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How Do We Know if We are Really Walking with the Lord? "If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth" --- I John 1:6 Vance Havner said, "Most Churches are in a comma with a 'Do not disturb me' sign on the door." Self-deception is a devastating thing in people's lives. If people are non-Christians, they can think they are alright that way. Some even think they are Christians but they are not. Another type of deception is thinking we are walking with the Lord but are not. John says we can say we think we are walking in the light but we can still be in darkness and lying against the truth. For many, they don't mean to be untruthful but they are just deceived. They have lived in the darkness so long to have great light would blind them like the old science-fiction movie "The Mole People". When they dug out from under the ground, they saw the sunlight and were blinded. They were so accustomed to the darkness and had lived so long in darkness they did not know what the light was. One of the best ways to know if we are walking with the Lord is through certain indicators. 1. Do you desire to be obedient to God's Truth? I John 5:3 Many people in churches believe you don't want to get too carried away with our faith. We need enough to get to Heaven but don't really have enough to have it seriously impact our lives. If we really desire to be in God's Will, we will do what He wants us to do instead of following our own whelms. 2. Do you have a hunger for God's Word? I Peter 2:1-2 Do you trust in God's Word as a road map through this life? Are you anxious to find out more and more about what it says? Is there more excitement over God's Word than the daily news in the media? Have you gotten in the habit of reading it and applying it to your heart daily? 3. Do you love being around God's people? The Christian life is not solitary. It is one of togetherness with other believers. We demonstrate our love for God through our fellowship with other Christians. It indicates our relationship with God according to I John 3:14. 4. Do you constantly pray to the Lord? I Thess. 5:17 You can't keep from speaking to God daily about your life, your needs, His guidance, and His revealing His Will for our lives through prayer. 5. Do you believe you are serving the Lord correctly? Do we see the Christian faith as what we can get out of the Lord and His work or what God can do through us to help lead others to Christ and be used to minister to people as a servant? This was Jesus' example and it should be ours (Matt. 20:28). Use these indicators as a wake-up call. Don't walk in the darkness thinking you are in the light. Let God turn the lights on in your soul! Wake up and serve the Lord with all your heart! Throughout all eternity, you will never regret living in truth instead of being self-deceived (Rom. 13:11-14). --- Dan Nelson .