*Above Only Devotional* Thursday, December 5 *Allow God to Transform You from Within*

*Above Only Devotional*

Thursday, December 5

*Allow God to Transform You from Within*

_Romans 12:2 (GNB & NLT)_
_Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.

Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect. *Don't copy the behaviour 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._

Just as we cannot kill a tree by just destroying its fruits, we cannot transform our lives by trying to change our actions. The change must take place from the root of our actions which is our minds. The word transformation refers to a complete change in the form and function of an organism or substance. For example, when a caterpillar grows bigger, it changes in size but it has not been transformed. But when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, that same caterpillar has been transformed. That is what happens to us as our minds get renewed. We put on Christ and we begin to function like Him. Our lives conform to Christ and no more to the ways of this world. As we renew our minds we put on our new man who is just like Christ, Col. 3:10, Eph. 4:23-24.

The means by which our minds get renewed is the knowledge or word of God that we receive. God's word is not ordinary. It carries God's life and power. Jesus said my words are spirit and they are life, John 6:63. We receive this knowledge of God not only by hearing, studying and meditating on it, but also by speaking it to ourselves. In Psalm 42:5, David said, why are you cast down O my soul? Put your hope in God. We must learn how to speak to ourselves until our minds align with God's thoughts. The way we cast down every thought and imagination that wants to rise above the knowledge of Christ (2Cor.10:5), is by opening our mouth and boldly declaring the truth of Christ to that negative thought or imagination. Get the revelation of Christ into you in abundance and use it to retrain your mind.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I receive your grace to fill my mind with the truth and revelation of Christ and to speak it to myself continually.