"...put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires...put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24
I daily face a challenge. I have things that I want to do, which I know and believe God would have me to do. And yes, I really do try to do them as often as I can. But I face another reality that is at work within me. I have a rather significant part of me that wants to do what it wants to do, and not what God wants to do. I have an old self, that lives for its own good, and at the same time, I have a new self, which wants to do what is good for others.
I make a lot of efforts to put off this old self, to a lot of mixed results. There are certain things that just simply are not greatly tempting to this old self, and in that, I thank God that He gives me strength in such areas. Yet, there are also those things that really do seem to speak powerfully to the old self. The old self wants to get involved in them, and to put off the new self when it comes to those things. Shoot, I even find the old self making what sounds almost like a godly excuse. "Go ahead, because you know you're forgiven by Jesus. Just give in, and that will take away the temptation." And I have to admit that I find myself sorely tempted.
Putting off the old self isn't easy. In fact, one of the things that I have discovered as a pastor is that one simply cannot do this on our own. That's why God gives us the Body of Christ, our fellow brothers and sisters. If we try to put off the old self on our own, we're simply going to slip back into that same thing time and time again. However, when we ask someone to help us bear the burden, to keep us accountable to our God and to each other, we have a source of strength that we would not have on our own.
Where are those areas in which you have a tough time putting off the old self? Is it some sinful behaviour you are caught up in? Is it something you know you should be doing, but simply aren't? Who is there within your body of believers that can share the burden with you, holding you accountable, and yet lovingly walking with you through it? I would dare say that such a person would be one of God's greatest gifts when it comes to putting off the old self.
I daily face a challenge. I have things that I want to do, which I know and believe God would have me to do. And yes, I really do try to do them as often as I can. But I face another reality that is at work within me. I have a rather significant part of me that wants to do what it wants to do, and not what God wants to do. I have an old self, that lives for its own good, and at the same time, I have a new self, which wants to do what is good for others.
I make a lot of efforts to put off this old self, to a lot of mixed results. There are certain things that just simply are not greatly tempting to this old self, and in that, I thank God that He gives me strength in such areas. Yet, there are also those things that really do seem to speak powerfully to the old self. The old self wants to get involved in them, and to put off the new self when it comes to those things. Shoot, I even find the old self making what sounds almost like a godly excuse. "Go ahead, because you know you're forgiven by Jesus. Just give in, and that will take away the temptation." And I have to admit that I find myself sorely tempted.
Putting off the old self isn't easy. In fact, one of the things that I have discovered as a pastor is that one simply cannot do this on our own. That's why God gives us the Body of Christ, our fellow brothers and sisters. If we try to put off the old self on our own, we're simply going to slip back into that same thing time and time again. However, when we ask someone to help us bear the burden, to keep us accountable to our God and to each other, we have a source of strength that we would not have on our own.
Where are those areas in which you have a tough time putting off the old self? Is it some sinful behaviour you are caught up in? Is it something you know you should be doing, but simply aren't? Who is there within your body of believers that can share the burden with you, holding you accountable, and yet lovingly walking with you through it? I would dare say that such a person would be one of God's greatest gifts when it comes to putting off the old self.
Remember that the war within will not end, as the old man or the old nature seeks to dominate the heart and soul of the child of God. You will never escape the angry contemptuous thought, the lustful desire, the doubts of your salvation, and the besetting sin which depresses you, but then....that is where the grace of God comes to fruition. We keep going back to Jesus, we sin, we repent, we are sorry, we feel joy, then pain, and the cycle of our Christian life continues...but alas....unbeknown to us...the Holy Spirit is working full time....Jesus is praying for us....and so are others. So we continue taking the rocky, narrow road, walking past the potholes and cracks...but we keep going because we know inwardly that God loves us, Jesus is leading us, and grace will sustain us.
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