Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 BSB)
I remember as a young man, growing up, one of my main goals was to leave home soon as I got older. I was eager to become independent, eager to carry my own weight, and to be my own man. Upon graduating from high school, I enlisted into the United State Marine Corp.
In boot camp, the training was vigorous and intense, yet it was instilling discipline and building my character. I realized that I was being transformed into a new me. My perspectives of life were being redirected.
The Marine Corp was instrumental in my maturation as a young man. Although I was seeking independence, they taught me interdependence: responsibility, accountability and integrity. I held dear to my heart the Marine Corp Motto—Semper Fidelis, which in Latin means always faithful or always loyal: to God, to country and to the Corp. As a marine, this was more than just a motto to me, it was a way life. It was in the Marine Corp that I dedicated my life to God and later answered the call to ministry. I served eight years in the Marine Corp--honorable discharge in 1985.
Being a Christian is much like being a Marine. We are enlisted in the spiritual army of God, being fully trained and equipped to stand victoriously against the forces of our enemy—the devil. Jesus, the captain of our salvation, teaches his people disciplined and godly character, so that we can live triumphantly through every crisis of life.
We are no longer conformed to the old way of living; our previous moral and spiritual perspectives have changed. We are transformed into a new creation by the power of Holy Spirit. As transformed soldiers, we are guaranteed continuous victories, only if we do not submit ourselves once more to the pattern of this world. We must always be faithful and loyal to God, so that we are able to “test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of the Father.
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