Step 2. Don’t Conform

Last time, we saw that the right perspective was the start to a“Crazy Faith”.

To live out a“Crazy Faith” each day, we next need to transform our perspective into action, behavior, and character. Once fully developed, character cannot help but demonstrate a“Crazy Faith” that will be noticed by others.

As we transform this eternal perspective into our daily lives, we need to remember that as although we are in the world, we are not of the world. And so, the key next step in growing our “Crazy Faith” seedling is NOT to listen to those non-farmers who think they know.

You’ve heard the teaching from the Bible that we are in the world but not of the world, right? To help us understand how this applies, we dig into my all-time favorite verse of the whole Bible:

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:

The key to transforming the power of our eternal perspective into action is so simple: just don’t do as everyone else does. Don’t conform to the pattern of this world. Don’t listen to what they think is right; don’t do as they do. Just don’t dwell on what the world thinks is normal, right, or desirable.

Instead, be transformed by renewing your mind, just as Romans 12:2 says.

Renewing your mind means to change the way you think, moving up the “food chain” to think more like God would think, and following the example of Jesus in all that we do. Having a “Crazy Faith” means we live as an eternal creation in God’s image here on earth, and that’s a notch above the ways of the world.

Let’s look at a simple example to help understand. Toddlers find great joy in playing in a mudpuddle, protesting when mom or dad takes them in to be cleaned up. They think that playing in the puddle was the best thing, but they don’t know, do they?

In the same way, those people in the world today who don’t know God or wish not to know Him don’t have the full picture. People like that have their own ideas of what’s important, what life goals are best, and how to live to their full potential. But, like the toddler in the puddle, they just don’t know. One day, life will be over, and only then will they see what they have been missing.

So don’t conform.

Don’t try to fit in, and don’t think that you need to be “normal.” Try to always remember your perspective and remind yourself that you are called to be different. You are called to be God’s representative here on earth, His Kingdom builder, His Christ-follower.

Can you keep your eternal perspective and live a “notch above”?