too many of us love the world
Today’s Scripture
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Big Idea
You can choose to love the world’s values, but choosing to love God is the better choice.
Today’s Thought
What matters most in your life? You may not spend much time thinking about that subject, but it’s a life-shaping question. Your priorities guide your daily choices. Your values define the person you’re becoming. Your goals shape your future.
Last week, we talked about surrendering everything to God. Once we make that decision, we’re on the right track toward change and transformation in our lives. This week, we move into the next part of becoming an r12 Christian revealed in Romans 12: living a life that’s separate from the world’s values.
Notice that we aren’t talking about living a life that’s separate from the world — the life of a hermit or cave-dwelling monk. This isn’t Yoda living on a planet away from the rest of all civilization. It’s all about striking a balance of living IN this world without becoming consumed BY this world. That’s why it’s important to ask what matters most in our lives.
It’s easy to copy our culture. It doesn’t require much effort. Blindly watch all the TV you can. Visit any website you want. Hang out with friends regardless of their reputation or their impact on your decision-making patterns. Obsess over the newest gadgets and coolest fashions. Think about yourself all the time and ignore others. Turn a blind eye to injustices. Love the world.
God’s plan is different: Love Him more than anyone or anything else. Instead of choosing to love the world and its systems of thinking and acting, choose to love God and His values, truths, priorities, and desires.
God wants to transform you into a new person as you change the way you think. It’s the process of renewing your mind that opens the door to a growing love for God and a shrinking love for the world’s values.
Prayer
God, You see all the pressures I face each day to love the world’s values. It’s so tough to focus my thoughts and efforts on loving You more, but I want that to happen in my life. Help me to pursue You and Your plans and Your priorities. Do Your transforming work. Amen.
day 12
you are what you eatToday’s Scripture
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.Colossians 3:2
Big Idea
Your daily habits and decisions help you become either spiritually healthy or spiritually weak.
Today’s Thought
Ever heard of a guy named Daniel in the Bible? It’s likely you know about the time he was thrown into a lions’ den but didn’t get eaten because God closed the lions’ mouths. Pretty cool stuff. But there’s another remarkable story that happened earlier in his life.
In Daniel 1, we read about how King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took Judah captive. The king ordered that the best and the brightest of the young men of Judah be brought to his palace for the opportunity to enter royal service.
We meet Daniel in this chapter when he convinces the king’s staff to let him and three of his friends follow a different diet. Instead of eating the rich food and drinking the wine prepared in the royal kitchens, these four men wanted a different diet: vegetables and water. At the end of 10 days, these four guys looked healthier than all the other young men — and their diet became the diet for all the others, too!
You see, Daniel understood that if you want to be physically healthy, you need a healthy diet. Did you realize the same principle is true when it comes to spiritual maturity and health? It doesn’t happen automatically. It happens as we pursue habits and disciplines and patterns that will help us become more like Jesus — a spiritually healthy diet.
As you move forward with this process of becoming an r12 Christian, fill your mind with stuff that draws you closer to God, not our culture. Spend more energy learning the Word than worrying about the world. Too many Christians — including Christian teenagers — are filling their minds with trivia and media and junk and celebrity gossip that pulls them away from God.
That’s what it means to think about the things of heaven instead of the things of earth. Does this mean you should completely detach from your culture and become a monk? Not at all. It’s not wrong to watch TV or read magazines or go online or play video games, but what do you see, how long do you view it, and what do you do with it once it’s in your mind? Those questions matter as you go through the process of renewing your mind.
Prayer
I know there are so many voices in this world battling for my attention, God. Please help me develop a healthier spiritual diet. Let me feed on Your Word and Your truths. Let me hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with You. Renew my mind and change my life. Amen.
day 13
your mind is the battlegroundToday’s Scripture
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)
Big Idea
Satan will attack your life through the battlefield of your mind — but God is on your side.
Today’s Thought
You may be a history buff. Or perhaps you struggle to stay awake in history class every day!
Maybe you find history more engaging when you watch those TV shows that tell the tales of World War II or the Civil War. They’re great at helping us visualize the scene of the battle. Opposing forces fight over specific terrain. Generals plan calculated attacks around fortified defenses. The land is valued because of its natural resources or the access it provides to strategic ground. Capture a key stronghold, and you’ll win the battle — or the war.
Spiritually speaking, your mind is the battlefield. The battle Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 is fought inside of you every day. It’s a spiritual struggle that is waged in your mind.
The devil will employ every possible weapon in this battlefield. Doubt. Selfishness. Anger. Unforgiveness. Lust. Greed. Pride. Hatred. Bitterness. Dissension. Prejudice. Jealousy. He has an entire arsenal at his disposal.
But God’s on your side. You aren’t alone in this fight. God will help you demolish the enemy’s lies. God will help you take thoughts captive and reject the ones filled with the enemy’s venom.
That’s why it’s so important to realize how God sees you, how much God loves you, and who God created you to be. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul encourages us to "put on salvation as your helmet" as we prepare for spiritual warfare. When we have this knowledge of salvation, we find confidence knowing that God loves us, no matter what. Satan tries to use guilt and condemnation, but if you’ve asked God for forgiveness, you’re a new creation in Him! You don’t have to listen to the lies about shortcomings and weaknesses and disqualifications.
So the next time you feel the enemy’s troops heading toward the battlefield of your mind, remind them that the war is already over — you can even say that aloud as a reminder that God is on your side! You’re an r12 Christian who’s been saved by God, and He will help you win the fight each day!
Prayer
God, I don’t want to lose the war that Satan is waging for my life. I know that You are the source of salvation and strength, and I know that You’re on my side every day. Give me victory today. Protect my mind from the enemy’s attacks. You are greater. I know this and believe this. Amen.
day 14
know your areas of weaknessToday’s Scripture
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.1 John 2:15-17 (NLT)
Big Idea
You become stronger when you know where you are weakest.
Today’s Thought
Sometimes we struggle to understand what a passage of the Bible is communicating. It can feel old, confusing, and weird — just like your math teacher! But you can understand 1 John 2:15-17 vividly by picking up a copy of almost any magazine targeting young people. These verses talk about three strategies Satan uses to drag us away from God’s priorities.
Satan targets our passion to feel with a craving for physical satisfaction — lust of the flesh. It’s a temptation to pursue pleasure. Satan targets our passion to have with a craving for things we see — lust of the eyes. It’s a temptation to pursue possessions. And Satan targets our passion to be with a pride in our achievements and possessions — the pride of life. It’s a temptation to pursue status.
But these aren’t new temptations. Satan successfully used the same tricks with Adam and Eve back in Genesis 3 — and unsuccessfully tried the same approach against Jesus in Matthew 4.
What’s your area of vulnerability? Maybe it’s that good-looking classmate or the website you know you shouldn’t visit. Maybe it’s that dream of having a brand-new car or a wardrobe that always reflects the latest trends. Or perhaps you feel such a deep urge to be the most popular kid at school.
Your area of weakness is where Satan will attack you. Guaranteed. So, how can you prepare yourself for the battle that’s ahead? Take 1 John 2:17 and make it your theme verse for the next few days. Write it down on a 3x5 card and tape it to your bathroom mirror or your car’s dashboard or the refrigerator or a book — somewhere you’ll see it several times each day. Memorize the verse. Remind yourself that your goal as an r12 Christian is to live a life that pleases God, but Satan is trying to knock you off track!
Avoid the places and thoughts and people that make you more vulnerable. Renew your mind. Pray for God’s help. Think about God-honoring things. Maybe even talk with a close friend who can hold you accountable in your area of greatest weakness. And most of all, remember that God is on your side!
Prayer
God, I know I’m an imperfect person. I have areas of weakness. I stand on Your Word and Your promises to be with me at all times. Guard my mind and my heart as I continue growing as an r12 Christian. Protect me where I’m weak, and give me Your strength today — and every day. Amen.
day 15
five tips for renewing your mindToday’s Scripture
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.Joshua 1:8 (NLT)
Big Idea
Spending time in the Bible is vital to God’s process of transformation in your life.
Today’s Thought
This week, we’ve talked about the importance of renewing our mind as we go through this process of becoming an r12 Christian. And some of you already have been asking, "Yeah, but how do I renew my mind?" Great question! Here are five tips.
1. Read God’s Word
Spend time reading the Bible each day. Find your favorite quiet spot at home, grab something to drink, and see what God has written in His love letter to you. Don’t approach Bible reading as a boring religious duty. Read with the expectation that God wants to speak to you through His living Word.
2. Hear God’s Word
Sometimes it helps to hear the Bible being read by another person — maybe on CD or an MP3 file, or in a sermon at church. Or you could buy some music that is built on the words of Scripture. Our ears are powerful tools for absorbing knowledge and information.
3. Study God’s Word
Learn about the Bible and how it was written. Use study tools online or from your local Christian bookstore. Get a Bible that has a study guide included.
4. Memorize God’s Word
Choose one verse to memorize and start with it. Write it down on a note card and post it on your bathroom mirror. Build your mental database of what God says in the Bible and how God has used people in earlier generations. In many ways, this is one of the best tools for growing spiritually because it helps God’s Word become a part of who you are.
5. Meditate on God’s Word
This simply means to take a verse or idea from Scripture and think about it — ponder, meditate, chew on its meaning. You’re bombarded with negative thinking all day. Spend a few minutes focused on a nugget of truth from the Bible!
Prayer
God, thanks for the Bible. Thank You for loving me so much that You gave me a book that talks about the great things You have done for the people who have followed You. Help me fall in love with You through Your Word. Give me a hunger for reading, hearing, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible regularly and consistently. Amen.
