Turn on the Light!

Pam Farrel is an encourager, and she uses the truth of scripture to encourage women to become strong Christ-followers. In this Spiritual Growth UPGRADE, she explains how we can walk in the light of our Savior, and not become discouraged by the darkness in our culture."Christ claims He is the SOURCE of light," Pam says. "We need light so we do not stumble in the darkness."

I (Dawn) don't know about you, but the darkness in the culture seems to get darker and darker every day! But I know this: when life gets dark, that's when the Light of the World seems to shine even brighter!

Pam continues . . . 

Jesus was clear about the source of light.

Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life' (John 8:12 ESV).

Strong Concordance says light is “the manifestation of God's self-existent life; divine illumination to reveal and impart life, through Christ.” 

Commentator FB Meyer proposes that when Jesus claimed to be “the light of the world” He might have also been referring to the huge golden candelabra of the temple court. The candelabra was lit for the Feast of Tabernacles in celebration of God leading Israel as a cloud by day and a fire by night.

Again, God’s presence is not a reflection of light; rather, God is the source of light.

Jesus is the light that the darkness can NOT overcome:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5 NIV).

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5 NIV).

Jesus, the light that conquers darkness, is GOOD NEWS!

To gain this victory over darkness, we are to follow Him, meaning we accompany Jesus and travel the same road as His disciple. When we maintain this intimate relationship with Jesus, the verse explains we will not walk in darkness because we will NOT conduct ourselves in “moral or spiritual obscurity (which blocks the light of God …).”

We choose to walk in Christ’s light.

How Can We Walk in the Light?

Years ago, our friends and authors, Paul and Virginia Friesen, invited us to speak on Catalina Island for a rustic family camp. Paul explained we would stay in the deluxe cabin meaning, “you have a light bulb with a chain you can pull to turn on the light.” 

• Pull the chain!
• Call out to the LIGHT of heaven.
• Then ask all those who walk in the Light to link up WITH you!

1. Step In the Light:

for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (Eph 5:8).

2. Sing Light!

But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress (Psalm 59:16 ESV.

3. Speak Light!

Personalize and pray OUT LOUD Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV).

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

4. Shout Light!

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added).  

FLIP THE SWITCH!

I live on a boat, so I recently bought a lovely lantern that looks like a lighthouse. The job of a lighthouse is to guide ships into safe harbor.

God can shine light into the darkest moments and lead us step by step.

Consider buying a light as a symbol of Christ as your light: a candle, a nightlight, a candlestick, or a lantern can be a beautiful reminder of Christ, our light.

In what areas of your life do you need to turn on the light and allow God to dispel the darkness?

Pam Farrel is the author of more than 55 books, including several devotionals Her newest devotional is Discovering Good News In John: A Creative Bible Devotional Study Experience—co-authored with Jean E Jones and Karla Dornacher. You can connect with Pam at Love-Wise.com.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Steve Johnson at Unsplash.

Shining Your Light in Today's Darkness

Kathi Macias is a prolific writer with great heart. Her novels inspire and other writings teach God's truth with power. In this Influence UPGRADE, she seeks to change our cultural focus from frustration to faith, and remind us to shine for Jesus.

"The Bible declares that the darkness cannot comprehend (or overcome) the light (John 1:5)," Kathi says. "Sadly, some Christians have become so focused on the darkness that they seem to have forgotten this great promise."

I (Dawn) have often been reminded by the Lord to "shine." I've often joked that this is because of my name; but the truth is, the light I want to reflect is the light of my Savior—Jesus, the Light of the world (John 8:12). That's the light our dark world needs to see!

Kathi continues . . .

When I became a born-again believer in 1974, I immediately began to question my previously held concepts of nearly everything, including politics. By the time the next Presidential election came around, I found myself voting based on my new worldview.

Since then, I haven’t budged far from that position, and yet the past few years have caused me to seriously examine how I daily live out that worldview.

Sadly, I concluded that though I was standing on ground that represented biblical principles, I wasn’t always modeling those principles in a godly way.

Something tells me I’m not alone in coming to that conclusion.

In our currently divided and politically-charged society, I regularly meet Christians who, whether they agree with my position or not, struggle with reconciling their political stance (and resulting actions) with their Christianity. And that’s okay. Their struggle tells me they truly want to be Christ-like in all areas of their lives, including politics.

However, I have a much greater problem dealing with those who are absolutely certain their stand is the only possible one a Christian can take, despite the fact that other sincere believers may have a different view.

In considering and praying about this situation, I continually return to John 1:5:

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overcome] it.”

This first chapter of John is about Jesus (“the light”) entering a world of sin (“the darkness”) and, despite all resistance, prevailing to rescue those trapped in that darkness. How did He do that?

Put simply, the Light is so much greater than the darkness.

Few Christians would argue that point, knowing Jesus is the Light and has already overcome the darkness—not by condemning those caught in the darkness, but rather by extending His Light to them in a free offer of love. And, that, of course, is the key.

We too are called to be light in this dark world (Matthew 5:16), shining brightly so as to attract others and show them the way to escape.

But do we more effectively do that by continually proclaiming the evils of darkness . . . or by declaring the great unconditional love found only in the Light?

The answer, of course, is evident: We are called to emulate Christ, who walked in love, even toward those He knew would betray Him.

So how do we apply that fact to our own lives, specifically to our political stand, whatever that may be? We learn to recognize and overcome the darkness.

Just because we have joined ourselves to the Light doesn’t mean we can’t be influenced by darkness.

The moment we take our eyes from the light, darkness will make its move.

It is up to us to consciously choose to walk daily in the Light of Christ, dispelling the darkness around us.

Ephesians 5 provides us with three simple steps to do so.

1. Walk in love.

We walk in love by being “imitators of God as dear children,” loving others “as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (v.2).

Christ gave Himself for us and requires that same giving from us.

He set the bar so high that we can never reach it in our own strength or ability. We are completely dependent on Him, and we must be continually mindful of that.

2. Walk in light.

We walk in light by remembering that:

“[we] were once darkness, but now [we] are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light” (vv. 8-13).

Ah, there it is: The only way to dispel the evils of darkness, which enslave unbelievers and keep them from God, is to shine light—the Light of Christ—in our daily lives.

We must be driven by a desire to deliver the words found in verse 14: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

It is doubtful others will receive that message from us if we are speaking words of prideful criticism or pushing argumentative positions, whether biblically correct or not.

3. Walk in wisdom.

How do we walk in wisdom? Verses 15-17 declare,

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

God’s will is never for us to add to the darkness, but rather to shine our light, everywhere and all the time. And that, of course, brings us back to regularly spending time with Him, sitting at His feet, learning from Him, and allowing His Spirit to direct our ways and our words.

In conclusion, as we necessarily walk through this time of political tumult and confusion, may we:

• Learn to spend our time lighting candles rather than cursing the darkness,
• praying rather than condemning, and
• offering of ourselves instead of criticizing others.

Do you struggle with shining your light for Jesus in our wicked culture or divisive political scene? How does the scripture's reminders to walk in love, walk in the light and walk in wisdom give you encouragement and direction?

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 60 books and ghostwritten several others. Kathi won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Her novel Red Ink won the 2011 Golden Scrolls Novel of the Year Award and was also a finalist for a Carol Award from American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al. You can learn more about her and her books/ministry at www.kathimacias.com.