Time to Turn on the Lights

Have you ever tried walking through a dark room, convinced you could find your way without turning the lights on, only to crash into something? Maybe you stubbed your toe, bumped into the edge of the table, or tripped over something that shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

It hurts. It’s frustrating. And, in hindsight, it’s usually avoidable.

Still, for some reason, we often choose the dark path. Not only physically, but spiritually.

The Bible speaks clearly about this. In Proverbs 4:18-19 (NKJV), we read:

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble."

That image is powerful: two roads, two kinds of light. One road gets brighter and clearer the further you walk on it. The other stays shrouded in darkness, leaving those who follow it unaware of what they’re tripping over. It’s not that they want to stumble—they just can’t see where they’re going.

And that’s the danger of spiritual darkness. You don’t realize what you’re missing… until you’re hurting.

In his classic work, Pastor and Prayer, E.M. Bounds warns of the deadly consequences of forgetting our dependence on spiritual light and divine power:

“This vital, urgent truth is one that our industrial age is apt to forget. The forgetting of it is as deadly on the work of God as the striking of the sun from the sky would be. Darkness, confusion, and death would follow.”

But what urgent truth is Bounds referring to?

It is this: God has entrusted the work of spreading the gospel to people. (Matthew 28:18-20)  When people forget their calling, ignore their mission, or become distracted by other concerns, their personal light dims. This means that they no longer reflect the Jesus who is the source of light.

When personal light dims, it leaves others stumbling in the dark. When we forget the light, or worse, choose to ignore it, the consequences are not just uncomfortable; they are catastrophic. The tragedy of spiritual forgetfulness is that men and women stop reflecting Christ's light in such a way that others can see it. They forget that they are called to let their light shine brightly on top of the hill for all to see. (Matthew 5:14-16)

When light shines, it exposes what’s hidden, reveals the right path, and dispels the shadows that make us stumble. Spiritual light brings truth and direction.

Is it possible that we stop reflecting the light because it is too hard to continue to have our own issues revealed by the Light of Life? Are there attitudes, habits, or choices you’ve been keeping in the shadows? Are there areas of your life where you need to “turn the light on”?

Here’s the honest truth: many of us are spiritually bruised—not because we’ve run away from God completely, but because we’ve been trying to feel our way through life without fully turning the light on. When we forget our calling to reflect Christ, it’s like taking the bulb out of the lamp and expecting the room to glow.

Sometimes our spiritual light fades because:

• We’re afraid of what the light will reveal.

• We’ve grown spiritually lazy.

• We’ve let distractions or sin cloud our vision.

Are there areas of your life where you’ve been trying to navigate without turning the light on?

If you are stumbling around in the darkness, the good news is that Jesus stepped into this darkness;

“And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it. A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:5–9 NET)

Jesus didn’t just talk about the light; He was and is the light. He came to illuminate truth, to expose lies, to guide the lost, and to overcome the darkness. And even when the world tried to extinguish that light on a Roman cross, it couldn’t. The darkness did not overcome, and it never will.

To walk in the light means to live honestly and surrender fully before God. It means allowing Christ to shine into every area of our lives—not just the public one, but the private one. The hidden one. The wounded one.

Let Him guide you. Let Him heal you. Let Him lead you into clarity and wholeness.

Maybe it’s time to stop pretending you can see in the dark. Maybe it’s time to turn the light on. Let Him show you the path. Let Him heal what’s been bruised. Let Him guide you out of the confusion and into clarity. Because when you walk with Jesus, the path doesn’t get darker, it gets brighter.

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day..." (Proverbs 4:18)

Reader, join me in the following prayer:

"Lord, I don’t want to stumble in the dark any longer. Shine Your light into every part of me, what’s seen and unseen. Expose what needs to be healed. Guide me into truth. Help me walk with You, step by step, in the light. Amen."