“A Voice for the Gathering Saints”
Duane Stewart
www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org
“Walking in the Light”
God is light and to those who desire to walk with Him in intimacy, they must walk in the light, which He is. 1 John 1:5 speaks to us of this light by declaring, “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all“. This word “light” has the meaning of “light (underived and absolute); the opposite of darkness. Used therefore specially of God”. This gives us the understanding then, that to those who would desire to fellowship with God, they must depart from all that is not of God, darkness. For that which is outside of God’s will and purpose for us is a life living in shades of darkness. A darkened place wherein we have been dwelling but have been invited to depart from as we start to walk with God. Psalms 43:3 invites us to respond to the open door that God has made available. “O send out Thy light and Thy truth: Let them lead me; Let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles”. God’s “holy hill” points us to Mt. Zion of King David’s and Israel’s day wherein God’s glorious light shone forth in and above the tent called David’s tabernacle and now His abiding place in the earth as He dwells in the hearts of today’s true church. “Tabernacles” has the meaning of “the great habitation, God’s dwelling place, the place containing the presence of God in Light, called Shekinah”. Has this not been God’s purpose from the beginning? That God might have for Himself a place to dwell in the hearts of a Holy people, manifesting Himself through them to go throughout all of His creation.
We as His people must come to the place where we realize, that without Him, we continue to walk in the darkness of our base self (fallen sin nature). As we try to maintain ourselves from the standpoint of being our own god, we maintain a life of death and darkness, which is ours by the rights of the curse. The curse has its rights within man because of the results of Adams fall through disobedience to God’s stated purpose. God’s glorious covering of light, which was outshining from Adams beginning as a covering, was now departed from him. Adam now darkened in His own wisdom; walks separated from God and lost in the darkness of self with no light to lead him. Thus, humanity now wonders through God’s creation as strangers. This fallen man, in himself, is always building places to live in, dwelling places that never fulfill nor satisfy. With man’s appetite being so large in its lust, it never knows true fulfillment. A desire that continually searches but never finds.
Nevertheless, thanks to God, He has supplied the ways and means to come out of this darkness into that light which He dwells. While it is imperative that we come to the light, we must go further still and enter into the light. How is this possible except we first recognize our need to die to the darkness of fallen creation? One might try to substitute this dying by participating in the religious activities and games that are available for us today. These are games people play while trying to satisfy the longing in the human heart for a Saviour. However, this Saviour does not come through religious platitudes and phrases, or through self-imposed religious life-styles patterned after the laws and traditions of the carnal, unregenerate mind of man. John 3:19-21 states, “And this is the condemnation [judging; i.e. the process rather that the result] that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth [actively produces, having regard to the object and end of the action] truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God [in God’s strength]”. With a people coming out of darkness unto truth (light), this means a coming out of that which is a lie into God’s truth, that which cannot lie. Thus, this truth enlightens us to fill us with light. Herein, the process of becoming light has a new beginning in us as we walk out John 3:30 which states, “He [Christ] must increase, but I [self, death, darkness] must decrease”. How is this possible, except we, God’s people, allow the increase of the light within us that causes the darkness to decrease?
Enlightenment that comes through revelation by the Holy Spirit enables us to see Him as He is, giving us opportunity to become like Him in the manifestations of our lives. This enables us to walk in the light, even as He is light. This means for us continual change, growing more and more into His likeness and manifesting His glory. Thus, becoming His hands extended to a world wrapped up in the darkness of their own intellect, their own will, and their own desires and driven by their own emotions (lusts). However, to this darkened world God has made this promise to receiving man in Obadiah verse 21, “And saviors [deliverers] shall come up on mount Zion to judge [enlighten] the mount of Esau [the house of flesh, those who continue to walk in darkness]; and the kingdom shall be the Lords”.
Can we become such a people as this? Yes, because God has declared it to be and it shall be so. How, except we become by the increase of what He is in His tabernacle (which is His people), which is the result that only comes through obedience. This obedience is at a price, the ending of the old man by the increase of God within us. Obedience means a dying to the self-man because of a new set of priorities that, through love, now motivates this people. Jesus Himself sets these priorities forth for man in the declaration of who He is in relationship to Father God. John 5:19 states, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise”. Jesus, the obedient Son that never did anything but those things lead of the Father. Never moving in an independent mind-set but totally yielded unto the Father in all things. Can we then walk in the light as He is in the light? Yes, as the Holy Spirit quickens us that we might dwell in those heavenly places to only be lead by Him. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world [darkness] according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation [manner of life] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, [by grace ye are saved;] And hath raised us up together, and made us set together in heavenly places [in the light] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”. (Eph. 2:1-7).
Because of and through the salvation made available through Christ Jesus on the cross, we can enter into the light even as He is the light, we can now know the reality of living in heavenly places. A place reserved for us as we stand before Him in His mercy and grace. In Him, we sit in these heavenlies. This means a not only coming into the heavenlies, but the need to take on the mind-set and characteristics of these heavens. Rom. 12:2 declares, “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. A need to come into union with the government and order that rules these heavenlies, totally dependant upon Him in all things and walking in the light as He is in the light. These heavenly-minded people are a new creation people ruled over by another dimension of life, one that manifests the nature of God while walking with our feet on the ground. “…. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints [revealing Himself to a people who become like Him]”. (Jude verse 14). The invitation extended to walk in the light of His glory as we abide in him and him in us. Rev. 21:7 says, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son”. A Son then is one that not only dwells in heavenly places, but also one that puts on the mind-set and order of these same heavens, manifesting Christ on earth while walking in the Light. Light those receiving and obedient vessels become in establishing God’s kingdom throughout the earth, that is, all creation.