Our lives consist of a continuous stream of choices that we must make, and many of our choices can impact our lives in lasting ways.
A worldly mindset (believing what the world teaches) can only lead to worldliness in our actions, and the consequences that follow. We are bombarded every day through television, the news, the Internet, all kinds of advertising and even some of our friends and relatives with worldly messages that are in direct conflict with what God teaches us.
But the Bible teaches us in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
So, how do you get a biblical worldview? By letting the Bible speak to you more consistently and more influentially than the world speaks to you. Let the words of God wash over you day after day. You can’t help but be changed if you are willing to do that! Consider these ways to let Scripture change you:
• Read it devotionally. Have a quiet time of Scripture reading with prayer every day.
• Discuss it. Join a small group or class where the Scriptures are discussed. If you’re dating it, read and discuss the Bible with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Study it. Buy Bible reference books and learn from experts. Take a class at a Bible college or seminary.
• Memorize it. Select key passages and “hide them in your heart.” Bring them up when you or someone else needs them.
• Meditate on it. Choose a short passage and ponder every phrase. What does it mean? How does it apply to you?
• Pray it back to God. Use lines from Scripture in your prayers.
• Listen to it read. Get an audio Bible and listen to it while you’re driving or taking a walk.
• Listen to it preached. Go to church to hear Bible-based sermons—and take notes. Listen to reliable Bible teachers on television, on the radio, and through podcasts.
• Sing it. Whether at church or on your own, sing spiritual songs based on Scripture.
• Teach it. They say that teachers learn more by teaching than their students do, so pass on what you learn about the Bible.
• Apply it. Obey God’s Word. This is to make it active and to reap the rewards of a biblical worldview.
We believe that if you have been living by a worldly mindset, you can make a change. You can deliberately saturate your mind with God’s truth, so that your decision making and your very thinking will be different. You’ll be living a life of wisdom and not of foolishness. And then you will be ready to recognize the mate God intends for you and go on to pursue him or her in a way that results in a satisfying, lifelong marriage.
