Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
If we want to have lasting change in our life, we need to refocus our mind. Specifically, we need to change our thought patterns away from what we don't want to focus on and toward what we do want to focus on. Because whatever we focus on is what we move toward.
The daily transformation process, where we are being changed from glory to glory, into the image and likeness of Christ, as we abide in Him and He in us, is a lifelong process that requires vigilance at all times.
The enemy of our soul desires to shipwreck our faith and render our testimony impotent either by stroking our ego or by causing us to become fearful. He is a deceiver and murderer and has been from the beginning, and we need to put on the armour of God, day by day, if we are to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Day by day rededication of ourselves to His service is a lifelong programme, which we need to choose consciously. Transformation does not take place overnight, but is dependent on the hidden values of the heart being translated into the active practice of our thoughts and motives.
It is a freewill choice to eschew that which is evil and to honour the Lord in beautiful thoughts, beautiful words, and beautiful deeds, by choosing to do what is right and holy.
Today's verse gives us the blueprint to change our thought patterns. Do not conform. How often do we let other people shape our lives? God doesn't want us to be like someone else, He wants us to be the person He made us to be.
So don't copy, don’t conform, don't try to be like anybody else. The pattern of this world. Pattern means the model of everything we have learned in life. If we want to change, we have to change our pattern or model of living that we learned in our life.
We need to replace the old, unhealthy pattern with a new one modeled after the life of Christ. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Transformed is the same as the word we use for metamorphosis, the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly.
In the same way, God wants to transform us into a completely new person by renewing our mind. This means you are going to have to do some putting off and you are going to have to do some putting on and the putting off has to happen before the putting on.
It's just like trying on clothes in a department store. Before you can try on the new stuff, you have to take off the old stuff. We’re going to have to let go of the old attitudes, the old thought patterns, the old images that you've been living with so we can put on the new garments God has for us.
If we would just turn our spirit and soul towards the Lord Jesus, we would automatically have to turn away from the things of this world. And if each one of us set our heart, mind, will, and affection to concentrate upon Him, of necessity, we would not be conformed to the lustful leanings of the world, but our new, born-again nature would start to be supernaturally transformed into the character of Christ.
The evidence of this lovely transfiguring process is not only an outward disassociation from an ungodly world and the works of the world, the flesh, and the devil, but a life that is good, acceptable, perfect and pleasing to the Father - but note, that transformation is perfected through trials, difficulties, suffering, and sorrow.
As the old hymn says, have thine own way Lord, mold me, shape me and make me after thy will. Let's gladly offer Him our heart, our life, and our future to use for His glory. May we turn from the things of this world in willing submission to God's child training programme, so that like the Lord Jesus Christ, we may live in spirit and truth, walk in the light as He is in the light and love others as He loves us until in all things we can say, Father, Thy Will Be Done in me!!!
Father thank for this day and for Your life changing Word. Lord open the windows of heaven and shine down Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Lord help us to take captive all thoughts that are not from You. Lord help us to hunger for Your knowledge and wisdom, to fill our minds with Your Word and Your love. Our hearts belong only to You Lord. Lord thank You for Your direction and guidance to enable us to live a better life through You. Lord use my friend to a bold witness of Your mercy, grace, peace and joy to all today. Be a blessing
Father, we love You amen!
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