AVOID WORLDLINESS

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

       To copy is to imitate, duplicate or reproduce.  The world has standards that are very different then the ones set apart by Almighty God.  Once you are a part of God’s family the difference between the two becomes quite evident.  The customs of this world are selfish in nature.  They breed self-centered and self-absorbed behavior, which is just the opposite of what the Lord would have us to do.  Satan is the ruler of this world, therefore it stands to reason that because he had a superiority complex and became a ‘me first’ type of being, the people of this world would do the same.  It’s a trap that’s easy to fall into.

       As with all the issues of life, God has a solution.  Allow Him to transform your life and in the process change the way you think.  I know when I received Christ into my life back in 1979 I began to think differently and see the things around me with a new set of eyes.  Everything was seen and thought of with a new perspective, a godly one.  Now you can submit to the spirit within and follow the path God has set before you or you can reject the spirit’s call and proceed just as if nothing had happened.  As with a newborn baby, one must start receiving spiritual food right away to begin to build up your spirit man.  Without spiritual sustenance the old man will gain strength and momentum and rise up from the ashes to dominate your words, thoughts and actions all over again.  Surrender to the spirit and avoid a reoccurrence of that which you had been saved out of.

       Some folks find knowing God’s will for their lives to be so incredibly difficult, but it really doesn’t have to be that way.  I believe God has a general or corporate will and a personal will.  The general will is for us to go out among those who are spiritually lost and bid them to come in to the banqueting table being set up for all men.  Whether they come or not is their choice.  God’s personal will is for each individual and can only be known to them, unless it is revealed to another as a means of confirming to you what you are considering to be His will.  To be able to discern God’s personal will you must dig deep into the riches of God’s word and investigate the mind and heart of God.  Once you find this and realize what special gifts the Lord has given you, proceed.  The Lord wishes to use us all in some capacity for we are all given gifts for the furtherance of the kingdom.  Focus on God and His standards for living and turn away from anything that you know in your heart doesn’t please the Lord.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources(s):  American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved; Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2012.