Transformation

Transform: to change in composition or structure; to change the outward form or appearance of; to change in character or condition, convert 

Thought for the Day:  Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

     When my son was a youngster he enjoyed immensely playing with transformers.  Although the transformer would begin as a truck, in a matter of seconds Nicholas would manipulate the parts of that truck and a superhero would appear ready to defend the greater good!  Of course, as with all toy makers, you can’t have superheroes without bad guys, so the companies began making transformers that turned into evil forces.  I shouldn’t be surprised because when I was a kid cowboys were the rage, and the color of hats was an immediate sign of good versus evil.  That sign quickly informed audiences of ulterior motives lying underneath those hats.
     Lessons on good and evil Jesus taught on numerous occasions except for one difference, in a world of good and evil everyone deserves mercy and grace; but be very careful.  When witnessing or living out your belief in the Lord do not conform to the ways of the world.  Although that sounds like beware of the color of hat someone is wearing, Jesus is reminding his followers it’s not always a sudden conformation to the ways of the world.  It’s more a desensitizing process.  You might think you are following the right people to the right places, when actually you have been desensitized to the warning signs and are lethargically following.
     It is very easy to become like the frog who gradually heats up in a pot of water.  Often that frog doesn’t realize the water is getting hotter and eventually will boil taking his life because he has become too complacent to jump out before it’s too late.
     Remember when the word “damn” was used at the end of the movie Gone With The Wind?  It was an astounding jolt to moviegoers.  Why was that language being used on a screen for countless people to hear?  Was it a surprise because people never heard this word before?  Probably not.  The jolt factor had to do with the surfacing of the terminology out in the open which has led to its commonality.  In fact, now a common four letter word I won’t even pen in this devotional is being used as a daily part of our language.  No one cares to hear it, but people aren’t shocked by its usage.  Where did it begin?  I recently read that after going through months of negotiation with the censorship board who considered the word damn to be a serious profanity, the line was incorporated into the movie, Gone With The Wind, and in 1939 the transformation of acceptable language began.  Fast forward to 2021, eighty-two years later, and many frogs have been found dead in the water.
     Jesus desires that we all become stellar witnesses and carry his message of hope, fulfillment, blessings and eternal salvation to unbelievers.  However, he was very well aware that conformity to the mindset of the world is a real threat to the believer.  How can we transform our minds to sift through what we are being told as truth and hold onto the plumbline that God has provided for us; the lifeline that leads to eternal life?
          According to scripture, keep centered in the Word of God by reading and studying what is offered, have conversational prayer each day and stand unashamedly on the foundational truth that Jesus Christ is resurrected from the grave.  The scripture from Romans tells us to test and approve what God’s will is for our lives.  Is what you believe and live for every day, what you teach your children and defend as justice and truth in line with the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Are you truly comfortable with what you believe to be the absolute truth, and are you willing to hang on to belief when breath leaves your body leading the way for your children to follow?
     One last comment.  When my husband and I visited two different cities and walked through well-known places frequented by countless individuals, we felt this overwhelming sense that we were not supposed to be there.  It was a heaviness that the only way I can express it, there must have been forces of evil in these places.  What was it that gave us this feeling to vacant the area and never return?  The Holy Spirit of God who was planted within us when we gave our hearts and lives to Jesus and believed his is the Son of God, protected us and revealed to us this is not the place for you.
     I’m not a special person, folks, I am a child of God and a believer in His son, Jesus Christ.  I pray we will be aware of drifting away from the truth of God’s plan for our lives.  Conformity to this world might surface in false teaching that sounds correct, advertising that is self-promoting or big government that wants control.  But you, Lord, are the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Wake us up before it’s eternally too late.

Thank you, Father, for transforming my mind each and every day.  May I never fail you.  Amen.

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