You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
It is so cool how God uses things in our lives to bring about renewed revelation. Lately, telling people about Jesus has become my favorite pastime, so recently, as I was bored sitting at home I called up my friend Craigie. We went out to Red Robin where we had the chance to pray for our waitress and minister to her and the busboy. Then we went to the mall just to be around more people. I ran into a old friend named Jason Humphrey, a guy that went to Crossfire Youth church when we were both students in High School. After a few minutes of catching up, I told Jason that he should come to church, not long after that he did. I also ran into my Masters Commission Directors from my first and second year, Tim and Crystal Cheek. I was able to share with them all that God had been doing in my life. It was so encouraging just to talk about the passion, commitment, and ministry that changed all of our lives almost ten years ago. After seeing Tim and Crystal we decided to go see a movie and since Casey had not yet seen “I am Legend” that was the movie to see.
Towards the end of the movie Will Smith’s character reflects on a story I have heard before but had forgotten. It was about Bob Marley and how he believed he could heal racism and hate by infecting the culture with love through music. One day a gunman shows up at Bob Marley’s house and shots it up, as a way of getting Marley to stop his message. However two days later Bob Marley preformed on stage to do the concert the gunman was trying to end. When asked why he continued the concert Marley said ” The people in this world that are trying to do evil are not taking a day off, why would I? Light up the darkness”
I sat in the movie and thought how great it was that God was using something I had already seen before to reinstate in my life what it was he was doing. As some of you know I have been on a journey for the last three months where God has taken me to a place of complete surrender. This Journey has taken me to a place where my sole desire in life is to see revival in this world. Not the super spiritual falling down, and a hundred times repeating, “Should have bought a Honda, but I bought a ford,” but real life experiences with God, the type of revival that transforms lives, where souls are saved and city’s are changed. The type of revival that ruins plans and ideas. My life has been ruined by this concept and I have been living it out. Living my light in the darkness.
So I encourage you. Live the light!!! This world is dark and needs “Christians” to live the light to the world. Jesus said in Revelation 3:15 that if you are lukewarm he would spit you out of his mouth. Because in lukewarmness disease, sickness, sin and death grows. When you have the savior of the world living inside of you, it is illegal to simply live in Christian comfort. You have got to show this world your light, you are called to bring salvation to someone, to bring healing to someone, to bring restoration and freedom to someone. This world doesn’t need a dim light, or a hidden light but it needs LIGHT so let you light shine.
Light penetrates darkness and it is impossible for darkness to perpetrate light. That means when you walk into the grocery store, Starbucks, Walmart your school or work, the light living inside of you penetrates the darkness. That means the demonic oppression inside peoples lives has got to leave, the darkness cannot be were light is. And when we live our life in expectation that God is going to do something in every situation, He will, because we are letting our light shine without hindrances. We’re opening up God to work, and we are lighting up the darkness.