Living Sacrifice
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.” Romans 12:1-2 ESV
Has the Lord ever interrupted you while you’ve been praying? I’m not talking about a moment of silence where you’re waiting—but actively speaking to Him when He shifts the conversation from talking to listening. This moment happened to me a few weeks ago and revealed something in my life that I needed to give back to Him.
I was praying a simple prayer—specifically over Romans 12:2: “Thank you, Jesus, for renewing my mind so that I can test and discern Your perfect will.” As I finished, I felt the Lord rebuke me: “How do you expect me to transform your mind when you aren’t willing to do your part?”
I was shocked. Confused. Honestly, a little frustrated. How is Jesus going to interrupt my prayer time when I am speaking to Him?! In as much humility as I could muster in the moment, I simply said, “Jesus, what do You mean? I am doing my part!”
The Lord clearly spoke to me and said, “Go back and read it again.” As I turned the pages in my Bible back to Romans 12, it was as if the very words popped off the page and hit me in the head: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”
Confused again, I questioned, “Lord, I am offering my life as a living sacrifice to You. I believe that’s what I am doing.”
In His grace and mercy, He gently took me to a place in my life where I had confused conviction with stubbornness. I had thought one thing, but Jesus was speaking another. I made the choice to say, “Jesus, I thought what I was doing was right. You are revealing to me that it was not. Forgive me and help me follow You more closely.”
It was the act of obedience and submission to His will that led to the renewal of my mind. Jesus had to lead me to a place where I thought I had given Him full control, but I was still holding on. The renewal of the mind led to the ability to test and discern the perfect will of God.
In life, it’s easy to get it backwards. Oftentimes, we want to test first. Based on those results, we determine if we want to change our minds, which then leads to a life lived for Jesus. Yet Jesus teaches us the exact opposite. It’s a life fully submitted to Him in every area that allows for a renewed mind, which then leads to proper testing and discerning.
Are you in a season where God is speaking to you? Is He challenging you? Is He leading you? Are you looking for His perfect will? May I suggest that today you take a moment to pray this passage of Scripture over your life and fully surrender to Him so that you can be transformed by the renewal of your mind and accurately discern His perfect will?
Let’s pray this together:
Jesus, today I decide that I want to give You all of me—every area and aspect of my life. Reveal to me the places where I am still trying to control what I haven’t released to You. Help me with my mind, my thoughts, and my actions so that I may know Your perfect will for my life. Help me walk in favor and in complete trust of You. Today, I choose to make my life a living sacrifice for You. It’s not my will, but Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.
