Put off the old, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new man! Living in the aroma that Christ has provided.
Ephesians 4: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Put off, be renewed in your mind, put on! This is a supernatural command. This cannot be accomplished in the power of man. You must be born again to live on this level! The old man cannot receive the things of God; this is not a self improvement project! You died to sin when you came to Jesus and He made you a newly created being when you put your faith in Him. The whole church is built upon men making confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. If the object of your faith is in Jesus your Messiah you have the ability to make this supernatural exchange of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. It comes from the renewal of your mind. Bringing your soul in line with what God has already performed in your spirit. Your new man is created in true righteousness and holiness. You were birthed in it if you have been born again.
Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Just reforming the old man will never work because the carnal mind is enmity against God. The old man is not subject to the high law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, nor can it be. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. He that confesses Jesus is the Son of God , God dwells in him, and he in God. Reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin and alive unto God. We cannot skip the process of renewing our mind with the truth of who we are in Christ.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.”
There is a new man in you that has all the power you need for the issues of life. What hinders walking in this victory? Putting off the deeds of the old man by the Spirit of God! You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Put off, be renewed, put on!
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Renewing our mind with the word of God brings a lifestyle of receiving the things of the Spirit of God. The old man cannot receive them but the newly created being can. The renewal of your mind will make you a partaker of the inheritance Jesus shares.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
Walking in the new man is the way to closing the door on the devil! Speaking the truth to your neighbor is not just an exchange of generic truth. Speaking the truth to your neighbor is speaking the life found in Jesus Christ. Not long ago our pastor did a series on being a “Life Speaker”. What comes out of our mouth matters! The road block to victory is what the believer puts in or allows out of his mouth; thus the warning “Be angry and do not sin”. Be careful what comes out of your mouth while angry. If it is not the life giving truth it is the wrong thing coming out of your mouth. We are warned not to allow the sun to go down on our anger because it gives place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Laziness keeps open the door to the devil. Corrupt words proceeding out of your mouth opens wide the door to the devil. The words out of our mouth should have purpose and intent behind them! Our words should be good and necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. You believer have the power to impart divine influence to those who hear your words. Watch over your words to close the door on the devil! Corrupt words that do not impart grace grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption! Get the complaint out of your mouth replace it with a praise to and for God; you will excite the Holy Spirit by the words of your mouth. Close the door on the devil do not give him a foot hold in your life!
Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Verse 31 list what opens the door for the devil and grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Conversely, verse 32 list what closes the door on the devil and attracts and brings pleasure to the Spirit of God
A bitter spirit leaves a huge foot hold for the devil in the believers life. Satan has no power at all in the believer’s life, except for what the believer opens the door to! The wrath of man cannot bring about the righteousness of God! The believer cannot afford to walk in wrath and anger; it give place for the devil. Some have used anger and wrath as a way to manipulate their way; it is an open door for the devil. Have you known a family long enough to know the member of the household you must walk on eggshells. Believer’s who are running their households by bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (yelling and screaming), or malice (nastiness or cruelty) have given the enemy of their soul a foot hold. It is time for the believer to close the door on the devil! Too many homes are ruled by the believer’s emotions; unwittingly we have given the enemy a foothold in our homes. Our attitudes and the words of our mouth is the difference between walking in victory or defeat. Close the door on the devil.
Live in the new man! The new man flows with kindness toward one another. Tenderhearted people consider the weakness of their brother and love them anyways. It is a danger for the believer to develop a hard heart against those whom he believes are not measuring up. Love covers a multitude of sin! This new man has the ability to forgive others as Christ forgave us! Do you want to be free? Live in the new man and proactively forgive those who have wronged you.
Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Not forgiving is one of the strongest tools of the enemy. If you walk without forgiving you leave the door wide open for the devil to play havoc with your life. If he can keep you in complaint about something or someone he has open season in your life! Close the door on the devil! Forgive even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do!
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
This is not a call of God to reform the old man! This is a call of God to awaken to who He has made you. If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. We can be imitators of God as dear children. My four year old granddaughter had my shoes on the other night and announced “I’m papa”. Don’t imitate God after the codes, rules, regulations, and traditions of men. Imitate God as dear children. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. Walk in love! Not just any love but with the measure of love Christ loved us with. His sacrifice is a sweet-smelling aroma to God. You too can walk in this aroma in the new man that you are!
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