Isaiah 9:6 NKJV For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:2 NKJV The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
Isaiah 60:1-2 AMP ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you–rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! [Zech. 8:23.] (2) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. [Isa. 60:19-22; Mal. 4:2; Rev. 21:2, 3.]
There is a darkness that the world is living in and God’s Word says that the darkness is not getting any brighter.
The shame of it is that there are Christians that are living in darkness that really don’t have to. We can all live in the light because the Light has come.
Great Book – Kill the Spider by Carlos Whitaker
All bad behavior, habits, depression, addictions, etc. are all based on lies that we have believed along the way that have gotten rooted in our hearts. Cleaning the cobwebs out of the corners may seem to help for a time but oddly enough, the cobwebs keep showing back up. Why? Because we are not dealing with the problem – we are not killing the spider.
As I have looked over my life, when there is something that I have not been able to get absolute freedom over, it is because I have not dealt with the root of the issue.
I believe these things dwell in areas where there is some darkness, rooted in lies – that does not have to be there.
How do the lies that we are believing get there?
WHO ARE YOU BELIEVING?
- The devil will lie to you.
John 8:44b NIV When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Psalms 13:2 NIV How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
- The world will pollute you.
Ephesians 4:17-18 NIV So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God…
- Your circumstances will confuse you.
Psalms 10:1 NIV Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Psalms 10:17 NIV You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
- People’s words that you believe can bind you.
Proverbs 18:21 NLT The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
- What we dwell on and think about, we become.
Proverbs 23:7a NKJV (7) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
SHINE THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
So, how do we overcome the lies? How do we overcome the darkness? Shine the light on it!
- Ask God to show you where there is darkness in your life.
In other words, what are the lies that I have believed?
John 12:46 NIV I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 16:13 NIV But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
- Repent from believing the lies.
The word “repent” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “metagnoeo” and it means to change your mind.
In our thinking we must make a complete turn in the opposite direction to change what we have believed.
Romans 12:2 NLT Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- Let the light of the truth of God’s Word drive out the darkness.
- Find out what God’s Word says that is contrary to the lies.
- Write those verses down and begin to declare them over you.
- Spend time thinking about them and focusing your attention on them.
- Remember, it is a process, not an overnight fix.
John 1:1-5 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was with God in the beginning. (3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.