It is many years since I have been to a movie theatre. Way back then, there would be an usherette, armed with a torch, to ensure you were seated safely in the dark theatre. The usherettes doubled as a waitress at ‘interval’ (the time between the two movies – yes, you had two movies per show then) selling drinks, popcorn, sweets, crisps etc.
Nowadays, with modern technology and cleverly-placed, dim lights, the torch is not essential and with only one movie per showing, neither is the tray-laden usherette at interval time.
If you walked into a movie theatre after the show had started, you needed an usher with a torch to show you to a seat, and often you still stumbled. It was very dark, but it wouldn’t be long before your eyes became accustomed to the darkness and you could see without any difficulty. In fact, you were able to see almost normally.
However, on leaving the theatre and walking into the bright lights of the foyer (or the sunlight in the day time) you were again blinded by the glare and needed to cover your eyes against the light, until your pupils re-accustomed to the situation.
Christians are constantly in the same predicament.
We live in a dimly lighted world, where sin is the rule rather than the exception. There seems to be a continuous downward drift – almost a spiral – as one sin after another is either labelled as acceptable or excused on the grounds of discrimination, tolerance, or political correctness. Behaviour once considered immoral is termed ‘normal’ by many people, by governments and even by some ‘churches’.
We live in the world.
Of necessity we have to move in the world but we do not
– should not – be a part of the world
in the sense of participating with its sinful, God-denying
morals and activities.
When we walked into a darkened theatre and could not see, our eyes soon became accustomed to the darkness and we no longer considered we were in the darkness. It became normal.
As we go about our life in the world, we need to be on guard against becoming accustomed to the darkness around us, and finding it normal and conforming to its dubious/dangerous guidelines.
It is NOT normal.
It is NOT acceptable to God.
We are children of the Light.
The dim moral and spiritual insight
of the world
is NOT
the standard of the Christian.
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
James 4:4
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
2 Corinthians 6:17
Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate
says the Lord.
How do YOU guard against becoming accustomed to the darkness of this sinful world?
MEETING IN THE CLOUDS 
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Oh…..that is good! Love the analogy!
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Thank you.
I find we have to be on constant guard.
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I have just found your blog in a very round about way. It is a breath of fresh air to read an Aussie standing up for God and His standards. The world around us is truly a dark place and getting darker all the time. Only by reading and standing on His word, listening to the ever present HolY Spirit can we press back the darkness and bring His Kingdom to earth.
I am a 70 year old Christian lady, originally from England, now living in West Australia. I will enjoy reading your blog.
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Hi Jennifer. Welcome. I’d like to get to know you more, but the links here get me nowhere, and a search in WordPress says you don’t exist.
If you do have a blog here, please give me your link and I’ll visit.
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I am not sure if your comments go to moderation I have tried several times to comment but the comment just seems to vanish. Just to say I have a blog that is very sadly neglected for over a year now. I must try and get back to it.
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I have linked to my blog now so you should be able to visit.
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Thanks for the link Jennifer. It seems yours isn’t a WordPress blog. I have bookmarked it and will return, hoping to see some additions. I don’t know how you feel about it, but I can recommend WordPress if you wanted to start over. It is a very good site and easy to manage.
I don’t know why your comments didn’t post. I do not moderate, but would delete any unsavoury comments received. WordPress is very good at sending spam to spam, where we can check them out.
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Not just opinion, but hard facts backed up with scriptures many prefer to ignore.
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I could wish it were an opinion, but as you say, facts. I would not like to be a young person in today’s world, but we have the promise that ‘greater is He who is in you than he which is in the world’. We would be easily defeated without Him.
What an amazing God!
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I guard against the darkness by going several times a day into the light by prayer and study of His Word! Staying away from things that encourage the darkness is another part of guarding the heart.
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Good protection measures J! I do the same. I also find that having memorised and “pidgeon-holed” Scripture in my mind, brings them to the front when faced with various distractions. The Word of God is powerful!
We serve an amazing God who is ALWAYS there to help us overcome.
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Thanks for sharing, Dear Angela
As I read your post, I subconsciously squinted as I remember the experiences you describe. You paint wonderful word pictures. :-)
I’m positive that I am not as sensitive to dark/light as I need to be. I haven’t yet fallen asleep in a movie theatre, but I know it’s not impossible. Pretty much the same way it’s not impossible for us to become so comfortable with carnality that we find it okay to relax in the midst of it. …
How do I guard?
I don’t know that I have thought of this before, but now that I think on it, I’m beginning to realize a combo method has been in place. Thanks be to God!! I’ve learned to listen to the cues from the Holy Spirit, but sometime I don’t act in the moment. I try to ask Him everyday to order my steps, and at the end of each day I ask Him to search my heart and help me to resolve anything that needs sorting out. On top of that, I am thankful for people He has placed in my life. The ones that lovingly and firmly tell me to get my act together when I step out of line.
It’s good to check our position against His standards. Thanks for this great reminder.
Blessings
ann
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Ann, I like the way you guard! I know of no better way than as you detail, along with filling our minds with His Word, so that we have immediate ‘ammunition’ to combat wrong thoughts, attitudes and actions.
The world seems to be in a downward spiral and sadly too many people who should know better are being drawn in. Time is running out. We need a revival!
We are one day closer!
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Christ is truly the light of the world…. what better way to walk in the light and lived separated lives for Him than spend time in His Word and apply His teachings to our lives? Lord bless you. Thanks for another much needed posting that was very easily understood.
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Thanks Rob. Spending time in His Word, under the guidance of Holy Spirit who gives us understanding, equips us for handling anything the dark world throws in our way.
What an amazing God!
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Great post Angela. Sin besets us everywhere, and always when we are “living and abiding” in Him, the enemy comes with a “little dart” and gets us. All of us of us who have received the saving grace of the LORD God need to heed the Word and stay armored up as Ephesians 6 tells us in verses 10-16 ” Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ”
Praying for the Body of Christ and we wait for our Lord Jesus to return!
Stephanie
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Thanks Stephanie.
Isn’t it wonderful when we ‘see’ the fiery darts of the wicked one being extinguished by the shield of faith? Our God is so good! He does the work and gives us the victory.
What an amazing God!
Angela
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Sometimes, it seems as though there are stumbling blocks and open pits nearly everywhere–and other times, the path appears deceptively smooth. While an overactive sense of danger can be wearying, the sorrow created by the times I’ve let down my guard has been even more distressing.
Your post gives a wonderful illustration of the need for godly discernment. The Holy Spirit is to be our light in this world. It is He whom we must learn to trust as we read God’s Word and wait for His direction.
How do YOU guard against becoming accustomed to the darkness of this sinful world?
It is the sneaky, “little” sins which tend to trip me the worst–pride, greed, covetousness..These are the things I need to be aggressively guarding against. It has been very helpful to become more familiar with Scripture and to ask the Lord to give me wisdom and clear vision in this area. When my inner motives are being purified, the “big” externally visible sins are far less tempting.
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Your opening para says it well. I have a friend who would sometimes say “You know, the devil hasn’t been bothering me lately. I think I’d better have a self-examination to see what’s wrong” If we are living the life we should, we can EXPECT satan to attack. I don’t think we should be wearied but we certainly need to be on guard . . . and what an enormous blessing it is when he is defeated by the One who resides in us.
I agree it is the ‘little’ things which tend to trip us. We forsook the ‘bigger’ sins years ago. Now I find it is often the sins of Ommission that trip me: the things I SHOULD do and don’t.
How I praise my amazing triune God for His continuing work in me, for without Him I am nothing.
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Mentor Angela, thank you for this post, for the analogy that shows what happens so easily, that it seems normal and okay. What do I do to guard against becoming accustomed to the darkness? Great question! I think what helps me the most is to read His Word everyday, to do my best to stay in prayer and thinking of Him throughout the day, to keep looking for ways He is talking to me through circumstances or something in nature. He is always there . . .I want to keep looking at the Light. God bless you as you help us remember we are children of the Light!
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Debbie you sum it up so beautifully. If all Christians had that approach, satan and his hordes would be so frustrated. I delight to ‘see’ him flee when he knocks at my door and Christ answers. Isn’t He amazing?
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