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.
Continue reading “Giving Thanks in the Valley”
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”
The Lord gave me that phrase during my prayer time two years ago, and I had to go look it up because I wasn’t used to Him talking to me in KJV (lol).
I found it in Matthew, when Jesus was praying in the garden before the crucifixion, and He asked the disciples: Tarry with me.
Stay with me. Be in companionship with me and battle with me in prayer.
Continue reading “Battling in Prayer With Jesus”
Grace Waves 