by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

The Apostle Paul called for the followers of Jesus to not be conformed to this world but instead be conformed and transformed by the word of God. (Romans 12:1-2) This passage is one of my favorites, but it is also troublesome. It is Troublesome because it is perhaps the hardest thing I’ve attempted to do. Why? The world is confronting and trying to conform to us all the time. It’s relentless.

The world tells us to worry and fret when the Word talks about being still. Events in life create anxiety and stress. Rather than responding with trust and faith, we respond with worry and concern. Even when we try to get still, the world and all its concerns bombard us at every turn.

The Word tells us to trust Him and not lean on our understanding; we don’t do it. Oh, we might try, and we might have a little success, but again, we replace trust with worry. How do we not do this? How do we practice trust amid the storm? How do we move forward when we have no idea which way forward is?

It is so easy to take on the world’s posture regarding life. We quickly follow the dictates and customs of this world. We don’t want to, but we do. It’s natural; it’s a part of our nature and our behavior. As the saying goes, what we live with, we learn, what we know, we practice, and what we practice, we become. So, what is our hope? How do we change? How do we not allow the world to conform to us but instead be conformed by His Word? The simple answer is that we need to practice, and that is where we fail.

Practice means that when we fall and allow the world to be our influence, we get back up and break the hold. We also need to be students of His Word. That means studying it and putting it into practice. Learning to lean into Him takes practice and perseverance. Are you willing to put in the time to accomplish this? Think about it.