From the Author

For a long time, I didn't realize how powerful the minds God created for us were. I mean, I suppose it makes sense seeing that a little germ of evil thought can turn into an entire world war. But for me, I just believed I was what I thought–that I had no control over what popped into my mind, and instead of conquering those thoughts and submitting them to Christ, I allowed them to destroy me.

My prayer is that this book shows you how God's Word helps us to conquer evil via our "strongest muscle," removing distractions, actively listening to God's desire for our hearts, and putting aside our human wants in return for a beautiful future with Creator of the universe.

May your walk with Him become even stronger, my friend.

Yours in Jesus,

Ericka

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"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

It's taken some deep prayer and quiet listening to write this study. The world is so noisy right now (and to a certain degree, has always been). But it feels more and more like there's a hovering megaphone over the evil in this world that serves to confuse us, dismay us, and more often than not, distract us.

And so just now, as I asked God how I should separate the sections of this study, He very clearly directed me to divide it up based on Romans 12:2:

• Section 1 | The Pattern of This World: We'll use this section to dissect the world we currently live in, the deceptive tactics Satan uses to trap our attention, and meaningful ways we can combat the noise and keep our eyes on Jesus.
• Section 2 | Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind: We'll look at what "renewing of your mind" actually means from a Biblical perspective and how real, tangible transformation can take place in our lives.
• Section 3 | Test and Approve God's Will: Once we learn how to renew our minds, we'll be able to test and approve God's will, finally having the discernment and wisdom God has intended for us all along and using it to live our lives in His freedom and out of reach of Satan's deceptive tactics.

This study won't reveal anything new that isn't already completely mapped out in Scripture. And I believe it's important for you to know that. In a day and age of distractions and "self-help" (a complete oxymoron in my opinion, but I digress), we all need to be turning back to God's pleasing and perfect will that we find outlined in His Word.

So, without further ado, let's dig in!

Read all of Romans 12. Watch Part I and Part II of the Book of Romans by the Bible Project to get a more complete understanding of the entire book before we move on.

Part I: The Pattern of This World