THIS ARTICLE IS AMAAZING! MY
BOY ROBBIE POWELL YALL!!
FORMER NCAA, NFL, AND AFL FOOTBALL PLAYER ROBBIE POWELL SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON DARKNESS " GIMME THE LIGHT!!"
LIGHT AND DARKNESS...ARE THEY THE SAME OR
DO WE JUST ACT LIKE THEY ARE?
This article is written by AFL (arena football League) conference champion, former Purdue Boilermaker, Former New Orleans Saint and Cleaveland Browns Centre Robbie Powell. This insightful word from God (My total and complete belief) is a soul shaking one. This message is so creatively articulated and intelligently juxtaposed that I consider this article to be a MUST READ!!!!! This article is profound and full of God's love and deep revelation. Read it! ALL of it, and let this utterance from the Holy Spirit rock your world. ENJOY....
LIGHT AND DARKNESS??? CAVES? FRUIT? HUH?What “Light” Are We Even Talking About? Whose LIGHT Are We Walking In?
I remember a time when I was in my early teen years and I was in Boy Scouts. We took a trip to caverns which were located inside the earth. We were given the opportunity to explore the wonders of the caverns and see all different kinds of rock formations within the earth. There is a total absence of light within caves, so the only way for the rock formations to be seen is by lights. The caverns were beautiful, but you only could see the BEAUTY of the rocks when LIGHTS were shined upon them. I remember a time in the cavern where they turned off all the lights so everyone could experience what complete darkness was like. You couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face! I’m glad they turned on the lights because without them I would be stuck in a cave! With this being said, I just want to you to imagine what it would be like functioning everyday in complete darkness…... I know I would be terrified and completely lost if I could see nothing but darkness, and to add you couldn’t function!
Let’s look at some facts of LIGHT…Light is a form of energy that we can see (sun, electricity, etc). LIGHT ALLOWS US TO SEE. Without it we would be BLINDED in the darkness. ALL living things depend on light. All light comes from a SOURCE. Nothing travels faster than light! The Earth’s primary source of light is from the Sun. The Sun is the CENTER of our solar system. The Earth is always covered HALF in light and HALF in darkness.
All throughout the Bible Light and Darkness are compared and contrasted. We are going to look at both of them, because in order to understand one we must look at the other.
Throughout the Bible, LIGHT is talked about and seen on many different terms. Many people have different views on how light is described. This is just my point of view and I urge you to formulate your own views through discernment and by asking God. If we start in the beginning of the Bible and examine the begining of time, we see God separating Light from Darkness (Gen 1:4). In James 1:17, God is referred to as the “Father of Lights”. Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the World”. Why would Jesus say he is the LIGHT of the world? I thought the SUN was the light of the world? What is Jesus trying to say?
Let’s check out the SUN!! We already said: The Earth’s primary source of LIGHT is from the Sun. The Sun is the CENTER of our solar system. The Earth is always covered HALF in light and HALF in darkness. Without the sun we would have no life on earth. The sun gives life to plants, which in turn animals eat, which in turn we eat animals, and so on and so on…so basically WITHOUT THE SUN there would be NOTHING on this earth. Even if you didn’t know it, the Sun gives us Light even in the Darkness! How?…the MOON! Light is still shined on us through the REFLECTION of the sun on the moon in the darkness! SO it’s still shining when we are surrounded by Darkness!
With this info, let’s compare Jesus “the Light of the World” with the Sun “the Light of the World”. If Jesus is the light of the world, then HE is the Earth’s primary source! HE is the CENTER of our solar system! Without Him we would have no life on earth! Without Him there would be nothing on this earth! Here is something is SO amazing….When we are surrounded by Darkness…HE IS STILL SHINING!!!
OK WOW!!! This man Jesus is SHINING His Light on Us! WOW I must be something pretty important to Jesus! Well, now what? Let me explain….JESUS WANTS US TO WALK IN THE LIGHT!!! You may think if Jesus is shining on me I must be walking in the light then right? Let’s take this to the book!
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7 (ESV)
Here God is telling us to Walk in the Light, because HE is the light! When we walk in the light we are fellowshipping with “the Light of the World”!!! When we Walk in the Light, HIS BLOOD cleanses us from ALL SIN!!! For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Psalms 36:9 (ESV) Here it says only in HIS LIGHT can we see Light. So, only in His light can we LIVE, and only in His light is the Fountain of LIFE!
Let me give a quick testimony… I used to think I was walking in the light!!! Little did I know I was walking in Darkness!!! I always knew that Jesus was a man that died for my sins on the cross, but I never fully grasped the importance of that Cross and what exactly that term REPENT/REPENTENCE meant. I thought it was “Sorry God I’ll do better next time”, and that was it! The English definition of Repentance- deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like; regret for any past action. I think that’s exactly how we look at Repentance in North America. We regret what we did in the past, and have knowledge of wrongdoing, and possibly some deep sorrow. That’s NOT FULLY WHAT IT MEANS!!! Well, BIBLICALLY what does this word REPENT mean then? >>>>> REPENT: Change of mind; also can refer to regret or remorse accompanying a realization that wrong has been done or to any shift or reversal of thought. In its biblical sense repentance refers to a deeply seated and thorough turning from self to God. It occurs when a radical turning to God takes place, an experience in which God is recognized as the most important fact of one’s existence. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(For more info check out this site: http://www.milon.co.il/general/general.php?term=repent )
UNTIL WE REPENT WE ARE NOT WALKING IN LIGHT!!!!! We would then be WALKING IN DARKNESS!!!! SOOOOOOOO….Listen up because the rest of this is important stuff!
God says: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness!!!” (Isa 5:20)
Yes--- “There are those who Rebel against the Light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.” (Job 24:13)
What it means to be in Darkness and Walking in Darkness!
Darkness- the absence of Light!!!!! Scientifically, it is only possible to have a reduced amount of light. WAIT let me repeat that last one! Scientifically, it is only possible to have a reduced amount of light. If you aren’t in the light, then you’re in the darkness! This goes back to my example from the cave:”Imagine functioning everyday in the Darkness!” STOP FUNCTIONING EVERYDAY IN THE DARKNESS!!! There is Hope!!!!! Don’t forget the Sun reflects off the Moon in the darkness, and Jesus is still Shining! So as Ephesians 5:14 says, “Awake, Oh Sleeper! and Arise From the Dead!, and Christ Will Shine on YOU!!!”
In Acts 26:18 we see a comparison of” Darkness to Light” then right after we see the comparison of “the power of Satan to God”. So, I think it is fair to compare then Darkness to the power of Satan. I don’t know about you, but if from reading this, I am finding out that I might be in Darkness, I sure as heck would want to get to the Light NOW!!! I don’t want to be in the power of Satan! In this verse, Jesus is speaking and telling Paul to “Open their Eyes”. So, if we are in the Light shouldn’t we be telling people to OPEN YOUR EYES from Darkness to Light?! “ to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” –Jesus
In Matthew 25:14-30 we see Jesus speaking of the Parable of the Talents. He speaks of a master going on a journey and entrusting his property to his servants. Here one of the servants messed up big time, and couldn’t be trusted by the master! Jesus speaks in verse 30 of this servant: “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is an illustration of God is entrusting us to do His work on earth, to sow seeds while we are here. If we don’t do this while we are on earth, we are cast to the outer darkness as a worthless servant!!! If we are doing His work then we are in His Light! Yet Jesus still says: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19) People will still love the darkness!!! We see this by darkness or “power of Satan” in work in many people in the world because the Bible says people will LOVE THE DARKNESS!
Guys and Gals I have Love for you all dearly! I urge you to open your eyes and evaluate whether you are “Walking in the Light” or “Walking in the Darkness”!!! If you feel you are in the darkness turn to Christ and Repent! Realize that He took you out of the Darkness by DYING FOR YOUR SINS ON THE CROSS!!! Jesus Christ bore God’s WRATH on Himself for YOU AND ME!!! WALK IN THE LIGHT!!! “THE UNFOLDING OF YOUR WORD GIVES LIGHT”(Psalms 119:130). Get That Light!!!
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness! (1 Thess. 5:5) PRAISE GOD!!! We are no longer in Darkness!!!
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:12-14)
7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the FRUIT OF LIGHT is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!!! (Eph 5:7-14)
BEAR THE FRUIT OF LIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
Robbie Powell
Today's feature is an article written by youth leader Tegan Smith entitled, "At His feet…Saved by Faith". This is an awesome article illustrating and illuminating the soft, kind and forgiving heart of Jesus Christ. Enjoy and be blessed as this young woman of God blesses us with her insights.
At His feet…Saved by Faith Do you sometimes feel as though God is not paying attention to you? Amidst the battles and the storms of life, do you find yourself saying “God, where are you?” Ok. How about the time when you said “enough is enough, my life must change today,” and you approached the alter and gave your life to Jesus, and the very next day you found yourself doing exactly what you vowed not to do the day before. The truth of the matter is, you really haven’t turned your back on that little thing that you ‘love’ to do but know is counterproductive to advancement- your advancement. In fact, the more you allow that little thing, that addition, that pride of your heart to entice you the more weaker your spirit becomes strong are the battles you face.
So how can you turn your back on your problem, your addiction, that little thing that has you locked? Let’s look at an example from the Bible, in particular, Luke 7:36(CLICK FOR SCRIPTURE). This is the story of the sinful woman. In fact, the more you allow that little thing, that addition, that pride of your heart to entice you the weaker your spirit becomes, and stronger are the battles you face.
Verse 36 begins with Jesus invited to have dinner at the house of a Pharisee. Invitation accepted, Jesus enters the house and takes a seat at he table, comfortably. Ok, so what’s the big deal? At that time, the Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day who caused people to commit sin and constantly persecuted people in the name of God in order to advance their agenda. The bible says Jesus “reclined at the table.” In other words, Jesus sat comfortably, with confidence and the authority given to him by our Heavenly Father. But this is not the area that I want to draw your attention to. Beloved, what happens after that will allow you to see how turning your back on sin will allow faith to build up in you. What am I talking about? Verse 37. Enter what the Bible calls “a sinful woman…who lived a sinful life in that town [who] learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house,” with her, an alabaster jar of perfume. The Bible says “as she stood behind him at his feet weeping she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them” (38). Ok, so what’s the point? She stood behind him, not in front. She had no clue how Jesus would receive her. He didn’t even look at her. He did not keep his back to her, but to her sin. He didn’t need to look at her in order to understand that she was ready to leave her ‘sinful life,’ he felt it as she broke her alabaster jar of perfume –which during those days was probably worth a year’s salary if not more- wept at his feet and then took her hair -equal to her glory- wiped his feet and pampered them with more perfume. She poured her sin on him. And we still do that today. And “when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." But he knew, and what they didn’t know was in him (forgiveness).
After telling Simon, one of his disciples, the parable of the two men who owed money to a moneylender to further illustrate how we are to forgive, the bible says “he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." He turned towards the woman because she turned her back on sin. He turned towards her because –although uninvited- she wanted to give something that was hindering her from moving forward and preventing her breakthrough. He turned towards the woman because he forgave her. He turned towards the woman so that her eyes could see what a little faith can do. She didn’t know how Jesus would receive her – if at all. She went in faith to the house of the Pharisee risking all she had to hear the King of Kings say "Your sins are forgiven." At His feet this ‘sinful woman’ was saved by her faith in Jesus.
Notice how the story starts with a ‘sinful woman’? But in the end her character is illustrated as the faithful woman. Don’t for one second think that your story is too terrible for God to even want to change it. In fact, he’s waiting for you to take a stand against those things that hold you back – and you know what they are. If have faith like a mustered seed that’s enough for God. Are you ready to break your alabaster jar?
This feature is young leader Joe Babnick's (Tampa Florida) amazing testimony. Please leave a comment whether good, great, ugly or weird. Let's get into it, and share our opinions.
Enjoy...
"MY TESTIMONY"
Praise God!
This feature is young leader Devan Williams' (Tampa Florida) message on "Keys to Freedom". Please leave a comment whether good, great, ugly or weird. Let's get into it, and share our opinions.
Enjoy...
Keys to freedom
You Have to Want it
People are always wanting someone to pray with them, but you have to realize that you have to want it yourself. The only reason why somebody prays for someone is for reinforcement. You have to talk to God yourself. We aren't the one's who can do the miraculous, it is God who can.
You Have to Confess your sin!!!!
That's when we can become free is when we get out of our comfort zone and harboring our sin, our shame, our pain, our frustrations. We talk to one another. Some one we can trust. I believe that we keep our sins to ourselves is because we look for someone to trust. "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so you may be healed", as recorded in James 5:16.
We get that mindset that we can free ourselves, or be healed by ourselves (along with God). You think that you can do it and keep your secret just between you and God. You are too afraid because you are a leader in the ministry and you may be cut down. If you are, so be it. If you are burdensome and you are bound and you are a leader leading the sheep, you can take them down with you.
On the Road to Freedom
God is a God that He wants his children to be perfect just as He is perfect. He doesn't want us going through life with chains and yokes on us. He wants us to live in true freedom, so that way we can live a prosperous life.
"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again is slavery." Galatians 4:5 (self explanatory)
"Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed." John 8:36: The Son, Jesus Christ sets us free. We were bought from slavery and bondage so that we may have "life and life more abundantly", because when we have life true life, we are free.
Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart
Once God has came into your life and you've had that one on one with him and saw him face to face and he has freed and forgave you, you have to want the Holy Spirit inside of you. You will need the transformation of your mind so that you may be able to discern evil for what it really is.
As you go on to live your life freely, Satan the devourer, liar, cheater and deceiver, will try to snare you in your dreams, in your home, in school, at a friends house, at a club, even at church (because he is there too), because he doesn't want you to be free, Satan wants to own you, just as he wanted to rule in heaven.
"When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds that its former home was swept and in order. then the spirit finds seven other spirits more than itself, and they all enter the the person and live there. And so that person is worst off than before." Luke 11:24-26
We will need the Holy Spirit in our lives to do a work in us. If God has freed you and you have done anything to keep yourself pure, you are setting yourself up for "destruction". Because Satan is no respector of person, he will take anybody out.
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and 'self-control'." Galatians 5:22
Self-Control is a big one. We need to control ourselves. If we don't then we have something going on in our minds and that can hender a relationship with the Father.
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:24-25
Ending Notes:
We need to nip this in the bud. There are many people out there who is dealing with this same thing. You don't need to keep inside, but you need to let it out. Let someone know, whether it is your parents, pastor, conselor, friend. No matter who it is, God wants you free. Jesus is in heaven now praying and interceding for you. I guarantee you, when you confess you sin and God gives you the freedom, it is the best feeling you could ever have. You feel like you can do a a thousand backflips (even though you don't how to do them anyways). Please I beseech you to come to Christ and confess. Ask God for the Holy Spirit so you can walk in the light.
Lord Jesus, I pray that we don't keep our sin wrapped up inside of us, but we confess with our mouths so we can become free. I know that you want this for your children. Touch them now. Come in their lives like never before. Show them that that way that they are living will send them to defeat and death. Lord let us not be prideful and think that everything is alright, even though deep down inside that we are being controlled by the enemy. Lord, give us your spirit, transform our minds and hearts so that we may be able to discern things and be put under your obedience. Lord we love and praise you for the many wonderful blessings that you bestow upon us daily. We love you.
Amen!!!!
