Transformed by God

"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 12:2 NKJV


Now what does the word "conformed" mean in this scripture text?  It means to "copy", to "emulate" and what scripture is telling us here is not to copy the behaviors, the attitudes, the customs of the world we live in.  Do not allow yourself to get corrupted by the world system because you are not of this world, even though you live in it.    You and I are children of the most High God that have been set apart for His use and have been given individualized divine assignments to complete while on earth until we are called home to glory.  We are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ called to serve and shine our light in this dying world, we are called to a different standard of doing things and so as believers, you and I must allow God to transform us into the women we are destined and purposed to be. Without transformation taking place in our minds and thought process, it will be very easy to fall prey to the enemy's devices.  

Beloved, the world is defined for us in 1 John 2:15-16 and it states "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. "  Verse 16 actually defines what the world or the world system is all about ( i.e immorality, gluttony, materialism, alcoholism, drugs, thirst for power, over ambition).  Unfortunately so many believers have allowed the above to dominate their lives and some even go as far as justifying their sinful lifestyles.   

The only way believers can avoid falling prey to satan's schemes, conforming to the world's standards, is to allow the Holy Spirit ( God's transforming power) to renew our minds and how is this done?  By literarily allowing the power of God's word to change us into who He has purposed us to be on earth. For more understanding, read and meditate on the following verses:  Romans 10:17, Rev 1:3, Psalm 119:9-11, Psalm 1:2-3 and Joshua 1:8.  It is only the word of God, daily ministered in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (God's power on earth) that can transform us from worldliness to holiness ( a life daily set apart life, not trying to "blend in" with the world, but instead living according to God's Word as we study the Bible and grow in it).  

May the Lord help us to live a life holy and pleasing before Him.

Shalom.

A Living Sacrifice

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."  Romans 12:1 ESV


In this portion of scripture, the Apostle Paul was imploring the believers in Rome to commit their lives to the Lord which means dedicating and pledging their lives to him.  So when scripture says present your bodies as a living sacrifice, it does not just mean the flesh, but body, spirit and soul (our total being),  willing  to forsake the worldly pleasures of this age.   So Romans 12:1 reminds us as believers to honor the Lord with our total being, our complete existence, we must take care of the temple He has given us, our bodies (which consist of our will, mind and emotions).  Since our thoughts come from and are processed through our brains as well as our emotions (feelings),  I believe the mind and emotions can be considered a part of the "flesh.  We must guard it diligently, it must not be abused.  

In our daily Christian walk, what does this verse actually mean to us?  Beloved  it means that for those of us in Christ Jesus by virtue of being saved by grace, the only acceptable spiritual worship to God is to offer ourselves completely to the Lord God.  We must be instruments or vessels of righteousness ready to be used by Him at any time or place.  I like how this one author put it in her article from the King's Highway, she states  " we must give God permission to walk through us and expose anything in us that is not of faith. God is a gentleman and He will not force us to do this without our permission."  So true, I could not have said it any better, the Christian faith is a faith of "free will"  you have to be willing to go all the way with the Lord once you say " I accept you as my Lord and Savior"  being ready to surrender completely.    The Lord has set us apart as His holy people, His prized possession and therefore we must as His people honor Him, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.

"For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth."   Deuteronomy  14:2


"But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. " John 4:23

Your Own Uniqueness

Scripture text:  Psalm 139:13-16


Over and over again I find myself teaching on topics that centers around self image and being ourselves.  In recent years,  I have written and spoken on teaching messages ranging from loving yourself to being fearfully and wonderfully made by God.  And so I have come to the realization that the Holy Spirit has been directing me to keep sharing these words of empowerment to women around the world because He wants to bring healing, deliverance and restoration to the lives of His children who have experienced and are still experiencing much physical, spiritual and emotional abuse in the hands of people both inside and outside the church.   By His grace, I will continue to do so and pray that these teachings reach and transform the lives of as many women as possible.  Beloved we are all created unique and exceptional by God, the great artist and potter.  He made us all perfect in His sight having our own uniqueness.  There are no two people the same on this earth, not even identical twins.  Our God is so creative that He has made human beings in all variations, shapes, sizes, colors, giving to us all kinds of attributes or traits, skills and talents.   This He created for His good pleasure and divine purpose, we are His original masterpiece and He alone holds the trademark and patent for each of us.
The Lord God uses people like you and me according to the gifts and talents He has given us, and ofcourse our willingness to serve.  Everyone cannot preach, teach, sing or prophesy the same neither can we all be gifted in the arts or sports etc. the same way.  For God's will to be done in the world we live in,  we are called  to do things differently, in ways that will attract the right people to us, the men and women He wants us to impact for His kingdom.   Beloved, it is your way of doing things, be it teaching or singing that attracts the individual that the Lord wants to use you to deliver and set free from that affliction or issue.   So you cannot be like the other sister whom God is using in a different way even if you have the same skillset.  Be your own self, Be exceptional in what you do.  There are those who serve or have served under particular men and women of God or other spiritual mentors and they strive to emulate them in the way they preach, teach or prophesy down to the way they dress or wear their hair.   There is nothing wrong with honoring your spiritual mentor by emulating a thing or two but the Lord has called you into ministry as well so that He can specifically use you for His purpose.. As a result you need to figure out what that purpose is and how God wants you to go about it.  Remember God created you wonderfully and fearfully and for His good pleasure, He deposited things in you from birth, from the moment you became born again i.e natural talents and spiritual gifts as well as skills you have learned through training and employment, including life experiences (the good and not so good)  to use for His glory.  With all these things in addition to your personality/character your own uniqueness emerges.    Embrace who you are in Christ, strive to be who God has called you to be, do not be anyone else but YOU.   Sisters, you do not need to imitate Sister A or Pastor Mrs. B  to do God's work,  use what God has already given you to serve Him by serving others.  When you do so, people will see you as original, authentic, the real thing and not a copy cat or counterfeit ; When you are authentic, things flow naturally.  You do not second guess yourself or have to double check the flow of your message if this is how Pastor says it or is this how she walks or looks at the congregation when ministering.. No need for all that, it is too much hassle and you end up just being a performer on the pulpit.    Before you can embrace your uniqueness, you need to first of all be able to love yourself, appreciate who you are in Christ and walking in God's plan for your life, only then can you embrace your uniqueness.  Jeremiah, the prophet was a man of God who knew His uniqueness at a young age.  God revealed to him in Jeremiah 1: 4-5 " Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  No other prophet was this revealed to, but young Jeremiah.  The Lord said He had already set Jeremiah apart before He was even born meaning He was already a prophet from the womb and God had a great plan for His life.   The Lord even went further to describe more of Jeremiah's uniqueness in verse 18  " Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land.   They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord."   Brethren,  your uniqueness is embedded in your calling (God's purpose for your life).  

And so I  just want to encourage you today to be yourself, be who God has designed and created you to be, stop searching for approval from others, stop wasting quality time on the wrong things,  God has created you exceptional and uniquely for a reason, find that reason and begin to walk in it.  It is when you do that, you will experience God's overwhelming peace and joy.  


I encourage you to check out other teaching messages on my blog site and share with others :
-  Loving Yourself
- You are wonderfully made
- Who does God say you are?
- Fearfully and Wonderfully made.