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How Can Light Be Darkness? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 28, 2025

Oct 28, 2025

3 min read

Jesus warned His disciples, saying, Make certain, then, that the light in you is not darkness (Luke 11:35 GNT). With those words, He revealed to His listeners that many would think they carried true light when, instead, what was within them was far from it. That caution remains important today, given the deception that has filled the world. So much that was once wrong is now right, and even Christians struggle to know the difference.

The Bible reveals that satan pretends to be an angel of light in 2 Corinthians 11:14. It also desires to send as many people to hell, which explains why it fosters confusion about even the most mundane things. If the devil can cause people to be ignorant of what is right and wrong by God's standard, then they will live in sin and lose access to heaven. The prime targets are those who don't study God's word and don't allow it to change them because they are stiff-necked.

Some might think this could only happen to unbelievers. However, Jesus taught that even those who do miracles and cast out demons in His name risk going to hell because they don't belong to Him (Matthew 7:21-23). Only those who obey His teachings belong to Him and are His disciples (John 8:31). Many Christians will sadly miss heaven because they don't apply His instructions and ignore the warning to ensure their light is not actually darkness.

Fortunately, we can heed the warning since we know He is the light. John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Therefore, with Jesus in our lives, the light in us will be true and will not be darkness.

To achieve this, we cannot subscribe to a false Jesus and gospel, because once we do so, the 'light' within us changes. Paul said Christians are introduced to a false Jesus and gospel when they listen to false teachers (2 Corinthians 11:4). These sorts may even 'teach' from the Bible, but they share empty words, and encourage hypocrisy, which is a way light becomes darkness.

Giving our lives to Christ is the first step in protecting us from what Jesus warned about. However, we also need to obey His instructions. This requires an intentional choice each day to live by His word, and the Holy Spirit is key to our success in this area. He will help when the darkness comes via sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. He will steer us away from the lies that can choke God's word out of us and cage us in false religion and ungodly ideas that seem true but are intended to deceive. God's Spirit within will also guide us to repentance and help us fight the flesh so we don't continue to sin and thereby welcome darkness into our souls.

God uses His Spirit to help us put our faith to work and hear Him telling us which way to go (Isaiah 30:21). And as we obey Him, we become God's children. The Holy Spirit will also ensure we know the truth of the light at work in us and what could interfere with it. He will remind us what Jesus taught and help us to put it into practice so we live in the light. Jesus died on the cross to keep us from being deceived by the devil and its darkness. God does not want anyone to perish in hell but wants all whom He created to live in His light, which is completely free of darkness.

The only question then is, do you want the light in you to be God's light? Since 2 Corinthians 6:14 states that light and darkness have nothing in common, by the grace of God, we shall have the light and truth of the Lord in us, and there shall be no darkness, IJMN Amen.

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:

Say No To Factions - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) October 24, 2025

P L U N D E R E R

Oct 24, 2025

3 min read

It is normal for people to gather in groups. Look at God, for instance. He isn't alone. He has Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly host with Him. He made it a point of not letting Adam be alone and created Eve to be his companion. However, while indeed "it is not good that man be alone," how Christians gather is important to the Lord (Genesis 2:18). He doesn't want them dividing into groups that are opposed to other believers. He doesn't want them sequestering into camps where people feel they are better than other believers. He wants His children to beware of joining factions.

Paul warned about factions in his letter to the Corinthian Church. He noted that divisive groups had formed, and they quarreled about who they identified with in the faith. 1 Corinthians 1:12 - What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Paul warned them to stop and reminded them that the only person they needed to have such staunch support for was the one who was crucified - Jesus.

In this day and age, many of us Christians have become like those Corinthians. We, too, have divided ourselves into factions. We argue about which pastor is better or which church is better. Some of us even do it as a joke, forgetting that we will be held accountable for even our idle words. We don't realize that factions are among the acts of the flesh in Galatians 5. They include idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, jealousy, sexual immorality, self-ambition, drunkenness, and fits of rage. The Bible warns that those who live according to the acts of the flesh will not get to heaven (Galatians 5:19-21).

We Christians are very familiar with many of the other acts of the flesh, but overlook the word on joining factions. Being a part of such groups might seem like fun at first, but that's the thing about sin. It is sweet and satisfies the flesh. It can start off as something little then snowball into a stronghold. When we start arguing and allow dissension to rise over allegiance to men and women, are we not mocking the sacrifice of Christ? Any spiritual leader who is truly called by the Lord should be someone led by the Spirit of God. They therefore should not take credit for anything they share or teach.

Ask yourself, would the Holy Spirit want us divided on the basis of what leaders we listen to or which church we attend?

As believers in Christ who obey His instructions, we must remember that we are all part of one Body. There may be differences between the various parts of that Body, and God made it that way. Just as our hands don't disregard or insult our legs for not being hands, we must be careful how we deal with and speak about our fellow believers. Let us not engage with each other the way the unbelievers do when they gather in their factions. They may be petty, use foul language, and speak ungraciously about one another. However, the Lord has not called us to imitate the world. He has instead called us to emulate His Son, who obeyed Him and was pleasing to Him. May the good Lord help us all, IJMN, Amen.

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider giving your life to Christ with the Altar Call video below and reading the following previous P&P messages:

Shameless Audacity - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 21, 2025

P L U N D E R E R

Oct 21, 2025

3 min read

Jesus taught His disciples to be determined like the persistent widow who nagged the judge until he delivered justice on her behalf (Luke 18). He displayed that being insistent would be rewarded when He interacted with a Greek woman from Tyre (Matthew 15). Also known by many as the Syrophoenician woman, she had pleaded with Him to heal her sick daughter. Although it seemed she'd been rejected at first, she persisted, and her daughter was instantly healed.

Jesus went further with this teaching about persistence in Luke 11. He shared a parable about a man who went to a friend's house, banged on the door at midnight and asked for three loaves of bread. No, he wasn't drunk. He'd asked because another friend had shown up unexpectedly. The late arrival may have been because, in those days, people traveled on rough terrain by foot or on the back of four-legged animals. Jesus said that the friend with the bread refused, saying he and his family were asleep. He clearly did not want to be disturbed.

However, Jesus ended the parable saying in Luke 11:8 - I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need (NIV). The moral of the story was not to give up but keep asking with shameless audacity because it would produce results.

This lesson is key for Christians, many of whom have given up hope that their prayers will be fulfilled. Be audacious and ask again. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come boldly before God's throne of grace to receive help in the time of need. If you are anything like me, every moment is a time of need. There is no embarrassment in persisting in our petitions to the Lord. The only one who wins when we slack off is our enemy, satan.

That said, there is a caveat. Many may not like this but the reality is that God has and applies conditions that believers must observe. Persistence alone isn't the answer. Persistence combined with righteousness is key. James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power] (AMP).

Persistence requires our righteousness to have the effect we seek. On our own, it is almost impossible to live righteously. This is because our flesh loves sin. We need God's direct intervention to come close to genuine righteousness. Thankfully, He made accommodation for this via His Holy Spirit, and we only receive a deposit of the Spirit when we give our lives to Christ and commit to obey Him. In obeying Jesus, we also obey the Lord because everything Jesus taught was received directly from God (John 14:10).

So yes, be shamelessly audacious as a child of God. But don't forget that His children are those who are led by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). That Spirit will always point you to Jesus, who will always point you to God so that you walk in righteousness and obedience. And then you will see that your prayers for others and yourself have more impact. This is because they are led by the Spirit of God, who teaches you to pray for what is of concern to God instead of what your flesh desires.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall become increasingly bold, persistent, and shamelessly audacious as we lay our prayers at God's feet. Unashamed and trusting that the Lord who filled our hearts and mouths with the petition will answer at His appointed time. IJMN, Amen.

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider giving your life to Christ with the Altar Call video below and reading the following previous P&P messages: