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Thursday,
December 13, 2007
Arise and Shine
Acts 9:3-5 And as he journeyed, he came
near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from
heaven: (4) And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks. (KJV)
The person in the above paragraph was
Paul, who at one time was referred to as Saul. He experienced a life
changing event, an eye opening experience that would last him an eternity.
However or whoever God uses to get His point across to us, once we have
been enlightened to the truth, and are able to see the error of our ways,
we are then held responsible from that point forward, to walk in this
newness of life leaving the old behind. So we are able to see by this
example, that it is the calling of God that we all answer too; and now it
is vital for us to establish a personal relationship with Him, so we can
continue on His path of life.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 But if our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
(5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves
your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (KJV)
Keep in mind that it is a spiritual light
that enlightens the heart, and brings an understanding to our spirit man.
It doesn’t matter how much you witness to people, or how hard you try and
cram the word of God at them, as well as making personal judgments and
trying to fix them, it’s only as they allow this light to shine within,
will they be able to come to an understanding of the ways of the Lord. When
we try and make the correction our self, or we think we know how to fix
others, we miss the mark because we are trying to illuminate areas in our
walk that God is not dealing with us on or them in at this particular time.
Sometimes to we are blinded by our own hypocrisy, holding others to a
higher standard that we are not willing to walk in. In some cases as well, those
that are a shining example of the gospel don’t like having a light shined
in their closet either, exposing skeletons they think they have been
hiding.
Ephesians 1:17-19 That the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (18) The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who
believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (KJV)
Have you ever comprehended the fact that
you have spiritual eyes that are able to see into the spiritual realm and
give an understanding so that you can know, and not have to guess anymore,
what the hope of His calling is so that you can see clearly the inheritance
that is waiting for you? Keep in mind, once you have been enlightened to
the truth, you are now held to a higher standard and need to walk
accordingly, letting His spirit lead and guide you into all truth. Have you
ever driven at night and turned off your headlights for a brief moment? It
doesn’t take long before one is headed for a ditch or other hazards. The
same holds true spiritually. Once the light is shined, it is up to you to
keep it that way so you can let the Lord navigate you in a dark fallen
world.
Hebrews 6:4-8 For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted the good word of
God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son
of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the earth which
drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet
for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: (8) But that
which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing;
whose end is to be burned. (KJV)
Ever hear the term backslider? So has the
Lord and He has warnings throughout His word on what happens when one has
been enlightened, only to put on their blinders and choose another path.
Once someone willingly takes the plunge, there is nothing that anyone can
do for them. Be assured the Lord is not going to send another savior, one
was sufficient enough. When and at what point does one enter this realm is
between them and God. The fact that they willingly walked into His kingdom,
they can willingly walk away if they so desire. As you will see in the next
example the decision to reject the Lord can lead to someone crashing and
burning.
Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we sin wilfully
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no
more sacrifice for sins, (27) But a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (KJV)
Once you have been enlightened to the
truth, and willfully, voluntarily walk away from the plan of salvation the
Lord made available to you, there is not much to look forward to, and I can
assure you that plan B comes with some serious consequences.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (KJV)
We all know when we have fallen short and
made mistakes. Now are you willing to get up again and fight the good fight
of faith? How do you know for sure? When you keep going round and round
with a situation, and can’t come to a peaceable solution. When you keep
pointing the finger at others and try to blame someone else, when in
reality you knew better and should have maintained a higher standard of
living, even if it meant turning the other cheek. When no matter which way
you turn, the finger points back at you; it’s only the person you see in
the mirror that is the one you can change. Whatsoever is not of faith is
sin, and without faith it is impossible to please God, which is why many
have turmoil and strife, walking blindly into the traps and snares of the
enemy.
Exodus 27:20 And thou shalt command the
children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the
light, to cause the lamp to burn always. (KJV)
Are your motives pure before the Lord? Is
it the pure word of God you have allowed into your temple to keep the lamp
burning always? It’s only the pure in heart that are able to see the Lord,
letting Him illuminate the path for them.
2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word
of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: (KJV)
Is the path of life getting clearer? Are
you able to see more and more into the spiritual realm, and relying less
and less on the outward? Arise, it is a new day, wake up and smell the
coffee, and open the shades of your heart and let the Son shine in.
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