Standing in the Light
Today, I went outside my office at work to take a little break on our very small, concrete, back porch. While standing there, I looked down and saw a spotted tick crawling up the side of the wall beside me. I went back inside and got a plastic spoon (my sword?) to knock it far away.
I decided that while I was outside, I should only stand on the one little corner of the porch that the sunlight was shining on, so if there were other ticks (or any other kind of bug), I could see them. I stood in the little corner and looked down at my feet and just felt God talking to me.
We can see when sin “gets on us” if we are standing in the light. We can see sin and recognize it for what it is IF we are standing in the light. Jesus is the light of the world; he is MY light.
I thought about how many times lately that I have been upset about something for a few minutes before it dawns on me, “I am under attack”. Satan is sneaky; he likes to hide his work in darkness. If we aren’t walking with God, we don’t always see his attacks for what they are. This is where we make our biggest mistakes.
All these Bible verses were suddenly flashing through my head, so I decided to do a search for the word “light”. As I started reading them, they all suddenly had a richer and clearer meaning for me. (am I the only one who has read certain scriptures so often that I don’t really "get" the meaning anymore?) I love it when God shows me something new, or just deeper, about a favorite verse!
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. To walk with Jesus is to stay in His word, to stay in constant prayer. If I do this, I will see the attacks of Satan. Jesus will direct me and protect me from him. (Seeing the attack for what it is is the first step in defeating the evil one).
John 8:12
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”. Again, Jesus confirms that He will light my paths.
John 3:20
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. Satan and those who follow him will always prefer darkness, hiding their deeds. We walk in light, knowing that when we do mess up, God’s grace covers us. Walking in light helps us to NOT mess up as much.
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus overcame Satan at the cross! He shines light on sin and allows us to overcome.
John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness. Jesus came to earth, lived among sinful man, and died to give us light. All He requires is that we believe in Him!
How many times have we Christians had an argument with a spouse or friend and let it lead to a full blown fight? Satan loved that! He bit us and we didn’t even see it until we felt the after-effects.
How often are we under attack and let it consume us? Things go all wrong at work, at church, in our marriage and families and we don’t fight the “good fight”, we fight the “I am hurt and I will hurt back fight”. Jesus is our light to see these sins that are causing all of this.
A few years ago, I got into a huge fight with one of my sisters over something really stupid. I just knew that I was the wronged party and I would not back down or forgive. A wonderful woman that is my mentor prayed over me when I confided to her that I had lost my temper and hurt my testimony. She prayed for God to cover me with grace and told Satan that he had no place in my life, for I was a child of the King. I was immediately convicted of my part in the fight, and that is when I started watching for his attacks.
We do not fight flesh and blood. We fight the sins causing the problem. Ours and others that are directed at us. It has completely changed how I see things, and I am so free and happy as a result.
Let’s all remember to only walk (and stand) in The Light to watch out for those spotted ticks!