Day 13 – The Exchange: 21 Days of Spiritual Swaps

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12, ESV.

What are you hiding?

Are you hiding a habit, that you dare not reveal?

Are you lost in a secret, not knowing how or whether to bring it to light?

Those questions are probing – but I am not looking for you to write a letter of confession in my comments box!

Rather, I feel that today is an opportunity to stop running away from that which you know you are hiding.

When I was younger, I used to tell a lot of white lies and exaggerate stories.

Yet, after deciding to follow Jesus, something in me just couldn’t keep a lie hidden, anymore. I had to tell the truth, about everything! Even white lies were too big for me to bear.

Nevertheless, sometimes I catch myself trying to hide things from God.

For instance, I go into a shop with the very best intentions to pray about what I will buy… yet I leave the shop feeling guilty, having overspent!

I find it hard to admit to God that I just did whatever my flesh wanted, so I hide.

Similarly, I am often reluctant to own up to any people-pleasing in my life. Recently, I caught myself trying to fix people’s opinions of me. I was trying to make myself look good, regardless of whether it was what God wanted me to do, or not.

I felt unsettled. Not relaxed, not at peace. Just icky inside!

But, God is light. He is holy and He calls me Holy. He calls me a glory-bearer, designed to carry His wonder. He calls me sacred and set-apart, free and full of light, not icky darkness!

He forgives my sins, tells me to sin no more (John 8:11).

In Psalm 139, Kind David speaks to God:

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139: 11-12, NIV.

God sets us free from all the lies we tell ourselves. We don’t have to hide in sin or shame; instead we can hide in Him. No situation is too dark for us to bring into His light.

I turned on some worship music, this afternoon, and just asked God to bring light to every area of my life. I prayed that He would excavate anything in my life that wasn’t holy so that I could walk away from whatever it might be.

I don’t want to live a life hiding from God. I don’t want to pretend that I’m living for God, whilst keeping secrets from Him.

I want to remind you that God is for you. He is good. He is easy to talk to like a caring Father, who listens to your every word.

He calls you to holiness, not because He is harsh or cruel but because living in shame, hidden from light, is not a fruitful place to live. He is a God that wants you to have a blessed, rich life, not one that is stressed out from hiding.

Step into the light this morning. Pray bold prayers.

Pray that His light might be all about you, allowing you to step into the holiness He created you for.

Action Points

• Pray that God would bring light to every area of your life.
• Pay for wisdom when He reveals all that has been hidden. What is your next step?
• Read Psalm 139 out loud.