John 3:20-21(NLT)
“20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
God has given every believer the ability to discern what is good and bad, and to know the difference between what is from His Kingdom and what is from the kingdom of darkness. We have this ability because God’s Spirit lives inside us, but sometimes we overlook or forget to strengthen ourselves in God’s Spirit, so that we remain spiritually sharp. 1Corinthians 3:16 tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Living God, and the Spirit of God dwells within us. Because of this, we can walk by the Spirit’s power, but a lot of us will not deny the flesh and walk in the Spirit the way God has commanded us to. We want to hold on to those friends who are knee-deep in darkness, and we enjoy the company of those who do not hunger for God’s love and light.
For many single women, this is an area that you must be incredibly careful about. In 2Corinthians 6:14, God tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. To be yoked is to be so tightly tied together with something or someone that we either can’t or have refused to be loosed. Our Heavenly Father teaches us that light and darkness cannot commune together. We can see this immediately from the beginning in Genesis. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they lost their connection to Him. The Holy Spirit could no longer commune with them because of their sin. Light couldn’t continue to dwell in their body-temples because they chose sin over the truth. But Jesus Christ changed all of this for us. He restored our connection to God by shedding his blood on the cross and offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Our sins have been cleansed by the blood of the lamb for all eternity! Our responsibility as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ is to walk in the newness of what he has given us.
Sometimes, those in our inner circles pose a threat to the destiny God has planned for us. They will sideline our ambitions, zap our strength, and keep our souls tied up in the wrong things. It’s our soul that God is after, but He will not force us to extricate ourselves from harmful relationships. This is our decision alone. We must see our relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ as more valuable and precious than any other. This is why we have to be careful about who is in our inner circle, because unknowingly, we minimize our light to keep some of our friends comfortable in their darkness.
We can’t assume or make the mistake of thinking the devil won’t use people to ensnare us in a very dastardly way. God’s Word tells us that the enemy is unmerciful, and everything he does is evil because he is evil, and he oversees the realm of death, darkness, and bondage. Some of the people in our lives right this very moment are operating in that realm, engaging in all kinds of demonic activity like astrology, psychics, and other satanic rituals. We must guard our hearts against this stuff and be obedient to God’s Word. If we don’t, we could get ourselves into a situation where we are continually oppressed by darkness. God has freed us from all that through Jesus Christ, and Galatians 5:1 tells us that we should never allow anyone to put a harness of slavery on us again.
1Thessalonians 5:5(NLT) says, “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” Our Lord and Savior didn’t mince words when it comes to light and darkness. The Pharisees were an extremely arrogant people who hated Jesus Christ. They were the upper echelon of Jewish society in his day. Most people would see themselves as privileged to be in the company of a Pharisee, but Jesus Christ saw right through that. He did not try to befriend them. He knew they were blinded by satan and were trying to trap him with their so-called intelligent questions, so they could place him in prison.
Jesus Christ was always razor-sharp because he stayed in prayer and communion with God through the Holy Spirit. He overwhelmed his enemies with his knowledge, and they were not able to manipulate his wisdom, but they tried it. Jesus Christ told the Pharisees in John 8:43-45(NLT), “43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!” We must open our eyes and recognize that it’s up to us to make a decision to stand in the light of Christ. When we are committed to do so, our spiritual life will take off in an amazing way, and those that are refusing to join us in the journey, we may have to leave behind. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Stand In Your Light”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.