Living in God's Light

By Lynda Jeannine Brown

Its easy to lead a Christian life when things are going well in your world. But what happens when things come along that rock your boat or when you face ridicule or persecution because of your faith? Are you prepared to stand firm in faith and act in ways that are pleasing to God and that He can bless? In Lynda Browns Living In Gods Light, you will find sound insight on how to handle lifes toughest challenges in ways that please God and emerge victorious with stronger faith and a deeper relationship with God. In a delightful and sometimes humorous way, Brown tells how God became very real to her and led her through some interesting and tough experiences to a true understanding of His amazing love and faithfulness. Her message will encourage you to fight the good fight and stand firm in faith as you grow in a meaningful and more profound relationship with God. The special Reflection sections will help you to ponder the main points of each chapter and personally apply them to your own life. Warmly written and filled with meaningful Scriptures, Living in Gods Light is a challenging and timely message that is meant to make you laugh, cry, think, and follow God with a new awareness and commitment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490886039

Lynda Jeannine Brown

Lynda Brown has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University and has worked as a teacher, school administrator, and School Liaison Officer for the U.S. Navy during which time she was nominated for the prestigious Spirit of Hope award. She has served in various roles within the church and as a speaker, countywide prayer coordinator, and retreat leader.

Book preview

Living in

God’s Light

Lynda Jeannine Brown

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Copyright © 2015 Lynda Jeannine Brown.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

All Scripture quotations in this publications are from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8602-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8604-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8603-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015910110

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/1/2015

Contents

Introduction

1 Traveling the Narrow Road: From Believer to Disciple

2 Who Am I and What Am I Supposed To Be Doing?

3 Follow Me

4 Jesus Loves Me

5 Thank You, God, for Me

6 Who’s in Charge, Anyway?!

7 Offenses … There’s More Than Meets the Eye

8 Be Abigail

9 Hurry Up and Wait!

10 Stand Firm

11 Burning Bushes

12 America

13 Finish the Race

14 The Grand Finale

Bibliography

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Ephesians 5:8–9 NLT

To my Father God and Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all glory and honor belong.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2 NLT

INTRODUCTION

It’s easy to lead a Christian life when things are going well in your world. But what happens when things come along that rock your boat? Or what about when you face ridicule or persecution because of your faith? Are you prepared to stand firm in faith? Are you quick to act in a way that is pleasing to God and that He can bless?

These and other questions came to my mind one morning as I sat at the table in my sunroom looking out the windows at the scenery in my backyard and searching for answers.

I had just learned that someone very close to me and whom I had trusted completely had betrayed me, and I was being overwhelmed by both deep hurt and anger. As I contemplated what I should do, my ideas were anything but Christlike.

That is when my thoughts were interrupted, and I heard a compassionate and encouraging voice say to my heart, No brat child. I thought, What a strange message. Is that God speaking to me?

Although my thoughts had not been righteous, I found the word brat insulting. As I sat contemplating the meaning, God spoke into my heart and said that He loves His children, and He doesn’t want any of us to be brat children by acting in ways that are harmful to ourselves and to others. He wants us to act in ways that honor Him and that He can bless. God wants us to be wise and strong and to flourish. He wants us to choose to live in His light and grow in Christ’s likeness.

My feelings of insult quickly turned into embarrassment and shame as I saw the truth, and my anger deflated like someone had stuck a pin in me. I understood God wanted me to reject my bad thoughts and choose to respond to the situation with His wisdom and in His way. If I would listen to His counsel and do as He led, the situation would turn out good for me and to His glory.

For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

After this initial experience, I continued to hear God’s voice saying, No brat child, and encouraging me as I faced other unpleasant and challenging situations. I learned that God will speak to us through conflicts so we can learn and grow through the experience to be more like Jesus. And God was faithful as He continued to teach me His way through all the trials I encountered.

As I spoke to various church groups, I began to share this message and the lessons God was teaching me in life’s experiences. I would tell them that God doesn’t want us to be brat children because He loves us too much. He wants us to live in His light. Soon, I began to hear people encouraging others with the same admonition. I watched as people applied the message and lessons to their own lives, and I began to think that maybe the message was not just for me.

One morning while I was reading in my Bible, God spoke to my heart through Habakkuk 2:2: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. Each of the lessons God taught me turned into a chapter, and the chapters turned into the book you are holding in your hands. Thus, Living in God’s Light was born.

It is important to keep in mind that we are not alone on this journey of life. Others are on the journey with us and are watching us. If we are brat children, immature in our faith and relationship with God, we will not be able to help them, much less help ourselves.

Many who do not know God and do not have the hope that is within us are looking to us for direction when they come to crossroads in their own lives. They need shown to them the hope and light within us so they too may choose to join us on the journey that leads to peace and eternal life with God.

The truth is, each one of us is an author. We all are writing a book. By the very fact that we live and breathe, move about, and make decisions, our book is being written. Our book is not one that is held in a person’s hands, and it has no pages to turn. Yet, it is a very real book that others see and read. This book is our life.

Dwight L Moody, the nineteenth century American evangelist who founded the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers, once said, Where one man reads a Bible, a hundred read you and me. The apostle Paul put it this way,

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2–3)

As my children were growing up, I compiled albums of photos and details of important times and events in their lives as a remembrance. We called these albums their Life Books. This book is much like the Life Books of my children. It is a compilation of experiences from my life that reflects important lessons God has taught me as I have followed Him and lived in His light. In these lessons I have learned that because God loves us, He does not want us to be brat children but rather to mature in faith and grow to be more like Jesus.

We can describe brat children as being self-centered and having little regard for authority or obedience. Brat children take for granted the love they are given by others and actually see no value in their love other than what it can get them. They have a sense of entitlement and have little or no respect for the sacrifices people make on their behalf or the gifts they are given. Thankfulness and gratefulness are not in their vocabulary. They only obey authority to avoid severe consequences. Brat children always think they know everything, and therefore, they are not teachable.

Looking more closely at this description, one can easily see the correlation between brat children of earthly parents and brat children of God. As children of God, we sometimes make decisions without asking God’s will because we don’t want to hear His answer. We know what we want, have our mind made up, and that is that. Then, when things go wrong, we run to Him for help. We may take Jesus’s sacrifice for granted, not really stopping to truly understand the real depth and meaning. If we do give any consideration to God’s Word found in Scripture, it’s only to try to justify the sinful actions we choose to do.

Throughout this book, we will draw on this correlation and look at the hardships and dangers of being brat children of God rather than enjoying the blessings of living in the light and growing toward Christlike maturity.

My hope is that this book will help you learn how to deal righteously with life’s challenges and to cheer you on as you fight the good fight and write your own Life Book. This book is not for sissies or for the faint at heart. Its content is meant to challenge you to live in the light of God and grow from believer to disciple. So, if after reading this introduction, you still have this book in your hands, perhaps it is God drawing you. Keep reading. But, I warn you—it could change your life forever.

Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life – to God! – is vigorous and requires total attention. (Matthew 7:13–14 The Message)

REFLECTION

1. Do a personal inventory. Are there areas in your life where you are being a brat child of God? If so, what changes do you need to make? Are there any Scriptures that can help you?

2. Considering that your life is a book, what kind of book are you writing? What title would you give your book?

3. Considering your answer for question 2, is this the kind of book you want to be writing with your life? If not, what changes do you need to make or redirection do you need to take to begin the Introduction of your new book?

TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

Take my life, and let it be

consecrated, Lord, to thee;

take my hands and let them move

at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be

swift and beautiful for thee;

take my voice and let me sing

always, only, for my King.

Take my silver and my gold.

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my moments and my days.

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my will, and make it thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is thine own;

It shall be thy royal throne.

Frances R. Havergal

Abraham C. Malan

CHAPTER 1

Traveling the Narrow Road: From Believer to Disciple

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and the gate is wide for the many that choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Matthew 7:13–14 NLT

TRAVELING THE NARROW ROAD: FROM BELIEVER TO DISCIPLE

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7)

M y earthly father loved me with all his heart. Daddy was forty-three years old when I was born, and he was just plumb proud of me. My father was a contractor, and when I wasn’t in school, Daddy would take me to work with him. He bought me a little set of tools of my own so I could work alongside him. Daddy often took me fishing too. We were great friends. Daddy hurt when I hurt. And I loved him with my whole heart.

I was anything but a brat child where my father was concerned. I loved him so much I couldn’t stand to disappoint or hurt him in any way. He had this way of looking at me when I was out of line that would cut straight through to my heart. He never had to yell at me. He never had