“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he . . .” Proverbs 23:7
Life comes down to what you believe. You’ve heard me say it before, “Just because you believe it, it doesn’t make it true.” You’ve also heard me say, “What you believe is YOUR reality.”
Is it possible to know the truth about Jesus and still walk in darkness? What does it mean to walk in darkness? Where does deception fit in?
If only we could look beyond our brothers and sisters in Christ and others that we know, pull back the curtain for a moment, and see the truth – the real battle that is going on around us. It’s a battle for our hearts, minds, and souls.
When trying to determine if you are unwittingly walking in darkness, you need to have a clear understanding of what that can look like (part 1), how we often respond to it (part2), and the very real consequences in our lives (part 3).
Understanding What It Means to Walk in Darkness –
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13
We fight against Satan or a devil. We tend to reference all of our attacks as being from Satan, but he does have an army. Quite often, we tend to credit that army way more than we should.
We really need to remember that our battles with a person are not really with that person – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” Instead, that person is simply a tool that Satan (or a devil) is using to get at us. Sometimes that person is a willing tool, but sometimes I think he or she doesn’t have a clue. Hold that thought.
We get used too!
Ultimately and unfortunately, most of our battles are with our own spiritual shortcomings – lust for a variety of things, fear, deception, and other sins. Sometimes we are deceived because we are oblivious to what is really happening. Sometimes, we tell ourselves lies, and sometimes we are afraid.
We read that we are to take with us the whole armor of God. Let us take another look at the armor.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:14-18
If any of the armor is missing, WE’RE DONE. If we have salvation, we’ll get to heaven, but the quality of our temporal life will degrade without the rest.
If you are missing truth, righteousness, faith, etc. you are going to struggle. Consider how many Christians live defeated. When faith fails, fear enters our world. We can become controlled by our fear or faithlessness.
Side note: Fear – faithlessness – is a sin because we believe our fears more than we believe God.
One of the biggest degraders of our faith is our own rejection of the truth in favor of believing lies. – And we often do this without even realizing it.
What you believe about the world, about God, about your friends and family, about your job, etc… is YOUR reality, even if it isn’t true. Is your reality wrapped up in the darkness of lies and fear? Remember, Proverbs 23:7. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he . . .”
When others sow lies and misconceptions into our life, or when we tell ourselves lies by jumping to incorrect assumptions, we are blind to the truth. When we take our eyes off Jesus, we can lose our way in this world. We’ll miss what God has for us on this side of eternity.
LIFE APPLICATION
Where are you walking today? You may think overall you are doing pretty well, but it’s easier than you think to deny the truth, believe a lie, or have a lack of faith. When we do this, we are not walking as children of the light. We are walking in darkness.
Pray asking God to show you if any of these things are present in your life. Challenge the beliefs that you have about yourself and about others. Be open to God showing you where you have a false belief or fear. Make a prayerful effort to really take a close look. Then, believe the truth that God shows you.