The Will of God: Renewed Minds, Cross-Bearing Lives

Jun 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Neapolitan Ice Cream and the Threefold Flavor of God’s Will

The will of God isn’t a buffet where we pick between strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla. It’s a complete revelation—good in its benefit, acceptable in its alignment with God’s heart, and perfect in its completeness. Like a child eyeing the last scoop of strawberry ice cream, we often crave selective obedience. But God’s will isn’t fragmented. It’s a unified invitation to delight in His full design. To resist compartmentalizing His commands is to embrace the richness of His singular purpose. Renewing the mind means trading our flavor preferences for His full-course plan. [54:46]

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
(Romans 12:2, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been treating God’s will like a menu to order from rather than a feast to savor? What “flavor” of obedience feels hardest to swallow today?

Day 2: Bending the Knee Without Getting Up

Surrender isn’t a one-time altar call but a posture. Like a knee permanently bent before a king, submission requires staying low even when life tempts us to stand tall. The body resists—sleep feels sweeter than sacrifice, comfort safer than consecration. Yet presenting ourselves as living sacrifices means the alarm clock, the mundane tasks, and the quiet “no” to self all become worship. This daily offering isn’t heroic; it’s the reasonable service of those bought with blood. [59:45]

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
(Romans 12:1, NKJV)

Reflection: What ordinary moment today—getting out of bed, pausing to pray, choosing patience—can become your “living sacrifice”? Where does your body still rebel against being presented to God?

Day 3: Carrying Death to Breakfast

Taking up your cross isn’t a metaphor for bad traffic or burnt toast. It’s carrying an instrument of execution to your daily routines. Jesus carried His cross to Calvary; we carry ours to the kitchen table, the office, the school drop-off line. Each “yes” to God’s will crucifies the lie that our plans are better. The cross isn’t decorative—it’s where we die to the addiction of self-rule. But resurrection always follows surrender. [01:04:17]

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”
(Luke 9:23, NKJV)

Reflection: What part of your daily routine feels hardest to surrender to Christ’s lordship? How might carrying your cross there bring unexpected life?

Day 4: When Vanilla Means Surrender

Vanilla ice cream often gets left in the tub—plain, unexciting, the “default” flavor. Yet God’s will sometimes looks vanilla: faithful church attendance, forgiving the same person again, choosing patience in the checkout line. These unglamorous obediences form the backbone of holiness. Like Ezekiel piling strawberry ice cream high, we crave dramatic assignments. But the vanilla moments—showing up, forgiving, waiting—prove the sincerity of our “yes” to God. [01:11:39]

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5, NKJV)

Reflection: What “vanilla obedience” have you been avoiding or resenting? How might embracing it deepen your roots in Christ?

Day 5: Abiding Where the Fruit Grows

Fruit isn’t manufactured through hustle but grown through abiding. A branch doesn’t stress about producing grapes—it simply stays connected to the vine. Our role isn’t to force outcomes but to remain in Christ through His Word and Spirit. Abiding exposes the lie that productivity equals worth. When His words live in us, our prayers align with His heartbeat, and our lives yield eternal fruit—not for our glory, but the Father’s. [01:19:32]

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
(John 15:7-8, NKJV)

Reflection: What areas of striving do you need to exchange for abiding? How might sitting with Christ’s words today reshape your desires?

Sermon Summary

Paul calls the church to stop letting the world shape its thinking and to start letting God’s word and Spirit renew the mind so that the church can prove what the will of God actually is. God’s will is not three options like a Neapolitan tub. God’s will is one will, and that will is good, acceptable, and perfect all at once. God’s will is God’s will, not a pick-and-choose. King David delighted to do that will, and the believer learns the same delight as the mind gets washed in Scripture and the Spirit’s leading.

Romans 12 says the body must be presented as a living sacrifice. The Christian does not belong to self anymore. Christ bought that life with his blood, and the Spirit now indwells the temple. Allegiance has shifted from darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. So the body gets placed on the altar, the mind gets renewed, and the feet start walking in what God says, not in what the world parades.

Jesus sets the pattern. He says, deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow. The cross is a death walk. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays through the cup and bows his will to the Father. The yes is settled before the wood is carried. That is where discipleship lives each day. Keep the knee bended. Never get off the knees in the heart, because the moment self stands up, self tries to take the throne. That was Lucifer’s path and Adam and Eve’s fall. Self wants to be god. The Spirit checks that drift and brings the believer back to yes, Lord.

The Spirit also makes it practical. Obedience lands in ordinary choices. Gathering with the saints matters. Forgiving when the heart would rather hang on matters. Patience in small irritations matters. Sin does not come in safe sizes. The cross of Christ paid for all, so the Spirit will press on any piece of self-rule and call it to the cross.

Jesus’ picture of the vine makes it plain. He is the vine. The believer is a branch. Abiding in him and letting his words abide within produces fruit that lasts. Without him, nothing eternal is produced. With his word alive inside, prayer turns confident, because the mouth starts asking what the will of God wants done. That fruit glorifies the Father. Salvation starts the lifelong and eternal walk with Jesus, and love for him shows up as doing what he says.

Key Takeaways

1. One will that is good, acceptable, perfect God’s will does not split into levels of commitment. The one will of God carries three qualities at once, so the believer does not shop among options but bows to a single Lord. That clarity frees the heart from indecision and the pressure to perform for status. Delight grows as the mind learns what God has actually said. [56:33]
2. Renewed minds prove God’s will Transformation comes as Scripture and the Spirit re-train desire and thought. The believer stops letting the world set the menu and starts craving what the kingdom serves. Over time, obedience stops feeling foreign and starts feeling like home. Discernment rises because the mind has been made new. [57:34]
3. Keep the knee bended, take the cross Daily discipleship settles the yes before the test arrives. Saying no to self is not self-hatred, it is love for the Father’s will, after the pattern of Jesus. That posture protects the soul from the old climb to the throne and keeps Christ as Lord in practice, not just in title. [63:49]
4. Abide to bear fruit that lasts Union with Christ and his words nourishing the inner life are the only way to produce eternal fruit. Activity without abiding may grow leaves but not grapes. When the word abides, prayer aligns with the Father’s heart and becomes effective. The Father is glorified when much fruit appears. [79:09]
5. Obedience lands in ordinary choices The will of God often meets the believer in small crossroads that shape a life. Choosing to gather, to forgive, to slow down and be patient are not minor; they are the places the cross is carried. Faithfulness in these simple obediences keeps the heart soft and the life aimed at what pleases God. [70:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[53:10] - Introducing God’s will
[54:30] - One will that is good, acceptable, perfect
[54:46] - Retiring the Neapolitan picture
[57:15] - Present your bodies to God
[57:34] - Renewing the mind, not conformed
[59:45] - Bought with a price, new allegiance
[63:49] - Deny self, take up the cross
[65:10] - Gethsemane and the settled yes
[66:31] - Self on the throne backfires
[70:49] - Obedience in ordinary choices
[77:04] - Abide in the Vine
[79:55] - Praying the will with confidence
[83:01] - Scripture-shaped prayer and blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

John 15:4-5 (NKJV)
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Observation Questions

According to Romans 12:2, what three qualities describe God’s will? How does the sermon contrast this with the idea of a "Neapolitan tub" of options? [54:30]
What does Jesus say is required daily of those who follow Him in Luke 9:23? How does the sermon connect this to a "death walk"? [01:03:49]
In John 15:4-5, what happens to a branch that does not abide in the vine? What example from the sermon illustrates the danger of ignoring God’s Word? [01:16:07]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between ordinary choices (like gathering with believers) and obedience to God’s will? [01:10:49]

Interpretation Questions

Why is renewing the mind (Romans 12:2) critical for discerning God’s will? How might conformity to the world hinder this process?
Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39) shows Him submitting His will to the Father. How does this example challenge believers to approach daily decisions? [01:05:10]
The sermon warns that "self-rule" leads to spiritual downfall, like Lucifer’s rebellion. Why is denying self (Luke 9:23) not about self-hatred but love for God’s will?
How does abiding in Christ (John 15:4-5) practically affect prayer and confidence in asking according to God’s will? [01:19:55]

Application Questions

What area of your life feels most influenced by the world’s values (e.g., priorities, entertainment, relationships)? What step could you take this week to renew your mind in that area?
Identify a recent situation where you resisted obeying God in an "ordinary choice" (e.g., impatience, unforgiveness). How can you surrender that to the cross daily? [01:12:41]
How do you currently prioritize abiding in Christ through His Word? What practical habit (e.g., Scripture memory, prayerful reading) could help His words “abide” in you more deeply?
Reflect on a time when you tried to produce "fruit" (e.g., ministry, relationships) without abiding in Christ. What did that reveal about relying on your own strength?
The sermon says, "Delight grows as the mind learns what God has actually said." What truth from Scripture have you recently found life-giving? How could you share that with someone this week?

Sermon Clips

25s

#NotMyOwn

“``My body is not mine to do what I like with. I'm committed. I've given my life to Christ, which is my total self, and you have two once you become in born again. You give your whole being to God. Your spirit, soul, and body belongs to God, and you become the dwelling place of God. And God lives in us. We are the temple of the holy spirit, the holy ghost. So I'm not my own. I'm his, and I'm bought with the price, and that price is the precious blood of Jesus.”

35s

#RenewMyMind

“We're not our own. We're his. And I think that's always a good scripture. Well, for me to hang on to is that when I wanna do what I wanna do, that scripture, holy spirit brings that to my mind. Say, well, you're not your own. And we never ever would belong to ourselves because when you're in under Satan's dominion, he runs you. He controls you. We think we do, but we don't. So we so we in God's kingdom when we serve him and follow him. So we just said, how we doing the will of God? We need to get the mind renewed. So our body's gotta be available.”

42s

#PrayerfulObedience

“so we know that Jesus, he was praying us three times to the father, would he take the cup or this this, journey was on. Would you please take it away? And and God never took it away. So what did Jesus say? Each time he said, I don't really wanna do this. It's not what I want, but I will do your will. the father never took it away. So he picked he went and did his and so, really, he made that decision in that time of prayer with the father what he was gonna do. So he took up his cross before he, you know, spiritually or in his mind, he took it up before he ever actually physically took it up.”

54s

#DieToSelfLiveForGod

“So we just look at what Jesus he what did he do? When he took up his cross, where was he off to? He was off to Calvary to die. He was on a death walk, and that's what we do. Every day, we take up our cross. It's an instrument of death, Jesus did his cross. He did his father's will. And so when I pick up my cross and you pick up your cross each day, we're saying, I'm dead to my will, and I'm alive unto God's will. And that's just dying to yourself and living to God. But there are those little examples in the scripture where God gives us examples that are easy to understand, and it brings, spiritual realities down into our everyday lives where we can understand.”

55s

#AbideAndBearFruit

“So the thing is we make sure that you're abiding, dwelling in Christ, and his word dwells in you. And that means you gotta read the word. You gotta read the word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit to give to you and to me what God's will is for us, each one. If we don't, we won't be bearing any fruit. And there's some consequences there too. See and because Jesus said, without me, you can do nothing. That's what that scripture says. Without him, we can do nothing. And I thought, well, I do do some things, but what he's talking about is eternal fruit. What are we producing that has eternal value? What are we producing that's lasting? Not just in our lives, but in the lives of people around about us.”

59s

#PrayAccordingToHisWill

“Because I say we're asking if the word abides, we know the will of God, and we will ask the will of God. We won't be asking for things that are of the flesh or just what I want. We will ask what God wants, what he's looking for in our lives, and maybe what he wants to see in other people's lives. So your prayers can be very effective when the word of God binds in you. You can pray effectively according to the word of God for yourself and other people as well. It says we can have confidence. And John five fourteen to 15 tells us that we last with confidence because we know we know we're gonna get it because we've asked according to his will. And it also says in verse eight, fifteen eight, that the father is glorified when we produce much fruit. So that's all part of the effects of abiding and doing God's will.”

34s

#KingdomAllegiance

“And we think we belong to ourselves. Well, we never ever belong to ourselves. We're either in the kingdom of darkness or we're living in the well, it's not the kingdom. It's it's a it's a it's just a place of darkness. now we're living in the kingdom of God, in the kingdom of light, in the kingdom of God's dear son. That is where our allegiance is. In his towards Christ. He gave himself for you and for me. Not that I would be free to serve myself, but I'm free to serve him, to love him, to walk with him, and be one with him.”

45s

#LifelongFaithJourney

“and that's what it's like when you get being you get born again. You become one with Christ in your spirit, and now you belong to him. And so you need to walk with him. That's the wisest and safest thing to do. And, and it says, if if we love him, Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. You will do my will, my word. So we do love him, and we will do what he asks of us. Because it not only is it good for us, but it just shows it's bring peace of mind and joy in your heart when you walk with God. So your salvation is just your born again experience. It's just beginning of a lifelong journey and eternal journey with God. So we just thank him.”

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The Will of God: Renewed Minds, Cross-Bearing Lives

Devotional

Day 1: Neapolitan Ice Cream and the Threefold Flavor of God’s Will

Day 2: Bending the Knee Without Getting Up

Day 3: Carrying Death to Breakfast

Day 4: When Vanilla Means Surrender

Day 5: Abiding Where the Fruit Grows

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Will of God: Renewed Minds, Cross-Bearing Lives

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