The Turning Point
Romans 12:2 AMP
2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [a]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Conforming doesn’t really require any effort.
You don’t wake up and choose to drift!
You just drift!
You stop guarding your heart!
1. What You Love Shapes You
Deut 6:5 NIV
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
What you love is NOT neutral – it FORMS you.
2. What You Behold Shapes You
2 Cor 3:18 ESV
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[a] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.[b] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
We are being TRANSFORMED as we behold the Lord.
You become what you consistently look at.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
What captures your attention - eventually captures your heart.
3. What You Meditate On Shapes You
Psalm 1:1-3 NLT
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
Whatever you meditate on internally…shapes your atmosphere and shapes your direction.
4. Who You Walk With Shapes You
Proverbs 13:20 NLT
20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Proverbs 27:17 NLT
17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
5. What You Listen To Shapes You
Proverbs 17:4 NLT
4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.
Sometimes drift doesn’t start with what you say. It starts with what you tolerate.
You cannot control every voice around you. But you can control what you give weight to.
Joel 2:12 AMP
12 “Even now,” says the Lord,
“Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance],
With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored];
What if it’s Drift?
What if it’s more than drift - what if you’re on a collision course with an iceberg that’s about to sink you?
Declaration
Jesus -
We don’t want to ignore the warnings. We don’t want to drift quietly. We don’t want to look fine on the outside while drifting on the inside. Search us. Reveal drift. Guard our hearts. We release control. We change direction. Form us into Your image.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Talk It Over Questions
1. Where in your life have you felt even a little bit of “drift” lately?
2. Which of these shapes you the most right now: what you love, what you look at, what you meditate on, who you walk with, or what you listen to? How is it shaping you? Is there anything you would want to change?
3. Have you noticed any change in your tone, joy, patience, or trust over the past year? If so, has it been for the positive or toward the negative?
4. Psalm 1 reminds us - What you meditate on shapes you. When your mind is on autopilot, where does it usually go — truth, worry, offense, comparison, something else?
5. What would “adjusting course” look like for you this week in one practical way? Is there anything in your life you feel the Lord calling you to repent and change direction? If so, how can we pray for you as a group?
Ask Your Kids
1. Why did the shepherd go after just one sheep?
2. How does it feel knowing God loves you no matter what?
3. When might you forget that God loves you?
4. How can we show God’s love to others?
