Greetings brothers and sisters.
A sister in Christ who has been a believer since 1987 was sharing about her walk with Christ in our bible study Saturday night. She was a little frustrated and confused on what else to do, as she was experiencing many obstacles in her walk. Like so many of us, we know what the Bible says but little in the way of how to apply what we read to our lives.
Too often we are conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.) In other words, we are caught up with with all these things in our every day life that may not pleasing God. Unfortunately, we are not always aware of these habits that we have developed that need to be eliminated. Sometimes we are aware of these habits and in our flesh we fight the need to change.
Paul urges us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed away from this world. To become transformed involves a process of change. Transform means metamorphosis as in the process of a caterpillar endures as it is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. The entire process involves death to an old identity, experiencing a season of change, and becoming an entirely new creation. This process is exactly what we believers experience as we are transformed into the image of Christ.
The enemy cannot have a hold on us if we renew our minds with His Word and perfect will. The process of renewing our minds involves three steps. First, we must be willing to change. Second, we are to present ourselves to the Lord as sacrifices in holiness. Third, we must not be conformed or fashioned to this world. All three steps are dependent upon our becoming saturated with His Word. By daily reading His Word, our minds are fashioned and we come into agreement with His perfect will. As we implement what we learn, we can dethrone the enemy. And as we digest His Word, we gain knowledge and understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus. As result, a new identity emerges devoid of our old habits. Therefore, empowered to defeat every strategy of the enemy.
My prayer is we transform ourselves by applying what you read in God's Word to our lives.
Blessings to you all,
Tony
