Tag: renewing

This week we are digging deeper into our memory verse – Joshua 24:15

Each day will will focus on just one part of the verse. As we are digging deeper, begin with praying that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom, to open your ears to hear Him speak to you, and to soften your heart so you can apply what He reveals to you.

The verse says:

Make it personal

Begin by reading the verse again but personalize it as Paul is writing to you:

As for [YOUR NAME] and the [YOUR LAST NAME] house, we will serve the Lord. — Joshua 24:15

Today we digging deeper into the very first part of the verse that says, “As for me.”

Digging Deeper: First things first

The Bible is clear that in a Christian home, the husband is the spiritual leader. It all starts there. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua says, “As for me…” The temperature, mood, and spirituality of a home and family begins with the husband. He must first decide for himself whether to accept Christ as his Savior. Without submitting to Christ and accepting His free gift of grace and forgiveness, the husband cannot be a spiritual leader. He could be a great moral leader, but he cannot be a spiritual leader without first becoming a Christian.

If you are a single mom, then perhaps you find yourself filling the shoes of mom and dad for your kids. You too can set the temperature, mood, and spirituality of your home and say like Joshua, “As for me…”.

What if you’re married and your husband is a Christian, but he refuses to be a spiritual leader? You can’t force him. You shouldn’t shame him into it. Begging and nagging won’t help. Bumping his elbow whenever the preacher preaches about spiritual leadership in the home won’t do anything either. But you can pray for him and allow the Holy Spirit to work in his heart and life. Then you follow the God-given role God established for the wife. You can model Christian values to your children and teach them the ways of God. But where your husband stands with God and in obedience to God is between him and God.

Digging Deeper: Ways to lead.

As the spiritual leader in your home, God will hold you responsible for how you lead. So let’s look at ways to lead your family as a spiritual leader.

Model

First you lead as you model Godly principles and a christian lifestyle. You can’t lead by shouting Amen! in church but being a drunk at home, or cussing at the refs in the football game. You can’t talk about how great God is but put your wife down to your friends. As a spiritual leader, your words and actions should be the same and you should model a Christian lifestyle in the way you live.

Mentor

Second, you lead as you mentor your children. You sons should grow up to become a man of God because you have mentored him in what God expects of him. You daughters should grow up to be able to recognize a man of God so that as she chooses a husband for herself, she will choose one that will continue to lead her spiritually throughout her life.

Instruct

Third, you lead as you instruct your family in the ways of God. As a spiritual leader you should be teaching them through family worship time of studying the Bible together, teaching them to pray, and teaching them to praise God. You should teach them to cast their cares on God and to seek Him when they are scared, discouraged, or disappointed. You should be teaching them to hide God’s word in their heart and meditating on it day and night. And, you should be teaching them how to apply God’s Word to their lives.

Coach

Fourth as a spiritual leader, you coach them. Coaches are responsible for planning, organizing and delivering an appropriate range of sports activities and programs for individuals and teams. As the spiritual coach for your family, you are responsible for planning their spiritual development, organizing opportunities for worship and spiritual development, and delivering an appropriate range of activities that will grow and develop them spiritually. You and your family are team Jesus and you need to coach them so they know and understand what being on Jesus’ team is all about.

Encourage

Fifth, a spiritual leader is always looking for ways to cheer his family on when they have a new insight into God or when they struggle in an area and are working to overcome it. For example, if your child struggles with temper tantrums and you have been teaching them how God would want them to behave and you notice that instead of tantrum they follow how God would want them to behave, then you should be your child’s biggest cheer leader and let them know you noticed. As parents we are so quick to “catch” our children misbehaving and we neglect to “catch” them doing something good. Look for what they do good and encourage them in Godly behaviors.

Lead like Christ

Lastly, as a spiritual leader, you have the responsibility to lead as Christ led – with love, grace, and truth. You are the mirror of Christ and when your wife and children look at you, they should see Christ.

Digging deeper: Let Joshua be your mentor

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua is a great mentor and tells every husband exactly what it means to be a spiritual leader. He knew that it started with him. He determined that his household would sever God. And you choose for yourself and your family if you will serve the Lord or not.

If every Christian man followed in the footsteps of Joshua and said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” our homes that claim to be Christian homes would begin to exhibit characteristics of being a Christian home. As the Christian man surrenders his heart, mind, and soul to God and has a revival in his own heart and then leads his home to serve the Lord as God designed for the home, our homes would experience revival. Then from one Christian home to the next, revival would begin to spread home by home, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city, state by state, and throughout our nation.

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NEW! Now you can download a free printable pdf file for this week’s memory verse which will print four copies on a page that you can cut apart and place in prominent places (such as your bathroom mirror, the visor in your car, at your work station, and on your refrigerator) to help you memorize the verse. Get the download here:

[Download not found]

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15 

Tweet

#memoryverse #spiritualleader #Asforme #Joshua24:15#WCM

Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Here’s what’s new in the shop this week:

Here are some of our favorite designs

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on
• Conversation Starters
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
• Romance Builders
• Relationship Builders
• Personal reflections
• Date ideas
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

 Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.

904.239.8937
A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL 
Follow us on:

This week we are digging deeper into our memory verse – Romans 12:2

Each day will will focus on just one part of the verse. As we are digging deeper, begin with praying that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom, to open your ears to hear Him speak to you, and to soften your heart so you can apply what He reveals to you.

The verse says:

Make it personal

Begin by reading the verse again but personalize it as Paul is writing to you:

[YOUR NAME], do not be conformed to this world, but [YOUR NAME] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Today we digging deeper into what it means to test and discern.

Recap

Monday we looked at what it meant to not be conformed to this world. Tuesday, we looked at what transformation means from a Biblical standpoint, the evidence that transformation is occurring, where the power of transformation comes from, when does transformation begin and end, and Paul’s final instructions on how to live a transformed life. Yesterday we looked at what it means to renew our mind and how our minds are renewed. If you missed the previous posts, you’ll find it here:

Digging deeper: Know the terms.

Today, we are going to breakdown what Paul meant when he wrote “that by testing you may discern.” What are we to test and how does testing help us discern? Let’s first look at “testing.”

Testing

Personally, for me the word, “test” should fall into the “Four-letter word” category – you know – those words we aren’t supposed to say. I’m not a good test taker. Test anxiety is a real thing and while I have a mild version of it, I’ve seen people who really get hung up over taking tests. But that’s not what’s meant here, so if you get test anxiety, go ahead and relax.

There’s another idea about “testing.” It’s the idea of your kids testing your very last nerve to see what they can get away with. We all, at times, want to test out our boundaries, but that isn’t the idea here either.

Where the English Standard Version (ESV) uses the words, “testing” and “discern,” the King James Bible uses the word “prove.” So when I looked the word up in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, to find the Greek word used, I looked under the word “prove.” The Greek word is dokimazo and means to allow, discern, examine. It is a verb that means we are to scrutinize to see whether something something is genuine or not and only after examination is it approved and deemed worthy. (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

Discern

The Greek word for “discern,” is diakrisis. It means to separate thoroughly. If we are going to discern the things of God, then our minds must be transformed and renewed. Without the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we would still be discerning according to the world standards. But God want us to be thoroughly separated from the world’s view.

This word gives the idea that we are to discriminate against the world’s way of life and prefer God’s way of life. We are to determine and judge what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Tomorrow we will be digging deeper into this last phrase from this verse about God’s will to see just what it is that we are to test and discern or prove about God’s will.

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NEW! Now you can download a free printable pdf file for this week’s memory verse which will print four copies on a page that you can cut apart and place in prominent places (such as your bathroom mirror, the visor in your car, at your work station, and on your refrigerator) to help you memorize the verse. Get the download here:

[Download not found]

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.- Romans 12:2 

Tweet

#memoryverse #notconformed #transformed #renew #Romans12:2 #WCM

Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Here’s what’s new in the shop this week:

Here are some of our favorite designs

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on
• Conversation Starters
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
• Romance Builders
• Relationship Builders
• Personal reflections
• Date ideas
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

 Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.

904.239.8937
A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL 
Follow us on:

This week we are digging deeper into our memory verse – Romans 12:2

Each day will will focus on just one part of the verse. As we are digging deeper, begin with praying that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom, to open your ears to hear Him speak to you, and to soften your heart so you can apply what He reveals to you.

The verse says:

Make it personal

Begin by reading the verse again but personalize it as Paul is writing to you:

[YOUR NAME], do not be conformed to this world, but [YOUR NAME] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Today we digging deeper into what it means to renew our mind and how are our minds renewed.

Recap

Monday we looked at what it meant to not be conformed to this world. Yesterday we looked at what transformation means from a Biblical standpoint, the evidence that transformation is occurring, where the power of transformation comes from, when does transformation begin and end, and Paul’s final instructions on how to live a transformed life. If you missed the previous posts, you’ll find it here:

Digging deeper: Know the terms.

The Greek word for renewing is anakainosis and means renovation or to restore. So when the Holy Spirit is transforming us into the likeness of Christ, He does a renovation within us. When something is renovated it is restored to either it’s former state or to a better state. As a Christian, we are not renovated to our former state, which is a sinner who is lost without Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work within us to renovate us to a better state – a holy state. He is transforming us from unrighteous to righteous.

The renewing of our minds

Every word, emotion, attitude, or action begins in the mind. It’s no wonder, then, that its the mind the Holy Spirit transforms and renews. That means the the renovation process is internal. Certainly there is an external renovation too, but that is more of a by-product of the internal work the Holy Spirit is doing within our minds. As He renews and renovates our minds, our language changes, the way we dress changes, the way we treat others changes. However those outward evidences of the internal renewal process will not present themselves without the internal renewing of our minds that is done through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Digging Deeper: What’s wrong with our minds?

Our minds have three problems: it has a hostile and fallen viewpoint, it is ignorant of God, and it is futile.

A Hostile, fallen viewpoint

We can have all the education in the world and more wisdom the Solomon, but our minds are still fallen. In it’s natural state, it has a spirit that is bent against the things of God. Our minds are naturally hostile to the sovereignty of God. Our mind’s chose to ignore the holiness of God and refuses to give Him the praise that is due Him. By nature, we do not have God-worshiping minds. We have self-worshiping minds. Paul wrote in Romans 1:28, “Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind.” By nature, our minds are debased. So the Holy Spirit must transform and renew our mind.

Ignorance of God

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13-14, “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. Before the Holy Spirit begins transforming us and renewing our mind, there is an ignorance of God because we choose to suppress the truth of God. We’d rather live our way than God’s.

If you have ever used the statement “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission” then you understand what Peter was talking about. We think that if we do something in ignorance we can get away with it, but if we ask for permission and are told no then there are higher consequences for our actions if we do it anyway. So we choose ignorance over truth. However, God will still hold us accountable and if we choose to stay ignorant, we will stay lost in our sin and spend eternity in hell. So the Holy Spirit transforms and renews our mind by shining God’s truths into our ignorance which breaks the power of the deceit of our minds.

Futility of the mind

In Ephesian 4:17-18 Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: “you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” He then goes on to explain the futile mind saying, “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them.” Then Paul gives the root cause of a futile mind. He says, “due to their hardness of heart. A hardened heart will poison our minds against anything of God, creating a inner pandemic of infection called sin. The more we impose our will over God’s will the harder our heart will become and the more we will suppress the truth of God. A hardened heart refuses to submit to the will of God and therefore we become blind to the truth of God.

Digging Deeper: How are our minds renewed?

We do not have any power to renew our minds. It is only the work of the Holy Spirit with in us. But He uses different ways in which to renew our mind. Our minds are renewed as we read or hear the Word of God. He renews our mind as we study God’s Word, meditate on it, and then digging deeper into what it means so we can apply it to our lives. When we spend time in prayer and listening to what the Holy Spirit has to say to us, our minds are renewed. Our minds can be renewed through music that glorifies God. They can be renewed through the fellowship and encouragement of other believers. When we pay attention to what God is doing in our lives, we can be renewed.

Any way that exposes us to the truth of God, the Holy Spirit will work to renew our minds.

Digging Deeper: What is our part in renewing our minds?

While the work of renewing our minds is dependent on the Holy Spirit, we too have a part to play. Our part is to pursue and seek God with all our heart, mind, and soul. God promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him. So if you’re feeling like some renovation is needed in your mind, seek the truth of God and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth to you as He works to transform and renew your mind.

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NEW! Now you can download a free printable pdf file for this week’s memory verse which will print four copies on a page that you can cut apart and place in prominent places (such as your bathroom mirror, the visor in your car, at your work station, and on your refrigerator) to help you memorize the verse. Get the download here:

[Download not found]

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.- Romans 12:2 

Tweet

#memoryverse #notconformed #transformed #renew #Romans12:2 #WCM

Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Here’s what’s new in the shop this week:

Here are some of our favorite designs

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on
• Conversation Starters
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
• Romance Builders
• Relationship Builders
• Personal reflections
• Date ideas
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

 Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.

904.239.8937
A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL 
Follow us on:

This week we are digging deeper into our memory verse – Romans 12:2

Each day will will focus on just one part of the verse. As we are digging deeper, begin with praying that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom, to open your ears to hear Him speak to you, and to soften your heart so you can apply what He reveals to you.

The verse says:

Make it personal

Begin by reading the verse again but personalize it as Paul is writing to you:

[YOUR NAME], do not be conformed to this world, but [YOUR NAME] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Today we digging deeper into the word: transformed. We will discover three ways we can keep ourselves from conforming to this world.

Recap

Yesterday we looked at what it meant to not be conformed to this world. Today we will look at what transformation means from a Biblical standpoint, the evidence that transformation is occurring, where the power of transformation comes from, when does transformation begin and end, and Paul’s final instructions on how to live a transformed life. If you missed yesterday’s post, you’ll find it here:

Digging deeper: Know the terms

From a Biblical standpoint, to be transformed requires a change or renewal from a life of sin marked by being conformed to the ways of the world to a Godly life that mirrors God’s image and therefore is pleasing to Him. Any time a spiritual transformation has taken place it will exhibit itself in our outward words and actions. Colossians 1:10 says that if we are going to live a life pleasing to God and worth of the Lord, then we must be fruitful in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. That’s being transformed. Ephesians 2:13 is another example of a person being transformed. This verse says: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Evidence that transformation is occurring

Spiritual transformation produces fruit that gives evidence that transformation is occurring. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we should demonstrate and increasing and growing reflection of the likeness of Christ and His glory. The more we grow to be like Him, the more we should exhibit His qualities and characteristics in our lives. These include: love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Each of these should show a steady and continuous growth and the more they are evident in our lives the more transformation has occurred. We should never cease being transformed until we reach heaven.

Where do we get the power for a transformed life?

When we become a child of God, the Holy Spirit moves in and takes up residence within us. Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” It is the Holy Spirit that works within us that is transforming us, growing us, and developing our image into the likeness of Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no way we would have the power to transform ourselves. It is the work of the Holy Spirit within who transforms us. We are not capable of transforming ourselves.

When does transformation begin and end?

Our transformed lives begins with the hearing of the gospel which leads us to salvation. At the moment of salvation, we “put off our old, sinful self” and put on a new self that is created in the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24). As we study God’s Word, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, fellowship with other believers, attend church, pray, and apply God’s Word to our lives, we are being transformed more and more. James 1:22 says that we are to be “doers” of the Word and not “hearers” only. You can’t be transformed just by reading or hearing the Word. You must allow the Holy Spirit to direct you in how to apply the Word to your life and do what it says. The doing is the transformation.

Paul’s Final Instructions

In 2 Peter 1:3-11, just before his death, Paul gave some last words about being transformed. He said, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. If we are to live out our transformed lives then we must give diligence to “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Digging Deeper: Spiritual Check

How much are you being transformed? Look back through the fruit of the Spirit, which included: love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then look back at Paul’s final words to us on living a transformed life and the list that we must give diligence to, which included faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love. How evident are these in your life? Which ones do you need to work on making more evident? As the Holy Spirit to transform you in each of these so that you may become more like the image of Christ.

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NEW! Now you can download a free printable pdf file for this week’s memory verse which will print four copies on a page that you can cut apart and place in prominent places (such as your bathroom mirror, the visor in your car, at your work station, and on your refrigerator) to help you memorize the verse. Get the download here:

[Download not found]

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.- Romans 12:2 

Tweet

#memoryverse #notconformed #transformed #renew #Romans12:2 #WCM

Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

Christianbook Distributors Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Here’s what’s new in the shop this week:

Here are some of our favorite designs

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on
• Conversation Starters
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
• Romance Builders
• Relationship Builders
• Personal reflections
• Date ideas
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

 Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.

904.239.8937
A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL 
Follow us on:

This week we are digging deeper into our memory verse – Romans 12:2

Each day will will focus on just one part of the verse. As we are digging deeper, begin with praying that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom, to open your ears to hear Him speak to you, and to soften your heart so you can apply what He reveals to you.

The verse says:

Make it personal

Begin by reading the verse again but personalize it as Paul is writing to you:

[YOUR NAME], do not be conformed to this world, but [YOUR NAME] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Today we digging deeper into the first phrase: Do not be conformed to this world. We will discover three ways we can keep ourselves from conforming to this world.

Digging deeper: Know the terms

The word conform means that we will comply with the rules, standards, or laws in our world. That is conforming in a positive way. God expects us to obey the laws of our land, unless they go against His laws. God’s laws will always supersede any law man makes. The word can also mean, “behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards”. This is the conforming we should not do.

Remember when you mother used to say, “And if everyone else jumps off the bridge, will you jump with them”? If you did, you would be conforming to what everyone is doing, even if it is wrong. You would be conforming, even if it cost you your life. Most of us would agree we would not jump off a bridge just because everyone else is doing it. But what about sex before marriage? Or what about homosexual marriage? What about alcohol, smoking, or abusing drugs? What about the way we dress or talk? How about the way we use technology? And how about the way we view other people?

Digging Deeper: Set apart

As Christians, we have been set apart from the world. You can’t be “Set apart from” and “conforming to” at the same time. God doesn’t want us to look like, smell like, act like, and talk like the world. Instead, He wants us to bear His image. God wants us to look like Him, smell like Him, act like Him, and talk like Him.

Both of my children look enough like me that you would know they belong to me. However, my daughter is a mini version of me. I have photos of us side by side at the same age and the only way those photos give away which one is me is the style of clothes. As a child of God, we should look so much like him that if you put your photo next to Him it would be hard to tell the two apart. We should be continually transforming into the glory of God. So how do we keep ourselves from conforming to the world while living in the world?

Digging deeper: Three ways to not conform to the world

We are a new creation

As a child of God, we became a new creation the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Before we were a Christian, we were ruled by the things of this world. And the ruler of this world is Satan. Jesus told us in John 8:44 who our father is when we conform to the world. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” So before salvation, our spiritual Father is Satan.

As a child of God, we are now heirs with Christ and we are ruled by our Heavenly Father, God. That makes us different than the world. We no longer “fit in” because we have been “set apart” from the world.

Set apart for a reason

God set us apart from the world for a reason. He expects us to be Light bearers. Since the Light of the World lives in us, we should shine His light into the darkness of the world. We should serves as a beacon to draw others to Him. But if we keep His Light hidden and we chose to live as the world, then the world sees nothing different about us. So if we are not going to conform to this world, we need to remember that we are a new creation in Christ. We no longer fit in with the world. Instead, we are set apart as heirs with Christ and bear His Light throughout the world.

Feast on the Word of God

There is a reason Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life. Bread was a staple in the diets of Bible day people. It filled them up and kept them from feeling hungry. It gave them physical life. Jesus gives us eternal life but He also keeps our spiritual selves satisfied and filled. If we are not going to feel hungry, we have to keep feeding ourselves. The same is true for our spiritual selves. In John 6, Jesus said, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world”. 

Are you still filling up on milk or are you enjoying solid food?

In Hebrews 5:12, Paul told the Christians, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food”. We learn the basic principles by reading and studying God’s Word, meditating on it, asking the Holy Spirit how we need to apply it, and then being obedient and living it out. The only way to fill ourselves spiritually so that we are not spiritually starving is to feast on the Word of God. If we are not filling up with His Word, we will turn to the world and fill up on the things of this world.

If you are like me when the big family and holiday dinners come around, you look eagerly at the desserts and plan which ones you’ll sample. But after you eat the meal and your belly is full, the desserts don’t have quite as much appeal. They are less of a temptation as then did were before you filled up on the healthier items. The same is true with spiritual hunger. If we fill up on the Word of God the temptations of the world don’t hold the same appeal. So feat on the Word of God to keep form conforming to the world.

Just say, “No!” – it doesn’t really work

Some years ago an anti-drug campaign ran the slogan of “Just say no”. It makes it sound quite simple, doesn’t it? We could run the same campaign for anti-world-conforming. But it isn’t always easy to “just say no.” Why? Satan studies us. He knows us well. He knows what tempts us and what doesn’t. He’s not going to tempt us with things that we’ll easily say no to. He tempts us with the salted-caramel cheesecake (or whatever you’re likely to say yes to). If you know there is an area of temptation that you struggle with, it can be a good idea to avoid it all together. Maybe that means you have to go a few miles out of the way so you don’t pass the bakery on the way home. However, if what tempts you isn’t available easily, then it holds less power.

Make an exchange

Just saying no also doesn’t work when saying no to what tempts you isn’t replaced with saying yes to something that honors God. If you want to avoid conforming to this world, you have to replace the world’s way of life with God’s way of life. Removing something from our life creates a hole where that something used to be. So we have to fill that hole in with something else and that something should honor God. So I have to exchange my worldly habits with Godly disciplines of prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowship with other believers, listening to sermons, witnessing, loving others the way God loves them (including our enemies), and being salt and light to the world.

Resisting temptation to conform requires God’s strength and power

Just saying no sounds like a good idea but when we are saying no under our own strength and power, we’re likely to fail every time. But when we ask God to give us his strength and power, we are more likely to be victorious. Jesus understood this. When he was tempted, he defeated the temptations by quoting scripture. This is why it is so important to study and memorize God’s Word. It is the power we need to avoid conforming to the world.

Digging Deeper: World conforming vs. God conforming

Conforming to the world is so much easier than conforming to God. Why? Because we are born in sin. Our natural tendencies are to live like the world because Satan is our Father until we surrender our lives to Christ. Then God adopts us into His family and we have to then do what doesn’t come natural to us.

All of us want to fit in. We don’t really like sticking out in the crowd. We don’t like being made fun of or talked about. But when you stick out, that exactly what tends to happen. But as Jesus hung on the cross suspended between earth and heaven, He stuck out of the crowd for us even to the point of death. God calls us to be set apart for His service and the world that is lost and dying without Him is depending us not conforming to their way of life, but to bring the Light of the World and the Bread of Life to their spiritually starving souls.

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NEW! Now you can download a free printable pdf file for this week’s memory verse which will print four copies on a page that you can cut apart and place in prominent places (such as your bathroom mirror, the visor in your car, at your work station, and on your refrigerator) to help you memorize the verse. Get the download here:

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.- Romans 12:2 

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