Have you ever tried to save money by staying in a cheap hotel or motel — only to realize it was a little too “seedy”? If so, you probably had bed bugs on your mind. Now imagine checking into a hotel knowing it had bed bugs. Would you ever do that on purpose?
Of course not!
If you knew they were there, you’d stay far away.
Why? Because you wouldn’t want them jumping all over you! Just the thought of it is creepy.
Well, there are other things you don’t want jumping on you either:
gossip, a constant flood of bad news, evil reports, and the temptation of ungodly attitudes and behaviors.
This world may seem like it has gone crazy — and in many ways it has. It drifts further and further from the godly life the Lord calls us to walk out. But God has a message for you today: You are not of this world.
John 15:18–19 (NLT) —
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first… you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world…”
So what worldly behaviors or attitudes are you exposing yourself to that weaken your faith and steal your joy?
Whatever they are, those choices are under your control. You have the authority to remove anything that tries to invade or infect your spirit.
Hebrews 12:1 —
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
How do we live in a defiled world without letting it defile us?
Romans 12:2 —
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…”
We must stay focused on why God put us here.
We have a purpose on this earth — and only a limited time to fulfill it.
Our lives are meant to be an influence for Jesus Christ.
We are living epistles — people read our lives long before they ever read a Bible.
2 Corinthians 3:2–3 (NKJV) —
“You are our epistle… known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.”
But if my goal is simply to indulge myself, I’ll drift toward worldliness.
And when that happens, I become discouraged, selfish, and unfocused.
My faith weakens, my joy fades, and my life becomes ineffective for the Lord.
I’ll become unhappy — because the world leads me straight back to the things Jesus saved me from.
So what should I do?
I must purpose, step by step, to live wholeheartedly for God in this broken world while refusing to let its “bed bugs” jump on me.
I create my own atmosphere:
• Worship
• The Word
• Prayer
• Fellowship with other believers
• Expectation that God will use me
I keep a song of praise in my heart.
I stay aware of God’s presence with me, no matter what is happening around me.
And I choose to turn what the enemy meant for evil into something God can use for good.
This is exactly what we are encouraged to do:
1 Corinthians 7:31 (NKJV) —
“Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away.”
Your life can make a difference in God’s plan.
You are called to be the light of Jesus Christ.
When you stay focused on that purpose, you stay strong.
You live with no regrets.
You finish your course with joy.
Acts 20:24 (NLT) —
“But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.”
