Throughout history, every earthly kingdom has cultivated its own distinct identity. Citizens are shaped by unique customs: the clothes they wear, the language they speak, the meals they share, and the kind of relationships they build. What defines one nation naturally sets it apart from another.

We live in a world that upholds a wide range of systems, values, and cultures, most of which are perverse and foreign to the heavenly kingdom that you belong to. The makeup of the kingdom you belong to is different. It is one defined by God and His word. Knowing and understanding your identity is foundational to living unashamedly.

John 17:14-16
New King James V‬‬ersion
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

To be “in the world” and “of the world” are two different things. To be “in the world” means to be physically present on earth, engaged in different activities, but not controlled by any of it. This is your reality. You are in this world but you do not belong to it. It does not control you. You are not ‘of’ it.

Being “not of the world” means that your values, identity, and purpose are defined by God, not culture. Your real citizenship is of heaven! That is where you originated from. We know this because the Bible says in:

Philippians 3:20
New King James V‬‬ersion
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ

You belong to a different kingdom — the kingdom of Heaven. You are a citizen of heaven, which means your time on Earth is only temporary. You are only on Earth for a short period of time as an ambassador of Heaven with an assignment, a mandate to fulfil before returning to your kingdom of origin.

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬
New King James V‬‬ersion
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

This is a perfect description of your identity. You are:
1. A chosen generation;
2. A royal priesthood;
3. A holy nation;
4. God’s special person;
And much more.

At every point in time, this is how you should see yourself. God has called you out of darkness, out of that sinful nature you once lived in, into His marvelous light, the light of Christ, making you a citizen of a different Kingdom.

I Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬
New King James V‬‬ersion
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul

The Bible calls you a sojourner, a pilgrim. A sojourner (as described in the verse above) is someone living temporarily as a non-citizen with limited rights, living close to others. The root meaning of the word is a ‘foreigner’ or a ‘stranger’.

This means that for the time you will spend in this world, you are not allowed to live like someone who has full rights and total loyalty to the world. It is in opposition to your commitment to where you really belong. You are not allowed to relax and get complacent as you are only a passerby on the Earth.

Your time in this world is temporary. It will not last forever.

Matthew 9:10-13
New King James V‬‬ersion
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus, our perfect example, models how you are to live as one who is in this world, but not of it. There must be a clear difference in your approach to living that will be obvious to those who are of this world, that you are not among them.

Jesus interacted with sinners. He spoke to them, ate with them and spent time around them. However, he was not influenced by their culture. He was in close contact with them physically, but He was not contaminated or defined by their sin. This has to be the testimony of your life- that although you may be in proximity to sin, it is still evident that you are set apart and different.

You do not belong to this world’s system. You have been transferred into the Kingdom of God, and this changes everything about how you think, speak, and live.

Being different is not something to hide or apologize for—it’s your design. God made you distinct on purpose so that you can represent Him accurately in this broken world.

This week, examine your life honestly by asking yourself these questions: In what areas have I allowed the world to shape my thinking more than God’s Word? Where have I compromised to fit in? Does my way of speaking truly reflect the person of Christ?

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you have been “of the world” instead of representing the kingdom to which you belong and decide to realign your identity with your citizenship in heaven. Let your difference show, not with pride or judgment, but with confidence in who God made you to be.

Prayer Point
Father, help me to understand the kind of life that I am called to live. I walk in my identity as a citizen of your kingdom. Let the way I think, speak, and act, be according to your Word. Let it be evident that I am set apart for you.