We have all been given spheres of influence where we can have a positive and lasting impact in people’s lives. As followers of Jesus, we are called to a higher level of living. It’s not about thinking we’re better than someone else, but it’s about showing the love of God and being transformed into the version of ourselves God saw before we were born. When we understand who we are in Christ, we recognize how important it is for us to live our lives with intentionality and purpose. Jesus said we are salt and light. In a way, we’re also a sound. All of these elements have a powerful effect on its environment. By His Holy Spirit, God can move through us to touch the lives of people we cross paths with everyday.
We are Salt: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people”. (Matthew 5:13 AMP)
Being salt speaks to doing things God’s way. It is our actions. When we live our life God’s way, in many cases it becomes contrary to what the world is doing. Living your life God’s way is ultimately going to cause you to stand out, and at times stand alone. Sometimes people are not going to agree with you or understand you. That’s okay. We weren’t created to fit in.
Salt is seasoning. It adds flavor to what already exists. I’m sure we’ve all experienced eating food that tastes bland. We can tell there’s something missing even though we can’t put our finger on it. We just know that it needs….something. When you go to the grocery store, there is a section in the aisle dedicated to all kinds of seasonings. There’s even various types of salts – seasoned salt, garlic salt, onion salt, and so on. Salt is so potent that you only need to sprinkle just a little to add that special ‘kick’ to your food.
In the spiritual sense, when we act as salt, we’re adding that special ‘kick’ to our spheres of influence. As God works on our hearts, transforms us, and matures us our lives begin to reflect God’s character. We learn to walk in love, forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. This is often contrary to the world’s way. Even the way we talk is considered salt and adds flavor: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6 ESV). Our conversations should edify and encourage people, not tear down and destroy. Proverbs 18:21 says “death and life are in the power of the tongue”. We have to be very careful how we speak to one another. Even in moments of frustration and anger we should pray and seek God for guidance on how best to communicate our feelings without making the situation worse.
Our personalities can even be our salt. Though we all have similarities as humankind, God has also made us uniquely with our own individual flair, style, and specialness. We have salt just by naturally being who we are. When we show up in a room or a situation, we bring all of who we are with us. We bring our gifts, talents, and abilities. We also bring the anointing and grace God has given us to accomplish what He sent us to do. As you spend time alone with God, He teaches you who you are – what your salt is that make you full of flavor and seasoning that the world needs.
We are Light: “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT).
Your light is what others see in you. Similar to being salt, as you spend time in the presence of God you become aligned with His righteousness – His way of living. The parts of you that are limiting and unprofitable are pruned away until the real you begins to shine forth. You begin to reflect God’s character. God is light (1 John 1:5), and it’s actually His light that is shining brightly in you and through you. It’s something that others see in you, even if they can’t articulate it.
When we walk in the light of God, we’re allowing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) to grow and mature in our hearts and become more evident in our lives. Jesus said we should let our good deeds shine, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father. This means we must also walk in humility. In Matthew 6: 1-4 Jesus cautions us to be careful how we perform our good deeds. We must make sure our heart is pure and we’re not seeking the praise of men, but that God alone gets the praise. Our lives should always point others to Him. It is God’s light that shines through us, therefore only He deserves the glory and praise.
We are a Sound: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
When words are spoken, they are experienced audibly. They are heard. They have a sound, a frequency. A sound moves. When God created something, He spoke it into existence. He is all powerful, and His word never returns to Him void. So when God speaks, the power of His word goes forth from the spiritual realm and becomes manifested in the physical realm.
The word ‘sound’ in the Greek can be translated as “echo” (see Acts 2:2). An echo is a sound that starts at one place and reverberates to another place. In that sense, we are sounds. God spoke us into existence from Heaven and we became manifested in the earth at our appointed time. In Jeremiah 1:5, God said “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”. Before we were ever conceived we already existed in God’s mind.
Since we are a sound, we have a frequency. Frequencies are not heard by everyone, which means not everyone will hear your frequency. As followers of Jesus, we are called to walk on a higher level, a higher frequency. Just as animals in the natural are created to hear different levels of frequency, God has designed us to be connected with others who either have the same frequency, or have a frequency that blends harmonically with our frequency. A good analogy would be to think of the keys on a piano. When you play the note ‘C’, you only hear that note. But when you add notes ‘E’ and ‘G’, you’ve created a chord that blends together and becomes a new sound with depth and the ability to go further than one note ever could.
The sound we make affects our environment. If our sound is coming from a place of fear, negativity, and doubt, that is what emanates from us. We tend to attract other sounds that are similar, so in this case we can produce dissonance. It’s hard to be productive and walk in faith when you’re around sounds that are not conducive to feeding and growing your faith. On the other hand, if our sound comes from a place of joy, peace, and faith, we tend to attract similar sounds which creates harmony. God is able to move through us easily and can accomplish powerful things in the earth.
As God continues to heal our hearts, renew our minds, and transform us, He is able to flow freely through us. As salt that seasons, light that shines in darkness, and sound that echoes, we can affect the environments God has placed us in so that lives are changed and souls are saved for the Glory of God.
Lord God, we thank You for who You are. You are Almighty God, the Creator of everything seen and unseen. Thank You for speaking us into existence. Thank You for giving us purpose and a destiny. We yield our hearts and lives to You so that Your perfect will can be accomplished in the earth. We love You, in Jesus’ name. Amen
