Heart of Worship: 30 Days to Deeper PraiseSample

What’s up! It’s Aaron Cole, and I am excited to bring you today’s Scripture from Romans 12:1-2 (NIV):

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.”

Have you ever found yourself comparing your talents, or your life to someone else? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t figure out where you were going or God’s plan for your life? I’ve definitely been there. I grew up in a small town in Virginia where I always dreamed of making music for God at a high level. I worked day and night, making tons of sacrifices, just to fulfill the plan of devoting myself to music to reach God’s people through it. In 2019 I won New Artist of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards. Through trials and tribulations, I finally felt like all my hard work had paid off as I started reaching people for God at the highest level. However, shortly after (as you know) the whole world shut down in a global pandemic and almost everything in the music industry stopped. As I reflect, I remember worrying day and night about if my dream had come to end. I found myself dealing with depression. I would give a smile in public, do the things I had to do to get by, but when I got home, I was contemplating on if my savings and unemployment checks would be able to pay my bills on time. Imagine having to give the world hope and encouragement when you are struggling yourself to have faith and trust in God.

But it was in that season - when my plans were falling apart - that God reminded me this life isn’t about my plan. It’s about His plan.

Romans 12 says to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and not conform to the patterns of this world. For me, that meant I had to stop measuring my worth by my schedule, my streams, my shows, or my success. The world’s pattern says, “If you’re not producing, you’re not valuable.” But God’s pattern says, “You’re already loved, already chosen, and I’m working things together for your good - even in the silence.”

I had to let God renew my mind. Instead of waking up thinking, “How do I keep my career alive?", I began praying, “God, what do You want to do with me today? How do you want me to serve you with what I have, right here?” And the crazy thing is, that shift didn’t just give me peace - it brought clarity. Slowly but surely, doors started opening again. But this time, I was walking through them with a surrendered heart, not a desperate one.

Maybe you’re in that same place - wondering if you’ve missed your moment, or if you’re somehow behind. I want to encourage you today: you are not late, you are not forgotten, and God’s plan is still good, pleasing, and perfect. It reminds me of my song “Nobody But God”. Even though I didn’t know my next step at times, I’m still standing here today and it was nobody but God that got me through. Don’t conform to the fear, pressure, and comparison around you. Let Him renew your mind. Surrender your story to Him, and watch how He’ll write it better than you ever could.