The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him…to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name. He gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:9, 12 ESV
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined (Matthew 4:16). Jesus our Lord and Savior, is the true light who came into this world to save us from death, hell and the grave, to free us from sin and bondage and to reconcile our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
He knew His fate from the beginning, but He chose to come to endure the cross anyway, all because He loves us. Our King came into the world not born into a royal or rich family but in a sweet, humble and meek way. Jesus came to serve as an example of how we should walk in light.
When we repent of our sins, surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and become born again, His light and Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Ephesians 5:8-9 states that for though once your heart was full of darkness, now it is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! Because of this light within you, you should do only what is good and right and true and walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
In John 8:12 Jesus states, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Therefore, walking in light, is something Jesus requires from us to do on a daily basis.
As long as we are in Christ and walk in His truth we are children of the light and children of the day, we don’t belong to the night nor to darkness, this is why we must not fall asleep, as the rest do, but keep wide awake, stay alert and clearheaded by placing the breastplate of faith and love over our hearts, and a helmet of the hope of salvation over our thoughts (1 Thessalonians 5: 5-6, 8).
Depending on what we do and how we live our lives will determine if the light within us grows and shines bright or dims and becomes faint and dies. The brighter our light shines the closer in relationship and fellowship we are to God, the dimmer our light is or becomes is the further we become away from God.
John 3:19-21 reveals that the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but many people love the darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed but those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
Jesus said in John 9:5 that while He is in the world, He is the light of the world. Jesus’ light lives within us as believers and we are responsible for showing Jesus’ light to others through our words and deeds. They will know we are Christians by our love.
1 John 4: 7-12: God Is Love
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.
Our light through our love must shine through and pierce the darkness of the world, attracting others to us so that they may want what we have, that special light and when they come, we direct them to the one true light which is Jesus, through our testimony. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Ecclesiastes 2:13 tells us that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. Don’t ever be fearful in this dark world to shine your light because when your light shines in the darkness, the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). The LORD is our light and our salvation— whom shall we fear? The LORD is the stronghold of our lives— of whom shall we be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).
1 John 1: 5-10 shows us that God is pure light, there’s not a trace of darkness in Him and if we claim that we have fellowship with Him but keep walking in darkness we’re fooling ourselves and are not living in truth. But if we keep living in the pure light that surrounds Him, we share unbroken fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, continually cleanses us from all sin. The scripture continues to say that if we boast that we have no sin, we’re only deceiving ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we freely admit our sins when His light uncovers them, He will be faithful to forgive us every time because of Christ Jesus.
Jesus said in John 12: 35-36 that we must walk while we have the light within us, before darkness overtakes us and whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. He continues to say to believe in the light while we have the light, so that we may become children of light. Jesus here highlights that we are to believe in, walk and to grow in the light. If we don’t grow our light, our light will grow dim where darkness may very well overtake us. This also shows us the importance of daily fellowship with God especially in these end times.
According to 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan disguises himself as the angel of light. Be very weary, alert and conscious of his fake and counterfeit light that tries to convince people that what is evil is actually good and what is dark is actually light. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
Your bible will arm you against false doctrine and whatever rises up against the knowledge of God. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind which you can achieve through reading the word (Romans 12:2). Also, listen to the Holy Spirit who will guide you to all truth and stand firm in your faith.
All scripture is God- breathed, given by divine inspiration is used for instruction, conviction of sin, correction, training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Stay in His word, focus on His promises and don’t let the devil stray your attention away because His word is a lamp for your feet and a light on your path (Psalms 119:105).
Matthew 4:4 says that man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 6:11 talks about eating of your daily bread. Just as your physical body needs food to survive our spiritual man needs food as well to survive and live. The unfolding of His words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (Psalms 119:130). His word, His gospel is simple.
We as believers are God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). Let us align our words and deeds to this reality and live lives that are righteous and true, full of light and love.
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23). Let us live in God’s glory through our Lord Jesus Christ and if we develop our relationship with God and continuously fellowship with Him, His glory and light through Christ Jesus will light our way.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil (Proverbs 3:5-7) and the darkness of this world and walk in His wondrous light. Remember don’t be afraid, let your light shine!
How To Grow Your Light?
Reading our bibles, fellowship with other believers, thanking, praising and worshipping God, praying, speaking in tongues, showing love to one another, all these things glorify God, strengthens our spirit man and grows our light.
This is also a form of spiritual warfare. When your light shines so bright no demon nor any attack from hell can come near you to cause you any harm. In any relationship, in order for the relationship to grow you must spend time with the person. God is no different. We must spend undivided quality time with Him in order to strengthen our relationship with Him.
It’s incredibly important in these end times to know God’s word in order to better serve Him, know more about Him, guard ourselves against deception and fight against the enemy. Spending time with God on a daily basis, having a special undisturbed quiet time with Him would be the best decision you’ll ever make. Ready to make your light shine?
Here are some steps I’ve learnt: 1. Set an appointment with God at a certain time and value his voice 2. Quiet your mind and be still 3. Focusyour mind and sing; Give Him thanks, praise and worship; Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4). 4. Pray your mind (whatever is on your mind); prayer is the transference of a burden; pray whatever is on your heart and cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) Before you read your Bible Pray: “God as I read your holy Word help me to focus, read, understand and retain all that I’m about to read. Help me meditate, memorize and hide your Word in my heart forever, in Jesus name Amen” 5. Renew your mind by God’s Word and read your bible. Your bible is God’s absolute truth in a world of darkness and deception. 6. Be still, listen and write. Write what you think God is saying in the passages you read. When you read the bible, you are reading a spiritual book therefore if something jumps out at you when you read it it’s the Holy Spirit highlighting it to you for a reason, it’s Him talking to you. Afterwards you can also ask God what He wants you to learn from what you read and wait for a still small voice or knowing in your heart. He will answer you and you will learn more about Him and His word and you will develop a more intimate relationship with Him.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas, may Jesus’ light and love fill you, bless you and shine upon you and give you true joy and peace!
