What do you do when faced with a situation that defies all the possible responses you can imagine in the natural? It will depend on two things: First, whether or not you have the life of Jesus in you to provide you the necessary light (know-how) to correctly handle the situation. And second, whether or not you are in living contact with the life of Jesus in you.
If you have the life of Jesus in you and you are in living contact with it, you can be sure you will come through that situation victoriously. On the other hand, if you do not have the life of Christ in you (or you are not in living contact with it), there is only one option for you—to go down with that situation.
The scriptures say a lot about the connection between the light of God and our salvation (preservation, protection, deliverance and restoration) from darkness. Speaking by the Spirit of God, David said this about God: “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” (Ps. 18:28). Elsewhere in Psalm 27: 1, he said “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
David penned down these scriptures in reflection of how God had delivered him from his enemies. Part of the reason David got to know this about God is because he walked in deep fellowship with God. He had a living contact with God and His Word. And as a result, his spirit was alight with God.
He was able to receive direction from God on the way out of his troubles. He was good at looking to God for a way of escape whenever he found himself in a situation that looked like a fix. The good news is that we too have the same salvation of God available to us.
As believers under the New Testament, God has promised to make a way of escape for each one of us. According to 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
How does God make that way of escape for us? He does it by enlightening our spirit with the instruction necessary to get out of the mess facing us. That enlightenment may come as a witness of the Holy Spirit in our spirit (Rom. 8:16). The scriptures say “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20:27)
It may also come through a revelation of the Word of God (Ps. 119:105; Ps. 119: 130). In 2 Peter 1:3-4, the scriptures say God has given you His exceeding great and precious promises “…that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
Notice the phrase “escape” in 2 Peter 1:4 above. The world is not only sick but it is also trapped in its sickness. It has been corrupted through the lust of those running (or abusing) it. God, however, has a plan for insulating the believer against this corruption that is in the world. That plan involves getting the believer into living contact with Him and His Word—His great, exceeding and precious promises.
Through this contact, the believer will have the life of God flowing in him. In other words, the believer is enabled to participate in the nature of God as stated in 2 Peter 1:4 above. Participation in the nature of God in turn enables him to partake of the nature of God—the light of God. And as a partaker of the light of God, he’s not only enabled to operate in the light of life but he also becomes a light to his world.
Therefore, as others are busy going after all kinds of things, let us go after Jesus. In Him is the life that is our light. As we continue in the light, time will come when the results of our obedience to the light of God in us will get the attention of those who are in the dark. They will come to us to find out how we are making it when every body else has no way out. And what a great opportunity that will be to testify of Jesus to them!
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Joseph Enyimu has been nurturing faith and casting vision in the lives of believers through his teaching and one-to-one discipleship ministry since 1995. His life and ministry is dedicated to imparting knowledge, skills and character for Kingdom-living to believers through teaching, guided experience and modeling respectively.
His ministry journey dates back to his involvement with the Navigators as a member of the Makerere University students fellowship (1994-1997) and later as an intern staff (1997-1999). Persuaded of the inseparable connection between the Great Commission and the biblical principles of faith, healing, love, prosperity, and righteousness; he proceed, in 2003, to found Covenant Word Ministries, a para-church organization dedicated to growing and multiplying Mission Clusters (sets of Mission-driven disciple-making friendships) through nurturing faith and casting vision.
He is currently serving as the CWM Mission Team leader, as a Minister at Abundant Life Faith Centre church in Kampala, Uganda and as an Economist with the Government of Uganda.
Joseph Enyimu holds a Masters Degree in Economics. He and his wife, Amanda, have one son and live in Kampala, Uganda.