​The Light Still Shines (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
Text:
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
 
     The problem with darkness, is that you can’t see. I know. I bet you didn’t know that already. Not being able to see in the darkness is not only inconvenient, the issue with darkness is that when you are in the dark you do not see the danger of the deadly things around you. You could be walking in pitch black darkness straight for a cliff and have no idea. A predator could be closing in on you and you would know no better than just that you are there… and you see nothing. Walking in the darkness, is dangerous. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalms 23:4) imagine walking through a place called “The valley of the shadow of death” in complete and total darkness. Yeah… no thank you. It would seem almost certain that death within the valley would be imminent, inevitable and to add to the fear of the situation, you won’t even see it coming. However, that verse continues to say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” How could you walk fearlessly through a place like that? “I will fear no evil, for You are with me”.
 
     This is the confidence that we have in Christ because He brought us out of the darkness. Revealed to us the dangers around us in our lives, and then liberated us from them. We all, at one point, were “the people who walked in darkness” and “dwelt in the land of deep darkness” and the “great light” we saw, the light that shown on us is Christ Himself. This verse, is a messianic prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ. Just four verses later we get the iconic “For to us a child is born” (Isaiah 9:6) verse the prophesies the coming of Christ as an infant. The birth of Jesus Christ, was the coming of the Light that would reveal to us our sin, but also reveal to us our Savior. “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9). He came to shed some light on some things. The life and ministry of Jesus was eye opening, to say the least. To reveal to us the darkness that we didn’t even realize that we dwelled in. This, for us, is a tremendous reason why we celebrate Christmas. The coming of the “great light” to liberate us from our own deadly darkness.
 
     Jesus was in fact the “great light” that was prophesied of in Isaiah 9:2. But Jesus also spoke of another light. A crucial light that must be shown in this day and age. That light… is YOU!
 
Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
 
     No, when Jesus said this, He was not looking in the mirror talking to Himself. He was talking to His disciples and His followers; if you consider yourself a Christian, that’s you. Jesus understood that He would not walk on earth forever, but His followers would. This was all a part of His plan. We certainly are not the “Great Light”, but rather, we are empowered by that light. We are possessed by His light. We walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). This light that we shine is not ours. We dwelt in the darkness. This light that we shine is supernaturally imparted to us by the blood of Jesus Christ and we are empowered to share it by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a challenge as Christmas is days away, you may be celebrating this holiday with those who still dwell in the darkness. Let the Great Light shine through your life. Allow His power to be revealed to those walking in darkness and trust Him to shine His light on them and thereby enlighten them of their darkness. His light came to liberate us. He then has called us to spread His light to the ends of the Earth. So do it.
 

At Your Word (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Luke 5:5
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
 
Definition of toil: verb; work extremely hard or incessantly. | adjective; exhausting physical labor.
 
Toiling… physical, mental and spiritual… can be exhausting. You can toil and ultimately feel as if it were all for nothing. The question is, can you toil continually and feel as though you are at the end of yourself, but still hear the voice of God calling you to try once more? “I quit”, “I’m done!”, “I give up”, “I’ve got nothing left”. Then you hear the voice of God speak to you, “You must keep going.”. What is your response? “God, I have been going and accomplished nothing.” This statement is not a problem. God desires us to express ourselves and to be genuine in conversation with Him. God understands and, I’m sure, even expects us to grow frustrated in our seemingly fruitless toils. He is not surprised by this. What really matters for you and what really matters to God is what comes after. You forfeit the very power of God at work in your life if it is said this way, “God, I have been going and accomplished nothing. I won’t do it anymore.”, “I need to rest”, “I need a break”, “This season is too much”, “This isn’t for me”, the list could go on.
 
We can be assured with complete confidence that if the Lord of our lives asks us to do something, He will provide the means and the strength necessary to accomplish all that He calls us to. As missionary Hudson Taylor said it, “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” and Hudson Taylor knows a thing or two about laboring beyond the end of himself relying on the very power of God. “Supply” is not limited to physical needs but also includes emotional, mental and spiritual needs in order to carry on. But the key factor in the equation is “…done God’s way…”. This is why when He asks of you to do something that you feel is beyond yourself, or pointless, or just downright undesirable to do, the proper response, in order to see God’s power released into our lives, is “At your word I will”. Lord, at your word, despite my feelings, despite my emotions, despite how I view my circumstances, despite how many times I have tried before, but, Lord, at your word, I will. How many times have you missed God’s power in your life because you told Him no? Let the last time be the last time and then you will begin to see His power released into your life like never before. When the Spirit of the Lord speaks to you and ask you to act, you can be candid with the Lord, express yourself with Him, but always let it be finished with, “But at Your word, I will.”

​Armored up and marching into victory (Read time ≈ 6 minutes)
Ephesians 6:18–20 (ESV)
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
 
We should by now, understand what we are up against.
 
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
 
We should now understand our armor of God along with our weapon, the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:13-17). Now, we need battle orders. If we dare equip ourselves with the armor of God but then proceed blindly, we will ultimately end up fighting our own battles in places we never should be, against enemies we were never meant to face… or at least, not yet. Every good soldier takes and receives his battle commands from his authorities. We need the Lord of Angel armies to direct our steps in this warzone. We need to pray. Praying at all times in the Spirit. We need to get ahold of God and seek His command. Then, as we await commands, we keep alert, we persevere and face all that comes our way. Once we receive our marching orders, we march.
 
As I have said before, this war is not a solo mission. We are part of an army. We have brothers and sisters in arms. We need to be involved in their missions as well, if at the very least, through prayer. “Making supplication for all the saints, and also for me (a fellow soldier)”. This is effective in several ways. You are interceding for a brother/sister in the faith for their clear direction on the battlefield. This is beneficial to them, it is beneficial to the Kingdom, but it is also beneficial to you. You don’t want to go to war alongside anyone who does not understand the mission at hand any more than others don’t want to go to battle next to you if you don’t understand. This is about being believers in one accord. One accord, understanding the desires of God and the will of God that He has for His people.
 
Our orders from God will always involve proclaiming the Gospel! We can be fitted with armor and weapons, but it is the Gospel that gives us the power to conquer (Romans 1:16). If we believe we have received marching orders but it does not involve advancing the Gospel in one way or another, it likely was a false message from our enemy… or from our own desires. We must understand, and never forget, that we are hired soldiers. Hired by the blood of Jesus. We were hired out of slavery, as we once fought on behalf of the enemy of our souls. We were bought and given the freedom of our souls so that we could give our life as service to the One who set us free. We declare boldly this mystery, because it is a mystery indeed, that empowers us to come against evil forces and emerge victorious. It is a mystery that people we once considered enemies can be set free from their spiritual oppression and join ranks among us. It is a mystery that we can willingly choose to submit to service to One yet feel more free than anything else could offer us. Pray. Listen. March. Proclaim. It’s a war, ready or not, here it is. Get ready and get in there. Victory belongs to the Lord and no one else. Victory won by the blood of Jesus, the name in which we march.
 

​Understanding the Armor of God: The Sword of the Spirit (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
Ephesians 6:17 (ESV)
and take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
 
Have you ever heard the phrase in sports that says, “a good offense is a good defense”? One of the greatest things you can do to bring victory to your life and the lives around you is to protect yourself. That is why in the armor of God there are five pieces of armor before we get to our attacking weapon, our offense. But our offense? Yeah, it’s pretty good! But in addition to that, there is a move with a sword called “parry”, which is a defensive move as well. So even our greatest source of offence is still a crucial element of defense as well. If there is anything we can learn from the armor of God, it is this… protecting yourself is important. On the battlefield if you are unprotected and vulnerable then you are ill equipped to protect yourself or those around you. Defense keeps you alive.
 
That being said, a sword can do some damage and it is meant to do some damage. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, just like a regular sword, can do damage on the wrong targets. Can hurt people or things that are not our enemy. Remember who we are up against… If you need to, revisit the blog from a few weeks ago called, “Understanding What We Are Up Against”. Unfortunately, there are people, and spirits alike that will use the Word of God to hurt people rather than to fight against principalities and fight for the liberation of people. Even Satan and his crew will use the Word of God against people. Just as he did to try to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). Any powerful weapon must be handled with care and precision and great consideration of what your target is.
 
“The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”, this is in the same sentence and the same instance as the helmet of salvation. Last week, I talked about what this word “take” means in the original Greek language which is, “dechomai” (feel free to re-read last week’s blog to review the meaning of the word). Just like our salvation, the Word of God is something we take no part in other than embracing its power in our life.  It is supernaturally imparted into our lives. But there is another interesting element to the use of our sword. Some people believe the Bible will protect them if they carry one with them or it will keep them from bad dreams if they sleep with one on their nightstand or under their pillow. But, just like a sword, this won’t protect you any more than a sword that never leaves its sheath. For a sword to bring protection, it has to be used. There are two words used for the “Word” of God. There is the deep word that you could study extensively used, which is “Logos”. This, when studied reveals the ultimate truth and revelation of life and how it is found in God. It is a fascinating study. However, in the armor of God it says, “The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” and the Greek word for “word” is not “logos”, but it is “rhema”. “Rhema” means, “a thing spoken”. This gives us a powerful understanding of how the Word of God is meant to be used as a sword, both in offense, and defense. It must be USED. It must be spoken! A sword that never leaves its sheath is a sword that will never protect you or do damage to an enemy. Likewise, the word of God that is never spoken into your life or the lives of others or against principalities, is a sword that will never do what it was intended for. The full power of the Word of God for you personally is found in SPEAKING the truth of the Word! Never opening the Bible is like never taking a sword out of the sheath. Only reading the Bible but never applying it to your life and/or never embracing the truth of the Word or using it to protect yourself and others against the lies of the enemy, is like practicing(reading) with the sword but never drawing it from your sheath on the battlefield, which is “rhema” SPEAKING the word of God in your life, into other lives and against the lies of the enemy of our souls that we face in this war. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This sword is not for show, it’s not a decoration. This sword was supernaturally forged by God Himself and given to us with the full intention of us using it in battle. Owning a Bible is good. Reading (practicing with) your Bible is good. Using the Bible in daily life, both for defense of yourself and of others, as well as in offense of coming against the enemy of our soul, using truth of Scriptures to kill the lies of hell spoken into our lives. That is how you use the Sword of the Spirit which is the “rhema” (SPOKEN word) of God. You want to come against the gates of hell, then speak the truth of the Word of God and do it frequently.