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b'I feel them before I see them. They slither over my feet, wind their way up my jeans. Smooth yet sticky. Tendrils like tar that move like worms, like snakes. I try to pull them off, kick the tendrils away. But every time I shake one from my skin or my clothes, it whips back, clings tighter. The tendrils come faster. It\\u2019s like one great octopus has claimed me for its meal. More tentacles attach themselves to me. Grabbing my arms, worming between my fingers, slithering down my throat. I grab at them, desperate to breathe. My eyes widen in terror.\\nThen I see something, through the tangle of tentacles. Someone. He\\u2019s not that far off, and He\\u2019s looking at me. A place deep inside me stills. All I know is I want to be closer to this man.\\nThe tentacles can sense something is different, and they cling all the more, jab me and pull me. But I can still see the man. He\\u2019s waiting for me. I lift one foot and take one step in His direction. Somehow, the tentacles can\\u2019t hold my foot anymore. I move my hand, reaching it forward, and the tendrils flee from my fingers.\\nThe remaining tar tendrils constrict\\u2014I can feel them in my lungs. But strangely, I\\u2019m not afraid. The man speaks. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Come.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nI can\\u2019t help but smile. As I start walking toward Him, the tendrils loosen and release. They slip off, unable to hold me the more I walk toward this man. They can\\u2019t come near Him.\\nNow I\\u2019m running, running to this man who holds my gaze. His smile is contagious. I feel like laughing! He reaches out for me and pulls me into an embrace. \\u2022 Hannah Howe\\n\\u2022 Today\\u2019s story is an allegory. Jesus, the Light, is stronger than any darkness\\u2014evil, sin, temptation, addiction, fear\\u2026all these latch onto us because we live in a world broken by sin and the enemy wants to destroy us. But Jesus came to set us free. His love, perfectly expressed on the cross, disintegrates all darkness. If we\\u2019ve put our trust in Jesus, He has rescued us! And He continues to help us as we wait for His return, when He will permanently banish all darkness. How do Jesus\\u2019 death and resurrection make it possible for us to be with Him and follow Him? (Take a look at our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.) \\n\\u2022 What darkness are you facing today? How is Jesus inviting you to come to Him? \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d John 10:10 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 22; Matthew 27:45-50; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; 4:16-18'