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In this message we will explore the principle of God’s behavior, God’s work. Since by nature God is light (1 John 1:5), the principle of all His work is light. God’s work according to this principle of light may be seen in Genesis 1:3: “And God said, Let there be light. And there was light.” The light God called into being came to dispel the darkness that covered the waters of the earth. Whenever God operates, it is always according to this principle: light comes in to dispel darkness.
In all of God’s doings there is nothing of darkness, craftiness, crookedness, or impurity; rather, with God everything is pure, honest, straightforward, and righteous. We can put our full trust in Him, because with God everything is done in the light. On the other hand, among human beings, few things are done in the principle of light!
Why is it that during political campaigns, we have so little assurance of any candidate’s trustworthiness? It is because we sense that so much is being done in a hidden way, in the principle of darkness. Everywhere we see craftiness and dishonesty: “I’ll do you a favor if you’ll give me something in return. I’ll promise you this if you’ll promise me that.”
Now consider your own situation. How do you know you are apart from God? You know because so many of your personal affairs are conducted in a hidden manner, in dishonesty and darkness. For example, you may keep your dealings with people on a very pleasant, superficial level, never disclosing the many criticisms and judgments of them that are actually in your heart.
From morning to evening, it is very easy for us to live in darkness, attempting to hide our real condition. We are full of dark, hidden thoughts, we act in a hidden way, and our speaking is sprinkled with white lies. Just the thought of someone knowing our hidden thoughts and hidden actions could wake us up in the middle of the night drenched in a cold sweat. Though we may not want to cheat anyone, we often find ourselves behaving sneakily, dishonestly, and thus caught in darkness. During a 24-hour period do we live even one hour without darkness? Do we really live according to the light? Even when we don’t want to live a life in darkness, many times we find our selves spontaneously caught in a situation of darkness. Aren’t you tired of this trap?
The Bible says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). With God, everything is done in the light. He desires that we come to know Him and that all our being would be brought into the light. He wants to come into our situation in order to dispel all our darkness, craftiness, crookedness, and impurity. “Because the God who said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is the One who shined in our hearts” (2 Cor. 4:6).
You cannot change your behavior. No matter how hard you exercise your will, when darkness comes upon you, you are powerless in the situation. God does not want you to change. You do not have the ability to escape from darkness by yourself. This is because darkness is due to the absence of God. When a person is in God, he is spontaneously in the light. Immediately, the darkness is dispelled. Only then can a person’s behavior and work be according to God.
If you are bothered because you find that your life has been caught by darkness, and you would like to let God into your life and experience Him as light, please open your heart and pray a simple and honest prayer to God. “Dear Lord Jesus, I don’t want to remain in darkness. I want to come to You. Shine Yourself as light into my heart and set me free from my sins and my behavior. I want to live my life with You and for You.”
Out of Darkness, Light Shall Shine!
Once we have experienced the shining of God’s light in our hearts, God separates us from the sinful, common, and worldly things. God always operates through the principle of light, desiring to produce a separation from darkness. This is clearly stated in 2 Corinthians chapter 6: “Do not become dissimilarly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?… Therefore come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord.” God works to separate us from lawlessness; His shining is with a view to separation from darkness.
This separation through the shining of God’s light is portrayed in the first chapter of the Bible. When God created the universe, He said, “Let there be light.” Then He divided the light from the darkness. “And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness… And God made the expanse and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so” (Gen. 1:4,7). God separated the light from the darkness, and then He separated the waters above the atmosphere from the waters beneath it. Out of light, separation occurs.
When you really experience God’s light, this will issue in a separation, causing you to discern day from night, light from darkness. Let me illustrate with a person’s experience of salvation. Before he is saved, he has no separation and is unable to distinguish between light and darkness. After being saved, he gradually begins to sense a need for separation. He has the discernment to say: “these things in my life are heavenly, and those things are earthly; this part of my life is acceptable to God, and that part is not acceptable to Him; this is light and that is darkness.”
How do you know if you have experienced God? Check to see whether there has been any separation from darkness in your life. If you really have experienced Him as light, you no longer have the liberty to do the things of darkness that you once did so freely. You are no longer able to utter the kind of words you once spoke so freely, because now you realize that they are dark. If this is your experience, it is a strong proof that you have experienced God. You have begun your life with God, a life in the light.
