Conform...Why?

And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God
Romans 12:2

I don't know of any parents who have seen children through their teen years who haven't at one time or another had to respond to the plea of a child who says in a very pitiful or even angry voice, “But the other kids are doing it.” Many times we parents have replied in varied ways but usually whatever the reply, we try to get the point across that,  ”You are not other kids.” We cautioned our children about following the crowd because in most instances, nothing good comes from blind conformity.

I've heard many pastors interpret the first part of our above verse that we aren't to allow the world to squeeze us into its mold. I'm afraid though, that we adults are often more guilty than our children when it comes to going along with the crowd. Today we are bombarded by the media to respond to the latest and greatest of anything being offered and it succeeds or we wouldn't be bite on the bait that is dangled in front of us.

In these days, we have been greatly disturbed as we have watched highly paid athletes choosing to boycott our national anthem. It doesn't seem that many of them are doing nothing but following the leadership of others. This whole thing started with one football player and now has spread like a poison through professional athletics in general. Who would have thought something so negative could spread like a disease that infects in such a wide spread manner. I mention this because right now, there are a lot of athletes don't believe the above verse if they have ever read it.

No matter what circles we move in, there is always the pull on us to conform to our culture. That pull is becoming stronger and stronger, especially in the lives of our young people. However, no matter our ages, we all know as God's people that Satan has his ploys in pulling us away from those things we know to be God-honoring. We have to face the fact that we aren't exempt from the temptation to conform to the things of this world. If we don't have that awareness, we are even more vulnerable.

What's the answer? Paul says we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” If something needs renewing, no matter what it is, there has been a moving back to the old ways we once gave up. Renewal restores and that's a precious thought. We can never be renewed by the old things that caused our slippage. The renewal will come as we get back to a new reliance on the Holy Spirit's leading and strengthening in our lives. He will do that primarily as we get back into the Scriptures. When we slip back into the old ways, usually one of the first things to go is our consistency being in our Bibles. Getting back into the Word isn't reading it in a casual fashion. It means digging deeply into it's truths in order for the restorative healing to take effect. 
 

So how do we avoid conformity that doesn't lead us in the right direction? To stay spiritually aware of those things we tend to follow that isn't edifying means our staying spiritually alert. Some things to consider for us all....

*The major caution at this point is to always be alert to our own spiritual feelings. Women especially are very chemical beings and those feelings can often take us where we don't necessarily want to go.

*As we would suggest to our children, we should be careful of our associations. Relationships often change, thus, we should put up a guard in this area. Facebook associations can be a blessing or not as well as other areas in our lives. As much as I hate to say this, best friends can't always be found in a Sunday school class. Some Christian friends can be found in other Bible-preaching churches or denominations.

*Be a woman of prayer. When will we ever learn that God has our best interest at heart and is nearer to us than the air we breathe. He listens cares and loves us through alot.

*Stay in the Word of God.

*We should be in good churches where we get good, strong preaching and teaching.

May we walk transformed and renewed in ways that influence others for the Lord and that brings glory to Him in every way. We do that by realizing that Jesus is the divine mold we are to fit into, not the world. Our goal: to be like Jesus. May it be so in each of us.
 

Dear Father, I want to be all YOU want me to be. Keep me from the unfruitful influence of others be they believers or not. Help me to stay focused on You, alert to the leading of Your sweet Spirit. Thank You for Your Son who has given so much for me. In Jesus' name...Amen