Cares Of This World

PART 1 - HOLY SPIRIT

Being disciples, we strive to be led by the Holy Spirit. To be led by the Holy Spirit, we need to be quiet within ourselves so we can listen closely for Him. He leads, rather than forces, so often His guidance is subtle.

It is also necessary to know what the bible says so we can be obedient to God’s will. When we are vigilant about being obedient, the Holy Spirit will be more vigilant about leading us.

The stresses of this world have really picked up recently. If we are watching the world through worldly eyes, the negative thoughts and emotions that fill our mind can consume us. Anxiety will attack us because we can’t figure out how to stop the world from falling apart before our eyes.

On the other hand, a disciple watches the world through spiritual eyes. The negative thoughts and emotions the world gives us are run through the Holy Spirit filter. A decision will be made as to whether these negative thoughts and emotions line-up with the Word. The Holy Spirit will give us conviction if He doesn’t like them. If He gives conviction and/or they don’t line-up with the Word, we reject them. We don’t accept them; therefore, we don’t dwell on them.

This spiritual discipline doesn’t seem possible for people who look at things through worldly eyes. They can’t fully understand what happens when one chooses to look at things through spiritual eyes. When the Holy Spirit leads us, good things happen. Among them are the following…

We love more.
We find more joy in life.
We become more content and filled with peace.
We are given long-suffering, patience, and the ability to withstand much stress.
We develop a deeper kindness.
Our goodness increases in God’s eyes.
Our faith deepens.
Our meekness increases, which allows us to submit more to righteous authority.
Our self-control increases.

Galatians 5:18-23

...if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under Law. ...the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control...

The Word says the above fruit blossoms in our lives when the Holy Spirit leads us. We can now gauge how well we are submitting to Him - by how much of His fruit is blossoming in our lives. These fruit blossom in the midst of peace or persecution. The Holy Spirit rules over everything. Nothing in this world, seen or unseen, supersedes His power and authority.

PART 2 - CARES OF THIS WORLD

We disciples won’t be ignorant of what’s happening in the world, but won’t let whatever is happening bother us too much. We’ll stay fixed on the Holy Spirit and won’t let the concerns of this world influence us. We’ll remain at peace in the midst of the turmoil. This is God’s will.

2 Timothy 2:3-4

You, therefore, suffer hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, so that he might please the One having enlisted him.

It’s clear that Jesus doesn’t want us to get too entangled in the affairs of this world. As good soldiers for Jesus, disciples always put God’s will over their own. To do this, disciples must strive to be holy or separate from this world. Separated to Jesus. They belong to Him. If they get caught up in the affairs of this world they’ll get stuck in their emotions. Their soul will start leading them rather than the Holy Spirit. When this happens the Holy Spirit will withdraw and the fruit of the Spirit will dry up. Also, when led by emotions, demons will have much greater influence.

PART 3 - SPIRITUAL EYES

If a person behaves sinfully it is easy to hold a grudge or bad feelings against that person if we are looking at them through worldly eyes. A disciple looks at that same person through spiritual eyes. As a result, the disciple can still be disgusted by someone’s behavior, but not hold a grudge towards that person. How is this possible?

Ephesians 6:12

...our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly realms.

In dealing with someone with evil behavior, Disciples don’t see the person as the evil source. They see the demonic influence behind the person pushing them to act sinfully. It is good for a disciple to hate...to hate the demons who are playing spiritually ignorant people like puppets. This justified and righteous hatred will be the high octane fuel that motivates the disciple to go on the offensive. After all, demons also kill, steal, and destroy the lives of the one the disciple loves. Looking through worldly eyes = hating the sinful person. Looking through spiritual eyes = loving the sinful person and hating the demons influencing that person.

PART 4 - PEACE IN MIDST OF PERSECUTION

Romans 15:13

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, for you to abound in hope, in power of the Holy Spirit.

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus will fill us with joy and peace. There is no worldly issue that trumps the power of the Holy Spirit.

By leaning on Him while under stress, a disciple will be given long-suffering and will remain in peace, regardless of the circumstances.

1 Peter 1:4-9

to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in Heaven for you, the ones in the power of God being guarded through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time; in which you exult; yet a little while, if it is needful, having been grieved in many various kinds of trials, so that the testing of your faith, much more precious than perishing gold, but being tested through fire, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ; whom having not known, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing, you exult with joy unspeakable and being glorified, obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Even surrounded by a world saturated in sin, a disciple will remain led by the Spirit. This will allow him to remain in peace and joy. The disciple knows that the suffering the world causes him is nothing compared to the reward he’ll receive in heaven.

The disciple knows that the more he suffers in this world while maintaining obedience to the Word, the more his reward grows at the time of death. Disciples are ready to die. Although sounding morbid to a non-believer, at times disciples look forward to death. There may be times when a disciple wishes Jesus would just take him home, out of this wicked world. Only a disciple feels that death is a cause for joy and excitement. This is why a disciple doesn’t fear persecution or death and can remain in peace.

Philippians 1:21-24

For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this to me is fruit of my labor, and what I shall choose I do not know. For I am pressed together by the two: having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on account of you.

Paul wanted to leave this world, but he knew he still had more work to do.

PART 5 - IT DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN

What separates a typical Christian believer and a disciple is vigilance. A disciple doesn’t ever stop pressing into the Word. He doesn’t ever become content with the level he submits himself to God’s will. Yes, he loves God and wants to do His will, but that isn’t the only reason for submitting. There’s also a self-centered reason. The disciple knows the more he submits, the more the Holy Spirit will lead him. When this happens the fruit of the Spirit supernaturally grows in his life. Nothing is more pleasing in this world than when the fruit blossom.

By putting every thought, desire, and emotion through the Holy Spirit filter, we will reject anything negative or sinful. This negative sin will then have no influence over us. We will stay on a course that’s pleasing to God. We will continue to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We will then remain in peace, regardless of persecution or what’s going on in the world.

There is a reason why our society has gotten to where it’s at now and it’s going to get worse. It’s because almost everyone is looking through carnal, worldly eyes, rather than spiritual eyes. Most people are being led by their soul instead of the Holy Spirit. If you are being led by your soul, the world is establishing your values and priorities. If the Holy Spirit is leading you, the Word is establishing your values and priorities. If the Word doesn’t establish the laws on people’s hearts, then people make up their own laws. With everyone having their own laws, lawlessness takes over.

The disciple’s game plan when the world falls apart…

Know the Word so we know God’s will.
Choose to do God’s will over our own. Submit our soul (every thought, desire, and feeling) to God’s will. If it isn’t pleasing to Him, we reject it. The Holy Spirit will guide us.
Do God’s will, which includes deliverance. Verbally repent for every sin that you can think of that makes you care about this world more than following God. Then, cast those spirits out. You may not have all of them in you, but try casting them out anyway in case they are hiding.
Continue to submit to the Word, never stopping and always going deeper. We can tell how well we are doing by paying attention to the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s during times of peace or during the lawlessness and persecution of the end times. It’s supernatural. Non-disciples won’t understand how the fruit can still blossom in our lives while the rest of the world is full of misery. While we listen to these people and empathize with them, we won’t let them suck us into their world.