Spiritual truths are often illustrated around us by nature. Hopefully most of those that read these GemLights are familiar with the fact that after The Flood, God said in Genesis 9:2, "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; ..." Unless the creature is confused, sick, angry or has some other problem, animals do tend to stay away from us humans.

But recently I noticed some critters that live near our home were just a little more brave one day. For days it had rained in Dorchester County. Then there was a window of opportunity to mow the lawn when it did not rain for a few days.

So, I mowed. Later I went to check the mail. As I was coming up the driveway I spied the usual entourage of birds on the front lawn. Most times as soon as I get into their sight the birds would take off--but not this time.

One of the birds had found a juicy morsel and was determined to keep it while I drew near. I'm sure he was still afraid, but apparently the fact that dinner was in his beak gave him the fortitude to remain in the yard a little longer than usual.

Spiritually this reminded me of the Biblical fact that when we make God the center of our life and daily feed off of His Word and Holy Spirit we become emboldened within to stand up against the sinful pressures and philosophies of the world.

David writes by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 27:1), "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

The fact that the Lord should be our light brings out the truth that light encourages many living things to grow. Light also exposes dangers while at the same time revealing areas of safety and sources of nutrition.

And much can be said about salvation, for the Lord saves us from sin, ourselves, and hell, just to name a few things. He also saves us unto Eternal Life.

Both these truths establish the fact that if we make the Lord these things in our lives then He is our strength. This gives us the fortitude to face the ongoing challenges we daily face in the world.

So while the world plummets even deeper into the abyss of sin, those who are truly committed to Christ will find strength in Him, strength to serve both God and man.

If you find yourself being too fearful of the things that are happening and will happen, commit your life to Christ. Then open your Bible, read it, study it, and have a good meal.