It is Necessary

What is necessary? “Exposing evil.” That is what God spoke to my heart on a day where it was heavy with lament over the things I had been hearing and reading in the news lately. From my little corner of the world things have seemingly gotten very bleak as of lately, causing much concern and feelings of insecurity. Every day the virus tolls are reported and people fight over having to wear masks and keep social distancing. Is it the wise thing to do or are we being controlled, that’s what seems to be the hot topic lately. Political tension is in the air as the elections near, controversial topics are causing hateful debates even between friends, senseless acts of evil are reported, riots and looting, hate and terrorism, issues of racism and murders and worse yet, human sex and organ trafficking is a bigger deal than I think anyone really knows. It can be altogether too much to comprehend. Why have things suddenly gotten so much worse? Again, I felt God say to my heart that “it hasn’t suddenly gotten worse.” Things have been boiling for a long time and now they are bubbling over. Things have gone under the radar and now it’s time to call it out into the light. The best way to do that for all to see…put it on the news and in the media. You might be thinking, but I can’t trust the news. No, sadly, we can’t really trust the news to be completely accurate, but it can be an overall indicator of things that we need to consider and dig into by thorough research. Hearing and reading things in the news should not cause us to enter into hot debates for the motivation of winning an argument, it should not back us into a corner of fear and paralyzation, it should not be for any entertainment value that only produce fleeting emotions that we ignore and go back to being busy and self absorbed in our own little world dismissing the greater issues of our day. No! People need to stand up, repent and let the Spirit of God rule their hearts and minds. That is the only thing that will bring change, bring reconciliation and put evil asunder!

In my opinion,

“Christians were called for more than to be weak and silent do-gooders. We were meant to be bold, tenacious soldiers in the Lord’s army.”

Christians are supposed to be the light and light by default exposes darkness. The light of salvation will beckon those who are in the darkness and draw them to God’s glorious light of salvation. But, just like the children’s song, “This little light of mine,” many of us hide it under the proverbial bucket. How do we “be the light” without being judgmental or looking “holier than thou"? That’s the biggest question.

First, we need to let God’s light expose the darkness in our own lives and deal with that. We are not supposed to be lukewarm Christians. Sorry but not sorry, if people on the outside can’t tell your a Christian by the way you live, then you aren’t being the light that God intended you to be. True, people might see Jesus in your smile, but Jesus is more than a smile. Jesus came so that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free. (John 8:31-32). We are free from sin, so why do we keep getting enticed with it? We need to shake off those old habits and use our chooser to choose better. Maybe it’s an addictive habit to something like porn or drugs, maybe you have issues with anger and rage and it affects your family in a negative way, maybe you go out to the bars every weekend and get plastered and your mouth is full of obscenities. Maybe it’s something worse, maybe it’s something less. But, truth is that all sin separates us from God whether big or small. Gossip, constantly complaining, being rude with our spouse all the time, keeping God in the Sunday morning box but living like He doesn’t exist the rest of the week, and many other little foxes that spoil the vine so to speak, those are just as important to tackle. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to put all of these and other things underfoot. None of us will ever be perfect, but as a Christian we are called to put off the old ways of living. Ephesians 4: 21-24 says, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Then it goes on to show us how we can do that in some practical ways.

Let me be clear—if you are in Christ Jesus, you already are the righteous (in right-standing with God through Christ and heaven bound), but we are called to live a life of more. To be more than conquerers through Him who loves us. (Romans 8:37). So the first step, is dealing with our own areas of darkness. You might still wrestle with some of that stuff and it will take time to see it to fruition, so don’t stop there and think you have nothing to offer in way of being a light to others. First of all, if you start making changes in your own life, people will notice that. The people around you will see the light of God just through the way you live your life. We also need to remember in this, that we all fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) so it’s important not to pretend that you are perfect and speak down to others. Sometimes admitting your own faults keeps you relatable and open for communication.

Secondly, we tell the truth in love. There will be situations in your life where you are confronted with controversial topics. Things that culture has deemed acceptable, but inside your heart you know are wrong according to God’s standards. Maybe a family member is living a lifestyle you don’t agree with. Remember, you set the standards for what you will allow or not allow in your home. It doesn’t have to come off in a snob sort of fashion either, but you may reap some criticism either way. If it’s appropriate, maybe you can sit down with them and have a heart to heart. Maybe you can write them a sincere letter. I would encourage you to model after the apostle Paul’s letters. He always started off with grace and peace to you and then a word of encouragement about the things they were doing right and then he spoke a truth to them in love bringing it back to God’s word and addressing those difficult things. In conclusion he would often end it with another word of encouragement. You don’t want to preach some doom on you message that says turn or burn. We need to make Jesus our model of interacting with sin/sinners. Often times, many people will thank you for caring that much about them and they will open up and you will have an opportunity to help them in their situation. You won’t know until you step out of your comfort zone. Some of us may have bigger roles in a company or maybe you are the boss of your own company. You can conduct your business or your work ethic in a way that reflects God’s principles. When you do this, people see it. Even people who are not Christians appreciate doing business with someone of integrity. Earn their trust in that arena and God will open doors for you to influence in others. Or maybe there is an organization who’s mission is something that God calls you to be a part of and you invest your time and resources to make a difference that way. Seek God and His plan for you.

Another area that we all have the power of influence (at least in the U.S.) is in how we vote. Elections are coming up soon. This can be a very touchy subject for many and this blog is definitely not aimed at getting political but, I just want to call your attention to this because many people see themselves as a small piece of the puzzle and therefore decide that they have no real impact and will skip out on voting. They think by skipping it, they have relieved the pressure and can go on their merry way. I think that we need to take our voting rights more seriously. Especially with the way things are going in our world today, we cannot afford to be idle and sit by and watch things get more corrupt and not try to do something about it. I saw a meme the other day that said, “I thought there was supposed to be some kind of hand basket?” Funny but not funny right! Voting is a privilege. It is a freedom that we should not take lightly. You may be thinking, but there are no great options so I’d rather sit this one out. Honestly, I have thought that at times! But then I ask myself, who do I trust? God or man? If I trust God and I believe He is in control, then I can prayerfully consider my options and make the best one with the information I have and believe God can reach that leader and work His will through them. I remind myself that no human being is perfect and I shouldn’t put my husband, my parents, my pastor or the president on a pedestal or any other fallible person. But, I can respect the office of authority that God has ordained and pray for those in leadership. So what do I do. I look at the major issues and see what lines up most closely with God’s standards and make my decision. Then, I trust God with the rest. I pray and I trust God to lead and guide that person in governing our country. Our influence doesn’t stop at the voting polls. The words that you speak and the prayers that you pray will have power and influence that you cannot directly measure like a ballot and those need to be just as important moving forward beyond voting day. When you get your “I voted” sticker, tack it up somewhere in your house where it will remind you of not only your freedom to be able to do so, but let it remind you of your personal responsibility to continue praying and lifting that person up so that God can use him or her in that position of influence. Ok, I’m done with my preach on that. Whew, that was uncomfortable, but I felt like I needed to say it. Thanks for letting me get a little intense this morning.

There are probably a lot more areas of influence that I could cover here, but I’m sure your eyeballs are going to need a rest soon, so I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal to you where you can be a light in your way and in your area of influence. As parents we can be a light to our children. The experts say more is caught than taught, so the way we live and respond to things will definitely impact our kids (the next generation.) We all have people in our lives and those people are not there by mistake. Be careful not to burn bridges and harbor unforgiveness. God wants to use you to be a light to others and realize God has put many of those people in your life to be a light to you also.

God is exposing darkness through the news outlets. Let that perspective empower you toward change and toward asking God how you can be a better light for Him in a dark world. Pray for the church, and that pastors and leaders would have the wisdom from the Holy Spirit on how to lift up their congregations, so that we as Christians aren’t shrinking in fear and intimidation or compromise, but rather we can be the church that God wants us to be during difficult times.

I feel that with all this heavy stuff that I have talked about, I need to remind you that God loves you. He is for you and not against you. (Romans 8:31). Since March when this whole pandemic thing went down, my family and I have gotten together over Zoom with our extended family to read Psalm 91 together and take communion. I am so thankful we have been doing that and so from Psalm 91:1 I remind you that, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadows of the Almighty.” If you find yourself getting frustrated, down or in despair, perhaps you are trying to carry too much. God tells us to cast our care on Him because He cares for us. There is rest when we live in God’s shelter. His shelter I believe is His presence. Go to Him in prayer and let His word wash over you.

I pray that each one of you reading this blog would feel that they are big in the eyes of God and that you take seriously the light that has been given to you to shine. I pray that God’s love and peace wash over you during this time and that the things on the news wouldn’t scare you or leave you paralyzed, but rather you would be encouraged to pray and bring all these things back to our God who is doing more than we could ask or think. I pray that you would be sustained by the power of His word and His might and His blessings would overtake you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thank you friends. Peace be with you.

Love,

Amy