When You Can’t Change the Outside, God Changes the Inside

Every single day, whether we realize it or not, we are being influenced.

From the moment we wake up, something is speaking to us.

School tells us what success looks like.

Work tells us what matters most.

Friends, family, social media, boredom, pressure, expectations—all of it is constantly shaping the way we think and feel.

Have you ever asked yourself, “What do i need to remove from my life to fall less into temptation?”

I think almost everybody has asked themselves this question

And most of us have learned the hard way:

We can try our best to change our surroundings, avoid certain places, limit certain people, and remove temptations… but eventually, we discover that we cannot fully control our external influences.

So the real question is not “How do I remove everything that tempts me?”

The real question is:

What happens inside of me when I am surrounded by things that do not honor God?

Because external influences don’t just stay outside.

They enter the mind.

They form thoughts.

They stir emotions.

And over time, they shape decisions and behavior.

That is why walking with Jesus was never meant to be around perfect environments—it was meant to be about transformed minds.

And today, as we begin Romans chapter 12, we are going to see that God’s solution to temptation, pressure, and influence is not control of the outside… but renewal on the inside.

You see external influence -> Enters mind -> Creates thoughts and emotions

If External Influences are not of God, then you will produce thoughts and emotions that are not of God.

If External Influences are of God, then you will produce thoughts and emotions that are of God.

WHICH IS GOOD ..… BUT

What happens when you cannot control the External Influences in your life?

School

Work

Friends/Family

Boredom

The truth of walking with Jesus is that, as much as we try to remove temptations from our lives, there will always be things around us that do not honor God AND that tempt us.

So what do you do when you finally realize that trying to change your external circumstances is not enough to help you?

Let us turn to the scripture and see what instructions the Word of God gives us.

Let’s turn to Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12:1 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Why? Why is Apostle Paul urging the Christian community to present their bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, and why does this count as our spiritual service of worship?

Paul urges the Christian community to present their bodies as a living and holy sacrifice because of God’s mercies and explains that this offering constitutes true worship.

According to many different theologians:

Paul urges believers to present their bodies because:

Response to God’s mercy:

The command is grounded in “the mercies of God,” referring to everything Paul has explained in Romans 1–11: justification by grace, reconciliation, adoption, the gift of the Spirit, and God’s faithfulness. The offering of one’s body is not a means to earn salvation but a grateful response to grace already received.

A new kind of sacrifice

Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices that involved death, believers are called to be a living sacrifice—ongoing, daily, and embodied. Holiness now involves the whole person, including how one lives, acts, and uses the physical body in obedience to God.

Total self-offering

By mentioning the “body,” Paul points to the entire life—actions, habits, relationships, and conduct. Faith is not merely internal belief but expressed through concrete, obedient living.

*** Presenting your body does not only refer to your physical body …. it refers to every aspect of your body …. body, your emotions and your thoughts

How and why does this count as our spiritual service of worship:

Worship beyond rituals:

Our spiritual service of worship happens when we consciously choose to present our bodies—our actions, habits, time, words, and decisions—to God. Worship is not limited to a moment in a service; it occurs every time a believer submits their conduct to God’s authority. Obedience becomes the method through which worship is expressed.

Paul redefines worship as more than temple rituals or ceremonies. True worship is a life continually offered to God, aligning everyday conduct with His will.

Rational and Spirit-led devotion:

This worship is “spiritual” or “reasonable” because it flows from a renewed understanding of what God has done. As the mind is informed by the truth of the gospel and led by the Holy Spirit, believers respond thoughtfully rather than emotionally or mechanically. Worship happens when our choices are made in light of God’s mercy, not merely out of habit or obligation.

The phrase “spiritual” or “reasonable” worship often indicates worship that is thoughtful, intentional, and informed by the gospel, rather than mechanical or external only.

Holistic worship:

Worship integrates belief and practice. When believers live in obedience, their entire life becomes an act of worship that honors God.

Paul teaches that presenting our bodies as living and holy sacrifices is the logical and appropriate response to God’s mercy.

This lived obedience, which is rooted in gratitude and sustained by the Spirit, is what creates a genuine worship in the Christian life.

Pastor what does this have to do with us trying to control our external influences so that we do not fall into temptation .… Well before I tell you that I need you to understand one very important thing.

There is no way for us to control our external influences completely, that is why God knew beforehand that we would all be bounded to our flesh and our sins ..… So what God did in response to this is he gave us what is called his MERCY AND GRACE.

Everyone here knows what Mercy and Grace is ...… It is God’s way of giving us a choice to avoid sin and try to live the Holiest life we can.

So what does God’s Mercy and Grace have to do with out external influences ??

THE TRUTH IS .… NOTHING .… GOD’S MERCY AND GRACE DOES NOT CHANGE THE EXTERNAL INFLUENCES IN YOUR LIFE

HOWEVER .… WHAT IT DOES DO IS THAT IT PROVIDES YOU A WAY OF LIFE THAT REMODELS THE WAY YOU THINK AND THAT IN TURN CHANGES THE WAY EXTERNAL INFLUENCES AFFECT YOU.

WE KNOW THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER APOSTLE PAUL TELLS US TO USE OUR LIVES AS A LIVING SACRAFICE … HE THEN SAYS THIS

Romans 12:2 NLT

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.

There is the answer. It is written in Romans 12:2

To make sure that your thoughts and emotions are not directly tied to the external influences of your life .… you must add a “filter” to your brain.

What I mean by this is that a mind that has been renewed by the Holy Spirit now has the capacity to discern and filter the external influences and not let it affect their thoughts and emotions in a way that does not honor our Father.

God does not only want to change your outward behavior, but the way you think, because everything else flows from there. When your understanding is renewed by the Word and the Spirit, your decisions, priorities, and desires begin to align with the perfect will of God.

Prayer: Lord, renew my mind so that I may think the way You think.