Get Ready for Real Change

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,^[c]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.

(ESV)

Transformation is a vital ingredient to having fellowship with God.  Romans12:2 speaks of severing ourselves from conformity to the world and its system and transformation through the renewal of our minds.  Paul goes on the clarify this transformation in Romans 12:3 by urging us not to become full of pride, thinking highly of ourselves, but to instead to use sober judgement according to the measure of faith God has given us.  The purpose of allowing God to transform our minds is so we can discern the good and acceptable will of God for our lives. 

While our salvation from sins and eternal life are the result of believing (John 3:16), someone who does not make it a goal to allow God to transform their mind to gain discernment about what God’s will for their lives is living a double-minded life of instability and misery (James 1:5-8).  Our flesh resists transformational change for with it comes uncertainty but when we ask God in faith to transform our minds we must do it in faith knowing that Gods plans for us are for our good and not our destruction (Jeremiah 29:11).  Armed with this knowledge we must not fear God’s transformational change but instead embrace it for not only will this transformational change improve our lives but it will also serve as a light to others in need of this transformational change.

Friday January 20, 2017 is inauguration day in the United States.  It is an event happening every four years when the nation swears in its new President.  As with all inaugurations, this one is a time of joy and optimism for those that voted for the winning candidate and a time of disappointment and even some fear for those supporting another candidate.  However, one thing is certain, the election of a new leader means there will be changes and with them some uncertainty. 

One of the most difficult things a leader campaigning for office must do is switch from campaigning for office to governing in office.  In the history of the United States we have had leaders who smoothly made this transition and successfully enacted most of the agenda they campaigned on while others failed miserably and left office with the country in a worse state then when they took office.  For those of us that supported President Elect Donald Trump in the past election, we must,

1)      Pray (1 Timothy 2:1-2) – The most challenging part of God’s word commanding us to pray for those in high positions is that it includes not only those we voted for but also those we did not vote for.  In the previous two elections, I did not vote for Barak Obama nor did I agree with most of his policies yet, I prayed for him and thankfully God answered those prayers for both he and his family appear to be on track to finish their term in office without any harm coming to them.  Many of us prayed that President Obama would govern with Godly wisdom, but it appears he did not listen and instead chose to lead according to his own agenda.  I therefore encourage all reading this who did not support Donald Trump in this past election to do as I did and pray for our new president.  Pray for the safety of him and his family as well as praying that he will govern according to Godly wisdom.

2)      Be actively involved – One of the dynamics of this past election is that many who are not normally involved in campaigns became passionately involved.  For this reason, the rhetoric of this election became heated and even vile at times.  The danger is that this passion may not transition into a passion to govern in a manner that makes the nation greater and stronger.  I therefore urge those who may have been involved in campaigns for many years and those who became involved for the first time this year to be actively involved in the governing process as well.  Donald Trump has an aggressive agenda for his first 100 days in office (1) and needs both our encouragement and input as he transitions to the governing process. 

The United States has lost sight of the principles that made it great and must begin the process of transformational change back to its founding principles.  The voters spoke loudly on Election Day and decided the transformational agenda of Donald Trump was what was necessary.  Let us help with the transition to governing mode by praying and remaining actively involved as we did during the campaign. 

1. Kelly, Amita. Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days. www.npr.org. [Online] NPR, November 9, 2016. [Cited: January 2, 2017.] http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days.