STEP INTO THE LIGHT
"And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."
JOHN 3:19-21
"For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation."
1 THESSALONIANS 5:5-8
God calls us to live a life in the light. You are no longer a child of darkness. Through Jesus you are called out of the darkness and out of the works of darkness. So come into the light! You might ask yourself how exactly does this work. Most people are ashamed of their sins. They want to be considered good Christians and have a good reputation on the outside. That is why they refuse to reveal their inner darkness. But that is exactly the problem. Our reputation before God is completely useless.
"For God does not show favoritism."
ROMANS 2:11
This sentence must burn itself into our brain and become an irrevocable truth. You may still be worried about your reputation with your friends, your church, or your spouse. But the truth is:
Your reputation before God has been completely ruined since you were born!
You have never been able to change that. The only one who can change that is Jesus. Our reputation, which we are so mindful of, grows only from how much we have learned to believe Jesus. Let us believe what is written in 1 John 1:7:
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."
1 JOHN 1:7
Proclaim the following sentences:
"I refuse from now on to worry about my own reputation. Jesus is responsible for my reputation and I entrust it to him alone. I will no longer look for esteem among people. I will look for God's esteem. In order for this to happen I will reveal all sin and no longer live in darkness. I will expose my sexual impurity. Before God and before my brothers and sisters. I will not be ashamed that I am fighting this battle, but will joyfully await the victory my God has promised me".
To avoid misunderstandings, I would like to say that you do not have to run to every member of your church to expose your sins. The point is that you no longer feel ashamed of it and learn to talk openly about it. Let the people you tell share your perspective of salvation. Talk about it regularly with some selected people and above all talk about it with Jesus. Look again for Bible verses that you can use to let light into darkness.
A practical exercise that I (Basti) enjoy doing:
I stand in my room and speak out loud into my situation. When I am being confronted, I refuse to believe the lies of my thoughts and realize what Jesus says in His Word. Then I take a step forward and move into the light with my body, soul and spirit. This clarification helps me tremendously, because everything we do with our body also happens with our soul and vice versa.
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the trutBut if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."
1 JOHN 1:7-9
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink — even if you have no money!Come, take your choice of wine or milk — it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
ISAIAH 55:1-3
"But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him."
DEUTERONOMY 4:29