The Dark Spots

When something continues to present itself in my devotional time, I have to acknowledge it.  God keeps bringing this to my attention, so I felt led to share.  This is going to be a difficult concept to get across so please try to stay with me.  There are things in this life that are obvious to us and things that are not. The things I want to talk about aren't always obvious to most - these things include our deep insecurities, fears and personal agendas we have living within us - sometimes we don't even realize they are there.  You might be asking yourself the question - what does this have to do with "Experiencing Blessings" of God.  Well, these hidden emotions or dark spots can stand in the way of you experiencing the blessings of God and also in the way of you being a blessing for God.

As I was reading during my quiet time one day last week, there was the verse that started all this. Luke 11: 35-36 "See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.  Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”   After reading this, I wanted my "whole body" to be "full of light" but I sensed there were hidden dark places inside me keeping me from being what God desires for me to be.  Inside each of us are thoughts and memories that make us who we are.  Some of these thoughts are from our past hurts and experiences.  These thoughts rise up in us during different circumstances.  Unfortunately, they can cause us to react in ways that aren't pleasing to God and wreak havoc in our lives - not only through our actions but in our hearts as well.  The Psalmist asks to be cleansed from these hidden sins, “lurking in my heart,”–  Psalm 19:12 "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart.  Cleanse me from these hidden faults"

There is an awesome insurance commercial out right now about the blind spots when we drive.  The guy pretends to be a blind spot while hanging on a woman's car.  He tells her to go ahead and change lanes.  She does and is hit by a truck.  I think these dark spots in our lives have a way of hiding from us and then all of the sudden we allow them to control our thoughts, words and actions - then BANG we get hit by a truck and can't figure out what happened.  Our lives are too busy to continually seek counsel and try to uncover all our hidden dark spots.  Even if we tried, we would still be held captive to them.  The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to turn to our source of Light.   Daniel 2:22 " He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him."   Jesus knows us very well.  He wants us to depend on Him for these things.  It isn't through our efforts or our own strength that we will overcome.  I believe these spots are bigger than that.  It is only through His strength that lives within us.  Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."  How can we fight against things within us when we can't even see them?  We have to seek God to make these things clear and when we recognize them we have to acknowledge them as sinful and draw from Him for strength to overcome them.  1 Corinthians 10:13  "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."  1 John 4:4  " You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. "  If we can just look deep within ourselves and ask God to reveal all the dark spots within us - He will because He is faithful.  Remember "Light" exposes darkness - yes even our dark spots.  Everything is visible to God.  Can it be painful for these things to be revealed?  Yes.  But the victory in identifying them and defeating the spots is worth it. Psalm 59:9  "You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely."