Living Sacrifice

I Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1,2

How is my mind renewed? Ephesians 4:20-24 says: but that is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you read about Him and were taught by Him because the truth is in Jesus. You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God's righteousness and purity of the truth.

The truth is in Jesus. If I am believing wrong things about myself, if the enemy has lied to me and has me captive in a prison of his making, how do I get free? By discovering the truth about myself according to what Christ says in the word of God.

When I want to change from a student to a career person, I write a resume, and start applying for jobs. I look forward, I believe my training is good, I step out in that knowledge and present myself as a good candidate. I keep trying until I find something.

Ephesians puts an emphasis on the 'spirit of my mind.' In life I take on spirits, it is important I discern what spirits I choose. In the Holy Spirt there are: spirits of faith, love, hope, peace, joy, long suffering, grace, mercy and so on. In the world there are spirits of failure, lusts, anger, resentment, self-pity, self-righteousness etc. I must constantly choose, with insight, much the same as I choose my clothing for the day.

Just as I  might chose to walk before breakfast  or go to the gym, I must choose to spend time with God, His wor and in  worship. I must spend time in fellowship with those who will call out the best in me, not with those who are sitting in the bog and will pull me down.

I cannot afford to be lazy, lazy people go to the default. The default is not for overcomers. Default lives in the bog. Choosing life takes effort. Get up, strengthen those limbs that hang down. Amen! This is where the 'living sacrifice' bit comes in. Success takes sacrifice. Amen!

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