Reflecting Light in Growing Darkness

The year 2020 has been one crisis after another, and I feel the burden of it all. It’s exhausting and so easy to just wonder what can be done or how to respond. It feels like the darkness is growing, trying to overpower the light, and it feels like Darkness is winning. It can create anxiety and a sense of hopelessness, a despair that cripples. That is just what Satan wants: to discourage you from being light in this world and to convince you to give up. 

But as long as there is life, there is hope! 

The assault of fear combined with the empty promises of this world is a giant enemy that is growing bigger. But take heart: our God is a giant-killer! The lines between light and darkness are growing sharper even as the arguments blur the lines. It is a battleground for our minds, our emotions, and our very souls, and what happens in this world will reflect the aggregated outcomes of battles within each of us. In other words: if the light wins in each of us, the darkness will fade. 

At some point the Bible tells us that the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:11-13), but as long there is life in us, we are called to represent God’s Kingdom, regardless of the outcome or the threat of destruction. (Matt 5:11) Whether designed by rebellious man or demons, we know that there will be a new world order, a global government led by a man who shakes his fist in rebellion against God. I see so many power centers being centralized and overtaken: “deep state” control within governments, media, educational systems, & big business, now advancing on social media and church. But I find hope in the book of Psalms: 
Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes. 
There is nothing new under the sun, and my God is not surprised by anything that is happening. I don’t know the day nor the hour when God will finally say: “Enough!”, but when that Day of the Lord comes, it will come quickly. It will come when people are openly scoffing at those who believe in the Truth, (2 Peter 3:3) when there is partying in extravagant pleasure, celebrating the power of man. They will believe they have created a world of peace and security and have no need for any god other than themselves and what they have created, mocking those that so weakly hold onto the need for God. 

So how should we respond as wicked schemes come to fruition? 
Trust the Lord and do good things. 
Live in the land, and practice being faithful. 
Be happy with the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 
Entrust your ways to the Lord. 
Trust him, and he will act on your behalf. 
He will make your righteousness shine like a light, your just cause like the noonday sun. 
It can feel so hard to delight in God, to trust in Him, and to believe that He is present in midst of our struggles, but we must persevere! We need to be intentional in our response, to scream in our thoughts and possibly aloud that we trust in a God Who is bigger than the circumstances we can see, Who controls the unseen and Who knows the details of the future. We must remind ourselves of the Truth, the full Truth, and surrender ourselves to the Truth, refusing to succumb to the lies of half-truths that the father of lies uses to discourage. Regardless of how we feel and against all apparent odds, we can stand up to the giants, and like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we may find ourselves in the visible presence of God in this world! (Daniel 3) 
Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. 
In the midst of fear and temptation, we surrender our anxiety and our desires to the One will win the final battle, and we trust in Him to be our ultimate Provider and Protector. A couple years ago, the Lord led me to memorize Psalm 37:3-7, knowing how much I would need it in the dark hours of my life. Consider memorizing these verses. With His help, may each of us reflect the Light of His Presence to a world who so desperately needs to know the full Truth! 
Lord, close our ears to the words of the enemy, and cleanse our hearts, our minds and souls  from the echoes of the enemy. Fill us with Your truth and Your love! 

Remove the clouds that keep us from seeing Your Face, knowing that You see us, You love us, and that You are working all things together for good! 
copyright ©2020 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

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