Stage 5: Worldliness
- lorijanehawkins
- Mar 12
- 5 min read
When Love for God is Replaced by Love for the World
The Final Stage Before Discipline - How the World's Desires, Sight, and Pride Take Over
What feels more real to you right now—the smile of the Father... or the likes, follows, and approval of the world?
That's Stage 5: Worldliness.
When the love of the Father is crowded out.
When the things of the world feel more urgent than the things of eternity.
This is not about being "in the world."
Jesus prayed we would be in the world (John 17:15). It is about the world being in you.
John explained it:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, NKJV)
Not "don't love the people." Not "don't engage with culture.
"Don't love the world. Because when you do... the Father's love gets displaced.
Quick Recap: The Path to Worldliness
You have been following this series, so you know:
• Stage 1: Drift - You stop listening carefully to God's Word
• Stage 2: Dullness - Truth no longer moves your heart
• Stage 3: Forgetting - You forget your cleansing and deliverance
• Stage 4: Blindness - Your spiritual eyes grow dark
And now Stage 5: Worldliness - the natural vacuum - filler when God fades from view.
When you cannot see God anymore... you WILL fill that void with something else.
And the world is always waiting.
The World's Triple Temptation
John identifies three categories that mark a worldly heart:
1. The Lust of the Flesh (1 John 2:16)
"The lust of the flesh..."
Cravings. Desires. The pull toward physical pleasure.
When God's presence used to satisfy you... now Netflix binges, endless scrolling, alcohol to unwind, or shopping sprees fill the void.
It is not that these things are evil in themselves. It is that they become your comfort. Your escape. Your functional savior.
Warning Sign: Your first instinct in stress is the phone, the fridge, the bottle—not prayer.
2. The Lust of the Eyes (1 John 2:16)
"...the lust of the eyes..."
Coveting. Wanting. Craving what you see.
That new car on Instagram.
That vacation your coworker posted.
That body/lifestyle/home/look everyone seems to have.
When Scripture used to anchor your contentment... now comparison steals your joy every single day.
Warning Sign: You spend more time dreaming about what you want than thanking God for what you have.
3. The Pride of Life (1 John 2:16)
"...and the pride of life..."
Boasting. Status. Self-promotion. When you used to live for God's "Well done"... now you live for man's applause.
Likes. Followers. Reputation. The need to be seen. To be right. To be admired.
Warning Sign: "What will people think?" increasingly makes your decisions. Instead of
"What does God think?"
The Diagnostic Question
Romans 12:2 gives us the test:
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (NKJV)
Conformed = squeezed into the world's mold.
Transformed = changed from the inside out.
Ask yourself:
• Am I being squeezed by the world's pressures and expectations?
• Or am I being transformed by the renewal of my mind in God's Word?
If the world is shaping you more than the Word... you are in Stage 5.
How Worldliness Sneaks In
1. Gradual Tolerance
It starts small.
"That show isn't THAT bad."
"One drink won't hurt."
"Just this once, I'll post that humble brag."
"Everyone else is doing it."
By Stage 5, what used to feel wrong now feels normal.
2. Divided Affections
Matthew 6:24 warns:
"No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and mammon."
Mammon = money, possessions, security.
You can serve God OR mammon. Not both.
Warning: When your decisions prioritize money/comfort/status over obedience... mammon has won.
3. Cultural Christianity
You still go to church. You still say the right things. You still post Bible verses.
But your lifestyle looks just like your unbelieving neighbor's.
James 4:4 doesn't mince words:
"Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Friendship with the world = adopting its values, priorities, pleasures.
Not being in the world. Being of the world.
What Worldliness Looks Like Today
Daily Decisions
· Scroll time > Scripture time
· Entertainment budget > Giving budget
· Career > Calling
· Comfort > Conviction
Heart Posture
· Fear of missing out > Fear of the Lord
· People's opinions > God's commands
· Temporary pleasures > Eternal reward
The Test Question
Does this world system—with its entertainment, consumerism, politics, and social pressures—feel more urgent and compelling to you than the Kingdom of God?
If yes... welcome to Stage 5.
The Final Stage Before Discipline
Hebrews 12:5-6 reminds us:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord... for whom the Lord loves He chastens..."
Worldliness is not the end of the road.
Stage 6 is Discipline - God's loving correction to bring you back.
But here's the mercy: You do not have to wait for discipline. You can repent now.
The Way Back: Choose Your Master
1. Confess Divided Love
"Father, forgive me for loving the world more than You."
Name it. The scrolling. The coveting. The pride.
Bring it into the light.
2. Renew Your Mind (Romans 12:2)
Get back into the Word daily.
Not for knowledge. For transformation.
Let Scripture reshape how you think about success, pleasure, and status.
3. Fast the World's Input
Digital fast. Shopping fast. Social media fast.
Create space for God's voice to get loud again.
4. Pursue God First
Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God..."
Make God your functional first love again. Not just your stated first love.
5. Serve Others (Philippians 2:3-4)
Starve worldliness by serving.
Give. Encourage. Sacrifice.
The world says "Get." The Kingdom says "Give."
Prayer for Freedom from Worldliness
Father, I confess I have loved the world. The lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes. The pride of life. My affections have been divided. My decisions conformed.
Forgive me for serving mammon instead of You. Renew my mind. Break the world's grip on my heart. Make my love for You stronger than my love for comfort, approval, and possessions.
Let me seek Your Kingdom first again. Thank You that Your discipline proves I am Your child—not Your enemy.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Join the Conversation
Which of the three temptations hits you hardest right now?
• Lust of the flesh?
• Lust of the eyes?
• Pride of life?
And the final stage next week: Discipline - God's loving correction when we will not turn back on our own.
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