Light vs. Dark

There is a war raging all around us in the spirit realm that affects our physical world here on earth. We cannot see this battle with our physical eyes, but we see evidence of it in our daily lives.
Even though the battle rages all around us, there is victory over the battle for those who believe. The battle was already won over two thousand years ago at the Cross where Jesus Christ laid down His life for all mankind.
Jesus Christ proclaimed us free from the darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of Light. He provided powerful and strategic weapons to be used against the evil one. These weapons are available to all those who come to the Cross to find their freedom.
It is at the Cross of Jesus we are placed into a position of authority over all spiritual darkness, because our lives are now hidden in Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:3) and we are clothed in His righteousness.
The evil one wants us to think that he is more powerful than Jesus Christ. Jesus walked this earth as a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Satan thought that by killing Jesus he would become the champion over all the earth. But to his surprise, just the opposite happened. By having Jesus Christ crucified, Satan lost forever all power over mankind and Christ became the champion and ruler over all darkness. Because of this we sit in a position of power in Christ over the darkness.
The evil one doesn’t want us to believe that there is a spiritual realm and he surely doesn’t want us to believe in our Creator. Satan desires to keep us ignorant and blinded as to who he really is.
Satan wants us to believe that he does not exist, that he is imaginary and not real. Consequently, if we believe the lie that he is not real, he will be able to keep us blinded to the truth of his real identity.
He has effective tools that he uses to assault our minds: fear, doubt, and unbelief. He convinces us that there is no such thing as a spiritual battle and reality is only what we can see and feel with our physical senses.
Once we come into agreement with Satan’s lies and believe them to be the only truth, we step into his snares. It is essential for us to recognize his lies and not accept them as truth; if we do, he will imprison us and keep us in bondage in the dark.
We are warned in 1 Peter 5:8 to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Then in John 10:10, Satan’s mission for the earth is revealed as a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But do not give up hope for we are told in John 10:10, “Jesus, the Light of the world, has come to give us life, and to give us life in abundance.” This is Jesus’ mission statement to the earth. He promises to give abundant life to all those who believe in Him and He will lead them out of darkness into the Light.
The only way out of the snares that we have stepped into is by coming to the Light and embracing the Light. Once we have chosen the Light by allowing the Light to shine in our hearts, then we will automatically receive our freedom and the key that will unlock the prison door.
The sad truth is though many have received their freedom and hold the key to get out of prison, the deception of the evil one and his lies keep many in bondage. The darkness of deception keeps them blinded so they don’t recognize they are free and are unable to identify the key to unlock the prison door.
The longer they are in the prison, the more their thoughts are bombarded with fear. They are oppressed in mind and body with no hope for a future. This causes them to fall into the depths of depression and despair. The pull of the darkness, the weakness of the flesh, and negative and fearful thoughts keep the prison door tightly locked.
All the time amid dark oppression, we hold the key to our freedom in our own hand. Nothing or no one can remove the key from within our hand. It is by the knowledge of the Light and by using the power of our choice to believe, that we are free and hold the key to the prison door. Once we have the key to the lock, the door will open and we will walk out of darkness into the freedom of the Light.
While we are in a prison of darkness, we are never alone for we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us fight every battle. Once we believe He is with us amid our prison, Light will shine on us. Acknowledging the Holy Spirit will help us recognize that the key is in our hand. There is a saying I have heard that could be used here: “You have always had the power; you just needed to believe.”
Our thoughts are very powerful. It is critical for us to understand that deception comes through our thoughts. Freedom cannot be obtained if we continue to be bound by our own false thoughts. False thoughts are thoughts in agreement with the darkness.
Romans 12:2 states that, “We are not to be conformed to this world; but are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” We can renew our mind by filling it with the Word of God (Bible). The Word of God is our roadmap that contains our Creator’s will and purpose for our lives.
Why is it important for us to renew our minds? False mindsets have been established within us, and these mindsets will control our emotions. For this reason, we need to renew our minds and build new mindsets with the Word of God. When we choose to renew our minds, we replace unwelcome mindsets with new and healthy ones.
Imagine for a moment that you are in a prison of darkness filled with fear, when suddenly light shines down upon you, illuminating the prison. You look around and notice a key in your hand; it is the key that will unlock the prison door. You are filled with excitement as you place the key in the lock on the door, it unlocks, and you push it wide open. Once you step through the doorway, you begin to soar like an eagle into the freedom that was paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.
It is important to understand the tactics and schemes of the evil one, who is the enemy of the Light. When we have knowledge of the enemy’s schemes, our eyes will be open to recognize that there are two paths in life. One path leads to the Light while the other path leads to darkness. By comprehending his schemes our eyes will be open to clearly identify the path that leads to the Light. When we choose the path of Light, we obtain freedom from darkness.

Our mind is the battlefield where war between Light and dark is raged. If deception has overtaken our minds, then our minds will be clouded by the darkness and we will be unable to see the Light. By gaining knowledge of the Truth, we will be opened to the Light and the clouds of darkness will be lifted from our minds. When we are aware that our mind is the battlefield, we can comprehend Satan’s plan for mankind.

We do not have to accept every thought that passes through our minds; we have the power to choose which thoughts to accept or reject. The thoughts we accept and meditate on will grow in us like a seed. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are told, “Take every thought captive.” This means that for every thought that enters our minds we can do something about it: accept or reject. Knowing we can do this, we can capture a thought before it enters our hearts and becomes a part of us.

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that, “As a man thinks so he becomes.” We are shaped moment by moment through the thoughts we choose to accept and meditate on. There is good news here that gives us hope, for the Holy Spirit gives us grace and power to bring every thought in captivity to the Light.