“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.”  Romans 12:2

What is the pattern of this world?  Sin?  Self-centeredness?  Greed?.  Lack of discipline and self-control?  Lack of compassion toward others?  Materialism?  We are to no longer be conformed to these.

Here is something that I know for sure – all my struggles are, at their core, spiritual in nature.  They may be manifested in various ways, but rest assured, when you peel back all the layers, what you will find is a need for spiritual re-direction.  But, how does this happen?  How do we alter the course of our lives?

In short, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.  In other words, we must begin to, consistently, think new and different thoughts.  We win and lose the game of life, first and foremost, in our minds.

This is due, in part, to the fact that our thoughts affect our beliefs.  Our beliefs affect our emotions.  Our emotions affect our actions (or inaction).  Everything we do in life begins with a thought.  Right now I am sitting before my computer, typing words on a screen.  But my experience today began with a thought.  Everything I do, I think about doing before I actually do it.   So, yes, having a mind that is renewed by the Word of God will impact my thoughts – which will ultimately have an effect on how I live my life.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be conformed to this world.  But it can be really challenging, can it not?  The only way I know of to renew my mind is through the Word of God.  Let’s strive to not allow anything to come between us and God’s Word.  Let’s endeavor to read it for yourselves, and bask in it every single day of our lives.  If we do this, we will be able to discern the good, acceptable, and perfect, and we won’t be conformed to the pattern of this world.