John writes in 1 John 2:16 – For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

Consecration is not only on a spiritual level. It also involves the consecration of the soul and the body. Our physical bodies will always be drawn to the ways of the world. Consecrating ourselves means to give priority to spiritual things over physical things. It will require intentionally avoiding things that may hinder us from connecting with God or take away from our time with Him. That does not mean we only have to separate ourselves from what is evil. There are plenty of things in the physical world that are good. On a basic level, e.g. food and water are good, because it provides the human body with the nourishment it needs to survive. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a meal. But, when food becomes a problem, it is wise to separate ourselves from that which separates us from God. In a fallen world, even good things can be appropriated and used for ill purposes. Eating too much, or eating too little, or eating the wrong foods. Food is just one example. Other examples can be exercise, or gardening, or even ministry. Everything that becomes our main focus apart from God, is worthwhile inspecting and evaluating with renewed attention. Therefore, rejecting the evils of the world does not mean that we have to reject the good things of the world. It only means that we have to reject the part where worldly/earthly things become imbalanced in terms of their importance to us. It also means that worldly things must become significantly less important than spiritual things in our life. On a practical level, this means we will have to separate ourselves from things the world promotes, when the Holy Spirit convinces/convicts us that those things are wicked. Simultaneously, it also means to make a decision to only follow God’s will for our life. Even when it seems that His will is conflicting with priorities the world may dictate to us, even when these worldly priorities sound reasonable. This is especially true when it comes to the way we look at our finances, romantic love, how we spend our time, friendships etc.
Erick Bouwmeester
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