Light

 It’s essential to see where you’re going. If you don’t think so, try getting from the bedroom to the bathroom in the middle of the night after your kids laid out land mines every few inches in the form of toys. We’re not talking plush toys, either. We’re talking things with edges, sharpened bits, Legos, dolls, toy cars, and everything else they touched for a millisecond then grew bored of. By the time you’re halfway there, you’re so busy trying to stifle screams that you forget why you got out of bed in the first place.

Light matters because without light, even if the road you’re on has reflective stripes, it needs light to reflect off. God knew the importance of light, so much so that it was the first thing He spoke into existence. The promise of direction and guidance comes with the understanding that He will also provide the necessary light for you to see where you’re going.

No matter how dark and gloomy the world gets, as long as His light shines bright, you will never be lost. You will never wander to and fro second-guessing your steps, backtracking, or living in a perpetual fog, confused and rudderless. That is the promise God makes to His children: you will not be as the world! You will have a light and a guide, and as long as you trust Him with all your heart, you will reach those blessed shores.

Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

It doesn’t take years of therapy to make you realize why you’re making bad decisions. You’re making bad decisions because you have no light. You’re making choices in the dark without the aid of God’s word to light your way, and every time you do so, you run headlong into a wall. The Word illuminates your mind, it illuminates your understanding, and it allows you to make decisions not based on feelings or emotions, not tethered in the moment, but in the full light of God’s will for your life.

Everyone wants to hear the audible voice of God when it comes to His plan and purpose for their lives, but neglect the Bible as though those weren’t His words. Does it really make a difference if you hear His words or read His words? Read His words in the Book first, do what it tells you to do, then if you need any further instruction, He will surely give it.

That this entitled, spoiled, pampered generation would consider reading the Word of God too pedestrian is an insult to God. To this day, there are Christians who treasure a page of Scripture, never mind an entire Bible. Yet, here we sit, never having had to suffer persecution or the indignity of being thrown into a cell for the sake of the Gospel, fully expecting God’s booming voice to speak to us personally and audibly from on high.

Even if He did, what He would tell you is no different than what He told you in the Bible. What makes you think you’ll obey His voice when you ignore His Word? But it’s different! As far as an ego boost for you, it may be, but as far as direction and guidance, not so much.

His word is a lamp in the darkness. It is light that chases away the gloom and allows you to see where you’ve been, where you are, and where you are going. When you possess the light, looking back at how far God brought you will serve to increase your gratitude. Seeing where you are will serve to bolster your trust in Him. Seeing where you are headed will give you the strength to press forward.

If you’re ever wandering in the dark, you’ll never learn to appreciate how much God has grown you, matured you, cleansed you, and filled you. There will always be that nagging question of whether or not serving God is doing anything since you can’t see the progress you’ve made.

The first gift of a renewed mind, of being reborn, of beginning the journey of sanctification is that you get to see. For the first time in your life, you have light; therefore, you can see, and that in itself is a precious gift.

The thing about the blind leading the blind is that the blind who are being led never know that the one leading them is blind too. They’ve projected so much power and authority on the individual that he can stand behind a pulpit and claim that if you’ve seen him, you’ve seen God, and no one bats an eye. Sorry, but if Jesse Duplantis is the best God can do as far as appearance, I’m going to have to rethink a lot of things.

The Word of God is like a multi-tool knife. It’s not good for just one thing. It’s not just direction and guidance; it is also light, correction, edification, encouragement, strength, and life. The Word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, a shield for those who believe. It is powerful and true and at your disposal as quickly as you can reach for it.

Perhaps it’s because deep down, we know we won’t do what the Bible tells us to do that we avoid it so much. Maybe that’s why we overcomplicate how we are supposed to receive our direction from God. Go to the Word first. There is direction a plenty within its pages. Chances are, you will find the answer you’re looking for, even though you might not like the answer you find.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.