Illuminate: Living in the LightSample

Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Where light shines, darkness is gone. 

In a very large dark room, if you light a very small candle, in the candle's flame and rays there is no darkness. Darkness disappears within the light.

But there can still be darkness lurking in other places. If light represents goodness and truth, and darkness represents evil and lies, we all know this is true. Just look around you. Just listen to the news. The world is full of darkness.

But God is light. And God is bigger and more powerful than the world. If you are following Jesus, his Spirit lives in you, and "the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." (Check out I John 4:4)

In other words: LIGHT is greater then darkness.

As long as we live on earth, we live in a world where light and darkness are at war with each other. Sometimes it might feel like darkness is winning - both within us (when our own desires try to push out God's good plans for us) and without us (when the darkness of the world's lies try to overpower the light of God's truth).

The battle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between truth and lies, between God and our sinful desires, is real. The Bible says we should never let down our guard and should never assume "we've got this." That's how things went wrong in the first place. People assumed they had things under control, on their own.

They were wrong.

We need God's love, guidance, power, and presence to keep us safe and to keep us on track. We have been transferred from "the kingdom of darkness" into "the kingdom of his dear Son" - but the kingdom of darkness still lurks out there, tempting us into its shadows. 

But we are no longer children of darkness. We are children of light, because we are children of God. So live in the light. Every day. All day. All the time.

TO THINK ABOUT:

What are some ways the "darkness" tries to trip you up and tempt you away from the "light?"

How do you protect yourself from the "darkness" of the world's temptations?