INTRODUCTION: This week, Time With God will continue to explore who we are in Christ. Our prayer is that you will grow in confidence and hope as we unpack biblical truth about who God has made us to be.Please note that there will be no Digging Deeper section.
GETTING STARTED
Whether we realize it or not, we are being formed by the world around us. Every movie we see, book we read, TV show we watch, group of friends we socialize with, or music we listen to shapes who we are and how we think. But Jesus calls us to live differently than the world does. And if we want to live differently, we have to think differently. To think differently, we must change what informs our thinking. By nature, we think of worldly things—things that are contrary to the Word of God and to his purpose for us. When we allow the truth of God’s Word to fill our minds, though, we open ourselves up to his guidance, wisdom, and will, and he begins the process of transforming us into Christ’s likeness.
- How often do you seek God’s guidance and will through prayer and Bible study?
READ THE WORD: ROMANS 12:1-2 (ESV)
12:1 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. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
RESPOND TO GOD
Our minds are the place where we think about things no one else knows. We make plans, dream dreams, and figure out problems. It’s also the place where we are prone to believe lies our enemy tells us about who we are, and who God is and isn’t. When we submit ourselves to the truth of God’s Word by regularly spending time in it, both alone and with others, we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to change us and make us more like Jesus. True transformation happens from the inside out, and this change is possible only in the grace and power of Jesus and his Word.
If you’re not in the habit already, I’d encourage you to spend time every day reading Scripture. Ask God to speak to you, to make you more like Jesus. He is faithful to do it!
- As you study God’s Word today, ask him to show you where you are conforming to the ways of the world.
- Invite the Holy Spirit to transform and renew your mind as you encounter the will of God through his Word.