Beautiful People,

Conformity to the world alienates us from God’s will. “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). Conformity to the world reduces the Image of God within us and replaces it with something else. The KJV’s dictionary defines conformity as reducing a likeness or correspondence in manners, opinions, or moral qualities. We can either be conformed to the world and experience a reduction or conform to Christ and experience restoration.

In Daniel 1:8, Daniel determines not to conform to his surroundings. His deliberate choice to serve God in a strange land resonates with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—his friends. Daniel’s friends are so resolute in their convictions that when persecution comes their way, their answer is, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18). What an intentional answer to faith. Notice that they don’t say, “God will save us.” God’s love so consumed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that they implicitly trusted His decisions in either saving or not saving them. Their internal world conformed to the principles of Heaven, which resulted in a fearless stance towards external opposition. That is intentional faith, faith that has not conformed to the pattern of this world.

Friends, what are we conforming to? If it’s to the world, we are losing the beauty of God’s Image in us; however, if we conform to Christ with intentional faith, we are renewed with the principles and character of Heaven. It is this character that will weather persecution and difficult days. It is this character that will stand in faith and say, “whether or not my God will save me, He is still God, and He is still good.” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not wake up one day with this intentional faith. It was made through deliberate choices and actions. Their choice to conform to the character of God made all the differences. Who are you conforming to today?