James 3:15 "Such 'wisdom' does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil."

Where there is selfish ambition and bitter envy it is not from God, it has no part with God. There is no reason to boast or lie to ourselves about selfish ambition and bitter envy because it's origin: earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. These three things are all the time pulling at, tempting, seeking to draw my away from the Lord who is the Light - the world, the flesh, the devil. This is darkness.

The true wisdom that comes from God results in "deeds done in humility" (verse 13). Humility, the emptiness of self and the filling of God. God is where self is not. Darkness and light cannot coexist. As James says only a few versees before, "Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" (Verse 11). If I keep these selfish ambitions in my heart, pushing them back deep inside where I even forget about them, because of the lies I tell myself, 'that is exceptable, that sin doesn't exist in me, this is not really sin,' those places will not see the the light of Christ. Ignoring the darkness will for sure not bring light.

Think about heat and cold. Cold is not really a thing in and of itself, it is only the absence of heat. Likewise with light and darkness. Darkness is only the absence of light. Darkness cannot kick out the light, it can only exist where the light is not. Just the same, where I do not lay down and surrender my life to the light of the scriptures, the darkness of bitter envy and selfish ambition are free to exist.

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by 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."

Thankfully, light has the power to kick out darkness.

Today i will spend time reading in the book of I John, asking God to expose sin and make me willing to confess and repent of all that he shows me.