Stay Lit – Toni M. Babcock
“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” (1John 3:20 NIV).
Satan has a key strategy — to put out the light of the gospel. It he can’t keep us from coming to the light of Christ, he will do all he can to obscure the light once we do come.
Anyone, especially one who is subject to severe anxiety and depression, can become Satan’s peculiar target – and there is no better example than the late great poet and hymnist, William Cowper (1731-1800).
Satan certainly had a strategy to silence William’s witness and put out his light. William wrote the following words, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains,” (from a famous hymn you might recognize).
William clearly experienced the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, as evidenced in the many lyrics of his songs sung and heard by thousands. Even so, William suffered periodically from agonizing spiritual attacks and depression, resulting in a despair so dark and bleak, he once said he heard a voice in a dream telling him he was cursed and unredeemable! From that point on, William seemed only able to hold the light for every other sinner but himself! Yet, regardless of how he felt, God was greater than William’s dream and understood his profound mental suffering. God was not going to forsake him. The Bible says “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV).
Let this be a cautionary tale — God is not subject to our feelings, our imaginings, or our dubious dreams, so we should never surrender our hope in His Word, no matter how profoundly Satan tries to put the light out. Instead, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV.)
Toni is author of Reflections from the Heart, in Light of the Gospel of Jesus, and The Stone Writer. Contact
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These short daily devotions help us remember the important truths of what being followers of Jesus is all about. It's a designated opportunity for everyone in the building to stop and reset their minds. This dedication of time set aside for personal reflection becomes habit-forming for students and teachers. They become filled up by the Word every day and come to miss this calm beginning on days when school is not in session.
There are many more benefits. You could certainly add to this list. But the bottom line is this: Don’t give up on daily devotions. Don’t whip through them. Don’t let them get crowded out by other demands.
Brick upon brick a building is built. Lesson upon lesson a degree is earned. Stroke upon stroke a painting is created. Your devotions may have seemed ordinary today, but God is making something extraordinary through it. Press on. Don’t short-change the process.