Light of the World (Part 2)

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

How are we able to share our testimony and shine for Him if we are hiding?

This becomes the issue. It isn't so much about the mask, but the reason behind the mask. We have to know the reason before we can begin to take off our mask or even change the position of the mask. As we begin to think of those reasons, we really need to take time to sit before the Lord and talk with Him about these things. He will begin to show us how to approach these things that make us want to put on the mask. It is at this point of being real with ourselves and others that we can really shine for the Lord.

There are different things that will have influenced us hiding ourselves and situations.In order to begin to let our light shine, we have to discover why we are in hiding. Is it fear? Uncomfortable to be real at times? Is it to escape judgment? Why are we in hiding in the first place?

Comfort should not stop how we allow God to use us. If it was about comfort, I wouldn't have mentioned my own mask in the last blog. I'd share about the mask of someone else and how they have chosen to hide themselves from the world, which limited their testimony. It is definitely not about comfort.

Will others judge us when we openly share our testimony? Yes at times, they will. Some will be judged more than others. I am reminded of what Matthew 5:10 says: "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (NLT) Doing right will bring persecution. Doing right also brings something much stronger:: God's blessings! God will continue to bless us as we take off the mask and let our light shine! Alot of times, we stop speaking when others come after us or speak ill about our vulnerability to share. We need to keep speaking, even when it's difficult. God will keep on strengthening us and giving us the words to speak. He will also show us how to be a light in how we live.

If a mask is put on to protect ourselves from fear, we owe it to ourselves and God to see what we fear? Fear does not come from the Lord, but peace does. Often times if I am fearful to do something, I know that means I need to do it. Fear may be something to derail us when others need to hear our story and know how God is working in our lives.

Also some put on their mask, because it is easier than being their true selves, It may be "easier", because we will blend in. We will be conforming to the world, but we are not to conform. We need to be a bright light shining for the world to see. We need to stand out and offer ourselves fully to God--even when it means sharing our lives when it is anything but easy. Some may think it is easier, because there is less judgment or the fear won the fight. It may be easier, because we give into the urge to not show our testimony and how God is working in our lives. It is easier to give into feeling rather than the truth that we need to be real and let our light brightly shine. A lot of us want to hide who we are. Others may not understand. Others may leave us. Others may judge us. Others may... do lots of things. We owe it to ourselves to be real, and show our true selves. We owe to God to brightly shine for Him--showing His great love through how He has worked in our lives.

Many things can keep us in the place of hiding ourselves, but we have been given a testimony. Our testimony is nothing to hide. God is working in our lives, which is worthy of sharing for all to hear. It doesn't matter what particular way He is working. We need to proclaim it that God is working in our lives! How we could open up and be real looks different for each person. This is why it is so important to take time to go before Him and seek the reasons for the masks and hiding. Take time in prayer to talk with God about the reasons of the mask. Talk to Him about the struggle you feel. He is ready and able to help and strengthen you!

We need to take the time and see how God is using us to be a light to the world? We need to be willing to be real and share with others how God is working in our lives. We need to be willing to share who we really are without fear or anything else preventing us from speaking.

Light to the World (Part 1)

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So often we hide.
We hide our true selves.
We hide our circumstances.
We hide how we feel.
Sometimes, we hide due to fears.
Other times, we hide to escape judgment.
Sometimes people tell us to hide in some ways, by their words about what we may share.
Past situations can make us want to hide.

Whatever our reasons may be, we often hide. We could all fess up to hiding in one way or another, when we could have been a brighter light to the world around us. The person hiding could be the person who appears to have it all together at church on Sunday morning, and their life is actually a mess. It could be our neighbor, friend, or someone else. Nobody is exempted from the possibly of hiding themselves (or parts of themselves) even the ones who seem to have it all together. It is something that probably everyone has faced at one time or another. It is easy to put on a mask of who we want (or need) to be to others, and for a while--it works. However who we are will still remain, and our testimonies will not shine as bright. We are in costume and not letting ourselves be used by God to help others. In 2 Corinthians, we are told that we are to comfort others in difficult times just as we have been comforted. We have to be willing to share, in order to experience comfort from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to share to give comfort.

I wrote about hiding, because God is showing me today that it can make our light less bright to the world. We may think "it doesn't matter or even affect my relationship with Christ", but God wants to use our whole testimony without us hiding parts of it, by not sharing how He is working in us. Hiding parts of us or our lives affects our walk with Christ. It affects our relationships. It affects us as individuals. We can lie and say we are okay, but it affects us still the same whether we admit it or not. I know all too well how easy it is to stay in hiding and ignore the brighter testimony I could be sharing.

Let me explain a little bit about my own mask: I have two noticible ones that I can see right on the spot. The first is how God is freeing me from the sin of gluttony. Gluttony is a sin that isn't talked about much in the Church. It is a vital testimony that is worthy of sharing, even if others do not see it as such. 

The second one is this: I have two facebook accounts to "hide" part of my life on one facebook. In some ways, it is to hide parts of my life. IE) Find another outlet to help me as I deal with chronic illnesses. The second facebook has really become an outlet. However, I risk putting on a mask by not talking about those things out of fear, anxiety, and judgments. In a lot of ways, it is easier and safer to talk about certain things like this on one particular account. It is this process that is showing me I need to find a way to balance my life. How can I be real on both? So in a sense, my problem is learning how to let that brighter light shine wherever I go. It is a matter of balancing who I am and how I approach the world. It doesn't matter how we "cope" with our mask. A mask is still a mask. Our light could be brighter. In some ways, having two accounts has freed me in sharing my testimony in a brighter way for one, but has dimmed it for the other. I am learning how to blend those two aspects of my life into one. It is a matter of giving everything over to the Lord and allowing my light to shine brighter as I come out of hiding. The question to be asked is: What hinders us from shining brighter for Christ?

We need to evaluate ourselves and see how we are living and sharing our testimony. Are we hiding our light? Is God doing something in our lives that we are unwilling to boldly share? Sharing our testimony allows God to use us to teach, encourage, and minister to others. He also teaches and ministers to us. It is when we know the reason of why we hide that we can begin to open ourselves up to begin to be a brighter light to the world with our whole testimony showing.

Part two::How are we able to share our testimony and shine for Him if we are hiding?

Writing (Spiritual Gift)

Today, I read that writing can be a spiritual gift. That is exciting and encouraging to me. Writing is something I love to do to help me meditate, ponder, and wrestle with what I am reading/learning in the Bible. I never thought about the possibility of it as a spiritual gift. What makes writing a spiritual gift rather than a talent? A good friend was given a piece of advice about spiritual gifts versus talents, and she was kind enough to share it with me. A spiritual gift is something that is consecrated before the Lord, whereas a talent can be used for anything. Is the talent used for God and His purposes alone? That is what sets writing apart as a spiritual gift, because it is used for God alone.

 Writing, as a spiritual gift, is a form of speaking the truth in written form and also building up the body of Christ! It is about using the gift primarily for God and the work He would have us to do. A couple things set writing apart as a spiritual gift:

1. The writing is to build up the body of Christ and/or speak God’s Word. This may be in the form of a poem, devotional, book, Bible study, sermon, prayers, songs, blogs, etc.
2. The writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit who gives the writer the words to be written.
3. The writer expresses more effectively through writing rather than verbally.

These three characteristics are what distinguish writing as a spiritual gift instead of a talent. For those with the spiritual gift of writing—they’ll write and it has the effect of building up the body of Christ and speaking His truth to help others grow in Christ. It can be a devotional, book, blog, or other methods of writing. Writing can take many forms.

This spiritual gift is very influential. For Luke, he could be classified as having the spiritual gift of writing---as he wrote two books in the New Testament that spoke the Gospel, shared the absolute truth, and built up the church. (Luke 1:1-3) Without the spiritual gift of writing, we would not have any of the Bible written in a God inspired manner where we know each word came from God.

The important characteristic in writings is that it is God inspired. The Holy Spirit gives the writer the words that are to be written. Since the Holy Spirit is heavily involved in the writing process for those with the spiritual gift, the writings can be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. God can use our writings (blogs, devotionals, books, poems, etc) for His glory! He can use us to encourage other believers, teach them, correct them in certain areas of their lives that need to be corrected, and train them in godly living.

The spiritual gift of writing also enables believers to express more effectively through writing rather than verbally. This is true of me. I am much more efficient as a writer than I am as a speaker. My words are not eloquently spoken verbally and expressed rather poorly, but God has given me the gift of being able to sit here, write, and reflect in a more expressive manner.

Writing is a powerful tool that God can use as a spiritual gift to bless others in mighty ways, and lead them closer to the Lord. This is the whole purpose of writing for those who have writing as a spiritual gift. It is for the Lord and His glory! 

For me, there are many blessings of writing as a spiritual gift. I love the intimacy that comes with writing and feeling God’s strong presence while I write whatever He lays on my heart. I haven’t treated this gift as honorably as I should. I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and let it slip away from me. I am excited to be able to re-experience the joys of writing for my Father and hope it encourages others and draws them closer to Him. The writing experience is about building up the body of Christ—encouraging, rebuking, training in righteousness, and teaching. 

All three characteristics can be clearly displayed in my own life. The main reason for my blog is to help me think as I continue to write. I am able to understand and learn more as I write rather than merely think. What sets it apart as a spiritual gift for me is being able to write about God's Word and hopefully put it out there, so others in the body of Christ may be built up as a result of sharing it. The writings are also inspired by the Holy Spirit. I get the opportunity to be truly blessed when I take the time to sit and write whatever the Lord is speaking to me about at the given time.

Prophecy (Spiritual Gift)

I thought I would start a blog series on spiritual gifts. Most of what I write on this blog stems from my walk with Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to save me eternally and He was raised to new life by the Father. My walk with Him is of most significance. He deserves my all! Writing enables to wrestle with whatever I have on my mind, as I learn more about Him and how to live out my life. To know more about God is to learn more about myself. It is impossible to know who I am outside of who God is and His plans and purpose for my life. Today's post is an example of learning about me as I learn about God. This is the first post where I will be looking at different spiritual gifts. Prophecy is one of my favorite gifts to look at. It is also special, because it has a profound impact on who I am and my personality.

 For each believer in Christ, we have spiritual gifts. Believers have different spiritual gifts that given by God alone. Not all have the same spiritual gifts. (What fun would that be?) The body of Christ has many parts, as it states in 1 Corinthians 12:12. In order for the church body to work well, we need diverse spiritual gifts. We all can’t be prophets, because who would be there to love? We can’t all have the spiritual gift of compassion, because who would be there to boldly proclaim God’s Word without worrying about hurting feelings? The church body has diverse spiritual gifts for a purpose! We need to use each one we are given in our lives to glorify God. These spiritual gifts are unique and come only by God's power! It is not something that can bought at a store. Money and practice cannot make us possess these gifts. Only God can bring these gifts into part of our lives!

Prophecy

Prophecy is the first spiritual gift I want to write about in this blog series. Prophecy is the special spiritual gift God gives where we are able to proclaim the Word of God with accuracy and apply it. It is done fearlessly to strengthen believers, comfort, bring encouragement, and helps unbelievers know the truth. The Holy Spirit is working in each step of it: boldly proclaiming the Word, softening others’ hearts to hear the message, and help others to know and grow in Him. 

The main purpose of prophecy is to speak God’s Word to the people. It is to help others reconcile with God, because of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day. It is to show the truth to others to challenge them when they fail to know the truth. Also it is to warn them of God’s immediate and coming judgment if there is no repentance. It is through the Holy Spirit that the gift of prophecy is used to speak God’s Word and helping others come to Him and grow in their walk.

 The Experience

God shows me the fingerprints that He has left on my life and personality, as I learn about this spiritual gift. He shows me why I am the way I am. He shows me why I am blunt and boldly speak. He shows me why there is such intensity in my life. He shows me the passion I have for Him and His Word. I love getting the chance to learn about the gift of prophecy. I love that it explains why random verses come into my head and I can't contain my excitement for sharing God's Word. I love how God will give me a reference for a Scripture that I haven't memorized to give to others. He is giving me the words to speak, as I grow more in Him. He gives me the urgency to speak His truth. He speaks through me, and allows His power to be known! Speaking directly and boldly is only for His truth to be known. He brings a scripture to mind that needs to be given to one particular person. He continues to use me to help others know Him. He continues to use this gift to show me who He has made me to be. If I was to ignore it, I would be missing out. Seriously. Missing out. God has so many blessings in store, as I obediently follow Him and His Word. There are still lessons I need to learn about using this gift and using it diligently, but knowing this spiritual gift is such a blessing!

Personality Traits

The spiritual gift of prophecy is one of passion. It is having a great passion for God, His Word, and proclaiming His Word wherever He sends you. I have some characteristics of prophecy in my own personality. The ones that stick out most for me is strong personality, (type "A") lack of mercy and patience, and intensity. For this spiritual gift, these are the personality traits.

1.      They have a strong personality, which can be defined as a type “A” or dominant personality. This believer has to have a strong personality to help them face the adversity that is required of anyone who boldly speaks the Word of God.

2.      They are often intense in the things they do and intent in their relationship with Jesus Christ. They are also tough to do what they need to do, which is highly necessary to go forth and preach the Word of God regardless of what others may say or do in reaction to what has been spoken.

3.      They are more focused on the direct issues rather than those involved. Prophets lack patience and are low in mercy. Regarding mercy, they are much more interested in confronting a person rather than hesitating out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings.

Responsiblity

Prophecy is boldly speaking God's Word and proclaiming it fearlessly. It has to do with boldly speaking even if it hurts someone for a little while. The eternal is much more important than temporary. I can relate to Apostle Paul when he says in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10:

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Speaking boldly is a big responsibility. It is requires us to be diligent about declaring God’s Word. On some levels at time, it requires us to take a step back from the situation and remember that God's Word comes first. It comes before people to whom we will proclaim the message. It comes before fear or anxiety that will plague us from wondering what will happen once the message is preached to others. The point is: we must boldly proclaim. We can't allow others things to get in the way. We must speak up and speak God's truth obediently, so others may come to know Him! It is to be boldly proclaimed and without shame or fear.

When the prophet speaks the words given by the Lord, others may be sorrowful for a little while—but it will lead them to repentance and enable them to enter a right relationship with the Lord. This is the focus! It is not on the temporary of what may hurt others, which individuals with the gift of compassion and prophecy may face. It is much more difficult for those with both gifts to proclaim, but it is still necessary. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we are given. It is important to use them with God’s guidance.

Here are some Scriptures concerning the special spiritual gift of prophesy:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Romans 12:6-8

Ephesians 4:11-13

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

Deuteronomy 18:18-22

1 Corinthians 14:1-5

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

1 Corinthians 14:30-33

1 Corinthians 14:37-40