"In The World - Not of it"

In the World – Not of It

“I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.
They do not belong to this world any more than I do.”  [John 17:15-16 (NLT)]

Did you ever feel like all the evil of the world that surrounds you is just waiting to suck you in; to swallow you up?  Actually that is a reality.  2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) tells us that “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” He has a great influence on the majority of people.  He controls the false religions of this world which were formed under his lies and deceptions. 

John 12:31 tells that he is the ‘ruler’ of this world and in Ephesians2:2, he is noted as the prince of the power of the air.  You can see from these verse that Satan is doing all he can to make believers become a part of this world.  He temps us with all things that hold us back from ‘walking in the Spirit of God’. 

Sadly, we live in this evil world and daily have to battle the deceitfulness of the enemy.  We may live in this world, but Jesus himself has overcome the devil and says in John 17:15-16 that if you are a believer that “They (the believers) are not of this world just as I am not of the world.” Again in John 15:19, Jesus assures us “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

God has given us the tools to combat the enemy and his demon hordes and it is this, “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.”     [1 John 4:4] Satan may be god of this earth, but God’s power is greater than Satan’s.

There are several warnings in the Bible about not loving the world and the things in it. This does not mean that we should not enjoy the beauty of the earth and the wonderful pleasures God has given us. In I John 2:15-16, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  Then God tells us distinctly what ‘loving the things of the world’ are.  “For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Friends, we are living in perilous times and the battle for your soul is fierce.  If you are wasting your time on things that are not of God (and you know what they are), you may be in for the surprise of your life.  This doesn’t mean for you to sit in a corner and do nothing, but it does mean there is a lot of work to be done in preparation for coming events.

For myself, I want to be ready to meet Jesus at any time.  I long to see his face and experience the joy of His presence.  There is a song that touches my heart so much.  I can write down the words, but don’t know how to add the music.  It is called, “Give Me Jesus”.

In the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise,
 In the morning when I rise, Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus, give me Jesus,
You can have all the world, but give me Jesus.

And when I am alone, and when I am alone,
 And when I am alone, give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus, give me Jesus,
You can have all the world, but give me Jesus.

And when I come to die, and when I come to die,
 And when I come to die, Give me Jesus.
  Give me Jesus, give me Jesus,
You can have all the world, but give me Jesus.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13