomed it gladly.

We lived in a part of the world that was very oppressive so anytime lightness was experienced it was noticed and welcomed! It had been a long time since the oppression had lifted so that day was long over due. When we got to Iskenderun the lightness and lifting of oppression turned to an amazing sense of God’s manifested presence.

Everywhere I looked I saw beauty. Before then, I never saw beauty in Iskenderun. Instead it bothered me when Johan and those he brought there would return to Antioch saying how beautiful Iskenderun was. I would squint trying to see the beauty, but not being able to see it. I would wonder how they did.

That day was one hundred percent different. Something had changed. I had changed, Iskenderun had changed or the Spiritual atmosphere had changed. I was uncertain which one was true, but it couldn’t have been more different from the way it usually was. Maybe it was a mixture of all the above.

I knew it was all about God’s timing for my eyes to be open. Because it was time for me to see God’s heart for Iskenderun it made it right and easy to go that day. That was what made it supernatural. There was nothing natural about it. I had had a distain for Iskenderun for over a decade leading up to that day. On that day my ability to see beauty and grace in Iskenderun for the first time ever surprised me. That’s why it was life changing. After that special day I never saw Iskenderun the same again.

Note: God had given Johan the desire to move to Iskenderun since 2000, but it wasn’t time for me to see it until 2010. When something takes place in God’s time, there is nothing that will stop it. There is nothing unnatural about it even if it’s supernatural. When something happens in God’s time, it’s beautiful. Only God can make all things beautiful. All beauty is from Him even if someone or something tries to take the credit. The source of all beauty is God. There is no other.

The key here is He has made everything beautiful in its time according to Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV! Let me continue with my story and you will see how this works.