Walking in the Light

Monday - September 13th

Scripture to Read Today: 1 John 1:5-7

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And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13 (NLT)

The other night as I walked back to bed after a trip to the bathroom, I stubbed my little toe on my right foot. My specificity as to which toe is meant to convey how noticeable and painful that experience was. You know the experience. You make a routine trip to an everyday place, but you make one fateful and painful step because you are walking in the dark. Any of us could make the same trip in the light, and we might never stub our toes. But, when we walk around in the darkness, we raise the level of risk and danger.

While darkness poses a physical danger, it also presents a significant threat and risk for us spiritually. Several verses in the Bible describe darkness as the realm outside God's will and known as sin. The Apostle John makes it clear to us, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him, there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In the following several verses, He teaches us that no one who knows Jesus as Savior can comfortably walk around in the darkness.

Instead, when they step into the darkness, those who know Christ will confess their sin and get back to walking around in the light. Walking free of conviction in the darkness demonstrates you may not know Jesus at all. But, when you have Christ as your savior, you will agree with God that you have stepped into the realm of sin. You will, at some point, return to walking in the light after Jesus continues to provide you cleansing and forgiveness.

Our heart's desire should be to keep walking in the light. That is where we experience our most profound fellowship with the Lord. It is no wonder that Jesus would say that part of our pattern of prayer, as given by Him in the Lord's Prayer, is to seek protection from falling to temptation and from being damaged by the attack of Satan. The New Living Translation (NLT) translates Jesus' words in Matthew 6:13, "Don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one." We need to seek God's convicting work when temptation becomes so overwhelming.

We need to ask God to remind us of the dangers of the dark and remind us of the joy of continuing to walk with Him in the light. We also need to pray that He keeps us from being tripped up by the evil one - Satan. As we pray and make these requests daily, we will make ourselves constantly aware of the dangers of the darkness. Praying about our temptations and the attacks of Satan will open our hearts to the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin and convincing us of what is right.

As you pray the next few days, let the phrases about temptation and the evil one in the Lord's prayer stir your awareness of the dangers of the darkness. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you even if you dip just a little toe into the darkness. Also, ask Him to convince you that walking in the light is the right and rewarding thing.

As we walk in the light, we experience our most meaningful fellowship with Jesus!