WALK IN LIGHT
Christians do not hide in the shadows hiding their sins.
We live in the light for all to see that we are a different person.
Those of the world are in the darkness thinking that they can hide
their sins.
The light is for the righteous, (Christians).
Ephesians 5:8 says; For you were once darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light.
This verse is simply telling that if you don't have Jesus in your heart
you are living in darkness.
Working for the enemy.
When we have Jesus in our hearts we are of the light.
The light represents righteousness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 says; You are all sons of light and sons of the
day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Paul is encouraging them to continue to walk in the light.
They could also encourage nonbelievers by the fact that Jesus is
coming back even though no one but the Father knows the exact
time or day.
Ephesians 5:9 says; (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth).
When Paul talks about the fruits of the spirit he means how we live
our lives.
Your heart and what you have in it effects your spirit.
If you have unforgiveness, anger, and hate in your heart that is what
will penetrate your spirit.
God's Spirit can't live in you if that is what is in your heart and spirit.
But when you invite Jesus into your heart His love for you will fill your
heart.
You will come out of the darkness and into the light.
Your spirit will shine like a search light and your spirit will soar with
joy.
The moment you ask Jesus into your heart the Spirit of God joins your
spirit and you are set free and the light of righteousness will shine
through you.
Praise the Lord!!!
God is so good to us.
Praise Him daily for all things, even when there is a storm raging
around you.
For God's Spirit is within you and He will keep you close to Himself
while the storm rages around you.
The storm may be in darkness but you are in the light.
Galatians 5:22 says; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
There could be 2 versions of what this verse means.
It could be talking about what the Holy Spirit brings out of us since we
are in the light of righteousness.
But also it coul mean the works we do to serve the Lord.
Since we still have free will we could be out of God's will and not be
doing any of these things.
In which case we have to get back in God's will for the Holy Spirit to
work through us.
If we are working in a sin like unforgivness the Holy Spirit can't work in
us.
That is why we need to know the Word of God so we don't fall into a
sin that we don't even realize we are doing.
Seek the truth and God's Spirit will work in you.
Ephesians 5:10 says; Finding our what is acceptable to the Lord.
Paul is telling us we have to find what is and isn't acceptable in the
Lord.
There are 2 ways to do this.
One is to go to the Lord in prayer.
God will answer you.
But the other way is through the Bible.
The verses will speak to you and God will show you the truth.
If you go to God and tell Him you don't understand He will find a way
to show you.
I have had questions and the Lord showed me through a sermon.
If you want to know God will show you.
You can also go to a brother or sister and ask them what you want to
know.
Romans 12:1-2 says; I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renew-
ing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.
First when Paul says we should give our bodies as a sacrifice means
we should worship only Him.
That we should serve and obey God.
Then we should not be conformed to the ways of the world.
Instead we should transform (a new) to the will of God.
To walk in His ways.
Take off the clothes you wear of the world, sin, and change into
Gods will, righteousness.
Ephesians 5:11 says; And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather expose them.
This verse is explaining that the things you did before you accepted
Christ should be in the past.
Don't look back because if you were tempted by what ever you did
you might fall away from God.
The sins are in your past and have been forgiven.
What you did in darkness leave it in the darkness.
Your friends in your past go to them and witness to them.
Expose the sins and try to bring them into the light but if they don't
listen walk away.
Do not fellowship with them, because they may try to pull you back
into the darkness.
Continue to pray for them.
Fellowship with other Christians so you will grow in the Lord.
Then you will be working and serving the Lord in the light of righteous-
ness.
2 Corinthians 6:14 says; Do not be unequally yoked together with
unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawless-
ness? And what communion has light with darkness?
Paul is talking about fellowship with friends that are unbelievers.
That also applies to a husband or wife.
My first husband isn't a believer and neither was I when we got mar-
ried.
When I gave my heart to the Lord it made things really bad.
Anyway to make a long story short I was dragged back into darkness.
At first I fought it but before I knew it I was a willing prisoner.
When the Lord brought me out of the bondage, I was in, I didn't look
back.
When you look back it is a bad thing.
Keep your eyes on the Lord.
Make more friends that share your faith.
Pray for the ones that were left in the darkness.
I remarried and my husband and I pray for my ex for salvation.
Ephesians 5:12 says; For it is shameful even to speak of those
things which are done by them in secret.
Those that are of the world will plan and hide in the darkness to com-
mit a sin.
Also what we did before when we were in the darkness should not be
spoken of for that is the past.
The only time I speak of the thing of the past is when I'm witnessing
to someone.
My testimony is on my website but that was only to show if God can
forgive me He will forgive anyone.
Paul is also talking about sins that we, Christians, can find ourselves
taking part in, like gossiping or out and out lying about someone.
But that applies to all sins.
Our standards of living has raised up to God's standards when we ask-
ed Jesus into our hearts.
Romans 1:24 says; Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
in the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among them-
selves.
God allowes those who won't listen, to go deeper into sin to prove to
them how wicked sin is.
He lets them hit rock bottom so they might be receptive to the truth
when there is no where to go but up.
That they would see the need in their lives for God.
My son would not believe that somethings could be hot.
Until one day the thing happened, I hoped wouldn't, he got burned.
Not bad but his eyes got big and welled up with tears, came running
to me and said mommy said hot.
He knew he had been warned.
My heart went out to him, put ice on his fingers and held him close to
me.
You know our Heavenly Father wants to do the same for His lost
children and those who have turned away from Him.
Ephesians 5:13 says; But all things that are exposed are made mani-
fest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
God gave us understanding of His ways.
When we asked Jesus into our hearts we are in the light.
For it is written Jesus is the way, the light, and the truth.
Manifest means: easily understood or recognized by the mind.
Also to make evident or certain by showing or displaying.
John 3:20-21 says; For everyone practicing evil hates the light and
does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But
he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be
clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
There are people who give all kinds of excuses as to why they won't
believe in God.
Bit it is just that excuses.
Their hearts have hardened and they have their own opinion that
they know better than God and they don't feel like they need God.
Those who are in light because they believe there is a God.
They receive the gospel of Christ Jesus as the truth.
They will seek the will of God and serve Him with a glad heart.
Ephesians 5:14 says; Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
There are 2 meanings to this verse.
The first one the Lord gave me I second guessed and took out of the
lesson.
I slept on it and it bothered me that I had taken it out.
So I talked to the Pastor and she said you should not have taken it
out because depending on where you are in your walk with the
Lord it could very well be referring to the first reason I had put
down.
So here we go.
When Paul speaks of those who are sleeping it could be the ones that
will not receive the gospel of Christ.
When he speaks about awaking and rising from the dead he is talking
about the ones that are dead in their sins.
Then Paul tells them that Christ will give you light and you will no
longer be dead in your sins and in the darkness but He will give
you light and you will be in the light of righteousness.
Isaiah 26:19 says; Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body
they shall arise Awake and sing you who dwell in dust; For your
dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead
This is a verse Paul could have been referring to.
There are 2 verses in Isaiah that refer to this lesson.
This is the first verse but Paul did not quote it that is why I think that
depending where you are in your walk will enlighten you.
Paul didn't quote the verse just reminding them of Gods promise to
those who, are not of the world, walk in the light until their spirits
were called home.
Isaiah 60:1 says; Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the
glory of the Lord is sisen upon you.
This verse is about Zion.
When it says your light has come, they are referring to the return of
Jesus Christ.
Because they are God's chosen people it is both recipient of God's
light and the reflector of the light.
The scriptures I used for this lesson are: Ephesians 5:8-14,
1 Thessalonians 5:5, Galatians 5:22, Romans 12:1-2, 1:24,
1 Corinthians 6:14, John 3:20-21, Isaiah 26:19, 60:1.
Once again I am hoping and praying that you will read these scripture.
Get the word in you and transform your mind as to one with God.
Much understanding comes with reading the word.
It will leave you in awe knowing how much God has done for you.
My prayer is that who ever reads this lesson, the Lord gave me, will
find it easier to understand these particular verses I used in the
lesson. All of these lessons will make great witnessing tools. They
can also help a young Christian to understand what our God is
capable of doing and the power of His words.
God bless you and your family, may the Lord keep you close to Him.
PRAISE GOD OUR FATHER, JESUS OUR SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THAT LIVES WITHIN ALLL CHRISTIANS.
