“DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD!”

 Romans 12:2                     (ESV)

“[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.”

Far too often I accept what “this world” offers as what Scripture is trying to trying to SPEAK to me rather than being TRANSFORMED by the WORD OF GOD, allowing THE SPIRIT OF GOD to TRANSFORM me into what is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT!  

What do the WORDS “DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD” actually mean anyway?  According to one dictionary, “To act, often unquestioningly, in accordance with traditional customs or prevailing standards” is what Scripture is suggesting we REFRAIN from?  In other words, DO NOT let this world “predetermine” the direction we travel in our lives!  Frustration, confusion, and SPIRITUAL defeat are the fruits of BEING CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD!  

The thing that can be unnerving about the RENEWAL OF OUR MINDS is having FAITH that the WILL OF GOD is going to lead us where we need to go, not where BEING CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD deems the best option.  What we see as our intellect might get us through “this world” with perceived success, BUT WE ARE NOT OF “this world”, we have been BOUGHT WITH A PRICE by our CREATOR (1 Corinthians 6:19:20)!!  Since we have DIED TO SELF, we should “DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD” but TRANSFORMED!!!