What In the World Do You Want?

I was blessed with a amazing opportunity to go to a women's conference in Indianapolis. You guys know about Revive our Hearts with Nancy Leigh Demoss? Yeah...it was good.

Well, the first sermon was actually by a guy, Crawford Loritts. I'm going to tell you about it. :) It's been a long time since I heard this...and I can't form the sermon in my head from the notes. I'll just give you the bullet points and you can think on them yourself. they are pretty convicting anyways. And I'm adding some of my words too. Just thought I should let you know so I'm not putting words in his mouth.

1 John 2:15-17
¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

How should we relate to the world? Verse 15 tells us don't love it. Don't love and desire the things in the world. Ultimately they cannot fulfill us. It is like a fire. Hot, attractive, tempting to touch but will burn you the moment you touch it.

How do we relate to the worlds system? See it for what it is. It is a corrupt world needing the love of Jesus Christ!

Worldliness is really 'self-obsession'. The world is worried about one person. "me, myself and I'. If we get involved in the things of the world we are just trying to self-satisfy, self-gratify or identify ourselves. When we love the world God is excluded from our heart, eyes and lusts. We begin to identify ourselves with the world. If we love things of the world we are letting the world define us. What we love will define us!

We must decide who and what defines us! Is it fashion, wealth, prestige, sexuality, possessions, or Christ?

I found this saying very convicting. I have always thought that I have things in my life that I put before God now and then but nothing I would call a serious 'idol'. Well, I did think that until I read this statement that put things in a new light.

"Anything that causes us to lose the enjoyment of the Father's love or the desire to do the Father will is worldly." 

Now ask yourself, "What defines me?" I was soooo challenged by this? What does define me? Am I living a Christian life worth exploiting? Am I putting my value in how I measure on the worlds yard-stick?

I found two things that I know pull me away from God and are worldly.Think about it. What are they for you? What is defining you, whether in your private or public life? Hypocrisy? Anger? Bitterness? Lust? The Media? Good novels? School-work (a biggy for us students I know)?

Pray and ask God to reveal those things in your life and to help you conquer them. He will. He is helping me every day. What a mighty God we serve.