IDENTITY IN CHRIST | DAY 19
Ephesians 4:20-24
But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
I am no longer who I was
This passage blows my mind. I’m new!! I know where I come from, I know what kind of craziness I’m capable of, and yet King Jesus has called me to be…NEW. The TRUTH is only in Jesus Christ. Truth gives life. New life!
Now this change is radical. I know a lot of you are saying to yourself, impossible would be a better word, but it’s not. Salvation is a miracle by God, and change (sanctification) is the miracle continued for God’s glory and your greater good. Is this difficult? Completely impossible without Jesus. We can’t do this by ourselves!! Lies are what destroy. We hear them from the enemy and we tell them to ourselves. Lies are murderous. They desire to kill the truth. Verse 23 and 24 give some clarity to this process:
1.) We must be renewed in how we think, what we believe
Renewal is daily! Think water and food. We drink living water, and we eat the bread of life (The best diet ever :)
As Christ followers, this is why reading scripture and learning to pray daily RENEWS your heart and mind!
This is where the battle is won or lost
2.) We put on NEW clothes that God has made for us
Righteousness, purity, and truth
None of these can be obtained by yourself
We must stay close to God because He alone can do the work
Questions
How do you feel about relying on others?
How does this translate into being called to rely on God?
What truths you have learned from scripture give you hope?