- Rom. 5:17
One of the most profound statements the Holy Spirit ever spoke to me was: "If you have received the life of God, then what is keeping you from living the life that God lives?" Indeed, there is no greater truth that can assure our hearts of living in connection with heaven than grasping this fact. If we have God's life, then we have heaven's life, and if we have heaven's life living in us, then we should be experiencing life as heaven has it! If we are to believe such a thing to be true, then how can we make this truth a reality in us so that we are able to step into a place where we experience extraordinary living?
Think back with me to the moment when Jesus was confronted by the scribes and Pharisees over a woman they caught in adultery. Based upon what the Law taught they were prepared to stone her. But because they wanted to tempt Jesus in hope that he would somehow twist their teachings as a way of accusing him, they came to him and asked what he would do. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground. They persisted in asking him the same question again and again until he stood up and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). According to the scriptures, he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. In other words, Jesus never paid much attention to what they were asking until one by one they began to back away leaving this woman all alone. Then he lifted himself up again and said to her, "Woman, where are those thine accuser? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:3-11).
We often read this story but seldom consider the real point to his message. Notice what he went on to say to all those who stood around watching as this event transpired. He said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). In other words, what he wanted this woman to know (and all those who were listening) that the key to being able to walk away from a lifestyle of sin that had held her in bondage to the darkness of this world was walking in the light of life.
What the light of life enables us to do is see as God sees. That is the key to our success. It was the key to Jesus' success. Jesus was never in the dark about anything because he walked in the light. John wrote in his epistle, "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" (1 John 1:5). This is one of the great truths of redemption. As we learn how to walk in the light of life we learn to walk apart from the darkness of this world. In fact John went on to say: "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). What an amazing statement! To think that we can walk even as he walked!
If there is anything that has had more impact on how the church has fallen prey to the devices of the enemy it is in our faltering to pay close attention to the life principle that resides within us. In this same epistle John states, "Whosoever is born of God (remember, God is light, which is why we are called, children of light) doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). As we learn to live conscious of the light of life, we begin to see the evil patterns of how sin tries to creep up on us and impose its will upon our flesh. Paul even referred to Satan's devices as the "wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). One definition for "wiles" is to lie in wait to deceive.
Walking in the light of life is like living in a place where you are able to expose the stratagems of the evil one. You learn how to view things as God views them. And not only does that allow you to have the right perspective, but it puts you in the driver's seat. That's why I so like the statement that John said about the new heaven and new earth. He said, "And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 22:5). Think about it! If having the light of God will empower us to reign with him forever, then why not walk in that same light now and begin to use the power it holds to reign over all the darkness that tries to influence us each and every day?
Romans chapter five reads, "If by one man's offense death reigned by one; must more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). To reign in this life means, there will come a constant stream from heaven coursing its way through us, empowering us to live as a king. All we have to do is simply learn to live in the light of God's life so that we begin seeing things from heaven's viewpoint. You talk about an advantage! Not only will that enable us to move into the things God has for us more easily, but it will empower us to see what lingers in the darkness of this world wherever and whenever it tries to raise its ugly head so that we are never in the dark, to where we can out maneuver the enemy every step of the way.
