Called Out of the Shadows: Why God’s People Must Walk in the Light
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Visit our Holy Spirit Gear Store- - - - - ->>> HERE <<< - - - - - - New items Weekly
I can’t get away from this theme of light. From Genesis to Revelation, God keeps using the language of light—creating it, revealing it, commanding it, and finally being it. And the more I study Scripture, the more I realize: light isn’t just a nice Bible metaphor. Light is the language of God’s presence, God’s truth, and God’s rescue. When God wants to show us who He is, He turns the lights on.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)
“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
That’s the whole storyline of the Bible in three verses:
God creates light.
God is light.
God sends His Light—Jesus—to us.
So in this post I want to talk about the importance of light, not just the physical light we need to see, but the spiritual light that keeps our hearts from getting swallowed by darkness. I’m writing this in the first person because this is personal for me. I’ve walked through seasons that felt dim and confusing—fear, sickness, battles in my mind, warfare over my calling—and every single time the Lord has brought me out, He’s done it by light, never by more darkness.
Light Is God’s First Answer to Chaos
When the Bible opens, the earth is “formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). God’s very first spoken solution is light. That tells me something: when life is unordered, when it’s confusing, when it’s empty, God’s first gift is revelation. He shines so we can see.
I’ve had moments when my life felt exactly like Genesis 1:2—void in places, dark in places, future unclear. I didn’t need a thousand opinions; I needed God to say, “Let there be light.” I needed Him to uncover the next step. And He did.
That’s why David could pray, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). Notice he doesn’t just say God gives light. He says, “The LORD is my light.” Light is not a thing I get; it’s a Person I walk with.
Jesus: God’s Light in a Dark World
Jesus didn’t say, “I can point you toward light.” He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
That means darkness isn’t just “having a bad day.” Darkness is trying to live life without following Jesus. We can be in church and still be in darkness if we aren’t following Him.
What I love about this verse is the promise: will never walk in darkness. That doesn’t mean I will never encounter darkness around me—it means I don’t have to be guided by it. Darkness doesn’t get to make my decisions. Anxiety doesn’t get the final word. The bad report doesn’t get to tell the whole story. Light does.
Light Exposes, but It Also Heals
Let’s be honest: sometimes we avoid God’s light because we know it will expose things we don’t want to face—habits, unforgiveness, compromise, secret sin, bitterness, even hidden discouragement. But exposure in Scripture is never to humiliate; it’s to heal.
“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.” (1 John 1:7)
Look at the order:
Walk in the light.
Enjoy real fellowship.
Experience cleansing.
No light → no real fellowship → no deep cleansing.
When I finally drag something into God’s light—my fear, my doubt, my hurt—He doesn’t say, “I knew you were a mess.” He says, “Great, now I can wash that.” The blood of Jesus is most effective in the places I stop hiding.
Light and Holiness Go Together
Paul tells us plainly: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8) That’s identity language. I was not just in darkness; I was darkness. Now I’m not just in the light; I am light in the Lord.
Then he says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) Light doesn’t blend with darkness. Light confronts. Light says, “That won’t produce life. That will pull you back into shadows.”
This is why I can’t flirt with compromise and still expect clarity from God. The more I tolerate darkness, the dimmer His voice seems. The more I walk in the light, the more sharply I hear Him.
Light Is Missional: We’re Supposed to Shine
Jesus didn’t just say He is the light of the world. He also said to His followers:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
This is huge. God’s plan isn’t only to shine on me, but to shine through me. He wants my life to stand out like a lit-up city at night. Not for my name, but for His.
And this is where the importance of light meets the importance of integrity. A flickering light doesn’t help anyone. A covered lamp doesn’t guide anyone. The world doesn’t need more hidden believers; it needs more well-lit ones. My testimony, my kindness, my faithfulness, my refusal to gossip, my generosity, my hope in suffering—those are beams of light in a very tired world.
Light Brings Hope in Suffering
Sometimes darkness isn’t about sin; it’s about suffering. Maybe you know what it’s like to get a diagnosis (mine was stage 3 cancer), to lose a loved one, to walk through depression, to feel spiritually dry. That’s when verses like this rescue me:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)
This was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, but I have experienced it in my own life. I have seen God dawn on me in a dark season. He didn’t always remove the circumstance immediately, but He lit up the path through it. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Sometimes God doesn’t turn on the whole stadium—He just hands me a lamp for the next step. But that’s still light.
And I love 2 Corinthians 4:6:
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
That means the same God who lit up creation is lighting up my heart. The miracle of Genesis is happening in me. That’s hope.
Light Is Stronger Than Darkness—Always
John wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Darkness can cover light, it can pretend to be light, it can threaten light—but it can’t overcome real light.
That gives me courage. Because the world right now can look pretty dark—confusion about truth, compromise in the church, hostility to faith, wars and rumors of wars, people calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). But none of that changes the nature of light. Light doesn’t panic. Light just shines. And wherever it shows up, darkness has to move.
How I Practically “Walk in the Light”
Because I don’t want this to be just theory, here are the practices that help me stay in God’s light:
Daily Word intake. God’s Word is light (Psalm 119:105, 130). If I stop reading, I start dimming.
Quick repentance. When the Spirit puts His finger on something, I bring it into the light right away (1 John 1:9).
Honest fellowship. Light and fellowship go together (1 John 1:7). I can’t isolate and stay bright.
Worship when it’s dark. Sometimes I worship not because I feel light but because I need to welcome it.
Speaking light over my house. I literally say, “Jesus, You are the Light here. Drive out every dark thing.”
You can do this too. You don’t have to be a pastor, an author, or a missionary. You just have to be willing to open the curtains of your life to the Light of the World.
Recommended Books to Further Study the Subject
Call to Action: Step Into the Light Today
If you’ve been reading this and the Holy Spirit has been putting His finger on something—an attitude, a secret, a hurt, a fear, a habit—don’t shove it back into the shadows. Bring it into the light while God is drawing you.
Pray this with me:
“Lord Jesus, Light of the World, I step out of darkness today. I confess every hidden thing to You. Wash me with Your blood. Fill me with Your light. Help me to walk in Your truth, love others in Your light, and shine for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Now tell someone. Send a text. Call your prayer partner. Light multiplies in community.
And if you’re leading a Bible study, writing your own blog, or discipling your family, teach this. Our world is desperate for people who know how to shine.
