You’re very different
to other young people, whether you’ve come to the realisation of it yet or not.
I know that personally, I didn’t truly comprehend it until recently when I
began to observe people around me and how I thought to differently and desired
to live so differently to them. I wasn't called to be like everybody else, but alternatively to passionately live for GOD. You’re different when you belong to Christ
because the Holy Spirit resides in you. When you accepted Christ in your heart,
you were gifted with the grace that not only sets you apart from the rest of
the world, but enables you to be all things that God has called you to be
through Jesus.
Two major battles I
wanted to address were emotions that need to be dealt with when mediating on
how we are called to be set apart for God’s glory…
Discontentment
Many of you may feel
as if you’re lacking ‘stuff’ in comparison to your unbelieving friends or
family. You look around and everyone who isn’t in Christ seems to have it easy,
they are fine financially, or they may just possess something that your heart
desires. God revealed my own heart to me concerning this area because I had
come to the point where I was growing in bitterness and discontentment because
I wasn’t being blessed in the same way as non-believers surrounding me. You’re
focusing on the things you can see and touch rather than desiring God to have
His way and will in your life and trusting Him to provide in all areas. Ask God
for a heart that desires what HE desires for us whether it is a physical
blessing or in another form. Acknowledging this desire for greedy earthly wants
allows room for God to renew your mind back to the focus which is Him and not ‘things’.
2 Corinthians 5:1 reminds us that our lives on this earth are so temporary and
that when we die we leave our bodies and possessions here. Don’t let your mind
and heart stray so far from seeking God’s heart that it causes you to give the
side eye to unbelievers who seem to be fine, because sooner or later you’ll
realise that the gift of salvation and the promise of the Holy Spirit supersede
ANY worldly wish. So lay down those feelings of jealously, doubt in God’s
ability to provide and discontentment to the Lord and begin to declare that the
LIFE in abundance that Jesus came to give you is and always will be more than ENOUGH.
Acceptance
Coming to the
understanding that our desire to live in holiness, purity and in alignment with
God’s word IS going to contradict with the worlds mind set and ways of living,
provides peace in knowing that this walk is REAL. It’s not a walk in which you
can still live as you please neglecting the commandments of God, but rather an
intentional journey with God which can include persecution, conflict and
battle. In the midst of this realisation we must remain faithful to God, for He
is the one who will we stand before and be held accountable to for our decisions
- whether we conformed to the worlds way of living {Romans 12:12}, or if we
stood firm in our faith despite what other people had to say regarding our
biblical values and beliefs.
Let’s look at what
Jesus had to say about the role of His followers within the world…
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good
is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be
thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on
a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one
lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a
stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out
for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Jesus calls believers
the ‘salt of the earth’. Salt is used to enhance flavour and to add something
better/good to what exists. Christ calls us to use our influence as His followers
for the good of the world, so that we are right and true examples of the love
of God displayed through Jesus. However, Jesus also warns His disciples that
salt is useless if it loses its flavour. When our heart begins to desire other
things in replacement of God and His word, our actions correlate directly. We
lose our saltiness – our ability to add something which is beneficial on this
earth. If you’ve lost that passion and love for God, bring yourself before Him
and present Him with that exact issue of losing your desire to positively influence
through your obedient discipleship to Jesus. Christ urges us to revive our role
of being salt and being happily different to those that belong to the world, by
truly dying to ourselves to be an ambassador for Him wholeheartedly.
Jesus also uses the
analogy of ‘light’ and explains that we have been called to be representations
of His love and goodness even in the darkest of environments. We can’t afford
to receive salvation and then hide our hearts within worldly situations, but
instead Jesus calls us out to be bold in our faith so that God may be glorified
in all things. The word gives us the courage to go out and be testimonies of
the grace that we’ve been saved by, so that our good deeds present curiosity
for the world to then explore and accept Jesus for themselves. Jesus also addresses what many believers frequently
forget – the fact that we are placed on a STAND. Even if you’re currently not
serving God as part of a church, ministry, or organisation, or don’t consider
yourself to be recognized, you are being watched. You’re being watched by even
the closest people around you and need to be leading a life that is a holy
witness of who Christ is and what He embodies. We’re placed in a place of
influence where all can see, and are instructed to bring light amongst ALL
people and in ALL situations.
Jesus calls us to
shine for Him. Not shine for our own self-righteousness, but to glow and excel in
all things so that people observe our lives and immediately question what is
different about us {the Spirit of God leading and working in our lives}.
Remember that your
actions are a living representation of the God you proclaim that you love. 1
John tells us that if we REALLY love God, we will be intentional about keeping
His commandments and avoiding sin. The world is watching our walk with Christ
and is observing the way in which we interact with others, even if they are
unbelievers. The word also tell us that you test a tree by its fruit, showing
us the importance of not only speaking what we believe but really LIVING it out
of our love and honour for God, as well as fulfilling our assignment from Jesus
as His followers to be an example of shining light in a fallen world. What
fruit are you producing? Is it fruit that is pleasing to God and is a display
of the image of Christ? Pray for the fruit/gifts of the Spirit {love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control},
so that we can humble ourselves in submission to the ways of CHRIST and not our
old selves. We must remain ready to be transformed daily so that our minds,
hearts and whole lifestyles are evidently set apart for His glory.
Let me highlight that
the walk in being set apart from this world is not easy. You’ll have moments
where you may feel overwhelmed by what people have to say, by trials and
tribulations that are consistently testing your faith, and many other factors
that may paint this picture of living for Christ not being ‘worth it’. But I
assure you that Jesus already saw your feelings coming. In Luke 6:22 He speaks;
‘’What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you
and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.’’ Jesus was aware of
the fact that His disciples would be attacked because they followed His
teachings and stood for the name of Jesus, but encourages us of the blessing
and reward of endurance and not compromising. We are reminded of the plan of
eternity with Jesus and that our minds must remain fixed on Him, despite the
clutter of everybody questioning why you believe certain things or act in a
certain way.
So be prepared to
give up your way of life even if it excludes you from certain crowds, settings
or situations that your old man would have once embraced. Get before God asking
for a heart that is sensitive to conviction from the Holy Spirit about how you
should be acting and carrying yourself, so that you don’t become desensitized
to how He’s calling you to be, but instead, you hear, accept and act on it
straight away. Pick up your cross, and allow God to develop a willing spirit inside of you that doesn’t
allow seeds of discouragement and weariness to grow, but stays strong in faith
and rooted in the word of God so that your hope in Jesus remains on fire at all
times, around all people, and in ANY situation. Be the example and display the distinction between the followers of God and the world through your standard which must always remain CHRIST.
Contact me:
Twitter:
@_caitlinnunez
Instagram:
@caitlinnunez
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