“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

My child, tell Me, were My words spoken of flesh, or of spirit? Will you position your body in a high place, or will you rather come in heart to My high heaven? Is it an earthly, visible light, or did I speak of another?

This I now say, I am light, and in Me is no darkness. I am purity, and in Me is no corruption. I am innocence, and in Me is no perverseness. I am that good and true vine, and in Me is no evil fruit. If this is so, why then are you so dark? Is not My light within you?

Dear child, you have confessed unto salvation that glorious name, the name of the Lord Jesus: within you is My beautiful shining light, for I love you to no end. My light does not fade, nor can it be corrupted. If this is so, then why is so little light shined from your heart? Will you change things in your mortal body? Will you look where you stand, or who you are with, according only to the flesh, to make this light more visible?

Beloved, why have you covered My light under a bushel? Why have you hid it under a bed? The words that I speak unto you are not of the flesh, but inwardly, of the heart.

My precious lamp, I have filled you with extraordinary glory. My Spirit - the very Spirit of the eternal God, the one who has formed heaven and earth and all things therein, and even your own body and soul - even this Spirit dwells within you. Who can fathom this? For I am as a burning sun, a fiery supernova, an exploding star of the utmost brilliance - all contained within your heart. My glory is from everlasting to everlasting, and none may corrupt or alter this. I burn within you always with a passionate and radiant love that can scarcely be comprehended.

If this is so, if My glory dwells within you, why are your thoughts and deeds so often dark? Why is it that the very mountains do not melt and tremble before My Spirit?

It is sin. My beloved, it is sin. Inside your heart, My love radiates and beams in all purity, yet just outside, draped over this wonderful new creation is a dark veil called SIN, and also called SELF.

When you called upon Me for salvation, I expelled the inner darkness in your heart: I thoroughly purged your old heart of sin, and filled you with a new thing - I filled you with the light of My love. Yet though I have done all this, that dark curtain of sin still remains draped over this new work of Mine.

Dearly beloved, do you not see the cause of your life's shadows? To shine your light before men, you must simply remove this old veil of self - the old veil of sin. Though it does not touch nor corrupt My eternal workings, in most every way in this life, this veil nullifies My manifestations of grace. You will always be My child, but why will you wait until the death of your mortal body before you finally uncover the light of My glory?

My child, I am full of sorrow and sighing. Why will you wait for heaven to uncover that which ought to be shown here on earth? How often would I have shown My glory unto men! Yet they would not suffer it. How often would I have anointed My children with gladness, and filled them with overflowing joy! Yet they would not allow it. How often would I have given My people victory over their adversaries! Yet they looked only to their own selves.

If you would but deny yourself, and take away this self-veil of sin, My light would shine through! This then is the only hindrance to My goodness. This then is the only kink in the hose. This then is also why you cannot love and desire Me as you should. Think on the boiling flames of hell, the lake of fire: if I deal thus so intensely with My enemies, what then shall I do to the ones that I love? If only you could see the light of My love, even within your very own heart! Truly, you would scarcely see life in the same light again.

Yet, as the serpent was most subtle, so too is this veil exceedingly treacherous. My dear, you know not what manner of evil dwells within you! If you could see it as it is, and if it were possible, you would leap out of your skin. For this veil, which covers the heart, is seemingly animated, and is alive with death. As an evil serpent, shifting and waving, it moves with dark stealth and disguises itself for good, and hides as loved ones and cherished things.

This snake is called IDOLATRY. It is that which you could never live without: that which you would could never part with. It is the “unthinkable” - the things that, though they are utterly obvious and plain in sight, you would never consider or negotiate to release them unto My sovereignty. It is that which you set up for yourself in your heart and make into a god. For though it appears innocent, yet in truth it is utterly selfish, and dark as sin, stealing away your love and affection from Me.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” -Exodus 20:3

Your old life of sin, as a living entity - a living darkness - cannot be overcome with mere repeated injury or assault, nor can it be slain in parts: for a tear in this veil will be restored whole, and a hole will close up on itself. As a wild, evil vine that has overgrown My beautiful temple, so too is this veil upon your heart. Within, My Spirit perfectly fills the temple and is free from all corruption, yet outside, the suffocating vine covers every inch of the outer walls. My glory is undefiled on the inside, yet on the outside, you leave your own self-vine to grow rampant over all doors and windows - allowing yourself little access to the precious inward treasure.

What will you do? Will you cut off only the most obvious branches? Will you take away only the most offensive leaves? To cut away at the branches may seem a transient relief, but in time, the vine regrows. So long as the vine is still planted, sin will continue its workings. Though it may not grow in the same manner and shape as before, your roots will still work incessantly to cover My Spirit's temple. Though your sins may be reduced in your own eye, yet will this root of bitterness remain, multiplying against Me.

Beloved, have I not made for you a way to overcome? I am your all in all! I say unto you: this stealthy, moving veil is only nailed down through crucifixion. This ravenous vine is only uprooted from the ground once you yourself have been buried with Christ in His death. For I cannot truly deal with your shaded heart so long as that self-sin veil is alive and lurking. You must end this inward life of self, else with one foot you walk to blessing, and the other to sabotage. You must destroy this veil, else tears will mend, and holes will close up again. You must uproot this vine of darkness, else branches will regrow, and leaves will cover anew.

Only once you have given up your own life and self to Me, and lo, even your “unthinkables” - only then will this self-veil be stopped. Only when your loved ones, and your good things - your idols - are relinquished to Me, then will this evil vine be slain.

Afterward, though the stiff and lifeless veil will still shade, and though the dead vine's carcass will still inhibit, truly, My beautiful one, I will begin a marvelous work! I will tear from the veil, and the sin will not regrow. I will cut from the vine, and the branch will not flourish. As more of the veil is removed, more of My heavenly light will shine through - and it will last! As more of the vine's evil branches are trimmed away, more of this inward temple, and My Holy Spirit which dwells within, will be accessible to you.

My child, uncover My love. I long to show Myself to you. Why will you see My sun only through the dark clouds? Is not My love of an incomprehensibly greater factor? Think on the flames of hell: for if I deal thus with My enemies, what shall I have in store for those that I love?