Standing For Truth
by adamsteins
This world consumes us. When everything the world produces surrounds us, how couldn’t it? We are seemingly fit into the mold of society by the clothes we wear, the books we read, the movies we watch, and the things we eat and drink. This is not what God says. In John chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father for his disciples in the world. In verse 16 he prays, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” We are surrounded by the world and all of its idols and material ethics, but take heart, Jesus has called us to him, he who is not of this world.
This leaves Christians left between a rock an hard place. If we are surrounded by all of these worldly things and God has called us to not be one with the world, what shall we do? Well I personally would love to be called out of this world and taken up to live with Jesus for eternity, wouldn’t you? But wait, Jesus also prayed to the Father, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one… As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”(v.15,18). Well there goes that idea. We are here to stay, folks. Get used to the people that you love (and those you don’t really want to be around), the commercialism, the advertisements, the false doctrines, and the sin. God isn’t calling us out of the world. He calls us to be here to bring his name glory: “Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth… Whom I have created for My glory.” (Isaiah 43:6-7)
Isn’t it great to know that even though we were called to be on this earth, Jesus Christ was praying for us to be delivered from its evil (John 17:5)? That brings me hope in the midst of all the evil sin that we are tempted and swayed by. This evil tempts us by the evil one’s hand. The devil will try to dissuade you of God’s power and truth as many times as he can in order that you fall into his traps to be tempted by the flesh’s lustful desires. Sex, drugs, beauty, beer, money, cars, diamonds, technology, six pack abs… the list goes on. Acquire these things in your life and be accepted into the elite club of the world known as the “in-crowd”: the popular, the rich, the famous, the sexy, the wealthy. “These things will not only make you become liked by all, but you’ll be happy as well,” says the world.
“O righteous Father! The world has not known You,” rebukes Jesus (John 17:25). The world doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Let me toss that out there for everyone to catch. The world tells us what we should look like, what we should wear, what we should find as beautiful, who we should associate with, what kind of salary to make, etc. It’s obvious that the world does not know God. The world will never know God. God is too holy and too filled with truth for the disgusting lies of the world to become coherent of His word. God’s living Word (Jesus) was not known to the world even when he was walking before them! So the next time that you feel like you should buy something, look at something, drink something, eat something or even smoke something because those around you in the world are doing it, just remember that you’re jumping off of that bridge with them. It’s a long fall, but luckily God is there to catch us.
So we’re stuck in this world. We’re surrounded by its gadgets, its objects, its icons. In this, our body immediately lusts for them. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that “All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” It’s not a sin to buy things in this world. It is sin to become attached or idolize the things that you buy in this world. What about sex (or pornography)? Paul does not exclude these things and says that they are indeed lawful to us. Again, he says that “I will not be brought under the power of any.” “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!” (1 Cor. 6:15)
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Shall we fulfill fleshly desires like pornography or drunkenness just because our bodies are roused for a moment by them? We must become like Paul: “But I discipline my body, and make it my slave” (1 Cor. 10:27).
Paul teaches in Galatians 5:16 that if we “Walk in the Spirit, [we] shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” For me, it seems that as I walk I start to lose focus. And when I lose focus my eyes start to wonder. And when my eyes wonder, I start to see those desires the world is throwing at me instead of the truths God has set before me. Sound like you? When moments like these occur we must stand.
Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the ‘schemes’ of the devil.” Satan is certainly cunning and crafty. He knows the instincts and desires of humans. He’s been around them for as long as God has. Satan laughs when he successfully exploits our weaknesses, God shouts triumphantly when He glorifies Himself in our weaknesses. We all have weaknesses and we all need help from God. Listen to the truth of James’ words: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (v.7). As we stand before God the world sweeps fast around us, tempting and luring us with lustful desires, but in the midst of all that, God calmly asks us to submit ourselves fully to Him. As we stand and submit Satan flees. “What communion has light with darkness?” Satan cannot be near God’s goodness and God cannot be around sin. So stand and submit to good and watch Satan flee!
After Satan flees it only seems natural to start to walk again. Wrong. Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Let us be patient in our walk with God. There will be many stop-and-go moments whether we like it or not. Each time we stand before the world with its desires, we have a choice: to either submit to God or to the desire; to either make this moment a trial of perseverance or a temptation of death. Submit yourselves before the Holy God and Satan, with his lusting schemes, will flee from you. And after you’ve submitted, get up and stand. Just stand before God and praise Him that He has led you from temptation and strengthened you once more to become the obedient son or daughter that He has called you to be. God has all the time in the world, literally. Let’s not walk too fast.
Thanks for sharing this. I love it- the idea that what we face can turn into a “trial of perserverance or a temptation of death.” Keep speaking the truth boldly my friend.