Welcome to Day 18. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on Romans 12:2. This verse begins our portions of scriptures about how God transforms us in His presence.
Read Romans 12:2.
"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."
Romans 122:2 meaning
What does Romans 12:2 mean?
Romans 12:2 is from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. It was probably composed at Corinth in about 57CE. Paul is writing to the church about the importance of a transformed life in Christ. In the previous verse, Paul calls the church to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God as an act of true and proper worship, and then compels them to not conform to the world in its thinking and way of doing things.
The Greek word for "conform" is "syschēmatizō" which means “to form according to a pattern or mold.” The J. B. Phillips Bible translates it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” These words are so important for us today as well as when they were written because we are called to reflect the Lord's glory and to be His ambassadors on earth, attracting new disciples with a desire to know God's presence in their lives.
We will look at 3 questions in our short devotional below:
What does it mean to not be conformed to this world?
How does the Holy Spirit renew our minds?
What is the perfect will of God?
Join me at the end of the post for prayer on renewing your mind.
Romans 12:2 Devotion: Renewing Your Mind
When you surrender your life to Christ and invite Him to take up residence in your life, you become a holy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. That is quite an awesome thought!
We are called to be in the world but not to be 'of the world'. Followers of Christ pattern their lives after Him (see 1 Peter 2:21), not according to the principles of the world, which the Bible says is controlled by the devil, the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are called to be Holy in a godless world, pointing others to Christ.
How is this possible, to not conform to this world?
It takes a metamorphosis or transformation of your mind. This is accomplished through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, changing our hearts and minds from within.
Steps to Renewing Your Mind
We have already established that as Christians (followers of Christ, His disciple) we become a holy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Our job is to provide space in our lives to allow Him to renew our minds through the words in the Bible. This process will take all of your life to be completed. It will be an exciting time and at times it may be a little painful. Transformation is a process and a big adventure!
Renew your mind daily
One of the benefits of practicing the presence of God is that our minds are renewed and transformed daily as we are thinking 'God's thoughts ' and reading His transforming words from the Bible. This occurs from prayerfully reading scripture and inviting the Holy Spirit to enable us to apply them to our hearts and lives.
1. Consider setting aside a few minutes in the morning, right after waking up, to begin your day with God. These moments can significantly shape the rest of your day in a positive way. Through these devotional Bible studies, my goal is to assist you in practicing God's presence throughout your day. You can easily download them to your phone and use the digital prayer journal to record your thoughts, and prayers, and read scripture.
Though electronic devices can sometimes be distracting during devotional times, I aim to change that perspective. By doing so, you'll be better equipped to seize those "stolen moments of time" throughout your day and spend precious moments with your Savior, refreshing yourself in His presence.
2. Remember that you have the choice of what you watch and read. The renewing and transforming of your mind need wholesome thoughts. Be careful of what you meditate on.
Colossians 3:2-3.
"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
3. What are you allowing into your life? The world can fill you with fear and entice you to make bad choices.
If you become fearful, remember to recall scripture to your mind and just watch God's peace fill your heart. A wonderful scripture to meditate on when you become fearful is Philippians 4:7.
"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
4. We find the perfect description of the steps to take in renewing your mind straight from scripture in
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Praise, pray, and be thankful. This is such a perfect prescription for renewing your mind. You will find your perspective changes on whatever situation that you are in when you get your heart and mind on Christ through praise prayer and being thankful!
This leads us to the closing statement of Romans 12:2, "that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
What is the perfect will of God?
Perfect will of God
The perfect will of God is His divine plan for your life. Matthew 6:33 gives us the perfect prescription for following God's will. It says,
Spend time in God's presence throughout the day and you will feel God directing you. You will learn to discern His voice and choose His ways. He will fill you with His wisdom and He will put His good desires in your heart.
To help you unpack this verse with God, I have prepared this free guided printable prayer journal. You will find it in the Resouce Library. It also contains the list of 31 bible verses about practicing the presence of God.
Today's devotional is based on Romans 12:2 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 31 scriptures about God's presence in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook and answer the following questions.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart. Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verse today, Romans 12:2.
Romans 12:2 Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying Romans 12:2.
Father, keep my mind on you. Don't let me wander from Your words of truth. Remind me to seek Your face as soon as I awake. Help me to keep my mind off of the world and instead focused on Jesus. I want to be continually in Your perfect will. Help me to become aware of the Holy Spirit's promptings and nudgings in my life, so that my heart and mind may become saturated with Jesus and His guidance in my life. Amen.
Related Resources:
You will find Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures HERE. It will have the list of 31 Bible verses that we are using for 31 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
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xx Karen.
