God is Light

1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

We are who we associate with. It does not matter how strong we are, we do pick up stuff from others. It might be something as simple as the local accent when visiting a friend in another part of the country. And it could be something that subtlety changes our core values. Satan is a subtle serpent.

Simply put, God is light. Take away light and you have darkness; take away God and you no longer have Truth. In the absence of Truth is found lies. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).

In your mind's eye, picture walking in an underground cave. Perhaps it is an abandoned gold mine in the Midwest. There are old small wattage light bulbs every thirty to forty feet along the way. It is interesting to see where people worked long and hard in the ninetieth century. Then the unthinkable happens. The lights go out! You are in total darkness unable to even see your own hands. You reach into your backpack for a flashlight and snap it on. Those feelings of confusion and fear leave instantly.

You begin to walk back to the surface thankful you have the light. Not quite to the surface your batteries get weak and the amount of light becomes less and less. But even with only a little amount of light, the darkness is gone. Then as you look to where you are heading, you see a dim light at the end of the tunnel. As you move forward toward the light it become brighter and brighter. As you reach the end you step out into daylight.

As believers, we carry the light of Jesus into a dark world. Wherever we go His light removes the darkness enabling those who are ready to take up their portion of light and continue the process. Those who are not ready, who are unknowingly too deep into a relationship with satan close their eyes and ears to the Truth. They block the light and fail to receive.

Like flashlight batteries, our light can become dimmer. The anointing leaks out a little each day.

Many believe it is on Sunday morning at a church service that we are refilled with a fresh anointing from God. This can be true depending on the church and the mix of attendees. Often there is a mix of light and darkness in a large gathering. Just because a person attends church does not make them a carrier of His light. We can come away refilled or even less full depending on what is happening and who we are with.

We need to be in constant relationship with others carrying His light. We draw on each other and our lights shine brighter. This is good, but not the true source of the light. It is our relationship with Jesus, our reading of the Word, and our praise to God that builds the anointing. We can be refilled daily. Then as we go into the world those we meet will see God's light shining bright in our words, actions, and even in our presence.