Tag: faith

Closet Faith

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Matthew 5: 14 – 16

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

When we become a born-again Christian, as we take our first baby steps in faith, we are eager to shout from the rooftops about our Lord, His goodness, His majesty and His faithfulness. As we continue to walk in faith, the initial fire slowly fades and we slip into a monotonous routine: attending church, doing some volunteer work, charity and some other good works. Yes, it is important that we continue to walk in faith, do all the right things but it is vital that we keep the flame alive in us.

Jesus Christ lit the fire in us when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. There comes a point in our lives that we should realize if the fire that is lit within us is purifying us from within while shining brightly for the Lord. His cleansing fire should burn away every dross, every thing that is of the world while the Lord is perfecting us into His Son’s likeness. While we are in this perpetual stage of refinement, we should ensure that we continue to shine before the world and not be a closet Christian. Are we a useful instrument in His hands?

Many of us have settled into a mediocre style of walking with the Lord. We are not eager to shine for Jesus as we did in our initial days. We don’t live in expectation that God is going to do something wonderful if we submit ourselves to Him. We are not curious as to what adventure the Lord is going to take us at the next bend. We shield ourselves from the world, put our head down and forge ahead thinking that we are doing good. We hesitate to become a useful instrument in His hands blaming our personalities. We feel we are not cut out for whatever ministry God calls us. We feel that we don’t have confident personalities or the drive or the calling like others. In the end, we tend to focus on our weaknesses, our personalities, and our circumstances. Focus has shifted from Him to self.

Dear Saint of God, there are ebbs and flows in every Christian’s journey. In order for us to obey the commandment of Jesus: go into the world and preach the Gospel, we must keep the fire burning within us. When the fire is burning within us, then we are able to shine brightly for the world around us. Our closet faith is neither good for us nor for others. When the world sees the light of Jesus in us, then they will be drawn to Him like a moth to a flame. We must examine at what stage we are in. Let us forget who we are, what personality we possess but remember whose we are. Let us shift our focus from ourselves to Him. Let us focus on being the light of the world because Jesus declared us so.

May the true light of Jesus Christ continue to burn brightly in us in these dark days. May this light continue to draw others to Christ. May our Lord’s name be glorified through this light.

1 Peter 2: 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Inside Enemy’s Gates

~ Sowmya Gali

2 Chronicles 26: 3 – 6

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem.

He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.

Now he went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines.

Soccer is one of the popular games played around the world. The two teams comprise of both offense and defense players. If one of the team’s offenses is stronger, then they are capable of ploughing through any of the defenses of the opposite team and score a goal. If the defense is stronger, then they may be able to keep the opposite team from breaking through their defenses and stopping them from scoring a goal. If both offense and defense are stronger, then that is a winning team.

King Uzziah was a winning king. He was a young teenager when the responsibility of leading the nation of Judah was laid upon his shoulders. However, he sought the Lord and the Lord directed his steps. He did everything that was right in the sight of the Lord. And God prospered him in all aspects. God provided wisdom through Zechariah the prophet. Through out his reign, the enemies of Judah paid tribute to King Uzziah. He had an elite army who could wage war with great power.

Historically, other nations attacked Israel and Judah. They always were on the defense. In many instances, they cried to God and He supernaturally protected them while routing out the enemies. The only time that the nation was on the offensive mode was when they came out of Egypt and claimed the Promised Land. Once the boundaries were established, and peace and prosperity prevailed, the enemy sought to destroy. Israel, for the most part of its history, has been defending its territory and protecting its borders.

In the story of Uzziah, one thing strongly stands out. He followed God whole heartedly. He ensured the nation followed the Lord. Once his own country was stronger, he had the courage and confidence to war against the Philistines. In this instance, King Uzziah went on the offense. He went into the Philistine territory and conquered them. He not only broke down their walls but he built cities inside the enemy territory. Building cities means fortifying them securely and establishing your presence there. Historically, we know that the Philistines have always been the offender. They constantly provoked Israel for war.

How did Uzziah manage to not only conquer the Philistines but build fortified cities inside their territory? He certainly went with the power of the Lord. He had confidence that his God would protect him and prosper him. In ancient days, when one nation conquered another and subdued its rulers and people, the first thing the conqueror did was to bring in their gods. They would build a shrine and offer thanks to their gods in the presence of their enemy, taunting them that the gods of the conqueror were powerful. King Uzziah did that exactly. He rubbed it in the face of the Philistines that his God was so much more superior than the gods of the Philistines by building cities inside their territory.

Hebrews 6: 1

Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Only mature Christians know how to be on the offense. Once their foundation is secure, they are ready to conquer. We are called to not only be defenders of faith but go out and preach the Gospel of Christ to the world. When we are on the offense, the enemy will surrender. When an enemy surrenders, we can fortify the enemy’s territory with the Gospel. When we have fortified inside the enemy’s gates, we have won the ultimate battle.

Dear Saint of God, let us mature from the elementary teaching about Christ. Let us equip ourselves to be on the offense. The enemy always plays dirty and tries to sneak in. Instead of being on the defense, let us pick up our weapon of offense – the Word of God in our hands (Ephesians 6: 17) and start to be on the offense. We are equipped and empowered from above by the Holy Spirit to enter into enemy’s territory, smash to pieces their strongholds and fortify their hearts with the Gospel. Many of us have people in our lives battling mental issues, addictions, anxieties, etc. Many of us know of people who are refusing to believe in Jesus. Many of us have people in our lives who are sailing in two boats. Many of us know of someone who is in despair.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, let us break through their defenses, fortify them with the Gospel and establish the Word of God in their hearts. Only through the power of Christ, only by His name, we can conquer every stronghold. Jesus Christ has given us authority to do just that. We must remember when we go out into the battle field, we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6: 12). Not only we must conquer the enemy, we must fortify their strongholds with the Gospel. Only then we have won. Only then we have fulfilled our mission. May our Lord of Hosts strengthen us and equip us as we march on the offense.