I used to be afraid of the dark. For as long as I can remember, I had a problem with the dark. As a kid, I could not sleep at night without wrapping myself in my blanket to feel safe.
For me, this was a family generational thing. It took me a long time to overcome that fear. Even as an adult, I knew there was no reason to be afraid, yet that fear was still there.
I struggled with this problem for a long time. I would speak the Word and confess. And eventually I learned that I had to speak out against that fear and tell it to leave. I realized recently that I have overcome that fear now, and it does not hold me back.
But I had to constantly shine the light by speaking. I could not just wait for the darkness to leave.
When it is dark, the easiest way to overcome it is to shine the light. You just turn on the light, and then when you see what is in the room, you realize there was nothing to fear.
Shine The Light
The other day I went out to buy some groceries at the store. When I came to pay, I was in a good mood, and I said hi to the cashier. I asked her how she was today.
Normally, where I live, they say something like, “I’m good, and you?”
But this time she just said, “I’m okay”
It caught me off guard for a second, and I realized she seemed a little out of it. So I tried to make her day by smiling and talking a bit with her. It was not much, but maybe she was going through something today.
She has her own struggles, and maybe I could at least shine the light a little bit and say something encouraging. Afterwards, I thought, maybe I could have done more, but I tried at least.
As I was walking away, I thought about how my problems are always staring me in the face, and I can’t see anything else. They are like a dark cloud hanging over my head that stops me from seeing a way forward.
But other people have the same problem, they are also facing a dark cloud in their lives.
Blow That Cloud Away
I share this with you because maybe you are facing something like this in your life. The same thing can apply to any part of your life. Your problem may not be the same as mine. But I can confidently say that you have something in your life that has been holding you back.
Maybe it is a fear or concern about the future. Maybe it is a physical problem. Whatever it is, it feels like darkness, and you cannot get away from it. It is just sitting there, staring you in the face.
When you have a problem, it can be all that you think about. It is like a dark room, and you cannot see what is inside it. You wonder how you are going to deal with this.
And this is the place that Satan likes to keep us in. He puts a dark cloud around you so that you cannot see anything. Then you start to worry about what is going to happen. Fear and worry start to take over in your life.
Recently, I have been facing this a lot. Since I just had a major change in my life, I was uncertain about the future. I was wondering what the Lord wants me to do.
And the enemy was quick to step in and show me the worst pictures you can imagine. He made it look like there was no hope for the future.
Dispel the Darkness
What took me through was spending time in the Word, and hearing His voice. I know from experience that words have power and that you need to speak them out.
So, when it seems dark, you need to speak and shine the light. Your starting point is to speak out the good news and not the bad.
The Scripture says,
Psalms 119:105 Your word [is] a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. [GBMV]
So, that seems easy, right? His Word will show you the way forward.
Well, I was facing a lot of darkness, and I started to speak. And guess what? Nothing seemed to happen. In fact, at one point, things seemed to get worse.
Well, that’s just great. Lord, I spoke your Word and trusted in you, and things got worse! My finances got worse suddenly. There was suddenly a health scare. Friends left me suddenly.
Has this been your experience?
I want to tell you that I have never seen a breakthrough without a bit of resistance at first. When you are about to have a breakthrough in your life, the enemy will try to resist it.
A lot of people talk about God testing us with trials. But it is not God who tests us. It is the enemy that tests us. God already knows what you are capable of facing. It is the enemy that tests us to see if we are going to push through or give in.
Sometimes, the Lord just allows us to face this because He knows that we are going to overcome it.
So, if it seems like it just keeps getting darker, do not lose hope yet. I know that is hard to hear, but it is the truth. Do not lose hope because God has a plan for you!
The Power of Joy
My favorite Scripture says that the Joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh 8:10)
What is joy? It is a fruit of the Spirit. That means that it is not just something you feel. But if you have it, it does produce good feelings eventually.
How do you get it? By walking in the Spirit.
I spoke last week about the Comforter being with you. There is one very simple way to walk in the Spirit, and that is to hear the voice of the Comforter. That is all that walking in the Spirit is: listening to His voice and acting on it.
The more He speaks to you, the more you will start to experience peace and joy. And it seems that joy is very important according to Scripture because the enemy always tries to steal it from us.
I lost my joy for a long time. Let me tell you, it is not fun. Do not let the enemy take away your joy. If he can trap you and make you sit and do nothing but look at yourself, then he has won.
Look instead to the Lord and hear Him speaking to you.
Love, Light and Life
The Bible uses three words that can be interchanged. They are Love, Light, and Life. Whenever you see one of these words, you can often just change it for the other.
God is light, He is life, and He is love. That means that if you want to shine the light, you just need to give out in love. If you want life, you just need to shine the light.
And if there is darkness around you, then it is not from God. The Scripture says that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness. (1 John 1:5)
How do you get the light back? By walking in the Spirit. Always listen to His words and then act on them.
Keep Shining
Don’t stop shining the light. Do not stop giving out and speaking the Word. Keep listening to His voice in your Spirit.
The enemy has tried to lie to you. He has kept you in the dark. But God does not do that. He speaks words of encouragement and promises good things.
And if He tells you that everything is alright, then ignore the voice of the enemy. If it feels like there is a dark cloud over your head, then speak to it and tell it to leave.
So, I want to encourage you today, if you are struggling, don’t hide away and hope that it will fade. Face that problem head-on. It starts with speaking the Word and taking action. Give out in love to those around you and shine the light.