Hey Clawson Family!

Song:

Scripture:

Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

Devotion: 

In Romans 12, Paul completely understood how easy it is to allow cultural influences. He provided us with instructions on how to help prevent it. He warned us not to copy culture or be tempted by the world because it conflicts with God’s will. Instead, Paul tells us to combat the values and influences of the culture around us by renewing our minds.  When we renew our minds, we will be able to discern the difference between the world’s will and God’s will!

It’s important to recognize what culture is. It’s not how you dress or your personal preferences. He’s talking about Sexual Purity, how you treat people, the fruit of the spirit, and living according to the flesh versus living according to the spirit.

When we look at cultural influence or culture infiltrating the church, it means taking a stance and saying even though culture says it’s okay, the Bible doesn’t! For example, being common law married is not married, sex before marriage and living together is not ok, and we can’t choose to be a part of the LGBQT community and expect the bible to change to accommodate our sin. That is the attitude of the culture that is infiltrating the church. And it is taking the power out of the church because it is false.

Our opinion or how we feel doesn't matter if it is not true or goes against the truth. The church and the word of God should not change to fit a narrative. If we want to be followers of Christ, we have to change our narrative to be his followers.

Paul said to the church in Galatia… If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be a Christ's follower. I stand by that. Pleasing God should be the goal of the church. So, we cannot allow the culture to infiltrate the church we have to infiltrate the culture. 

Journal: 

 In your journal today, ask the Lord to help you renew your mind and allow his Word to influence you more than the world. 

Training: 

God, You are holy. We want to be more like You. We invite you to look deep inside our lives and show us what we can change. We want your word to transform us! Jesus, thank You for being with us and for being worth it. Amen.

It’s easy to be influenced by the culture around us. What areas of your life do you find it easy to be tempted to fit in? Begin to renew your mind and allow God to transform you so you are able to stand firm!