2 Corinthians 4:4

NASB	NLT	VOICE
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.	4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.	4 because the evil god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. As a result the light of the good news, the radiant glory of the Anointed – who is the very image of God – cannot shine down on them.

Blinded by the Light

The “god of this age” describes Satan. We must be aware Satan’s influence is temporary and subject to God’s powerful authority. (see the book of Job to learn more about this) Satan blinding minds leads to a spiritual blindness that prevents people from understanding and accepting the truth found in the Gospels. Corinth (the church that Paul is preaching to) was being influenced by outside authorities, such as Greek philosophy and pagan religions. These things have overwhelmed them to the truth of God. The light represents the truth and revelation. It removes the darkness of life and offers salvation and understanding. It breaks the bondage of sin that holds us back and leads us towards understanding and implementing a lifestyle centered on Jesus.  The glory of Christ describes his divine nature and the revealing that Jesus was God, in human flesh.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How have you felt blinded by your situation? What ways can Christ light up your reality to show that He is present?

Persistent Lights Never Dull

Be persistent in sharing the gospel. Be diligent in sharing this Good News. For me personally, I have a new fire lit in me to share different perspectives of the truths of God. My “Serving Up Justice” series opened my eyes to the realities of key marginalized communities and the hardships that they suffer. My “Who Am I Again?” series has revealed and refreshed key identifiers that reminds me that I am with Christ and Christ is with me. I have a secret project that I’m working on for everyone that I am super excited about. I have performed some updates to the website to make it more accessible and cleaned up. I have been recording devotionals for TikTok and YouTube about these blogs as a new way of hearing the Word. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have heard the “Weekly Psalm Reading” that this blog hasn’t heard. There’s been so much going on that it’s both overwhelming and peaceful altogether.

This comes with some headaches. I, for the first time, publicly got called out for my “woke” theology as a response to one of my blogs. I have also been called out for a “misuse” of Scripture. (quoted because I don’t believe it was misused, but haven’t verified for sure) With my anxiety, this has felt like opposition from time-to-time. My brain works in a very all-or-nothing mentality, so these instances have led me to believe that: “They are calling me out. Therefore, I am wrong and should feel bad that I am wrong.” Anxiety isn’t who I follow, though. God is. God reminds me that opposition in these situations leads to dialogue. Dialogue leads to understanding. Understanding leads to respect. The more we seek to understand, the more we can work to cooperate and communicate. The more dialogue we have, the more we can intentionally listen and seek to comprehend the background and perspective the other person is coming from. It can lead to an “agree-to-disagree” mindset, it can lead to ending a relationship, it can lead to growing closer, and every iteration in between. The goal in these conversations is to learn how we can bright light and understanding to those in spiritual darkness. Regardless of how it’s shared, as long as it’s not being manipulated for personal gain – the Word of God stands strong. When we get challenged in our testimonies, we must seek to understand the other person. Be open to the idea that you could be wrong. If so, accept it and readjust. If not, stand firm.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Have you ever been challenged when sharing your testimony? Were you coming from the right perspective? Did it change your testimony and understanding of Christ?

PRAY Action

Praise God for the message He teaches through the ministry of Jesus.

Read Ephesians 2:2.

Ask God to ensure that your ways of life align with God’s desires and not the desires of the world.

You are a home to the Holy Spirit. You are a walking reflection of who God is. You are living example of the life and love of Jesus. Live according to the Spirit you were given from God.

Next part: Essentials for a Godly Life || Who Am I Again? || Part 18