Tuesday, August 21, 2018
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park-it's situated in a remote corner of New Mexico. It's a place where a thousand years ago, the ancient ancestors of some of today's Indian tribes enjoyed this thriving civilization. They were, as an article in USA Today reported, "astronomically observant." For modern observers, it's still a great spot to be astronomically observant; a place where you can see the heavens without the interference of the artificial light that's all around us much of the time. Several years ago, a woman came to the visitor's center desk to report something remarkable she'd seen in the sky. The ranger held his breath for another "UFO sighting," only to be surprised by the woman's excited description of a "lane of white powder" she said that she had seen spanning the heavens above her campsite. The ranger had the great pleasure of informing this lady that, for the first time in her life, she had actually seen the Milky Way.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Missing the Light You Can't Afford to Miss."
It's estimated that more than two-thirds of the people in the United States and Europe cannot see their home galaxy from their backyard because of all the other light in their world. We're actually blinded to God's real light by the artificial light around us. We are. There's so much distraction all around us we can miss the one light we can't afford to miss. For you, today could be the day that God wants to help you take a step away and see that light for yourself, and I will tell you, your life will never be the same.
In 2 Corinthians 4, beginning with verse 4, our word for today from the Word of God, we have unveiled for us a spiritual conspiracy to actually keep you blinded to the greatest light of all. You need this information. Here's what it says: "The god of this age..." When the Bible says that, it's referring to the enemy of your soul and mine, the Devil. Who, by the way, hates you and wants you in hell with him forever. "...the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel (or the Good News) of the glory of Christ."
All your life, Satan has been flashing artificial lights in your eyes to keep you from seeing the only light that can direct you to heaven. That light is Jesus Christ, who loved you enough to die to pay for your sins, who's powerful enough to walk out of His grave under His own power.
The Devil has a pretty simple strategy for keeping you out of God's family and keeping you out of heaven forever..."anything but Jesus." He doesn't care what your heart turns to as long as it's not Jesus. Satan doesn't care if you get real religious, if you're active in your church or community, if you pursue spirituality, even if you get a lot of Christianity, just as long as he can use all your Christianity to blind you to the fact that you're missing Christ. He'll keep your heart busy with a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, a marriage, a family, all kinds of demands on you, a career, recreation, fitness, a house, a car, retirement-whatever it takes to keep you from seeing your need of Jesus until one day it is forever too late.
But the Bible tells us that God has mounted a counterattack so you don't miss the one who came here to rescue you. The Bible says, "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.'" That's what God is doing in your heart right now as you listen to these words. He's turning on the light in your heart.
It's important you give yourself to Jesus while the light is still where you can see it, because very soon your enemy from hell will come again and turn on the artificial lights that have made you miss Jesus all this time. This is your day to meet the One who created you, to begin a personal relationship with the One you were made by and made for, and who loved you enough to die for you. It starts when you say, "Jesus, I'm yours." I'd love to help you get the rest of the way. Go to our website ANewStory.com.
God's shining His light in your heart right now. Please don't miss it.