do we walk in the light?

"God is light and in Him is no darkness at all"

(1 John 1:5)

~~~~~~~~~~

I love scriptures that just cut to the chase. No fancy preliminaries. No segues needed. Just the plain truth of the gospel issued in a few words. In God there is NO darkness. None. Not one bit.

I read this verse and asked myself a very important question. Am I walking in the light? Truly? Or am I allowing just a tad bit of darkness to creep in. Just enough to do some mighty damage if not replaced with the soft glow of Christ's light.

Am I allowing myself to possess the old nature in a certain matter? Instead of allowing the light to take over this darkness, I am giving power to it and in turn letting it have some form of control over me.  It doesn't take much darkness to dim the glorious light of TRUTH. Even just a shadow casts enough darkness to dim the brightness that existed first. 

Once this darkness is recognized, it is so important to take the necessary steps to drive it away. If we don't take immediate action it will interrupt our wonderful fellowship with Jesus.

 It will hinder our growth. It will steal our joy. It will cripple our walk. It will put out our light.

But thankfully, because of the precious and redeeming blood of Jesus, we can be forgiven. We can obtain new mercy. His generous grace can be applied and we can be free of that bondage of darkness.

You see,  God never breaks relationship with us. We won't lose our salvation. We can't be 'unborn' as a Christian once we've experienced rebirth in Him and through Him. But we can lose that close fellowship with our Savior when we allow the dark to overshadow the light.

I don't want to walk in darkness. Not even for a little while. I desire the glorious, radiant, blinding light of Christ to cover me and illuminate my every step.

I want to walk in TRUTH. I want to walk in the light of the one who is LIGHT. I want to walk in Him...

~~~~`

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and

just to forgive us our sins and to 

cleanse us from all unrighteousness"

(1 John 1:9)

expose the darkness

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them"
(Ephesians 5:11)

Sadly, as I take a very close look at my life, I can see many times that I have been guilty of this scripture. Even though my life has been gloriously changed and eternally altered, I still have to take great strides in guarding my heart against the darkness of this world. It's a never ending process.

I can see evidence of unfruitful works in my life. And even though I am a child of the Light - a child of God - it is a daily struggle against the forces of evil that threaten me. A daily battle with my flesh that rises up to wage war with the Spirit of Truth.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places"
(Ephesians 6:12)

The darkness will always be a threat to the light in my life, but I can expose it for what it is and overcome it by the power of the Holy Spirit. But I can't do it on my own. When I try and depend upon my own strength and my own ability to resist this darkness, I fail  miserably. It is only through the power of God and by His sweet mercy that I am able to stand firm and overcome.

As my relationship with Jesus grows more intimate, and my walk becomes more 'in-step' with Him, I begin to see more clearly. I am able to take a more defensive stance against the enemy and be more prepared to resist.

The more I learn about Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more confident I am of His love for me. And as my confidence in Him grows, the clearer I see my own sin. As my relationship with Him deepens, the more He reveals to me about myself and the less veiled my inward gaze becomes.

I desire to look like Christ. I want to act like Him and be like Him in all things. As I allow my unfruitful works to be exposed, I begin to walk more confidently in the true light of His mercy and grace. I begin to produce more fruit of righteousness and holiness and walk worthy of my calling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thank you, Lord, that you so lovingly expose those things that are keeping me in the dark so I can move purposefully and confidently into the light of Your love and mercy. Help me to walk like you. Help me to look more like you. Empower me to walk in your ways and be all that you have called me to be. I love you, Father, and I give you all praise and glory for the mighty work you do through me and in me daily.