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Do Not Conform
Contributed by Junrey Belando on Jun 26, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: The world wants to deceive you and wants you to conform to the pattern of this world.
Romans 12:1-2
March 8, 2015
Downtown Christian Church
The changes you are willing to make.Has anything become more important to you than your relationship with God?
The choices you make. Are you willing to make only the choices that are pleasing to God.
The priorities that you live by. When others look at your life, can they tell that you are living for the Lord?
We need P.O.W.E.R.
P - Pray
O - Obedience
W - Worship
E - Evangelize
R - Read
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy to offer yor bodies as a living sacrifice, holy andpleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.
-Romans 12:1-2
Present yourself to God as an instrument of Rightousness [Romans 6:13]
Holy: Set apart for the Lords use; it's Not your ability, its your availablility
Acceptable: pleasing to God
Reasonsable Service: Our natural reaction to all the the good gifts God has showered on us.
Instead of being molded by the values of this world, we need to be transformed, that is changed by the renewing of our mind.
Spiritual transformation starts in the mind and heart. A mind dedicated to this world and its concerns will be tossed back and forth. But a mind that is dedicated to God’s truth will produce a life that can stand the test of time.
What are we transformed into?
Transformed: into the image of God, Christ is the image of God.
So how can we renew our mind? We can resist temptation by meditating on God’s truth and and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and shape our thoughts and behavior.
In one year, the average American will read or complete 3,000 notices and forms, read 100 newspapers and 36 magazines, watch 2,463 hours of television, listen to 730 hours of radio, buy 20 records, talk on the telephone almost 61 hours and read 3 books.
What are we giving our time to? How much is given to God?