I think this verse isn't only speaking about the things of this world. Now I understand how much i served the church more than I served Jesus.. You see, it's really easy to get confortable in thinking that we are serving God. The devil isn't stupid, he knows that we wouldn't follow him that easely so he proposes us to do things for God that are not even from God. But this things actually satisfy our christian ego. we have to get sure of where our thoughts are comming from even if they look really godly. Don't forget that we can't even imagine God's thoughts, they are much more higher than we think, that means that we can do His real will only if He reveals it to us.. and i don't think He will do it if He sees that we are living our little "christian" lifes thinking that we are serving Him enough.. Jesus never asked his desciples to give 10% of their lifes, neither 50%, but 100%. And they had to get really unconfortable but when they did, the Lord revealed them His heart.
I have the feeling that this world is fool of christians that have exchanged the Truth of God for a Lie, we have to look every day for His truth, and be every day ready to sacrifice everything if He tells us to. It's not about us beeing happy, it's about Him beeing glorified. Pray, listen, be excited cause if you are ready to do anything He tells you to do, He will do things with you that have never been done before. be the churche Jesus calls you to be.

Ps: Sorry if there are lots of mistakes, i'm not american .
Hope you understand what i wrote.

Peace><>

Romans 1:21
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

The absolute beauty of Christianity is the simplicity. Paul goes on to list at least 22 forms of wickedness in Romans 1, but the start of all this was simply their lack of the praise and thanks that God so rightly deserved. Practicaly speaking, when we learn to give God glory and thanks for our blessings, we lessen their imfluence in our lives and elevate God's impact.

Actually earlier this week God has really pushed me into a corner over this verse. This is what I got. From the creation of the world, God has shown "His eternal power and divine nature." But just as Satan lied to Adam and Eve he does the same with us. When we give into it, we loose that direct contact with God. We no longer can hear his voice because we 'refuse' to listen.We know what we have in Christ but choose the world and all it has to offer. Throughout this week He has been constantly showing me how these "lies" are taken into action. I have learned that without a CONSTANT communication and meditation with God, there is bound to be a fall.

I think we actively battle the lie of the world, which is to satisfy the self above all else, by continually staying focused on things above...the creator and not the created. That may sound very simple, but I believe that is what Psalm 1, Joshua 1:8-9, and Proverbs 1 are all saying. Meditate, focus, marinate on the Word of God.

The worlds LIE says what matters is that your beautiful, rich, powerful, etc so we live holding our selves to these standards, when scripture says what matters is that your Holy, kind, just, righteous, and devoted to God which often get forgotten and just neglected (I think mainly because we don't see the immediate rewards of living a Holy life but we do with money and beauty). We practically apply it by being intentional on doing what pleases God not by what pleases self or man. We should break down our worldly stereotypes and build up God's stereotype. I should take down Beauty from my pedestal and place Christ on it.