|
Sons of Light
By Ron McGatlin
On dark stormy nights back in Texas where I lived the larger part of my life, it was not uncommon for the electrical power to fail and the whole area to become completely dark. In the total darkness a lightening flash would momentarily brightly illuminate the entire landscape and a picture of our surroundings would be imprinted in our minds. For a moment we could see clearly in the flash of lightning and from the remembrance of what we had seen we could continue to move toward the place where the flashlight was kept. Once we had the flashlight in hand we could move easily through the house carrying the light with us to find the old kerosene lamp and the matches to light it.
We live in a dark and stormy world today. The strong influence of the kingdom of darkness is clearly evident. The darkness of our world has been from time to time pierced by lightening strikes of the Spirit of Christ bursting through the dark clouds in the Holy Spirit in response to small groups of spiritually destitute hungry people obsessed in relentless prayer and desperate faith.
Throughout modern history there have been many bursts of lightning from heaven as Christ made Himself known in Spirit outpourings called revivals and renewals.
In these relatively short bursts of God’s love and power, intense light of life illuminated the people with the presence of God. Our hearts were filled with light in what seemed a spiritually electrified environment of excitement and great joy.
Miracles of healing popped all around. People were overcome by the power of God’s manifest presence. Many were transformed in their hearts and received heavenly revelations and experiences. People rushed to an altar to repent and were cleansed in the presence of God. Deliverance was often instantaneous. Worship and praise was often filled with spontaneity and was extreme. Love poured out like warm oil, and it seemed glory was everywhere.
Those of you who experienced one or more of these lightning strikes as I have know that I could go on and on telling of the awesome experiences that occurred in that relatively brief time of a few years at most when the pure holy light of God continued to come as fire from heaven until man and religion infiltrated and added their darkness to the light.
These true lightning strike experiences served to provide a short season for us to seek the permanent light of God and become maturing sons of God. Even now the memory of those seasons of light can help us to seek the full everlasting light of the glory of God. Many sons of light were birthed in the lightning strikes to become light bearers in a dark world. This now is a season for sons birthed in the lightning strikes to become mature sons of light to do more than reproduce the past.
It is God’s desire for sons of light to carry more than a flashlight or a kerosene lamp of signs and wonders. The gifts of the Spirit including the miracles of signs and wonders are absolutely vital in moving us to mature faith. As wonderful as the gifts are, there is more heavenly light available to overcome darkness.
A dear prophetic friend of mine called recently with a vital word. Summing it up, the word was that God is moving us from emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit to the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. My spirit said, YES, the kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and these are FRUITS of the Spirit - not gifts.
Eph 5:8-14: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
Gal 5:2225: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
God’s desire is that as we walk in the Spirit we become sons of light to become a part of transforming our world from darkness to light.
John 12:36: "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."
Sons of light have a vital role in this day of sudden destruction that comes like labor pains associated with the manifesting kingdom of our Lord.
1 Th 5:2-9: For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 8:19: For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Heb 2:10: For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Keep on pursuing love. It never fails
and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
http://archive.openheaven.com/" _fcksavedurl="http://archive.openheaven.com/" eudora="autourl - archive.openheaven.com
mailto:basileia@earthlink.net" _fcksavedurl="mailto:basileia@earthlink.net - basileia@earthlink.net
|