READ: JOHN 1:1-18; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13; EPHESIANS 5:8-20

I am Ashva, knight of the Kingdom of Light! Although weak from my journey, I repeated the truth aloud to bolster my strength. The King had sent me to deliver a message to the bishop of the north. Then I was to travel on to the castle of the nearby rook and await further orders. But the mountain road was long and treacherous. My horse’s muscles quivered beneath me, and I knew it was time to rest. I scanned the valley’s perimeter for enemies of the Light before dismounting.

Snowdrop’s coat shimmered with sweat as she drank from the brook we rested by. I patted her neck and whispered soothing words. Suddenly, a reflection of something dark appeared on the surface of the water. Snowdrop snorted in alarm at the horse and rider standing across the brook. The gaunt horse was but a skeleton of itself, and smoke furled around the rider, creating a ghostly cloak. A knight from the Kingdom of Darkness.

I knew I should flee, but I stood frozen, watching the knight move cautiously through the water toward me. What is in his hand? Some kind of new weapon— no, it’s only a piece of fruit! Relief flooded through me and a gasp of laughter escaped my lips. All he did when he reached my side of the brook was hold out the fruit like a peace offering. My mouth watered as I imagined biting into the flesh, juices cascading down my throat, satisfying my hunger…

Snowdrop nudged my shoulder with a grunt of protest. Startled out of my reverie, I looked closer at the fruit. It was unlike any I’d seen in the Kingdom of Light. It is from the darkness, I realized. And I don’t belong to the darkness anymore. I am Ashva, knight of the Kingdom of Light! Our fruit consists of all that is good, right, and true. This is a trap. Whirling around, I jumped onto Snowdrop’s back, and we fled into the setting sun. • Savannah Coleman

• Today’s story is an allegory for the spiritual battle we’re waging against the powers of darkness. Like in the game of chess, our enemy is plotting to trick us (2 Corinthians 2:11). However, unlike in chess, our King is by far the most powerful player on the board. And there’s no question that He will win, because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, taking the punishment for our sin and triumphing over the devil and all his forces (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:9-23). If we know Jesus, we are part of the Kingdom of Light, no longer bound to the sin and death of the darkness. How can remembering our identity—that we are forgiven, beloved, and made righteous by King Jesus—help us resist temptation, and repent after we sin?

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth). Ephesians 5:8-9 (NIV)