{"id":708,"date":"2021-01-25T14:01:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T14:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/?p=708"},"modified":"2021-01-25T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T14:01:11","slug":"how-to-let-your-light-shine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ariseestherconference.com\/?p=708","title":{"rendered":"How to Let Your Light Shine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Debbie W. Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How do we live as light in a dark world that grows darker by the day? Because of the COVID restrictions in our area, I don\u2019t enjoy going out anymore. I can\u2019t see people\u2019s faces because of their masks. I can\u2019t understand them when they speak from a distance with voices muffled by masks. The added chemicals many use to disinfect their stores trigger breathing issues in me. I feel trapped in a B-rated thriller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riding home Saturday night with my husband after one such experience, the bright moon caught my attention. \u201cLook how bright that small sliver of moon is,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moon\u2019s brightness stood in beautiful contrast to a day that had been gray, windy, and even briefly snowy. Seeing it helped me understand an admonition from Scripture that applies to the times in which we live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible\u2014and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be very careful, then, how you live\u2014not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil\u201d (Ephes. 5:8-16 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God wants His children to live as children of light. He warns us to be very careful in how we walk, because the days are evil. Evil and darkness are synonymous in Scripture. As the lines between good and evil blur, we need the light of true goodness to guide our steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do We Shine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we shine light in darkness? The same way the moon does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Astronauts Neil Armstrong and \u201cBuzz\u201d Aldrin walked on the moon they didn\u2019t transverse a glowing orb. Photos of the moon look like pocked concrete. Yet, who hasn\u2019t felt the enchantment of a full moon? Even that small sliver of bright moon made me smile this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craters and dark areas mar the moon\u2019s surface. It\u2019s beauty and light don\u2019t come from the moon itself. The moon is beautiful when it reflects the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether we deal with the darkness of an inner attitude, bad habit, or what is going on in our nation and the world, the way to see our way through darkness is to follow the Son, not stare at the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on a bad habit won\u2019t make it go away. In, fact, it\u2019ll probably make it worse. Fretting over the deception and evil around us won\u2019t heal our nation. But focusing on Jesus\u2014the way, the truth and the life\u2014illuminates our paths and shines on those around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything that is illuminated becomes a light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you felt overwhelmed by the darkness of evil? I have. We become light when we allow the light of Jesus to illuminate us. Here are some tips to help you soak up the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let the Son Shine on You<\/p>\n\n\n\n