Transferred Out of Darkness

In Colossians 1:13 it says, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son..." This verse does not seem significant until you understand what it means to be in internal darkness. One meaning of the Greek word for darkness is "persons in whom darkness becomes visible and holds sway". Darkness comes in our soul where we agree with a core lie about our identity. People develop many ways to deal with this internal darkness, they may ignore it all together, wallow in self-pity, find a false comfort, or try to overcome it by performing. Unfortunately, I have flesh that tends to wallow in self-pity (a pattern I learned well as a child). The problem with pity parties is there is only one that seems to be a part of it, except for the Enemy who I believe enjoys paralyzing the saints of God. I am not going to let the Enemy win this battle, he will pay for his lying deception. Behavior does not change identity, only the nature of a creature can change identity. I had just ministered to a man who had received a call by God into the ministry, his life preceded to be very difficult for the 8 years that followed the original call. There was such an air of hopelessness, despair, heaviness, and total separation for the One who is love. This triggered a place in my heart where I felt this same way. This took me into a place in my childhood where I spent a lot of time in my house by myself, I sank into a deep loneliness and a feeling that I was there because "something is wrong with me." On this day I find myself battling this deep place of darkness and hurt, I seem to get some distance from it but then come back. It's as though I am slogging through the quicksand, yet God is at work in this because His Word tells me even though I don't feel like He is at work. This is a place where Divine Love seems totally absent, His love is the Kingdom of Light. I cling to the Word of God as my comfort in the midst of an internal darkness, somewhere inside I know God is removing this lie from my heart which has left me wounded. The Lord has promised me through Isaiah 45:2-3, that He would give me"... the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places...". We often think of wealth and treasures as being material blessings, yet in the Kingdom what is really valuable is relationships and most important of all relationships is with Our Creator. I am writing this with the prayer that someone else will find freedom from a place of darkness and enter into the joy of Divine Love. Our very life comes from a vital relationship with our Heavenly Father and union with our Savior Jesus Christ. The Enemy has tried to lay claim on us through the original Lie and all other lies but we are no longer of our father the Devil (The Liar). I am so thankful when my feelings have been commandeered by lies, that my spirit still knows the truth. I declare that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, I am a much loved son of the One true Father. I believe praising God in the midst of darkness brings us into a place of His light because God is enthroned on the praises of His people. We are all being changed from one degree of glory to another degree of glory, we have come from being dead to being made alive. It makes sense that our identity was geared according to the original Lie (in Adam) and we had a twisted view of God's beauty and goodness. Real love does not exist apart from the One who is love. I understand why Paul referred to salvation as running a race like a distance runner, we are day by day coming into the truth of who we are and some days are tougher than others. I again rejoice and the magnitude of the gospel to save us out of the dark, twisted, and distorted inner world produced by the Satanic Lie bringing us into the glorious family of the Trinity. I declare I am as much Abba's Child today as days when I am floating on the clouds.

In His Power and Love,
Bret