Discerning Light And Darkness By The Holy Ghost!

John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him… 25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we will suffer persecution and experience opposition at the hand of Satan, the enemy of our souls. In Ephesians 6:10, we are admonished to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Our strength and success is dependent upon our obedience to Word of God and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus became the living Word among us and indwells this mortal body by the Holy Ghost. The world hated Him and they will hate all who follow Him. Matthew 10:22, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

In a world that is filled with darkness, Jesus has made provision for us to discern the light. He promised His disciples that after His departure He would send the Holy Ghost to be our resident guide, adviser and protector. When He has come He will teach you all things necessary for your success and cause you to remember all that He has already taught you. Jesus has taught us to discern light and darkness by the power of the Holy Ghost within us.

It is imperative that we know light from darkness. That is a very simple statement but I find it to be one of the greatest needs among Christians today. Among all the subjects that we have written about over the past 2 years, the response to subjects about truth and light has been an overwhelming 3 to 1 over any other single theme. People want to know the truth. They want to be able to discern Light and Darkness. It is crucial in these last days and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost is an indispensable factor in this endeavor.

In Acts 13 we read about the beginning of Paul’s missionary ministry. The leading and anointing of the Holy Ghost was an integral part of Paul’s ministry and gave him the advantage of discerning Light and Darkness. Acts 13:2, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.” Notice that it was the Holy Ghost that made the selection and the Holy Ghost that gave the assignment. We must lay our plans aside and petition God to make us part of His Plan.

They preached the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. A certain deputy of the country called for Paul and Barnabas desiring to hear the Word of God. A certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus opposed them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Acts 13:9, “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” The reality of this passage is that those who oppose Jesus Christ really do walk in darkness. The decree of the Holy Ghost brought to fruition the physical reality that the sorcerer was truly walking in spiritual darkness.

The Holy Spirit discerned the “darkness” and called it out. In the power of the Spirit, the darkness was defined and confined. There is no further mention of Bar-jesus in the Bible. The lesson to be learned here is that the judgment of God is sure and final. This was God’s Plan! The Holy Ghost did the choosing and gave the assignment. Therefore, Paul’s mission was under the mantel of Christ and without limitation. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must walk in the Light as the Holy Ghost leads and move in the anointing of His assignment. He will discern the Darkness, Define and Confine. By the power of the Spirit the power of darkness will be revealed and deposed! By the Holy Ghost, we will discern Light and Darkness!