Darkness....

Darkness...... When I opened this devotional this morning, I knew I didn't need to go further in opening the news.... The news is one dark thing after another, day after day after day...wickedness, darkness, pestilence, terror...more than any time in my lifetime ...or is it the quick news feed we have at this time....bad seems to reign in many parts of the world... Several years ago, the push for God's word was to the population living on the central areas around the globe, the most populated....the darkest.. And now that area seems to be experiencing the darkest of days with wickedness abounding...Satan pushing back, trying to regain "his " territory....after great strides for the gospel.... Not long ago, a friend went to Nigeria to encourage Christians there in their faith....she left after loving these dear ones, not knowing if they would see one another again on this earthly realm... Or others  who minister to children in India, not knowing what will befall them as well.... Or still others, visiting friends in Nepal, seeing changes there as well.... And, we here in the "free" USA, ridiculed, barred from freedoms we once held without question....while darkness seeps quietly over our land.... We live in times where it feels like we are watching Daniel,  Matthew 24, Revelations playing out before our eyes... Wickedness and darkness are real...not a myth...it has been with us since Satan began...and came into the garden with his temptations, innuendos, confusion,  deceit ....the battle rages across the lands .... But, the victory is Christ's ... He reigns and has the end planned out.... Thank YOU, that You have the final victory....help me, in my fears to rely and rest in that victory... 1 Samuel 2:9a He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness....... Psalm 1:6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 74:18, 20 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,how foolish people have reviled your name. Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Psalm 91:5-6 You will not fear the terror of night,nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. Colossians 1:6b........In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.      Out Of The Darkness   A daily devotion for March 7th   From your friends at RayStedman.org     Read: Ephesians 2:11-13       But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13)       A South American Indian told the missionary who led him to Christ. When I was living in the jungle, we never knew a day without fear. When we woke up in the morning, we were afraid. When we went out of our houses, we were afraid. When we walked along the river, we were afraid. We saw an evil spirit in every stone and tree and waterfall. And when night fell, fear came into our huts and slept with us all night long. That is what paganism is. And this is what the world is returning to. All around us, as Christian truth begins to fade, this pagan darkness settles upon the land. How thankful it ought to make our hearts that God has called us out of such darkness! Without the instruction of those who came to know God and then brought the message to us, we would have been nothing but pagans. Without any light in our darkness other than the natural light that came from our inner being, indicating that there is a God somewhere, we would be living like that still. But now, having once been far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It isn't merely the death of Christ. Paul says that it is the blood of Christ. It is significant that he uses that term. Death, of course, is not always bloody. You can die without losing your blood. The Scriptures sometimes speak of the death of Christ and more often of the cross of Christ. But still more often they speak of the blood of Christ. Many don't like this today. They don't like to think of the cross or of the death of Jesus as being bloody. But God emphasizes it because blood is always a sign of violence. You see, the death of Jesus was not just a simple passing away—dying of old age on a comfortable bed. No, it was a violent death, a bloody, gory, ugly, revolting scene—a man hanging torn and wretched upon a cross with blood streaming down His sides. God wants us to remember that violent death, because violence is the ultimate result of paganism. It is the final expression of a godless society. Cruelty arises immediately when love and truth disappear from society. And God is reminding us that when humanity had done its worst, had sunk to its lowest, had vented its anger in the utter wretchedness and violence and blood of the cross, His love reached down to that very place and, utilizing that violent act, began to redeem, to call back those who were far off and bring them near—in the blood of Christ. And in the blood of Jesus, all the advantages the Jews had were conferred upon the Gentiles. Ignorant, pagan, darkened, foolish, struggling, hopeless—nevertheless, they had just as much access to God in the blood of Christ as any Jew ever had with his temple, his law, his priesthood, and his sacrifice. By this the apostle is trying to emphasize to us the exceedingly amazing wonder of the grace of God, which laid all these liabilities aside and reached out to us and found us just as we were and brought us near by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. What a gift to give thanks for! Father, I thank You that I have been delivered from the darkness and brought near to You by the precious blood of Your Son.       Life Application   Violence & dark cruelty are the ultimate expressions of a godless society. Were it not for God's grace in Christ how would we be able to experience His peace & love?   Related Message   For more on this portion of Scripture read the message: Strangers in Darkness or listen to the audio by clicking:   Listen to Ray     Previous Devotions for March Next       Want to Subscribe?   Subscribe / Unsubscribe to this Daily Devotion by Email   Copyright © 2014 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.