10 Day Beauty Quest-Day 3

Let's get right to it today. If you are new, please catch up on the series by reading the previous post.

Read:
Today's Scripture: Romans 12:2

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 12:2).

Reflection:

This scripture can be applied to so many areas of our culture that are drenched in sin and darkness. Today, I would encourage you to reject the cultural standards of physical beauty and the emphasis that is placed on obtaining such beauty, but instead embrace the true beauty of knowing our identity in Christ. By knowing that we are created in God's image and that we are made new when we accept Jesus into our lives allows us to go beyond the outward expressions of beauty.  It allows us to let go of our old-sinful nature, our guilt, our pain and to begin living a new life, one with purpose and direction. It allows us to begin the healing process from the hurt from the past and to day-by-day embrace the new self.  It allows us to be confident and to have a sense of belonging, thus the search to be accepted by others seems futile. It is so important that we focus on the inward-spiritual self, as that is how we grow in our relationship with God. As this scripture boldly proclaims, we must be transformed by the renewing of the mind, thus we must remove from our mindset the many lies we've believed for so long about ourselves and our worth.  A true transformation does not involve hair, makeup and a new outfit, but instead a new mind--one that is focused on serving God. 

But, how do we do this?  This is where the power of prayer and the Holy spirit have a very significant role in our loves. Through prayer we are able to communicate with God and with the Holy spirit we are able to communicate what our minds can't find the words to say. The Holy spirit will begin to minister to us to help us take on a new way of thinking. We may be guided to scriptures, sermons, a spiritual adviser, books or we may hear the direction in our spirit, or a combination of things.  The key is we must have a mind that is clear and focused on God so we may be able to obtain focus in our lives, therefore we will be able to understand His will and ultimately please God by living in His purposeful will. 

Reinforce:

The renewing of the mind is not a one-day, one-step process but a daily commitment to seeking God and asking Him to guide your mind, your thoughts and even your desires. What have you been thinking about lately? Have you entertained thoughts lately that are contrary to the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect? Have you thought ill of someone? Have you judged yourself too harshly? Have you called yourself names, ugly, fat, unworthy of love, stupid, etc? Maybe you haven't done any of this out loud, but maybe you've thought it. Or maybe, you have accepted the world's standards of beauty and found that you don't measure up exactly, now what? Consider today a fresh start to begin rejecting those beauty standards and instead begin building a stronger relationship with God, as true beauty is in the spirit not the physique.