A Journey Through Ephesians…4:24-32

(24) Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (25) So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.  (26) And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, (27) for anger gives a foothold to the devil. (28) If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. (29) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (30) And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.(31) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. (32) Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Yesterday, I made mention of Paul’s giving us some instruction on the “how” of putting on a new nature. This is a very abstract concept for us to read and say “OK. New nature on. Got it.”

I read it and am like, “What? How?”

I suppose Paul figured this much so he goes into some very practical ways in which we actually do this. I wish there could be a colon or dash after verse 24….. That would make more sense to me. So let me break this down so you can peek into how my brain reads these instructions in 4:25-32.

How to Put on your NEW, Godlike Nature:

1. No lying – this includes defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, or any of the like. Instead, speak truth to each other BECAUSE we are all ONE.

2. Be ANGRY AT SIN, not your brother. Avoid grudges, nurturing anger, harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness because this gives the devil opportunities for division...remember we are all ONE.

3. No stealing. If you were once a thief, now go make an honest living. And once you do, SHARE with others … remember we are all ONE.

4. Watch your mouth. Resist temptation to use foul, profane, worthless, or vulgar words. These once came out of your mouth – but no more. ONLY say what builds others up and is a blessing to those who hear you speak. We need to encourage each other…. BECAUSE WE ARE ALL ONE. (see the trend?)

5. Replace bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander with kindness and FORGIVENESS towards each other. The enemy wants you DIVIDED. These tactics are how he tries to create disunity. DO NOT GIVE IN. Remember, God has forgiven YOU. So you can love and forgive others just the same.

6. Don’t bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit. Rely on Him for EVERYTHING listed above. You can’t do all of this on your own. Remember you are HIS…. He will help you do this DAILY.

I don’t know about you, but this helps me so much. But the BIGGEST Ah-HA moment for me is the REASON WHY for doing all of this.

We. Are. All. One.

Ephesians 4:3 tells us to make every effort to keep yourselves UNITED in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with PEACE. Friends, if we walk according to our OLD nature, we will breed division. Period. But, ALL of our new nature behaviors BREED UNITY. We should be ANGRY at the DEVIL for trying to separate us. Our unity is a threat to him, remember. Our bitterness, rage, lying etc are just tools he uses to weaken the power of God in the body of believers. It is super important that we see this.

There is a bigger picture here.

We are ONE. You and me. And it is SUCH a grace to know that the Holy Spirit empowers us to do ALL of this. Surrender to Him. Ask him for HELP. I know how it feels to have unforgiveness in my heart. I know the temptation of saying harsh words about other people – I still do this sometimes. But when I REMEMBER how much God has forgiven me through Christ, I can so easily release my bitterness towards my offender.

Read through this today and ask yourself without judgement…. “What is hard for me on this list?” Listen to God. Ask forgiveness if the Lord shows you something. What a gift. THEN, put on your NEW NATURE. (see list above for how!)

Putting on the “new self” will never be a “one and done.” This will be an ongoing rinse-and-repeat until heaven. And that is NOT because you are bad….it’s because the enemy wants a foothold. He wants us to look like him, not Jesus.

I just have to keep remembering that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers this dark world and abasing evil spirits in heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12….. It all pieces together friends. I hope you are seeing it, too!