How to Be The Light

How to Be The Light

Today’s devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast dives into the profound message of Matthew 5, where Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. Kelly Jo Wilson shares actionable insights and personal experiences illuminating how we can embody this divine mandate daily. Join us as we explore how to live out one of Jesus’s most empowering teachings and truly be a beacon of hope and love in our world.

Listen to the episode here:

Episode Highlights

  • We all once were darkness in our sin
  • Jesus Christ gives us the light we can shine in the world
  • Darkness is exposed
  • We must trust and surrender to walk according to the light given to us

Bible Verses for Encouragement

Matthew 5:16, NKJV: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven

Ephesians 5:8-9: For you once were darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)

Ephesians 5:10-11 Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them

Ephesians 5:12-14 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

Awake, you who sleep

Arise from the dead

And Christ will give you light

Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him

And He shall direct your paths.

How to be the light: practical steps in your daily walk

  1. Obedience to God by doing what He’s telling you
  2. Trust in the Lord
  3. Learn how to listen to God and meditate on His Word, applying it your life
  4. Focus on your relationship with God by spending deliberate time with Him
  5. Journaling or writing down what He’s saying to you

Resources for You

Want to start journaling your walk with God?

I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.

The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.

The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.

Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:

  • A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
  • Daily Gratitude
  • Prayer tracking
  • Prayer list for requests
  • Evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques
  • Anxiety-focused methods for relief of intrusive and negative thoughts
  • Positivity journal and affirmations from a Christian perspective
  • Thought, Emotion, Behavior, and Event Tracking for clarity and focus
  • Personal reflection pages from a health and spiritual approach

Bonus Pages:

  • S.O.A.P. Bible study notes pages
  • Bible verses list focused on anxiety and spiritual rest in Jesus
  • Blank note pages (grid, dotted, and lined)
  • Daily planner pages
  • Monthly planner
  • Yearly planner
  • Reflection pages for the week, month, and year with guided prompts

This prayer journal focusing on anxiety relief is meticulously designed to harmonize your spiritual and mental health.

For a limited time, the journal is 50% off the regular price.

Seeking Divine Purpose: A Widow’s Mission to Spread Love in Ukraine – IW EP 014 with Stephanie Flohr

Seeking Divine Purpose: A Widow’s Mission to Spread Love in Ukraine – IW EP 014 with Stephanie Flohr

In this episode of the I Witness Podcast, we uncover the inspiring story of Stephanie Flohr, an unlikely servant of God who, amidst profound grief, found herself in a dark place, even planning the date she would take her life. Through unwavering courage and a renewed trust in God, listen to how she discovered her true worth and purpose.

Listen to the episode with Stephanie Flohr here

TW: suicidal thoughts, depression, grief

Meet Stephanie

Stephanie Flohr is an unlikely missionary, but she follows God’s call anyway. On May 4, 2020, her husband unexpectedly passed away, and her desires, dreams, and goals went along with him.

Stephanie has traveled to a dark place, planning her own time to meet Jesus in heaven, but God had other plans. Through her unique ministry of encouragement and compassion, she spreads the transformative message of Jesus’ love, offering hope to those who need it most.

Stephanie is determined to share her uplifting story of faith, resilience, and obedience to help others come to know their beautiful worth in Jesus.   

Visit Stephanie on her website

Support Stephanie’s mission through Launch International

“I can’t spend a lot of time dwelling on what I am leaving behind, the tears start to flow and the heart hurts. Yes, I will miss so many people. But I know beyond any doubt where the Lord is leading me, allowing me to go and He has a plan and purpose for my life.” 

-Stephanie Flohr

Bible Verses for Encouragement

Psalms 147:3, NKJV: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Proverbs 3:5-6:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Resources

I Witness podcast Paula's Hope

Paula’s Hope

Paula’s Hope is a nonprofit located in Northwest Arkansas that offers free biblical counseling.

If you are interested, click the link below to get started.

Click here for more information


Are you inspired by Stephanie Flohr’s story but not sure how to reconnect with God in a difficult time?

I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.

The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.

The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.

Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:

  • A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
  • Daily Gratitude
  • Prayer tracking
  • Prayer list for requests
  • Evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques
  • Anxiety-focused methods for relief of intrusive and negative thoughts
  • Positivity journal and affirmations from a Christian perspective
  • Thought, Emotion, Behavior, and Event Tracking for clarity and focus
  • Personal reflection pages from a health and spiritual approach

Bonus Pages:

  • S.O.A.P. Bible study notes pages
  • Bible verses list focused on anxiety and spiritual rest in Jesus
  • Blank note pages (grid, dotted, and lined)
  • Daily planner pages
  • Monthly planner
  • Yearly planner
  • Reflection pages for the week, month, and year with guided prompts

This prayer journal focusing on anxiety relief is meticulously designed to harmonize your spiritual and mental health.

For a limited time, the journal is 50% off the regular price.

How Does God Love Me When I’m Struggling?

How Does God Love Me When I’m Struggling?

Do you need to feel God’s love right now?

In this inspiring devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast, host Kelly Jo Wilson explores the profound concept of God’s unconditional love. Through a heartfelt devotional, she delves into the idea that this divine love cannot be earned but only accepted.

Join Kelly Jo as she shares wisdom on embracing this boundless love and how it transforms our lives.

Listen to the episode here:

Episode Highlights

  • Struggles are real and when we feel empty we can lean on God and Jesus
  • We can’t earn God’s love
  • God’s love is present whether we accept it or not
  • When we struggle, the Holy Spirit helps speak for us when we don’t have words
  • Jesus’ life is the evidence of God’s love for us
  • God loved you before you were created
  • Nothing can separate you from the love of God

Bible Verses for Encouragement

Romans 8:26, NKJV Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Ephesians 2:4-8, NKJV But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 15:9 As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

John 15: 12-13 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Resources for You

In the depths of despair, can one woman find the strength to accept the love of God?

Sarah’s world was shattered two years ago with the loss of her beloved husband. She has been a mere shadow of herself, drifting away from her faith and the God she once leaned on. As she navigates the turbulent waters of grief and single parenthood, her resolve is constantly tested.

This Christmas, Sarah’s struggle reaches a tipping point. With the mounting pressure to provide for her children and the weight of her sorrow, she finds herself at a crossroads.

Will she continue to turn away from God, or will she find the courage to face her pain and embrace the love that has always been there for her?

Hope for the Holidays is a poignant tale of loss, resilience, and the redemptive power of faith. It’s a story for anyone who has ever questioned God’s love in the face of suffering. Join Sarah on her heartfelt journey as she learns to trust in the divine embrace, finding hope and healing in the most unexpected of places.