Follow the light

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you have ever been to a concert or watched on TV when they turn off the lights everyone would pull out a lighter in the older concerts. Today they use the light from they’re phones. It is just amazing to see that during a song that has a meaning to the singer or to the audience the turn the lights off and the whole place is lit with the lights of all the people using they’re lights. All you see is a sea of lights waving in unison to the beat of the song. And even though you cant see the faces of the people you can see each individual light.

HERE IT IS…

Jesus is telling us in the scripture to follow him. Not only to follow him but he says that he is the light of the world. If we follow the light we wont LIVE in darkness. He did not say it won’t be some dark times, but he said that because he is the light light of the world your darkness will never take over your life. Instead because he is the light of the world your dark times will never over take you. Because he is the light of the world he will always provide you a way to safety. All we have to do is follow the light. Follow Jesus and he will guide you through it all. Follow the light.

Keep shining

““You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ever wonder why you have been in the positions you have been? Ever wonder how or why God places you where you are able to affect change? Even when you try to stay in the background, or even when your in the background you are depended upon. It’s because not only does God light your path so you can see where your going but God also sets you up to be a light for other people. Sometimes the only light that people have is the light that burns within you.

HERE IT IS…

The human eye can see a light up to a mile away. So even scientifically your light can be seen far away. Spiritually you may not feel that your light is bright enough. Spiritually you may feel that your light isn’t burning like it should. The truth about it is that a soft light can still be seen. God has set you apart and placed you on a hill because you, I, we are the light of the world and we provide others with the way as God leads us. The great thing about this light is that it is all pointing us to our Heavenly Father. This light he gives us burns so that God can get the glory. Keep shining.

Look up

“And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was younger and we took road trips I would look at how the night was illuminated by the street lights. We would be driving and I would see just how about every 50 yards there was a light. Then there were some roads that we would drive through and there would not be any lights up. The area would be dark and the only light you had was from the headlights on the car. The only thing you could see was the places that was illuminated by the headlights. It was in those times that I would try to find the moon. I figured if there was not a light that the city put up that the moon would provide some light.

HERE IT IS…

What I realized is that our life can be just like that at times. We can be in a place where the places of our life is bright and no matter what we go through it’s illuminated. Then there are those times that we get to a place that’s dark and the only light that we see is the one that we have. That light is the light inside of us. Even in those dark times it may not feel like it’s enough light. In these times in these places in our life that is when we have to look up. We have to seek God to shine upon us because no matter what he will shine his light on us. We may not be able to take our eyes off the road will driving and keep our eyes up. But in our life we can surely look to the hills from which comets our help. Keeping our eyes on Jesus not only brightens our path but he will take control and guide you out of that situation.

Follow the light

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a knack that when I go to a new place like a hotel or somewhere I am staying over night, to walk around the place to familiarize myself with it. I walk around it and try to use minimum light so that I will know where to go in the dark. It allows me to prepare if for some reason the light goes off I will still know where to go in the place I am in. It helps me to know that I am not going to hurt myself and that I am going to get to where I am going even if it is dark or I can t physically see my way around where I am.

HERE IT IS…

In a physical space we have electricity that allows us to see where we are going. In a physical space we can flip a switch on to see where we are going. What happens when your lights go out spiritually? What happens when the spiritual power feels that it has trip a breaker and you are trying to find your way to the box to turn on the breaker? Jesus says he is the light. Jesus says that he is the way. Jesus says the he is going to lead us because he will shine on your path. It is amazing that physically we don’t have to go and turn on a spiritual light but because of who our God and Jesus is his power and light never goes. The truth is sometimes we just walk away from the light but he is never to far away that we can’t see the light to get back to him.

Light on my path

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes at work I have to go into a space that is dark where you cant see your way. It is so dark that you have to feel your way around. What I have on my hard hat is a light that will provide light whereever I turn my head. What it does is provide me with a light wherever I look. The problem is that sometimes I am not able to look where I am working because the space is so tight. So when I look up to see where I need to work I then have to move my head away from the area because I can not look that direction and work at the same time.

HERE IT IS…

Isn’t it great that God will provide you with light on your path and in your area that you don’t have to worry about not being able to see. God provides a light from up high that shines down upon your situation that allows you to see even when it’s to dark for yourself. The truth is that when God shines his light and makes you see your path he is illuminating the whole area and not just one spot. What place are you in that needs light shone in it? What area of your life needs light? Don’t think that the light that you have is good enough because our light shines in one direction, where as God provides a light over your whole situation. Ask God for the light.

Don’t go back

“Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My wife loves to watch shows where they take old houses year everything apart and rip it all out and redo them. The best part for her is when she sheds them out the pictures up of the way it used to look compared to how it looks after they redo it. The before and after pictures shows just how much work went into it and the difference a change can make. Sometimes in the show there are somethings that they take out the house but added so much character that they used it in a certain part of the house. It was like that piece had so much meaning to it that they couldn’t get rid of it.

HERE IT IS…

Why do you feel that you want to keep your old life and God at the same time? If God has taken it out let it go. I know it’s hard to see those things go. They have been apart of your life for so long it seems hard to go on without it. The great thing about God is he will keep what he needs and use it in a different area. Don’t go back. Don’t stay in your past and keep holding on to it. He has changed us and he has given us a new way to live. It feels different. It doesn’t seem the same. It doesn’t feel the same because it’s not. Take a moment and reflect and put up a before thought and after Jesus thought and you will see just how much better you are now. Don’t go back, go forward.

Be free

“God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of my favorite animated movies I would have to say is Aladdin. That movie has so many different things that can make you cry, laugh, and sing along. One of the most powerful things that I saw in the movie was not something that came back to back but was in the beginning and at the end. The beginning of the movie Aladdin had to go find a lamp with a genie in it to give to and evil man named Jafar. He almost died getting it but he made it out because of the genie. And at the end Aladdin set the genie free from being a slave to the lamp.

HERE IT IS…

Sometimes we can be in such a dark and desolate place that no one else can reach us except God. When he does find us he shows us just how strong we are by helping us out of the dark place. Just like Aladdin and the genie they cant get out that place without each other. Then once we are out God starts to supply us with what we need and set us up for greater things to come and sets us free from those things that had held us slave to for so long. You are free from those things. You are free from all of those problems. God sent Jesus to find you in that place and when he found you he cleaned you up and showed you how much power you do have and set you free. All those things that the enemy meant for evil God turned it around for your good.

Try it on

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:26-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Every year before school starts we take our kids school clothes shopping. As my parents did with us I do that with my children. That is one of the best things in there life because they get a lot of stuff at one time. They get clothes and she’s and they start making they’re outfits for the first week of school. They have them all laid out and ready to go. They try them on when we get home to see what they will look like and how they are going to wear it. It seems as they become a new person because of what they are wearing. They love the fresh and new look they have.

HERE IT IS…

As my children do when they get new clothes we should do when we become one with Christ. We ought not to come to Christ and just let it be the end. But everyday put his grace and mercy on. Stand in the mirror as we did as children and profess to ourselves just how good God looks on us and our life. We should put Christ on everyday because he has blessed us with so much that we can’t hide who we are in him. Christ looks good on you. The great thing is his outfit will never fade. His clothes will never wrinkle or need to be touched up because he continues to wash us in his blood everyday. Put it on its tailor made just for you.

Can you hear him clearly

“I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Where do you get your information from? We have entered into an age where anything and everything is on the internet. I can remember the days of going to the library to research a paper. I can remember sitting at a table with 7 books and each one had something I needed for my paper. I can even remember when the internet first became big for users and having to wait on the dial tone and not using the phone while on the internet. These were the different things I had to go through in order to get information.

HERE IT IS…

We can go by books. We can go by internet. We can even go by what people tell us. There is one thing that I know. I know the voice of God. I know that God speaks to everyone but when he speaks to you what do you do with the information? He speaks, we hear, now what? Where do you go from here? How do you use what he has given? We can hear God. We can receive his word. It’s what you do with it that matters. Check your source on where your going and what your doing. Don’t get Gods voice mixed up with what someone said God told them you should do. Listen closely

Please God

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a senior in high school and coming to the end of my high school career. I had a lot of opportunities in front of me. I had so many different things, so many different schools I could have went to. Different sports I could have played in college. I really wanted to make my parents proud. I wanted to see them proud of the man I wanted to become. I wanted them to be proud of who they raised and be able to stick they’re chest out in who I was. I wanted to please them in everything I did. But looking back on the events that transpired in that short time I realize that all the things I wanted to do was please people and not God.

HERE IT IS…

What have you done in your life that seem to give you problems and issues that you took the time to do and go to school for that actually was to make someone else proud and not God? Who are you trying to please through your life instead of God. Paul writes that the message that he preaches is not based on human reasoning. It comes from God. So we have to understand that the message God wants you to have through your life is not for other people to understand. Truth be told people will question why you made the choice that you did. Why you left all the opportunity that you had in front of you because it’s not for them to understand. God is the author and the finisher of your life. Follow him and please him.