Blog
Jun
23
The Daily Journey: Transformation
One goal God has for all of us as he starts speaking to us through his word and the Holy Spirit in our lives is that he wants to transform us from the inside out to be like his son Jesus. Romans 12:1,2 says:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and prove what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
God speaks to us through his written word, by his spirit that he has placed inside of us, and through the events of life. This takes place and grows clearer as we pray(spending time in his presence) and obey what he is showing us. This week I will be elaborating on this more.
Here in Romans The apostle Paul reminds us of God’s mercy to us in Jesus Christ and tells us to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices. Now he is not asking us to place ourselves onto stone alters but as we live this life God gives opportunities to lay down our agenda and schedule to help some one else out in his name. The completed circle of worship is to praise God with your lips but then to obey him with our lives.
This will keep you from becoming a conformist to this world’s patten and scheme of things. When he uses the word conform here he is describing a mold much like you would pour a cake into or an steel foundry would pour hot steel into. After you cook the cake or cool the steel it comes out in a certain pattern- whatever the mold looks like. As followers of Jesus we have been bought by the life and blood of Jesus Christ the son of God upon the cross at Calvary. God has placed his Holy Spirit inside of us marking us with his seal (Ephesians 1:13,14). For us to then try and be FORCED into some other mold or pattern that comes from this world would be the most traitorous thing for an individual to do. But God is still full of mercy and forgives us our sin against him when confess our sin and seek forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Paul here commands us to transform our minds by renewing them. It is of a necessity that we meditate in Gods written word to his- the Bible, on a daily basis. That we understand our new identity in Jesus Christ; that we have a full grasp of his word and its promises to us. As we do this on a continual basis God’s presence within us grows and his voice (spirit) becomes clearer and clearer. As you pray you will see your prayers being answered because your praying intune with his will and desire for you which will bring you life.
Then as you move out into this world as his agent you can test and approve what his will is. Sometimes there is uncertainty in discerning God’s will because of the pressures of this life and the deceit of our enemy. But you will e able to test every decision and opportunity in life and approve which path is from God.
I challenge you today to start reading the smaller letters of the apostle Paul like Ephesians, Colossians or Philippians. One of these is very easy to read and you can set down at a lunch break or at home at night and reads through one in minutes. As you do you will start discovering what God has given you in Jesus Christ and your new identity in him. Start living in your new identity and freedom in him. Pray over your decisions that you face, his presence will guide you which way to go.
