Faith Filled Family Magazine April 2017 | Page 24

come to Christ . We need to have the mind of Christ in our lives and to leave the old ways of how we used to think to the new way of God centered living and thinking .
As a note , “ renewing ” is an important word ; it is a continuous action . It doesn ’ t say to renew your mind , which would be a one-time thing . Renewing is an ongoing action . It is like saying “ I ran ” instead of saying “ I ’ m running ”. By continuously renewing our thought process , we are better equipped to successfully face society and succeed at obeying God ’ s word . “ Then you will be able to test and approve what God ’ s will is — his good , pleasing and perfect will ” – By renewing our mind , we will have the mind of Christ in us . We will be able to discern what is God pleasing and what is not . We will be able to know the difference of God ’ s way or the world ’ s way . God ’ s will is perfect . There is no flaw in His will . By renewing our mind all the time through prayer and studying His word , we will know the difference between God ’ s will and the world ’ s will . Our eyes will be opened to see the lies of the world and how they are contrary to God .
By following this guidance from the Apostle Paul , we gain strength and confidence in our faith and standing with God . There will be strength in us that will help us stand firm in wrestling with society ’ s contrary ways . By not conforming to the world , we are standing with God and we will stand out in society . They will see us as fools and old-fashioned . That ’ s okay . Be proud of that .
There should be no fear in us for standing firm in our beliefs . We do , though . We fear what others will say . How will coworkers look at us ? How will peers at school or neighbors treat us if we stand apart ? My honest and unqualified answer to this is , who cares ? Personally , I have discovered that as I mature in my relationship with Christ , I don ’ t worry about what others think . I ’ m proud that I am different than the mainstream . I ’ m glad I ’ m a threat to society ’ s ways . It gets easier to stand up for the truth and your confidence will grow each time you do it .
Do I walk around with a sign on my chest that I ’ m a Christian ? No , I don ’ t need to . My life and my words show who I belong to . When I talk to others , I sneak my stance into conversations . I have my Bible and other study tools lying out on my coffee table at home and display them on my desk at work during lunch while I study the Word . I get funny looks at times , but I ’ m not bothered by it . People know who I am because of this .
When people begin making fun of me or ask if I ’ m a Christian , I use this as a way to begin the conversation . I used to fear having a conversation ( not an argument , but a conversation ) like this , but once I did it , it became easier . Sometimes I ’ m respected and other times , I ’ m not . There are days I get into a good conversation and others it goes nowhere . I have accepted that ; I ’ m not conforming to society , but doing God ’ s will to spread the Word and defend the faith , one person at a time .
Society is good at pointing out our individual faults as Christians . We are not perfect ; God is perfect . We are fallible , and by admitting so , we don ’ t get caught up in the snares laid out by society .
By admitting we are not perfect , it knocks nonbelievers off balance . They don ’ t expect a Christian to admit they failed or have faults . Society has a perception that Christians are supposed to be perfect and are better than everyone else . We aren ’ t . Don ’ t pretend to be . Be real with who you are ; a fallen man , but a child of God .
In society , it is very unpopular to be a follower of Christ . Society is opposed to Christians and since non-Christians are more sucked up in society ’ s ways and beliefs , they are against us . Again , who cares ? Is popularity that important to you ?
People want to fit in , yes , but this is because they don ’ t know or understand who they really are ; they are searching for their identity . Being a Christian as a young person is harder than as a mature adult because you still don ’ t know who you are as a person , let alone knowing who you are in God . This makes it so much more challenging to stand apart from society . You don ’ t want to conform , but want to be accepted . When you gain confidence in their relationship with God and realize who God is and how much more important He is