John 11:9–10 (KJV) says, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”
I wanted to start with this scripture because I believe there is a powerful message here for anybody who is trying to do what is right, follow God, change their life, or walk more closely with Christ. Jesus spoke these words when there was real danger surrounding Him. The disciples were concerned about Jesus returning to Judea because people there had previously sought to stone Him. Yet Jesus understood something that we have to learn to understand in our own lives: when you know you are walking according to the Father’s will, you cannot allow fear to determine your direction.
When I talk about staying in the light, I am talking about trying to keep your heart and your hands clean before God. None of us are perfect, and that is exactly why we need Jesus, but there is a difference between struggling while sincerely trying to follow God and deliberately choosing darkness. When you know in your heart that you’re trying to do what God has called you to do, standing for what is right and correcting yourself when you’re wrong, you have to stop allowing every person’s opinion, threat, criticism or attack to make you question your entire journey.
Something I have noticed personally is that whenever I begin fasting and trying to draw even closer to God, it can seem like everything starts rumbling around me. Something happens, somebody says something, a distraction appears or another problem suddenly presents itself. Those are the moments when it becomes especially important for me to remain focused. Trying to do right does not mean you will never be tested. Sometimes the greatest test is whether you will continue doing what you know is right when doing right becomes uncomfortable.
This applies to more than ministry. Think about what happens when somebody finally decides, “I’m changing my life.” Maybe you decide you’re finished with unhealthy relationships. Maybe you’re going to stop running with certain people. Maybe you’ve decided to become serious about your future, build your business, repair your finances, strengthen your marriage, return to church or finally pursue the purpose God placed inside of you. Isn’t it amazing how distractions can suddenly start showing up? Things you thought you had left behind can suddenly become attractive again. People you haven’t heard from suddenly reappear. Situations arise that tempt you to return to the same place you were asking God to bring you out of.
That is why you have to feed your spirit if you want your spirit to become stronger. Pray. Fast when God leads you to fast. Read your Bible. Spend time with God. Examine yourself. Ask God to correct you when you’re wrong instead of only asking Him to correct everybody around you. The closer we become to Christ, the more our lives should reflect Him. Staying in the light isn’t about believing that we’re better than everybody else. It’s about recognizing that we need Jesus every single day.
And please understand something else: don’t ever feel ashamed for doing what is right simply because somebody doesn’t understand you. People may call you crazy. People may laugh. People may criticize you because you changed. Sometimes people become uncomfortable when the version of you they were accustomed to begins disappearing. But you cannot spend your entire life trying to remain acceptable to people while ignoring what God is telling you to become.
Jesus knew there was danger in Judea, but He also knew He was operating according to the Father’s will. That’s what makes John 11:9–10 so powerful to me. Jesus wasn’t teaching us to behave recklessly or pretend danger doesn’t exist. He was demonstrating what it means to move according to God’s purpose instead of allowing fear to control you. There is a difference between wisdom and fear. We should use wisdom, but we should never become so afraid of people that we refuse to obey God.
That is why I keep telling people: know who your Father is. When you truly begin understanding who God is, people don’t look nearly as powerful as they once did. People can talk about you. People can lie about you. People can misunderstand you. People can threaten you. People can try to distract you. But people are still people. God is God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Nothing happening around us surprises Him.
Even when we face the reality of death itself, Christians have a hope that goes beyond this life. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, defeating death. Our ultimate confidence isn’t that nothing painful will ever happen to us—Scripture shows us that faithful people can experience suffering. Our confidence is that nothing can separate God’s people from Him and death does not get the final word. That is why our faith can give us courage even when circumstances are frightening.
So stop allowing every attack to distract you. Stop allowing every negative comment to consume your entire day. Stop allowing somebody else’s opinion to convince you that God didn’t give you a purpose. And at the same time, keep checking yourself before God. Make sure you’re not calling something God’s will simply because it’s what you want. Pray about it. Search Scripture. Test the spirit by the Spirit. Ask God for wisdom and correction. When He shows you that you’re wrong, humble yourself enough to change.
Our responsibility isn’t to spend our lives watching for God to punish everybody who comes against us. Our responsibility is to stay focused on Christ. God knows how to handle what we cannot handle. He knows people’s hearts better than we ever will. Leave judgment in His hands and concentrate on the assignment He has placed in yours.
Stay in the light. Keep walking. Keep praying. Keep feeding your spirit. Keep doing what is right even when doing right isn’t popular. Don’t allow people’s words to intimidate you out of becoming who God has called you to be. The road may be narrow, there may be opposition along the way, and there may even be moments when you become tired—but you don’t have to walk that road alone.
Know who God is. Know who you belong to. Walk boldly, but walk humbly. Stay in the light and keep your eyes on Christ.
Be blessed.
