Romans 12:1-2
1. The body laid on the altar as a living sacrifice.
2. The world not conformed to.
3. The mind renewed.
4. Having the ability to test and approve what God’s will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Because of the free-will problem, this four-item list requires a lot of steps to start the first three things on the road to fulfillment. None of these three requirements are going to happen as an instant work of grace. They were credited to our account as a work of grace. But, they don’t show up in the way we treat ourselves and those around us until we turn each one over to God. We are going to have to start taking the steps of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, will, and life by the Spirit. We will have to do this Scripture by Scripture all through the books of the Bible.

Here’s what is going on in your life and ministry:

1. God waits for us to read the Bible.
2. He then waits until we start to understand certain verses of Scripture.
3. Then He waits for us to come to a point of wisdom on how it will be applied to our life.
4. Then He lets us decide whether or not we want it applied.
5. And then He acts according to our decision.

He waits as we take our time walking through our Bible. He waits as we ponder whether or not to let Him give us victory in that area of our life and ministry. We think we are waiting on God to finally give us the victorious Christian life and a dynamic ministry. Wrong again. God is waiting on us!