Conformers or Transformers?
We are changed in form and appearance as we wash our mind with the Word of God.
I once heard a pastor say that we are either conformers or transformers. We either conform to the world or transform the world around us! I like that, and Paul did too. He said in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may PROVE what is the good and acceptable and PERFECT will of God.”
Paul is saying that we are changed in form and appearance as we wash our mind with the Word of God. The Word of God is likened to a double-edged sword which has both the ability to cut to the core and stitch up a wound. It’s the Word that washes us clean, heals a hurting heart, and revives us once again. It’s this miraculous transformation of the inner man and woman that is undeniable to the world around us. It is this transformation/change from the inside out that is PROOF that we are indeed born-again Christians (followers of Christ). The number one sign of being born again is change. Something must change — language, likes and dislikes, bad habits, who you hang out with — there must be some sort of proof to the world that it no longer has you.
What’s your proof? How are you different since being saved? Are you a conformer or a transformer?
We have a limited time on this earth to make a difference for Jesus and to transform the world around us! I pray that we will redeem the time we have left!
— Michelle Randall
Titus 2 Talk, Proverbs 31 Woman, Part 3
We had such a blessed time for our third and final Titus 2 Talk of the Summer!
Hi Ladies!
We had such a blessed time for our third and final Titus 2 Talk of the Summer, A Virtuous Woman.
To Be A Mary Before A Martha
When we are still, we can see and hear things that we cannot when we are busy.
We see in Genesis 2 that the Bible prescribes rest, not idleness. There is a difference between the two. God created the earth in six days and on the seventh day, He rested. He was not idle; He rested. Not because He was tired, but because He set the standard for us to follow. The standard for mankind is that we need rest. We cannot just go, go, go, go, because that busyness distracts us from our main job – our Lord first, and if we’re married, our husband, our children, and then ministry. Rest has a way of setting our minds and hearts back on Jesus, and when we’re too busy, we can fill all of that rest time – that quiet time – with noise. But when we are still before the Lord, as Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God,” – we are refocused, and our perspective gets back on the Lord when we rest – when we take time. When we are still, we can see and hear things that we cannot when we are busy; namely, the still small voice of the Lord. Do you sit before you serve? Are you a Mary before you’re a Martha? What Jesus gently pointed out to Martha was that her priorities were out of order. Have your priorities ever been out of order? Mine have. Had Martha sat first, she would have been able to serve in her spirit and not according to her flesh. And we all have been in this predicament at one time or another. Some of us more than we’d like to admit. But I have found that there is a balance between work and rest, serving and sitting. And even Jesus took time away to rest from His busy schedule. And if Jesus took time away, we should definitely take time away to rest as well. The Proverbs 31 woman is busy in her home but not so busy that she’s distracted by her first priority, which is to sit at the feet of Jesus.
— Michelle Randall, Titus 2 Talk Pt. 3, “The Virtuous Woman” Pt. 2
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To watch or rewatch Michelle’s teaching, “The Virtuous Woman” Pt.2 and all other archived teachings, click here.
The Victory in Surrender
The key is getting back up and doing what’s necessary to go forward.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
How many times have you been so close to victory in your life yet you failed, blew it, or fell? You’re not alone! We all blow it from time to time. The key is getting back up and doing what’s necessary to go forward (turning from sin).
The book of Judges is full of incomplete victories — near victories that ended in defeat due to the unwillingness to deal thoroughly with sin. Israel never possessed all of the land that it could have because they did not completely destroy the enemy. They let a few live here and there, and it became their demise. Joshua prophesied this in Judges 2:3, “If you do not utterly drive them out then they will become a snare to you.”
Are you feeling a bit defeated today? Have you allowed something to remain that God clearly said must go?
Can I encourage you to utterly destroy it — or it will be the thing that the devil will use to take you out. Do you want the victory? If so, ask God for help. Reach out to a sister, get prayer, surround yourself with godly, like-minded people. Get into the Word of God and obey it — and you will be well on your way to possessing all that God has for you!
— Michelle Randall
Are You Willing?
An ordinary person in the hands of an extraordinary God can do amazing things!
Are you willing to be used by the Lord no matter the cost? Are you available in season and out? Do you know that the Lord uses the unlikely to accomplish the extraordinary?
The Bible is full of stories about God using unlikely people to accomplish His perfect will. He will use the underdog, the coward, the shy, the timid, the teenager, the old man or woman — as long as you are willing, He will use you! We are familiar with the stories of Moses, David, Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah. But do you know of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Jael, or Gideon? All who were simply WILLING to be used at a crucial time in Israel’s history. Judges 3-6 tells the story of these “willing warriors” who stepped up and stepped in when no one else would! They were willing to go to battle, speak up, take the enemy out, and be used in unlikely ways. Are you willing to be willing for God to use you like these others in unlikely ways? A godly woman, an unlikely warrior, a left-handed man, a man defending his land, a woman in her tent, an ordinary person in the hands of an extraordinary God can do amazing things! God uses the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). God will use anyone who is willing to be used.
ARE YOU WILLING to be used in these last days to be a voice, a hand, a warrior, a vessel for Jesus? Don’t underestimate what God can do with a willing vessel. Trust Him, be ready in season and out, and He will use you like Deborah and Jael to do the unlikely!
— Michelle Randall