Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
In other words, don’t imitate the ideas or opinions of the culture around you. Instead, be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. Only then can you discern and live out God’s will.
Continue reading “Do Not Be Conformed”
“Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Believers pray this often, but what does it really look like?
History gives us an illustration. When Rome conquered new lands, they didn’t bring people back to the capital. Instead, they transformed the new territory to look like Rome. The laws, language, and culture all reflected the home kingdom—so much so that when the King came to visit, he felt like he was home.
Continue reading “Your Kingdom Come”
One of the hardest times to give thanks is in the valley. It’s in those seasons when life falls apart, when loss is real, when grief hangs heavy. Those are the moments when I don’t feel like lifting my hands or opening my mouth in thanksgiving. But those are also the moments when thanksgiving becomes the most powerful offering we can bring.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Notice that it doesn’t say every circumstance is God’s will for us. It says that in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, His will is for us to give thanks.
That means thanksgiving isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about declaring: God is still good, even here.
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Romans 12:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
If I’m honest, I want that kind of life. I want to be a living sacrifice. I want to stay on the altar and yield to the work of holiness when the fire falls, when life presses in, and when the refining hurts. But the truth is… fire burns. The trials and testing that forge us into His image? They hurt. And when the refining process gets uncomfortable, my flesh wants to jump right off that altar.
So how do we stay there? How do we cultivate a lifestyle of worship that isn’t just for Sunday mornings but can withstand a busy Tuesday, or a devastating season of loss?
I believe the answer is this: We stay on the altar through thanksgiving.
Continue reading “Life on the Altar”
Several years ago, I encountered the love of God while sitting in a closet.
I was feeling broken and defeated after years of trying (and failing) to pull myself together. I had been avoiding God for years, certain He wouldn’t want to talk to me anyways. But that day, curled up in my closet, I tentatively asked if it was possible for Him to still love me, “even though…”
Continue reading “Impossible to Stop”
Grace Waves 