Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:7,10 (NKJV)
At the heart of worldliness is self. Self-centeredness – it’s all about me, I am the world, I am all there’s that’s important.
Selfishness – concerned all about me in disregard or at the expense of others. Self-pity – every one owes me, should focus on me, because I’ve suffered more than I should, more than everyone else.
All of these comprise worldliness at its core.
The cure for all these is humility. We ought to realize that there’s a God who is the cradle, the continuum and conclusion of everything, He’s the center and in charge of everything, it all revolves around Him and not us. We should submit or yield to His lead. Then we can take our proper place under His rule and keep. Then we can live over and above the world.