"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
God is almighty. He is the Creator who created the universe and all things, and He governs over the life, death, fortune, and misfortunes of mankind. He can solve any problem that you might have, and He has the power to answer any prayer you offer up. He can heal incurable diseases, and He can solve any kind of problems.
But to experience such power of God, you first have to meet God. Not just receiving blessings or solutions to problems of this earth, but receiving salvation and gaining eternal life is possible only by meeting God.
So, what do we have to do in order to meet God and experience His power?
1. To meet God who is Light
1 John 1:5 says that God is Light. He is perfect light that has no darkness at all. Because God is Light and dwells in Light, for us to meet and experience God, we have to come into the Light. If we walk in the darkness, we cannot say, "God, I want to meet You. Please meet me here." What does this light and darkness spiritually refer to?
A person cannot say, "God I want to meet You. Please meet me here," while walking in the darkness. What does this light and darkness spiritually refer to?
The Light is the Word of God itself in the 66 books of the Bible and 'to walk in the Light' is to obey the Word of God in our lives. On the other hand, darkness is all the sins, evil, unrighteousness, and lawlessness.
More specifically, in the Bible there are commands that tell us to do, not do, keep, and cast away certain things. There are such commandments as 'Do not murder', 'Do not commit adultery', and 'Do not worship idols'. God also tells us of the things that we have to cast away such as hatred, lust, envy, jealousy, pride, ill-feelings, anger, craftiness, greed, etc.
There are commands that tell us to do something, such as to love each other, pray, and have peace, and also the things that we have to keep like, 'Keep the Sabbath'. If we violate such words, it is to walk in the darkness, and if we obey such words, it is to walk in the Light. Therefore, if we reflect upon ourselves with the Bible, we can easily discern whether we are walking in the Light or darkness.
Now, if we harbor hard or ill feelings because of words or actions of others, and if we talk about others' faults with others, is it Light or darkness? Suppose we tried hard but we lost enthusiasm because we are not recognized, is it Light or darkness?
Then, if we discern between the Light and darkness in terms of knowledge, is it the Light? No, it's not. Why? It is because if we know the truth but do not practice it, it means we are still in darkness. To practice the truth and not just to know it as facts and knowledge is to 'walk in the Light.' This is also the way we can meet and experience God.
2. To have fellowship with God who is Light
Those who walk in the Light belong to God, and God exercises control over their lives. On the contrary, it is the enemy devil and Satan that have the authority over darkness. Satan has control over those who walk in the darkness. Among those who go to church, many of them have not come into the Light, but they continue to walk in the darkness. Such people are still under the control of the enemy devil and Satan. With their lips they call God 'Father', but they do not actually have fellowship with God, and they cannot receive any help from Him.
1 John 1:6 also says, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." The verse 7 also says, "...but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another…" Once we come to church and accept the Lord, we must depart from sins and evil. We have fellowship with God only when we depart from darkness and come out of the darkness into the Light.
Do you have fellowship with God? You can be confident to the same extent to which you walk in the Light. There are different levels of fellowship. If just one side knows the other, this cannot be considered to be 'fellowship'. It does not mean that you have fellowship with the president just because you know who the president of your country is. It can be said you have fellowship only when both parties know each other. Also, some people are just acquaintances and some people may occasionally say hello to each other. However there is a deeper fellowship in which you can trust and share everything with each other.
The same is true for our fellowship with God. We cannot just say that we believe, God has to also recognize our faith. Only when God says, "They obey My Word, and they are My children," can we then say that we have true fellowship with God. The evidence will follow those who have true fellowship with God. Diseases, disaster, misfortune and accidents will go away, and they will be protected in everything. They can receive answers to whatever they ask of God whenever they ask with faith. Whether they need health, social power, or wealth, it can be given to them to the extent of the fellowship.
They can experience what is recorded in 3 John 1:2, "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers," and in Mark 9:23, "All things are possible to him who believes." They also receive the blessings written in Deuteronomy 28, that they will be blessed whether they come in or go out, and they will lend but not borrow, and they will become the head and not the tail.
Of course, sometimes they might have to undergo persecutions for the Lord like the Apostles Paul and Peter. But even at those moments the signs and wonders always followed them. When they prayed for the souls in the name of Jesus Christ, the diseases left, evil spirits fled, and the darkness went away. In this way, for those who walk in the Light, the evidence that they have a fellowship with God always follows.
3. Blessings when walking in the Light
If you turn the light on in a dark room, the room immediately becomes bright. Before there was light, the room was filled with darkness, but as the light came, the darkness has to go away. The same goes for the spiritual realm. If you live by the truth and become the light, darkness will have to leave your life. Disasters, tests and trials, poverty, and diseases are all brought by Satan. Such things cannot approach those children of God who live in the Light.
Of course, lights have different brightness. There is the strong sunshine and the soft moonlight. Each star also has a different strength of its light's brightness. Spiritually, the stronger the light, the easier it is to drive away darkness. Also in this spiritual sense, our authority and power to drive away darkness will be different according to the strength of our light. Even though some people have extensive knowledge of the Word of God and higher positions in the church, if they still live in sins and walk in darkness, they still belong to forces of darkness, and thus they cannot drive away forces of darkness. Even though they command in the name of Jesus Christ, the enemy devil and Satan will not even flinch.
On the other hand, even those who once lived in tests and trials because they did not know the truth, once they accept the Lord and come out to the Light, the situations change. To the extent that they cast away darkness and live by the Word, disasters and misfortune leave them and blessings come upon them. Furthermore, the evil one does not touch those who act in the will of God (1 John 5:18).
Also, 1 John 3:21-22 says, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him..." As recorded, for those who do not commit sins but dwell in the truth completely, darkness cannot come near to them. The enemy devil and Satan will tremble with fear before the authority of the Light. As they are loved by God to the utmost degree, they receive whatever they ask and they reveal the glory of God.
I hope you will discern between Light and darkness in all things and walk in the Light and I pray in the name of the Lord that each of you will lead many people to the Lord by doing so.
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