Out Of Darkness Into The Light

March 21

"He has delivered us
from the power of darkness
and conveyed us
into the kingdom of the Son of his love..."
Colossians 1:13

A question someone might ask is why believers are so afflicted, attacked, even martyred, if indeed they have been delivered from the power of darkness. We need to understand just what we have been delivered from.

Every descendant of Adam is born into a fallen human nature. The fallen human being is prone to pride and self-will and very vulnerable to deception. They are easy prey for the devil. He whispers deceitful words to them, entices them, leads them into sin ...and sin brings destruction. The proud man has no idea that he is being led as an animal on a leash, a horse in front of a carriage.

When one is born again, he is transferred out of that darkness. At the moment of the new birth, he is filled with the Spirit of God. Now he is being led by the Holy Spirit, taught truth, shown the deceptions he was under, filled with love, and sealed for heaven. Satan still tries to bring him into deception and sin, but the Spirit of God within sheds light on Satan's deceptive attempts and the person now has the wisdom and ability to choose to resist the devil.

"Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."
James 4:7-8

And there you have it: the natural man is unaware that he is being led by deception into all pride, self-will, and sin, and is on his way to hell. The born-again man on the other hand, is led by the Spirit of God within - into surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, into all truth, and is sealed for heaven.

More:
UnderstandingWhat "Born Again"Means