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God’s Will for Your Life is Renewal
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
When you are lost—whether it’s on an ocean, in a jungle, or in a remote area of the mountains—when you have no roadmap, no compass, no GPS unit, and no point of reference, you may walk in an endless circle until you are exhausted and faint. What you need is a landmark, a fix on some position—whether it is a mountain, the North Star or a geographic reference—so you can begin to make straight tracks for your feet.
The same thing is true of a generation that has thrown out the landmarks of morality. The “anything goes; it’s nobody’s business but mine” mentality so prevalent today leaves people wounded, confused, befuddled, and in distress.
Today two ideologies are waging a battle for the mind—one is the mindset of our culture and our world, and in opposition to this is the will and purpose of God for His children. And the farther we are from God, the more confused and befuddled we become.
Long ago Paul said we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Yes, we know what transformation is, but what does “the renewal of your mind” mean and how do you do it?
Is this a kind of mental brainwashing, or a spiritual transformation as you begin to think God’s thoughts—you see life from His perspective—you understand that the old battle of the wills, the one that put our first fathers back to God, is really the battle for the mind today?
The Greek word that Paul used in Romans 12:2 is the same one he used in his letter to the Corinthians when he wrote, “the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
The thought of being renewed suggests that at one time you had it all together, then something happened and you lost touch as your spiritual connection with God was short-circuited and you burned out.
In the beginning, humankind did have a relationship with God. It was warm, intimate, and personal, but eventually the battle of the wills meant that Adam turned away from God’s will and purpose—he insisted on his own will. That’s the way it has been ever since then.
Allowing the Word of God to penetrate your thinking, allowing the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding, and saying, “Lord, I’ve lost my way; show me how to come back home” allows this transformation to begin bringing you back into sync with God’s purpose and will for your life.
In Romans 12 Paul makes three statements about God’s will. He says first that it is good. That word needs no explanation. Do you believe that? You may have to overcome that old misconception that God is a cosmic killjoy who delights in your misery or pain. God is good, all the time, and His will is better than yours because He knows the end from the beginning. Because He made you, He knows what is best for you.
The second thing Paul says about His will is that it’s acceptable. To whom? To His children who can look back and say, “Ah, He knew what I needed better than I did.” Thank God, He always gives His best to those who leave the choice to Him.
The third observation about God’s will is that it’s complete. This word implies that something had a timeline attached, and the entire process has been completed, lacking nothing. It would have been used of a mature adult who had gradually grown from childhood to manhood. It suggests completion as opposed to a building half-finished. Find out more about God’s purpose for your life. You’ll be the richer because of it.
Resource reading: Romans 12.

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