Stepping Stones: Wanted: Real Lighthouses

Transformational Tip
The Vision of Lighthouse Network is to equip individuals to achieve their God-given potential by spiritually, psychologically and biologically renewing their minds so they become Lighthouses that shine God's glory, stand on firm foundation in the storms of their own life, and provide guidance and sanctuary to others in stormy times. The Stepping Stones Daily Devotional is one of our several outreaches to help people navigate life and become Lighthouses.
When is a lighthouse needed? In a storm, of course! When we are caught in one of life's many storms (and they can range from a rain shower to a tsunami) it's easy for us to feel abandoned...to feel as if we are at the mercy of the winds of fate...to feel as if we don't know which step to take. The stones before us appear slippery or as stumbling blocks instead of what we need...stepping stones.
As believers we must remember that God is sovereign. He is everything. He controls the history of the world including our personal destinies...and just as Jesus did for His disciples...he can calm the storms in your life. But if God has need for a storm to rage, He will make peace and comfort available to you if you choose to see and use His Light(house) correctly and continuously. Satan has many imitation lights out there that trick us and bring us to dangerous rocks, so it is important to be in the Word and growing your communication time with God so you know which Lighthouse is real (God's)... and which is an imitation (Satan's).
Today, stop and think about how God has served as a Lighthouse throughout your life, and about the events in your life that have led you to where you are today. Reflect on some of the false lights you followed, thinking they were God's Lighthouses. What made them look so attractive....how can you recognize that imitation in the future?
If you are in a storm, God is lighting your next stepping stones....but you have to look in His direction and then trust Him to step forward. Let God be your lighthouse and harbor...your place of safety.
If you are in a stable place, think of someone near who is in a storm. How can you be a Lighthouse to them today? Not by shining your light, but rather by letting God's light shine through you.

Prayer
Dear Father,
I am once again in another storm, a downpour. I'm tired of going from storm to storm. I know I have created some of these storms through my sinful nature and the bad choices...but I also experience storms that have nothing to do with my action; the death of a loved one, losing my job because of the economy...events that are out of my control. When in the midst of a storm I feel scared and alone...and I don't know which step to take next. I need Your light, Lord, to shine on my next Stepping Stones of my path to develop the mind of Christ. Help me and all those reading this devotional walk in Your light so that we may become the daughters and sons of light. Thank Your Father. There is so much I don't know. I pray that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may understand more and more. I pray this in the name of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ - AMEN!

The Truth
As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."
Luke 8:23-25
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
John 12:16
Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
John 12:35-36