| THE 4 STEPS | ||||
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Page 1 of 5 I met with a friend of mine last week that has been in youth ministry for several years. It seems a couple decades of youth ministry would take its toll on about anyone, and accordingly he was trying to decide what career path God would lead him next. It seems as if everyone is constantly looking for God’s direction, guidance and will. In fact, a few weeks ago I was thinking the same thought, what is God’s will? If I could sum it up in just a sentence or two. Then I was given  a wonderful little verse; actually it’s just a ½ of a verse. It simultaneously intrigued me and set me back. A very simple short verse: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Wow, it seems God was getting straight to the point with me, however, what in the world does sanctified mean? I asked a few Christian friends and they had no idea. Sanctification is the "process of being made holy (God’s nature) resulting in a changed life-style for the believer" (Holman’s Bible Dictionary). In other words, Sanctification is simply the process of our selves (our being) being transformed to God’s nature and when this occurs then our life (actions) change. It is God’s will that my life (my very essence) is transformed to be and think like Him because when this occurs then my actions will accordingly follow suit.
The analysis I went through was very interesting but, quite frankly, after reviewing what I had learned it seemed to be more theoretical rhetoric. If God’s will for my life is for me (my being) to be in process, and this process is for me to be transformed by God how in the world was I suppose to do it? What was I suppose to do? Many believe that the process of being made holy is to try and be as moral as possible. Others believe that being made holy can only be accomplished by God; thus, there’s not a lot I can do about it. What’s my part? What’s God’s part? How do I turn onto the road of transformation?
As I continued my pursuit I found a verse that gave me a glimpse of how I could be transformed. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Now maybe I was on to something. Realizing that “be transformed” was in the passive voice (not active) answered a couple questions. First, “be transformed,” means the process of being transformed is not something I can “do”; it’s only something God can do. This was God’s part. In other words, “be transformed” could be rephrased to say, “Let God transform you”. So it’s God’s job to transform me, but it’s my job to let Him transform me. How can I let Him transform me? Well, the rest of the phrase tells us, “by the renewing of your mind”. Accordingly, if I renew my mind then I’ll be letting God transform me, but God can’t transform me unless my mind is renewed. Now all I have to do is figure out how to renew my mind.
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