Has the World Wormed It's Way Into Your Life?
What or who are my influences? What path am I on? How can I stand?
The influence of the world today appears to be getting stronger and yet more subtle. It seems as we go down the generations throughout history, and especially toward my generation (the twenties), the numbers of those who are fully committed to Jesus seem to be getting smaller. This may have to do with the subtle ways in which the world is attempting to worm its influence into our lives. The amount of pull this has in our individual lives is dependent upon the choices that each of us makes. The friendships we build, the circle of people in our lives, the environments we insert ourselves into, the things we read, watch, subscribe to, and the pattern of what we do in our free time, it is revealed what some of our greatest influences are. The choices of what we surround ourselves with will alter the type of Christians we will be, including the fruit we bear (Matthew 7:20).
Each of us needs to consider what our influences are and what compromises we might be making, what may be in our hearts or in our lives that may be closing Jesus out, preventing us from fully receiving Him, or what may be diverting our thoughts from Him. How we choose to go forward with our answers to these questions are important.
Sadly, there are some people who don’t want to “turn off” the world. They want to try and hold onto Christ and hold onto the world at the same time. We can’t substitute biblical principles with worldly values. Our standard isn’t to be placed slightly above the world’s standard; we are called to be separate, peculiar, pure, distinct, unmistakably different, living as an example among the world, reflecting Jesus fully. “Wherefore Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).
The influences in our lives shape our character. Our character affects our values, and our values impact our decisions. Our decisions become our actions, and our actions become our path. What path are you on? Where is your path headed? Are you trying to walk two different paths at the same time? Each of us is at a fork in the road with every choice we face, and each path is going to lead farther and farther apart from the other. There are only two options. One path leads to eternal life with Christ, and the other leads to destruction. Even we as Christians may be drifting down the wrong path, but we do not have to stay there. We need to be filled fully with Jesus by the Holy Spirit, to completely surrender to Him. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can get out of our lukewarm state and be cleansed from all pollution.
Jesus desires to be our greatest influence. He wants to influence us by His Spirit, speaking to us through His Word. He wants His values to become our values, and our decisions to be in alignment with reaching toward the high standard He has set before us. He wants our lives to be filled with influences that are in harmony with Heaven. For us to be in the world but not of it (John 17:15-16). It is in the things we say and the way we say them, and in what we do and the manner in which we do it. It is in our choosing to represent Christ, to be a true witness for Him.
We are witnesses each day whether we realize it or not. The question is for Who? For What? Jesus is calling you and me to stand apart, to be a light for Him and to dispense the light to those in darkness and to those who may be struggling in their decision for Him. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We can do this only as we receive the light given from the Source of all light, which is possible only through an abiding of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; John 15:5). We must hold fast to Christ, not looking back but looking upward (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV; Colossians 3:2-3).
Call to Action
Jesus has made every provision for us to make the choice to stand for Him, but He also gives us complete freedom to choose. I want to stand for Jesus today so that I will be ready to stand on that day when the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords descends from the clouds of Heaven to gather His people to take them home. I want to be there. This call to stand apart requires a conscious decision on our part — a decision to allow Him to examine and change the influences in our lives. It requires a will for Him to be our greatest influence, and a desire for Him to work in us the ability to live as true Christians moment by moment.
Will you join me in praying each day that God will lead us to live as true Christians moment by moment?
All scripture taken from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.
