“Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”
Have you ever met a person that you just couldn’t say anything bad about? Even if you wanted to accuse them of something, it would be so obviously a lie that no one would ever believe you. A person’s character goes a long way, and here Peter is talking about what it means to carry the character of Christ with you for all to see. And he’s reminding us just how life-or-death this spiritual war is.
We are foreigners in the kingdom of Satan here on earth. He is called the “god of this world,” and he is an authority to whom we will not bow. Our citizenship is in heaven, with Jesus as the true King. Those kingdoms will divide sharply when Satan’s kingdom is destroyed. Your spiritual passport will matter at the end of the war.
Here’s your freedom for today: you can rise above this world. You don’t have to get pulled into the mud, dragged down by the things that surround you and make your life complicated. You don’t have to give in to the lies Satan has told you throughout your life. You, as a citizen of heaven, can appeal to a higher authority and say “no” to whatever appetizer or entree the enemy is trying to feed you today. You can rise above because you can run to the presence of God at any time. He’s the safe place, the shelter in the storm. Hide in him today to stay protected from the tricks and schemes of the enemy.