This is the message

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (‭I John‬ ‭1‬:‭5-8‬ NKJV)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (‭I John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ NKJV)

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (‭I John‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ NKJV)

"“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭22-23‬ NKJV)

We all know people who are the epitome of love. They truly have a gift of loving people! You never hear a negative word out of their mouth about another person. They are always uplifting and genuinely caring about others. Always putting someone else's needs first. We love to be around them. They reflect the love of Jesus and we bask in that light! 

They are light!

And then there are those we know, that all they do is criticize and complain. They are hard to be around and we often limit our contact with them. Some are so hard to be around that they seem to suck the life out of you. Their darkness is in your face.

Then there are the ones who appear to walk in the light but the darkness is just below the surface. They are these:  "If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness." 

They are the ones who "have it all together!"

It all comes down to seeing; what you are looking at! If all you look at is good - then you see good in all you see. If all you look at is bad - then all you see is bad. 

What are you focusing on?

I was in photography in my youth and had many filters for my camera. Some blurred the image. Some cast a different color. My favorite was the star. It made every bit of light in the image have a star shape; so pretty! It didn't change the image but it changed our perception of the image!

That's how keeping our eyes on Jesus changes all we see! Our perception (of people we see and situations we encounter) is filtered through Him! No longer is something or someone hopeless, because in Him is the power to change - EVERYTHING!

Now, we all have the ability to be the second and third type of people. The second comes naturally! The third is how we are when we clean ourselves up! The first type takes a miracle from God!

For someone to be filled up with God they first have to empty themselves of "self". You see there is no "good" in any of us. It takes confessing and repenting of the sin that we hold onto. Our favorites! The ones that are little sins that occupy the space in our hearts that God has to fill, for us to be like Him! The pesky sins like unforgiveness, bitterness and lust for approval. They seem so small alongside theft or murder, but they are actually more insidious! Those are the ones we do not pay attention to, but will actually send us to hell! 

Admitting you are a sinner is just the first step to getting to heaven! Salvation is a journey that you walk everyday; which takes you to your destination! The steps you take depends upon where you end!

Walk in love! 

Walk in repentance! 

Walk in forgiveness!

Walk like Jesus and keep your eyes on Him!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 10/3/14, 9/10/15