The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood (overcame) it
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world 1 John 1:5,9
How do you overcome darkness? Can you physically take pure darkness and lessen it by removing a some of the darkness? Mike Bickle once said, No one seeks to remove the darkness in a room by opening a window to throw out buckets of darkness. That would be stupid. You simply turn on the light. That is the most obvious answer, and all of you are thinking DUH! I knew that. Obviously, there was not some scientific breakthrough that was just made here, but there just might be a breakthrough for some of us when we see this truth applied spiritually.
How many of us good Christians have fought against the darkness in our lives? How many times have you felt sexual immorality creeping up on you? What do you do? Do you brace yourself against it, and resist it with all of your might? That will almost always end in failure. You may win a battle or two, but you will be walking away severely wounded, and you will never win the actual war that way. Can you focus all of you energy and willpower to avoid it, always being on guard for it? Again, works sometimes, but that method alone will always end in failure. The fact is that having a preoccupation with reducing darkness will never reduce darkness! You must increase the light! Make it your preoccupation to get more light and the darkness goes away!
Do you see how this applies spiritually? Think of the times when you felt the strongest in your spirit When it seemed that the darkness truly had little power over you. That could be now, or maybe a while ago, but it could be years ago, and maybe it hasnt happened yet and that is ok too But you must honestly assess yourself to see the truth in this next point. I can pretty much guarantee that you will see a direct correlation between your spirits strength and the amount of preoccupation you have or had with absorbing every bit of light that you could. Have you ever been so hungry for God that you were praying without ceasing? (1 Thes 5:16) All day long you are talking to God, asking Him for guidance through every moment and situation. How about a real desire to be reading Gods word? (Prov 30:5) You are excited to open the Bible, and it comes alive and you are being strengthened by it. You are searching out the truths and they are being revealed to you according to your hunger. (Mat 5:6) You have the radio set to worship music or Bible teachers because you love to have God being exalted as your lifes soundtrack. You really are fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, and you hear His voice guiding your every conversation and decision. Oh, if youve never experienced this I pray you run after it hard! Make it your lifes goal to get all the light you can! Get preoccupied with God!
Guess what? You dont even have to make the next part happen because the light will naturally overcome the darkness, instead of just you trying to overcome the darkness. Consequently, you may actually have trouble adjusting to the fact that what gives satisfaction to the world no longer captivates you. The things that entertained you before begin to lose their pleasure, and that is because the false pleasures of Satan are now easily distinguishable from the perfect and superior pleasures of God. There is no comparison to the perfect pleasures of God! Make it your lifes ambition to get light.
You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)
Father, I want your eternal pleasures to be all that I seek. I want to be so immersed in thinking of You and drawing nearer to You that the darkness will not even stand a chance. Jesus Christ, you are the one true light, and I want Your Word to be the lamp unto my feet and the light upon my path. Amen.
How do you overcome darkness? Can you physically take pure darkness and lessen it by removing a some of the darkness? Mike Bickle once said, No one seeks to remove the darkness in a room by opening a window to throw out buckets of darkness. That would be stupid. You simply turn on the light. That is the most obvious answer, and all of you are thinking DUH! I knew that. Obviously, there was not some scientific breakthrough that was just made here, but there just might be a breakthrough for some of us when we see this truth applied spiritually.
How many of us good Christians have fought against the darkness in our lives? How many times have you felt sexual immorality creeping up on you? What do you do? Do you brace yourself against it, and resist it with all of your might? That will almost always end in failure. You may win a battle or two, but you will be walking away severely wounded, and you will never win the actual war that way. Can you focus all of you energy and willpower to avoid it, always being on guard for it? Again, works sometimes, but that method alone will always end in failure. The fact is that having a preoccupation with reducing darkness will never reduce darkness! You must increase the light! Make it your preoccupation to get more light and the darkness goes away!
Do you see how this applies spiritually? Think of the times when you felt the strongest in your spirit When it seemed that the darkness truly had little power over you. That could be now, or maybe a while ago, but it could be years ago, and maybe it hasnt happened yet and that is ok too But you must honestly assess yourself to see the truth in this next point. I can pretty much guarantee that you will see a direct correlation between your spirits strength and the amount of preoccupation you have or had with absorbing every bit of light that you could. Have you ever been so hungry for God that you were praying without ceasing? (1 Thes 5:16) All day long you are talking to God, asking Him for guidance through every moment and situation. How about a real desire to be reading Gods word? (Prov 30:5) You are excited to open the Bible, and it comes alive and you are being strengthened by it. You are searching out the truths and they are being revealed to you according to your hunger. (Mat 5:6) You have the radio set to worship music or Bible teachers because you love to have God being exalted as your lifes soundtrack. You really are fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, and you hear His voice guiding your every conversation and decision. Oh, if youve never experienced this I pray you run after it hard! Make it your lifes goal to get all the light you can! Get preoccupied with God!
Guess what? You dont even have to make the next part happen because the light will naturally overcome the darkness, instead of just you trying to overcome the darkness. Consequently, you may actually have trouble adjusting to the fact that what gives satisfaction to the world no longer captivates you. The things that entertained you before begin to lose their pleasure, and that is because the false pleasures of Satan are now easily distinguishable from the perfect and superior pleasures of God. There is no comparison to the perfect pleasures of God! Make it your lifes ambition to get light.
You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)
Father, I want your eternal pleasures to be all that I seek. I want to be so immersed in thinking of You and drawing nearer to You that the darkness will not even stand a chance. Jesus Christ, you are the one true light, and I want Your Word to be the lamp unto my feet and the light upon my path. Amen.
