“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>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.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>(Romans 12:2)
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>As I was watching one of my favorite childhood shows, “Leave It to Beaver,” I found myself laughing so hard at one of the characters.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>The episode was about Whaley and his new hairdo. He changed his hair in order to look like his friends. His mother and father could not believe how bad he looked, but they did not say anything because they did not want to offend him.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Whaley’s hair made him look so funny, but he was too blinded by the fact that he wanted to fit in with the crowd in order to see how foolish he really looked. Eventually his little brother, Beaver, was influenced by him to do his hair the same way, which was absolutely hilarious. Once their mother saw Beaver with the hairdo, she immediately commanded both of them to wash their hair.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Such as with Christians, God commands us to wash our minds with His word by reading it daily. Most Christians live their lives copying what they see ungodly people do. They have no boundaries, anything and everything goes, and no one is saying anything to them because they do not want to hurt their feelings.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, we are to become just like Him. We are to spend time with Him by reading our Bibles so that we can look just like Him.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>In this day and age, it’s hard to tell who’s who. So many believers have flawed characters. They love this world too much to give it up.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>The Bible warns us against the love of this world. 1 John 2:15-17 says for us not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world. It also says that if any man love the world that the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abides forever.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>This should be an eye opener for us. Nothing in this world is permanent, so why do we give up so much for temporary pleasure. Most believers want to look just like everybody else they dare not to be different because they think it will cause them to be left out.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>But the truth is the more they compromise their characters and their integrity they look pretty foolish. The more they dare to be pure and set apart the more they glow and demand respect and gain momentum. The answer to victory is not compromising but conforming to Christ by reading the Bible and prayer.
