The only time I wanted to be in the dark was to sleep or if I had a migraine. Otherwise, I have always loved the light. I love a bright room, a brilliantly sunny day, and the blinding wintery snow. I can only imagine what Glory we shall see in Heaven.
I want to be able to see everything and to be a part of my surroundings, for which I am grateful! And when it is dark outside – I am ready to wind down, relax and prepare for a good night’s sleep so that I will wake up early.
In my youth, there were times I did things at night – going to the movies with friends, school dances, and sleepovers. I don’t have to tell you that I participated in something that I shouldn’t have – it is typical for teenagers to test their boundaries. They want a taste of the world and to see what is so great that their friends are doing, but I love seeing young people involved with church youth groups, camps, and mission trips. They are learning early to be “set apart” from the world. I didn’t get those opportunities as a young person of faith, so I had a lot to figure out. Usually, anything friends asked me to do at night would lead to sneaking off. They used movies or sleepovers as a front. I was convicted whenever I let my peers influence my decisions. I didn’t particularly appreciate sneaking or the shame of getting caught.
When we become adults, we don’t have to sneak – we are “allowed” to do what we want and make our own decisions. But being allowed to do something doesn’t mean we should. As Christians, we aim to please God. We know right from wrong, yet there are so many “shaded areas” we can allow in our lives that take us away from the light. I have loved the Lord all my life and was saved before I was a teenager, so I sought to please the Lord. When I messed up, I dealt with shame, guilt, and conviction as my sin was exposed. I became less afraid of the light because I wanted the Lord to show me when I was wrong. I learned hard lessons but was grateful for them.
I watched a documentary about Christian men who look at things they shouldn’t see on the internet – I don’t even want to write the word, but you know what I am talking about. It may start as a curiosity or even dabbling in a once-and-while flesh-seeking pleasure that only they know about – but God knows too. We can be sure that God WILL expose our sin. If we are in Him – He will not tolerate us stepping into darkness. It can become addictive and hard to move away from, but when a man (or woman) with this problem confesses and walks in the light, the power of evil is broken!
Those gray areas people try to justify might be like conducting business with little shadiness. They will not want to walk in the light – because they don’t want to be exposed. If they are Christian – God will convict them, and their response is crucial. If they don’t change their business practices, God will shake things up – believe it.
What about drinking? Smoking? Abusing prescription drugs? Are these considered sins? This is left up to us to decide, but in doing so, we must ask God to search our hearts. As long as it isn’t “getting drunk” or “illegal drugs,” people sometimes justify something that may not please the Lord if the world is okay with it. I do not think it is ‘wrong’ to drink – we see in scripture that it was not a sin, and I don’t judge my friends who drink. But “how” and “why” someone drinks is when it can lead to sin. For me – a lightweight who doesn’t like the feeling of being loopy; I don’t live a lifestyle where drinking is a regular occurrence. My husband and I have celebrated with Champagne, a cold beer with lunch on a hot day, or wine with a special occasion dinner – but it’s rare, and we stop at one. There was a time in our lives when we drank more – but we didn’t like where our hearts were. We didn’t feel we were pleasing God or at our best. When I go into Walgreens to get an over-the-counter cold medicine, I feel like a criminal because people who have abused it have made it hard on everyone who uses it as intended. The medicine itself isn’t where the sin lies – it’s the person’s reason for using it and what they do with it.
After years of growing, learning, and becoming wiser, it became much easier for me to walk in the light. I had learned not to allow “little sins” or shaded areas to pull me in. We know that as soon as we step out of God’s will, there will be a domino effect. One lie leads to another, and any sin we pet keeps us from walking in the light. With the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, He shines the light on darkness, exposing any area we need to confess. We are called to walk in the light.
Christian, we are called to walk in the light. When we walk in the light, our hearts are not afraid because we walk in God’s will for us – we know His voice and listen to His guidance. The light is good, and we have nothing to hide. When we pet a sin, coddle it, keep it hidden, and don’t let it go, we cannot walk in the light. If you have a sin you haven’t given up or a shaded area you don’t call sin – let it go. Release evil’s power over your life and sink into the freedom Jesus gives by walking in the light. Wouldn’t we rather walk in the light seeking to please the Lord than have to hide a particular area of our lives and walk in fear of being found out? And if we have given our lives to the Lord – we are HIS, and He WILL expose sin in our lives. Keeping it hidden is only temporary because God will remove it from your life, even if it means shaking things up. He wants the whole of us – not just part of us. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask God to help us walk in the light and to expose any sin we are or aren’t aware of that displeases Him.
Walk in the Light, as He is in the Light.