[Extract from Ever Present Communicator: Engaging with a Dynamic God]
…..Imagine yourself for a moment standing in a brightly lit room. All objects in the room are clearly visible to you. Every object that obstructs the light source can be distinguished by the shadow that it casts. You are aware of areas of the room that are obstructed from view, identified by the lack of visibility.
When the light is suddenly switched off, all visibility is lost due to the absence of light. Having been exposed to the light, your eyes are unable to see anything at all. You are well aware of the darkness, the dangers that lurk under its cover and therefore remain stationary to avoid injury to yourself.
After a while your eyes start to adjust to the darkness and your surroundings begin to look familiar again. As time passes, your eyes adjust to the darkness more and more, until the objects in the room are seen in grey scale. The room does not really seem that dark at all anymore.
Now you feel safe enough to move about in the room, confident that you would be able to see the obstacles in the way. As you walk further and further your confidence grows. Suddenly you are brought to the ground by an electrical cord on the floor acting as a trip wire; indistinguishable from the floor surface obscured by twilight.
It is with good reason that the Bible instructs us to flee from sin instead of trying to outwit it. Darkness alters the true appearance of all that is covered by its veil. We never truly know what we are up against or what dangers lurk in the dark. When we find out it may be too late. I discovered that darkness is best avoided.
We are not only surrounded by people, but also by evil that disguises itself incredibly well and prides itself in remaining inconspicuous. If you are ignorant, naïve or ill equipped from a spiritual point of view you will get drawn into quicksand that is hard to escape. In fact, impossible to escape, without being honest with yourself about the true desires of your sinful nature and being fully dependent on the power of God to direct your steps. The forces of darkness are romanticized by popular culture but as human beings we are not strong enough to withstand them. They dwell within the realm of the ‘operating system’.
One may think that you will never get into situations like the one I described and therefore do not need to experience the power of the Lord’s protection and presence in such a way. The reality is that evil is never far away and will do all it can to make you ineffective, especially when you become aware that it is real. If we are not prepared, we get knocked down and live disillusioned, fatalistic and ineffective lives. Salt that has lost its saltiness.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” — Matthew 5:13-16
We need the One who knows all things and sees all things to be our guide because the most dangerous traps are unseen and religion without relationship tends not to expose them but rather provide them with sanctuary.
The Lord saved me that night. I became acutely aware that the unseen world is very real and dangerous. Lightly walking with the Lord is not good enough. Yet God is faithful even if we are not, as long as our hearts are repentant and long for Him…….
Have a blessed week.