Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
1 John 1:6-7,
“6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Understand:
If we’re to walk in fellowship with God this year, there can be no hiding of sin. We can’t live a dual life. People have tried this way of living; I’ve seen it tried and it doesn’t work. What happens is that the person becomes deceived and moves further away from God into bitterness.
The term “light” represents the truth of God, while the “darkness” represents sin. Light and darkness cannot exist at the same time, it’s impossible. Think about it…a room in your house can’t be both dark and light at the same time. John is saying that if a person walks in darkness, then they’re not walking in the truth of God. They are choosing to not be in fellowship with God.
Similarly, if a person walks in the “light” then he has fellowship with the Lord and with other Christians. To walk in the light means that we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ continually cleanses us from sin. If you spend some time thinking about the blood of Jesus, you can’t help but be humbled. Knowing that we have this bent towards sin, God’s Son purifies us, cleanses us, liberates us, redeems and saves us. It makes me want to shout Halleluiah! His grace and mercies overwhelm me.
It was the work of Christ Jesus that cleanses us; all of God’s forgiveness is based on Christ’s shed blood.
Apply:
I don’t know what 2016 was like for you, but as you now move into 2017, will you stand on the truth of these verses and know that you have been made right with God by Jesus’s blood?
When the enemy is coming against you, will you declare over and over again that the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from sin?
Is there sin you need to confess today? Do you need to move out of darkness and walk in the light of Christ? If so, confess your sin to Him and rest in His loving kindness.
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.