There’s this constant tension we live in.. a pull between two worlds. One is loud, shiny, full of trends and moments that promise fulfillment. The other is quiet, sacred, and eternal. And somehow, we’re called to live right in the middle of them both.
Jesus said, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of it” (John 17:16). He never prayed that we’d be removed from the world, but that we’d be protected in it. That’s the tightrope we walk, learning how to be present here without being shaped by here.
Sometimes that line feels blurry. We talk about being set apart, but what does that really mean when you’re scrolling Instagram, showing up at work, or ordering your favorite fall drink? How do we know when we’re standing in conviction and when we’ve slipped into condemnation? When we’re walking in holiness and when we’ve wandered into legalism? Where is the line between what we should enjoy and abstain from?
Conviction and condemnation can sound almost identical, yet they come from two very different sources. Conviction is the Spirit’s gentle tug. Not a finger in your face, but a hand on your heart. It’s the whisper that says, “You’re made for more than this.” Conviction is from the Holy Spirit to help you know which things are beneficial and which are not- which things please God and which don’t. Condemnation, though, is a trap. It shames. It isolates. It keeps you looking at your failure. Conviction comes from the enemy of your soul. Conviction draws you closer to Jesus; condemnation drives you further from Him.
I think sometimes we confuse holiness with heaviness. We start to believe that walking with God means living under a constant list of rules, measuring ourselves against others, keeping score of who’s “more spiritual.” But holiness isn’t about performing — it’s about proximity. The closer you are to Jesus, the less you’ll crave the things that pull you away. It’s not about perfection; it’s about relationships. Legalism says, “I have to do this so God will love me.” Holiness says, “Because He loves me, I want to live this way.”
So the question is, how should we live in this world, not of it? Can and should Christians enjoy secular things? Can we love fashion, go to concerts, travel, laugh too loud, or sip that iced latte on a random Tuesday? I think the answer lies in who holds your heart. God created beauty, creativity, and joy — He isn’t intimidated by them. The problem isn’t in enjoying the world; it’s in elevating it. When the created thing becomes the thing you live for, you lose sight of the One who gave it.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That doesn’t mean hiding from culture or cutting off connections. It means staying grounded in a kingdom mindset while moving through the noise of the world. It means letting your mind and motives be shaped by heaven, not hashtags.
There are things Scripture makes clear — black-and-white issues that are not up for debate. God’s Word is our anchor when the waves of culture shift. The Bible calls us to live with purity, humility, forgiveness, integrity, generosity, and love. It draws lines around sin not to limit us, but to protect us. When God names something as sin, that’s not opinion. And truth still matters.
But then there are gray areas — those personal conviction spaces that the Bible doesn’t call out directly. Maybe it’s what you watch, how you spend your time, the music you listen to, the clothes you wear, or the boundaries you set with social media. These are moments where the Holy Spirit becomes your personal guide.
For one person, freedom might look like enjoying something without guilt. For another, obedience might mean laying that very thing down. That’s why it’s so dangerous to turn personal conviction into universal doctrine. What’s sin for one person might simply be a boundary of wisdom for another. The key is to stay sensitive, to know when God is nudging your heart to pull back, not because it’s “wrong” for everyone, but because He’s calling you to something higher.
Christine Caine says it this way: “The Word of God is the foundation, but the Holy Spirit is the voice that leads us through the gray.” You need both the unshakable truth of Scripture and the tender guidance of the Spirit. The Word gives the standard; the Spirit gives the sensitivity.
When you live from that place, you start walking in both clarity and compassion. You stop judging someone else’s journey and focus on your own obedience. You live free, but you live with fear and trembling — not because you’re afraid of losing God’s love, but because you value it too much to cheapen it.
I’ve learned that holiness doesn’t make life boring or worse, it actually makes it fuller. It brings peace where striving used to live. It brings joy that doesn’t depend on approval or applause. You can live set apart and still be deeply human, laughing, creating, resting, enjoying. You just live aware. Aware of who you belong to. Aware of what really lasts.
Being “in the world but not of it” isn’t about withdrawing; it’s about walking differently. It’s about knowing that every choice, every moment, every desire can become an act of worship when your heart is anchored in Him. You don’t have to hide from the world to stay pure; you just have to stay close enough to Jesus that you don’t live for the world- it’s not your home.
So maybe that’s the invitation today: to enjoy life – the simple, beautiful, ordinary parts of it without letting them define you. To live free from condemnation, full of conviction, and confident in your calling. To stand firm on the black-and-white truth of God’s Word, and to listen closely in the gray. Because when your heart is His, you can stand right in the middle of this world and still look unmistakably like heaven.
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