Well, I can tell you that some people do try to fight darkness. Christians have
used darkness and light as a metaphor for sin for years. Darkness is sin,
therefore light is the influence of Christ. We think we need to fight this dark
sin. Let me ask you this, do you think you can fight sin? I'm not saying that
you should fall into temptation of sin. I'm talking about trying to defeat sin.
We go throughout our days in a constant battle. That makes us tired. Do we have
to be so tired?
1 John 4:18 says: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears us not made perfect in love." Our battle isn't against sin. That battle has already been won by someone far greater than us. Our battle is against fear. We are afraid we will mess up. We are afraid to lose our job, friends, and family. We are afraid we will never be good enough. The list of fears goes on and on. We try to defeat the fear/darkness in different ways. Some of us just accept the fear and give in. How can we combat this fear and darkness?
Look back at 1 John 4:18 and you will find the answer. The answer is love. You may be saying, "how does that make sense? Isn't the opposite of fear bravery?" Let's say you are afraid you will let your boss down at your job, or your parents down. If you love them, love others, and act in love while at your job then you'll be driving out the fear.
I'll tell you I am very self-conscious and I don't like letting people down. In fact, it got so bad that at one point I had severe anxiety. I tried to think logically, forget about the situations, and pray about them. The prayer helped a little but then I realized that in these situations I wasn't letting my light shine as much as I could've been. I was doing the bear minimum trying to defeat the fear on my own. Instead of fighting the fear on my own, I asked God to show me how to let my light shine. I asked him to help me show love.
We don't have to fight the darkness because it only takes a light to stop the darkness. If all Christians showed love to others by letting their light shine there would be less darkness in the world. We can make this world bright by helping those in need, listening to those who are hurting, and so much more. That's how fear and darkness will be defeated.
So, are you trying to defeat fear and darkness in the wrong way? Are you showing love to others and letting your light shine? How can you let your light shine today?
1 John 4:18 says: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears us not made perfect in love." Our battle isn't against sin. That battle has already been won by someone far greater than us. Our battle is against fear. We are afraid we will mess up. We are afraid to lose our job, friends, and family. We are afraid we will never be good enough. The list of fears goes on and on. We try to defeat the fear/darkness in different ways. Some of us just accept the fear and give in. How can we combat this fear and darkness?
Look back at 1 John 4:18 and you will find the answer. The answer is love. You may be saying, "how does that make sense? Isn't the opposite of fear bravery?" Let's say you are afraid you will let your boss down at your job, or your parents down. If you love them, love others, and act in love while at your job then you'll be driving out the fear.
I'll tell you I am very self-conscious and I don't like letting people down. In fact, it got so bad that at one point I had severe anxiety. I tried to think logically, forget about the situations, and pray about them. The prayer helped a little but then I realized that in these situations I wasn't letting my light shine as much as I could've been. I was doing the bear minimum trying to defeat the fear on my own. Instead of fighting the fear on my own, I asked God to show me how to let my light shine. I asked him to help me show love.
We don't have to fight the darkness because it only takes a light to stop the darkness. If all Christians showed love to others by letting their light shine there would be less darkness in the world. We can make this world bright by helping those in need, listening to those who are hurting, and so much more. That's how fear and darkness will be defeated.
So, are you trying to defeat fear and darkness in the wrong way? Are you showing love to others and letting your light shine? How can you let your light shine today?
1 John 4:18 and John 1:5
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