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CONFORM NOT

Romans 12: 1-2, James 4:4-6

The sound and clear warning by Paul the Apostle, in Romans 12:2 states, ÒAnd do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of GodÓ. Conformity is defined as an action or behavior in correspondence with current customs, rules, or styles. The warning is not to be conformed to this world, but unfortunately the warning is clearly falling onto deaf ears. Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word. What is it about this world? The ruler of this world is the wicked one; the liar and the destroyer, the devil himself. He engineered the falling of man when he led Adam and Eve into the disobedient that kicked them out of where God had placed them: the Garden of Eden. The same skill that the enemy used in transforming Adam and Eve is still very much in operation today and that is more the reason why we have to yield our mind to constant renewal by the Word of God. The Word that you received yesterday is to meet the challenges of yesterday and it might not apply to the challenges of today. As a result, consistent and constant renewal is a daily activity. Believers of the Word are called not to be conformed to this world and the refusal not to conform to this world is rooted in the mind. The mind is to be constantly renewed or the world will remove the mind from where the Lord wants it to be. The mind is the battle ground where the enemy wants to take over. It is a serious warning that will carry any believer who takes to the warning through in the journey of life. Will you get your mind busy in the area of constant and consistent renewal? Do this because Òfor all that is in the worldÑthe lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of lifeÑis not of the Father but is of the world (1 John < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>2:16)Ó It is a sound and clear warning: do not be conformed to this world.

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Psalm 24

Are you sick and tired of all that is going on around this world or in your own your world today? If you are sick of it, it is time to begin to seek Him who has the power to take away and add all that will make the difference in your world. Jesus, in His Word, said in Matthew < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>6:33, ÒBut seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Ó As a believer, an acclaimed born-again Christian, it is not enough to just go to church if this is all that you consider as seeking God. What makes the difference is seeking Him in deed and in truth; not just going or serving in the church on Sundays. To be able to seek, there has to be a desire or a purposeful heart in place because desire is what drives home seeking. Desire is the engine while seeking is the motor. The Psalmist pointed out in Psalm 27:4, ÒOne thing I have desired of the LORD that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.Ó When desire comes into play, then seeking will resume motion. Determination will not do, but the grace of God will do. If your world has gotten to the point that a change is what will bring the difference, today should be the beginning of a new day. Today should be the day that you want to begin to look up for His enablement in your life. An enablement that will bring forth a burning desire that generates seeking God and ending up in His presence. In the presence of God, every other thing that comes from Him, that glorifies His name will be added onto you. Pray to the Lord for His grace and He will pave the way to resume in your journey.

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Daniel 6

It has been long time that you have desired for promotion and it has been long that you have been praying to God for promotion to come. Have you prayed once that the promotion that will come your way will not be the one that will bring you down? The fact about promotion is that the challenges that are packed in promotion are greater than the challenges that are surrounding the desire for promotion. To be promoted is to be on a ground that is easily and more accessible for to easy falling. Before Daniel was promoted from governor to the one in charge of the whole realm during the reign of King Darius (Daniel 6:3), he had challenges. The promotion for Daniel brought hell-raising confrontations that were challenging to his stand and belief in the God who was the God of his life. The fellow government officials worked out a death trap for Daniel in the den of the lion. They meant evil, bad and permanent termination. DanielÕs fellow government officials could not find any wrong against Daniel except through his God. Daniel 6:5 testified to the move of the government officials, ÒThen these men said, ÔWe shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his GodÕÓ. A very wrong way for the enemy to bring you down is in using the name of God against you if your stand is still in your God. Promotion is not bad when that promotion is rooted in God; not on any evil devices or evil deceptions. When your promotion is of God, challenges will rage like a storm, but your stand in the Name of God will prevail. Daniel ended up in the den of lion because of promotion. The lion received its promotion because he refused to touch the LordÕs promoted. Daniel came out well and the families of all the evil ones became the portion (promotion) of the lions when they received more than their regular supply of food. Ask for the grace not to shake but to keep your eyes on God. When He promotes you, no one can demote you and you will not be consumed.

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Daniel 3

One of the best weapons against the enemy or threat that attempts to bring down a believer is to look not at the face of the enemy or the threat. DanielÕs three friends in captivity, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego already violated the law of King Nebuchadnezzar by not worshiping his golden image. The three friends knew that judgment was already in place and they were confident that they would not look away from their God. It is one thing to confess faith; it is another to take a stand on the confession of faith in the face of a cruel death, such as being delivered into a furnace of fire. They were brought face to face with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 3:19, ÒThen Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.Ó The fullness of fury in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar and the command that described how the furnace was to be kept burning was not enough for the bulging of the three friends of Daniel. Have you been looking too much into the face of your confrontation, health and financial challenges? What you need to be doing is keeping on a standstill position. A position and a ground that is based on the awesomeness power of God. The Bible records that the three friends fell down in the midst of the burning fire (Daniel 3:23) yet they could not be buried by the fire because they stood on a ground of faith that could not fail. The flame and the flame generators were consumed by their flame while the three friends of Daniel walked out neat without any stain or smell of the fire. God is still in the business of undeniable miracles if we will take an undeniable stand in the power of His Word.  

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2 Chronicles 15

It is a worthy prayer to ask God for the grace to be able to take and enter into all kinds of take-able forces that will lead into promises of God that give abundant life. Take-able forces can be considered as: courage, peace, love, sound mind, joy and many others that are mentioned throughout the pages of the Bible. Jesus said that we are not given the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). This is an indication that the spirit of power, love and of sound mid is already available for believers to take and enter into for a life that is abundant. In John 10:10, Jesus also confirmed that He came to give life and to give it more abundantly. It has been given and it is left for us who believe to take it and use in order to live an abundant life. King Asa of Judah took courage when he heard the words and prophecy of Oded the prophet (2 Chronicles 15:8). The courage that he took on to himself enabled him to do exploit to the glory of God. King Asa went and destroyed every altar, idol, and all the people who would not seek the God of Israel. What do you need to take so as to bring a difference into your walk in life? All that it takes to live a life that is abundant in Christ Jesus has been given. AsaÕs taking up of courage made his life and all the people who he was king over experience a life that was a Òround about restÓ The book of 2 Chronicles has it documented in 2 Chronicles 15:15, ÒAnd all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round aboutÓ. If you are willing to make the difference over all that you govern (that is your marriage, finance, health and your children), then it is time to go ahead and take one of the take-able forces and you will become a force in the hand of God that the Word will reckon with. Ask for the grace to take it.