“HEY! WATCH OUT! TURN ON THE LIGHTS!”

Have you ever got into a conversation with someone, and when you walked away had no idea what they were trying to convey to you?  I have!  Watching some people go through life and listening to their conversation, is like watching a drunken person trying to walk.  He or she tries with all of their might to walk a straight line, but they simply cannot master the act of putting one foot in front of the other.  They cannot judge their steps causing the person to reel from one side to the other, like a ship on a stormy sea.

Recently, I listened to a lady that attended one our 3 day jam packed Church meetings, followed by a question and answer session.  This lady was new to our group.  We all greeted her, and then our minister asked her to tell us a little bit about herself. She began to share that she had to come to Oklahoma from another state to take care of her ailing mother.  She went on to state that she felt she was in disobedience to the Lord because it was her destiny to stay in this other state. It wasn’t long until all of us attending the meeting sat there bewildered, because she went on and on trying to lay out her past, present, and future concerning her spiritual path.  Not only that, you could tell the stress level in her life was hitting about a ten.  The point I am trying to make in sharing this story is that it was like watching this distraught woman groping through a dark room, trying to find a light switch; or it was like being an eye witness to an intoxicated person getting to their destination.  Can you see what I am trying to convey here?  When we do not have clarity spiritually, we are like this woman.  We become unbalanced, out of step with the Holy Spirit. It is truly like trying to walk home on a dark stormy night, when the stars and the moon offer no light.  What has happened here is that there is no spiritual light; but we know God is Light, and in Him is No Darkness.  So what is the problem?

It was plain to see this lady had lost her way.  She lacked spiritual direction, as many others I have spoken too over the last couple of years.  They are rolling the same boat, down the river without a compass, not knowing where they are going.  Even I was reprimanded by the Lord several years ago.  He kept saying to me “Move”.  As I pondered upon the word – Move – and what in the world He meant, the Lord abruptly interrupted me cutting mid-stream into my thoughts.  This time He spoke with a firm voice of authority.  “You better move, and I mean now.”  This shook me to my core!  I immediately allowed this question to form in my thoughts.  “Do you want me to move to another state?”  I got a quick reply, “No, my daughter, you better move into the path I have made for you.”  In other words, I was not in position, or fit at that time to carry out His plan.  You talk about a day crying and scrambling!  I started saying, “God you’ve got to help me, because I don’t know where to begin.”  He graciously answered my prayer.  But I could have been this lady a few years ago sitting in this same meeting, saying the same things.

I had taken care of my husband who suffered many illnesses for years, and through all the ups and downs, I somehow lost my way.  It was like my car when the gas tank reaches the empty line alerting me with warning bell.  I was running on empty!  My life was spent; there was nothing left of the real me. It was obvious I had not let God carry the cares.  I hit a wall!  And my friends it wasn’t pretty!  I was getting close to doing what this precious lady did.  Please read on!

She let this move set over her head like a dark cloud, and I could see that the devil was having a hay day with her.   I finally spoke up and said to her, “No! Dear I believe you are in the right place, at the right time. I believe God brought you here for clarity in your life.”  I went on to say to her, “In fact I believe you should have been in these meetings a long time ago.”  She looked at me batting her eyes, and then said, “Really?” “Do you think so?”  I told her, “I know so, without a doubt!”  She finally settled down, and was back the next morning.  It didn’t take long for her to start gleaning the very things she needed.  God had sent her to hear His Word from the best. This woman holding these monthly meeting’s is a seasoned experienced teacher and preacher.  She doesn’t allow nonsense when it comes to God, and she is straight forward about it.  She has been all over the world living and walking out this gospel.  She goes to places that make most people shutter.  I know I took a little side trip here, but I felt that it was important to share about this wonderful  teacher God has sent us, and why I knew she could help this woman.  So now that I shared that, let’s continue on with how this lady is progressing.

I began to see after the morning meeting, she started gaining clarity of mind.  You might be saying right now, “How did you know she received some clarity?”  Well, because she had a light in her eyes she didn’t have before the teaching.  She had a smile on her face that replaced the grim look she had previously.  I can also announce that she has returned to hear the good Word of God now several times. Furthermore, she is sharing and asking questions without going through a parade of doubts and negative statements.  I believe she has a ways to go, but hey, she didn’t get in this situation overnight.  I know it will take a good dose of the gospel, and she will have to shut off all the voices swirling around in her head to get there.

I bet you are saying to yourself, what do you mean?  What I am saying is this, “Take it, or leave it.”  When you haven’t had the right instructions from those who have literally walked out these things, you get all kinds of opinions.  When you fail to hear good quality ministries that have a proven record, and applied Gods word to their own life, you get a lot of mixture. If you haven’t been taught the proper way, and you are not backing it up by studying God’s Word to see what it says for yourself; my friend you are just guessing at what to do, with no sure foundation.  My friend you are in the dark.  Your spiritual vision is obscured, and you are at a disadvantage.  I can’t say it, or make it, any clearer than that.  “Can I get a witness?”

If you and I are not receiving fresh bread from heaven every day, we are just plain kidding ourselves.  Do you remember in the Book of Acts how the disciples kept putting the emphasis on the Word of God?  They went from house to house sharing the good news, and sharing testimonies of the wonderful miracles happening because of it.  They were willing to suffer beatings and   imprisonments to teach and preach in the name of Jesus.  We at this present time are failing to see many miracles.  “Why?”  I believe the problem is we haven’t perfected the love of God in us.  We have let timidity and fear stop us.  We think and worry too much about what others might think about us if we were to conduct our lives totally like the disciples.  Furthermore, when it comes to suffering for the gospel, we have convinced ourselves we are too modern and refined to suffer persecution for the gospel, especially here in the United States. If we are thinking this way, we are not picking up our cross and following Jesus. We have lost our way, as sure as the captain of a ship loses his bearings on a dark stormy sea.  His ship is being tossed uncontrollably, and all seems hopeless!

“Hey!  Let’s get our bearings, find our spiritual compass in the Lord: and even though we may have stormy nights; the Lord will set us on the right course: and we can declare smooth Sailing from here on out”!!!