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Arise, shine; For your
light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold,
the darkness shall cover the earth, |
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Seek God Home You are the
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The
night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. A few nights ago the Lord began to speak to me saying, “I am now raising up my people out of obscurity.” I was not sure just what that meant. So I began to study the Word, the Holy Bible, to get more revelation. One of the words used for obscurity in the Bible is the Hebrew word choshek, it means “the dark”; and carries the connotations of misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, and wickedness. Until now the church, the body of Christ, has not been as relevant to the world as we should be. Many of us have faded into the darkness of the world and have become obscure and hidden. This is because the light of Jesus in us has grown dim. The word choshek is used in Psalms 107:14, here is the context. Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness (obscurity) and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. (Psalms 107:11-14) Read the whole chapter of Psalms 107. It tells how God uses circumstances to bring people to the end of themselves for the benefit of their relationship with Him. This is where many of God’s people are today. We have rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. This is true not only for individuals but also for whole churches, cities, and even nations. Therefore He brought down their heart with labor. The phrase brought down means that He humbled their heart. The word labor means wearing effort, hence worry. Many people feel that they are striving but not producing any fruit for their efforts. We have entered into a time of fear and worry in the world. They fell down, and there was none to help. They came to the end of themselves and there was no one to help them, only the Lord. The word trouble means a narrow tight place. There was nowhere else to turn but to the Lord. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. The good news is He heard them, rescued them, and He brought them out of darkness (obscurity) and the shadow of death. He broke their chains in pieces, which means that He set them free from the bondages and deceptions that had caused them to fade into darkness and obscurity. There was a
time when the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was
upon the face of the deep (Gen 1:2). The same Hebrew word choshek
is used in this verse for the word darkness. Without form means to “lie
waste”. So too the body of Christ has yet to come together into the true
form and image of Jesus Christ. We are now about to witness God rising up
the church out of obscurity to become the light of the world. Genesis 1:2
goes on to say, And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light, (Genesis
1:2-3). In the same way God’s Holy Spirit is moving in the hearts of
His people calling them out of darkness and saying “Let My light shine
through you.” Many Christians and some churches are
self-destructing in terminal self-centeredness. Only when we reach out to
others can we be refreshed by an everlasting flow of God’s love flowing
through us touching others. Jesus says “He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
(John 7:38) Rivers of living water speaks of the Holy Spirit flowing
with liquid life inside of a believer who allows his light to shine forth
to others. Light speaks of revelation. When we walk in the light we have
greater revelation of Jesus Christ and we bring that revelation of Jesus
to others. Light reveals God’s love. God is now calling forth His people to come out of obscurity into the light so that we can each become the light to the world that we are called to be. Jesus says “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) A city that is set on a hill cannot be obscure. So also when the light of Jesus is shinning through you, no longer will you be obscure. A light can never be obscure unless it stops being a light. Jesus goes on to tell us how to let our light shine before people, that is by doing good works that bring glory to our Father in heaven by revealing His love. This is what causes us to shine. The more people that we bring His light to, the brighter we will shine. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3) The stars in the night sky declare the glory of the Lord, so too God’s people shine with the glory of God in a dark world. God has strategically placed each star in the heavens and God has strategically placed you on the earth to bring light to your environment. The Spirit of God is now moving upon His people and His voice is saying shine forth My light to the nations. Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness (obscurity) shall cover the earth, And deep darkness (gloom) the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2) We are entering a time of greater darkness upon the earth but it will also be a great time of experiencing the glory of God, for those who allow His glory to shine through them. Just as the early church experienced a great out pouring of God’s Spirit and grace, so also the latter church will experience even more of God’s glory. Remember the early church grew tremendously even while there was persecution and opposition. We will have even greater challenges then they did. At the same time we will see greater miracles, and the greatest harvest of souls in the history of the world. We have what the world is longing for love, joy, and peace that can only come from knowing Jesus. As greater darkness and greater fear comes upon the world so also the people will have a greater desperation to know Jesus. They will be drawn to the light. There is a price to pay for the glory of God. The price is your life. You give your life to God through the sacrifice of obedience. But the reward will be eternal life and honor in God’s presence. But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:23-26) Our light shines brighter and brighter as we serve Jesus with our life. Notice that Jesus said in order to serve Him you must follow Him, and where He is there His servant will be also. Jesus does not call us to shine in places where His light is already shinning brightly; just as He invaded the darkness with His life upon the earth so too must we. If your light is not shinning very brightly it may be that you are in a place that already has some light. The greater the darkness the brighter your light can shine. Jesus is calling each of us to meet Him in a dark place where He can shine through us. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day, (Isaiah 58:10) There maybe someone in a hospital room or a prison cell that Jesus wants you to visit. There you will experience the glory of God as Jesus touches that person through you.“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: {35} 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” (Matthew 25:34-36) Jesus is calling you to come to where He is. That is the place that you can serve Him by revealing His love to someone in need. We have to be careful not to miss opportunities given to us to minister to Jesus. Remember after Jesus had risen from the dead He appeared to some people that did not recognize Him at first. Mary thought he was a poor gardener (John 20:14); the disciples thought He was just a hungry stranger (John 21:4); and the men on the road to Emmaus thought He was a stranger just passing through Jerusalem (Luke 24:16). Every time we miss an opportunity to express God’s love through good deeds, we miss a revelation of Jesus and so do the people that needed us. The increasing
darkness in the world is a sign that the night is coming when we will no
longer be able to work. Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor
his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I
must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is
coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light
of the world.” (John 9:3-5) The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12) For more
scriptures about letting the light of Jesus |
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