Arise and ShineSample

Set Free

Addiction, trauma, insecurities, and failures. When it comes to our desire to be a shining light for Christ, it’s easy to feel disqualified when we have a deep, dark secret restricting our heart and mind, constantly reminding us of our hidden sin.

We try to stuff these dark things in a box where no one can see them. We are afraid that if we bring them into the light, our lives will change for the worse. We worry what people would think of us if they “only knew.” That’s because the Enemy wants to keep us trapped and chained to our sin. He wants us to believe that what other people think is more important than what God tells us.

But do you know what disqualifies you from shining the light of Christ? Nothing! No matter how dark you feel your sin is or how broken you think you are, Jesus’s love for you is so wide and so deep that even amid your brokenness, He wants to use you to shine His light on others.

Bring what you are hiding into the light, and let the Lord set you free. Because no matter what is bogging you down in shame, you aren’t meant to carry it alone.

God chose you, knowing the sin you would walk in. He chose you, knowing you are broken. He chose you, knowing everything about you. And nothing, absolutely noth­ing, can take away the fact that God loves you and calls you to be a light for Him.

God promises to give us “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). Your past does not disqualify you from being used by Him. With Him, and through Him, you are more than capable of shining His light.

Lord, thank You for Your unending grace. I ask that any lie of the enemy stays far away from me, in Jesus’s name. I ask for forgiveness for the ways I have sinned against You. I praise You for being my redeemer. Thank You for forgiving me, seeing me for who I am, and loving me. Help me be a light for You. Align my heart with Yours. Instill within me the desire to be the best reflection of You that I can be. Take away anything in my life that hinders my representation of You. Amen.