be ye separate.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4–5 NIV
February 14, 2025. It was about three hours into my flight to Nigeria when we began to experience some turbulence. Somewhere along the flight I had dozed off, but the sudden shaking of the plane awakened me as we were flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Just a couple of days earlier there had been news reports of plane crashes happening throughout the country. Though I never allowed the thought to dwell, I believe the enemy wanted my mind to go there instantly…and go there it did.
I already had my worship music playing through my headphones, but I began to pray in the spirit—“God, arrest the wind and command it to be still!” — and I soon felt at ease with the revelation that God is, and always will be, ultimately in control and it was His grace that piloted that plane. So I stayed calm.
Partially out of curiosity, and mostly to ease my mind I glanced out the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of the ocean below. Although the sky had a dark red hue, the waves didn’t reflect any light, and it was far too dark to see anything. As I kept looking outside, the sky grew even darker, and my attention shifted to the stars that began appearing everywhere. I checked the flight tracker to see how close we were to land, and we were deep in the middle of the Atlantic. The only light I could see came from the plane and the stars above. And for the first time—far from the suburban light pollution I’m used to—I could SEE. I had made this overnight journey overseas before, but I had never observed the stars like this.
I didn’t have my glasses on, so I grabbed them for a better look. Immediately, my attention went to one star—or perhaps a planet, I’m not entirely sure. Among the vast array of bright lights scattered across the sky, it was the brightest. It quickly made me reflect on what it means to have Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us as believers—shining among many.
In March 2023 I had a dream.
I was downtown and it was late at night, and I was walking around on my MacBook, talking to someone — I don’t know who. But all of a sudden I look around and there are hundreds of people standing outside, and they're all wearing these red suits… and they're just standing still. And I'm walking around in between them and they're not moving, and I'm wearing this bright yellow blazer — I kind of stand out. And then as I'm walking by a parking garage, there are these two Black men who look at me and they smile and wave, and I thought, oh maybe it's because they like my outfit since I stand out? But I keep walking and again, more people just standing still dressed in red suits, men and women alike. And then I was walking to my office building, so I get into my office.
This dream was a reminder to me that no matter where we are - in our office environment, in school, and even out in the grocery store - we are to be the light for others that may not know Jesus. We weren’t created to fit in — but to stand out.
Ironically, at this time I had been struggling to have joy. I was battling anxiety and would have panic attacks occasionally, experiencing pain throughout my body. I had played a game with some friends in church where I put all the fruits of the Holy Spirit in a bucket and pulled out one, and ironically the one I pulled out was JOY — the very thing I was struggling with.
I must admit that at times I have ashamedly been a “secret disciple” to others when in reality Jesus was the only One there for me. As believers we cannot be afraid of how others perceive us in this “warped and crooked generation.” And as I’m writing this, the verse the Holy Spirit has placed on my heart is to not be afraid of the one who can kill the body and not the soul, but the One who can put both our body and soul in hell. Even in the worst environments it’s hard, but continue to let our light shine because it may be the hope and motivation and encouragement for someone else. Keep shining.
“so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” Philippians 2:15 NIV
“‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’” Matthew 5:14–16 NIV
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5 NIV
May we make sure to let our light shine. And final thoughts:
John says in Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. That light shines in darkness, and darkness has not overcome it. Darkness can represent sin in our life that hinders us from shining to the fullest capacity God has ordained for us. When Jesus spoke of the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 were foolish and 5 were wise based on how much oil they had. The Holy Spirit can represent oil in the Bible — which we know is the Word of God. In Ephesians 6, when it talks about putting on the armor of God, it says the sword of the Spirit — which is the Word of God. As we continue to fill ourselves with the oil of the Holy Spirit, may our lights continue to shine.
If you recall from Scripture:
“Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’” 2 Kings 4:2 NIV
“When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.’” 2 Kings 4:6–7 NIV
The widow filled up the oil until what? Until there were none left!
May our prayer be that God gives us capacity for more oil. Capacity means having the space to carry the anointing and remove anything in our lives occupying space that God may need for the anointing — aka dead relationships, friendships, sin.
Amen.
