BE LIGHT!

Three days in a row, no electricity, frustrating right? This was us a few days ago. Worry coupled with anxiety sets in, fear, stress, loss of stored food etc. There's a lot that is associated with darkness and we never want this to be our life, being in darkness. As our title suggests, Be light! Welcome to a session of meditations on the Word with Imani🙂

In Genesis 1:18, God created light and separated it from the existing darkness on the face of the earth. They are distinct. One cannot exist in the presence of the other, therefore, existing separately. We can see clearly that the absence of darkness is because of the presence of light and the absence of light is due to the reign of darkness. Light has a source, darkness is just the absence of light. In our homes, we have electricity because kplc pulls it from a source as all we need to do is turn on a switch and tada!, lights. In the same way, as Christians, the light we walk in and function in has a source and unless we tap into and are connected to Him who is Light and in whom light dwells with Daniel 2: 22 - He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!  we cannot have light and one thing we are required to do is make a choice to remain connected to Him. He drew us nigh to Himself, yet, we make a choice to stay nigh to Him, we abide in Him! 

A person cannot seek to have light if they delight being in darkness. 1Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God 's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. We were rescued from the kingdom and power of darkness, because we wanted out, we didn't want to live like the way we used to anymore. Darkness is living in sin, being in worry and living in uncertainty, there's fear, loss, drifting, and even stumbling and God has actually called us out of anything associated with darkness therefore, if we still see the things that function in darkenss or reside in darkness in us, then, we must judge the light in which we profess we are in. If we say like David in Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my Light and my Salvation - whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?  then, nothing associated with darkness should be a part of us because at no point can darkness ever overpower the light we are in. So, it is then appropriate for me to say that, if then this light has never been overpowered by darkness, how then do we at times experience darkness yet we have been translated into the Kingdom of light? We have allowed darkenss to creep in! Remember: you choose either to live in darkness or in light. As much as the Lord has translated us, if we allow the lusts of the flesh consume us, then we are allowing ourselves to drift back from whence we were taken out, if we allow ourselves to gratify the desires of the Spirit, we live consistently in light. Read through🙂

In the Old Testament, we see statements like in Exodus 39: 37 - The pure [gold] lampstand and its lamps, with the lamps set in order, all its utensils, and the oil for the light, oil for the light. The oil is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and right now for us, the work of the Holy Spirit is very vital, we are called to live in the spirit for us not to gratify the desires of the flesh, we are called to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be taught of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be advocated for, counselled by the Holy Spirit. Therefore,to continually be light, we cannot neither avoid nor refuse the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must remain yielded and submitted for it's the only way we are assured of being in the light and being light.

Psalm 119: 105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path and Psalm 119: 130 - The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple. The Word is Light. John.1.1-5  In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. The Word is the source of all life, The Word is too a Being - God. The life of God is the light of all men. The Word is very vital in our lives, for in it is life and light. So it is no coincidence that we are called to meditate on it day and night, yet, herein is the catch.  Being a Christian who doesn't read the Word is dangerous, yet, reading the Word and even cramming the words therein has no effect without understanding! It is as though you never read the Word in the first place😭. Reading the Word to understand, we need the help of the Holy Spirit who inspired the men who wrote His Word because as the scriptures denote, it is the unfolding of the Word that gives light, the understanding of the Word.

There's no light without the unfolding. So many of us have head knowledge of the Word without intimately knowing the Word. Knowing it till it is a part of you, till you get to the place where this Word you've read and understood is who you really are, you're becoming Him! 

So, we have Christians who know the Word word for word, yet, no transformation in their lives. The Word says the entrance of Your Word brings light...entrance! If there's entry, it means that a heart was open to receive the Word. Two things then....A heart that's not receptive to the Word that has power to transform doesn't benefit and a Word that cannot transform has no effect. This is the only proper conclusion to the two things, we'll not walk in the light if our hearts are not receptive to the Word that transforms as well as if we don't hear the Word of God and hear to the place of understanding.

When a man is walking the proper way, is to take a step after another, most of the times, if we choose to look beyond the next steps, we can easily stumble...We need light shed on every step of the path we are walking,that means, we need understanding of the Word every single moment of our lives. We need to walk uprightly with the Lord because there's a promise in the Word that God will make our uprightness and right standing with Him go forth as light. In Psalm 97:11 Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection]. Righteousness is key to continually have light sown on your path as a believer.

 We've read that Jesus isn't just the source of our light, He is Light...Therefore, for as long as we are living in holiness, then light is sown for us. So, since the Lord is Light, the scripture literally means He sows Himself in us🙌. The entrance of His Word brings forth light, He is the Word made flesh and manifested to us, to continually be in the Word is to feed on Him, feast on Him and the end product is He shines through us! Wow! To dwell with Him is to dwell with Light for light dwells with Him, He is Light. 

As I bring this to a close....are you consecrated fully to the Lord? Are you uncompromisingly righteous? Are you connected to the Lord? Are you consistently abiding with Him? Does the Word richly dwell in you and yielding to you being transformed into Him? Are you being oiled- perpetually being sustained by the Spirit of God? Are you seeing aspects of darkness in you? Don't open a window for the same. 

God has called us to Be Light. In several scriptures especially the synoptic gospels we read of scriptures where the Word says that you cannot light up a lamp and hide it because for what purpose did you light it up for? In the same way, the Lord didn't translate you to a kingdom of light, and He didn't call you without an agenda in mind. As we have already established, light is needed where darkness is reigning. You have been called to light up places that are dark! With this, God must position you where your light can shine for men to see so from now, do not expect to be hidden anymore, the Lord has set you in whatever position you're in so that you make an impact, staying hidden isn't being impactful. You will be placed on a lamp stand. 

Isa.60.1 - Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you - rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!  Light comes! And because we have Light, let's not depart from Him for He that is Light can never leave us nor forsake us. We haven't also been lit for nothing, we must shine!  We are bound to show forth the light and glory of God in our lives. The end of these is this: That men will glorify God! It is for His glory and nothing else! 

For you, dear one, that is in darkness, you don't need to be in it anymore. If you will now believe in Christ Jesus, every sin that you have committed shall be forgiven, you shall be to God as though you had never sinned; the precious blood shall make you as white as snow. "But that will not suffice," says one, "for God righteously demands obedience to his holy law, and I have not kept his commandments, and therefore am weighed in the balances and found wanting." You shall have a perfect righteousness in one moment if you believe in Jesus, "even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works." Happy is the man to whom Jesus Christ is made wisdom and righteousness, and he is so to every one that believeth." There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." He loved you and still loves you!

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

With love,

Imani💙