Romans 12:1-2, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT
When we hear disturbing news or face troubling circumstances, what is often our first, natural reaction? Fear, frustrations, thinking we are all alone, or feelings of “I can’t take this anymore!” How frequently do we lay aside what we want due to our thoughts, motives, attitudes, and desires, which are the effects of our behavior. Then pause, and examine our own hearts in the heat of the circumstance? Paul teaches in Galatians 5:19-21a , “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy.” These are called “bad roots producing bad fruit.” In contrast, biblically, we should want and believe and therefore respond in our behavior as Paul teaches, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23. These emotions and actions honor God, ready to transform us into a new person by changing the way we think and by helping us hear God’s voice through His Word.
Yes, many things are out of our control, much like the weather. We may start to feel angry and alone, working harder to control our fear and the circumstances, as I can think of a few in my own life right now. So how can we renew our minds, not copying the behavior of our culture, but worship the Lord by living for eternity, instead of exploding? Romans 8:5 admonishes, “Those who are dominated by a sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” Our sinful thinking of our behavior, such as impatience, harshness, and anger, is not pleasing the Holy Spirit.
So to get off the merry-go-round in our various turmoils, which we all have, we need to follow Romans 12:1-2 and have God change our thinking, which includes: 1)Take every thought captive immediately. 2)Analyze the thought. What lie(s) are we believing? 3) Replace the lie with the truth from the promises of God in Scripture. God is Sovereign. Remember Ps. 103:19, “The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.” Everything means EVERYTHING. 4)Trust the truth of God’s Word. “Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just.” Revelation 19:1-2a. God is in control over time and events, so His plans will prevail as Isaiah 46:10 states, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass.” Last but not least, we have Romans 8:28 to reassure us, even under challenging circumstances: “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.”
Follow Romans 12:1-2, and watch how God will transform you, change your thinking to be in obedience to Him, renewing, reeducating, and redirecting our minds, hearts, and souls to be truly transformed by His grace. His will is perfect – just for you! It all starts in the heart, which is the center of our emotions, longings, desires, thoughts, beliefs, intentions, and determines our actions. Note how God is changing your way of thinking by focusing on Romans 12:1-2 – remolding your mind from within, yielding to the work of holiness in one’s life, confident of Christ’s return, and God’s continued faithfulness. “Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3:17b.
So, the real question to ask oneself now is, “What is true here? What does God’s Word say?”