When I lived in Egypt, there were no set prices on anything. You could go to the fruit and vegetable stand to buy food, and even though there were prices on everything, you would still have to have a cup of tea and argue how much you would pay for each item. I loved it! Buying groceries would take all day because we didn’t have a grocery store. We had a canned and boxed goods store, a fruit and vegetable one, a meat market and so one. I’d travel all around and negotiate prices of every item even though they were listed. When I returned to the US, I still had that mentality because I had adopted that culture. I went to the mall with my brother, and in stores like Macy’s they would ring me up and say, “That’ll be $42.37.” Without thinking, I’d pop back, “I’ll give you $30.” My brother was embarrassed because I had the Egyptian culture in the US. It took a couple of weeks, but I assimilated back into this culture.
As Christians, we are constantly at war with our flesh and it’s desire to adapt to the culture of the world. We are told to be in the world and not of it. That’s a hard thing to do since we live every day in its culture. Our spirit is constantly at war with the world and it’s customs. We were called to live differently and to stand out, not to blend in. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking” (MSG). Sadly, we all succumb to this culture from time to time because it’s constantly at war with us and human nature likes to blend in. However, if we continue to live like the world and it doesn’t bother us, we may have accepted Jesus with our mind instead of our heart. His Spirit is constantly drawing us to be set apart and live His way, which is at odds with the world’s culture.
The good news is that you and I have His Spirit in us to guide us and to give us victory in how we live. 1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]” (AMP). I love that he said, “Everyone born of God is victorious.” You are included in “everyone”. You can be, and should be, victorious in this culture war by continuing to be persistent in your faith. Remember that Jesus transforms us from the inside out through our mind (our way of thinking) and our spirit (our way of living). If you’re feeling defeated today or too well adjusted to this culture, take heart. In John 16:33, Jesus told us that He has overcome this world and its culture giving us the victory.
Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 