Be Ye Transformed
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
A better way of translating that verse might have been, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed in your thinking, so that you may experience the will of God in your life. How is the mind renewed? How is the way we think to be changed? It’s by the word of God.
The Engrafted Word
James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
It is by receiving the word of God with meekness that our minds are rescued, our souls are saved, from worldly conformity.
Conformed to This World
The world has a way of setting the way we think. From the time we come into this world we are learning and growing and being set in the way we think, or, that is, the way we understand things to be. It happens through our upbringing, our education, the things we experience, and the things others say about us.
Receiving the word of God not only causes us to be born into the kingdom of God, for we are born again by the incorruptible seed of God’s word, (1 Peter 1:23) but the word of God will also drastically changes the way we think about things and the way we perceive ourselves.
He Brought Him Forth Abroad
This was true also in Abram’s life, even before the Lord changed Abram’s name, which means exalted father, to Abraham, meaning the father of a multitude. In Genesis chapter fifteen Abram is approximately eighty years old, having been in the land of Canaan for several years. And we read of His encounter with the Lord.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Genesis 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
Abraham is saying to the Lord, I don’t have any children, and I’m getting older, and based on the traditions of the world, the steward of my house ought to be my heir. But God gave him a quick answer in verse 4.
Genesis 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
It says that God brought him forth to a different place, he brought him forth abroad. Abram had likely been in his familiar setting where he was accustomed to building altars to the Lord for times of seeking God. He had likely been dwelling in his tent in the midst of his herds of cattle and sheep. God had to change the image Abram was looking at to empower his faith.
Look Now Toward Heaven
Sometimes it’s good to get to an unfamiliar location, an area that’s fresh and new to us, and allow the Lord to speak to us and give us direction in our lives, and to turn our vision toward something we haven’t focused on before.
In this case the Lord told him to look up toward heaven, look at the stars in the night sky, and count them if you’re able to. And He said, that’s how many children you will have.
The Promise of God
This became the promise of God to Abram, a promise that he could see every time he looked into the night sky. In another place, God told Abram that his seed would be like the sand by the seashore, innumerable. So, he had two mental images to focus on in connection with the promise God made to him.
It was this promise that fueled Abram’s faith to believe that he would ultimately become the father of many nations.
Romans 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
It was according to the word the Lord spoke to him, saying, so shall thy seed be, that empowered him to believe with confident hope when it looked like there was no hope, to believe that he would become the father of many nations.
He Changed the Inward Image
But it wasn’t just the word He spoke, but also the image he gave to Abram, the picture of the stars of heaven. Abram had believed that because he had no children and was old, that he had to choose an heir. But now, every time he looked up at the night sky, the promise of having children was refreshed in his mind, the promise that his children shall be as numerous as the stars.
His mind was transformed by looking at a picture. He no longer saw himself as a childless man, but rather a man who had countless children, based purely on a promise God had given him.
Every Believer a Child of Abraham
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Every believer in Christ is a child of Abraham. How many Christians have there been since the time of Christ? Billions. And all of them are Abraham’s seed. The thing that God promised Abraham has come to pass and continues to increase yearly.
Change Your Inner Image
The word of God is, among other things, a book of promises.
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
But though we have many promises in God’s word, we can fail to benefit from them if we do not mix faith with those promises.
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
How Do We Mix Faith With the Promise?
We mix faith with the promise of God by believing the promise and seeing ourselves having the promise in our life, as Abraham did. He saw himself as having what God had promised him, which was children as numerous as the stars in the sky. He saw that image every time he looked up at night. He saw the sand every time he looked down in the day. He allowed his mind to be renewed, to be changed, by the promise of God, which was His word to him. How long did he do that? For at least twenty years.
Abraham’s son, Isaac, was born to his wife, Sarah, when Abraham was 100 years old. Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born to him. So, Abraham was at that time 160 years old, and he lived to 175.
The Promise Fulfilled
So then, Abraham saw his son Isaac, and he was still alive when Jacob and Esau were born. He also had a few children by other wives, but the Lord had told him that in Isaac shall your seed be called. So, Abraham only saw 3 of the promised children in his lifetime. But in Christ, Abraham’s seed has grown to billions.