Cast Down

Do you feel like you are being knocked around and beat up because of your stand for the faith?  If you don’t feel this way at times as a believer then you are probably standing too far away from the battle lines.  If you are not a threat to the kingdom of darkness then you are not fulfilling your duty as a soldier in the army of the Lord and Satan may not view you as a threat.

I have mentioned this before, as a born-again believer when you get up in the morning before you start your day you need to put on the whole armor of God.  No soldier goes out to battle without being prepared, ready to fight and being dressed for the battle with weapons ready in case he needs to use them along with a strategy for winning the battle.  Remember this, if you are a child of God then you cannot lose the battle unless you chose to give up.

The Word says this in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Also verse 16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  There is one thing you can be sure of and that is darkness cannot overcome the light but light can drive out the darkness if it is turned on. The problem is that there seems to be believers that want to hide in the shadows and not display the light that they have been given. I believe that we all need to be encouraged to let our light shine brightly in a dark, dying and sinful world.

Have you ever been misunderstood or persecuted for your faith?  If not you probably are not allowing your light to shine brightly and you are more than likely too far away from the battle and are hiding in the shadows so as not to be detected.  Being a chameleon will not honor the Lord and will not be very effective in combatting the evil one and tearing down his strongholds in people’s lives.  How will anyone experience the light for themselves if we aren’t willing to show them the light that is in us?  It may cost us something if we let our light shine but it will also be a great blessing, for when people see our good works they will give glory to our heavenly Father and we will become stronger in the faith and some may be saved because of our decision to let our light shine.  

When Paul the Apostle let his light shine it cost him more than we may ever have to experience.  Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 4:5-9, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

One thing you can be confident in knowing is that, like Paul, if we let our light shine we may be persecuted and even cast down but we will not be destroyed because darkness can never overcome the light but the light will always overcome the darkness.  So be encouraged and let your light shine and you will be blessed even if you may have to suffer, in the end we will be the overcomers.  May God bless you and yours and have a great day!!