Are you limiting yourself with Conformity?
Romans 12;1-2
1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Read this scripture this morning and I want share a few thoughts that came to mind about conformity. First lets look at the definition of "conform
(of a person) behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards.
"the pressure to conform"
Its synonyms are:
follow convention, be conventional, fit in, adapt, adjust, follow the crowd;
A lot of times we apply this to just our community and culture, but we can be conformed to so many other things such as families, friends & jobs. All come together to form our opinions about how we choose to walk in life. We try to fit in or conform to “our” worlds. We do this because it becomes our norm, even though deep down inside we know we are different, and we know we are made for something greater.
In this scripture we are challenged to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to purposely change the way we think and react to life’s situations. We must begin to see our situations through God's eyes and start believing what he has to say about those situations. We must do this through consistently reading his word "the bible" and communing with him on a regular bases through prayer and fasting. The more you do these things you will soon begin to understand your own unique greatness and your the individual purpose HE has designed specifically for you. It will be harder to conform to the things that you have conformed to before. It is important to also point out that everything you have conformed to in the past is not always considered “bad” - sometimes conformity is just more comforting then the task of stretching ourselves beyond the things we are familiar with. I personally have found that my biggest successes in life have come at the times where I have embraced the call on my life from God, no matter how strange or uncomfortable they may be initially. I remember the conversation I had with God when he usered me into this ministry called J'agape, which required me to become a radio host, plan and execute events, and loads of other things I never even considered my self doing, especially since my plan in life was to persue a career in engineer, have a normal 9-5 job and comfortable lifestyle. Although those were great and admirable plans for my life and plans that I am sure would have been more acceptable and understanding to my family and friends, I found out that by trusting God and not conforming to the "world" around me I was equiped and prepared to effect the world in a different way.
The great people above embraced there calling, they tapped into what they were designed for and therefore left a mark on the world.
I want to challenge you to become a “living sacrifice” every day. Discover what God has purposed you for and become a walking example what happens when we follow His perfect will for our lives! The world needs a unique YOU and not another person conforming to status quo.
Stay encouraged and purposefully and remember to do everything in LOVE!
J’Agape – Jesus & Unconditional Love
