Darkness Is Under Your Feet: 7 Decisions for Your Dark Times

Sermon outline

God is light with no darkness in Him, yet He dwells in thick darkness, so darkness around you is not a sign He has left; seven wise decisions will carry you through your dark times into a new beginning.

1. God is light, but He dwells in thick darkness

   In God there is no darkness at all, yet Solomon said the Lord would dwell in thick darkness. If God appeared in all His glory it would mean instant death for us, so He dwells in thick darkness so that His glory does not destroy those He loves. Israel stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

   Illustration: God's light makes His people look better as they get older; he jokes that he looks better now than in photographs from his youth.

   “God is light but he dwells in the thick darkness.”

   • 1 John 1:5
   • Isaiah 60:19
   • 1 Kings 8:12
   • Exodus 33:20
   • Exodus 20:19-21
   • Psalm 97:2
   • Deuteronomy 5:22

2. Darkness around you, but not in you

   Darkness covers the earth, but the Lord rises on His people and the nations come to their light. The unsaved may seem to despise you, but they are envious of what they see in you and too proud to ask how you got it. Darkness is not a sign to give up hope; it is God telling you to shine. He explains the Hebrew words for gross darkness, darkness and light.

   “There might be darkness around you, but not darkness in you.”

   • Isaiah 60:2-3
   • Ezekiel 14:19-20
   • Zephaniah 1:14-16

3. Every child of God goes through dark periods, and wisdom gets you through

   Dark periods do not mean God is absent; He is with you even in darkness. Wisdom is the principal thing: it is a spiritual solution to a human problem, the ability to anticipate consequences, and it decides health, wealth, favour and success. Potential does not guarantee destiny, and wisdom must be pursued, because only hungry people get wiser.

   Illustration: Satan, Judas and the rich young man all had potential, but none of them fulfilled it. A master's degree does not make you 'the cat's whiskers'.

   “Potential does not guarantee destiny.”

   • Proverbs 4:7
   • Matthew 5:6
   • Matthew 19:22

4. Darkness is under His feet

   God bowed the heavens and came down with thick darkness under His feet, riding on a cherub and flying swiftly. Darkness doesn't scare God and it shouldn't scare us: we will ride over the storm, and the coming months will bring great creative miracles. God's mercies are new every morning, so your yesterday, with its enemies and pressures, is over.

   Illustration: Everything that hung over your life like the sword of Damocles is gone: 'It's yesterday. It's finito.'

   “Darkness is a conclusion to a new beginning.”

   • Psalm 18:9-11
   • Lamentations 3:22-23

5. Decision 1: Decide to dream a new dream

   Don't stop dreaming, because God speaks in pictures, and your own disappointment is a divine signal that He is not finished with you. Stop taking on other people's disappointments, which often come from their own choices. Some people belong to your past or to the tomb, so leave them there, because God is busy with your womb to birth new things. What you speak grows in your life, so speak life and wealth, not poverty.

   Illustration: Some people are poor because of what they keep saying, and when you keep bailing them out you interrupt the lesson God is teaching them. Where you are not received, dust off your feet and let your blessing return to you.

   “My conversations determine what grows in my life.”

   • Genesis 41:29-30
   • Ephesians 1:4
   • 1 Peter 2:9
   • Proverbs 18:21
   • Psalm 112:3
   • Matthew 10:14

6. Decision 2: Decide to stay thankful

   Remember the dark corners, financial messes, sicknesses and idols God brought you out of. Be thankful for your church family and your pastor, and don't let anyone talk you out of where God has planted you. Stop vacuuming up gossip and slander, and meditate on what is lovely. Thank God for exposing the wrong people in your life, and let go of yesterday so you can embrace what is new.

   Illustration: Nobody would tell a father's children that he isn't their real dad, yet people agree when someone says they shouldn't go to their church. Don't be a Hoover sucking up things you shouldn't.

   “Thankfulness is a seed for joy.”

   • Galatians 4:19
   • Philippians 4:8

7. Decision 3: Decide to lavish the seed of honour in your environment

   Honour authority, your spouse, your parents, your pastor and his family, one another and the people at work, because honour brings promotion. Don't look back at Pharaoh's army; march forward. Those who don't honour the chain of authority run with judgment on them, and entertaining them means sharing it.

   “Honor will bring you promotion.”

   • Exodus 14:15

8. Decision 4: Decide to excel in obedience

   Obedience is a seed for promotion. An instruction is not meant to demean or undermine you; it is an opportunity to go to the next level.

   “Every instruction is an opportunity to go to the next level.”

9. Decision 5: Decide to avoid unnecessary battles

   Battles exhaust and distract you. Stop trying to change everybody at work and at home: give them information and leave the responsibility to change with them. Most of our pain comes through misplaced trust, so pray for a spirit of discernment to know the sheep from the goats.

   Illustration: He has the church say the line to him first, 'Dear pastor, decide to avoid unnecessary battles', and he receives it before giving it back to them.

   “Battles exhaust you. Battles distract you.”

10. Decision 6: Decide to study the character of every friendship

    When people show you who they really are, believe them; if they fail the trust test, walk away. Qualify the soil before you sow the seed of your time, because in Jesus' parable only one soil in four bore fruit. Discern people by their friends and by whom they honour, and remember that time is more important than money.

    Illustration: Wisdom must be pursued: he would happily buy someone four crayfish thermidors and nine Cokes just to receive wisdom from them. If someone cuts him off, he will keep looking for good soil in a mall, on a beach or on an aeroplane.

    “When people show you who they really are, please believe them.”

    • Matthew 13:3-8

11. Decision 7: Decide to master the art of learning

    Get to know the Holy Spirit, then get to know your assignment, then learn to sow seeds for a financial harvest. Learn how to sow it, how to grow it and how to manage it, and you will become a wealthy person.

    “Sow it, grow it, manage it.”