The Power Of A Transformed Life Part 12
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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. Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
At the beginning of the book of Romans, Paul speaks of the power of salvation and then continues into chapter 2 to speak of the law. In chapter 3, he declares to the people that Jesus came to give us righteousness. Even though Adam disobeyed God, Jesus obeyed Him and changes us from slaves of sin to servants of God (Romans 4-6). Paul continues in chapter 7 to speak of the inability of the law to save us from sin. It only brought the awareness of it. He assures us in chapter 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Based on the fact that Jesus came to save us, Paul then says to therefore present your bodies to God. In view of what God did for us, we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice. How do we be living sacrifices to God? To be a living sacrifice, one must not conform to the world but must be transformed by the renewing of their minds. The world refers to a lifestyle that goes against the word of God. We must not be conformed to it. Paul refers to the world as being carnally minded. If our minds are not renewed, we would continue to live according to the spirit of this age. As Christians, our lives are not our own. They belong to God and therefore our minds must align with the word of God. God is calling the church to be like the Spirit of Christ.
In order for true transformation to come, our minds must be renewed. We cannot be Christians and think like the world. The word ‘mind’ denotes intellect and includes a person’s will, understanding and affections. When our minds are renewed, change will be seen on the outside. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, He renews our minds and we are given the mind of Christ. The way we act, speak and relate to others would be different. When Jesus was on the earth, He did what His Father did. He said what His Father said. Jesus was not controlled by His flesh but by the Spirit. Our lives should be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Transformation involves a deliberate effort on our part. We have to make a decision and declare that this will no longer be a part of our lives. We have a responsibility to put off everything that is not of Christ (Ephesians 4:20-23). We have the power to stop doing wrong. Transformation is an intentional move from the things of the flesh to the things of the Spirit. It is a change of our minds by the Holy Spirit. When we are transformed, we are led by the Spirit. We begin to love what God loves. We begin to speak what He speaks.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 5:5-8 (NKJV)
What does a renewed mind look like? One cannot please God when they are in the flesh. The carnal mind is hostile to the things of God. The renewed mind sees the impossible and locks onto it. It understands what God says and believes it no matter what trial may come. When God says that with long life, He will satisfy us, we will believe Him instead of the report of the doctor.
Jesus spoke to the winds and the sea and they stopped. He asked the disciples where is your faith. God is asking us where is your faith. We have to take our eyes off of the temporal things and on to the eternal things. What God said will come to pass no matter the storm. With a renewed mind, we can see the impossible and believe it.
We were born with a mind that is hostile to the truth and what is right. Many times we make decisions based on what our minds say and not what the Spirit says. Everything that looks good isn’t always good. We have to make sure that our thinking is not according to the spirit of this age (Jeremiah 17:9).
What happened in our childhood, still affects us today because we haven’t forgiven. We see someone who reminds us of the situation and we think they are going to be the same. We may be saved but we may have emotions and scars that are not healed. We pass on soul hurts to our children and our grandchildren. Situations in our lives wound our hearts and shape our minds. We may have experienced disappointments, failures, victimization, divorce, death, sexual abuse, rape, bullying, mistreatment, abandonment, rejection and isolation. We may have had a broken heart and felt that we were meeting the expectations of our parents. Hurt people hurt people. Our minds are renewed when we submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and when we fill our minds with the Word of God (Galatians 5:16).
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