Romans 12.1-2 Renew Your Mind

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 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 12:1‭-‬2 NASB

In the first century, when this was written, there were many religions. A common denominator between Judaism and the other religions was animal sacrifice. In fact, there were meat markets where all the meat was first sacrificed to a pagan god. So all of the early readers were familiar with the concept of sacrifice that required a death.

Therefore, when the apostle Paul tells the Romans to present their bodies as a sacrifice, he is careful to specify that they are a living sacrifice. We wouldn't want an overzealous young Christian to drive a dagger through his heart (or anyone else's).

Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, and paid the price for your sin. Now, God is telling you to make a sacrifice of your own body, by keeping it holy for Him.

For your body to be holy, you need to renew your mind.

Let me make it clear. You need to renew your mind. If you sit back and wait for God to finally, miraculously, renew your mind for you, you will be disappointed. If God did it for you, it would negate your free will, and it wouldn't be a sacrifice.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
Romans 8:3‭-‬7 NASB

Simply put, if you set your mind on the things of the world, you will be conformed to the image of the world. If you set your mind on God, you will be transformed by the Spirit of God into His image.

This is true because the Spirit of God dwells within you. He only awaits your attention, and He will make Himself known to Your Spirit.

There is a small book called "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. He describes “practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end.”

Imagine for a moment that you are in a room with someone you love, whether that be a spouse, child, sibling, parent or friend. When you talk to your friend, you are giving them your full attention. But, if you are in the same room, but involved in separate activities, your mind isn't focused on him. Perhaps you are reading a book, watching TV, or surfing the web. But, you are still aware of your friend in the room. There is a physical presence in the room with you. They don't go away just because you start washing the dishes.

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is always in the room with you. Even closer, He is inside you, joined with your spirit. Because you don't see a physical presence, it's easy to forget that He is there. But He hasn't gone away, just because your attention is diverted.

So, His presence is always with you. Be aware of Him. You can read a book, and be aware of His presence. You can do chores, talk to a friend, watch TV, mow the lawn, go to work, and remain aware of His presence.

Just as you are aware of the presence of a passenger in the car when you drive, you can be aware of the presence of God in your heart.

Don't be discouraged if it isn't easy at first. Just start thinking of Him again, and move on. There is no condemnation. Eventually, it becomes a habit to keep your awareness of God in all things.

I find that if I start the day by setting aside time for prayer and Bible study, it sets the tone for the day, and makes it easier to be aware of His presence throughout all of the day's activities.