A surrendered life is not one that this world understands. As Kingdom Citizens we are called to be foreigners, aliens, and even strangers in all too familiar land. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are instantly transported out of the throws of the world and implanted into our heavenly inheritance.
"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had." - Galatians 4:1 (NLT)
We are very much still in the world, but we are no longer slaves to it. At the same time, for most of us (myself included), we spent more time living in the world than we have living as a Kingdom Citizen. It's a difficult concept to grasp, let alone walk out.
I think it's safe to say that we are subject to falling into a bit of an identity crisis at times. We want to believe that we are a child of God, but we all too often forget what that truly looks like.
No matter how long you've walked with the Lord, you're never immune to getting caught up in the things of the world. To go back to old ways of thinking and doing things. We are all susceptible to falling back into the comfortability of going through the motions, blending in and doing what's necessary to "just get by."
So how can we walk out our Heavenly Inheritance through our God Given identity to truly be in, but not of, this world? We have to start using the one thing that we have that the rest of this world lacks, The Spirit of the Living God.
Being In It But Not Of It Means You Bring A Different Spirit To It
We have access to a Spirit that the world does not, and it's time to start acting like it. As Christians we are not called to be chameleons blending in with whatever environment we find ourselves in.
After accepting Jesus Christ, we receive a new identity, a new inheritance and an infilling of a new spirit, the Holy Spirit, to walk in a new way of life. Simply put, when the Holy Spirit is activated in our lives, we are able to respond differently, walk differently, love differently and be different.
We should not be doing the things the world does. I'm not saying to separate the spiritual from the secular. Quite the contrary. I'm saying that when the Spirit of the Living God is brought into the dark places of this world, it's the world that should be walking away changed. NOT US.
The very purpose of our calling as Christians is in the meaning of the word itself, to be "Christ Like."
I hear so many Christians make the justification, “But Christ dined with sinners.”
He did, Yes, but He was not conformed to their way of life.
Taking Jesus as an example when he dined with the prostitutes and the tax collectors, He did not leave with the same spirit as the sinners. He was not the one who walked away from those dinners changed. They were.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." - Matthew 9:11-13 NKJV
Jesus knew that the Spirit Living inside of Him was greater than sin living within those He dined with. He did not count Himself to be righteous, walking above or as better than them, but He walked with confidence alongside them. Knowing that even though the bondage of this world is strong, that the Spirit living in Him was and is strong enough to overcome (1 John 4:4).
When you walk with the Spirit of Christ, people should be able to recognize that there’s something different about you. Not in this overly spiritual, self-righteous kind of way like the Pharisees. But in the humble, gentle and meek way of Christ Jesus.
All this to say, that as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you are not answering a calling to fit in. This world needs different. This world needs salvation. This world needs Jesus and God needs you.