How to Love and Act in the Midst of Spiritual
Darkness
Many people associate
darkness with evil and light with good. Certainly, we can see this analogy in
movies, books, and biblical history. But when it comes to life today we often relate
to spiritual darkness in how we see ourselves and others.
The question we should ponder is this: how can we be enlightened to our own depth of
unawareness and misunderstanding of real truth and why does it leaves us
flailing in spiritual darkness? (answer coming up soon)
First, what is spiritual darkness?
From a Christian World
View: Spiritual darkness
is the spiritual condition of a person who is living apart from God
Yet, even in the midst of living apart from God, we can be made aware of
our need for a Savior to pay for our sins. This process of faith given by God.
will open our eyes to our spiritual darkness and cause us to desire spiritual
light. Yet, how many times does God try to get our attention and how many times
do we ignore what He is trying to tell us? Faith is a supernatural gift but
many reject God’s offer of salvation. I suppose many believe they have to earn
God’s favor and eternal life through their good works yet we find that the
opposite is true.
Ephesians
2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can
boast.
So,
we need something or someone to lift us out of spiritual darkness.
The Bible explains
how Jesus is our spiritual light:
(He alone can free
us from spiritual darkness)
John
8:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 When Jesus spoke
again to the people, he said, “I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John
1:1-13 New International Version (NIV)
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in
the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a
witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might
believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The
true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and
though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God— 13 children born
not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of
God.
So, through Jesus, a person can not only become part of God's family but can
also overcome spiritual darkness.
Through Jesus comes
a spiritual rebirth: A New Creation in Christ
2
Corinthians 5:17 New Living Translation (NLT)
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a
new person. The old life is gone; a
new life has begun!
Colossians
2:13 New Living Translation (NLT)
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your
sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then
God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
Ephesians
4:22-24 New International Version (NIV)
22 You were taught,
with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the
attitude of your minds; 24 and
to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness.
So, for the follower of Jesus this new rebirth which includes the
Holy Spirit re-calibrates their minds and heart attitudes. The Holy Spirit
teaches, counsels, guides, transforms and comforts those open to receiving. The
Holy Spirit gives them the eternal perspective they need to avoid falling back into
a state of spiritual darkness which can cloud their vision, thoughts, purpose,
attitude, and the way they treat others. The Christ follower has to daily renew
their mind to make sure their impact on the world celebrates their new life in
Christ and not their old life which was lived with great spiritual limitation
and separation from God. So, how can this be accomplished?
The Bible tells us
to do this:
Romans 12:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and
perfect will.
We must understand that God's truth is a point of reference to where we can
say: I can see where I have not lived in a way that reflects the ideals I
adhere to. I can see the great disconnect with what I believe and how I live it
out. You see, unawareness and misunderstanding shake the foundation of what is real
truth and impacts the way we are supposed to live based on those true
beliefs.
For those who are
unbelievers, spiritual darkness affects them in a truly profound way. Many unbelievers are unaware of the consequences
of being truly eternally separated spiritually from God if they continue to reject
Him. Those who believe their lives here on this planet came about due to an
accident of chance and nature, are OK with a life that has no real meaning in
eternity or ultimate purpose or consequence. Therefore, spiritual darkness
keeps them in blindness and the legacy they leave is one for themselves and
others to judge. Their lives will only reflect the kind of success they
achieved based on earthly standards.
On the other hand, if
you believe God had a say in you being born and that He can determine how He
wants you to live, then your spiritual darkness has a lot to do with your will
over God's will, your desires over God's desire for your life. If a
believer and follower of Christ acts out of fear and emotion only, and
disregards essentials truths that define who they say they are, they are
triggering a level of hypocrisy that that discredits their identity in Christ
and therefore everything they say they believe. This is the essence of
spiritual darkness for anyone who claims they are a Christian. It is easy to simply
lose perspective on how one’s actions affect their credibility, character and
how the consequences of those actions effect how they live and work for God's
purpose.
Again, this is a great
reason to have a Spirit led renewal of the mind in order to make one aware of how
far one has strayed away from God’s plan in favor of their own.
Ultimately it is God’s desire for us to love Him and others.
Jesus tells us
about the 2 greatest commandments: (It’s all about love)
Matthew
22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in
the Law?”37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.’ 38 This
is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ 40 All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus displayed His love through sacrifice: (Jesus’ powerful
example of love)
Romans
5:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
John
15:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s
life for one’s friends.
God proves His love for us:
John
3:16-17 New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. 17 For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him.
Jesus tells us how we can love regardless
of our personal level of darkness and light:
1
John 4:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 We love because he first loved us.
John
13:34-35 New International Version (NIV)
34 “A new
command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By
this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another.”
Romans
5:2-5 English Standard Version (ESV)
2 Through him we
have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not
only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance
produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope
does not put us to shame, because God's
love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been
given to us.
Ephesians
5:1-2 New International Version (NIV)
1Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved
children 2 and walk
in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for
us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Romans
13:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love
is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans
12:9-10 New International Version (NIV)
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to
what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above
yourselves.
Followers of Jesus
are even commanded to love their enemies:
Luke
6:33-35 New International Version (NIV)
33 And if you do good
to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And
if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even
sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and
lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be
great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind
to the ungrateful and wicked.
How we are to act
based on our new spiritual condition:
Even
in the midst of spiritually dark world, God also wants to transform us, so we
are Christ-like in every way. He wants
us to be a light in a dark world.
Romans 13:12 New
International Version (NIV)
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost
here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Matthew
5:14-16 New International Version (NIV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A
town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its
stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven.
Here
are the Rules to live by: (So others will experience our light in Christ)
Colossians
3:1-17 New International Version (NIV)
Living as Those Made Alive in Christ
3 Since, then, you
have been raised with Christ, set
your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of
God. 2 Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For
you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your
earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of
these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used
to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid
yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice,
slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each
other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new
self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or
Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if
any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these
virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be
thankful. 16 Let
the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the
Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you
do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We must live wisely:
Ephesians
5:15-16 New International Version (NIV)
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but
as wise, 16 making
the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
It
is obvious that these days are evil and there is much darkness in the world.
But
that does not mean we have to live as though we are prisoners of that darkness
and allow the enemy of our souls to stir us up, distract us and deceive us. We
can choose a better way. We can choose to live and do as the Word of God tells us to. We can live abundantly even in a fallen world. We can
Trust God.
Proverbs
3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your
ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Let
us not allow darkness to overcome the light in our lives. Jesus reminds us that
there will be much difficulty living in this fallen world, yet we can be at
peace, and live rightly knowing that He has overcome the world. Jesus has
defeated sin and death. So, for those who believe and follow Jesus we can be assured
that God will keep His promises and know for sure the best is yet to come!
Just Sayin……………………Dave
