One of the biggest obstacles the child of God faces is conforming to the standards of society.  Imitating the world has always plagued God’s people.  Knowing this, Paul encourages us to avoid this temptation.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
²  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The word conformed means to act in agreement with or to go along with prevailing customs.  The word world refers to the realm of ungodliness and unrighteousness over which the devil is god (2 Corinthians 4:4; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15).  

As Christians who have been justified by faith, we should not act, talk, or think like the world.  Sadly, too many times we find ourselves wanting to be like the people around us, and it is nothing new.

1 Samuel 8:4-5 (ESV)
⁴  Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah ⁵  and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

This mentality continues to persist today, but Paul tells us it does not have to.  We do not have to be like the world around us.  To avoid this problem, however, we must determine not to conform.  One thing that can help us is to remember the nature of this world.

The world under consideration is an enemy of Christ and therefore an enemy of His body (John 15:18-19; 17:6-19).  When we try to imitate the world, and thereby demonstrate love for it, we are like the boy who is viewed as a loser by the most popular crowd at school.  He is constantly falling all over himself trying to please and impress the very people who spurn him.  You have to feel bad for the boy as he desperately tries to win the affection of those who view him as nothing more than a joke.  Are you acting like that schoolboy when it comes to the world, falling all over yourself in an attempt to gain the world’s favor?

We must settle in our minds the fact that if we follow Jesus properly, the world is going to hate us.  We should be okay with this, after all, the world is passing away, but those who do the will of God will continue forever (1 John 2:17).

The best thing we can do to avoid conforming to this world is to transform our minds.  Paul said, “^… be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”  The word transformed means to change into another form.  Paul is not speaking of a physical change, but rather he is referring to one’s moral character.  This particular Greek word is metamorphoo from which we get the English word metamorphosis.  Now, when you hear the word metamorphosis, what comes to mind?  Usually, it is the change of the caterpillar into a butterfly.  Now, that butterfly is not a caterpillar in disguise, it is a new creation.

As Christians, we should be new creatures in Christ, not physically, but spiritually and morally.  The change should be real and noticeable (1 Peter 4:3-4; 2:12; 3:16).  The foundation of the change is from within.  It all starts with the mind (Ephesians 4:17-24).  When we begin to think differently from the world, we will begin to live and talk differently as well.

We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Let us be sure to live like it.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things