How to disperse darkness
We live in a world that is immersed in darkness to such an extent that many have lost their way. It’s a darkness that has twisted our standards where that which is wrong is celebrated and that which is right is despised. God has called us to be light in the midst of darkness.
But darkness is not just a loss of values; it’s anything that robs us of enjoying an abundant life. Therefore, darkness also includes sickness, financial shortage, addictive behaviours, condemnation, fear, worry, depression or even strife. God doesn’t want any of these things dominating our lives; they are all darkness.
How do we disperse darkness from our lives? There are three principles we can apply to disperse darkness. This isn’t an exhaustive list; so they are not the only things we can do but I have implemented these three in my life and have seen great results.
The three principles can be summarized in three words:
- Contemplate
- Celebrate
- Initate
1. Contemplate: God does not bring darkness into your life. This would almost seem self evident to some but it’s surprising how tempting it can be to think that God is somehow at the root of the problem when we’re experiencing difficulties. Well if He didn't cause the problem, why couldn't He just stop it before it became a problem?
When we think that God causes darkness we will begin to express sentiments such as “God is dealing with me and that's why I have financial problems.” or “This sickness I have in my life is for the glory of God” or “My depression is my cross to bear”. None of these is true and a person who recognizes that God does not cause darkness will never utter nonsense like this.
We must contemplate that God is not the author of darkness - this is critical for every believer to understand. Otherwise, when you go through a difficult time you won’t know if you’re meant to accept it or resist it.
2. Celebrate that God is light and He lives in you. The bible says that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). If we allowed this truth to grow in us, we would see that darkness cannot remain in our lives. How can darkness remain where there is light?
A great way of allowing the light within us to shine is through praise. We need to celebrate that we are children of light, that His presence dwells in us. One reason why many people remain in darkness is because there is very little thankfulness in their lives. When we spend time celebrating the goodness of God, we draw His presence to us. And since God is light, as His manifested presence increases, the darkness disperses. This is why the biggest book in the bible is the book of Psalms and it is predominantly filled with exhortations to give thanks to God.
3. Initiate your authority to bring light. As believers, we have been authorized and empowered to bring the Kingdom of God into peoples’ lives. We have authority and power from God to cast out demons and heal sickness and disease (Matt 10:1; Luke 9:1). In other words we have been authorized to disperse darkness.
But unless we exercise our authority, we will remain in darkness whether that darkness is sickness, lack, depression, fear etc… How do we initiate our authority? By our words. This is the biblical pattern.
- God commanded and creation responded (Gen 1)
- Jesus commanded and creation responded (Mark 4:39; Mark 11:14)
- The apostles commanded and broken bodies responded (Acts 3; 14:8-10)
When we speak and believe what we say is true, then forces are released to bring what we said to pass. This is why the bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov 18:21). There is much more to be said about this and the audio file goes into greater detail.
How to disperse darkness
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church