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Author
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: Bill Kochman
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Publish
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: Oct. 18, 2025
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Update
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: Oct. 18, 2025
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Parts
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: 03
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Synopsis:
My Obligation To The Lord To Share The Full Truth, We Are Called To Be Spiritual Lights In The World, Spiritual Light Or Black Hole Of Misery And Darkness?, My Personal Practice Of Avoiding Sharing Negativity Online, Use Social Networks For God's Glory And Not For Your Personal Sob Story, Summary Of My Thoughts, Fight The Good Fight And Endure Hardness As A Soldier Of Jesus Christ, Foolish Desire To Die, You Aren't Done Here Yet, Final Recommendations, BBB Suggested Reading
Continuing our discussion from part two, my friends, please understand that I could have easily concluded this series without getting into all of these heavier issues. However, if I had taken that route instead, if I had simply shown this particular friend compassion and understanding -- which I have obviously done by demonstrating that I've experienced some of the very same problems as they have -- then in my view, this series would not be complete. It would not offer them -- or anyone else who may possibly be facing similar circumstances -- the solution that they need to hear, even if it may potentially be difficult and challenging for them to receive. In fact, it could even offend them if they are not yet ready to accept the truth of their situation.
But you see, my dear friends, my faithfulness is to the Lord above all, and what I sense He is compelling me to write, and NOT to trying to spare someone's feelings because they might take offense at the truth. In short, I'll share the Biblical and spiritual truth and "prescription" that I believe someone needs to hear in order to assist them in claiming the victory in their life, and getting back on track for the Lord. It is my hope that this current series will serve this purpose by waking up those of you who may find yourselves in the midst of similar problems and struggles, and who have foolishly placed your eyes on yourselves instead of on the Lord.
As I briefly mentioned in part two of this series, the Lord has called each of us Christians to be spiritual lights in this present world. In fact, over the years I have authored a number of articles where this subject is the main theme, such as "The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?", "Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?" and "This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future", all of which you will find listed at the end of this same series. Allow me to share a few of the key verses from those articles with you for your personal consideration:
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16, KJV
"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."
Luke 11:33-36, KJV
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children . . . For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Ephesians 5:1, 8, 11, KJV
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"
Philippians 2:15, KJV
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, KJV
In the previous verses, please notice the clear warning that Jesus gives to His listeners. He plainly states to make sure that the light that is in them is not darkness. Today, by way of this current series, I ask you the same question. Has the light in you become darkness? Have you allowed your personal trials and struggles to smother and oppress you so that your candle has gone out? Instead of being a light to the world, and an encouragement, blessing and positive force to your own Christian brethren, have you foolishly taken your eyes off of Jesus, placed them on yourself and your problems, and become a black hole of discouragement and negativity? Are you simply sucking spiritual energy out of others, instead of radiating the light of Jesus Christ?
Quite frankly, no true, Bible-believing Christian who trusts in the Lord should be doing this, no matter how negative or dark your personal situation may become. If you are online for Jesus, then truly be online for Jesus, and let His light shine through you always. For those of you who have been my online friends for a long time, you may have noticed that I very rarely, if ever, make negative posts. Even when I'm sick or going through certain things, I rarely ever discuss such things online. In fact, I rarely even ever ask for prayer. It is NOT because I'm some spiritual giant. It is simply because my social network accounts are NOT about me. They are about sharing the truth of God's Word, whether it is by way of my articles, graphics, poetry, songs or Bible verse lists. I am focused on the mission, and NOT on myself. I strive to be a positive force and a blessing to my brethren.
My friends, if you happen to be guilty of doing the things which I have described in this series, isn't there already enough negativity in the world? Just turn on the nightly news and you can very easily get your fill. To reiterate, that is NOT what we are here for, and that is NOT what you should be using your social network accounts for. If you are really a Bible-believing Christian who trusts in Jesus Christ, then I urge you to please use your accounts for His glory, and NOT simply as a means to share your misery with others. If you need prayer, sure, ask for it. But please don't go on and on for day after day with your sad sob story where you are the main attraction and the star. Don't be a black hole. Be a bright, shining star for Jesus Christ! Will you?
In summary, okay, so you are old. Deal with it! Old age is an unavoidable part of life, and it is what it is. Okay, so you live alone. Instead of just whining about it and feeling sorry for yourself, look at your solitude as an opportunity and a great blessing from the Lord. That is EXACTLY what I do. Because I live alone, I have very few distractions in my life, and I have the full freedom to dedicate myself wholly to the Lord's service, meaning, of course, the Bill's Bible Basics ministry. You need to do the same thing. Again, use your time as an opportunity and get busy for the Lord. Okay, so you have certain health issues, or financial problems, or maybe other challenges or troubles. Wow! You sound just like the rest of us struggling humans!
My friends, I really don't wish to offend any of you, but the fact is that you are not special or that much different from the rest of us. As such, it does NOT give you the right to pity yourself, or to bum out others around you with your negativity, as you seem to enjoy doing. Are you simply an attention seeker? So tell me something. Is Jesus really too weak and too ineffective to handle whatever issues you are facing? If you honestly don't believe that of Him, then why in the world have you taken your eyes off of Him and placed them on yourself instead? Why are you letting the Devil walk all over you and bring you down so that you have lost your effectiveness for the Lord? Where is your fighting spirit? Let me share a few related Bible verses with you:
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
1 Timothy 6:12, KJV
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
2 Timothy 2:3-4, KJV
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
Ephesians 6:10-18, KJV
So tell me. Can you honestly say that you are fighting the good fight of faith? Are you truly enduring hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ? Or are you allowing the Devil to beat you down into total misery and defeat? Worse yet, are you constantly sharing your misery with others, which is NOT what God called you to do? Again, what has happened to your light? Where is the spark of the Spirit?
Sadly, similar to my online friend, some of you are now so depressed and miserable, that you even want to die. How in the world is such talk helping anyone? Why do you wish that the Lord would liberate you from this life and take you Home to be with Him? Can't you see how selfish that is? It might interest you to know that some time ago, I wrote an article regarding this very topic called "Forget the Express Train!". You will find it listed at the end of this current series. One of the key points in that article is this: If your job for the Lord in this life was already accomplished, then He would have already chosen to take you Home to Heaven.
However, the very fact that you are STILL here in your vessel of human flesh, clearly demonstrates that there must STILL be something that the Lord STILL wants you to accomplish before He lets you bow out of this mortal life. Maybe you should use your current freedom and lonely state to try to figure out exactly what that might possibly be, instead of whining about how lonely you feel. If you need some help in discerning the Will of the Lord at this stage in your life, please refer to my article entitled "What Is God's Will for My Life?", which is also listed at the end of this same series. One thing I will tell you is that I personally do NOT accept that your life has become useless and pointless as you have deceived yourself into believing. That is a bunch of self-pitying hogwash! It is a devilish lie straight from the bowels of Hell!
In conclusion, what you need to do is to immediately reverse course. You need to alter your current perspective. You need to get your eyes back on the Lord. You need to trust that He will resolve whatever problems you are currently facing in His determined time, and in whatever way He deems most fit and appropriate for your situation. God always does, and He never fails! I am absolutely certain of this. You also need to put on the whole armor of God -- as described in the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians -- resist the Devil, and stop believing all of his lies and deceptions. You need to stop letting that old serpent beat you over the head.
Furthermore, you need to turn your ears back to the Lord. You need to stop letting Satan speak in your ear and tell you that you deserve all of the self-pity. Likewise, you need to get back up on the wall of service and keep busy for the Lord. Last of all, you really need to CHEER UP! Really! Just stop being such a miserable, self-absorbed sad sack who sucks the spiritual life out of everyone around you! So this is my personal advice and answer to you, whoever you may be. I really hope you are able to accept it in a true spirit of humility. God has a victory waiting for you. Do you have the faith to claim it? The ball is now in your court!
With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!
For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this series, or which contain topics which are related to this series. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.
Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Clean Every Whit?
Are You Crucified With Christ?
Christian Witnessing: Winning the Sheep and Waging the Warfare!
Forget the Express Train!
Going Down the Highway of Life
Have You Sold Your Soul for a Pound of Flesh?
One From Beyond: Hebrew of Hebrews
Sluggards and Sloths: Are You Diligent and Faithful?
Strangers and Pilgrims: Are You an Alien?
Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?
The Battle is Not Yours Alone!
The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?
The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?
The Lord Will Lift You Up
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
What is God's Will for My Life?
Why Did the Apostle Paul Have a Low Opinion of Physical Exercise?