Do not be conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… the infamous Romans 12:2. I’m sure you’ve heard this verse a time or two, and if not, there’s a first time for everything! Today it seems like a no-brainer to want renewal. I think it’s safe to say that everyone has discovered the need to be renewed every once in a while. We want to take a break from our busy lives and get renewed energy in order to go back to tackling our everyday tasks. We want a renewed perspective, so we seek a new experience. We read and find ways to learn because we recognize that we change with every season. There’s an unspoken understanding that renewal, in some way shape, or form, is necessary. But one thing we have to keep in mind is that just like your Netflix subscription, there’s a cost to renew your account. The same goes for the renewing of our minds as we walk in our new lives in Christ.
Anytime God brings us to a place where change happens, and we are spiritually compelled to enter into a new season, we’re faced with a weighty decision to make. Either we move into God’s process of renewal, or we remain in the same spiritual state. On one hand, you get to keep the same friends, do the same things you’ve been doing, think and act the same, which of course is tempting because it’s less work to stay where you are. But the renewing of our minds comes at the cost of those things we’ve become too comfortable with.
Those things, those people, that mindset, that do not reflect God’s character or lead you to be more like Christ, sacrificing those things is the price you pay in order to “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
It’s hard for us as human beings to sacrifice willingly. And I’m not talking about the things that are easy for us to pass up. I’m talking about the sacrifice of the things that will inconvenience our lives as we know it, due to its absence. That job, that friend or friends, those time-consuming apps, that person with the heart eye emoji next to their name, and all those other things that make you uncomfortable at the thought of leaving them behind.
By leaving those things behind, you are investing in the renewal you’re desiring God to do.
It’s not that God doesn’t want you to have anything; He just wants you to be in an atmosphere that promotes the renewal you’re seeking from Him. He wants you to be surrounded by what He has sent for you, not what you’ve surrounded yourself with because sometimes what’s within reach doesn’t add to who God is calling us to be.
I’ve learned that to become new, some things can’t stay. Not everyone can go with you and be there to see every stage of your transformation up close and personal. In my experience, I’ve had to trust God to bring peace on both ends of every tie severed and relationship that needed adjusting. It’s a prayerful process, but it’s a beautiful one. It’s worth every spiritual penny spent and then some! If you’ve been yearning for God to bring renewal in your life somehow, ask God what it is you need to sacrifice. Despite the fear and discomfort, I dare you to be obedient, experience inward change, and live out God’s transformation in your life!
