Worldliness – Pt 2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:1-2.
When the radio became readily available some Christians refused to listen to radios. When television became readily available many Christians refused to buy TVs and some that had them turned them off because of the programming. When the Internet became available many Christians refused to listen or watch anything on computers that was on the Internet. Now we all have cell phones that we carry around that are Internet capable with friends sending us cute little videos.
If you have a radio, TV, computer, and a cell phone it is easy to become very saturated with the world’s messages. The truth is that it is harder now than ever before to protect ourselves spiritually from worldliness. We are bombarded with the world’s messages and at times it seems they are coming from every direction.
How do we protect ourselves from worldliness? What we are really asking is how do we protect our hearts, guard our hearts from the evil of the world? Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” The NIV puts this as “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” How do we do this? Here are some suggestions:
- We must be in a right relationship with our Lord. Romans 12:1 and 1 John 1:9 tells how to do that. Sometimes it is not enough to do this privately and we need to publicly rededicate, recommit our lives to the Lord.
- We need to fill our hearts with so many good things (And Philippians 4:8 gives us a list.) that there isn’t room for the world to takeover. Remember Matthew 4:4 where Jesus rebukes the devil while quoting the Old Testament, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Just as you have two or three meals a day you need the Word of God just as much. Your heart needs to be filled up with it.
- Do not seek out or store up the world’s messages in your heart or make them easily available to you. Romans 13:14 speaks of that, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” The NIV puts this as: “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” So, do not provide or store up the world’s filth and do not even think about it. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, be dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6:11). Strive to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthains 2:16) and reject the messages of the world. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Don’t forget: 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(Some suggestions for overcoming the world.)