Aug. 2, 2006             Light and Darkness                          Kathleen Maples

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

In Genesis, God divided the light from the darkness. They can't exist together. Darkness can't stay where there is light. You can't partake of the dark things of this world, and then partake of the Light. He will not fellowship darkness. He assigned the light a place, and time. He assigned darkness a separate place and time. When you walk into a dark room, and turn on the light, it isn't dark anymore. They can't dwell together. If we say we are His, we should walk in the light-the understanding of truth he has given us. We should keep his commandments as we understand them. We understand in HIM is no darkness and because there isn't, we should not walk in darkness, or confusion, or fear.

1Jo 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Since God divided the light from the darkness, when we are born again by His Spirit, we start being separated from the things we did before, from who we were before. It's the natural result of Light coming in and chasing out the darkness.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

As I get to know the Lord more, through his word, and through spending time with Him, soaking up his Word, and He increases my understanding of who He is, it changes me. It changes the way I think. It separates me from things I once thought all right. It influences how I speak, how I act, how I dress. And most of all, it influences how I treat others. As I have began to understand the depth of his mercy-which I have only scratched the surface, and how he's suffered long with me, and the grace he has extended to me, which I did and do not deserve, but for his kindness, and the forgiveness he's given me, when I have erred in thought, attitude or deed, I see that is how he expects me to treat others-with the same grace he has shown me.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

That word comprehended here, it means to take eagerly, sieze or possess; to overtake or understand. The enemy of your soul has figured people out, he understands people and has watched them for thousands of years as he has learned how to manipulate them and drive them with a skill that would be frightening were it not for the love, and power, and determined intervention of God. Remember, he was once called the Son of the Morning. (Isa_14:12) 

Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Have you ever tried to imitate something you don't understand? It's hard and most can't pull it off successfully. Sometimes folks will say they are Christ's, and carry their Bibles, and go to church, but when you look at their life, and hear what comes out of their mouths, you sometimes see a stark contrast rather than Light. The Word says "by their fruit, ye shall know them." I think back when I was a new Christian. I did things and said things that I would not do now, because as I've read His Word, and gotten to know Him a little more, I understand Him a little better, and my heart has grown to fear and reverence Him, as well as love Him. As I have read His Word, it has lit up my soul, chased out things that didn't belong, by exposing their presence, and as He's given me understanding of His Word, page by page, verse by verse, as I make time to study it and think on it, I am instructed. I still have such a long way to go, but thank God he is still working on me, as the children's song says.

Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Paul said but ye brethren are not in darkness.. ye are all children of light and children of the day, we are not of the night nor of darkness. God help us not to sleep, spiritually, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. I am paraphrasing 1Th_5:4-6 here, but how true it is. In order to be of the day, you must have the Light and life of Christ in you. When you allow what you read and learn of the Lord to shape your life, to work in you as He'd have it work, it changes you. It's truth, it works. Jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life. In Him was light and no darkness at all. The life he lived was the light of men. But there are pretenders out there.

2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

I have often prayed, Father, don't let me be deceived, not by men, or my own heart. I have learned I can't even trust myself. My flesh, and my carnal mind don't want to go God's way. But God has a plan and he will not be moved. Nothing can stop what He is doing and praise God, the enemy does not understand His plan. He can't figure God out.

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Had they known....have you ever considered that the devil doesn't know everything? The Scripture says of the plan of God, even the angels desire to look into these things.

1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

When I first got saved, I would go in Christian Bookstores, and buy books about the Bible, that were supposed to explain some things, but I was always left unsatisfied. I found them hard to finish or stay interested in. But I could sit down with my King James Bible, and start reading, and inwardly, I was astonished as the Spirit of God worked in me and began to open the Scriptures to my understanding. It wasn't an all at once explosion of understanding, I don't think our minds could absorb that much power at once. But it's been an ongoing process. The more I read and study and pray, the more He helps me understand. I always felt guilty, and still do, if I spend more time reading some man's book, than I do HIS Word. It's wrong. There is no life in men's books. But His Word is Spirit and it is Life. There are some good books out there, written by men of God, and women of God, some of my favorites I've even listed here in the links section of this site. But for the most part, it's hard to find a man's book that is truly anointed and will help you draw nigh to God.

Gen 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

The Scriptures say God's children are the planting of the Lord, and we are often referred to as trees. We have planted a garden this year, for the first time. My husband jokingly nicknamed me New York City, because I don't know anything about farms, or gardens, or raising animals, or tobacco, or anything like that. I do good not to kill the houseplants. Last year, and I'm telling on myself here, I guess, but I love home grown tomatoes, and I took one I had that had gotten mushy and started going bad, and threw it in a five gallon bucket of dirt, and started watering it. Soon, little green tomato plants started up. We planted two rows of tomato plants out of that bucket. We bought some cucumber seeds and planted them, next to the tomatoes. I was really surprised when the tomatoes started to grow, they were all rotten. They had spots on them, they were inedible. The plants were green, smelled rich, but the fruit was rotten-and at the time I didn't understand it was because the seed had been planted and the seed was rotten. In Genesis, it says, the fruit will be the same kind as the seed that was planted. I never understood all that until after the disappointment I felt after my first attempt to garden last year. I had even prayed and asked God to bless the garden. I felt so dumb later when I realized why the tomatoes were all bad. We are told in John it glorifies the Lord when we bear much fruit, and the fruit he's talking about is the fruit of the Spirit. What is that? Love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, self-control, goodness, just to name a few. When God saves a drug addict who is suicidal, and all of a sudden that person walks around smiling, loving life, praising the Lord, talking different, no longer cursing and swearing at people, but smiling and you hear the law of kindness in their mouth. Where once before they sought high and low for a fix, and now you see them sitting quietlystill, reading their Bible. Where once before you saw them seeking drugs, and pleasure, and mindless entertainment, and now you see them in the House of God, seeking Him, sharing the gospel with others, and they seem to glow. God is glorified. They are bearing fruit. They have been infused with the life of God when they were born again, and that life is being fed and nurtured by the Word, and by prayer, and they are new creatures in Christ Jesus and old things are passed away. They have become new. They have been given a new life. When you receive the Word of God into your heart, it's an incorruptible seed, you receive it and soak it up, it will cause you to bear fruit. It is the power of God working in you-remember His Word brought forth light. At His Word, the dead are raised. At His Word, the planet is held in store, reserved unto judgment. At His Word, unclean spirits are cast out. At His Word, people are healed. His Word is more powerful than anything imaginable and faith is the key that turns the power on. Trust and obey. Simply believe.