Have you been living in darkness? A life of darkness is always filled with unending trouble, deep loneliness, sadness, frustrations, temptations, sin and wasting your life away in the company of the wrong people as time passes in this screwed-up world we all live in. Darkness is a tool of Satan who also uses religion, unbelief, idolatry, poverty, wickedness, corruption, war, terrorism, and homosexuality to name some, all meant to separate people away from God.
I know exactly what living in darkness is like. My old life was composed of a meaningless period of religion which was so full of bondage, arrogance, idols, traditions, rituals and the influence of a very corrupted religious hierarchy (note: headquarters in Rome, Italy). After religion, unbelief came into my life and still no positive changes happened. I was still living in darkness.
The turning point in my life happened in early 2018 when my dearest friend in life invited me to a church where she and her family were part of. It was a night-time, spirit-filled seminar that I attended and the first time I witnessed the pastor teach the Word of God, I started to not only get enlightened but also started to see light shining through the darkness that dragged me for so long. It was God’s calling for me!
Over a month later, I got born again and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and received the Holy Spirit in my heart. The darkness has ended! My new life as a faithful Christian since started and the Lord blessed me, lifted me up and continues to guide me and lead me until now. Truly Jesus is the light of the world and there is no denying that. Behold the powerful words of Jesus in these translations of John 8:12 in the Holy Bible.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said, “I am light to the world and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.”
John 8:12 (TPT)
Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”
John 8:12 (MSG)
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
John 8:12 (NLT)
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 (NASB)
I do confirm that Lord Jesus is truly the light of the world. I progressed forward a lot in many ways since I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. I follow the Holy Bible a lot more and kept feeding me with the Word of God. I joined a local church and found my place in the Spiritual Family (God’s Family). I pray in tongues regularly and always kept coming back to the Holy Bible for the Lord’s guiding light! I got rid of the poison of religion and unbelief, and now am led by faith and I now have a personal relationship with God. As such, I preach the Word of God and do my best to help Him save the many lost and unsaved souls around.
Going back to the holy scripture of John 8:12, Lord Jesus presupposed that the world is in darkness apart from Him. Without Jesus, the already screwed-up world we live in would have been much worse and it would have been filled with a lot more sinners, lost souls and unsaved souls living in flesh. That being said, Jesus is everyone’s hope and His light will overwhelm the darkness when the sinners, the lost and unsaved submit to Him and get born again.
Jesus is truly the light of the world and in Him is the light of life! His light brings sight to both the spiritually and physically blind. With His light realized, you can join Jesus on the same path He is taking! Why go for darkness when Jesus showed the light and the way to God’s kingdom? Behold the light of Lord Jesus!
To put things in perspective, the believers of Lord Jesus and the children of God are citizen’s of God’s kingdom. Kingdom citizens – we the faithful Christians who got born again – have responsibilities and must immediately follow the Lord’s directions and commands. We have missions to spread God’s Word around no matter how difficult and how dark the world is. Learn from the scripture below which contains the words of Lord Jesus…
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV)
In Matthew 5:13-16, the essential character of kingdom citizens has been emphasized, and the metaphors of salt and light indicate the citizens’ influence for good as they penetrate societies that have been secularized. Secularism, no matter what its defenders and promoters say, is morally bankrupt, worldly and definitely unholy. Christians living in such societies must always maintain unwavering faith in the Lord, keep on following His commands and live responsibly to bring glory to God. That being said, we who are God’s children and believers of Lord Jesus led by faith must keep on persevering to bring light to the dark world, spread His Word, spread faith and help God establish holiness on the world as it is in Heaven. Lord Jesus is in Heaven and in our hearts, and knowing that we must spread His light around and make the world shine, overwhelming the darkness and defeating Satan. We do the good works in serving God who made plans for each and every soul since before the beginning of time!
Going back to getting born again which is essential (heed the words of Lord Jesus in John 3:3), the light of the Lord is undeniably true. Learn from the following scriptures below which are clearly connected to each other.
For you were once darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
Ephesians 5:8 (NKJV)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3 (NKJV)
But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.
1 Peter 2:9 (TPT)
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (NKJV)
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
John 12:46 (NKJV)
As seen in the above scriptures, the Lord loves people so much He comes to save them, bless them and put light into their lives and free them from darkness once they get born again and submit themselves to Him. Faith, not religion, is essential. Worshiping the Lord directly and specifically is essential, while the worship of idols is unholy and should not be done. Below is one last scripture for this bible lesson.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 4:6 (NKJV)
From this point on, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. Are you frustrated with religion? Have you been living in bondage for too long? Did the atheists and secularists fool and abused you? Were you victimized by a religious fanatic? Have you been living as a homosexual? You spent an entire life worshiping statues, statuettes, paintings and relics? Are you an anarchist, a toxic person or one of those modern-day Leftist activists? Are you addicted to something for so long? All of that darkness can end! How? You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly and realize He is the Light! No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. For those who have decided to get born again now and gain salvation, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from a pastor.
Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:
Father God,
I thank You. I believe Jesus is Your Son. I believe that He died for me and redeemed me from all of my sins. He took my sins and, Father, thank You for loving me and You demonstrated Your love for me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Forgive me for all of my sins. Jesus, I open my heart to You. I welcome You to enter into my heart. I confess today that You are now my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiveness. I receive forgiveness. Thank You for Your blood that cleansed me from all of my sins. I will follow You, Jesus. Thank You for Your plan. I receive the Holy Spirit. And Holy Spirit, help me to follow the will of God in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. Remember that idolatry is evil, Purgatory is a lie, penance is a deception and Satan always used religion and unbelief to prevent people from being saved by the Lord.
With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward and the best is yet to come! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).
With your new life realized, make an effort to get yourself copy of the Holy Bible (start with New King James Version), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a local Christian church near you and find your place in the spiritual family. Be planted when the Lord shows you the way! Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God. When you are at home, be in your room with the door shut and have fellowship with our Heavenly Father. On a personal level, practice Christian Habits here and there. Remember the truth that God rewards the faithful abundantly and continue to be people of the Word.
The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close to it for it is the Word of God. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future. His return is what we must always remember and keep living with holiness under the watch of God. Living as a Christian is always about the personal relationship with the Lord, and it is certainly not about religion.
In ending this, here are some videos of Christian worship music for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.
If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Author Carlo Carrasco 