Tag Archives: in the world not of it

February 7, 2025 · 5:24 AM

Living Set Apart

Early on in the Bible, God began to tell his people to set apart land, cities, items and animals. The things he told them to set apart were considered His and they were holy. In the New Testament, He told the Early Church to,set apart Barnabas and Paul. They were called to be missionaries. You and I as believers are also called to live set apart from the world. We are God’s and are expected to live lives that are holy to the Lord. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. To be set apart is to be clearly different To the point it was known what things were set apart. In Exodus God kept making a clear distinction between His people and the people of Egypt. I believe God is still calling for a clear distinction between His people and the people of the world as we are to be in the world and not of it. We are set apart for Him.

Here are some Bible verses on living set apart:

1. Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.

John 17:17 AMP

2. I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

3. And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them.

Romans 8:30 GNT

4. But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.

1 Peter 2:9 TPT

5. [I am writing] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, [that is, set apart for God and His purpose]: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7 AMP

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.

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February 3, 2021 · 6:02 AM

Winning The Culture War Within

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

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March 2, 2016 · 5:41 AM

Eat Your Broccoli

  
If you’re like me, you like to be given a choice. You don’t like to be told what you’re going to have. I guess it stems from my childhood. When my mom said, “You can’t leave the table until you eat your broccoli.” I usually sat at the table all night watching the TV from there. Knowing you can only whip a child so much, she tried a different strategy. She’d say, “You can eat your broccoli or you can go to bed.” I didn’t like either choice, but at least I had a say.

She learned that even if I didn’t like the choices, I liked having the chance to choose. God gave Israel a choice, and He gives the same one to you and I. In Deuteronomy 11:26 He said, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!” (NLT) It seems like an easy choice on the surface. Who doesn’t want to be blessed by God? But choosing the blessing in this scenario was like eating your broccoli.

The blessings that God gives come when we surrender our life to His will. We have to give up living like we want to live like He wants. God was telling the Israelites and us, “If you will live the way I’m telling you to, I will open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on you. But if you live like everyone else on earth and choose a life that is not different, you will be choosing the curse.” The blessings come at a cost, but that cost is good for you just like the broccoli.

In II Corinthians 6:17, Paul reminds us that God said, “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD.” We are called to be in the world, but not to live like the world. We are held to a higher standard as children of God. When we are willing to live the way God wants us to live, our lives will produce love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness. The choice is yours and no one else can make it for you.

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