The Whispers of God

My friend Debby gave me a beautiful set of lead crystal candleholders. I love beautiful things, but the reality of a large family is that fragile things just seem to get broken—on a regular basis. In spite of this, I didn’t want to pack both of the candleholders away and miss out on a visible daily reminder of my friend’s love. So . . . I put one piece in a well-protected place, but I kept the other out to enjoy—especially on a dark winter night . . .

A Dark Winter Night

Without the convenience of electricity, we’ve grown quite familiar with candles, relying on them to light our dark nights. One particular night I remember well. Waiting for Dan to get home . . . with a candle burning brightly in my crystal candleholder . . . with the children fast asleep, I enjoyed a few moments alone. The night seemed to grow long waiting for my sweetheart, and I must have fallen asleep because I was suddenly awakened by a loud crackling sound.

As I lay there foggy-brained, trying to determine exactly what the strange sound was, a picture of shattered crystal flashed through my mind. With this thought, I was jolted wide awake and jumped up to light another candle. To my shame, I found my crystal candle holder just as I imagined. It held the remains of the once-lit candle, but the top of the candleholder was cracked and burned.

I was so upset with myself that I just left it there—ugly broken, and burned. There was no one to blame but myself. If I had stayed awake and tended the flame, it wouldn’t have burned out and caused such an ugly mess.

Not long after this, Debby came to visit. She had rarely been able to come to my home, so I was pleasantly surprised. But, upon re-entering the house after saying good-bye, I saw the charred, ugly, and broken candleholder resting just where I’d left it. I felt so embarrassed. Debby must have seen it, and may have imagined I had not cared about her wonderful gift. The Lord whispered into my heart about the responsibility we carry with the light we bear within us.

When we receive Jesus, He places His light within us. “You are the light of the world. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14a, 16a/NKJV).

Like spiritual candles, we shine the light of Christ brightly in a dark world. Darkness represents sin and the enemy’s influence. The candle holder represents the people, talents, giftings, and responsibilities God has entrusted to us. He places these beautiful gifts before us so that we may shine His light upon them. But how do we do this?

You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked and stubborn. Shine out among them like beacon lights, holding out to them the Word of life. (Phil. 2:15b, 16a)

Shine brightly for His glory today!

(Excerpt from chapter 12 of “Learning to Hear the Whispers of God”

A strange thing has happened since the poison oak incident described in the first post of this series—“Poison Oak Oil.” I don’t develop as bad a rash as I did before that severe exposure. It appears I’ve built up immunities. However, I’m not so foolish I’d walk through a patch of poison oak bushes!

It’s the same with sin. As we practice doing right, we learn to recognize good from evil, and by using God’s defense plans we become strong in the areas that formerly drew us to sin. In this newfound strength, we need to be careful not to cause others to stumble—this reminds me of my friend Sharon . . .

Stumbling Blocks

Sharon was just a little girl when her family went on an outing where poison oak grew in abundance. Being mischevious, she decided to rub poison oak leaves all over her body in hope she’d break out in a rash and get to skip school. I can just picture her sitting next to her sister on the way home with a smug look on her face, thinking she was so clever.

Sharon got a big disappointment. She not only failed to produce a singe rash, but also watched helplessly while her sister swelled so badly she was taken to the hospital. My heart went out to my mischievous girlfriend because she felt so badly for causing her sister so much pain and, to make matters worse, she had to go to school anyway!

We need to be sensitive, in our newfound strength against sin, to others around us—not causing them to stumble—“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Rom. 14:13, NIV).We don’t want to cause anyone to trip and fall into sin.

Last Entry of “Poison Oak Oil” Series

Excerpt from “Learning to Hear the Whispes of God”

Part 10 continued from “Sword of the Spirit—The Word of God”

The warrior rarely communicated with those above him, because the lowly foot soldier was expected to keep silent and obey orders. Communication with his king couldn’t offer personal protection for a warrior because, although the battle was being waged between armies, each warrior fought one on one. If he won or lost his battle it was by his own strength. No form of communication with the king could offer assistance in the heat of battle. So, though the warrior considered messages from the commander important, he didn’t consider it part of his protective armor.

Our line of communication is so vastly powerful that it’s a main piece of our armor—prayer—not to a commanding officer, but to the King Himself. Our Lord not only directs us in battle, but also actually fights by our side, providing protection. When we fight against sin or wage a spiritual battle, we don’t win by our might, but by our King’s.

Jesus is not like the kings of this world, uninterested in the lowly foot soldier, expecting silent obedience. How often does Jesus want us to pray—“pray without ceasing.” To pray without ceasing does not mean we need to send up a constant babble to God. It means, rather, that we maintain a habit of including God in every area of our lives. Communication comes naturally when we realize we belong to a loving King who is by our side. Keep the seventh piece of armor—prayer without ceasing, in place and in motion.

Please see: “Building Immunities” —end of this series to be posted on 5/16/09

Excerpt from chapter 10 of “Learning to Hear the Whispers of God”