Fear of Death.

Heb_2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

We are in bondage to death. Bondage-  a few dictionary definitions are -

1. Slavery - the condition of being enslaved.
2. Restriction- the condition of being controlled by something that limits freedom.

The verse above talks about delivering those who through FEAR OF DEATH are all their lives subject to that FEAR, they are enslaved to that FEAR, they are controlled by that FEAR of death knowing it is inevitable.

I want to talk a little bit about the fear of death because yesterday I came closer to that fear than I'd ever been before. I swallow a large vitamin pill the wrong way and it was stuck in my throat and I truly thought I might die. As my son rushed me to the ER, I kept saying and thinking, 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE.' Yes, you might sit there all comfy with your non-pill stuck throat and think, well if she can talk she's not choking. Wrong and right. I was as close as you can come to choking without choking, a moment away from that pill possibly moving and blocking off my air way as it lodged there in my throat with my throat contraction over and over trying to dislodge it. The woman at the ER kindly explained to me AFTER the drama, that they kept me sipping hot water and then carbonated soda because 1- they keep that flap which decides which way to go- food or air - open to the food side so there is less chance of it heading towards the airway.  And 2 - it helps dissolve the pill.  Of course they monitored my oxygen the entire time too, just to be sure.

I was TERRIFIED.  As I entered the ER I expected instant care in my terrified state but that's another story for another time. I was terrified of dying. I felt as if I were on the edge of cliff with a fraying rope ready to break at any moment. Fear of death was right there! People say your life flashes before your eyes and maybe it does if you're a little closer to death than I was, who knows. I do know I prayed not to die, I prayed for God to help me. I thought about my family and not wanting to leave them. I thought about my cousin, who was six months younger than me who died tragically a few months ago. I asked God to use me for His purpose and please keep me living. My mind kept shouting, I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

Fear of death.  Maybe that verse doesn't mean the dramatic circumstance of possible imminent death, but the more broad sense of our inescapable outcome of inevitable dying over all.  We will all die. Unless our Savior returns during our lifetime, we will all die. Death is possible for each of us at any moment. We are subject to death, we are enslaved to death. The healthiest person alive will still die from something. Our bodies no matter how well they are kept up will wear out in time.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

We can find deliverance from the permanence of death and this is our hope, yes? To be one day resurrected by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I suppose, and I could be very wrong, that having a terminal illness and slowly edging closer and closer to death- feeling your body breaking down, has to be terrifying as well. Does a reconciliation to death occur, a preparation as it draws closer? Does the terror remain? Does that longing to live remain right to the end, or is there a welcoming relief of being pain free, of struggling to keep living? I suppose it varies individually, and situationally.

Jesus will deliver us- people who truly are in bondage to the fear of death.

We are temporary beings in our flesh and blood and the only way we will ever truly be more than temporary beings is if we have faith in salvation through Jesus Christ.  Jesus was in fear of death…

Mar 14:34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 

Mar 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 

Jesus did NOT want to die. He knew what was coming, and He PRAYED to the Father to be able to escape from what was to come. He didn't want to die! He resigned Himself to God's will and the cup that lay before Him to drink- the cup that meant His suffering and death, but He didn't want it.  Jesus also was subject to that fear of death we are all subject to, and His overcoming death is the hope we have to cling to as we acknowledge death at any time during our own lives. Whether it is through a sudden, unexpected fearful experience such as the one I had, or a knowledge of death creeping over us slowly, we must have HOPE in Jesus Christ, that one day DEATH WILL BE DESTROYED!

Heb_2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil

He has the POWER to DESTROY the ONE WHO BROUGHT DEATH INTO OUR LIVES- the Devil!

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

Death will be swallowed up in victory, the victory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

All praise, glory and honor unto our Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Thank you, Lord, thank you, Father, and thank you Holy Spirit!

Thank you for keeping me alive, and please, please use me for Your purposes whatever they may be!

Where Is Your Treasure?

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

What do you treasure in life? Treasure…

The dictionary tells me the following about treasure-

1. Jewels and precious objects.
2. Something valuable.
3. Somebody highly valued.

I'll ask again, what do you highly value in life? What is important to you?

You wake up in the morning and you go about your day to day life and often you hear it referred to as the daily grind, the daily routine, the mundane. You wake, and do you follow a routine? Most of us do follow routines after waking up. We have things we do daily, yes, even on days off from work. A supposed typical day of life is wake, bathroom activities, get dressed, (some make their bed not all), get breakfast (again this is a typical and perhaps average day for a person, not everyone), go to work or school, or set about house keeping/child rearing duties that are legitimately work and then for those working outside the home they return home and in between there they may have lunch, then dinner later, then a lot of people relax in the evening before going to bed. In there somewhere you may shower some are morning shower takers, other evening. Of course many details are missing from this description but most people I could ask the following questions-

What time do you wake up/go to sleep everyday?

What did you have to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack yesterday?

What time do you usually go to bed?

What time of the day do you take your shower/wash up good?

When do you brush your teeth, hair?

Do you get the picture? Our lives are filled with various routines that we seldom do without. Even our weekends and time off work or out of our normal routines we will keep to some routines we have taken on as a part of our lives.

What about your life do you highly value in that day to day routine? Where is your treasure in life?

Are you one of the many, many people who find life hard on a day to day basis? Do you struggle to find value in life? Are you finding it difficult to tell me what you treasure in your life? The weight of living weighs down on a lot of people and they can answer in honesty that they don't treasure anything.  A lot of people treasure their loved ones, their family- children, parents, siblings, relatives of various kinds, and their friends, spouses of course. Some can honestly say they live for their various loved ones, meaning that life would be very, very hard without that loved one because their existence is so connected to the other person, or people, maybe even beloved pets. They find the value of their own life in the life of another.

When the Word of God tells us this…Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  

The Word is speaking truth. Where is your heart? Where do place your love?

Luk_18:22  Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Is your treasure in heaven, is your love in heaven?

Mat_13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

When we find the kingdom of heaven (life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior), we are finding an eternal treasure and we give all that we have to have that treasure. If we are making God the thing, the One most valuable to us in life- if our heart is with God, our love with God, then He truly is our treasure.

Does God have that place in your life? Upon opening your eyes in the morning, and closing them again at night- is God foremost on your mind because He lives in your heart and you live for Him and His will? Amid all the day to day routines we talked about above, is God a part of them? Are you willing to sacrifice anything and everything, for God? Would you die for Him? And if you'd die for Him,  do you live for Him? Where is your treasure? Is your treasure in heaven- your hope for the life you know deep down is a life worthy of living for, in heaven?  If we place our treasures on earth we most certainly will end up without the treasure of heaven and we will end up losing everything. If we lose everything we highly regard upon earth, but keep God and our heavenly treasure, we know that one day all that we placed even the smallest value upon on earth will be taken care of by God. When we give our hearts to anything upon the earth, we know we can lose that thing and it can disappear from our lives in a moment. If we keep God first, giving Him our heart, and from that we extend our hearts as He wills us to, towards others, then we can know that anything we lose on earth is a part of God's will for us and one day we will comprehend the loss, but for now we choose to trust in God's wisdom for our lives- no matter how painful in any way.

Mar_10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Luk_12:33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

The value of putting our treasure in heaven far exceeds any earthly treasure.  If we treasure loved ones before we treasure God, we do them no favors at all. Only God never fails, we fail time and time again. God first, others next extending from the love we have from God.

God help us put our treasures in heaven! Help us value You, LORD above all else. All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Amen.

Doubt Unacceptable.

Mal 2:17  Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? 

Being able to live in this world as a follower of Christ, a believer in God, means many things. It mean we recognize doubting God is one of Satan's very useful tools of which he has many to ensnare people into his grand deception. It is no fantasy, no piece of fiction for entertainment purposes but a very harsh reality that Satan does indeed have many tricks and traps all set up around us and he is ready at a moment's notice to play those tricks and spring those traps. When people doubt God there is a tendency to say it's normal, but is it? We can cite many Biblical passages of those chosen by God for special purposes - doubting God, but never ever did their doubt not deserve repentance. Is doubt normal, I ask again, and answer - it's only normal in so much as sin is normal in needing forgiveness, it is NOT normal in such a way as we should accept it or encourage it in ourselves or others.

The verse above talks of wearing the LORD with words- the words that reveal a heart despising God's seeming blessing upon those who work the works of evil because the evil seem to be and are the most prosperous in material and worldly possessions. Tell me it isn't true and I won't believe you because I know that the evil in our world is rich in world power and monetary gain.

Constantly we see posts on social media about how much those in our governing system in the United States make in salary a year and the various lifetime perks they receive for serving their countries people, and then we see how much your average person makes in that country and the staggering difference between the two. Those with the power give themselves the most while those they are supposedly serving live lives of destitution in comparison.

It's no secret at all in our entertainment business here in the United States and most likely worldwide, that there is a great shunning of things Christian, except for a few in comparison, rare acceptances. And those in the entertainment business- the few compared to the masses of people in existence- are rich beyond measure compared to those masses. 

The injustices in our world are blatant and very real, and Satan loves to use this to point the finger at God and say- He's not fair, He's not Just, He's not a true believer in good over evil because He allows evil to prosper, while good suffers.  Such words truly weary the LORD because He's made absolutely NO secret of the hardships people will face- the just and the unjust. He's made NO claims that the good will forever and always prosper while the evil will suffer here and now upon earth. Fairness is NOT something that exists in our current condition as sinners.

Mat_5:45  … for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We weary the LORD when we accuse Him of being unfair, of doubting His goodness. The LORD has made such an unfathomable sacrifice so we may have hope in Him, and know He is always and forever good, He is love. When doubt Him and His ways constantly and consistently, unrepentant, we have truly forgotten our way. He promises a FUTURE not of this world and therein lies all our hope- where HE IS, and WHAT HE PROMISES TO COME. Here and now we should not be shocked to suffered constantly one hardship after another, one tragedy after another while often people who profess no love of God at all, seem to live lives of ease and prosperity. 

Lives of ease and prosperity can be a whole new sort of tool Satan uses to his evil end and yes, that is in reality. He exists and does so solely to snare every single person he can in his lies.

May God keep us from wearying Him with our unbelief in His truth, in His love. May we trust solely in HIM and HIS judgment which is forever true and just. May we be protected from the evil of this world- ALL the EVIL every single bit down to the last molecule of evil in existence. Evil comes in many disguises, may we not be deceived! Protect us Heavenly FATHER, protect us and keep us from all evil! All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!! 

Amen.

Woe

Woe, now there's a word you don't hear all that often. Woe.

Woe- 1)a serious affliction or misfortune

2)grief or distress resulting from a serious affliction or misfortune

Woe unto them.

Serious affliction and misfortune to them.

If I tell you that you are going to suffer a serious affliction, and have serious misfortune that's not a very good thing, right? No one wants to suffer affliction, no one. And when misfortune befalls us we are not very happy, not ever. When we do suffer afflictions and misfortune overcomes us we usually are very distressed with good reason. If we tell a friend about our afflictions we'd gain sympathy from them. Bottom line- WE DO NOT WANT serious afflictions NOT EVER and WE DO NOT WANT misfortunes in our lives NOT EVER. They'll happen, but we do all we can to prevent them, don't we? We never willingly invite serious afflictions and misfortunes into our lives. In fact we try to prevent serious afflictions and misfortunes. We take precautions to prevent hardships. I personally do not know a single person who invites serious afflictions and seeks out misfortune, quite the opposite.

When God's word tells us- WOE UNTO THEM….  Pronouncing serious affliction and misfortune on people we'd better pay attention.

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

If you call evil…good, then woe unto you!

If you call good…evil, then woe unto you!

If you put darkness for light, then woe unto you!

If you put light for darkness, then woe unto you!

If you put bitter for sweet, then woe unto you!

If you put sweet for bitter, then woe unto you!

Contrariness is what is at play here in these verses.  You are living a life contrary to God's design. Make no mistake there are going to be a lot more people living contrary to God's plan than those who live for it. This is why we know the world right now seems to have come unglued and is clearly falling apart morally. Yes, morally. 

What is evil? You can name some things can't you? Just name a few evil things that exist. Murder is evil, yes? Stealing is evil, yes? Torture is evil, right? Can you dispute these statements? Some will say they can and give various situations where such things may be justified, but without any sort of justification whatsoever- they are evil. As soon as we admit to evil existing there has to be the opposite of evil. Not murdering is morally sound, not stealing, not torturing anything is morally good. God has moral standards for His creatures, all of us. We usually comprehend right from wrong early on in our lives. There is something in us that knows when we do wrong and a sense of guilt results from the wrong we do.

There exists right and wrong and for reasons that we can understand, and some we cannot understand. When we can't understand we need to trust it is for our good. WE DON'T have to understand to accept and believe, we trust, we have faith without full comprehension.  In our everyday lives we are often called to trust others. If you love anyone and are dating or married to them- you have to develop a trust in that love because otherwise you will live in a constant unending state of fear and suspicion which would warp any love that exists. Yes, very often trust and faith is broken, and when it is we are understandably very hurt. But it isn't always broken, not everyone breaks the trust and faith others put in them.

We must have faith in the morals that God has revealed in His word to us, words that are untwisted and unaltered. 

We have to have faith in God's goodness, His light, and the things He calls sweet.

When we choose to take what God has revealed as good, light and sweet, and change it to evil, darkness and bitterness- we can only expect misfortune and affliction of the eternal kind.

When we choose to take what God has revealed as evil, dark, and bitter and change it to good, light and sweet - again we must only ever expect woe to befall us.

The trouble arises when we take this so far that we no longer care to know the difference between good and evil, light and dark, sweet and bitter. When we as a society begin to teach our children contrary to God's moral standards we have created a future society that like Sodom and Gomorrah, a society such as the one which existed before Noah and the flood-  it is so corrupted with evil there is nothing left to do but destroy all but the very few who have kept the faith of God.

Pro 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

This is truth!

We live in a world that justifies the wicked, and condemns the just all too often. We are not to raise up any arms and fight against this tide of evil overcoming the world, we are to continue on in the love of God. We are to pray, we are to render only God's love to every single enemy of God and therefore, us. God's moral laws were created out of love, and it is in that love we are to live in His moral laws.  God please help us, and protect us from the vile evil that has filled our world at every turn. Protect us from the evil that seems to demand we give into it or else suffer under the condemnation of the vast majority of the world. Let us live solely in YOUR LOVE as JESUS revealed to us and as the HOLY SPIRIT keeps us in always.

Please Lord, help us to forever discern between good and evil, light and darkness, sweet and bitter, and let us follow only in the good, the light and the sweet - all through Your mercy, Your grace, Your love now and forever!!!!

Amen!

STRIVE to Enter In At the Strait Gate

Forever before us is the gospel. The good news, and that good news is one of salvation. What is salvation? It is being saved from the life of hopelessness. It is a realization that something went terribly wrong in this world. It's the knowledge that things are not how they are supposed to be. It is recognizing that a flaw exists and because the flaw exists there must be a correction, a fixing of the flaw, a doing away with the flawed so the fixed can take its place. We need to recognize the need to be saved before we can be saved.

There are many people in the world that are resigned to their existence and the existence of others around them, and the existence of those to yet be born, and they believe this is just how it is and can be no different. 

History to them has proven time and time again a striving by mankind to improve how things are and they believe it will forever be a striving until hopefully one day, somehow things will fall into place and everyone will find a peaceful existence.

I personally recognize that this world as a whole is extremely messed up. There are not too many people (at least among the sane and logical) that would say this world is a perfect place, that all is right in our world.

From the gravest of grand scale tragedies, to the tiniest private heartbreak- there is no possible way that all is as it should be in our world.

Salvation offers the hope of that perfect existence, one which we can all share in should we choose.

I lay before you the Word of God and found in the Word of God is the knowledge of the truth, the hope of Salvation from this evil existence.

The way that is right must be the way offered by God to us all, and we must take heed to His way given to us through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

An entire way of life is outlined in the Word of God, and should we pick out only the bits and pieces that sound good to us we are in danger of being caught up in deception.  Too many claim the title of Christian and fall far short of recognizing what a true Christian life is. To be a Christ follower is to do just that, follow Christ and Christ's way. To follow Christ's way you have to know Christ's way, and once you know Christ's way if you veer from following His way, you can no longer truly lay claim to the title Christian. Daily sacrifice, daily recognition of our need of salvation, of repentant, of forgiveness, daily putting God first, others second and ourselves last. A Christian has a daily walk following Christ's way, not a weekly way, not a monthly way, not a yearly way- but a daily forever walk, a striving to enter the narrow way all through Christ.

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 

Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Lam 3:40  Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 

Eze 18:27  Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 

Eze 18:28  Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

1Co 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 

1Co 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 

1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

Rev 3:2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 

Spiritual Light.

Our spiritual light must not be corrupted. Satan will attempt to corrupt the spiritual light in us.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 

We need to 'take heed' that the light in us isn't darkness.

If I tell you to take heed that the road up ahead may have been washed out by a flood, what would you do? You'd be very cautious as you were driving on the road. You don't know whether or not the road is safe to travel so you look as far ahead as you possibly can and you adjust your speed accordingly so that you aren't taken off guard. You take heed to my caution, you pay attention to what I'm saying and it affects how you go forward.  We are told to 'take heed' concerning our spiritual light. The verse could be talking about no other source of light because there is no physical light that can fill our whole body.

The light of our body is the eye. It's what we see, what we focus on. We have a choice where to focus our gaze unless someone is forcibly holding our head in a certain direction and at the same time forcing our eyelids to stay open. We physically control what we see and we spiritually control what we see. Where is our spiritual gaze at? What are we looking to spiritually? If we are waiting for some supernatural manifestation to appear so we can look upon it and perhaps use the miracle of it to claim our spiritual focus- we may wait in vain for such a thing. We have to live by faith.

Faith is-

Heb_11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The evidence of things NOT SEEN.

Our spiritual sight works by faith without physical evidence.

Our focus, the light of our body, our eyes must be singly set upon the light of our Savior.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the LIGHT of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the LIGHT shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 

Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the LIGHT, that all men through him might believe. 

Joh 1:8  He was not that LIGHT, but was sent to bear witness of that LIGHT. 

Joh 1:9  That was the true LIGHT, which LIGHTETH every man that cometh into the world. 

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 

Joh 1:15  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus is the LIGHT which LIGHTS us.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

When our focus in on Jesus the Word made flesh, the True Light, then our focus will not be on the dark things of this world. Our focus will not be inward upon our receiving selfishly, living self-centeredly, our focus will be upon Jesus and the life He taught us through His Holy Word to live, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. 

We have to TAKE HEED that the light in us isn't darkness. 

You'd think we know automatically if our light was darkness, wouldn't you? And if it's something we'd know automatically that why do we have to take heed to it? Why do we have to watch out for it? Why the caution? Because of deception. The power of self-deception is incredibly strong. It doesn't matter how convicted you are of something- believing you are living in spiritual light, not if that light is really darkness and you have been deceived because you would rather holdfast to your comfortable deceptions than step out into unfamiliar light. 

Paul could have kept his own spiritual darkness, he could have. He was zealous for what he believed was pure truth. The blood of many innocent people lay upon his hands because he was focused on the light that was really pure darkness, he was deceived.

Paul wasn't from some distance land, off on a journey for three years while Jesus ministered upon earth. Paul did not come home from some mission to be informed there was a rabble rouser about that had been killed, but the dead man's followers refused to give up following the dead man's teachings. Paul was LIVING right there as Jesus worked His miracles and gained a following. Paul was among the Pharisees Jesus constantly talked about as being ungodly. Like most of the Pharisees, Paul only knew hatred for the troublemaking, lying, blaspheming man called Jesus. In fact you could say truthfully that Paul's hatred for Jesus, even if he never once spoke to Jesus personally during those three years, was a vile hatred. How else could anyone account for how furiously Paul sought to persecute the followers of Jesus after Jesus died? How?

Paul was so caught up in the deception of his people, of their religious interpretation of the scriptures over the truth of the scriptures, that he believed whole-heartedly that he was filled with the truth of God.

Paul was given a manifestation of the miraculous supernatural kind and allowed an opportunity to follow the true LIGHT, the truth found in Christ.

Paul was shaken to the core, blinded physically as a part of his spiritual enlightenment. For three days Paul was physically sightless as his spiritual sight was awakened.

We have to comprehend something right now- Paul was NOT forced to believe, not even after he was blinded. There was NO force involved in changing him. Paul was given enlightenment that he had to choose to accept. That enlightenment would mean giving up all the previous darkness that had him persecuting Jesus' followers. All his cherished beliefs had to be abandoned for him to move forward in the new spiritual light given to him.

Giving up beliefs you've held for a life time, beliefs that grounded you in your life's calling is not easy to do. You have to be 100% sure that what you're giving your lifelong beliefs up for is something worthy of such a sacrifice. You have to know for a fact that your beliefs are truly wrought in the deception of the master deceiver who will, according to the word of God, be able to deceive the majority of people.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- the following verses are FRIGHTENING and rightly so!

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Do you see why they are extremely frightening?! MANY are going to say to Jesus that they did all sorts of things in His name, believing they were following Him, following the truth. Jesus is going to say to them He NEVER KNEW THEM to DEPART, they work iniquity!

They don't think so! They don't believe they are under Satan's deception. They don't believe their light is really darkness.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

We must take heed.

Isa 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 

Pro 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts

Pro_6:23  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Shine

Let's say that you need light, you want light, in fact you want everyone around you to have light. When our electricity goes out, especially at night, we grab a flashlight and turn it on. If you're in a family setting and you have children you might hear them crying out because they are suddenly immersed in darkness and instantly scared by that fact. You call out to them that you'll be right there with a flashlight and sure enough as soon as they see the first glimmer of the light you're bringing to them they are reassured that they won't be left in the dark. While adults might not panic so much in the dark, there is still usually a few moments of disconcertment when our brains are telling us this isn't desired, we want light, but then we spring into action to get a source of light. When we get our light we don't hide it, do we? The only way we'd hide the light of our flashlight would be if we didn't want someone to know where we are, that we are in danger if they find out, or playing a game of sorts. We set our light positioned so that all who are near to us facing the electrical outage may benefit from that light. We want those of our household to have a source of light and lacking a flashlight for each of them, we will share ours.

Jesus tells us- that when we light a candle (no flashlights back then) we don't hide it but we light it and set it up so it can shine.

The analogy (parable) that Jesus was using in this case was to illustrate the spiritual light we are given by Him through the Holy Spirit. When we are given spiritual enlightenment we aren't given it solely for our own benefit, but the benefit of all we come in contact with. We share the spiritual light we have. And if you think you aren't a teacher, preacher, or such so you don't have to share your spiritual light, you're wrong. Your life will be your example of that light you have. Your spiritual calling may be to affect a single person in your lifetime with your light, not all are given ten talents and told to make them a hundred, you may have a single talent that you need to keep visible for the earnest of it to come from a single other person, not a hundred. Your life reflecting the light you are given, the love of Jesus and the message He gave to us to share will shine forth, must shine forth.

Luk 11:33  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.