Today’s devotion is from Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
We cannot change ourselves – we can modify some behaviors through willpower, but we cannot change who we are – we can deal with some fruit issues, but we cannot effectively deal with root issues in our own strength. The truth is that most people know what they need to change about themselves, but they cannot do it in their own strength.
New Covenant repentance is the key to lasting change…
The Greek New Covenant word for ‘repent’ or ‘repentance’ is ‘metanoéō which literally means, to change the way you think. New Covenant repentance is when believers receive the Word, yield to it, accept it as truth and change how they think. As we repent, or change our thinking from our worldview to the New covenant Word-view we will know God’s perfect will for our lives and walk in it!
The Passion Translation says, ‘Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.’
When there are areas that are not prospering in our lives it almost always has to do with the way we think and what we believe – As I have ministered to people seeking help in areas of their lives it usually comes down to what they believe and how they think – it’s either wrong doctrine, circumstance led thinking, or, “this is the way I have always done things”… as the person repents and yields to, adapts their mind to, and submits to the Word of truth correctly divided they immediately begin to experience breakthrough.
Some may resist the truth and give arguments as to why they believe the way they believe… I usually ask them the question, so how is what you believe working out for you? When what we believe brings death, then we need to repent and change our thinking so that the life of God can come into our situation – as we change our thinking, God will transform us in the same way that a worm gets transformed into a butterfly and we will go from crawling to soaring!
