Update #166 - Lucifer

“…take heed that the light in you is not darkness.” Luke 11:35 MKJV

Mount Rainier from Three Tree Point, WA

During the pre-Christmas season I decided to read the nativity story in the gospel of Luke; its recounting is pretty short (two chapters) so I kept reading. Nights later I was in chapter 11 where Jesus compares his followers to lamps, fully lit, on display, and elevated for non-believers and believers alike to benefit from their glow, light, and effervescence.

In the middle of the simile “then watch out that the light in you is not darkness” (NASB) smacked me in the face. What???

“God, this is confusing. How can light be dark? I don’t get it.”

As I lay there in bed pondering, a thought passed through my consciousness “What is another name for Satan?” I am not that astute after 10pm so I knew it was God asking the question.

I fell asleep before I could answer – but the little researcher living inside me wouldn’t let the query die. Did you know there are over forty alternate names for Satan?!

I found two of his names connected with “light”:

• Angel of Light - 2 Corinthians 11:14

• Lucifer (which means “bringer of light”) - Isaiah 14:12-14

Whoa. Satan is an Angel of Light? He brings light? What illumination is he spreading? Scary thought.

This made me think of the time in the Garden of Eden when the serpent is chatting to Eve and “brings light” to a situation. He tells partial, twisted, prejudiced, enhanced “truth”- and as a result sin entered the world, humans gave up God-given authority and Satan took dominion (yeah to Jesus for winning it back!).

Where has Satan brought his “light”– his limited, distorted, prejudiced, agenda driven, augmented truth - into my life and I have bought it hook, line and sinker? Like a guileless fish bitten bait and held on for dear life to something actually killing me? Swearing over and over and over the lure was real (“But preacher said...”), the lure was true (“It always happens this way…”), the lure was trustworthy (“It is in the Bible…” but I can’t find it now and hopfully it is not out of context). When in reality, it was a rendition / interpretation / excerpt of the real thing vs. the real thing itself.

“Oh God!” this thought made me cry out, “What areas of my belief system aren’t actually real but renditions? What areas are lures parading as light? Do I believe any lies about you? What inaccuracies have I ingested, digested and made part of myself? Where am I wrong? How do I know when it is a lure vs. real? How do I know if I have any darkness within me?”

It was like God smiled and pulled me close in beside him; peace flooded, tears stemmed, I gained understanding. Darkness is banished with truth (John 8:32) and darkness doesn’t love (1 John 4:18).

Is your love conditional, provisional or restrained? You most likely have some darkness within you. Do you find some people easier to love than others? You most likely have some darkness within you. Jesus had no darkness and loved fully, loved freely and loved without reservation. Yes, he got angry; yes, he had choice words for select groups – but he loved and actually blessed his captors (Luke 22:51).

Where is there a lure lurking in your life; is it giving off false light? Where is darkness masquerading as illumination? Whom do you have difficulty loving fully, without reservation, freely without condition? Why? What darkness keeps you from doing it? What lie of darkness encapsulates your heart?

PS - I wrote earlier about the slippery slope of deception (Update #110 – December 2009) and how we need to know the truth so we recognize “lure light” when encountered. I don’t want to be enraptured by darkness parading as light; I want to be able to call it what it is. Don’t you?

Updates:

Travel – My boss and his wife are away on their first trip of the year. I, on the other hand, am not travelling until possibly later next month.

Personal – Back in the saddle, routine is returning (kinda), and trying to Sabbath (tech free) one day a week – harder than you think!

Work – Training KICK OFF is next weekend. We are still in the heat of recruiting and inviting and calling in those who God has picked to be here! Do you have a friend, relative, co-worker, significant other or spouse who would benefit in learning how to do business God’s way, to Repurpose their Business and/or get aligned with what God is doing in the marketplace? Contact us

Marketplace Impact – Brett spoke at the Long Beach Call2All Conference the end of last year – his talk was GOOD (yes, I am a bit biased) but it is definitely worth a view – check it out.

Requests:

Travel – Please pray for invites to solidify, dates to be determined and for us to have the discernment to know which we are to accept and deny (and for me to know which ones have my name on them). I am looking at possibly going to Nigeria (Feb), South Africa (Feb/March) and Egypt (April).

Personal – Still trying to figure out what a Sabbath looks like for me. Pretty certain it involves being tech free, but what else? Prayer while I wade these murky waters would be great.

Work – Crunch time! The buzz is great and the work load is light (thank you Jesus) but it is overwhelming at times the amount of stuff awaiting me at my desk. Please pray I would have a discerning ear to know what to put my energy toward and what to wait list; to know what is important to God’s Kingdom now, and what can hold for a bit.