I've seen it over and over again. The light of God's Word penetrates a person's heart, and positive change happens. Freedom comes. Life comes. I never cease to marvel at the transformational power of the Word.

Yet far too few believers are experiencing those kinds of breakthroughs. And I believe I know why.

The primary reason people don't receive the light that would open them up to a better understanding of God is that life is simply too complex. More people don't enjoy God's presence, God's anointing, or God's glorious plan because life is just too complicated.

Furthermore, there are many people who sit in church or fellowship with other Christians and talk about the Word and the Lord, but they never gain any insight. These people hear the Word, but the revelation of the Word never comes. They don't seem to have the ability to absorb the fullness of God's wisdom.

"Understanding to the Simple"
What is the answer? Is life here at the beginning of the twenty-first century so unavoidably complex that nothing can be done short of moving to the mountains and becoming a hermit?

Or is it possible that God's Word holds the very wisdom we can apply that will make our lives simpler, less stressful, and more fertile soil for the transforming power of God? I believe it does.

Is simplifying our lives really the key? Let's see what Psalm 119 has to say about it: "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Ps. 119:130).

The first part of that verse clearly states, "The entrance of thy words giveth light." This phrase suggests that when somebody sits under the preaching of the Word, light should come.

God's revelation should come. But the balance of that verse tells us why this doesn't happen for many people: "It giveth understanding unto the simple."

In our modern vernacular, when we characterize someone as being simple, we are suggesting that he or she has a lower-than-average intellectual capacity. Today if you call somebody simple, he or she will probably take offense.

Open-Minded and Uncomplicated
Actually, that's not the only definition of the word simple in King James English. One of the Hebrew root words translated "simple" means "open-minded, believing every word." So, basically, I see that this verse could read that the Word gives understanding to the open-minded and the uncomplicated.

The entrance of God's Word gives light to those who are open-minded, to those who have simplified their lives. It shows us how He wants us to live our lives and the principles that should govern us. That wisdom, that light, and that understanding come only to the simple.

Complexity in itself doesn't have to be a bad thing. The human body, for example, is a wonderfully complex creation. And there are certain machines man has made that are very complex. These things in themselves aren't bad.

I'm talking about the mismanagement of life's affairs that results in a degree of complexity, which makes it difficult to receive the light of God. The reason people don't know God the way they should is that the affairs of their lives have become too complicated.

And if our lives become too complicated, we will never have the understanding necessary to enable us to succeed and overcome life's challenges without some simplification in our lives.

Now, the Bible is a book of answers. And Jesus came to demonstrate those answers and introduce us to the person of God. But if our lives are too complicated, too busy, and filled with too many things that aren't needful, we'll not benefit from the full light and understanding the Bible would bring.

Put another way, if we don't somehow simplify our lives, we'll walk in the darkness of complications. Things won't change very much for us.

Walk in the Light
Of course, if you're a Christian, you're never in total darkness. According to Colossians 1:13, when you make Jesus your Lord, you're translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

But I'll tell you one thing; many Christians I know are walking in some pretty deep shadows. Why? Because they're not benefiting from the light God has provided for them. They're not walking in the understanding necessary to govern their decisions and illuminate their path. Their lives are too complicated, and as a result, they're walking in the shadows.

Have you ever thought about what it takes to make a shadow? A shadow occurs when something comes between you and the source of light. If that obstruction is large enough, it can cover you with a shadow.

That's really a picture of what complications do. They are obstructions that come between you and the light available to you as a Christian.

Complications cast shadows. Therefore, when our lives are too complicated, we can't walk in the benefit of God's light. Understanding doesn't come. So we stumble through life as we would if we were walking in darkness, and we wonder why things don't work the way they should.

For example, we might say, "I don't understand why I'm sick rather than healed," or "I've given my tithes, but I'm still experiencing financial difficulty. I don't understand."

Now, it's true that there are some things the Bible says we're not going to understand until we go home to be with the Lord. We see as through a glass darkly now (1 Cor. 13:12.) Furthermore, if we could understand everything, we wouldn't need faith.

Nevertheless, we are supposed to have enough understanding to succeed and prosper. The light of God's Word is sufficient to enable us to overcome. But that light can come only when we simplify our lives.

Complications will keep us from receiving the light of God's Word - the light that will illuminate our situation and show us the answer to our problem.

I want to emphasize that complications keep us from receiving the light and understanding we must gain to fulfill God's will for our lives and experience His blessing. So, we must simplify our stressed-out, overly complex lives.

Simplifying Your Life by Mac Hammond
All rights reserved. Used by permission.