S58P5 – This precious light: has the victory
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
From the moment she got saved, she was motivated to use her faith to help people. In fact, even before salvation she could be found volunteering to provide services to those in need. It really was her heart to see people flourish. That is why it was such a surprise when she was asked to join a team of missionaries who were going to minister to a people oppressed by severe darkness. Everyone expected her to accept the invitation happily, but she declined it. After finding out the history of that place and those people and the bondage under which they lived, she was not confident that she would be able to help them. In fact, it scared her. She thought the darkness that these missionaries were going to face was just too dark to defeat.
A common misconception over the ages is that the battle between good and evil is on even terms. It is as if we are waiting to see who will bring home the victory. The truth of the matter is that the war already has been fought and won. There is no competition between darkness and light. The power of Jesus Christ, the light of life, is infinitely greater than any evil we can face. Yes, there is a lot of darkness out there that can easily defeat me or you, but our war is not one that we wage in our own strength and flesh. Our war is one that is waged in the spiritual realm against spiritual forces of darkness. We fight this with the strength of Jesus Christ and his light, and the darkness against which we battle already has been defeated by his work on the cross.
God may very well call you to some very dark places or to minister to some people who are under great oppression, but this need not cause you fear. When light shows up, darkness has no option but to flee. The light chases it away by its very nature; it illuminates all things. When God calls us to battle against the forces of evil around us, it is because we already have what we need to confirm that the darkness has been defeated. We need only boldly walk in his power and light, and that victory will come to pass. Nothing we face in this world is so dark that our light cannot expose and conquer it. Father, make us bold and courageous that we would face whatever darkness comes against us without fear or doubt.