PUTTING ON THE NEW SELF (SUMMARY)

As a result of the response to the six part series on “putting on the new 
self” I recently distributed, I felt that I should consolidate them into 
one devotional and distribute (in case someone wants to print it and keep 
it as a reminder of what it means to become a new person when we receive 
God’s salvation). Apologies to those who read the six parts already.

COMMENT:
When Paul tells believers to “put on the new self”, he doesn’t 
‘leave us hanging’ to try and figure out what that means. With 
the Lord’s guidance, Paul is given the wisdom to list a few of 
the areas where we should focus as we make our transition to 
becoming a follower of Christ, after receiving God’s salvation. 
Maybe you are not a Christian but feel God calling you to receive 
His salvation. Or, perhaps you have been a Christian for a long time
but have struggled with fellowshipping with the Lord. In either case,
although this is not an exhaustive list, Paul provides us valuable
information regarding some of the expectations of Christians.

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“…and to put on the new self, 
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
(Ephesians 4:24)

LYING:
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully 
to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)
Lying is not expected of those who have ‘put on the new self’ 
as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

Do you still get that cold chill 
and feeling of guiltiness whenever you tell a lie?
Or have you developed a lifestyle of lying, that has 
desensitized you from feeling guilty whenever you are untruthful?
You may have gone through a phase where you justified every lie you 
told, but now you don’t even feel the need to make excuses for them any 
longer; you just freely tell lies easily without thought or guilty feelings.
Perhaps lying has become too easy for you.

You might be in a habit of lying to impress others, to hide the truth, 
to avoid getting into trouble, to try to take advantage of others, 
to prevent embarrassment, or for any other reasons.
You may think you are fooling others, but your ‘neighbors’ will soon 
discover that you tell lies, and as a result they know you cannot be trusted.

God’s people should be people known for their trustworthiness and honesty.
We live in a world where we cannot even trust those 
in positions of leadership who are involved in making 
decisions that affect our country and our lifestyles.
Have you ever tried to imagine 
how different our world would be if everyone told the truth?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for the lies I have told and help me to 
always be truthful and trustworthy in the future.”


ANGER:
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are 
still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Harboring anger and sinning in our anger is not expected of those who 
have ‘put on the new self’ as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

How have we evolved into a society comprised of angry and vengeful people? 
Most of the time anger is directly associated with selfishness. 
In other words, someone did something that affected you, so you became angry. 
Maybe someone cut you off in traffic, or honked their horn at you.

Perhaps they broke something that belonged to you, 
or did something hurtful to one of your friends. 
Whatever the cause, you became angry 
and immediately started thinking of ways to get even.

If you were cut off in traffic, you honked your horn, 
or sped up so you could cut in front of them, 
or even worse you gave them a vulgar hand sign. 
When was the last time you became angry and what caused it? 
Whenever you retaliate or tell others about someone who offended 
you, then you are allowing your anger to cause you to sin. 
We cleverly call it “venting”, but it is sinful to gossip about others.

Why do you think we are told to 
‘not let the sun go down while you are still angry’? 
Doesn’t it sound like the scriptures are acknowledging 
that we will have flare ups at times, but we need to leave that anger 
at the end of the day, rather than carrying it with us into the night 
and the following days?

If we carry it forward, then our anger will only increase, 
and we will think about what we should have done, or should have said. 
We start thinking of how to retaliate and we begin to tell others 
all kinds of bad things about the person who offended us.

We attack their character (probably including lies) 
and try to influence others to not have anything to do with them. 
When we react this way, we are sinning in our anger. 
Any door of sin that we open, will allow Satan 
to get a foothold in our life and give him the opportunity 
to gain more control of us and our attitudes.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for allowing my anger to cause me to sin. 
Help me to control my anger in the future and to learn to let it go 
whenever I have moments of anger.”


STEALING:
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, 
doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have 
something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)
Stealing is not expected of those who have ‘put on the new self’ 
as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

We learn to steal at an early age don’t we? 
If you don’t believe it, 
then just put some toddlers together with some toys and observe them. 
One may have twice as many toys as another one, 
but as soon as the other one is not looking, 
he or she will grab their toy and add it to their own pile.

As adults, we look at that kind of action 
and think the child should be happy with what they already have. 
However, many adults do the same thing. 
They fail to appreciate what God has already given them,
and become totally obsessed with what others have
(it could be possessions, talents, looks, personality, etc.).

We have created a society of thieves 
with no consciences who are envious of what belongs to others. 
Instead of saving their money so they can have the same things, 
they just take what doesn’t belong to them.

During Thanksgiving week, we had a vertical welcome flag that 
said “Give Thanks” and it was stolen by someone during the night!
Imagine the lack of thought or feelings of guiltiness 
that would cause someone to steal something that says “give”.

It’s sad that many parents are teaching their children 
to continue their mentality of taking things that do 
not belong to them with no feelings of remorse.
It can be something as small as taking a pen 
or something else fairly inexpensive from the place where they work.

The attitude seems to be, ‘it doesn’t cost much and the company 
makes enough money that they wouldn’t miss this one item’.
However, it cannot be justified in any way, 
and is still a violation of God’s command that “thou shalt not steal”.

Stealing can also include ignoring the mistakes of others.
For instance, one day when I went to lunch, 
there was a long line at the register paying for their meals.
I gave the girl a five dollar bill and she gave me change for a twenty.
When I gave her back the extra change, the look on her face, 
and the expression of her appreciation, was worth far more than
the few bucks I could have kept by ignoring her mistake.

Unfortunately, stealing can become a habit in the most subtle way.
Satan has convinced many that it is okay to steal from God.
How does God feel about this lie?
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not 
destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away 
from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will 
return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to 
return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, 
‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:6-8)

Giving God what He asks of us is not only being obedient to Him,
but it is also an expression of our love for Him and all He has given us.

The scriptures give us a great remedy 
for those who think stealing is okay; we are told that we ‘must work’. 
If someone else has something we like and want, 
rather than taking what doesn’t belong to us, we should 
dedicate ourselves to working and saving (including the control of
our impulse buying) until we can buy it for ourselves.

This is probably one of the main reasons 
scripture tells us not to boast about anything. 
When we brag about what we have, and/or, how it is the best, we can
feed the fire of envy in others that could create a desire in them to steal.

The scriptures take it one step further 
than working to get the things we want. 
We are told that when we do things the right way 
and put in an honest day’s work, we open the door 
of opportunity to share with the less fortunate.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for the times I have stolen from others 
and help me to always work for the things I desire in the future. Teach 
me the joy of giving to others who have needs. Thank You, Jesus, for 
giving to me before I even realized I had a need!”


THE THINGS WE SAY ABOUT OTHERS:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only 
what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, 
that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
Saying bad things about others is not expected of those who have 
‘put on the new self’ as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

Whenever someone receives more recognition than we do, 
some people look for ways to ‘bring them down a notch’.
One of the popular ways of trying to lower their recognition 
is to tell others derogatory things (often untrue) 
about the person who is the target of their jealousy.

Jealousy, is the true motivation for ‘bad mouthing’ others, isn’t it?
We want everything to be about us, 
and when it isn’t, we strike out in the worst ways.
Believe it or not, the things we find wrong in others 
are often the things we are guilty of doing ourselves.
I had a co-worker who was quick to point out whenever someone else 
was lying, but he was notorious for exaggerating the truth himself.

We can become very creative whenever we want to 
tear down someone else in our attempts to build ourselves up.
Have you ever heard someone say, 
“I really like (fill in the blank), but...”.
We know that many times whatever follows the word “but”, 
is not going to be something positive or uplifting about the other person.

The truth is, doing things to hurt others 
will never make us feel better about ourselves.
Conversely, saying and doing things to build up others 
will increase our self-esteem.

If Jesus wanted others to know the bad things about us, 
we know that He would have much to tell them, wouldn’t He?
But He is not 'all about Himself'.
Instead, Jesus wants to build us up, to help us increase our self-esteem, 
and show us how we can be more like Him.

In no way does this mean we become independent and no longer need the Lord.
A person strengthened by the Lord 
readily admits his or her dependency on the Lord.
Why? Because they have confidence in themselves 
and do not consider dependence on the Lord as a sign of weakness.

Rather than making efforts to point out our faults to others, 
Jesus prefers to focus on our good qualities 
and our potential for doing good things.
As He builds us up, we become more effective and productive for His kingdom.
If we truly want to be like Him, 
then we need to do the same things for others.

The next time you are about to tell someone something negative about 
another person, stop and think about the good qualities they possess.
Also, whenever someone is telling you bad things about someone else,
rather than “piling on”, think of at least one good quality about that person.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for the times I have talked badly about 
others and help me to always look for the positives in others.
Develop in me the ability to say encouraging things 
to others that are beneficial to them.”


GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT:
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed 
for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, 
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 
(Ephesians 4:30-31)
Doing things that grieve the Holy Spirit is not expected of those who 
have ‘put on the new self’ as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

When we receive God’s salvation 
we are given His Spirit (Holy Spirit) to live within us.
The Holy Spirit serves as a seal of our redemption status.
Can you imagine how He feels 
whenever He sees us willfully sinning in His presence?
We can be very clever at hiding our sins from others, 
but not from the Holy Spirit.

He dwells within us to activate our conscience 
whenever we stray from God’s expectations of those who belong to Him.
He is also our encourager whenever Satan tries to dampen 
our spirit in order to render us ineffective as agents of the Lord.
Imagine for a moment how discouragement could be a downward spiral, 
if it were not for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.

Rather than grieve the Holy Spirit, we should have a desire to please Him.
Does it mean we will never fail?
Of course not, but it does mean that our primary focus 
is to do the things that will be pleasing to the Lord.

In previous verses, Paul gave the Ephesians specific areas to consider 
whenever ‘putting on the new self’, and here he gives them (and us) 
some things that need to be eliminated from our lives 
in order to prevent grieving the Holy Spirit.
Each of the ones he lists will in some way have a negative 
impact on others, which is contrary to the Holy Spirit’s 
intentions of having a positive impact on our own lives.

We grieve the Holy Spirit whenever our actions and words 
indicate that He is not living in us. 
He listed things like lying, stealing, anger, etc. 
but it also includes the way we speak.
Some freely use profanity and justify it by saying, “That’s just who I am”.
Really? Is that how the Lord made you? 
Is that how the Lord wants you to be?

How does that type of language encourage others 
to become followers of Christ?
If just one person is turned away from the Lord from the words we use,
then wouldn’t it make sense to change our habits and allow the Holy 
Spirit to have complete control of our lives, including our language?

When He is in control, our language will not grieve Him.
The words we speak should be flavored with the Holy Spirit 
so they will encourage others and not distract or confuse them
about our relationship with the Lord.

Paul is very blunt 
when telling us to get rid of specific things in our lives.
Why? Because they should not be a part of the ‘new self’ we put on.
Bitterness, rage, anger, fighting, slander and malice are all indications 
that a person is self-centered and not concerned about others, 
which is contrary to Paul’s message to the Philippians (and us).
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility 
value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests 
but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for the times I have grieved the Holy 
Spirit and help me to focus on things that will please Him (and You) 
in the future.”


FORGIVING:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, 
just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Lack of forgiveness, kindness, and compassion 
is not expected of those who have ‘put on the new self’ 
as one who has been ‘created to be like God’.

We all make mistakes at times 
and would give anything if we could ‘undo’ them.
However, it is impossible to ‘unscramble an egg’, so we need to 
ask for and receive forgiveness from those we have offended.
But will they forgive us?
 
Some allow their own self-centeredness to be exposed 
when they have an attitude of never forgiving someone 
who has offended them in some way.
Others might say they forgive, but their actions indicate they have not.
Some seem to enjoy holding failures over others who have offended them.
They frequently, or infrequently, remind them of incidents of the past, 
which is a strong indicator that they have not truly forgiven them.

Whenever we refuse to sincerely forgive another person, 
then we are not showing kindness and compassion, 
which are evidences of forgiveness.
Aren’t you glad we worship a God who is compassionate and kind?
Imagine how much different we would feel 
if He refused to forgive us for our failures.
All hope would be lost the very first time we offended or disobeyed Him.

But God is not like that, and He doesn’t want 
those who represent Him to be unforgiving either.
He wants us to be a true reflection of the One we worship by showing 
kindness, compassion, and most of all, our willingness to forgive others.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father forgive me for failing to forgive others and help 
me to always be kind, compassionate and forgiving in the future. 
Thank You for Your kindness, compassion and forgiveness of the
times I have offended You with my disobedience.”