Walking in the Light:

 Walking in the Light: A Journey of Discernment, Trust, and Patient Endurance

1 John 4:1 — Testing What We Hear

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” — 1 John 4:1 NLT

Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5 NLT

Lamentations 3:25–26

“The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” — Lamentations 3:25–26 NLT

Hebrews 10:35–36

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” — Hebrews 10:35–36 NLT

Galatians 6:9

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” — Galatians 6:9 NLT

Walking in the Light

There are times in life when we wish God would simply hand us the answers.

“Lord, tell me what is going to happen.”

“Lord, show me what to do.”

“Lord, please let me know everything is going to be okay.”

But faith doesn't always work that way.

Sometimes God asks us to discern, trust, wait, and endure.

And honestly, those four things can be hard!

Today is going to be a quiet day at home for Ross and me. Ross has to drink one of those compounds for a medical test tomorrow, and let's just say it isn't exactly something anyone would put on their favorite-drinks list! 😂 He can't eat, so there will probably be some hungry moments, some uncomfortable moments, and probably a little complaining mixed in there somewhere.

But underneath all of that is something much bigger.

We are praying.

We are trusting God.

And we are waiting for good news.

Ross is hoping he feels well enough to participate in Tribe Thursday, because we have crafts and karaoke planned with the kids. That's our life sometimes—medical tests one day and singing with children the next!

And maybe that's exactly where today's Scripture meets us.

Not in some perfect, peaceful life where everything is already figured out, but right in the middle of our ordinary, sometimes messy, sometimes difficult lives.

Step 1: Filter the Noise

John begins by telling us not to believe everything we hear.

“Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”

The Greek word translated “test” is dokimazō (δοκιμάζω). It carries the idea of examining something carefully to determine whether it is genuine. It was used in contexts involving testing or proving something so that its true quality could be recognized.

I think we need a little dokimazō in our lives today.

Think about how much information comes at us every single day—through our phones, television, social media, conversations, opinions, advertisements, and even our own thoughts.

Not everything we hear deserves a place in our hearts.

Something can sound good and still not be true.

Something can feel right and still lead us in the wrong direction.

So we need to ask:

Does this agree with God's Word?

Does it reflect the character of Jesus?

Does it produce truth, love, humility, and godly fruit?

Testing something doesn't mean becoming cynical.

It means becoming discerning.

God doesn't ask us to believe everything.

He asks us to know Him well enough to recognize what doesn't sound like Him.

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Step 2: Lay Down Our Understanding

Proverbs 3:5 says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”

Oh, that's a big one!

Especially when life gets complicated.

When something happens that scares us, our minds immediately start running.

“What if?”

“What about this?”

“What happens next?”

“How are we going to handle that?”

I know Ross and I have had plenty of moments when we would love to have the whole road map spread out in front of us.

But God doesn't usually give us the entire map.

He gives us enough light for the next step.

The Hebrew word for trust in Proverbs 3:5 is bāṭaḥ (בָּטַח). It means to trust, rely upon, or place confidence in something or someone.

And the word translated “lean” is shaʿan (שָׁעַן), which carries the idea of leaning on or supporting oneself against something.

I love that picture.

God isn't telling us that we shouldn't think.

He's telling us not to make our limited understanding the thing we ultimately lean on.

There are things Ross and I simply cannot know today.

We don't know exactly what tomorrow's test will show.

We don't know every detail of what lies ahead.

But we know the One who does.

So we can say:

“Lord, I don't understand everything, but I trust You.”

That's bāṭaḥ.

That's putting our weight on God instead of trying to carry everything ourselves.

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Step 3: Sit Quietly in the Waiting Room

This may be the hardest part.

Waiting.

Lamentations tells us:

“The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”

Waiting can be incredibly difficult when you're waiting for something that matters deeply to you.

And sometimes we're not very good at waiting quietly!

We want answers.

We want movement.

We want certainty.

We want God to hurry up.

But Scripture reminds us that waiting doesn't mean God has forgotten us.

The Hebrew word qāvâ (קָוָה) is used here for waiting/hope. It describes an active expectation and looking toward something with anticipation.

So biblical waiting isn't simply sitting around doing nothing.

It's waiting with God.

That's an important difference.

Today, Ross and I don't know what tomorrow's test will bring.

But we can still live today.

We can pray today.

We can love each other today.

We can laugh today.

We can make plans for Tribe Thursday today.

And we can leave tomorrow in God's hands.

Sometimes faith looks like doing exactly what is in front of us while trusting God with what we cannot see.

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Step 4: Hold On When You're Tired

Hebrews 10:35–36 says:

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

The word translated “confidence” is parrēsia (παρρησία), which carries the idea of openness, boldness, and freedom of speech. It describes the kind of confidence that allows us to come before God openly rather than hiding in fear.

And then we have hypomonē (ὑπομονή), translated here as patient endurance or perseverance. It refers to steadfastness, endurance, and remaining faithful under difficult circumstances.

That doesn't mean we never get tired.

It doesn't mean we never cry.

It doesn't mean we never say, “Lord, I don't know how much more I can take.”

It means we don't have to quit just because we're tired.

And then Galatians 6:9 reminds us:

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

The Greek word ekkakeō (ἐκκακέω) carries the idea of becoming weary, losing heart, or becoming discouraged.

God understands that we get tired.

He understands that sometimes doing good is hard.

Sometimes trusting is hard.

Sometimes waiting is hard.

Sometimes simply getting through the day is hard.

But He tells us:

Don't give up.

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Pulling It All Together

When we put these Scriptures together, we find a beautiful pattern for walking with God:

Test what you hear.

Don't believe every voice that speaks into your life.

Trust God instead of depending completely on your own understanding.

You don't have to know everything when you know the One who does.

Wait for Him.

Waiting isn't wasted time when you're waiting with God.

Persevere.

When you become tired, don't mistake exhaustion for failure.

And don't give up doing good.

Keep planting those seeds of faith, love, kindness, obedience, and service.

We may not see what God is doing underneath the surface.

But that doesn't mean nothing is happening.

Today, Ross and I are simply going to take this day as it comes.

We'll get through the unpleasant drink.

We'll get through the hunger.

We'll pray over tomorrow's test.

And we'll trust God with the results.

And if Ross feels well enough for Tribe Thursday, we'll go make crafts, sing some karaoke, laugh with the kids, and enjoy another ordinary day that God has given us.

Because sometimes God's greatest lessons aren't found in the extraordinary.

Sometimes they're found in the middle of an ordinary day when we simply choose to say:

**“Lord, I don't understand everything.

I can't control everything.

I can't see everything.

But I trust You.

I will wait for You.

And I will keep walking with You.”**

That's faith.

That's endurance.

That's walking in the light.

And that's enough for today.

Heavenly Father,

Today we come before You just as we are.

We don't have all the answers, and we don't know exactly what tomorrow will bring. But You do.

Lord, please be with Ross as he prepares for his test. Give him strength through the difficult preparation, help him get through the day, and surround him with Your peace. We pray for good news tomorrow, and we place the results completely into Your hands.

Help us not to lean on our own understanding.

Teach us to recognize Your voice and to test everything against Your truth.

When we have to wait, help us wait with hope.

When we become tired, give us endurance.

When fear begins to whisper, remind us that You are still right beside us.

And Lord, help Ross and me continue to laugh, love, serve, and enjoy the little moments You give us—even in the middle of difficult seasons.

If Ross feels well enough for Tribe Thursday, let us have a wonderful time with the children. Bless our crafts, our karaoke, our laughter, and every opportunity we have to show those kids Your love.

Thank You for walking with us through every mountain, every valley, every test, and every ordinary day.

We trust You with today.

We trust You with tomorrow.

And we trust You with everything in between.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen. ❤️

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

And the power,

And the glory,

Forever and ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED

AMEN BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛