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Speaker 1: Welcome to Abides daily Christian Meditations. I'm Tyler Boss. Today's

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Speaker 1: meditation is brought to you by our partners at Life Audio.

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Speaker 1: have full access to our meditations commercial free. Just text

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Speaker 1: abide to two two four three three for twenty five

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Speaker 1: percent off. Now receive his piece as we meditate and

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Speaker 1: abide in Christ.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to this Abide meditation. I'm Ben Little. Living in

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Speaker 2: the world can be very difficult. Do you ever feel

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Speaker 2: the pressure of the wind bending you towards the world's

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Speaker 2: ways and away from God. Take a moment to breathe deeply,

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Speaker 2: relaxing your body and focusing your mind, steadying your heart rate,

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Speaker 2: and letting go of your fears and worries. God is

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Speaker 2: able to brace you up against the winds pushing you

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Speaker 2: to the ground. In Romans chapter twelve, Paul is writing

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Speaker 2: to fellow believers when he says, do not be conformed

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Speaker 2: to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of

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Speaker 2: your mind. That by testing you may discern what is

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Speaker 2: the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

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Speaker 2: These are people who have been transformed. They have changed

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Speaker 2: from death to life, from sin and darkness to purity

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Speaker 2: and light. But still he tells them to not give

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Speaker 2: in to the seduction of the world, but to let

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Speaker 2: their minds become new, fresh and in focus, so that

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Speaker 2: they can see the world with new eyes. Where do

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Speaker 2: you see that change and transformation in your life? To

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Speaker 2: be made new, to be transformed, soak it in. Transformation

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Speaker 2: doesn't come easily. Think about the time and the struggle

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Speaker 2: it takes for a caterpillar to become a butterfly. But

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Speaker 2: the results are beautiful. We don't have to crawl around

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Speaker 2: in the dirt of our sin. We can soar in

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Speaker 2: the freedom of new life. Dear Heavenly Father, I can

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Speaker 2: hear the wind howling at times, strong winds that bend me,

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Speaker 2: push me to the ground, threaten to blow me away

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Speaker 2: from You be my fortress, blocking the wind so I

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Speaker 2: can focus on you. Brace me so I can do

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Speaker 2: what is good and acceptable and perfect. Renew me so

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Speaker 2: that I can faithfully follow you and not be blown about.

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Speaker 2: You are my strong tower and you are my restorer.

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Speaker 2: It is in Jesus's name I offer this prayer. Amen,

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Speaker 2: take another deep breath and close your eyes. Relax, quiet

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Speaker 2: the things that are blowing through your mind, and focus

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Speaker 2: on the Lord. Let thoughts of Him transform you. Quiet

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Speaker 2: yourself before him. Consider for a moment what is knocking

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Speaker 2: you over today? What worldly winds push you around in

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Speaker 2: the street. Whisper them to God in a time of

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Speaker 2: cleansing and confession. Wherever you are right now, you are

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Speaker 2: in the presence of God. So give him your full attention.

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Speaker 2: Remember who he is. He is king on the throne,

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Speaker 2: a father who listens, and he is light. Now listen

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Speaker 2: again to Romans twelve to two in the English Standard version.

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Speaker 2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed

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Speaker 2: by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you

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Speaker 2: may discern what is the will of God, what is

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Speaker 2: good and acceptable and perfect. Listen as I read that again,

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Speaker 2: ask God to point out something specific. Do not be

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Speaker 2: conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal

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Speaker 2: of your mind, that by testing you may discern what

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Speaker 2: is the will of God, what is good and acceptable

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Speaker 2: and perfect. Take a moment right now to center on

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Speaker 2: that word, thought, or image God gave you. Conform means

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Speaker 2: to comply with prevailing standards, while transform means to make

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Speaker 2: a dramatic change in character. Do you see the struggle.

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Speaker 2: Ask God to make you aware of that struggle. Ask

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Speaker 2: for his help in fighting that wind that wants to

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Speaker 2: conform you. Listen to Romans twelve to two in the

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Speaker 2: Amplified Bible, and do not be conformed to this world

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Speaker 2: any longer, with its superficial values and customs, but be

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Speaker 2: transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually by the

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Speaker 2: renewing of your mind, focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes,

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Speaker 2: so that you may prove for yourselves what the will

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Speaker 2: of God is, that which is good and acceptable and

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Speaker 2: perfect in His plan and purpose for you. Did you

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Speaker 2: notice anything new or unexpected? Take a moment right now

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Speaker 2: to meditate on that. This version expands on the idea

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Speaker 2: of conforming by defining it as superficial values and customs.

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Speaker 2: Reflect for a few moments on that concept. What are

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Speaker 2: some of the most superficial and shallow customs that you

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Speaker 2: follow each day? And why do you follow them? Ask

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Speaker 2: God to open your heart to the answer. Transformation starts

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Speaker 2: there with the why knowing followers of Jesus are supposed

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Speaker 2: to be different. Listen one last time to Romans twelve

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Speaker 2: to two in the contemporary English version. Don't be like

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Speaker 2: the people of this world, but let God change the

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Speaker 2: way you think. Then you will know how to do

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Speaker 2: everything that is good and pleasing to Him. One Peter

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Speaker 2: one fourteen through seventeen is similar. Spend some time with

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Speaker 2: this in prayer. It says, as obedient children, do not

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Speaker 2: be conformed to the former lusts, which were yours in

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Speaker 2: your ignorance. But like the Holy One who called you,

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Speaker 2: be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it

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Speaker 2: is written you shall be holy, for I am holy.

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Speaker 2: Peter writes that we should be like little obedient children,

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Speaker 2: not teenagers, not adults, little obedient children. See yourself as

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Speaker 2: that obedient child. How does your hand feel in God's

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Speaker 2: How do you feel being guided by His wisdom his strength?

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Speaker 2: Ask him to reveal this to your heart. Peter was

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Speaker 2: writing to Christians who had migrated to distant parts of

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Speaker 2: the world because of persecution. Peter understood persecution. He was threatened, beaten,

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Speaker 2: and jailed for preaching the word God, and still he

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Speaker 2: would not conform to what his persecutors wanted. Someone silent

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Speaker 2: about their faith, what can you learn from Peter's example.

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Speaker 2: Peter writes of the time before these fellow Christians knew

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Speaker 2: the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding

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Speaker 2: their salvation. Take a moment now to remind yourself of

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Speaker 2: the good news regarding your salvation. Ask God to restore

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Speaker 2: the joy of your salvation and forgiveness by God's grace

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Speaker 2: through faith in his Son. Thank you, Lord for your

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Speaker 2: mercies and the desire you have given me to dedicate

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Speaker 2: my life to you as a living sacrifice, one that

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Speaker 2: is whole and pleasing to you. I surrender my life

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Speaker 2: to you as an intentional act of worship. I ask

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Speaker 2: for your strength to keep me from being conformed to

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Speaker 2: this world any longer with its superficial values and customs,

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Speaker 2: but help me be transformed by the renewing of my mind.

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Speaker 2: It is in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Feel the

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Speaker 2: wind on your face today, close your eyes and let

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Speaker 2: it remind you of the world and God's strength in

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Speaker 2: blocking it as he pulls you to Him Until next time.

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Speaker 2: May you abide in Christmas