Building Your Light House

...And Getting Out of Your Dark House.

Most of us have a place inside of our hearts and minds that occasionally causes us trouble. For some it is sadness, depression, or despair. For others it may be fear, anger, resentment, or a myriad of other emotional "dark places" that at times, seem to hijack our minds and emotions and control us. Sometimes we know what causes these feelings, and other times the darkness may come upon us unbidden -- seemingly from out of nowhere. Whatever the cause -- known, or unknown -- it is often hard to know how to get out of that dark place.

It is a "place" and not who you really are.

When these bad feelings come up, you will be able to manage them better if you can somewhat detach from them: observe the feelings without "becoming" the feelings. Feelings are powerful for sure -- but they are transient and unreliable gauges of the truth. In fact, our enemy, Satan, loves to use this tool to create the illusion of truth. But we know that he is the "father of lies". You can be sure that when you are feeling the darkness, it is a toxic gift from the one who hates you.

A little help on detaching from the darkness. 

Try and imagine toxic feelings as an actual little black house -- a "place" that you can choose to go and come from. Sure, it's very dark inside and hard to feel your way out, but see in your mind's eye that there is a door and it has doorknobs on both sides, so you can choose to go in and come out. Even though you may feel trapped, it's important to know that you are not a prisoner. You are just a visitor, even though it is not a place you want to be.

Your New Home: Your very own "Light House"!

When you are in Christ, you can be absolutely positive that He will never take you to a hopeless place. Change that is initiated within us by His Spirit may feel difficult, but it will always be loving. The path out of darkness is always into forgiveness and love -- never deeper into darkness. But we live in a fallen world, and we are fallen people -- so sometimes, even as Christians, we must walk through that "dark night of the soul" to get back to the light.

Finding you way out of the dark house.

Even though feelings can sometimes seem overwhelming, it is wise to remember that they are based on your thoughts, and your thoughts are based on your beliefs. Try and get to the bottom of what you are telling yourself -- and then change the conversation. Ask your Father who loves you unconditionally to minister to your emotions and lead you into His truth: you are safe and loved!

"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him!"  Ephesians 1:18 (Living Bible)

If you can easily imagine a "dark" house, then use your mind to just as easily picture your "light" house -- because this is real estate that you actually already own! It's like waking up to an inheritance that you never knew you had. It is a very real place inside of your Spirit that you received when you invited Jesus in. It is golden love -- and most importantly, it is where the truth is. And inside of this home (inside of you) is where your help lives.

"He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth." Ephesians 1:8-10 (The Message)

God is your Priest, your Comforter, and your Counselor.

God, in His generosity, has given us everything we need to live in the light.

Priest: Forgiver of our sins. ALL of them. Past, present and future. They are forgotten. He remembers them no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

Comforter: Whatever you are feeling, He has felt, too. HE KNOWS, and He cares. You are not alone.(Isaiah 53:5)

Counselor: Allow His Spirit to lead you. I know it sounds simple, but  it really is simple: Ask Him to give you clarity. Whatever choice you make, remember that He is WITH you, He is IN you, and He is FOR you --  and He will use whatever happens for your good if you allow it. (Romans 8:28)

Watch and Listen:

Sermon by Judah Smith "Hold Me"
Music: The story behind "Pushing Back the Dark" by Josh Wilson; "Pushing Back the Dark" by Josh Wilson; "The Maker" by Chris August;