There is a song from The Lion King that is stuck in my head – “He Lives in You”. The point at which it is sung in the play was when Simba was afraid to go and save his land. He had to face his uncle and the hyenas. He was scared because he wasn’t his father and things from his past were still bothering him. Here is an excerpt from the lyrics –

Wait, there’s no mountain too great,

Hear the words and have faith, Have faith,

He lives in you, He lives in me,

He watches over everything we see,

Into the water,

Into the truth,

In your reflection,

He lives in you.

It’s a really great song and no, we aren’t lions, but we can learn a lesson from this song. Let’s put a spiritual application to this. If we have put Christ on in baptism (Gal. 3:27), who is living in us? “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20).” Jesus does! That is how people see Him, through our actions and His word. Our actions need to be good works that bring glory to Him who lives in us (Matt. 5:14). If Christ lives in you, wouldn’t you want Him to have a good reputation? Wouldn’t you want Him to shine, after all He died for you?

This is where faith comes in. It is so easy to let our light shine while at worship. But what about when we are not at worship, Bible study, or around our Christian family? Is your faith strong enough to shine anywhere? It might come as a shock because I am the preacher’s wife who is supposed to do everything perfectly, but I do struggle with this. A sermon a few weeks ago was about faith and its stages? The one that stuck with me is the one I need to work on, bold faith. Oh, I can sit and write a letter or bulletin article with boldness, but when it comes to saying something to your face my mouth and brain freeze up.

After you are gone is when I finally come up with the right words. Satan is tricky and my armor needs a little more polishing, especially my shield of faith (Eph. 6:10-20). How is your shield? Let me encourage you to polish your armor too. Let’s shine with boldness and not be afraid to speak up. Read Revelation 21:7-8 if you need some more motivation.

 

Kristina Odom Lives in Fairfield, IL