“Let your life be a stepping stone to Christ and not a stumbling block.” 1 Cor. 8:13 & 10:31

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven." Matt. 5:16

WILL THE REAL ME PLEASE STAND UP – Part 3

By Pam Kanaly

One of the "100 I AM Blessings" - I am a Child of Light

Eight Commandments for Sustaining a Bright Light

l. Be renewed in your mind: The transformed mind comes from reading the Word of God. Your outward light shines only as bright as your mind submits to your inward redeemed nature.

2. Be careful with your words: An unharnessed tongue squelches your glow. God places the tongue inside the cage with your wisdom teeth for a reason. If you want to know what’s in a man’s heart, listen to the spiritual thermometer of his tongue. It’s the real you, the tattletale of your heart. If you can control your tongue, you can control anything!

3. Be forgiving and tenderhearted: Nothing serves as a more destructive filter of dimming God’s light than bitterness; it’s that inward settled hostility that poisons the whole inner man. But God provides a healer that removes the filter: forgiveness! Either forgive the offense or relive it.

4. Be an imitator of God: As a child at birth has the nature of his parents capable of imitating their behavior, we have at our rebirth the nature of God capable of reproducing His behavior. The character that you embody as God’s child obliges you to not just resemble, but mimic Him.

5. Be pure in speech: Paul lists three ‘light crushers’ concerning your conversations: 1st. obscene stories: avoid filthy or disgraceful words; 2nd. silly talk: stay far away from dull, stupid, or gutter mouth language, whose root meaning, morologia, addresses the word moron; 3rd. coarse jesting:refuse to turn what was said in innocence into crass humor.

6. Be Spirit Intoxicated: Live an intentional life of joy under the sway of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit life is one inebriated by letting the Word of God and the Holy Spirit richly foster its influence within you.

7. Be strong in the Lord’s power: Satan seeks to annihilate your brightness. 1 Peter 5:8 suggests, “Be collected and vigilant; your enemy makes due use of opportunities to take you under.” Claim your position; claim your power; claim your wardrobe. Dress yourself in the potent armor of God.

8. Be prayerful: Prayer realigns your will to God’s. It changes you, others, and your circumstances. Prayer propels the distance your light will project. It’s the only force that travels faster than the speed of light.

Pam Kanaly is co-founder of Arise Ministries, a ministry focused on single moms and author of “Will the Real Me Please Stand Up.” Book available at your local bookstore; 10 Week Bible Study available through www.ariseministries.net.