Romans 12:2 - Prayer Changes Us
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
--Romans 12:2 NASB
In this passage the Apostle Paul reminds us that as followers of Christ, we should no longer be as the world is, but as God wants us to be--we must be changed.
The Greek word used here is transliterated as “metamorphoó,” meaning to literally change from one form into another--to transform. Our transformation should come through the renewing of our mind. The word used for our mind is the Greek word “nous,” which means our mind, our understanding, our reason.
But how do we renew our mind? We do so through the study of God's Word—the Bible—and through prayer.
God not only invites us to pray, but commands that we pray. As we are consistent in this duty, we are going to be changed. A life of prayer is a life of obedience to God.
Our prayer life should be one of supplication with a proper balance of adoration, confession and thanksgiving. As we are consistent in our adoration and our giving of thanks, we become more aware of God’s work in our lives and we grow in our sense of gratitude toward God. As we are consistent in confessing our sins to God, we begin to maintain a focus on the holiness of God and the importance of quickly bringing any new sins to Him for our clensing.
Prayer influences our attitudes and our actions. At its heart, prayer is not praying for what we want, but for what we should want—for what God desires for us. As we regularly ask for God’s will to be done, we begin to seek God’s will in our lives and in the situations we come across. God’s desires become our desires. And our comfort in the knowledge of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, encourages us to act out God’s will in our lives. We become the hands and feet of Jesus that we are intended to be.
Father, I thank You that I can always come to You with everything--the good and the bad. I praise You for all that You are and all that You do for me. Thanks for the amazing changes that You bring about in me as I spend time in Your presence. In Jesus' name, amen.
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--Romans 12:2 NASB
In this passage the Apostle Paul reminds us that as followers of Christ, we should no longer be as the world is, but as God wants us to be--we must be changed.
The Greek word used here is transliterated as “metamorphoó,” meaning to literally change from one form into another--to transform. Our transformation should come through the renewing of our mind. The word used for our mind is the Greek word “nous,” which means our mind, our understanding, our reason.
But how do we renew our mind? We do so through the study of God's Word—the Bible—and through prayer.
God not only invites us to pray, but commands that we pray. As we are consistent in this duty, we are going to be changed. A life of prayer is a life of obedience to God.
Our prayer life should be one of supplication with a proper balance of adoration, confession and thanksgiving. As we are consistent in our adoration and our giving of thanks, we become more aware of God’s work in our lives and we grow in our sense of gratitude toward God. As we are consistent in confessing our sins to God, we begin to maintain a focus on the holiness of God and the importance of quickly bringing any new sins to Him for our clensing.
Prayer influences our attitudes and our actions. At its heart, prayer is not praying for what we want, but for what we should want—for what God desires for us. As we regularly ask for God’s will to be done, we begin to seek God’s will in our lives and in the situations we come across. God’s desires become our desires. And our comfort in the knowledge of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, encourages us to act out God’s will in our lives. We become the hands and feet of Jesus that we are intended to be.
Father, I thank You that I can always come to You with everything--the good and the bad. I praise You for all that You are and all that You do for me. Thanks for the amazing changes that You bring about in me as I spend time in Your presence. In Jesus' name, amen.
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