Would those closest to you describe you as authentic or phony? Unfortunately, our culture blinds us to pretense: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6). Too often, we claim to trust in Christ, but we live no differently than those who do not have faith in Him. We like the idea of Jesus, but we never fully surrender to Him, missing out on His vision for our lives.

Whether it is the texts we send, the posts we make, the emails we write, or the arguments we have, we often cause others to stumble in the darkness because we don’t flip the switch and reflect the light of Christ. We become blind guides, just like the Pharisees (Matthew 23:16). All the while, our world recognizes us as a counterfeit. Jesus used the term, hypocrite, meaning an actor, for teachers of the law and Pharisees who pretended to be righteous on the outside, but were unrighteous on the inside (Matthew 23:27-28).

Darkness is the absence of light, yet one ray of light can illuminate the night.

Everything changes when we walk in the light of Christ: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we live authentically. His Spirit cleanses us from our pretending and deepens our relationships. We reflect the light of Christ, helping everyone see His face, His identity, the true light full of grace and truth (John 1:9, 14).

Make an appointment with God. Ask Him to show you any part of your life where you are living in darkness and then walk in the Light.

Episode 416: 1 John | Connecting with God and Others: Walking in Light or Darkness (1 John 1:5-7) from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.