4-20-20 Lord, Convert My Mind Ro 12:2

Hi Friends,

As God convicts our hearts, we must agree with what God says is Truth. In other words, we must allow God to renew our minds as it says in this great verse:

“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.” Ro 12:2 ESV

     Don’t be conformed. This world is completely opposite God. What God says is good, this world is saying is wrong. What God says is evil, this world says is right. Moreover, anyone who agrees with God out of love and obedience to Him, are called intolerant and unloving. We are belittled, insulted and villanized. Sadly, there is so much pressure, from those who want nothing to do with God, to conform to the ways of this corrupt and fallen world that, again sadly, way too many people would rather give in and agree with the world than stand firm and hold on to God’s Truth. This is doubly sad because we were created to glorify and please God, not this world, AND we were created to be like God, not this world. When we conform to this world, we are sowing dead seeds which will, eventually, lead to reaping a dead harvest. In other words, we are doing things that are not of God Who is Life, so we will, eventually, experience dead symptoms like depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, worry and on and on. It is to our benefit to not conform to this world, but to hold on to God and what He says is Truth. Again, we were made by God, for God, so anything less than that type of life will never satisfy us or fill us with peace and joy that lasts.

     Be transformed. Our old self is opposite God. I remember a conversation I had with God after I became born again. He gently said, “You are a very intelligent woman who knows a lot about a lot of things. Now we are going to take everything you know and throw it away in the garbage. We are starting all over again, Child!” You see, the way we broken people think is opposite the way God thinks because we used to be part of this world which is opposite God. But now we are a New Creation in Christ. I have said many times, and will probably say it many more times, becoming born again is all about transformation. We are saved from our old, sinful nature and, by His Grace, we get to go to Heaven when our time here is done. That is the biggest and greatest transformation we will ever undergo. From death to Life Everlasting because of the loving sacrifice of Jesus is the most amazing gift we will ever receive because we have done, and can never do, anything to deserve our Salvation. Yet this is only the beginning of our transformation. After rebirth, God desires to renew our minds. As we grow in our relationship with God, He begins to teach us Truth. He begins to help us agree with what He says is good. He begins to give us understanding of what is evil and how we can turn away from our wickedness. God continues to transform our minds so we CAN be more and more like Him. Again, we were made by God, for God, so anything less than that type of life will never satisfy us or fill us with peace and joy that lasts.

     So we can discern the Will of God. How can we know what God wants for us if we still think opposite of God’s Way of thinking? Once He begins to renew our minds, we can discern, that is we can tell the difference between good and evil, between God’s Holy Way and this world’s corrupt, fallen ways. As we continue to grow, this conflict between good and evil, right and wrong, will cause us to come to God so we can know which decision He wants us to choose. We will be able to see the difference between what will bring us Life instead of cause those “dead symptoms” I mentioned above. But in those times, when we are not sure which way God wants us to go, we test what is God’s Will. We take a step forward in Faith, trusting God will direct our next step by either stopping us if we are heading the wrong way, or opening the doors for us if we are on the right track. Testing and discerning go hand in hand. But first we must decide to not conform to this world and allow God to transform us by renewing our minds. Again, we were made by God, for God, so anything less than that type of life will never satisfy us or fill us with peace and joy that lasts.

     God’s Will is good, acceptable and perfect. God never does, nor wants, anything evil for any of us. The Bible says, in several Books, that God takes no pleasure in the death of those who choose to live opposite of God’s Truth. He wants everyone to be saved and receive Eternal Life. Yet Love is all about Freedom, so He will not force anyone to choose His Will. He has done all He could, and beyond, so we CAN have Life, here and forevermore. Now we must choose: will we conform to this world and stay in our sinful nature or will we surrender our lives to Jesus and be saved? If we have made this greatest choice, we must continue to choose: will we conform to this world and think selfish, corrupt and fallen thoughts or will we allow God to renew our minds so we can continue to be transformed? It has been my experience these past 20 years that, when I choose God over myself, I am always grateful I did. My life is filled more and more with the peace that doesn’t even make human sense, the joy that makes me stronger that I thought I could ever be and gives me a contentment, no matter what is happening, that is truly priceless. God wants all of us to sense this, so if you don’t know this Abundant Life, won’t you join me?

     Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.

<>< Peace, Diane