Tag: darkness

Sharing in the Supernatural Relationship Between the Father and the Son

John 14:20
In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

Let us give full consideration to this passage which teaches us about our rightful place in the supernatural union with the Father and the Son. We share in this miraculous union through our saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this union, we partake in the same nature, the same perfections and the same glory as the Father and the Son.

Let us also give full consideration to how this supernatural miracle should affect our lives. As new men and women in Christ, the world should be able to see us in union with our Savior. We should become identified by our obedience to God’s commandments and the fruit that we bear from His callings. Our lives should become expressions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that have been given to us through our union with Christ – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In everything we do, we should share the perfect love and forgiveness that we received from the Father through the Son.

At the same time, let us give full consideration to the supernatural reality that all that we see that is good that is being manifested in our lives is being worked out through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us humbly recognize with absolute certainty that there is no possibility that our lives are the result of our own inherent holiness.

Let us celebrate the union that we enjoy with the Father and the Son through the redemptive work of Our Savior. Let us embrace the work of the Holy Spirit as He directs us on our path of sanctification. Let us share the joy of our spirit filled lives with the world around us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to be Our Savior. We rejoice in our new lives that we take on when we receive and accept the redemptive work of the Cross. We pray, Father, that we may be emancipated completely from the darkness in our old lives. May we walk in the fullness of the union of the Father and the Son as we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the One who sits at the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ.

Our Weapons of Victory Against the Enemy

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Satan is to be looked upon as an enemy, one who must be watched and guarded against. Faith, humble prayers and heavenly wisdom are are our weapons of resistance.

Man without Jesus Christ is not capable of standing against the powers that seek to devour and destroy him. In the darkness of the flesh, we are unable to see that we are being lead into lives that will never be totally satisfying. We cannot see that our lives are much less than they could be, much less than they should be.

But when the light of Jesus Christ comes into our lives, we see how life can be, how life should be, how our lives are renewed in the spirit of Our Savior. We come to recognize that the renewal of our minds and our spirits is only available to us through our submission to Our Savior. We come to discover that the dominating power of the world, our flesh and Satan himself are defeated through the victory that Jesus Christ won for us on the Cross.

Let us rightfully proclaim our victory over the enemy. Let us boldly stand against the one who is trying to devour and destroy us. Let us fearlessly claim what Jesus provided for us on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to come to You to gain the armor that we need to defend ourselves from the enemy who comes to defeat us. We thank You for the weapon of prayer, the sword of Your Holy Word and the shield of faith. We rejoice in knowing that the victory is ours because Your Son, Jesus, claimed it for us forever when He died on the Cross for our sins. We humbly come before You, Lord, to proclaim that we are laying aside our own strength so that we may dwell in the protection of Your shadow. We ask all these things in the name of our Living Shield, Jesus Christ.

What Are These Greater Works That We Will Do?

John 14:12
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Most of us will never set foot on foreign soils in an effort to win souls. Nor will we step to a podium to stir a great revival. So what are these greater works that we will do when we believe in Jesus?

The answer is certainly different for each one of us as God has created each of us with a unique plan for our lives. In our own individual ways we will be called to be laborers in the field bringing light to the world of darkness around us. We may be called to be ushers, parking attendants, babysitters, etc. We may be called to serve the poor. We may be called to lead a bible study. Who knows, we may even be called to a ministry of healing and deliverance. But in all of the various ways that we are called, there will always be one element of our works that will be the same and that is the work of prayer.

Jesus was our role model is this regard. He never attempted any work without going to the Father first in prayer. Prayer was one of His greater works as He went to the Father to have His power and His purpose released. Now that Jesus is with the Father as Our Mediator, one could argue that prayer is the greatest work that we will do as we call on Jesus to go to the Father on our behalf.

Let us call on Jesus to go to the Father to have His power and His purpose for us released in our lives. Let us faithfully seek the greater works that the Lord has set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us vessels for Your perfect Light to be released in the darkness of the world around us. We bless the name of Jesus for showing us the way in which we should approach the purpose for our lives. We rejoice in knowing that we can share in Your good work by accessing through prayer the power and authority of Your Son. We pray, Father, that the greater works of the Son will be released in our lives as we seek You and surrender to Your plan for our lives through our prayers. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Life Choices are Easy when We Live in the Fullness of the Light of Christ

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The truth leaves no room for tolerance. There is no room for variance. Something is true or it is not.

Satan’s fingerprints are all over the complexity of issues that we deal with daily in this world. His tactics are simple. Satan builds in layers of grey around the truth. His minions, especially the media, work hard to confuse us. They attempt to build layers of grey around good and evil. They try to make us see elements of evil as good and elements of good as evil.

When our focus is on Jesus Christ, our lives become much simpler. He that dwells within us is the essence of everything good and the absence of evil. He is Truth. Living in Truth is very cut and dry. Simplicity in life is found by living in the light of Christ. From this standpoint, we can see, believe in and adhere to the crystal clear choices offered by the teachings of Jesus.

Let us seek the Truth in all matters. Let us avoid being swayed into believing that the truth lies anywhere in the shades of grey that the world offers. Let us seek the Light of the World to reveal any darkness in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for modeling the good and perfect life that we should strive for. We rejoice in knowing that our choices in life are easy when we abide in Our Savior. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will provide the wisdom that we need to discern the proper choices that we need to make in life for ourselves and our families. May we learn to live in the light and shut the door on the darkness that the world offers. We ask all these things in the name of the True Light, Jesus Christ.

Seeking the Favor of the Lord in Our Decision Making

Psalm 120:5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

It is believed that David did not actually travel to Mesech or Kedar, nor did he live among their people. Mesech was often mentioned with Tubal, Gog and Magog. The people of these lands were regarded as barbarians. The Kedarenes were a people who lived in tents, moving from land to land looking for new pastures. It is believed that David was using mention of these people to paint a picture of the types of his own people that he was living with. His intention was to highlight the danger of becoming engaged in a society that is known to be ignorant, idolatrous and barbaric.

David’s warning is one that we should pay attention to. We have to be especially attentive when we are being severely challenged by our circumstances. We must learn to guard against being both short sighted and wrong sighted. We must be extremely careful not to make our dwelling place in a lost world, looking toward that world for answers instead of seeking the favor of Our Lord. We must exert a level of supernatural attentiveness. If we do not, we will end up making many decisions in the darkness instead of in the light.

Why would we ever turn to the darkness of the world instead of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ? It is not because the knowledge of the fullness of living in the light is not known to us. It is because we are spending so much more time in the world than we are in the arms of Our Savior.

Let us turn away from all the darkness that the world is offering. Let us choose instead to run to Our Lord and seek the treasures of the eternal light that He is holding for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with escape from the darkness that this world offers us. We rejoice in knowing that we have the favor of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. We cry out to You, Our Lord, for Your peace and Your holiness. We pray that You will strengthen us to overcome the evil that surrounds us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit guide us in setting aside time to spend with our blessed Savior. May we become vessels of light to the world around us as we surrender to the Light of the World. We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the world, Jesus Christ.

Let the World See the Light that Shines Within Us

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We are mere vessels on this earth. Whatever we receive from the Lord, whether we are in good times or in bad times, needs to be released into the world. We will find that we are particularly effective in glorifying Our Father in heaven when our good works are evident during the times that we are under burdensome trials.

Upon receiving His Living Water, we must share what we have received with the thirsty amongst us. To dam up the outpouring that we receive can actually damage us. The vessel that receives and receives without pouring out will eventually burst or, at the very least, fill to the point of being unable to receive any more. Then upon being filled without flow, the vessel will become stagnant.

Upon receiving His Light, we must let His Light flow through us to the darkness in the world around us. Jesus taught that we are the light of the world and emphasized that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but places it on a stand so that all can share the light. It is our responsibility to allow others to be exposed to the Light that is within us.

Let us strive to allow our light to shine before men even when we find ourselves in our darkest trials. Let us insure that the light of the Gospel and the knowledge of the mysteries of God’s grace are openly declared and manifested in the world. Let us be known for our zeal and our fervency, our sincerity and our openness and our integrity and our persistence even under trial. Let us endure in our trials so that the Father is glorified in all that we do.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You pour into our lives. We pray that You will protect us from clinging to our blessings to satisfy ourselves. May we freely take our blessings, whether they be things of this world or portions from Your heavenly treasure, and pour them out before You. May the Holy Spirit guide us so that our sacrifice and our works are suitable and pleasing to You. May the world receive Your Light and Your Living Water through us. May it be for Your glory. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Let Us All Be Lamps that Carry His Glory

John 12:35
So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”

In the darkness, no work can be done and unseen pitfalls are perilously close by. Left in the darkness, we will find ourselves wandering aimlessly on with no measure of progress. Jesus warned that such a place was eminent for those who did not take advantage of the light that He provided.

Jesus is the light, the truth and the way. When we let Him into our lives, His light reveals all the darkness in our flesh that stands ready to trap us. His light illumines our way so that we can turn from the things in our lives that displease Our Heavenly Father. His light frees us from the darkness where we are sure to find affliction, calamity and distress. His light allows us to act as wise men and not as fools.

Jesus came and died on the Cross so that many may live in His light. Those that choose to live in His light, He allows to be beacons to call others to His light and to be vessels for sharing the peace and protection that His light provides.

Let us choose the paths for our lives that are illuminated by the presence of Our Savior. Let us all be lamps that carry His glory.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. We bless the name of Jesus who frees us from living in the blindness and darkness created and cultivated by our sin natures. We thank You, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit illumines our paths each day. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen us as we choose to live in the Light. We ask all these things in the name of the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.

May the Light of Christ Extend to the Outer Margins of Our Lives

Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

As light was the first work in the creation of the earth, so has light been the first work in the creation of new men or women in Christ. In both cases the light was brought forth to overcome the pre-existing chaotic darkness that existed.

Jesus is the light, the truth and the way. No darkness can exist in His presence. When we accept Him as Our Savior, He comes to dwell within us and the process of removing all the darkness from our lives begins. All of our sins are brought into the light by the Holy Spirit. Repentance is required. To do otherwise is to suggest that we are sufficient in our own ways. It is not enough to be sorry for our sins. We must recognize our unworthiness. We must recognize our need to be cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb. We must fully submit to Jesus so that we will have the strength to turn away from the darkness, so that we may live in the light. This process will continue as long as we are in our corrupted bodies. It will not be completed until we stand before Our Father in heaven at His Throne.

From the beginning of time, darkness has been allowed to exist with light. When the new earth is perfected for all eternity and comes into place with the new heaven, the darkness will be put aside forever. When we take our place in God’s kingdom, the darkness in our lives will also be set aside forever.

Let us beseech the Holy Spirit to inspect us. Let us implore Him to reveal every bit of darkness in our lives. Let us repent of the darkness that is uncovered. Let us ask for the grace and strength that we need to learn to live in the fullness of the Light of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for exposing all the darkness in our lives. We pray that we will fully submit to the cleansing process. May Your Light extend to the outer margins of our lives. May no element of our lives be untouched. We pray that the complete work of the Blood of the Lamb will prepare us to take our place in heaven for all eternity. We ask all these things in the name of the Great Eternal Light, Jesus Christ.

We Are Not Capable of Proper Examination of Ourselves

Psalm 139:23
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

It is hard to understand, but we are in many ways strangers to ourselves. We may hate sin and we may repent of all the sin in our lives, yet our natural eye is unable to see the depths of our iniquities. Our human nature with its sin stained flesh is simply incapable of making an unbiased assessment of the darkness within us. We must do as the psalmist did. We must ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us everything that is displeasing to Him.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we could stand blameless before the Father. To prepare us for this time, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to guide us through the sanctification process. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond the carnal limits of our own understanding. Inspired by the light of Our Savior, we are allowed to see the full depth of the darkness of our sin and the full height of our potential in Christ. Rest assured that we would never properly examine ourselves without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Let us report for full inspection in humble recognition of our need. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will search our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to uncover every speck of darkness in our hearts, especially those that we do not see ourselves. Let us faithfully repent of what is revealed to us so that we may live in the fullness of a life in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us righteous through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for providing the grace that we need and the ever present assistance of the Holy Spirit so that we may submit to the transformation process from sinner to saint. We pray that You open the gateways of our minds so that we may see and repent of all of the shackles of sin on our lives. We pray that we may see and grasp the fullness of your plans for our lives as revealed to us by Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in the name of the purifier of our souls, Jesus Christ.

Overcoming the Evil that Surrounds Us

Psalm 120:5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

It is believed that David did not actually travel to Mesech or Kedar, nor did he live among their people. Mesech was often mentioned with Tubal, Gog and Magog. The people of these lands were regarded as barbarians. The Kedarenes were a people who lived in tents, moving from land to land looking for new pastures. It is believed that David was using mention of these people to paint a picture of the types of his own people that he was living with. His intention was to highlight the danger of becoming engaged in a society that is known to be ignorant, idolatrous and barbaric.

David’s warning is one that we should pay attention to. We have to be especially attentive when we are being severely challenged by our circumstances. We must learn to guard against being both short sighted and wrong sighted. We must be extremely careful not to make our dwelling place in a lost world, looking toward that world for answers instead of seeking the favor of Our Lord. We must exert a level of supernatural attentiveness. If we do not, we will end up making many decisions in the darkness instead of in the light.

Why would we ever turn to the darkness of the world instead of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ? It is not because the knowledge of the fullness of living in the light is not known to us. It is because we are spending so much more time in the world than we are in the arms of Our Savior.

Let us turn away from all the darkness that the world is offering. Let us choose instead to run to Our Lord and seek the treasures of the eternal light that He is holding for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with escape from the darkness that this world offers us. We rejoice in knowing that we have the favor of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. We cry out to You, Our Lord, for Your peace and Your holiness. We pray that You will strengthen us to overcome the evil that surrounds us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit guide us in setting aside time to spend with our blessed Savior. May we become vessels of light to the world around us as we surrender to the Light of the World. We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the world, Jesus Christ.