- Our Power Source –

[Shadrach]

Ephesians 6:10, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”
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Hey Mr., one of your taillights is burned out said the stranger to me as I was leaving the parking lot of the Olean mall. I thanked him from my opened car window and thought to myself, a burned-out taillight on my car wasn't the most serious problem, but I certainly appreciated the stranger letting me know. Besides, if the other taillight were to burn out, I would have a safety hazard. So, when I arrived home, I removed the bulb, and noticed it wasn’t really burned out at all. Its thin wire filament was totally intact. However, a coating of green corrosion had grown around the bulb’s stem and inside the socket that it plugs into. Finding a piece of steel wool, I polished both bulb stems and the socket until they gleamed. I then reinserted the bulb, and watched with satisfaction as it lit up again. Normally, I wouldn’t give such routine maintenance a second thought. However, this time I realized that the little darkened bulb contained a spiritual lesson. “Ye are the light of the world,” Jesus told His followers. He wants us, His people, to shine for Him with a pure light in this sin-darkened world. Satan, though, is constantly trying to dim our light. The Devil uses a multitude of tactics and my tarnished bulb illustrates one of them. When corrosion developed between the bulb and the power source, the flow of electricity was halted, cutting off the light. In other words, the presence of something that shouldn’t be there effectively prevented the bulb from glowing.
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Further thoughts:

My brethren Satan will try to slip anything into our lives that shouldn't be there so as to blot out our joyful light, thereby making us an ineffective witness for our Lord and Savior. Some of the forms of corrosion he tries to plant are numerous. It could be anger, selfishness, jealousy, wrong thoughts, pride, dabbling with carnal sites on the Internet and watching television programs that are contrary to what the Scriptures teach. If we tolerate sin in any of its forms, we will interrupt our flow of joy and power from the Lord and extinguish the light normally visible in a child of God. Rather than concealing the corrosion or looking for excuses to explain it, we need to confess it before God, forsake it, and let Him wipe our souls clean again. Sure, a light bulb that’s merely tarnished is still a light bulb, but it’s useless for its intended purpose. Likewise, a believer in Christ who tolerates sin and backslides may still be a Christian, but they, will be darkened and useless as a source of spiritual light. As you travel the road of life, do you sometimes face a power crisis? If so, don't try to see how far you can go without yielding to the Holy Spirit. Remember, He is an unlimited source of spiritual power. I will close with three simple questions for your consideration:

(1) Is your life shining with God’s love and grace, as He intended?
(2) Or, has Satan been successful in sneaking in harmful barriers between your soul and the Savior?

(3) If that‘s the case, why not pause now, bow your head, relinquish whatever it is that’s hindering your fellowship, and once again “light up” for the Lord.
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Our greatest weakness may be our failure to rely on God's power.