“It’s time for you to come out of the shadow” is what I sensed God saying to me five years after Reggie’s death. You see, at that time, as described in Psalm 23:4, I was walking “through the valley of the shadow of death”—Reggie’s death. For a season, Reggie’s death stood between the Light and me casting a shadow over my life. However, upon receiving God’s direction to come out of the shadow, I began to step back into the light.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. ~ Psalm 23:4
At the time, I understood that God doesn’t want anything to stand between us and His Son, Jesus. But as I began writing today’s post, the third part of an article on trees, I began to see His purpose for bringing me out of the shadow in a fresh way. That way has to do with trees.
Food was the first choice God gave Adam.
“Why trees?” you may ask. Trees were God’s source of food for Adam (Genesis 2:15-17). Food was the first choice God gave Adam. As the first choice, we can apply what we learn in this Scripture to making other life choices. In other words, food choices are a metaphor for life choices.
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." ~ Genesis 2:15-17
Part 3 of Part 1
Today’s article, the third of a three-part article, is the first of a series of articles on decision-making when creating our new lives. This series is a deep dive into Genesis 2:15-17, the passage describing Adam’s first choice. Throughout this deep dive, I extracted guidelines we can use in choosing the activities that make up our lives from the directions God gave Adam on choosing the food that made up Adam’s diet.
Making your desire a reality takes action. Click To TweetCreating a new life begins with a desire, but making your desire a reality takes action—many actions taken over time. Together these actions or activities become our lives. “But what do I do?” you say. This series is my response to that question.
As I mentioned above, this Scripture shows us the first food God provided Adam came from trees. Trees, like other plants, differ from other living organisms in three ways. Trees:
- Grow in a specific location,
- Have roots that sustain them, and
- Get their energy from sunlight.
Today’s post continues our deep dive with number 3.
Sunlight or Solar Energy
Trees are living organisms that use sunlight to make their own food through a process known as photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, trees transform sunlight into the food they use to power their bodies. Sunlight is a key component in the process. Without the energy trees get from sunlight, trees are unable to grow or survive.
From this sunlight imagery, I see a parallel. Just like Adam is to fuel his body from trees that get energy from the sun (S-U-N), we are to fuel our lives with activities that get their energy from the Son (S-O-N). In other words, we are to engage in activities that are fueled or empowered by the Son.
Guideline #5: Choose activities that are fueled or empowered by the Son.
What activities do the Son fuel?
I’m glad you asked. Using the same sunlight imagery, this time in the form of solar energy, we see that activities fueled by the Son (S-O-N) have the same characteristics as those fueled by the sun (S-U-N) or those fueled by solar energy. These characteristics are:
1. Son Energy Is Clean Energy
Sun or solar energy is clean energy. Clean energy is fuel that doesn’t pollute the environment and has a positive impact on the environment by counteracting the pollution produced by “dirty energy.” Spiritually speaking, “Son” energy is clean energy. It doesn’t pollute the environment and counteracts the negative impacts of “dirty energy” or the energy generated by the enemy.
Choose activities fueled by clean energy—energy that has a positive impact on the environment.
For instance, Proverbs 26:20-22 teaches that slander, gossip, and other contentious speech are fuel for arguments and quarrels. Whereas, Proverbs 15:4 explains kind words have the opposite effect. These Scriptures illustrate the need to engage in activities fueled by clean energy (the Son), activities that don’t pollute the environment and have a positive impact on the environment by counteracting the pollution produced by “dirty energy” (the enemy).
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. ~ Proverbs 26:20-22
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. ~ Proverbs 15:4
Guideline #5a: Choose activities that are fueled by clean energy—energy that doesn’t pollute the environment and has a positive impact on the environment by counteracting the pollution produced by “dirty energy.”
2. Son Energy Is Renewable Energy
Sun or solar energy is also renewable energy. Renewable energy is any power source or resource that is never depleted or is constantly replenished. Like sun energy, “Son” energy is renewable energy. You cannot deplete it.
In our day-to-day lives, there are few resources that aren’t extinguishable. But amongst Christ-followers, there is an expression: “Where God give vision, He gives provision.” This expression speaks of situations where God provides for the duration of assignments. But when an assignment ends, God’s provision ends.
Choose activities that are fueled by renewable energy—energy that is never depleted or is constantly replenished.
The widow of Zarephath is an example of someone who experienced the Son’s renewable energy (1 Kings 17:7-16). Her Bible story opens with God telling Elijah to go to Zarephath because God prepared a widow there to provide for Elijah. Upon arriving, Elijah asks the widow for food. The widow promptly informs him, she does “not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar.” Basically, the widow didn’t have enough to feed herself and her son—let alone Elijah. That is until she gets God’s assignment from Elijah.
Elijah told the widow to care for him first before caring for her family. And while she is at it, Elijah told her not to fear because God said, “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.” And it didn’t. For the duration of her assignment, the resources she needed to perform said assignment—the oil and flour—did NOT run out. They were never depleted or were constantly replenished. They were renewed as she needed them.
Guideline #5b: We are to engage in activities that are fueled by renewable energy—energy that is never depleted or is constantly replenished.
3. Son Energy Is Universal Energy
Lastly, sun or solar energy is universal energy. You can access universal energy anywhere. For instance, universal energy can power satellites in space and water purifiers in remote rural areas on planet Earth without access to a power grid. Son energy has this same trait. With Son energy, you don’t need access to traditional power sources or resources.
Prior to his visit to Zarephath, Elijah went to the Brook Cherith to hide from Ahab and Jezebel. While there, the ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening. Though Elijah was in this remote location, he had access to Son energy—power or resources—and God used it/them to provide for him.
Guideline #5c: Choose activities that are fueled by universal energy—energy that is accessible anywhere.
So, as I opened this article, when God told me, “It’s time for you to come out of the shadow,” I immediately understood I was standing in the shadow of Reggie’s death. My deep dive into God’s charge to Adam about food choices reminded me that God was charging me to step back into the light because Son-light is my fuel, the source of my power.
Choose activities that are fueled by universal energy—energy that is accessible anywhere.
The Son-light was still there. It never moved. Something came between it and me—Reggie’s death—that required me to move, to make a choice. I needed to choose to step back into the Light. And I did. I stepped back into the Light—and I am oh, so glad I did.
If something has come between you and the Son-light, I’m inviting you to do the same. Won’t you join me?
I stepped back into the Light—and I am oh, so glad I did. Click To TweetThe “Choosing Wisely” Series:
- Part 1a – Choosing Wisely
- Part 1b – Getting to the Root
- Part 1c – Fueling Your New Life
- Part 2 – A Habitat for Humanity
- Part 3 – The Order of Rest
- Part 4 – The Right Conditions for Rest
- Part 5 – What’s the Best Decision-Making Process for Creating New Lives?
- Part 6 – Five Freedoms When Creating a New Life
- Part 7 – The Risks of Giving Into Temptation
- Part 8 – How Knowledge Plays in Decision Making
- Part 9 – How Morality Applies to Decision Making
- Part 10 – Biblical Concepts of Time When Making Decisions
- Part 11 – Some Certainties We Have in This Life
- Part 12 – How Will Your Relationship End?
COMPLETE LIST OF GUIDELINES
Guideline #1: Choose activities that align with our assignments.
Guideline #1a: The availability of activities that align with our new lives depends on the level of effort we put into completing our assignments.
Guideline #2: Choose activities that support our assignments.
Guideline #3: Choose activities that provide what our lives and assignments need to live, grow, and stay healthy so that we can produce the best fruit.
Guideline #3a: Choose activities that balance the things related to our assignments that we want to do with the things related to our assignments that we need to do.
Guideline #4: During seasons of plenty, choose activities that for seasons of scarcity by storing excess resources.
Guideline #5: Choose activities that are fueled or empowered by the Son.
Guideline #5a: Choose activities that are fueled by clean energy—energy that doesn’t pollute the environment and has a positive impact on the environment by counteracting the pollution produced by “dirty energy.”
Guideline #5b: We are to engage in activities that are fueled by renewable energy—energy that is never depleted or is constantly replenished.
Guideline #5c: Choose activities that are fueled by universal energy—energy that is accessible anywhere.
