Every Christian, who is born again in Christ, is delivered from the power of darkness and transferred into the light. Christians don’t belong to the darkness anymore, but to the Kingdom of Light. Ary noho izany, Christians shall not live in the kingdom of darkness, walk in darkness, and do the works of darkness. But Christians shall live in the Kingdom of God and do righteous works. Through the new birth and the change of sonship, nature, and kingdom, Christians shall put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light and walk in the light. What is the armor of light in Romans 13:12 and how do you put on the armor of light?
Put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts (Romana 13:12-14)
The Day of the Lord is near. Ary noho izany, it’s time, that all the people, who say they believe, wake up from their spiritual sleep and arise in Christ and walk in boldness after the Spirit in obedience to the Word in the light.
All around us, we see an increase of the power of darkness). More and more spiritual ground is being taken by the power of darkness, which is visible in the natural realm in nature and the lives of people.
The main reasons for the increase of darkness are the increase of apostasy, lawlessness, and the lukewarm state of people, who claim to be Christians.
Many Christians don’t speak the truth and keep their mouths shut about the Truth of God to prevent conflicts or rejection by people.
Instead of standing on the Word, they compromise with the world and approve the works of darkness. They even partake in the works of darkness.
There is hardly any distinction between good and evil and the majority of believers and unbelievers.
Ary noho izany, it’s time that those, who say they believe, become serious and show through their lives, that they believe in Jesus Christ; the Word, and are sons of God (Mihatra amin'ny lahy sy ny vavy izany.), who don’t belong to the darkness (the world) INTSONY, but the Light.
Let sin no longer reign as king in your life
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Romana 6:12-13)
IREO, who keep walking in darkness and doing the works of darkness and obey and serve sin and death through their flesh, don’t walk in the light.
Ary noho izany, those, who keep walking in darkness shall not be the light in the world.
They shall not be able to deliver other people from the power of darkness. They shall also not be able to teach others in the truth of God’s Word. Since they are blinded and walk in darkness themselves and sin still reigns as king in their lives.
But the Bible; the Word commands everyone, to put off the works of darkness and no longer walk after the lusts of the flesh, but to walk as children of light and put on the armor of light and yield their members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light (Efesiana 5:11-13)
The Word commands, to not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to reprove the works of darkness by the truth of God.
How do you cast off the works of darkness and put off the old man?
Koa amboary ny momba ny tenanareo izay etỳ an-tany.; fijangajangana, fahalotoana, Fitiavan - tena tafahoatra, Hevi-dratsy, ary ny fitsiriritana, Iza no mpanompo sampy: Izay zavatra’ Noho ny fahatezeran'Andriamanitra dia tonga amin'ny zanaky ny tsy fankatoavana: In the which ye also walked some time, fony ianareo nonina tao aminy, dia. Fa ankehitriny, esory koa ireo rehetra ireo.; fahatezerana, TEZITRA, lolom-po, fitenenan-dratsy ny finoana, Maloto ny teny avy amin'ny vavanao. Aza mifandainga amin'ny iray hafa., fa efa narianareo tamin'ny asany ilay lahiantitra; Ary hitafy ny lehilahy vaovao, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created Him (Kolosiana 3:5-10)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fijangajangana, fahalotoana, fijejojejoana, fanompoan-tsampy, fanaovana ody ratsy, fankahalana, hampifandrafy, adi-, TEZITRA, fifandirana, fisarahana, fitokoana, Envyings, famonoana olona, fahamamoana, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (GALATIANINA 5:19-22)
Every believer should cast off the works of darkness and esory ny antitra. It is an action that every believer is supposed to do. No one can do it for you. Not even God.
God has given you in Christ all authority and power to resist the devil and resist sin; the works of darkness.
After Jesus Christ, Zanak'Andriamanitra, was baptized in water by Jaona Mpanao Batisa and received the Holy Spirit from the Father, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness.
In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days. During those forty days, Jesus learned to stay obedient to His Father and resist the devil and all his temptations.
Jesus didn’t compromise and didn’t bow to the devil. But Jesus only bowed to His Father, by staying faithful and obedient to His Father and His will.
And just like Jesus, the sons of God should also walk in obedience to the Word and the Holy Spirit. They should resist the devil and don’t give into his deceptions and temptations, which lead to sin.
And that’s only possible if you love God with all your heart, fanahy, saina, and strength,h and know His will and yield yourself to His will, tahaka an'i Jesosy, Who loved His Father with all His heart, fanahy, mind and strength and knew His Father’s will and yielded Himself to the will of the Father.
What is the will of God?
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
And I will put My Spirit within you, ary hitarika anao handeha araka ny didiko, and ye shall keep My judgments, ary ataovy izany (Ezekiela 36:27)
And be not conformed to this world: fa miovà amin'ny fanavaozana ny sainareo, mba hozahanareo toetra izay tsara, ary azo ekena, ary tonga lafatra, sitrapon’Andriamanitra (Romana 12:2)
Through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, God’s will is written in the mind and heart of the new man. na izany aza, the carnal mind, which is not renewed with the Word and thinks like the world, can become a hindrance in the lives of Christians and ensure that they keep walking in disobedience to the Word in unbelief.
Therefore they need to renew their mind with the Word of God. Ka izay, they will get to know the Father and His will.
Through their love for God and by faith in God and His Word, they shall obey the words of God. They shall apply His words in their lives and walk according to His words and abide in the Word. Through their obedience to God, they walk in love according to the will of God.
What does the Bible say about the process of sanctification?
Ary noho izany, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Ray (Romana 8:12-15)
Ny olona tsirairay, who has nibebaka and has become a new creation in Jesus Christ shall go through the process of sanctification. Even when you are raised in a Christian family, you shall go through the process of sanctification after you’ve become born again (Ny baptism in water and the baptism with the Holy Spirit).
During the process of sanctification, you shall put off the works of darkness. You’ll put off the old man, who has the nature of the devil, and put on the armor of light. You will put on the new man and be clothed with Jesus Christ.
You shall no longer do the works of the flesh. But through (the power of) the Spirit, you shall kill the works of the flesh and do the works of the Spirit, which produces life and peace.
You shall no longer listen to the lusts and desires of your flesh, that command you to love yourself and the world and reject the words of God, and wants to lie, rebel, fornicate, commit adultery, divorce, watch porn, and have sexual relationships with someone, who isn’t your spouse/of the same gender/multiple persons/yourself/children or animals.
You’ll no longer listen to your flesh, which commands you to get involved with strange religions and/or (Eastern) philosophies, fanaovana ody ratsy, sikidy, consult spirits, walk in pride, envy others and be jealous, drink alcohol, mangalatra, hate, kill, Aoka ianao ho unforgiving towards others, recompense evil for evil, sns.
Because according to the Bible, all these works are the works of darkness that belong to the old man; the sinner. These works of darkness no longer belong in the life of the new man, who has been made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus and regeneration in Him.
Ny olon-drehetra, who has been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (GALATIANINA 3:26-27)
The new man is clothed with Christ. Ary noho izany, the spiritual transformation of the lahy antitra into the new man should become visible in the natural realm in the life of the new man.
Ny lehilahy vaovao, who has been made in the image of the Creator, shall put on Jesus Christ; the Word and walk in the light; in the truth of God, in the armor of light.
When you have become the new man, you shall walk after the Spirit and shall love God with all your heart, fanahy, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself, which means that you shall serve no other gods and have no idols, you shall not commit spiritual adultery with other religions and/or philosophies, and shall not commit witchcraft, Fanitsakitsaham-bady, fijangajangana, lie, mangalatra, kill, envy etc.
How do you put on the armor of light?
How do you put on the armor of light? You will put on the armor of light, by yielding to Jesus Christ; the Word and the Holy Spirit and doing what is written in the Word.
As long as you stay faithful to Jesus Christ and walk after the will of the Father you shall do righteous works; the works of light and shall walk in righteousness.
The path of righteousness is not the path of the world. It’s a narrow path and only few shall find it or keep walking on this path (Matthew 7:14). Your walk in life depends on your love for Jesus Christ and the Father.
Only if you are born again in Christ and love God with all your heart, fanahy, saina, and strength and stay obedient to the Word and the Holy Spirit and walk by faith in righteousness after the will of God, you shall be able to:
- Resist all the temptations of the devil,
- Fulfill your task in the Kingdom of God on earth,
- Be a witness of Jesus Christ,
- Do the works of light,
- Stand in the faith.
‘Aoka ho fanasin’ny tany’
