For we walk by faith, not by sight. — 2 Corinthians 5:7

After the new birth which brought us into a relationship with God, we will be challenged to live or walk in a new way.  Before we were born again, we lived by what we saw and what we felt.  If things were going good, we had a good day; if things were going bad, we had a bad day.  If we felt healed, we were healed; if we had a symptom, we were sick.  Feelings and emotions ruled our life.  God’s desire, accomplished through His Word and His Spirit, is to slowly change our evidence in life from feelings and emotions to His Word.  His Word never changes.  It says the same thing yesterday and today, and will say the same thing tomorrow.  If His Word says I’m blessed, then I am going to believe His Word-–yes, I’m blessed.  If it says I am to rejoice, then I will, in spite of whether I feel like rejoicing or not.  The more time I spend in the Word and make the commitment to believe it and obey it, the more I will see my walk change.  Soon stability will come into my life, and instead of being up and down, hot and cold, I will remain constant in my daily walk.  Feelings and emotions are not bad or evil, but they must be put in their right place:  subject to the Word of God.  We walk by faith and not by sight.

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: — 1 Peter 1:14

Peter tells us not to fashion ourselves according to who we formerly were.  To fashion means “to conform to, to change in appearance to look like, to change by being conformed or being transformed.”  Today, people are always in search of the latest fashions.  They consult Hollywood to know what the “in” style of clothing is–-the latest shoes, the newest outfits, and the hottest colors.  Peter is telling you to put on and wear the newest spiritual fashions.  Take off the old, former, outdated appearance and put on the “new you” style.  Fashion yourself according to the Word of God, the new person you have been made to be.  How do you do this?  As an obedient child!  Most of the time we believe obedience means to obey what God is telling us to do; but obedience is also to be what God has told you that you are!  He even gives you one piece of your new outfit:  be holy–-for I am holy (v.15)!  He is saying, wear what Jesus wore:  holiness in your life.  He does not tell you to “become” holy, He tells you to be holy, because you have been born again, made like Him, and He is holy.  Be righteous, be healed, be joyful, be peaceful, be powerful, be obedient to who He has made you to be!  Put on the new fashion, the new creation wardrobe, and stop wearing the same fashions that you wore before you were saved.  They are no longer in style.  Anger, lying, cheating, failing, depression, grumbling–-all are out of fashion.  That 1960's suit has to go!  Those striped bell-bottoms are no longer in style–-throw them away and put on a new wardrobe that fits the new you.

...be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

— Romans 12:2

You will either be conformed or you will be transformed on a daily basis.  If you are conformed, you will live like, think like, and act like the rest of the world.  You will blend in and be “in style” with those who have not been born again and who live a sinful, powerless life.  But you can be transformed!  Transformation comes from the inside out, not the outside in.  By a decision to believe who God has made you in the new birth, you can change your outward appearance to line up with who you really are-–on the inside!  Conformity gets and believes its information from what it sees around it.  Conformity judges itself on how it feels and how it is performing that day.  “Are you anointed?”  “Not today!  I don’t feel like I have any power at all!”  So it chooses to live without the anointing that day.  Transformation says, “I don’t feel anointed, I don’t look anointed, but I’m going to fashion myself to the Word.  ‘I have an anointing’ (1 John 2:20, 27), so I choose to be transformed, I choose to be obedient to the Word”  =  “I am anointed today!”  “Based on some ‘inside information’ I can live an anointed life today!”  What happened?  I have been transformed by the renewing of my mind!  The real me is now living through me.  I have put on the new man, the new Christ-fashion of the day.  Just like you choose daily what you will wear in the natural, you can choose daily what to put on in the spirit.  Stop being conformed, and start to obey the Word and be transformed.

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. — 1 Peter 3:3, 4

Peter is trying to take the focus of the Christians off the natural and onto the real person–-the spirit!  He is not saying that it is wrong to style your hair, or wear make-up, or have gold jewelry or nice clothes – he is saying do not make them your priority.  Concentrate on the real you–-the hidden man of the heart.  Build him up, make him strong, adorn yourself with righteousness and holiness and a meek and quiet spirit.  There is not enough make-up in the world to cover up a weak and confused spirit.  Spend your time putting on the new you, the powerful you, the Christ-like you.  In the sight of God, this is of great price!  Natural things like gold and make-up and good clothing come with a great price.  We men and women alike spend a lot of time and money to look our best.  To look good spiritually will also cost you something:  time.  Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in the presence of God, time to put on the new you.  Gold is corruptible and will pass away!  Makeup is corruptible and will wash away.  Even the clothes we are so proud of today will be out-of-date soon.  But the real you-–the hidden man of the heart-–can be clothed daily, can be renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).  Spend some time putting on, and being transformed by, the Word.