#8 Walking in the Light

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Note the word "truth."  It is God's will we order our conduct in the way of truth.  The word "truth" means what is really "real."  When a person watches a movie, he does not see reality.  But some individuals can watch a frightening movie and be terrified.  We can see unreal things and believe something real that causes us to emotionally react.  

In the realm of the world, not everything is real and true.  Satan projects lies through this material world.  He manipulates what we see and feel to believe what he wants us to believe.  And it is easy to wander, to become deceived, and to believe what is a lie is truth.

Consider culture, politics, music, entertainment.  People honestly believe what they believe which opposes Truth.  Few people become persuaded of truth because Satan has so masterfully deceived their minds.

Truth is Reality of what God sees.  We may see tragedy, suffering, hopelessness, even religion one way, but God sees all things different from the ways of man.  In the Bible, God declares that our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts."  Truth is only available to those who walk in the Light.

 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 cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6 -7 

Henry Alford, theologian and scholar writes, that God's Light is, "the entity of the very atmosphere of Life."  

Light is an entity.  Light is more reality than what we see and feel with our body and soul.  

God's Light is an atmosphere we breathe, we walk about in.  We may not consciously sense it all the time, but is always present.  

It is the atmosphere of all fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Light is peace, joy, love, self-control, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. Light is God's nature.  Light is God, Himself.  Light is not a separate part from Himself.  Light is the mind, heart, and will of God sent forth to us in each moment of experience to guide us how to respond to them; thereby expressing God, Himself to the environment of people and things.

Basically, the Light of God reveals God's life,    God's life is difficult to explain beyond what the Bible tells us.  It is more experiential than doctrinal.  I can tell you what that means from the Bible.  But God's life can only be seen and understood as the Holy Spirit shines that Light upon God and His life.  As you see; God, Light, Life are all one.  God is each.  God is all.  To say you have God but do not experience Life, you have not God.  If you never have Light, you do not have God and you do not have Life.

John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

The Light says, "this is how you shall live, 

this is how you shall behave, 

this is how you shall speak, 

this is the spirit of your speech, 

this is how you shall dress, 

this is the response to someone, 

this is how to express your kindness and goodness that exalts Christ,  

this is how I want you to tell the truth, 

this is how I want you to treat that person, 

this is how you shall use your body--because you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. etc. 

1 Cor 3:16

In other words, if we hide no sins and we are yielded to God with a clear conscience then we are without a doubt, "walking in the Light."  Though we walk in a dark world and come to see dark things, we can see more reality of what lies behind everything; God's Light on it, and how we are to respond to it.  As we increase our obedience to the Light, we also increase our experience of Life.  We have eternal life, but it is meant to grow within us with abounding fruit.  Life needs Light; just as a plant needs sunshine to grow and bear fruit.

SATAN ATTEMPTS TO DIM OUR LIGHT

Granted there are moments when Satan catches us quickly and we do not consciously look to the Light--because it is always there--we become deceived and may sin.  So, sometimes, the Light of God, though as present and every strong it may be, becomes a target for Satan to dim by the darkness of lies, distortions, and allurements.

Scripture strongly encourages believers to walk in this world with a strong conscious focus to be cautious, discerning, and flee all appearances of evil that would identify us with evil or seduce us beyond our ability to resist.

Next lesson, "Walking in the Light Part 2"