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Romans 12: Transformed Living | Full Meditation · Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation

• 0:10
  Pastor Robert Young: Hi friends, this is Pastor Young.
• 0:12
  Pastor Robert Young: Before we begin our meditation today, I wanted to tell you about a brand new resource that we have available for you.
• 0:20
  Pastor Robert Young: It's about intercessory prayer.
• 0:22
  Pastor Robert Young: You've been praying and reflecting on the scriptures for a while, and we will continue to do so.
• 0:29
  Pastor Robert Young: However, in this next phase of our spiritual development, let's switch our focus to praying for others.
• 0:35
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's pray the scriptures as an intercessor.
• 0:39
  Pastor Robert Young: You can obtain this resource by clicking the links in the description box below.
• 0:45
  Pastor Robert Young: Or if you want to listen to Dan and Sheila that do a great breakdown, again, you can receive this resource by clicking the links in the description box below.
• 0:57
  Pastor Robert Young: And now let's get to our meditation.
• 1:00
  Pastor Robert Young: Welcome to this week's Guided Christian Meditation.
• 1:19
  Pastor Robert Young: Here we put aside all distractions to enter into God's presence and to hear from God better and to allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ.
• 1:34
  Pastor Robert Young: I'm your host, Pastor Robert Young, and thank you for allowing me to be your guide on this journey.
• 1:43
  Pastor Robert Young: If you're new to the podcast, or if you're not a believer, then I'd like to suggest that you check out episode 164 that talks about the whole the who, the what, and the why of all of the stages of meditation that we practice.
• 2:03
  Pastor Robert Young: If you suffer from severe anxiety, depression, or trauma, psychotic episodes, or if you're in active addiction, then please consult your physician before beginning this or any meditation practice.
• 2:22
  Pastor Robert Young: If you're not filled with the Holy Spirit, then friends, this process will not apply to you.
• 2:31
  Pastor Robert Young: In fact, our whole podcast only applies to those who have repented, confessed, and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• 2:42
  Pastor Robert Young: If you haven't done this, then please repeat this prayer of salvation with me now.
• 2:50
  Pastor Robert Young: Father, I want and desire a fellowship with you.
• 2:56
  Pastor Robert Young: I know that my sins separate me from having a full relationship with you.
• 3:03
  Pastor Robert Young: I know that I can only have that relationship with you by acknowledging, accepting, and believing in Jesus' redemptive work on the cross.
• 3:16
  Pastor Robert Young: Now I repent of my sins.
• 3:20
  Pastor Robert Young: I receive Jesus as my Savior, I receive your forgiveness and Holy Spirit, and thank you, Lord.
• 3:29
  Pastor Robert Young: Our scripture for this week is coming from Romans chapter twelve.
• 3:42
  Pastor Robert Young: But first, according to the scriptures, God requires us to be completely involved and free from wrongful acts in our minds, our body, and spirit.
• 3:56
  Pastor Robert Young: Confession prepares the heart for being in the presence of Almighty God.
• 4:03
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's begin by repeating the prayer that King David prayed in Psalms 51, verses 1 through 4, where it says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
• 4:34
  Pastor Robert Young: For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
• 4:41
  Pastor Robert Young: Before we start to reflect on our verse for today's meditation, let's prepare our mind by closing our eyes and taking a deep breath as we invite the presence of God to fill us.
• 5:03
  Pastor Robert Young: First, we're going to take a deep breath in for a count of seven.
• 5:06
  Pastor Robert Young: We're going to hold the breath for a count of four and slowly release for a count of seven.
• 5:12
  Pastor Robert Young: We're going to breathe in through our nose and exhale through our nostrils as well.
• 5:19
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's begin.
• 5:21
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's repeat.
• 5:31
  Pastor Robert Young: Now let's prepare our bodies by releasing any tension with muscle relaxation exercises.
• 5:52
  Pastor Robert Young: We will simply tense each muscle group for three seconds and then release the tension from that muscle.
• 6:00
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's start with the calf muscles.
• 6:04
  Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense the calf muscles for a count of three.
• 6:09
  Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
• 6:12
  Pastor Robert Young: Moving upward to the hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
• 6:19
  Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense for three seconds.
• 6:22
  Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
• 6:25
  Pastor Robert Young: Moving upwards to the abdominals, chest, and the back areas.
• 6:31
  Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense for three seconds.
• 6:34
  Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
• 6:37
  Pastor Robert Young: Finally, moving to our arms and shoulders.
• 6:41
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's lightly tense these muscle groups for three seconds.
• 6:45
  Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
• 6:48
  Pastor Robert Young: Now we can begin to enter into worship by repeating a verse from the book of Psalms where it says, Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
• 7:06
  Pastor Robert Young: Worship the Lord with gladness.
• 7:09
  Pastor Robert Young: Come before him with joyful songs.
• 7:12
  Pastor Robert Young: Let's take a moment to lift up our voice in praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father, who is worthy of all honor and glory, by repeating Psalms chapter 8, verse 9, which says, Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
• 7:39
  Pastor Robert Young: Now that we've prepared our mind, our body, and our spirit, let's begin to examine and reflect on Romans chapter twelve.
• 8:01
  Pastor Robert Young: Imagine waking up in a workshop filled with warm light.
• 8:08
  Pastor Robert Young: The master craftsman is there.
• 8:11
  Pastor Robert Young: He's not demanding, but he's inviting.
• 8:16
  Pastor Robert Young: He gestures toward a workbench and says, Place your whole life here.
• 8:22
  Pastor Robert Young: Not as a sacrifice of death, but as a living offering.
• 8:29
  Pastor Robert Young: Your thoughts, your habits, your relationships, your gifts, everything.
• 8:36
  Pastor Robert Young: As you lay your life before Him, something begins to happen.
• 8:43
  Pastor Robert Young: Your mind starts to shift.
• 8:46
  Pastor Robert Young: Old patterns loosen.
• 8:49
  Pastor Robert Young: New clarity emerges.
• 8:52
  Pastor Robert Young: You begin to see the world not through the lens of pressure or comparison, but through the lens of God's will, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.
• 9:07
  Pastor Robert Young: Then the craftsman walks you into a room filled with people, different backgrounds, different strengths, different stories.
• 9:18
  Pastor Robert Young: He looks at you and smiles and says, You belong to each other.
• 9:24
  Pastor Robert Young: You notice that each person has a unique tool in their hand: teaching, encouraging, generosity, leadership, mercy.
• 9:36
  Pastor Robert Young: Your own tool fits perfectly in your grip.
• 9:41
  Pastor Robert Young: You're not meant to do everything, just your part, faithfully and humbly.
• 9:49
  Pastor Robert Young: Next, he leads you into a garden where love grows like vines.
• 9:56
  Pastor Robert Young: But this love is not sentimental.
• 9:59
  Pastor Robert Young: It's sincere, it's gritty, and active.
• 10:04
  Pastor Robert Young: It hates evil, it clings to good, it honors others, it serves with zeal, it rejoices, it endures, it prays, it gives, and it welcomes.
• 10:21
  Pastor Robert Young: Finally, the craftsman brings you to a crossroad where enemies stand on the opposite path.
• 10:30
  Pastor Robert Young: The world whispers, strike back, but the craftsman whispers, bless them.
• 10:38
  Pastor Robert Young: You feel the tension, but you also feel his strength.
• 10:44
  Pastor Robert Young: You choose peace over revenge, kindness over retaliation, goodness over evil, and in that moment you realize this is what a transformed life looks like.
• 11:00
  Pastor Robert Young: With this in mind, let's take 5 minutes to reflect on the following question:
• 11:14
  Pastor Robert Young: Which part of my daily life, my thinking, my relationships, or my reactions need to be placed back on the workbench so God can renew it.
• 16:34
  Pastor Robert Young: Repeat this affirmation now and throughout your day:
• 16:34
  Pastor Robert Young: My life is a living offering to God.
• 16:37
  Pastor Robert Young: I am being transformed, renewed, and empowered to love sincerely, and to serve humbly and overcome evil with good.
• 16:54
  Pastor Robert Young: Father, I offer my whole self to you with my thoughts, my actions, my gifts, and my relationships.
• 17:14
  Pastor Robert Young: Transform my mind so I can see you more clearly.
• 17:20
  Pastor Robert Young: So I can see your will more clearly.
• 17:24
  Pastor Robert Young: Lord, teach me to love sincerely, to serve faithfully, and to respond to challenges with grace.
• 17:32
  Pastor Robert Young: Shake me into someone who reflects your mercy in every part of my life.
• 17:41
  Pastor Robert Young: For Christ's sake. Amen