Conformed or Transformed: It's Your Choice

This might be a quick thought today, but I think it is powerful, nonetheless.  Maybe it is just for me.  If so, bear with me while I encourage myself in the Lord.

This morning I was asking God about the difference between people who “make it” in their walk with God, and those who seem to dabble with the thought of a relationship with Him, but seem to flake out, and flitter away.   They’ve been exposed to the same God, the same power, the same moving of the Spirit—but why does it “take” with some, and not with others?

I really think it has to do with our minds.  There, the enemy of our soul wages a war for CONFORMITY, when God desires our minds to be TRANSFORMED.  Paul said it beautifully in Romans 12:

Romans 12:1-2 KJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Let’s look at another translation:

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.^[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Let Him change the way you think.

You MUST change the way you think.  If you never change your thought patterns, your core beliefs, your personal convictions, your ‘causes’, if you will, you can never be TRANSFORMED.

Thankfully, you don’t have to do it yourself!  It says “let God transform you.” That ought to come as a relief!  The *only* thing you have to do is allow Him to change the way you think!

Easier said than done, right?  But that is why He sends His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to live inside of us when we are filled with the Holy Ghost.  It is POWER.  He is the Comforter.  He is the Counselor.  He is Wisdom.  He is Peace.

The thing is, you have to LET HIM transform you.  God is a gentleman, and He will never override your human will.  So, it is up to each of us to haul our thought life, our old selves, our fleshly man, up on to that tabernacle altar, and ask Him to burn up our old thoughts, our old ideals, our old fears and doubts and insecurities and prejudices—and turn them into ash.  And then, we have to ask Him to give us HIS thoughts.  When we try to decide what pleases God, and we go our own ways, the only one we are really pleasing is ourselves.  We offer up “strange fire”, sacrifices that are not the sacrifices He desires.  And we have to be really, really careful that our “sacrifice” isn’t something that just pleases our own flesh.  Because all that can be is CONFORMITY to our own desires.

If we are trying to be TRANSFORMED, and not CONFORMED, then we do fight a fight!  This old man won’t go down easy.  But be encouraged:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Just once more, let’s look at this in another translation.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT

³ We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ^4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

We MUST ‘cast down’ our imaginations.  We MUST knock down the strongholds of human reasoning.   We MUST destroy false arguments, and every proud, foolish, self-serving, narcissistic, deceptive obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.

We must CAPTURE OUR REBELLIOUS THOUGHTS, and teach them to obey Christ.

Worried about finances?  Capture those fears—and seek God, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  Search His Word for guidance, and submit yourself to His plan.  If you will, despite those fears—you’ll see Him move and pour out a blessing that cannot be contained.

Worried about your marriage?  Put it on the altar, and give it to God.  Ask Him to transform your thoughts, and help you see your partner as He sees them.  Ask Him to help you line up with His Word.  You can’t change them, but you CAN change YOU, with a transformed mind.

Worried about a child?  Know first and foremost that God loves them even more than you do.  Let Him transform your mind to see them through His eyes, and let Him teach you how to pray for them.  Ask God to transform THEIR minds—to knock down the strongholds of their human reasoning, and to destroy every ‘proud obstacle’ that keeps them from knowing Him.

Worried about your health, or that of one you love?  Cover your thoughts with the Word of God—words about healing, faith, and the love of God.  Words about His will, His strength, and His might.  Words of wisdom, and words of peace.  Capture your rebellious, fearful thoughts, and teach them to obey Christ.

The main difference between those who make it, and those who don’t, is their willingness to have their thought life transformed.  When you believe that God’s plans are the BEST plans, and that He is FOR you, everything, every trial rests in its proper place.  When you believe His plans are best, OUR plans evaporate.  Not because we are spineless—but because we recognize a Master Planner is going to do a better job, no matter what that looks like, than we EVER could.

He is ready to transform us.  He is ready to change the way we think.

Who will LET Him?