Without the Light

1John 4:12(NKJV) tells us, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” The first part of this verse tells us that no person has ever seen our Heavenly Father at ANY time. Some that have studied the bible may say, “Hey, what about Moses?” The Old Testament tells us that Moses honored and loved God, and he wanted to see God’s face, but he was only permitted to see God’s afterglow. Heavenly Father told him, “Moses, you can’t see me and live. My Holiness is too much for you or any other human being to behold because of your sinful state, but here’s what I’ll do, I’ll pass by. And when I pass by, Moses, you can look out and see the afterglow.” This was such a loving thing for our Heavenly Father to do. He gave Moses this extraordinary gift. Through it, Moses received an undeniable testimony of the splendor that even just a trace of the Father’s glory will leave. His afterglow radiated Moses to such an extent, that he had to cover his face with a veil.

Moses’ countenance was lit up by the Father’s glory, and those who tried to look at him could not take the brightness of it. Moses hungered for God and wanted to draw as close to Him as humanly possible. Many of us have this same longing. And although no one has seen God at any time, there’s a way for us to be closer to Him than even Moses. 1John 4:12 says, “IF we love one another…” This is the key that opens the door that many people refuse to go in search of. God says that if we love one another with the love of Christ, then His love is perfected in us.

We are not perfect, but the love of God that Jesus Christ made available for us to have in our hearts—this love is perfect, and it can have its fullest expression in us. You and I are not yet where God’s wants us to be, but we are on our way. Making sure we get there, and perfecting us through God’s love, is the work of the Holy Spirit. 1John 4:13(NKJV) says, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” So often we try to do this ‘perfecting’ work ourselves. We run to whatever is trending, thinking it will be the missing piece of the puzzle, the solution to all our problems. We seek externally what can only be found internally through the Spirit of the Living God who abides within.

Dwelling on the inside of us, we have all we need to be whole, for Colossians 2:10 declares that we are completely complete in Christ Jesus! This is good news indeed! It’s good news for us all, but especially so for the person who looks to another human being to be their all-in-all. Some of us link ourselves up with the most toxic and broken individuals. We develop soul ties with them, and even though they seek to do us harm continually, we match our malnourished souls to theirs. We let ourselves be fed with the most corruptible and contemptible toxins, and our souls drink it up like those ensnared and intoxicated by addiction.

It is a peculiar thing that we would look to a person, flawed in so many ways, and place more faith in what they dole out than in the splendor of God’s love and in His unfailing provision. How can we take the attention and adoration that God so overwhelmingly deserves and give it to someone who hasn’t a clue how to express God’s love? This is why remaining in situations of domestic violence and abuse is so harmful to our souls. It robs a willing vessel of the vision of Christ they desperately need to see. A person that is sent by satan to steal our joy and vitality will block our view and skew our vision, so that we cannot see the glorious light of Christ. We can and must change this.

Jesus Christ said in John 8:12(NLT), “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Know that this light—the light of Christ—is EVERYTHING! Without the light, you and I can’t see the glory of who God created us to be. But through the light of Christ, our deepest longing will be satisfied as we begin the glorious journey in him. Let’s be courageous and trust God completely. Everything that we could ever want or need, our Heavenly Father has it. He will happily supply it, because He is our Sufficiency, but He wants us to be as eager to be in His presence as Moses was. And because Christ has removed the veil for us, we can boldly approach God with open eyes and see the reflection of our highest, most noble self staring back at us.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Overcoming Domestic Violence

Overcoming domestic violence and abuse through Jesus Christ!