Growing from this Place Subject: Growing from Darkness to Destiny
In this week’s edition of Growing from this Place Bible Study, Pastor Jonathan McKnight takes at look at the concept of growing in the dark. In other words, he explores the perspective of growing when you are unaware of what God is doing your in life.
Looking at this idea of growing in darkness, Pastor McKnight eludes to the principle that growing in the dark becomes the boot camp of your faith. He imposes that what God has in obscurity, is simply the process of your faith.
He poses some questions that typically surface when growing in obscurity:
- How do I prosper in a place that keeps me bound and in darkness?
- How do I grow around people that want to stay in the same place?
- How do I function in the dark or in dark places?
Pastor McKnight follows up these questions with identifying that you cannot continue to function in places that houses blind people. In other words, you cannot expect to grow around people who are in a place where they can’t see what God is trying to your life, let alone in their own lives. These people are typically beggars who are typically looking for other means to get ahead as opposed to trusting in God to see them through a dark place in their lives. But he expresses emphatically that begging is not your calling and blindness is not in your future.
Pastor McKnight continues on with some affirmations for you to say to yourself when find yourself becoming stagnant in the dark when he states,
- You cannot function in 2019 and be complacent in bondage
- You have to separate/disconnect from people that assist you from obtaining what you need to grow or get what you need from God (obtaining your purpose).
- You have to make it up in your mind to make a move toward God.
Pastor McKnight explores this concept of not letting your moment(s) of darkness or “blindness” hinder you from obtaining what the Lord has for you by providing a Biblical reference that captures this principle to the letter. He takes a look at the Book of Mark, Chapter 10, where we find a blind man sitting on the side of the highway begging. However, when heard that Jesus was passing through, he was determined not miss his moment of restoration and salvation.
He cried out to Jesus, but in doing so he was being charged to be quiet by the people that followed Jesus. Not to be denied, the more they told him to be quiet, he cried out event the more because he refused to let his moment of deliverance to pass him by. It is his through his faith in moments of darkness, that he was able to receive his sight from Jesus speaking it so.
Pastor McKnight affirms that you can’t casually think that it’s okay to miss out on what God has for you. How many times have you’ve heard about good things happening but not seeing them for yourself (i.e. receiving prophecies or declarations)? The blind man heard Jesus and he made the most of his moment and with that, you can’t miss out what God can do your life. The reason being is because several things are at stake when you miss your moment (e.g. purpose, destiny, miracle).
He invokes the principle that you need God to make in move your life when your in the moments of darkness because He is the ruler of your midnight. With that in mind, Pastor McKnight proclaims that you,
- Have to learn how to not others to keep you from what God has for you and from people who don’t understand your moment.
- Have to have the right mindset.
- Have to pull off the blind clothes — meaning people that try to distract you or be negative towards your moment.
- Have to be ready to take on the responsibility of what your life will be like once you can see.
- Have to be prepared for no more begging or excuses.
- Have to know that it’s time to dream new dreams because the old ones are overdue.
In conclusion, Pastor McKnight provides one simple reminder to keep moving forward during your times of darkness or obscurity — your Destiny is bigger than your Darkness.
Scripture Reference
St. Mark 10: 36-42