Leaving the Shadows, Living in the Light
Light reveals, and in Jesus we gladly live in what it shows.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers points us to a simple, searching question. Am I keeping anything in the shadows. He reminds us that secret thoughts, quiet envies, and clever spin are out of step with the gospel. The call is not to perform a spiritual scrub with gritted teeth. The call is to step into the light where Jesus already stands, and to agree with the truth that sets us free.
When Paul writes that we have renounced secret and shameful ways, he is describing the fruit of a life anchored in Jesus. In Him we are new creation people. The Holy Spirit brings things into the open, not to shame us, but to free us from hiding and from the mental gymnastics that try to make the old ways look acceptable. Craftiness loses its appeal when the beauty of honesty in Jesus captures the heart.
Chambers also warns against handling the word of God in a way that bends it to our aims. In the family of the risen Christ, Scripture handles us. It reads us. It aligns us with the One who is the Truth. That alignment is not self produced. It is the Spirit’s work in those who belong to Jesus, a people who share together in His life and live as one body in His light.
So today is not about self condemnation. It is about remembering who we are in the Lord. We belong to Jesus. We walk in His light. We renounce the shadows because they do not fit the life we now share with Him. Honesty becomes rest. Integrity becomes relief. And the gospel remains good news for tired hearts that are done with pretending.
Journal Entry: Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and I dwell in you. I have brought you out of darkness into the light of the Lord. In My light, hidden motives lose their grip. Your old self with its practices was put off in the cross of the Messiah, and you have put on the new self that I renew day by day. You are not debtors to the flesh, so do not return to its schemes. Walk with Me and you will not fulfill what the flesh desires. I form truth in your inner being. I purify your heart as you set your mind on the things above where the risen Jesus is. Present your body to God as alive from the dead, and I will express His life through you.
I work in you to will and to work for His good pleasure. I bear witness that you are God’s child, and I lead you in paths of honest living. When thoughts of envy or sly words arise, bring them into My light. Confess what I show you, and you enjoy the cleansing already secured by the blood of Jesus. The word I breathed does not serve your ends. It shapes you for His. Keep a clear conscience, refuse cunning, and adorn the gospel with transparent love. As you abide in the Son, you bear fruit, not by effort, but by union. From glory to glory I conform you to the image of Jesus, and in this freedom you are able to renounce the hidden ways that no longer fit who you are.
Scripture references: 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:1; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4 to 14; Colossians 3:1 to 10; Ephesians 4:20 to 24; Romans 8:12 to 14; Galatians 5:16 to 24; John 15:4 to 5; Philippians 2:12 to 13; 1 John 1:7 to 9; 2 Corinthians 3:17 to 18; Romans 12:1 to 2; Titus 2:11 to 12; Ephesians 5:8 to 11; Psalm 51:6; Hebrews 10:19 to 22
Real Life Analogy
Think about wiping a fingerprint smudge off your phone screen. One gentle pass with a soft cloth, and the image becomes clear. You did not rebuild the screen. You removed what did not belong so the picture could show as intended. Renouncing hidden thoughts is like that. The Holy Spirit lives in you, and He reveals the smudges that blur your witness. You agree with Him, set aside what does not belong, and the life of Jesus shows with clarity.
Try this today. When a sly comment or jealous thought surfaces, pause, then quietly say, Lord, I yield this moment to You. Live Your honest and gentle life through me right now. Then choose a simple action that matches that trust. Delete the half crafted text that bends the truth. Replace the sharp remark with a blessing. Walk on with a clear screen in Christ.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You for placing me in Jesus and giving me Your Spirit. In Him I am a new creation. I lack nothing needed for a clear and honest life. I receive Your light as my home. I agree with You about anything You bring to the surface, and I rejoice that the blood of Jesus has already cleansed me. Thank You for shaping truth within me, for renewing my mind, and for expressing the life of Your Son through my body today. I rest in Your faithfulness and I walk in Your light with gratitude.