Are You Transformed ?

 

Romans 12:1-3.  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 

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.  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

Think in line with God's Word, think thoughts of faith.  Everything we receive from God we receive by faith.  As we just read in His Word, God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We can only please Him by faith, we can not please Him any other way. These are His rules, this is the way He set it up.  We have to come to Him in faith and abide in Him by faith.

 

Hebrews 11:6.  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

So how do we get this transforming faith?  Good question. 

 

Romans 10:17.  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

Hearing what? Hearing the Word of God.  Having the God kind of faith does not come from hearing the evening news, or by reading the latest sports page, it only comes from hearing the Word of God.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2.  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

 

The free course of God's Word is what creates faith in the human heart. Our righteousness is of the faith of God.  Our very right standing with the Father is through faith.

 

Romans 1:16-17.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith

 

Romans 3:22.  even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

 

Romans 3:28.  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

 

Romans 3:30.  since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

 

We can see by these scriptures that our right standing with God comes only through faith.

When we come to the place that we see ourselves as redeemed and justified in God's sight then we’re seeing ourselves as God sees us. This is hard for some people to believe, they feel like they have to some way earn God's redemption.  Well we can't, we only receive it the way God says we can receive it, and that is by faith in Him. We have to accept and acknowledge that God has provided for our complete salvation, and we must begin to acknowledge it, and renew our mind to these truths. 

 

As Romans 12 says, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

 

We can't prove it if we won't acknowledge that it is true.  We can't prove it if we won't believe it. God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, we don't have all knowledge and understanding in this present age, but we have to accept God's Word as the truth and begin to bring our minds into obedience to these truths if we are ever going to prove God's Word in our lives. Our thinking has to be transformed.

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-7.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

 

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's.

 

God has equipped us and enabled us to bring our thoughts into the obedience of Christ. He's given us the ability to become overcomers, yet we are the ones who have to bring our thoughts into obedience. God is not going to do it for us, He's telling us to do it. The reason we have to cast these thoughts down is because God knows when we dwell on the negative things instead of dwelling on His Word we are going to fail.  He always wants us to succeed. He's giving us the instructions on how to succeed, and we must follow them.

Our success is based on our ability to walk in faith in His Word,  and our ability to walk in faith in His Word is based on our ability to renew our minds.  He's telling us to do it,  therefor we can. If we aren't able to do it them God would be telling us to do something that was not possible for us to do, that would be unfair.  It would not be fair for God to tell us to do something that was impossible for us to do would it?  No it wouldn't. Our Father God is just.

 

Mark 11:22.  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.

Another translation says to have the faith of God.

 

He's telling us we can have faith, and then He's giving us the ability to carry it out.  That's an awesome thing.

 

Romans 8:37  says  ---- Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  We are conquerors not spineless jellyfish, we need to start acting like the children of God and not let our thoughts get bogged down in man made soulish religious theology.     This is life we are talking about, the very life of God. Let it transform you from the inside out.  Look to the pure Word of God and don't be concerned what man thinks, let your spirit soak up the truth of this life changing Gospel and transform you.

 

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

 

Hebrews 4:1-3.  Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,'' although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

 

God's works are already done, we must labor to enter into His rest. Our labor is to bring our thoughts into submission to His Word.  His Word is His will.

We will prove or bring God's Word into fruition when we bring our thoughts into submission to His will.

 

So let's accept this free and awesome gift of God's life giving Word, and let it transform us.

Little by little let's let God's Word bring fruit in our lives.

Our job is to accept it by faith, God has already done His part, now let's do ours! 

 

The first step is to come into a saving knowledge of Him.

 

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God then earnestly pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).

 

I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).

 

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!

I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

 Glory to God!!!!          Amen.