What God Requires Before You Can Know His Will – Romans 12:1-2

Most of us want a clear answer when we ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” We go after guidance, but Romans 12:1-2 pushes us to start somewhere more honest: have we actually placed our lives on God’s altar. We unpack Paul’s step-by-step pattern for discernment so your next decision is shaped by worship, not pressure, and by transformation, not impulse.

We talk about what it means to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, and why that kind of surrender is both “reasonable” and hard to sustain when life gets heavy. We dig into everyday worship: the way we work, spend, speak, and serve can honor Christ. Along the way, we share stories that expose a painful question: are we giving Jesus our best, or our leftovers.

Then we move to the mind. Nonconformity is not a rule list; it is refusing the world’s mold and letting the Holy Spirit renew us from the inside out. We get practical about renewing your mind through Scripture reading, meditation, and memorization, and we connect that renewal to biblical decision making. When your mind is being renewed, you can “test and prove” what God’s will is, even when obedience costs you something real.

If you’re ready, we close with a simple prayer and clear next steps for growth and discipleship. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s seeking direction, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

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Knowing God’s Will In Daily Life

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Do we know how to test and prove what is God's good, acceptable, and perfect will in our day-to-day living? In Romans 12, 1-2, the Apostle Paul shows us the steps we need to take to discern God's will. Paul calls on us by the mercies of God to first present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. Having submitted our bodies as living sacrifices, Paul informs us that the next phase involves our no longer being conformed to this world. Instead, we will be continually transformed by the consistent renewing of our minds. Paul further states that as that ongoing transformation takes place in our lives, we will be able to prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Stay with me as we examine Romans 12, 1 to 2 and discover how we can test and prove God's good, acceptable, and perfect will in every season of our lives. Every day, believers inevitably question whether or not the activities that they are undertaking are in keeping with God's will for their lives. In Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul addresses this question as he explicitly urges his brothers and sisters in Christ, in view of God's mercy, to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy

Offer Yourself As A Living Sacrifice

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and pleasing to God, as this is our true and proper worship. Paul begins his verse with the word, therefore. Paul is saying that the Christian life is dependent on the great Christian doctrines that he discussed in the prior eleven chapters. In those chapters, Paul explains that we have received a new spirit as we are now justified by grace, through faith, and are at peace with God. It makes a difference what we believe because what we believe determines how we behave. Moses commanded, Paul exhorts. God beseeches the believer. The mercies that Paul is referring to here are that God has saved us from sin, from its penalty and its power. It is in light of these mercies that God is appealing to us. Paul now turns his attention to our bodies. Paul is asking us to present not just our physical bodies, but our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The implication is that every aspect of a believer's life is to be yielded to God. There must be in the believer's life that final and complete surrender of the body to Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, a worshiper will present an unblemished animal sacrifice to God as an expression of worship. Today, God doesn't want us to present dead sacrifices, but to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. Paul is stating that it is of no avail to know theoretically the truths of Romans 1 to 11 if the body is not surrendered so that the life of Christ can be expressed in the everyday affairs of life. In a church service one Sunday, the orphan plate came to a little girl at the end of a row. She took the plate, put it down on the floor, and stood in it. When the usher asked her what she was doing, she responded, in Sunday school I learned that I was supposed to give myself to God. Are we ready to present our bodies, our minds, our personalities, our spirits, our love, our ambitions, our all to Jesus? Under the law, the legal sacrifices saved as they were slain. The death of the one Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world, has swept all dead victims from off the altar of God. There is now room for the redeemed themselves as living sacrifices. Our Lord Jesus Christ is a perfect illustration of a living sacrifice, dying, rising, and forever bearing the covenant marks as a slain lamb. Holy here has a connotation of taking something that was filthy and dirty, washing it and setting it apart as something brand new and useful for a different purpose. A holy sacrifice is fully abandoned to God. The Old Testament worshipper brought animals to the temple to be killed and laid on the altar. Paul reversed the imagery. Bring yourself to the altar, but do not die for God. Live for Him. Paul borrows from Old Testament sacrificial language to describe the kind of holy living that God approves. That is a living sacrifice that is morally and spiritually spotless and without blemish and which he finds well pleasing. Paul now describes the service that is to be rendered by believers in presenting their bodies. The sacrifice is to be intelligent in contrast to those offered by ritual and compulsion. Paul is basically stating that if you weigh all that God has done in mercy, in the light of who we were as sinful, hopeless enemies of his righteousness, the only reasonable response is to lay our life on the altar for him. Service here refers to any ministry performed for God, such as that which was undertaken by the priests and the Levites. Christians are believer priests, identified with the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. A believer's offering of his total life as a sacrifice to God is therefore sacred service. We worship God every day. Whenever we do anything that pleases him, our effort to do a job honestly and well

Everyday Worship And Staying On The Altar

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can be worshiped. Everything we do when done with a desire to please our Lord is worship. Living sacrifices are hard to sustain because a living sacrifice tends to crawl off the altar when life becomes difficult. We must daily remind ourselves of how far Jesus went to save us and how much he gave up to do so. As we reminisce on God's mercies, we will gladly climb back onto the altar. Christ gave his all when he became our burnt offering, when he sacrificed himself fully on the altar of the cross. Have we given

The Umbrella Lesson On Giving Best

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Jesus all of ourselves? The story is told of Queen Mary, who made it her practice to visit Scotland every year. She was so loved by the people there that she often mingled with them freely without a protective escort. One afternoon while walking with some children, she went out further than she'd planned. Dark clouds came up unexpectedly, so she stopped at a nearby house to borrow an umbrella. If you lend me one, she said to the lady who answered the door, I will send it back to you tomorrow. The woman didn't recognize the queen and was reluctant to give this stranger her best umbrella. So she handed her one that she intended to throw away. The fabric was torn in several places and one of the ribs was broken. The next day another knock was heard at the door. When the lady opened it, she was greeted by a royal guard who was holding in his hand her old tattered umbrella. The queen sent me, he said. She asked me to thank you for loaning her this. For a moment the woman was stunned, then she burst into tears. Oh what an opportunity I missed, she cried. I didn't give the Queen my very best. In light of God's mercies, are we giving Jesus our best? However, surrendering our bodies to God is only the

Refusing The World’s Pressure

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beginning. Paul now moves from the body to the mind. In Romans 12, 2a, Paul calls on us to not be conformed to this world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Paul begins this verse with the word an. This creates a clear connection with the believer's living sacrifice, which is now to be worked out in everyday practice. Nonconformity to the world is not about believers creating a list of don'ts which we need to stop doing. Rather, nonconformity to the world implies bringing the body and its appetites under the control of the Spirit of God, subjecting the imagination to the mind of Christ, and walking in humility of spirit through a world where self-confidence and boasting are the order of the day. In Holland, if one breach is made in the dike, the sea at once rushes in. Similarly, if one gap is made in the conscience, then the sea of worldliness rushes through the breach. The opposite of being conformed to this world is being transformed by the renewing of our minds. To be transformed describes a change on the outside that comes from the inside. Paul is calling for an outward change in the character and conduct of the believer, which is to correspond with his or her inward spiritual condition. The Greek word that is used here for be transformed has been brought into the English language without translation as the word metamorphosis. It is used when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. God wants each of his children to be transformed into the victorious, vital, and enriching experience that is available to the believer in Jesus. Transform his passive voice, which indicates that this process is being performed by an outside force, the Holy Spirit. Transform his present tense, signifying that this is not a one-time event, but a gradual process. The world seeks to change our mind and exerts pressure from without. However, the Holy Spirit desires to renew our mind and he does so from within. If we are continually being transformed by the joy of Christ in our heart, it will show on our face. Paul goes on to state that this transformation takes place through the renewing of our minds. Our minds are the control center of our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. God renews our minds and makes us spiritually minded by the instrumentality of his word and his spirit. The Holy Spirit wrote the word, and if we make much of the word, he will make much of us. What does renew in our minds look like? It means that we will daily read scripture, meditate on it, memorize it, and allow scripture to challenge

Renewing The Mind Through Scripture

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our assumptions. We'll constantly work to replace worldly thinking with God's truth and evaluate our decision making by biblical principles. As our minds are renewed, we will be able to fulfill God's will for our life. When the mind is renewed by the Spirit of God, we begin to see that money and material things are no longer important as they once seemed to be. Our focus is no longer whether we can close this deal and make a tremendous amount of money, but whether we will do it in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord our God. This is the work of the Spirit of God. This is the renewed mind. Are we seeking to renew our minds so that we can be transformed? As a young man, the famed evangelist Diel Moody sought to be rich and successful. However, as he worked among the poor in Chicago, he felt God calling him to full-time service. Diel Moody then told his fiancee that he had decided to give God all of his time. Diel was suggesting that his and Emma's life together might be one of struggle rather than that of the business success that Diel's heart had been focused on until then. He hoped that his decision would not cause Emma to back away from marriage. So be it Emma said, her voice as calm and kind as always. I will stand with you whatever you decide to do, and I am confident God will help us face a future together. Moody died in 1899. However, his legacy lives on as the Moody Bible Institute that he founded is still open today in downtown Chicago. Have we been transformed by the renewing of our minds? Now we come to the question that we asked at the beginning. What does all of this have to do with knowing the will of God? In Romans 12 2b, the Apostle Paul states that our transformation through the renewing of our mind leads to us being able to test and approve what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. The mind renewed by God will be better suited to discern God's will because distractions are removed that would hinder

Testing God’s Will In Real Choices

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such discernment. This testing of what is God's will in any given situation or question must be an ongoing practice. The Greek word that is used here for prove referred to the testing of metals by fire to see whether they were pure. In the margin of many pages in the Al-Mudi's Bible, he wrote the letters TNP, meaning tried and proved. Moody had put into practice passages from God's Word, proving that they work. We too can try and prove God's wonder working word. God's will signifies his gracious disposition towards something. The will of God is identified with what is good in a moral sense, well pleasing to God and ethically adequate or complete. The will of God is here distinguished as good because obedience to God leads to our happiness. The will of God is also acceptable. That is pleasing and well approved. In Romans 8.8, we are told that only a believer indwelt by the Spirit can please God, for those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The ambition to please God determines a person's daily walk with God. The believer tests everything in life, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. A man who lives to please people by making the approval of more importance than God's stands condemned. As does an individual determined to please only himself, regardless of the impact on others. The will of God is perfect in that it lacks nothing for completeness. It achieves the desired end or goal that God had originally intended. God's perfect will is all that we need to lead a life that is holy and wholly satisfying. Paul connects our ability to discern the will of God with the transformation that takes place through the renewing of our minds. We should be so one with God that we don't need to ask continually for guidance. We discover that when we have put God in his rightful place and we are willing to do his will, this in itself is the will of God. Once we get to that place, then he is free and able to direct our steps. When we begin to see our daily happenings, our experiences, our trials, our joys from this point of view, we begin to see that all these things are designed for our good. We learn not to murmur or complain. We may still experience difficulty in seeing how everything is going to work out together for good. However, we still believe it will. Jerome Hines was a famed Metropolitan singer who spent many years training for the role of opera star. He attained his goal and found it to be empty and hollow. One day he heard Beverly Shea singing, I'd rather have Jesus than silver gold. I'd rather be his than have riches on tall. Out of that incident, he became a Christian. Some years ago, Jerome obtained a 10-year contract role to sing an impressive part. When he went to rehearsal, the play was being introduced by what Jerome perceived to be lewd dancing that was at odds with his Christian beliefs. As a result, he refused to sing and broke the contract. It cost him over the period of ten years approximately a hundred thousand dollars. Would we be willing to give up a hundred thousand dollars rather than do something with our bodies that would be offensive to our Lord? We started by asking if we know how to test and prove what is God's good, acceptable, and perfect will in our day-to-day living. As we analyze the passage, we discover that in light of God's mercies, we first need to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. Having done so, we will then choose to no longer be conformed to this world. Instead, we will seek to be continually transformed by the consistent renewing of our minds. Paul further states that as that ongoing transformation takes place in our lives, we will be able to prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Before asking, Lord, what is your will for my life? Perhaps Romans 12 calls us to ask another question first. Lord, have I truly placed my life on your altar? So let's present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Let's reject worldly conformity and be transformed to the Renewing of our minds. Let's consistently test and prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God

Prayer And Discipleship Next Steps

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in all of our circumstances. Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcasts. If you're ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life. Lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. Growing scripture, discipleship, and Christian leadership through the online course found at Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen dot io. Discover the covenant story and learn to see the Bible as one unified story. Go deeper with until Christ is formed in you and grow as a disciple of Jesus. Explore leadership is discipleship and learn why true Christian leadership begins with following Jesus. Start studying, start learning, start growing. Join us at Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen dot io. Please join me as we confess words of life over all of our lives. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as

Declarations And Closing Blessings

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God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled. Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is be spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers. As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living on an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runeth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.