Overcoming the World – Part 3

This is the final part of a three part blog taken from a book I wrote called Victory Over Backsliding.   As I shared previously, backsliding is when you turn away from God (and start living life your own way), even though you were once committed to Him.  In my book, I share my own first-hand experience with it, what I learned from it, and how I came back to the God of my childhood.

In light of our current world situation with the Covid-19 virus shutting everything down, this is an important time to examine our hearts.  We need to discover the status of our own heart in relation to who and what we love regarding the world in which we live.  The next part may not be easy because it is a challenge to honestly assess our own lives.  

Chapter 3 – Overcoming the World (see book info below)

Beginning of Part 3

What we Love

              Are we like Lot?  Are we so enticed by the world and so much at home here that we compromise our spiritual life and adopt the same attitudes, actions and aspirations as everyone else?  Do we want to feel that we belong and fit in with everyone else, so compromise our morals?  Yet, we are called to choose -– if we love the world system, we will not love the Father, as the following important Scriptures indicate:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.   I  John 2:15-17

(Note:  For the best interpretation of the above scriptures I have ever read, I recommend the book, Love not the World by Watchman Nee.

  

The greatest safeguard against falling into the slippery clutches of the world is to set our affection on the things of God.  The importance of the heart is emphasized, because this is where our affections lie, this is where our temptations are the greatest.  Remember that we cannot serve two masters; we cannot, for example, serve God and money (see Matthew 6:24).  Let's face it, we live in a material world and we are bombarded with advertisements of every sort, all of which are aesthetically designed to appeal to the eye and our pride.  The world does not know and therefore does not tell us the kind of price we will ultimately pay for accruing so many things.  It may be financial ruin, breaking up a marriage, associated crimes that include stealing and lying, or worst of all, losing our own soul. 

             For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?     Mark 8:36 

            There is an even stronger Scripture, warning us not to become entangled with the world system:

 

            Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.   James 4:4

            In Paul's letter to Timothy he tells him that one of his fellow workers Demas, has forsaken him, "having loved this present world" (2 Timothy 4:10).  Demas chose to use the world for his own gain, and therefore thwarted Paul's ministry because his heart and mind was not set on the things of God but on the things of the world.  We are to use the world for the purpose of bringing glory to God, and not become dominated by its system.   How do we do this?  One of the ways is to keep our mind focused on Scripture:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

We also need to see ourselves in a different light.  Here is what Scripture says about us:

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.  2  Corinthians 5:20 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  1 Peter 2:9 

Clearly, like Jesus, we are not of this world and we need to reach out to this fallen world without becoming part of it.  And as we do, our eyes will be adjusted.  For instead of lusting after the things of the world, we will instead, love the people for whom Christ died, and be able to fulfill our true calling.

That concludes Chapter 3.  Chapter 4 will take you further into the heart of the study of backsliding, and is likely the heart of the entire study.  I encourage you to pick up a copy of the ebook online.  Click on this link.

McBurney-Gunhouse, Linda  Overcoming the World; Victory Over Backsliding; Winnipeg Beach; Creative Focus Publishing; 2007, pgs. 30-32.