Rom 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your BODIES as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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. You are now ready to take four steps in closing all three doors of your body, the world, and the devil. As long as you continue this process for the rest of your life, you will walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light.

Doing What It Takes:

1. Offer your BODY as a living sacrifice. You are to offer and keep on offering your body as a living sacrifice.


2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this WORLD. You are to cease living like the world lives from now on.


3. Be transformed by the renewing of your MIND. You are to start yielding to Jesus renewing your mind as a lifetime process.


4. Be able to test and approve what GOD’S WILL is. You are to receive the ability to test and approve God’s will moment by moment and issue by issue.

1 Th 4:3-7 (NIV) It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

To live a holy life is for you to only do good things with yourself, other people, and God’s plan. The only way for that to happen is for Jesus to give you the power to live like this. Jesus will give you power to:

• Make your body read and study the Bible, like you are doing now.


• Make your body have good devotions everyday.


• Make your body listen to good Christian music.


• Make your body read good Christian books.


• Make your body go to church or to a good small group.


• Make your body think on Philippians 4:8 things.


• Make your body yield to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

Mat 6:22-23 (NIV) The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

In this passage, Jesus is talking about what you expose yourself to. To leave a door open is to allow yourself to be exposed to something. The way you can accidently, ignorantly, and even purposefully leave the door open to Satan’s influence is, to fail to see the importance of closing it. Spend some time with Jesus seeing what you need to do to no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world:

• You and Jesus need to examine the words and the beat of the music you listen to. You need to let Him guide you to the music He wants you to listen to.


• You and Jesus need to evaluate the content and concepts in the shows and movies you watch. Let Him help you set His standards for what you should be exposed to.


• You and Jesus need to critique the kind of literature you look at and read. Let Him help you eliminate anything that expresses principles and belief systems that are contrary to the Bible.


• You and Jesus need to honestly and sincerely examine what kind of people you spend time with. Let Him tell you which ones you should spend time with and which ones you should avoid.


• You and Jesus need to go over your typical conversations and see if they are representative of a true Christian.


• You and Jesus need to look at what you do together with other people. Are you doing those things the Bible instructs you to do; or, are you doing what the Bible speaks against?

If there is any area where you are struggling with yielding to Jesus’ leadership and change, that is the place where you need to keep praying and asking Him to help you become willing to submit. If that area remains open to your body, the world, and the devil, you will continue to have problems.

Here are the steps into the renewing of your mind:

1. Allow Jesus To Set Your Mind: Rom 8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their MINDS set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their MINDS set on what the Spirit desires.
   
   Setting your mind on the Holy Spirit’s desires has to do with your desires. You are asking Jesus to empower you to only desire those things the Holy Spirit desires. You can pray a general prayer asking for Jesus’ power to be there at a MOMENT when you are facing a certain ISSUE. A general prayer gets you ready for all moments and issues; but, it doesn’t force you to desire what the Holy Spirit desires at the moment you are facing that certain issue.
   
   When you are at a moment facing a certain issue, you MUST pray a specific prayer asking Jesus to help you desire what the Holy Spirit desires for that decision you are about to make. Every decision you face that day will only conform to the Holy Spirit’s desires, if you pray asking Jesus to help you with IT.


2. Allow The Holy Spirit To Control Your Mind: Rom 8:6-7 (NIV) The MIND of sinful man is death, but the MIND controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful MIND is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Bringing your mind under the control of the Spirit is a God-given free will decision. And, it is a decision that is also made moment by moment and issue by issue. You can pray a general prayer asking God to help you allow the Holy Spirit to control your mind; but, that only makes Jesus’ power available for helping you yield to the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t make you yield at the MOMENT you are about to make a decision. You are still in control because of your God-given free will.


3. Allow The Holy Spirit To Give You His Ideas: Rom 8:26-27 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He Who searches our hearts knows the MIND of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Letting the Holy Spirit cause issues to pop up in your mind is vital. He will help you experience a renewing of your mind by leading you to pray for things you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.


4. Let This Guide Your Thoughts: Phil 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE--if anything is EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY--think about such things. This makes all of the above verses of Scripture work. Praying and asking Jesus to empower you to do this sets your mind on the Holy Spirit’s desires, gives you the power to allow the Holy Spirit to control your decisions and life, and helps you hear the Holy Spirit when He causes ideas to pop up in your mind.

1. Let Jesus Grow You Spiritually: Col 1:9 (NIV) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. The reason Jesus is leading you into spiritual growth is because the knowledge of God’s will comes through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.


2. Stay In God’s Will: Heb 10:36 (NIV) You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will RECEIVE what He has promised. Pray and ask Jesus to help you NEVER give up.


3. Live A Righteous Life: 1 Pet 2:15 (NIV) For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Righteousness that comes from Jesus’ power enables you to do good to yourself, other people, and God’s plan.
   
   1 Pet 4:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.


4. Live Eternally: 1 John 2:17 (NIV) The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. Ask Jesus to help you keep this in mind all the time. Getting eternal life, living in God’s eternal Kingdom, living in a glorified, immortal body, and ruling and reigning with Jesus forever needs to motivate you now. Ask Jesus to help you see why you are applying yourself to all of His truths. Ask Him to show you that you will not only be victorious now, you will spend eternity enjoying all those things you prepared for now.