Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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
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Do you want to know God’s will for your life?
Because He tells us EXACTLY how to discover it. And not just how to discover it, but how to test it and desire it.
There are just two steps listed here in Romans 12. First, do not conform to the patterns of this world. And second, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
It is not lost on me that the Holy Spirit’s first instruction is to “not conform to the pattern of this world.”
For who can know the will of God if they are actively pursuing the things of this world?
Who can know the will of God if they spend their leisure time watching and listening to the entertainment created by this world?
Who can know the will of God if their days are spent in the pursuit and admiration of the world’s currency and trinkets?
Who can know the will of God if they look to those the world lifts up for their wisdom and instruction?
And who can know the will of God if they are desperately pursuing the approval of this world?
Indeed, the first step to knowing God’s will in your life is to set yourself apart from the patterns, pursuits, and passions of this world. To free yourself from it.
And when you do, where will you go?
We will, at that time, be forced to look elsewhere to fill our mind, our days, and our passions.
And when we turn to the God who created us and loves us, we find that our minds can be transformed and renewed—not to pursue all the things we left behind, but to discover all the beauty and eternal fulfillment available to us through Christ.
This, my friends, is how we discover the will of God and fall deeper in love with it.
We reject the empty promises of this world. And find our truest fulfillment in the plan that God has for each of us.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, my desire is for your will in my life. That I might know it, love it, and follow it. Help me reject this world and follow more of you. Thank you for Jesus who makes this possible and for the Holy Spirit who both empowers us and sustains us. Amen.