Over a year ago I read this book for the first time and I have now read it again. ‘Arise and Shine’ is one of those books that you will read over and over. It’s impossible not to see God moving in these pages within Allyson Golden’s life and those around her. This book does exactly what it says it shows “how to be the light that ignites hope in a dark world.”
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will cover you, and his glory will appear over you.” Isaiah 60:1-2 CSB
‘Arise and Shine’ was inspired by Isaiah 60:1-2 and it really brings these verses to life. This book is filled with light and love even in the hardest of times.
If you don’t like spoilers I’d recommend you stop reading now, and I hope what you’ve read is enough to tempt you to get ‘Arise and Shine’ for yourself. It is well worth a read.
Takeaways from ‘Arise and Shine’
Allyson divided ‘Arise and Shine’ into three parts: Dimmed Light, Light Exposure and Shining Light. These three parts follow the journey from barely shining to boldly shining for Jesus as we reflect with the questions and suggestions at the end of each chapter as well as following Allyson’s journey and the testimonies of those around her.
There are 13 chapters total and all are equally filled with value and impact. God is visible in every page and His presence emanates from this book.
Dimmed Light
In the first part Allyson exposes the lie that we are trapped in the darkness. It is when our perspective changes that we begin to see the light in the darkness and it is God’s presence that causes our perspective to change.
We are called to be the light by Jesus and we are placed in darkness so that through us His light may be seen clearly. The darkness we find ourselves in is not meant control us, God doesn’t expect us to get through these situations alone. He is our strength and is with us in every situation. Every day we face the choice to let the darkness take control of us or take control of it with God’s help. We choose to see the light in the darkness and we should never stop searching for it.
The darkness can’t overcome us because the Holy Spirit lives within us and around us. God is always with us but sometimes discovering the light within us and how to be it takes time. So while the darkness can’t overcome us it can temporarily overwhelm us. But when we sit with Jesus and focus on Him we see the light more clearly and we get one step closer to overcoming the darkness.
God calls us to be vessels of His light, guiding us through His Word, His grace, and the lives of others on how to truly reflect that light.
Without the dark we wouldn’t know what light is.
It starts to get real in chapter 3. This chapter brings us one step closer to being the light by exposing the darkness within us, the hidden sin. It is not an easy chapter because no one wants to think about the darkness within them but it is important to shine light on it.
God can use the darkness within us for good, He makes beauty from the broken. God can heal us and make us whole. We don’t have to be trapped by our guilt and shame, God wants us to confess it to Him and to people we trust because when the light shines on our darkness it doesn’t have as much control over us.
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3 CSB
We reflect the light of Christ through our brokenness. God takes our pain and shines His light through it and makes us whole.
God wants us to be aligned with Him, it is when we are aligned with Him that His light is seen mostly clearly in us. But when we are not aligned with Him and start going astray He convicts us. God uses conviction to call us to a higher standard, to be set apart from this world. He uses conviction to lead us back to Him.
Illuminating Light
Part two teaches how to use scripture as a weapon against the devil and how to draw near to God.
The devil tries to control our thoughts through lies because he knows that our thoughts determine our feelings and actions. So to defeat the devil’s lies we must fight with truth and renew our minds with God’s Word.
We have a better chance of defeating the devil when we are equipped with the armour of God. Of course we can try in our strength but it doesn’t work out as well as when we invite the Lord into our struggles.
The armour of God consists of:
- The Belt of Truth
- Body Armour of God’s Righteousness
- Shoes of Peace
- Shield of Faith
- Helmet of Salvation
- Sword of the Spirit
Wearing the Belt of Truth means we are rooted in God’s Word and walk in truth holding His Word near to us. The Armour of Righteousness requires us to act in alignment with God. The Shoes of Peace equip us to share the gospel with patience and gentleness. When we carry the Shield of Faith we have chosen to put our hope and trust in our Lord. The Helmet of Salvation gives us hope and protects us from wanting to give up. The Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon we have, it is the Word of God and destroys the devil’s lies.
We don’t have to feel a certain way or even believe wholeheartedly to fight with the truth, as soon as we try with God He steps in to make a way.
The more of God’s Word that we know the better equipped we will be for satan’s attacks. Allyson states we have the power to change our thought patterns and declare God’s Word. The Holy Spirit in us causes this change.
Some ways to proclaim God’s Word include speaking it aloud, journaling our thoughts and feelings, writing down verses and displaying them where they will be seen often, and sharing our thoughts with others.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” Psalms 119:105 CSB
God wants us to draw near to Him at all times. He wants our light to shine brightly, our light becomes more visible the closer we are to Him. Also, the closer we get to Him the more on fire we become for Him and that fire within us becomes visible to others.
We can draw nearer to God by sitting in His presence, by reading His Word and spending time in prayer. Taking time to look at His creation and appreciate it brings us closer to Him, as does worship and sharing fellowship with other believers.
Shining Light
Part three teaches how to be the light and how to fan the flame when the light starts to fade.
Sometimes we feel like we don’t need God and start doing things without Him, this is complacency. Self-satisfaction kills our light. We fall into complacency when things have been going well or sometimes out of fear that God isn’t going to fulfil His promises. In order to stop being complacent we have to act. The only way complacency will disappear is if we take steps towards God and be more intentional in our time with Him. We have to be intentional because complacency makes us feel unmotivated.
The light within us comes from God, it is His light and shines brightly when we are closely aligned with Him. Our light shines brightest when we live like Jesus, when we serve as He did.
When we listen with purpose our light radiates brightly, when we are intentional and have a good heart posture our light glows bright too. When we talk with kindness and show love to everyone we meet in words and gestures we shine, but when we do all of these God’s light is even more radiant.
The divine light within us draws others closer to God, and we are called to kindle that same light in others. Our purpose is to shine brightly, allowing others to experience God’s presence through us. As God’s ambassadors on Earth, we are chosen to serve and love unconditionally. We stand as living testimonies of God’s grace, and our radiant light serves as undeniable proof of His existence.
Wherever we are, whatever circumstance we are in be it dark or light. We are right where we are meant to be, the light of hope reaching out to the lost for the glory of God.
I highly recommend ‘Arise and Shine’ especially if you are in a season where all seems lost. This book is a guide for getting back to the light and being the light in every situation.
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