There’s generally two kinds of shadows..and two ways that we can get stuck:
The shadow of selfishness
Darkness of the world
Selfishness & sin...a little here and there
Comes between us and God
No longer standing in the light, we’re in the shadow
Wandering around in the darkness, trying to figure it out all on our own
The shadow of the law
A little more difficult to identify
Religion
Pride
Rules & regulations
Following everything so perfectly, and then once you feel like you are, you look down your noses at everyone else
We don’t only get to remain childlike as Christians...we have to remain childlike as Christians.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-18, 24
We have to stay AWAKE AND CLEARHEADED:
How?
-The breastplate of faith and love over your heart
-A helmet of salvation over your thoughts
Radical Honesty = not letting yourself get away with excuses. Dealing with the real issues within yourself. “Some of us will never move forward spiritually until we’ve broken secrecy with ourselves…Don’t put yourself to sleep by lying to yourself.”
Don’t let depression make you fall asleep. Reject it.
Don’t let anxiety keep you bound. Take it captive.
Don’t let intrusive thoughts keep you in darkness. Serve them an eviction notice with the TRUTH. With the Word.
BE SKILLED. BE FAITHFUL. BE QUICK.
Easy ways to fall asleep, spiritually:
Stop seeing church as a people to serve. BE SKILLED (at gently encouraging others). Stop seeing the world as a mission field.
Compromise. BE FAITHFUL (to stand your ground. Help the weak to stand again). 9/10...we compromise with OURSELVES. It’s our own sinful and selfish nature that we compromise with.
Let pride win. BE QUICK (to demonstrate patience with everyone). PRIDE HIDES THINGS. It causes GOD to hide things from you. God RESISTS the proud (1 Peter 5 and James 4). Matthew 11:25 says, “At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.”