"Everything was created through him; nothing-not one thing!- came into being
without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live
by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it
out." John 1:3-5 (MSG)
Notice that darkness cannot put out the light. What Jesus promotes is life and
light, and He is far bigger than darkness: "You, dear children, are from God and
have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is
in the world." (1John 4:4, NIV2) Darkness runs from Jesus' presence, for He is
the Creator and nothing can stop Him!
Take, for example, that poor boy who none of the disciples could heal. When
Jesus came down from the mountain, He healed that boy on the spot: "He ordered
the afflicting demon out-and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was
well." Matthew 17:18 (MSG) Nothing is too difficult to Him!
Many people get involved in the darkness and lose their way, but Jesus, through
His infinite love, rescues them, bringing hope to the hopeless.
The following testimony, illustrates this quite well:
"Becoming a firefighter
has only been a dream of mine for a year now. It wasn't something I wanted to be
because of career day in elementary or anything like that. I wanted to do
something with my life that reflected how Jesus changed my life and the
compassion that he has for all people.
I've only been a follower of Christ for a couple years now but the evidence
within me and the story of my life is my proof that Jesus Christ is as real as
you and me and He loves you with all His heart. As cliché as it sounds today,
Jesus is my biggest inspiration in my life. Just as He dragged me out of the
burning flames that was my messed up life, I want to do that for others whether
in ministry efforts, fighting fires, and hopefully both. The living word brings
hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless, and new life to the dead in spirit.
My life was anything but perfect before I met Jesus two years ago in Soper,
Oklahoma. I was deep in depression, I got involved in drugs, and even shunned my
family so I could try run away to North Dakota. I tried but I couldn't. Even
now, I can't put into words how things got this far but I believe it had a lot
to do with me being the youngest in a very broken family. My parents fought, my
brothers and I had a violent relationship, and I laughed uncontrollably when I
got nervous. That last part got me in more trouble than one might think.
I wanted help but I didn't know where to turn. Heck, I didn't even realize I was
depressed until I was in my early twenties smoking spice in Virginia. A poor
excuse of a substitution for getting high. It wasn't anything I would even
consider enjoyable. It felt terrible and caused some of the scariest
hallucinations one could ever think of. It only seemed right for me to do so
because in my mind, it was what I deserved for running away from my problems,
friends, and my family.
I recall a time when a neighbor called 911 to check on me. I can only imagine
the horrible screams I made that night. I only remember gaining consciousness
after they had arrived in the apartment door and the burn marks across my
shoulder. Life surely seemed to be coming to an end for me soon if it had not
already.
To skip ahead, I moved back home to Texas after a couple years. My family was
deeply concerned about me but I didn't want any help from them. I didn't deserve
it and I didn't want them to love me. I only knew that something had to change.
I moved to Oklahoma with my aunt in hopes of getting involved in religion with
the church. I paid the utmost attention to a preacher getting excited over the
Holy Bible yelling out "It doesn't matter how good you've been or how bad you've
been! Jesus still loves you and that will never change! When he was on the
cross, you were on his mind." For the first time, I started to realize that
following Jesus was more than just a religion of proverbs and good works. It
wasn't a race to be the holiest. It wasn't doing penance. It was about restoring
your relationship with the creator who loved you first and loved you the most.
Even after all that, I still had trouble feeling like I could walk with my head
held high. I just couldn't accept that all my past was forgiven. It seemed too
easy. The truth is, it is easy. That's why it's so hard. I kept asking God,
"Please, show me I'm forgiven! Help my unbelief!" It was then I got into contact
with someone from my past who I thought I wronged the most. My ex-girlfriend,
currently wife to be, whom I left years ago, without a word before going to
Virginia. It was her my nightmares were about. It was fear of not being forgiven
that was holding me back. I called her and begged for forgiveness and told her
everything that happened and that was happening all the way until that point.
"Of course I forgive you" were her words exactly. In that moment, I felt the
presence of God about me assuring me that I was forgiven in all things removing
that doubt. Jesus had been laying out a path to my salvation all along. He had
been planning this since the beginning. Jesus called my name and I finally
answered. In a twist of events, she too had undergone hardships that led to her
rededication to Jesus Christ and the timing was perfect. Jesus is never early or
too late. He is always right on time.
Ever since then, I've been inspired to get back into life and get involved
again. I always want to share my story to those who would listen and let my life
be the proof that Jesus changes lives. Although I'm not one hundred percent on
whether I'm called to be a firefighter or not, I believe that I've been called
to do something to save lives. Whether that be ministry or firefighting, I know
God will use me. As long as I remember, Jesus walks with me and He's never going
to leave me nor forsake me. I've dedicated my life to Him and I never want to
stray from the comforting embrace that is my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Amen."
By: Trenton Sant Thanks to Precious Testimonies Evangelist Ministries
May we always remember that light overpowers darkness!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.