Done in by what is brought in

We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:18-21)

Sometimes we hear or read the same passage time and time again, thinking we already know what it says. The times we 'discount' what God has to say to us in any passage of scripture are times we miss out on God showing us afresh what he has to say, or somehow revealing something we might not have discerned when we were exposed to that same scripture earlier. Either way, we miss out. God's 'ask' of us is that we 'pay close attention' to the Word of God - each and every time we read it, hear it, or recount it from memory. Why? It is powerful - it gives us light, pushing back darkness in every aspect of our lives.

No prophecy in scripture is of 'man's own understanding'. In other words, those words we find in scripture aren't there by accident, or because someone thought they'd make a delightful story for our reading pleasure. They are there 'on purpose' - because God wanted them there for our learning, protection, and encouragement. Do we have confidence in the Word of God - that it is inspired by God, recorded by human hand, but divine in its integrity? If we don't, we ought to! God's Word isn't trivial - it contains promises to bolster our faith, instructions to protect us from devastating sinful acts, and wisdom we didn't even know we'd need.

If you read the Word of God on a regular basis, you may not be aware of how much the 'light of God's Word' is pushing back the 'darkness of Satan's lies' in your life, but it is. There is no more powerful weapon than the Word of God. It does more than just 'stay' the attack - it dispels it and has Satan on the run! Light pushes darkness away - it repels darkness. You cannot bring light into a dark cave and have darkness remain. Wherever the light goes, darkness dissipates - it is 'done in' by the light you 'brought in'. So, bring in a little light today and see just how much the darkness is 'done in' by what you 'bring in'. Just suggestin!