Category: Let There Be Light

The following truths have been adapted from Neil Anderson’s Freedom in Christ Ministries. Click here for a downloadable PDF.

I am who God says I am.

I Am Accepted 

John 1:12 I am God’s child. 

John 15:15 I am Christ’s friend. 

Romans 5:1 I have been justified. 

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him. 

1 Corinthians 6:20 I have been bought with a price. I belong to God. 

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s Body. 

Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint. 

Ephesians 1:5 I have been adopted as God’s child. 

Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. 

Colossians 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. 

Colossians 2:10 I am complete in Christ. 

I Am Secure 

Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation. 

Romans 8:28 I am assured all things work together for good. 

Romans 8:31-34 I am free from any condemning charges against me. 

Romans 8:35-39 I cannot be separated from the love of God. 

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God. 

Philippians 1:6 I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected. 

Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven. 

Colossians 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God. 

2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. 

Hebrews 4:16 I can find grace and mercy in time of need. 

1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I Am Significant 

Matthew 5:13-14 I am the salt and light of the earth. 

John 15:1,5 I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. 

John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. 

Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ. 

1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple. 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God. 

2 Corinthians 6:1 I am God’s coworker (see 1 Corinthians 3:9). 

Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. 

Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship. 

Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence. 

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Prayer for Others:

1. Thank God for the miracle of this person.
2. Thank God for any way in which this person has changed your life.
3. Commit his/her future to the Lord.
4. Ask God for help in figuring out how you may best encourage them to know God and grow into the person God has made them to be.

Prayer for Your Church:

1. Thank God for the miracle of your church and its ministry.
2. Thank God for any way in which your church has changed your life.
3. Commit your church’s future to the Lord.
4. Ask God for help in figuring out what your part in that future is.

Prayer for Your Spouse:

Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing (spouse) into my life,  and thank You for the person they are. Specifically, I thank You that (spouse) is (growing closer to you, kind, funny, a good listener, etc.) I also want to thank You for the ways in which (spouse) has changed my life for the better. Just today (or this week, or this month), (spouse) has impacted my life in a positive way by (serving me, serving our family, providing, caring, speaking my love language, etc.)I pray that (spouse) would continue to know You better, and that You will continually reveal Your love and grace to them. I recognize that their faith in You is outside my control, but I pray that You would provide me the ability to see (spouse) as the person You’ve created them to be, and that You would provide me wisdom in how I may best encourage them to be that person. Thank You, once again, for bringing (spouse) into my life. 

I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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READING AND JOURNALING:

What have you learned about God throughout this week? 

What do you believe is the next step God is inviting you to take? If you’re not sure, where may you turn to find an answer? 

PRAYER:

Write out your own prayer today.

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Ephesians 5:8-9 reads, For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Some things just make sense. For example, the more time you spend with God, the more you know and understand who He is. The more you know and understand who He is, the more you’re better able to reflect this to others. It isn’t rocket science…it just works. 

Other things may make just as much sense, but we still may struggle to actually believe them. For example, we may see ourselves as unholy, ungodly, or unworthy. Because we fail and have our poor moments, we may think, “Who am I to live as a person of light? I’ll mess this up. I always do.” 

But where do thoughts such as these come from? They don’t come from the Scriptures. Instead, God communicates, “You were (past tense) full of darkness, but now (present tense) you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

READING & JOURNALING:

ROMANS 13:12, EPHESIANS 5:8

How regularly do you think things like, “Who am I to try to live as a person of light? I’ll mess this up. I always do.”? 

Where do you think thoughts such as these come from? 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, there are times when I mess up, and I’m sure there will be many more of these throughout my life. Today I’m simply grateful for the reminder that these moments don’t define my life. You and You alone define who I am, and You see me as a person who was full of darkness but is now a person of Light. May this truth permeate deep within me, and may I be light to others today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Proverbs 4:18-19 reads, The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

Each and every day you are bombarded with hundreds and hundreds of messages. Not just text messages or emails. But messages from news media, tv shows, radio hosts, musicians, authors, colleagues, and more. Each and every one of these messages has the potential to either bring you closer to knowing the person of Christ, or potentially leading you away from Him. The question is, what can you do about this? 

In reality, the solution isn’t always easy. Pastor Pete Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, has discovered that for him to stay on track, he needs to take intentional time with God not just each morning, but 3-5 times throughout the day. He will take 8-10 minutes to read a devotional, pray, or just be in silence in the presence of God at certain times of the day every day. By living and being in God’s presence regularly, he feels he can then reflect this light into the lives of others. 

READING & JOURNALING:

PROVERBS 4:18-19

Do you have a daily time with God? If not, in what ways would your life be different if you had intentional time with God each day? If so, what ways may your life be different if you scheduled more time to be with Him throughout the day? 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I confess there are days or moments when I come to You not to know You more, but with a desire that You would simply do what I want You to do. In these moments, I’m looking to You as more of a personal assistant to me than I am looking to You as the compete and total Lord of my life. Today, may I continually reflect on who You are and not my circumstances. May You and You alone be the focus of my thoughts. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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As people, we want others to think well of us. As such, we’ll often do simple things for them thinking that by being kind, they’ll like us more. And through it all, there will be times when our motives are pure and we are living in such a way that we’re reflecting the light of Christ in our words and actions. 

Unfortunately, there will be moments in all of our lives when we slip and fall down. Moments when others see the brokenness in our lives, and not the light. Inevitably, we may then get back into a healthier rhythm of being the light of the world. But that one moment of darkness may lead others to think, “You call yourself a Christian, but you did _________.” 

It’s in moments such as this we can be humble and admit, “Yes, I acknowledge I sometimes mess up in life. And I confess my actions are not always a perfect reflection of Christ. But don’t think poorly of Him because of something I’ve done.”

In other words, we want to live our lives in a way that we’re constantly pointing others to Christ. We don’t want to preach about how good we are, but about how good He is. 

READING & JOURNALING:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4-6

Have you ever had somebody not want to listen to you talk about the Gospel because of a poor decision you made earlier in life? How did you respond? 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I confess there are times when I do certain things in order for people to think better of me, and not with a heart to help others think better of You. Today, may my thoughts and my actions be directed to upholding and uplifting the goodness of who You are. May I not preach about myself, but simply that Jesus is Lord. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 5:14-15 reads, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.”

Some may read passages such as this one and think that we need to do good deeds in order to be closer to God. But this passage (as well as many others) are sharing a different principle. Because we are Christians and already are close to God, we have the opportunity to be light in the lives of others. As Christ has been light to us, so we get to reflect that same light into the lives of others. 

At the same time, we may try to hide the light of Christ out of fear of what others will think about us. We may not want to speak up about something wrong and instead decide to go along with the crowd. Or we may opt to not share the light with others because we’re afraid of what they may think. 

Admittedly, balancing out when to speak, when to listen, and how to speak hard truths in a graceful way has it’s challenges. But as our constant guide, Jesus will light the way forward. 

READING & JOURNALING:

MATTHEW 5:13-16

What are at least 5 ways you recognize that you already are the light of the world? 

In what ways does this encourage and empower you to be light to others today? Be specific.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I confess there are days in which I don’t feel like I’m the light of the world. Today, I’m simply thankful for the reminder that whatever my circumstances may be, You see me as the Light of the World, and truths such as this empower me to continue growing into the person You have made me to be. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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What have you learned about God throughout this week? 

READING AND JOURNALING:

What do you believe is the next step God is inviting you to take? If you’re not sure, where may you turn to find an answer? 

PRAYER:

Write out your own prayer today.

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Earlier in the week we discussed how we all experience brokenness. And because we all experience brokenness, we all likely have an area of our lives that’s experiencing some level of spiritual darkness. Whether it’s unforgiveness, strife, or any other feelings of ill-will towards others or ourselves, there’s something within each of us that is experiencing spiritual darkness. The cure, of course, is Jesus. But each of us continues to have a responsibility in the process. 

What is your responsibility? In truth, the next for you may be different than the next step for others. It may be that you’re struggling to allow Jesus to shine light in this area of your life. Maybe you feel like you’ll be giving up a sense of control, so you hesitate to let Him work it out. Or maybe you’d prefer to try to “fix” the situation on your own, trusting in yourself more than in Him. Or maybe you feel like you’re not worthy to receive His help. You’ve made some unwise decisions that has led to this darkness, and the shame is keeping you from being able to receive from Him. Whatever it may be – Jesus is the Light of the World. So today, let Him be light in your life. 

READING & JOURNALING:

ISAIAH 58:8-9, PSALM 36:9

In what ways have you tried to “fix” (or maybe cover up) the spiritual darkness in your life on your own? Be specific. 

What is your responsibility in allowing Jesus to be light in this area of your life? 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I admit there are times in which I try to resolve or fix a situation in my life without fully turning to You to restore, heal, and be the Light that is needed. Today, I simply pray that I give up trying to control this situation on my own, and allow You and You alone to be the Light that’s needed to help me take the next step forward. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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John 15:6 (NLT) reads, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John Lennox, a professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and an international speaker on Physics and Philosophy, once took the opportunity to share the gospel with a man on the subway. The man responded saying something like, “With all of your education, you still believe in all of that ‘God’ stuff? Haven’t the sciences proved that God doesn’t exist?” 

Professor Lennox just smiled and asked a simple question: “Tell me, do you have any hope?” In an instant, the man was left speechless. His only response was, “Well, I guess we all just have to muddle along in life, don’t we?” The door was open for Lennox to share, “No, we don’t. There is reason to have hope. Let me share it with you.” 

Some days, we may try to find hope in the strangest of places. Other times, we may feel like there is no hope at all. But Jesus came to the world in order to be Light. He came to provide hope. Not just for one situation or season in life, but to provide hope for all eternity.  

READING & JOURNALING:

JOHN 14:6, PHILIPPIANS 1:6

How would you respond to somebody who asked you, “Do you have any hope?”

How would you express to somebody else the reason as to why they can have hope? 

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, all of my hope is in You and You alone. Today, I simply pray that the Light of who You are and the hope I have in You will be evident to all I interact with. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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It easy to compartmentalize all of the different areas of our lives. For example, it’s easy to think about marriage, family, friends, work, school, and/or church as separate areas of our lives. We often don’t need to think about how a simple decision at work may impact another area of life, because it usually doesn’t. 

But what happens when we’re faced with a seemingly simple decision that does impact our Christian faith? What happens when you have two colleagues who skirt some guidelines to make their monthly reports look better? And what happens when one of these two is a close friend, and the other is somebody you’ve struggled to relate with? Do you defend your friend while condemning the other? 

All throughout our lives, God invites us to be consistent in upholding godly values. We ought not compartmentalize our Christian life away from everything else. Instead, our faith impacts every other area in our lives, every day, in every way. In short, we are called to be consistent in upholding godly values in every area of our lives. 

READING & JOURNALING:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:58, COLOSSIANS 3:23

Are there currently any inconsistencies between what you say you believe, and the decisions you’re making? 

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I recognize that there are some inconsistencies in my faith life. Today, my sincere desire is to see and understand where I may be inconsistent in what I say I believe and the decisions I make. And I simply pray for wisdom that You would provide me the wisdom to know what’s right, and the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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