Yves Gashugi I take authority over the forces of darkness, casting them down in the name of Jesus! I rebuke the darkness that hovers over this place! Perhaps you have prayed a similar prayer or heard someone pray in this way.
Between 2018 and 2019, during a University Pentecostal Student Fellowship (CEP) gathering, a close friend of mine delivered a teaching that profoundly impacted me. In his sermon, he said, “Believers have fallen into the trap of praying against darkness instead of praying for the strength to become light.” He emphasized that rather than focusing our prayers on rebuking darkness, we should prioritize becoming the light because wherever light shines, darkness automatically flees!
Why do I begin with these words? And how is this reflection relevant to us?
For a long time, I lived a life dedicated to doing what I believed to be God’s work, only to later realize that God does not call us to do before we have truly learned to be. Instead, He calls us to become first, and then our works should flow from our being. In other words, our inner life (being) should drive our actions (doing), not the other way around.
At that moment, I felt like my entire perspective had been shaken! What was wrong with my previous understanding? I was living a life of doing, but without first becoming—as if I was clothed outwardly in the eyes of the world, yet spiritually naked before God. However, the revelation that being comes before doing transformed my perception. Even though the world may still see me as insufficiently adorned, heaven now recognizes me as fully clothed in Christ.
Doing Before Being: A Costly Mistake
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23).
In this passage, Jesus provides multiple illustrations that ultimately converge on a single lesson: not everyone who performs good works in His name truly belongs to Him (Matthew 7:22-23). His response to these people—“I never knew you”—does not refer to not knowing their names, but rather to the lack of a genuine relationship with Him.
Jesus emphasized that those who prioritize doing over being are not fit for the Kingdom of God. He further illustrated this point in John 15:4-5, where He explains that a branch (our actions) cannot bear fruit unless it remains connected to the vine (our relationship with Him).
Conclusion
Although my friend’s teaching pointed out that some people spend too much time rebuking darkness instead of seeking to become light, he did not dismiss the importance of rebuking darkness. Instead, he was reminding the Church that before engaging in spiritual warfare (doing), one must first embody the nature of Christ (being).
Satan has mastered the art of deception, even disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). That is why many believe they will inherit God’s Kingdom simply by performing God’s work (doing), rather than undergoing a personal transformation (being). He knows that true transformation is a long and challenging journey, whereas doing religious works can feel easier and more gratifying.
Ultimately, our inner life determines our outward actions, not the other way around.
