My daughter recently worked on cleaning and organizing her room. While she worked, she set some things in the hallway until she decided what to do with them. Later that evening, as I headed to bed, I turned out all the lights, and started down our hallway. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter had left a box in the hallway which I stumbled upon in the dark. Thankfully, one of the many bookshelves in our apartment stopped me from falling.
Since I know my way around our apartment, I often turn out the lights on my way to bed and walk in the dark to the bathroom where I turn on a light. I know my way, I know what to expect, and normally, I don’t encounter any problems. However, this time, there was something in the dark that I was not expecting. This unexpected encounter could have been avoided if I would have had a light on which would have enabled me to see and avoid it.
I thought I had everything under control. I thought I knew the path and needed no light to guide me. I was wrong. I didn’t know what was lying in my path, waiting to make me stumble. That’s why I needed the light; it would have revealed the danger ahead! If I had left a light on, I would have seen what was lying ahead and known how to avoid it. Light does that, my friends; it reveals the dangers that lie hidden in the dark. It lights the way and shows us the safest path.
In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Just like I needed a light to guide me and help me avoid the danger in the dark hallway, I need a Light to safely guide me through this dark world. I need Jesus to guide me and help me to navigate my path through this ever-darkening world. I need Him to help me see what I need to avoid; I need Him to reveal the dangers in my path.
We live in a world that is being ruled by feelings and emotions. We live in a world where deception is growing stronger by the day. We must carefully guard against falling prey to the lies and deception that are running rampant in our culture. I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you; you see the same things that I am seeing. However, I cannot stress enough how important it is that we recognize it for what it is. We are being bombarded with deception, friends.
Therefore, it is imperative that we have a Light to guide us through the darkness. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned us of the dangerous level of deception that would occur in the last days. I believe we are seeing this happening right now. This is why I feel so compelled to remind us how important it is to “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). As I was recently reminded, just because I think I know the path doesn’t mean that I should try to walk it on my own.
Assuming that I know the path, that I “know what I am doing” and don’t need any guidance can be quite dangerous. I need to make certain I am not trying to walk in the darkness based on what I think I know. I need to make absolutely certain that I am walking in His light guided by Him. I need the light to make my path known. I need the light to illuminate what lies hidden in the dark. I need the light to reveal what I cannot see on my own.
Where can I find this light? How can I make certain that I am walking in the light? The answer is found in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” His Word is the light that illuminates the darkness and reveals truth. His Word is where we find guidance that will guard us and help us recognize deception. The Word of God holds the power to shine a light that will pierce the darkness we are battling, my friend.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16. His Word is so important because it teaches us what is true, helps us to see what is wrong and sinful, and trains us to live righteously. I believe that we are at a point where it is extremely important that we are daily reading and studying His Word.
Dear heart, we do not want to find ourselves stumbling in the dark, grasping for something to keep us from falling. We want to walk in the light so that we can avoid the stumbling blocks the enemy puts in our path in hopes of causing us to fall. If you want to keep from stumbling in the dark, make certain you have a light to show you the way. This is why we must be in His Word. We have to know His Word so that we can avoid being deceived by the prince of darkness.
His Word is our Guide. His Word is the Rock we can stand on. Beloved, we cannot underestimate the importance of guarding against the deception that is sweeping across this world at an alarming rate. The only way to guard against deception is to be absolutely grounded in Truth. Are you, my friend? Are you intentionally grounding yourself in Truth? Are you daily in His Word? Are you making certain that you are walking in the light of His Word and allowing it to guide you?
This is the only way to avoid stumbling; it is the only way to avoid falling prey to deception. My daughter and I enjoy watching a woman who is incredibly skilled at making hyper realistic cakes. She makes cakes that look so much like the real thing that it is incredibly hard to tell the difference. She can make cake look like anything from a potato to a tennis shoe and you struggle to tell the difference. She is a master at what she does, my friend.
You see, that’s what makes an illusion so good. It is hard to tell the difference between it and the real thing. Make no mistake, the enemy of your soul is a master at what he does. He is called the Deceiver (Rev. 12:9) for a reason. That is one of the great dangers we are facing, my friend. The enemy doesn’t make the deception obvious. He makes it look like the “real thing” so that people won’t be as likely to spot the difference.
The first words spoken by the enemy recorded in Genesis 3:1 was “Did God really say”. It was his first tactic, and it remains his favorite. He loves to question the Word of God. He loves to cause confusion about what God has said. This is why we must know the Word of God. Few of us will ever actually face satan himself, but we are at war with his legion of fallen angels. In Matthew four, Jesus showed us how to defeat the enemy and it starts with three words. “It is written.”
Three times satan tempted Jesus, three times He responded by quoting the Word of God at the enemy. Dear heart, how much ammunition do you have stored up? How much Scripture would you be able to use to defend yourself against the enemy? In Ephesians 6, Paul explained how the believer can arm themselves to stand against the enemy. One of the pieces of armor we are told to take up is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Beloved, it is dark out there and it is only going to get darker. I must do my part and warn you of this truth. However, you are not powerless! You have the Light of the World with you. You have His Word to light your path. You have His Word to use as your weapon to overcome and defeat the enemy. He has given you everything you need to stand, beloved, and He promises to help you do just that. It is up to you to look to Him for the help you need. Don’t try to walk in the dark alone!
Look to Him for the help and guidance you need. Trust Him to guide you. He is able! Be alert; stay watchful. Get in His Word like never before, my friend. Hold tightly to His Word and let it guide you. Seek His face and ask Him to give you the discernment you need. “Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen” Jude 1:24-25.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14!
Katrina Douglas
2/26/2024
