If you’re walking in darkness, you’re not walking with Christ.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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 1:5-7 NIV
Are you walking in darkness? If so, you’re doing something wrong. The Christian life comes with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit brings:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.
(Galatians 5:22-23.)
So if your life is lacking in joy, or peace, you are not walking with Christ.
Why?
Demonic oppression is real, and if it is in your life, that means you have done something to give it the right to mess with you. Repent of and renounce whatever sin invited it in. Rebuke the enemy and he will flee. If you do not find relief, pray (with fasting) for deliverance.
If after doing all this you’re still struggling, God is trying to refine you.
Struggle does not always come from the enemy. God disciplines his children (for their own good!) to wake us up to our mistakes. Whereas the devil condemns us (i.e. you are rotten and cannot be washed clean), God simply “convicts” us. He tells us that we are doing wrong, and wakes us up to our sins.
Ask God to reveal the lies that have you bound up in chains.
Break their power by shedding the light of God on those dark places. Reading the Word will help expose lies and break their power over you.
Ask God to reveal hidden sins. You might be harboring pride that you aren’t recognizing. Or rebellion. Or lust (lust can be *any* out of control appetite). Maybe you have a stronghold you haven’t realized yet. Pray about it, and remember to listen!
I promise you if you seek God on this, you will find answers. God wants you to be free from sin. God wants you to be his adopted son, to live with Him for eternity in his heavenly city.
Stay humble all!