I like to believe I live fairly enlightened; that is to say, like I KNOW the truth and LIVE my life accordingly. Don’t you? Being “enlightened” basically means to live in illumination or light so you have a clear direction about where you are going and why. In other words, it means to live in truth. So, for example, if I did NOT believe Newton’s third law; that is, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, I would be in a lot of trouble. I would be oblivious to the resulting pain and damage associated with punching a tree or ramming my vehicle into a brick wall.
To live an enlightened life, we MUST know the truth!
But, two of the greatest questions we all grapple with are:
- What is the truth?
- Who can we trust to tell us the truth?
There are all kinds of voices claiming to have truth. For example, “The Great Enlightenment” in the late 17th and 18th centuries, was influenced by philosophers like Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire and Newton, who emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition or religious beliefs. Furthermore, in 1848, the German philosopher, Karl Marx, published “The Communist Manifesto” and in 1879 the naturalist, Charles Darwin, published “The Origin Of The Species,” both of which radically influenced people to believe a non-Biblical perspective of “truth.” In fact, Marx characterized religion as “the opium of the people,” and Darwin stated in a handwritten letter to F. McDermott, “I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation, and therefore [I don’t believe] in Jesus Christ as the son of God.” Both were fathers of the modern secular humanist movement which soundly rejects Biblical Christianity as truth.
What do any of these people know about the truth that makes them worth trusting as THE source of truth?
Today there are so many platforms of influence it’s hard to know who to believe. Should we believe Marx and Darwin and their protégés, like Huxley and Dawkins, simply because millions of others have also believed them? If science and reason were the only components of your life worth considering, then secular humanism might make more sense to you even though there are thousands of gaps and assumptions one must make to believe the theories. Conversely—should we believe Biblical Christianity? (Poles of Influence)
The fact is, every person knows—deep down that there is more to their life than science and reason. We know we were created for love and it’s much more than a function of procreation. We ARE afraid of what happens when we die. And we want to know what’s next and in fact, we CAN know.
The Bible says that God put the knowledge of Himself inside each person.
“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Romans 1:19-21
In other words, we ALL innately know that we were created for a supernatural purpose.
When we are born again, we discover a relationship with God that we somehow always knew was meant to be. The closer we get to God, the more we recognize that HE is the only source of truth. We realize just how dark our world really is without Him. Jesus said:
“I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12
Do we really live like HE is the light, seeking Him with the passion that we seek the best things in life? When we do—He exposes reality like we’ve never before seen it! We are no longer like a blind man alone in a dark, unfamiliar room—afraid of the smallest sound. God’s presence flips the switch and illuminates the truth. When our day is guided by Him, we don’t stumble around like we’re in darkness, step on others because we can’t see them, run into walls, or become frightened of imaginary dragons.
God is the light of life and when we are in His presence, we live enlightened.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
One Response
You have a lot of great points, thank you for sharing.