Romans 12:1-2

Conformed

Do not be conformed to this world, (NIV, to the patterns of this world)

Conformed means to be in a similar shape or mold, to comply

Talk about a patterns and sewing fabric.

Conform in my time. Society said, “Conform and be like everyone else.” We had very defined groups, jocks, nerds, preps, cheerleaders, popular, outcast. The pressure in society was to fit yourself into one of these molds. to trim and conform your self to a pattern that was already decided.

Talk about pressure to be a prep but I didn’t have the money to shop at the popular places. Also tried to fit into the Jeep guys but didn’t have the money to buy or fix a better jeep.

Conform in this time. I understand that some of that may still exist in today’s society but I think that one of the main pressures in today’s society is pressure to be as uniquely an individual as possibly. The pressure today is almost a competition to see who can be more different than everyone else. To push the boundaries on how different you can be. The pressure isn’t necessarily to fit into this pattern but to create your own pattern. Make no mistake, this is still conformity.

Conforming to the patterns of this world is pressure to pick a pattern and pressure to mold yourself, trim yourself, add to yourself, things that are not yourself. You are still conforming to the pattern of this world.

Both of these view are incorrect.

Both of these views are unbiblical.

Both of these views focus on others and me.

Both of these views try to change you into something other that who you were created by God to be.

This verse said to not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed.

What is the difference between conformed and transform?

Conformed is you choosing the pattern and your trimming and adding for you to fit that pattern.

Transforming is to change the essential nature. To be transfigured into something new.

Now we are talking about patterns and even personal choices here. Here we are talking about surrendering to God, your creator and tell Him to make you into the person that He desires you to be.

Isaiah 64:8 ESV

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

The potter takes the clay and has a plan. He has a purpose for that clay. He sees what He wants to create and He starts to mold.

Life is a molding process. Life is a journey of being transformed.

That can be a hard pill to swallow since we want everything to be complete and finished right now. But He created you on purpose, for a purpose. And life is a molding process.

The verse says that my being transformed you may be able to discern what is the will of God and what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Lord wants to show you His will and the purpose for you being created and what He wants to mold you into. He wants you to see it.

But this takes trust and surrender.

We must trust that He wants good and acceptable and perfect things for us. We must trust His with the molding process. We must trust that the person that He wants to mold me into is better than the patterns of this world. We must trust that WE DO NOT KNOW BETTER THAN GOD!

We must surrender to Him and let Him mold us. Verse 1 says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.

This is a daily and sometimes hourly choice. This is the act of surrendering yourself, who you are, who you strive to me, who you want to be like to Him. This is laying aside your ideas for what is best for you or what the world tells you is best for you and accepting that God knows what is best for you. This is not handling situations that you face the way that you want to face them but the way that He wants you to face them. This is not giving into sinful temptations. This is doing what is right even when you are the only one. This is surrendering to life that is being transformed into the image of Christ. This is a daily, hourly and even minute by minute thing.

Trust me, I know, this is not an easy thing. But the sooner you can learn this lesson, the more time you can spend being molded by the potter.

I spent most of my life trying to fit into one of these patterns of the world. and it cost be greatly. It cost me a ton of pain and heartache. I hurt myself in deep ways and hurt others tremendously.

My prayer for you is that you would not walk down that same path. But that you would lay yourself down as sacrifice before God and let Him mold you into what He wants you to be way earlier in life than I did. I wish that I did.