In the World, not of It

In the World, not of It
By Shirley Mitchell

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."
John 17:15-17

On Jesus' last night as a man on earth, He prayed fervently for His disciples and for all who would believe in Him through their message. He did not pray for us to be taken from the world to a safe place. Instead, He prayed for the Father's protection for us from the evil one. He prayed for us to not be of the world, just like He was not of it.

We are not to blend in with the world. Part of our identity in Christ is to be peculiar. We are not to participate in the gossip at our workplace. I remember when my friend Paige was a teenager. In regard to her stand against the peer pressure to watch certain movies, she said, "How can I possibly watch that movie and serve God?"

We must guard our minds against the world. We are to be in the world but not of the world. We can't silo ourselves from the world. Remember our God "so loved the WORLD that He gave His only Son" to it. He loves these people so we must love them, too. He hates the sin. He hates cultures where lawlessness abounds, violence invades, and immorality proliferates. If we don't guard ourselves, we will become just like them. The world will lure us and ensnare us.

I will never forget the first time I realized how many of the world's lies that I had bought. In my years of drifting far from God, I had bought everything that the world had to sell. My clothing, my lifestyle, my activities, and my attitudes toward relationships were all the world's opinions. When I learned I was pregnant with my first daughter, I returned to God realizing my desperate need for Him and longing to raise my child to know Him. I stopped watching all TV because I was barely surviving each day. My daughter kept me up all night with feedings, and I worked outside the home. However, I had been feeding on the Word of God, listening to every Christian preacher on the radio as I drove, participating in Bible study (not doing my homework completely but getting there!), and listening attentively to my preacher at church. After my daughter was about eight months old, I finally had settled into the mom role. Then I watched my favorite TV program, the number one show of that day. Within the first five minutes of the show, the Holy Spirit inside of me was grieved. I looked at the clothes the girls wore. I saw their callous attitudes toward sex. I was so saddened that I stood up, pointed my finger at the TV set, and said aloud, "That's a LIE!" I shook as I realized I had bought their entire way of life. I was very upset that I had been deceived to think they were so cute and so hip. I had bought into their beliefs that this was how a woman was to live.

This moment changed me. Now, I assess whatever I put in front of me. You and I must be alert to what we watch on television, listen to on the radio, read in magazines, and surf on the internet. We should ask ourselves, "Is this beneficial for me? Will this please God? Where will this lead me? Will this build me up and make me whom I desire to be in Christ? Can I share this with my Bible study friends?"

Beloved, can you describe a time when you blended in with the world or made a choice to be "peculiar?" Are you living like Jesus commanded us to live "in" the world and not "of" the world? I ask for both of us to allow the Holy Spirit access to even the most restricted places of our hearts and minds so He can reveal to us the areas of our lives where we need to make choices that clearly show we are not blended in but "peculiar" people who are set apart for God.

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are our God! We worship You and exalt Your Name. You are magnificent. You are the sweetest thing that we have ever known. Give us, Lord, the passion we need to be in the world but not of the world. Strengthen us. Make us courageous and unyielding to temptation. May we protect our eyes from the worldly things that we see. Make we cover our ears from ungodly things that we might hear. It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study
Copyright 2009 © Christ Compels

He Will Not Fail You!

He Will Not Fail You!
By Shirley Mitchell

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:26

Psalm 73:26 tells us that there will be times that our heart and flesh will fail us. Our hearts, the seat of our emotions and from which all living flows, may get discouraged and betray us. Our bodies will give out on us, and we won't be able to take another step on the journey of life. But God will never fail us.

In Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (KJV), Moses turns the reins of the leadership of Israel to Joshua. He tells him to "be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." In Joshua 1 after Moses' death, God reaffirms to Joshua that He will never leave his side nor fail him. He says in verses 5-6 (KJV), "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them."

The Hebrew transliteration for the word "fail" is raphah. It means "to sink, relax, sink down, let drop, to be disheartened, to refrain, let alone, to show oneself slack." At the end of Joshua's life, Joshua agreed that God had kept His promise to never leave him. God proved trustworthy to Joshua to not be afraid of his enemies. Joshua 23:14 says, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."

1 Kings 8:56 says, "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses." Lamentations 3:22 says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Isaiah 51:6 says, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." Acts 5:38-39 says, "Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

We may fail. Our hearts and our flesh may fail. Glory to God, He never fails. He never falls short. He is never inferior. He never deserts us. He can't show Himself slack. He does not get disheartened. He doesn't drop us. His compassions are never insufficient. I have felt worthy of being dropped, but He never gave up on me. What a God!

My precious friend Andrea is such a godly woman through whom God has done so many amazing things. Let me tell you something that she said that made me laugh so hard. She said jokingly, "I don't think I ever want my life to be a book. I know what it would say. 'She failed. She failed again. She failed yet again, but God never failed her.' " Now, doesn't that just sum it up? Actually, she has what you and I need. She has the perseverance to keep going even if we make a mistake. We aren't called to be perfect; we are just called to love, trust, learn, and pursue.

If our activity is of human origin, there is a real possibility it will fail. However, if you and I are in the process of fulfilling our callings, we may have lessons along the way to rid us of arrogance and jealousy, to unveil future things to us, and to bring us into accordance with God's heart. Yet, the overall calling will be fulfilled. When we walk in obedience, our callings can't be thwarted by human hands. Hallelujah!

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, You are God. From ancient days You are He. No one can deliver us out of Your hand. When You act, no one can reverse it (Isaiah 43:12-13). Only You can tell us the future before it even happens. Everything You plan will come to pass, for You do whatever You wish (Isaiah 46:10 NLT). God, help us to be strong and be courageous like Joshua. Burn into our hearts and minds that You will never leave us nor forsake us and that You will not FAIL US! Hallelujah! It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study