Illumin8: We Stay Lit for Christ!

This was the theme of Hilltop Missionary Baptist Church’s Second Annual Youth and Young Adult revival. This summer, we wanted to tackle a privilege and responsibility that God has given His people: being lights of the world. As we sought after what being the light looks like and how we can walk in it daily, I began to consider the fact that we were missing a vital piece of the puzzle. Embracing this task meant that we had to walk out of the darkness INTO the light, leaving all of our pain, shame and guilt behind in exchange for love, forgiveness and grace. We can hear all day what the “light” is but we must also identify what darkness can be and how it can hinder us from walking into a new.

Today I want to share with you, something I shared with the audience. I wanted to be a voice for those like myself, who were used to being victims. Those who have been settling in the darkness with no tools or a lack of effort to use those tools, to get out. It’s time for us to let go of old patterns, behaviors and thought processes that have been hindering us from receiving and achieving MORE. I pray you enjoy it!

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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Light of the world? Me? Me? You sure? Can’t be me. I mean look at me! Do you know what I’ve done? What I’ve said? How many people I’ve hurt? Shoot, how many ppl have hurt me. I’m wounded. I can’t POSSIBLY be the light. I’ve been talked about. Lied on. Victimized. Mistreated. Judged. Left behind. Pushed aside. Looked over. Dismissed. Diminished & down right disrespected. What ounce of light could there be within me? How can I be the light of the world when I can’t even pick myself up out of darkness. When my vision is so blocked out by negativity that there’s no exit at the end of the tunnel. How can I be the light when I’m not even the light in my mothers eyes? How can I be a light & be this great thing for God to use when my parents didn’t want me? When my partner left me? When my friends turned their back on me? When the teachers doubted me and told me I’m stupid? When everyone’s answer was NO.  When the church second guessed my gifts? When I just CAN’T seem to get anything right?! HOW? Look at all this mess! What light can I possibly possess when I couldn’t even get myself out of these predicaments? How can God use me? Little ole me. Lost me. Confused me.

I had an inferiority complex. I felt overlooked and over shadowed. I never felt like I belonged or was welcomed. I always wanted to fit in with the in crowd doing everything to please everyone. I wanted everyone to be my friend, to accept me. To reap what seemed like the benefits within certain social circles. I tried to do everything the worldly way & every single time it ended in disaster. Don’t you get tired of trying to squeeze something where it doesn’t belong? Isn’t your discomfort annoying or is it worth it for the popularity title. I’ve always screamed for someone to see me, to choose me, to fight for me but God had done that all along. He saw me, knew me & loved me before I was in my mother’s womb. He chose me for a special purpose. Something that only I can fulfill. He fought for me. Time & time again. He gave his life for me so that I may be with him for eternity. In turn, life revealed a new me. The found me. The saved me. The forgiven me. The resurrected me. The me that was there all along but God needed the surrendering me. To let him move & cleanse me. So that I can walk in the ways he set for me. That I may be secure & declare my victory.

See John 1:17 says “for the law was given by Moses but grace & truth came by Jesus Christ”. In Jesus was life and in this life, he became the light of men. Our grace spread upon harsh laws that once kept us away from our Father. Our savior who sought to bridge the gap between disobedience and painful consequences, and a true desire to be all our Father has called us to be. Our light at the end of a rough and what seems to be a treacherous tunnel. Our sense of hope, our Prince of peace.

I was willing to risk this light, my relationship, my purpose, my salvation just to fit into a place that was never for me. God never wanted me to blend in & become a part of the crowd. He wanted me to stand out so that my light, not covered or threatened by negativity, not consumed within darkness, can attract those who needed theirs to be activated too. I needed to walk out of the shadows of uncertainty into the promises of security. I had to change my vision.

In her devotional, Joyce Meyer posed a question to the readers, asking, “Because of Christs’ resurrection and victory over death, what happens when you wake up in the morning?’. Her theory was that when Christians put their feet on the floor in the morning, hell ought to shake. Demons should tremble when they realize that WE are up.

The devil & his minions KNOW who we are, the power we hold and the strength the Lord has given us. He knows our calling. Why is it that we don’t? We can’t be a threat if we don’t even know. He can’t try to knock out a light that we don’t even know we have. We have the ability to sustain a spirit of power and peace within our circumstances but what power can you hold if you don’t understand it?

Pain is not an easy thing to deal with. It’s not a fast process of overcoming. The devil, he works. He is maintaining a consistent effort to knock you DOWN. To keep your ears and eyes focused on what you DON’T have instead of what you do & believing that what God promised is no longer on the way. That we truly can’t be hearing his voice. That our relationship can’t be as strong as we think it is. There is also someone else that’s in the way, someone we overlook and discredit. A sneaky person that’s on our heels everyday. Someone we can’t seem to get away from: me, you, your inner person. Not your authentic person but the complacent person, the doubting person, the fearful/anxious person. The comfortable me makes it so hard to grasp my blessings. We give the devil so much credit but fail to realize that our flesh gets in the way by allowing us to make decisions centered on emotion & away from knowledge & discernment. Our ego makes it difficult as pride, arrogance & the independent “who needs God, I can do it all by myself” attitude sets in. We are also at risk when we forget to seek first the kingdom of God & instead do things we feel is best for us! That sounds like staying in God’s permissive will but I want his perfect will.

A lot of us are comfortable in our darkness. In our dysfunction. We’re so used to destruction that we feel we deserve it & can’t even imagine anything different. That this is the way God obviously shows his love. That there’s no possible way out. You enjoy the pity, the handouts, the attention. You know, because no one else gave you attention any other time. But I know a man named Jesus. He is the living word! He will take your test & create a testimony. He will use your break down as fuel to push you towards your break through. He will turn that L into a W. He will use that stumbling block as a stepping stone! Taking it to him & leaving it at the altar is the best decision we can make. Trusting God means trusting his timing & that he knew we could handle the lesson because the blessing will mean that much more to us. Don’t let the devil make you think that because you were lost you can’t be found. That the Lord can’t use you. 

We have our own pain of today. As millennials and those among the following generations, our darkness looks different from those that came before us. Darkness can be low self esteem, depression, loneliness, envy/jealousy, fornication, self-doubt, church hurt, abandonment, adultery, greed, drugs/alcohol, selfishness, unforgiveness, suicide, being judgmental, lying, being fake, stealing, pride and anger, hypocrisy, complacency & the list goes on. You can even be suffering from open wounds of abuse, rape & discrimination.

No more will I let my demons, my skeletons, my darkness, my faults and regrets hinder me from the things that I know I deserve because of who my Father is. I’m choosing today & forever more to fight for my life. To trust the path that God has set out in front of me. I’m gonna give the darkness a run for its money and I would love for you to join me too.

That’s why we’re here. To learn. To understand. To receive. It is our job as Christians to influence the world. To let the Lord’s light shine so bright that we attract them to his kingdom. That they see him before they see us. To have them wonder just how we made it through all we’ve been through with joy & peace. That they become so jealous of what we have that they want a piece of God too. That we embody strength & display daily that walking into the light has been & will always be the best decision that anyone could make.

So what do you say? You tryna light up the world or nah? Are you ready for that switch to be flipped? To not let any ounce of darkness distract those from seeing the light God has placed on the inside of you. Are you ready to fight through whatever it is that you’re going through to see what the Lord has for you up ahead? Are you really sure you want to be about your Father’s business? Are you ready to be healed? To be free? To break generational curses, to witness the plans he has for you to prosper and not fail, to be revived, replenished, refueled and restored. It’s about that time that we walk out of the darkness and into the light. Are you going to take up your bed and walk with the rest of us? 

WE LIT!

Are You?