Revealing Your Inner Light in These Times to Shine Brightly

Shared on March 9, 2025

Introduction

With many losing homes, jobs, and worrying about healthcare and high grocery prices, it feels like we are under fire. It feels like we are being tested.  The truth about who we are, on the inside, will, and already is, being revealed to the world.  So, because the test of today is revealing what dwells in us, I feel it necessary to focus on who we are, in our soul. You see, what should be revealed in the child of God is His light.

The Debased Heart of Man

Is the light of God dwelling in and pouring out of you?

In Matthew 15, there was a dispute of philosophies, principles to live by, between Jesus and the religious leaders.  The scribes and Pharisees believed they were putting Jesus under fire, testing Him.

The religious leaders came from Jerusalem to where Jesus was and accused the disciples of transgression (Matt. 15:1-2).  Now, notice the transgression they accused the disciples of was not against God.  The religious leaders accused the disciples of transgressing the tradition of the elders because they didn’t wash their hands before eating. While disgusting, this ought not have been a concern for spiritual leaders. No, the concern of spiritual leaders out to be about the soul and being faithful to the Lord.

So, Jesus responded by accusing the religious leaders of transgressing the command of God because of their tradition (Matt. 15:3).  Essentially, the tradition of the elders seemed to be more pressing to the religious leaders rather than being elsewhere ministering God.

In noting how the religious leaders moved, Jesus told them they disobeyed God’s command of honoring their father and mother.  Jesus pointed out that the religious leaders had been teaching that it was OK to dishonor others if one had given a gift to God.  Where in the bible does it say that it is OK to dishonor others? Even those who hate us, despise us, use us, are supposed to be loved by God’s children!

So, these “spiritual leaders” were putting their way over the Lord’s law.  In doing this, they were defiling the law, defiling themselves, and defiling those they had taught.  They thought that they were testing Jesus but they failed to realize they had failed Jesus’ test.  

Jesus saw that there was no light inside of these so-called spiritual leaders and He called them hypocrites. Their hearts, Jesus said, was far from Him (Matt. 15:7-8).  This led Jesus to tell the people, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth (Matt. 15:11).”  

The Importance of What Lies Within

Is the light of God dwelling in and pouring out of you?

It is important for us to consider what lies within our hearts because that is what will eventually pour out of us.  We must understand that what pours from our soul will come out one or two ways. As Jesus said, what comes from you can be defiled and corrupted, if your heart is defiled and corrupted.  However, for one who keeps their heart with all diligence, will pour out a well of life (Prov. 10:11).

What is it that is pouring out of you today? 

My concern is great today.  Many are filing into church service, worshiping, singing hymns, reading scripture but Jesus’ teachings isn’t resting in their soul. Many are worshiping, giving their tithes and offerings, but believe it’s OK to dishonor others.  Yes, many are proclaiming the name of Christ, praying prayers, but corruption is pouring out of them rather than righteousness. 

How does this happen? Someone has been teaching that it is OK to dishonor others because one goes to church. No, it is far from OK to dishonor anyone because you say you’re a Christian. When your actions are far from Christ-like, that tells the world your heart is far from God. This is very concerning to me because the wickedness done in Christ’s name is pushing many away from Christ today.

Married to Christ

We who are of sincere faith, must ensure that what’s in our heart is holy and righteous so that what pours out is holy and righteous.  The last thing that should pour out of us is that which dishonors and pushes others away from Christ!

So, how do we ensure that what dwells in us is the light of God?  How do we ensure that what pours out of us is the light of God?  I want to share scripture with you from 1 Peter 3, which I believe will help ensure what dwells in the heart of us believers is holy and righteous.

Living in submission

Peter was focused on marriage, specifically, honor in marriage in this scripture.  Like Paul, Peter wrote that wives are to be submissive to husbands (1 Pet. 3:1).  This scripture is often misinterpreted, misunderstood, and abused by wicked men who use scripture to harm others. Peter saw that wives could win husbands over to the word just through their chaste conduct. Many husbands have been brought into the faith because of their wives.

Now, while we see Peter speaking about marriage between man and woman, I’m not going to focus on the marriage of man and woman.  There is another marriage that I will bring into focus.  To do this, I will reference what Paul said in Ephesians 5.

Again, Paul stated that wives should submit to their husbands, as to the Lord (Eph. 5:22).  Paul added that the husband is to be the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23). Paul then stated, “just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (Eph. 5:24).”

Have you picked up on Paul speaking of the church as the wife of Christ?  Now, when Paul speaks of the church, we should understand that he wasn’t speaking about the local church nor a church building.  “The church” consists of all who are of sincere faith in Christ and confess faith in their heart, by mouth, and by actions. This makes both you and me, the sincere believer, the future brides of Christ. So, if you are of sincere faith, you ought not to be living in submission to anything or anybody else but Christ! 

Now, I want you to understand what it means for us to live in submission to Christ, and then consider whether or not you are doing that.  

Jesus instructed us to love God, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Are you loving everybody or just whomever you choose to love?  You see, we ought not be choosing to put our own spin on Jesus’ instructions. If we choose to put our own spin on Jesus’ instructions, we’d be doing as the religious leaders – that is not submission, it’s disobedience.

Jesus instructed us to pray for others, and we should do that, not the opposite.  Jesus instructed us to do good unto others, and we should do that, not the opposite (Matt. 5:44).  Jesus instructed us to do unto others as we would want done to us, and we should do that, not the opposite (Matt. 7:12).

Again, we are to live in submission to everything that our future husband, Christ, has instructed us to do.  If we choose to do the opposite of what Christ has instructed us, then we aren’t living in submission to Him, but rather, we are choosing to live in submission to ourselves.  

The faithful bride or not?

Are you choosing to be faithful in your relationship with Christ or are you choosing to be faithful to yourself or to another? Are you cheating on Christ?

Christ’s instructions, I want you to understand, should dwell in the heart of all who are of sincere faith.  You see, the word of God, His instructions, has been planted in us and should grow in us to bear fruit. Jesus’ instructions is a light unto us.  When His word abides in us, that means His light abides within us.  When we choose to abide by and move according to His word, then the light of God will pour out of us.  

We ensure that the light of God is in us by choosing for it to be in us – adhering to it!   

One has to ask themselves, how can the light of God shine through if we aren’t living in obedience to His word? How can the light of God shine through when we’re covering our soul in darkness?  How can our light shine through if we think it is OK to dishonor another?  How can our light shine through if we think it is OK to hate and disrespect another?  How can our light shine through if we are rejoicing in iniquity?

Concerned About the Wrong Beauty

Let’s pay attention to Peter instructing wives not to let their adornment merely be outward (1 Pet. 3:3). We dress ourselves up to look beautiful to those that are around. In scripture, it was shown that gentile women would adorn themselves with fine jews and clothing, believing that was the way to gain the favor of their gods.

The adornment of the believer, or our beauty, is not what can be seen by others.  No, your beauty is not on the outside! You see, Christ is not concerned about your outward appearance! So, we don’t have to dress our bodies up for Christ, nor put on jewels to try and gain His favor.

Yet, this is the problem that many of us face today:  we’re concerned about if we look good.  Now, when I say “look good”, I’m not necessarily talking about our physical beauty.  You see, a lot of us are moving today, concerned about whether or not what we will look good to the world. We are concerned about whether or not what we say or do will be liked and accepted by those who are of the world.

I’ve observed many who proclaim Christ, do everything they can to appease folks who are absent of the Spirit.  Yes, some are saying they are of Christ but nothing about their actions speaks of Christ being in their hearts.  Many are selling their soul just to be accepted by those who are vacant (empty) of Christ.  Paul said that we ought not be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2)! Yet many have or are conforming to this world.

Those who are selling their souls, are submitting themselves to sin – they are conforming to the world.  The implication is that one has become fearful of not being beautiful to the world.  Should the child of God care if they are beautiful to those who are of the world?  Should we care if the world accepts us?

To the Galatian church, Paul wrote that if he sought to still please men, then he wouldn’t be a bondservant of Christ (Gal. 1:10).  The last thing that was on Paul’s mind was appeasing man.  You see, Paul, like all sincere believers, ought to be concerned with pleasing the Lord.  Without faith, it is impossible for us to please the Lord (Heb. 11:6).

The Beauty That Shines Brightest

In today’s test, we, the church, must remember we’ve accepted Christ’s proposal to us (John 3:16).  Christ has given us an engagement ring and we are wearing it, the Holy Spirit.  So, we ought to stop struggling trying to make ourselves beautiful to please the world.  We should be stepping beside our future husband and walking with Him!

Peter said that we should let our adornment (beauty) be the hidden person of the heart (1 Pet. 3:4).  The world sees what is on the outside, but the true beauty of the believer is in our soul.  Again, we should be doing everything we can to ensure that our soul is beautiful to God.

The soul that is precious to God is the soul that is gentle and quiet.  The soul that is beautiful and shines bright is the soul of compassion (1 Pet. 3:8).  The soul that is beautiful and shines bright is the soul that does not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling (1 Pet. 3:9).  The soul that is beautiful and shines bright is the one that does good and pursues peace.

Though we are being tested today, our soul should still shine and pour out the light of God because we have chosen obedience.  We must remember who our husband is, and remember to live in submission.  In 1 Peter 1:6-7, Peter wrote that though we are tested by fire today, praise, honor, and glory will still be found in us.

I’m calling on you to shine bright through the fire and through the dark.  We ought to be a nuisance to the dark.  We are to be a menace to those who pouring out wickedness in the world today.  Yes, we are to be carrying the torch of Christ today, reclaiming godliness and the name of Christ.  Carrying ourselves in the light of God will draw those who desire Christ to the light.