THE LIGHT AND THE DARKNESS; THE TRUTH AND THE POWER OF THE LIE

 

How is sin able to take control of our lives? It operates unfettered in the darkness of self-deception. Breaking its dominion is like turning on the lights to expose scammers who have sought to defraud us.

 

However, when the scammer is my own sin defrauding me, we refuse to see it and close the lights, preferring to stumble in our darkened dungeon, hating the One who promises to set us free.

 

Jesus promised freedom:

 

·       “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2)

 

At first, the synagogue at Nazareth embraced His words of hope, convinced that already they were the children of the light—the truth—and that Jesus was only referring to the hated Gentiles. However once Jesus applied these words to them, they tried to kill Him.

 

This is the power of the darkness! Those dominated by the darkness cannot tolerate the light—anything that might threaten their self-righteous self-delusions (positive affirmations). They cannot endure any criticism:

 

·       All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. (Proverbs 16:2)

 

Our Lord turns-on the light-switch. No wonder He is hated, even to the point of murder— whatever is required to turn off the light!

 

Satan is the friend of the darkness and our many forms of self-righteousness, which convince us that we are okay, even superior to others. He even dominates the lives of the vast majority:

 

·       We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:18-20)

 

But we too sin! Are we any different? Jesus reassured us that, even in our broken state, we are different. We hate the darkness and love the light:

 

·       “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:3-6)

 

I too am humbled by my sins, but they serve as a vehicle to bring me to the One who forgives and washes me clean of my sins and loves me despite them.