I have to be honest, it's not easy to hear that we are living in darkness. In fact, no one wants to hear those words. But it's true. Thankfully, Jesus ensured that I made the right connections regarding Biblical doctrine. I can promise you that the way He taught me is nothing like what we hear about at church or from Biblical scholars. You are either living in darkness with the enemy or walking in the light with God. There is no in-between.

Jesus' ways are simple to understand. They are easy to put into practice, but most importantly, your journey back into the light becomes a beautiful walk home with the Lord.

There are just a few simple things you need to know to make your walk successful. You need to understand that God will never ask you to do anything. You have free will to choose whether to stay in darkness or follow Jesus back into the light with God.

When you decide to follow Jesus back into the light, the enemy will start to come after you. You can't get back into the light unless you have the Holy Spirit within you. Your safety is everything to God. That is why He wanted us to have the Holy Spirit. He is our guide back into the light. He gives us supernatural strength to endure the challenges that we will face.

There are some important steps you will need to take. Make sure you are baptized. There are many theories about receiving the Holy Spirit and Baptism. Some churches say you receive Him the moment you become a believer. Some say you have to be baptized by water. I have learned that finding the light can be dangerous and that it's not safe to risk the wrong theory when it comes to receiving the Holy Spirit. It blows my mind that there are ministers and preachers out there saying their way is the absolute truth. The Bible shows Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River. Then the Holy Spirit descended from heaven. I say, don't take a chance on this topic; believe and get water baptized.

Jesus is our example of what it means to live in the light. He taught us how to walk and stay in the light. I can promise you that every teaching has to become the way you live your life. If you choose to cherry-pick scripture and do things your own way, like only following a couple of teachings, you will remain in darkness. Jesus taught me that there is no cherry-picking in His teachings. We must obey all the teachings; that's how we get in the light. Also, it's more than believing in Him, and it's more than having faith in HIm.

"Faith without works is dead." - James 2:26. Meaning: belief and faith cannot walk you out of darkness; you have to take action through obedience. The only way to enter the light is to obey Christ's teachings and choose to follow Him daily. Every teaching obeyed brings you one step closer to the light.

Have a well-thought-out plan. Here's an example:

  -Get water baptized. It's the Holy Spirit's job to teach you everything Jesus taught.

  -Allow the Holy Spirit to become your best friend. Talk to Him every day about everything going on in your life.

  -Write down the Ten Commandments.

  -Write down all of Christ's teachings

  -Highlight any teachings that you already obey and are implementing daily in your life.

  -Choose what teaching you want to start with and ask the Holy Spirit to help keep you biblically aligned.

  -Learn God's ways.

  -Start a Dear God journal. Write out your prayers so that when He answers them, you have a record. Trust me, you will want to go back and read everything ya'll have been through together. 

  -Create a prayer routine and learn how to pray as you are walking back into the light.

Recite the Lord's Prayer every morning along with any intentional prayers you have for the day.

Just know that no one will have the same experience while walking out of darkness with the Lord. It's a personal journey designed specifically for you and what you've been through. Though, looking back, I wish I had done a few things differently. Maybe hearing where I went wrong will help you avoid making the same mistakes.

I wish I had just committed to obedience from the start. I wasted a lot of time gathering information, thinking that was what it was all about. Knowing the truth doesn't walk us out of darkness.

Obedience brought the real me to the surface, and instead of embracing my true self, I often tried to hide due to feeling shame and discomfort. All my life, I ran from negative emotions, but this journey required me to be honest and face the truth. I wish someone had told me not to run from the negative feelings and that the Lord would heal me once the truth surfaced. Also, when you want to understand why you are the way you are, know that the Lord will give you the reasons why. The truth is freeing, and that is when real healing takes place.

* Let me state that while I was working on implementing the teachings. I took a good look at my life and all the areas that felt broken. I started praying for God's help to restore those areas of my life.  Looking back, I realize that while the Lord was working on me internally, God was restoring every area of my external life.

Please note that there is nothing more exciting than watching God do the impossible.