A VEIL OVER THE WORD

"A man in a state of sin is under the same plague. He can do nothing profitable until God lifts the darkness from his soul.

To a sinner, the light of truth is more blistering than a desert sun at mid-day John 3:19. He shuns to walk where it is shining, and when exposed to it, will spare no expense to get relief. Satan is always at his elbow, ready to help him find a way to hide from its penetrating rays.

Does he hear the truth in a powerful sermon? Satan will sit alongside him in the pew and whisper nonsense to distract him. He may ask his plans for dinner, or what is on the docket for tomorrow. And if the sermon gets too hot, the devil will dull his senses and get him to dose until the service is over. Suppose a man's conscience strains toward the truth. Satan may then send him to hear a cool preacher, whose senseless prattle will tickle his fancy rather than prick his conscience. Oh, he may preach from the word of God, but he does it gingerly. He is too cowardly to use the Sword of the Spirit in all its might and power, lest he "offend" some members of his congregation. Many who dare to handle the truth and even admire it when encased in a scabbard would faint on the spot to see it drawn and bared.

Both sin and darkness cause distress. What could the Egyptians do under the plague of darkness but sit still and hope it would pass? A man in a state of sin is under the same plague. He can do nothing profitable until God lifts the darkness from his soul. The epitaph of every impenitent sinner could fitly read: "Here lies one who never did an hour's work for God."

And if he can do God no service while kept in darkness, neither can he help himself. Pity the man whose darkness hides the disservice he does to his own soul! He is like one who stands helplessly in a dark cellar, supposing himself trapped and doomed to die. But if a candle were lit, he would find the key to the door within easy reach. Christ is the candle that lights the way out of a man's darkness.

Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617