let your light shine

In the same way, let your light shine before men,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 HCSB

Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? ‘Let your light shine….’ Letting our light shine is complex but can become easier if we consider two simple points regarding light:

1) What is the source? 2) What does it do?

Jesus told us He is the source of our light:

Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world.
Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12(HCSB)

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.
John 9:5 (NASB)

Jesus is the only Source of our light. Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) states “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” His Light shines through us.

So what does light do? It expels the darkness. It illuminates…and that’s what we are called to do. Others must see the Light of Christ in us before we can share His Light with them.

Philippians 2:15b (NASB) says we are to be “…children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…”.

Charles Spurgeon put it this way:

“Poor world, poor world, it is dark and gropes in midnight
and it cannot get light except it receives it through us.”

We must not hide His Light. If we do, it is of no benefit to anyone but ourselves. Jesus intended His Light to shine in us to dispel the darkness of those around us and to illuminate His great love for them. We are to be intentional in letting this Light of love shine. Otherwise,

“Hear this, ye humble men and women, ye who have made no figure in society,
ye are the light of the world. If ye burn dimly,
dim is the world’s light, and dense its darkness.”
– Charles Spurgeon

Does the Light of Jesus shine through you or has it been dimmed?

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Father, thank You for the light of Jesus shining in me. Do not let it be dimmed. Remind me to share Your light and Your love with those around me. In Your precious name, Amen – So be it!

So I don’t know about you, but I’m a big-time people pleaser. I’ll say “yes” to invitations that I know full well I will not attend just to avoid disappointing someone by saying “no, thanks.” I want friends. I want love. I want peace. I want to be liked. I want to be accepted.

See, I can try to “people-please” all I want, but the fact is, I’ll always be hated. And I’m not talking about by people (though that would be true, too). I will always be hated by the one who hates God, even the slightest hint of Him. I’m talking about our greatest enemy, Satan.

He absolutely despises me! And he hates you, too! Yep, I said it—HATE. That’s a powerful word. And the evil one has his reasons. We, as women, have something that he loved and then lost because he fell from God. We are beautiful, and we give life…very much like the image of God. And how does Satan compare to you and me? He is straight-up UGLY, and he is the definition of DEATH.

I want you all to do something for me right now. Just hold your pointer finger up in the air. All right, now stand it up tall, and get it as close to God as you can. Your finger, right now, represents your light. It’s the light the world sees when there exists nothing but darkness. It’s the light a stranger sees when you help someone in need, when you look someone in the eye, when you speak words of truth and life, when you exchange a smile or offer an encouraging word. Do you all know the children’s song “This Little Light of Mine”? If you don’t, I encourage you to YouTube it. One of the stanzas in the song reads:

Don’t let the Satan blow it out,

I’m going to let it shine.

Don’t let the Satan blow it out,

I’m going to let it shine.

Don’t let the Satan blow it out,

I’m going to let it shine.

Let it Shine,

Let it Shine.

So do like this kiddy song says, and don’t let him blow out your light! Don’t believe the evil one. He has many, many lies for you. Lies that you’re too much, too flawed, too complicated, too emotional, too confusing, too unworthy, too boring, too crazy, too damaged, too too too too too too!

Guess what?! Satan is TOO powerless against us. He feeds us lies through our culture, our men, our own thoughts about ourselves, and our own situations. He instills the fear of abandonment in us, a lie from the bowels of Hell. How can we ever be abandoned when God is always with us?

Satan is fighting a losing battle. We have won, and we are crowned princesses of the Most High. Hallelujah!

“O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Plain and simple, we have victory in Christ. Put the fears and lies aside, and rest in that victory today.

Praise Him,

Carissa

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Let’s Pray

Dear Father, thank You for defeating every fear and every lie that Satan can throw at us. Father, let us find ourselves in You each and every day, victorious, worthy, loved, and never to be abandoned. Thank You for these promises. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Your Assignment

After you fill in the blank (either comment on the blog or in our private Facebook group), meditate on the power we have over Satan and his lies. Like Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings, say with authority, “Leave me alone, snake!” #winning

Today, I am letting go of the lie that I am too _________.

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If you would like to send Carissa a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: Carissa@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com