Children of the Light

by Linda Strickland
Sep/Oct 2007

Traveling with Judith MacNutt all over the country is a privilege and a blessing. Recently, we were at a women’s conference and, during one of Judith’s talks, she said something that has stuck with me: as a matter of fact, it has changed the way I think about my identity in Jesus. She was reminding us of the opening scene of Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion. If you saw this unforgettable film, I am sure you will recall this scene: Jesus is in the garden praying and the camera pans down to His feet where a horrible yellow snake is slithering. As you watch, you begin to think that maybe Jesus is unaware of the looming danger, when suddenly, without even looking down, He stomps His foot and crushes the head of His enemy. The point Judith was making was that, although Jesus was aware of His enemy, He was not focused on him.

This teaching is one I really needed to hear. As I said, I have traveled to many places with both Francis and Judith over the past months, and I have seen amazing things. I have seen cataracts disappear from eyes, I have seen people get up out of wheelchairs and walk, I have seen people throw away hearing aids, and I have seen lives completely transformed through inner healing and deliverance.

Yet something else I have witnessed is that some Christians tend to focus on the enemy more than the Savior. These are well–meaning people who live their lives in a state of fear, convinced of the fact that the devil and his demons are around every corner and under every rock. It troubles me to see God’s children like this — crouched in the dark, giving satan credit for every negative aspect of their lives.

Being a Christian does not mean we will not go through dark times, but, as children of the King, we do not reside there. As Christ’s own, we are to live in the light, knowing our enemy has already been defeated. Satan cannot have us and he knows that, but he can influence us and when we’re under his influence, we are weak, sickly, depressed and unhappy. If he can discourage us and make us doubt who we are, he can negatively affect our usefulness to God and the quality of our lives here on earth.

At Christian Healing Ministries, we are dedicated to the practice and teaching of healing prayer. We encourage people to “touch the hem of His garment” (Matthew 9:21). Although we should never forget that we have an enemy, Jesus is, and always should be, our focus.

This leads to the second lesson we can learn from that garden scene: on what, exactly, is Jesus focused? He is focused on His Father. Even with darkness at His feet, He continues to look up into the light. It is a scientific fact that darkness and light cannot co–exist: in the presence of light, darkness naturally disappears. This is what I want in my own life. I want to be so tightly bound to Jesus that nothing, including my enemy, can separate me from the love of God. I want to be so full of the light of Jesus that wherever I walk, darkness will run screaming!

Linda Strickland is The Associate Director of Ministry and Personal Assistant to Judith MacNutt