I beseech (urge) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God – Romans 12:1.

Paul entreats the believer to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, meaning they should use their bodies to serve and obey God. Such giving of the body to God is more than a contrast with a dead animal as they did in Old Testament time, it’s a newness of life. Holy means to be set apart for the Lord’s use, acceptable means pleasing Him, and reasonable indicates what is due to Him.

Transformation is to change the form of appearance, condition or nature or function. To conform is to make similar, to bring into agreement, to act in accordance with accepted rules. The Word of God brings transformation and confirmation to those who apply it to their life. There is no way we can have an encounter with the Lord and stay the same. When we allow Him in our hearts, there will be a change from the inside that will be manifested on the outside.

It’s customary for most people to attend church because of their training as children, they know it’s just the right thing to do. The problem occurs when people become faithful to the church and unfaithful to God. Faithfulness to God is submitting to His written Word, daily prayer, reading and studying His Word and then applying it to our lives daily.  False teaching is growing more into the Christian community, and it will continue to grow as it gets closer to the return of our Lord and Savior.  The irony of false teaching is that it promises great freedom while its advocates are already slaves to sin.

Rejecting the Word of God is why there are so many different religions and doctrines because people want to be free according to false teaching, but they are being persuaded more to deny God and His Word, having a form of godliness, but it’s religion without power.  Submitting to God’s Word gives us freedom from slavery to sin, and knowledge to know what is a sin according to God. No one can follow the Word of God by their own strength, it’s the Spirit of God that dwells in the believer that will give them the power and the desire to please God by submitting to His Word.

When a believer can spend hours watching television or on the internet, but a thought never crosses their mind to communicate with their Father in prayer or to pick up the Bible, read it and see what His instructions are, they are conforming to the world’s way of thinking and behavior.  Prayer, fasting and reading the Word of God is essential for spiritual growth without it, we will be conformed to the world. This is why many Christians can continue to listen to secular music, attend secular concerts, secular behavior and have no remorse of what they’re doing; because they think its nothing wrong with what they’re doing. If we don’t take time to read the Bible, we would never know what is required of us as a Christian. Some may say, it doesn’t take all that praying, fasting and reading the Bible to be a Christian. It takes that and more if we’re intending to go to heaven.

The Bible is a mirror, it gives the believer a true representation of what a Christian should be, and what they shouldn’t be. The Bible is our manual to live according to the instructions God has given His people to live by.  When we accept salvation, it’s the Lord delivering us from the activities of the secular world that eventually will send us to hell if we continue to live opposing the Word of God (Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless – 2nd Peter 3:14). We must be pressing towards spotless purity, absolute perfection.  As Christians, we should be perfecting holiness, this comes by total submission to God and His Word.  Reading the Word of God to cleanse our heart and spirit. Conforming our minds to the Word of God so that we will be doers of the Word of God and just not hearers and quoters. Our instructions are in the manual, when we read it and apply it, we will be prepared for the coming of our Lord.