December 15, 2022
Stay in the Light and Out of Fright
Kelly Balarie
Today’s Truth
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NIV).
Friend to Friend
I breezed by my pastor without so much as a hello, a head nod, or a second glance.
“Kelly!” He abruptly announced. “How are you?”
His voice caught my attention. A few steps past him, I looked back, towards the sound of his voice. Only now, could I see him. Only now, was his face discernable. Before, I couldn’t make him out. He was just a figure.
Why?
The sun had blinded my sight. In the light, I could only see light. In the light, my pastor was a figure, not a face with details.
This makes me consider the power of light…
Just as the full-force of the sun had the ability to overpower my sight, so too does the full-force of God’s Son have complete ability to overpower anything coming against us. God’s light is that powerful!
Scripture says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NIV).
The question is – how do we “walk in the light as he is in the light…”?
Practically, to stay in the light, first, we must choose to stay out of dark places. Just as we wouldn’t go into an alley in a dangerous city at 3 AM alone, we stay our mind out of dark places. We divert from them. We keep out of danger zones.
In application, how do we do this? We stay out of gossip. We stay out of complaining. We stay out of bitterness. We stay away from offense. We stay far from dissension, arguments, and divisiveness. We keep worry at a distance. We stay in faith, rather than in fear.
Does this sound more easily said than done? Perhaps. At the same time, if we put a line in the sand and say, “I will not participate in these things, by the power of Jesus’ mercy and grace…” And, if we pray and trust God’s equipping power then we have what we need to succeed.
God wants us to stay in the light, as He is in the light.
To stay in the light, we steer clear of sin. Following that, we rejoice in Him, who is light. For, when we look at Him, all else grows dim. That is the nature of light.
To stay our mind in the light, we can dwell on, give thanks for, and continually consider things like:
- The sin-killing power of Jesus’ life-saving move completed on the cross.
- The abundance of grace which never ends for us.
- The incredible mercy afforded to us by an All-Loving Savior.
- The forgiveness of sins that not only wipes mistakes clean, but that gives us a whole new nature in Christ Jesus.
To stay our mind in the light, we immerse our minds in His Word and truth. As a result, His light floods our world. Fellowship with others naturally happens. It oozes from our pores. Nearly best of all, day-by-day, we do not walk in shame, guilt, or condemnation. On the contrary, we walk in His light – in the very fact that His saving work is won and done, finalized and finished, ratified and solidified by the death-defying conquering blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross.
Friends, we remember we have the victory – and we walk in it!
Let us Pray
Dear Lord, You have conquered. You are reigning. You are ruling. You are magnificent. You are holy. You are able. You are worthy of all my attention and affection. I give You all that I am – all my mind, all my body, all my affections, all my attention. You are Savior and You are still saving me, daily. I thank You for this. I praise You for Your help. I ask You to keep me in the light as You are in the light. I ask You to keep me from evil and temptation. I ask You to flood me with the fullness of knowledge of You. Thank You! You are the One True God. Worthy is Your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How does the enemy try to veer you into dark places sometimes? How can you choose to stay in the light? What scripture can you cling onto and ponder to stay your mind in His light?
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© 2022 by Kelly Balarie. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Thursday, 15 December 2022.
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