Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we resist the temptation to be conformed to this world and instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Note: Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
When the scriptures talk of believers who shall be called by a new name, it’s not talking about mere naming or renaming ceremony. It is talking about believers who have victoriously overcome all the lusts in the world that the enemy threw at them; to derail or destroy them. These are believers who rose from the ashes of compromise and corruption to the pinnacle of God’s righteousness. They have become a shining light to the world because the LORD by His power lifted them from the ashes of destruction into the light of His glory.
When God promised Jerusalem that the chosen shall be called by a new name, what He had in mind was a transformation that was going to take place. For a person to be transformed is to change into another form. In this state of a renewed mind the old way of life that held sway over the person no longer applies. The spell is broken. The transformed person has taken on a new form or state which can now resist lust and sin. This new character is an ability that comes from the new life in Christ.
The first time the word transformed was mentioned in the scriptures was in Romans 12:2 “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.” Transformed was used in contrast to being conformed, which is the desire to take on the shape or pattern of the world system. To conform is to have one’s mind and character patterned to the fashion of this world. Every transformed person is someone who has overcome the lusts of the conformed mind and character.
Food for thought: The conformed mind is a sign of capitulation, defeat and failure. The transformed mind is a life of victory.
Declaration: 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
Monday, August 1, 2022
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
