How to Put Off Your Old Self

Ephesians 4:17-24 “17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Father God, we thank you for the instruction and truth found in your word. It is our ultimate source of love and guidance to hear from you, this love letter written for all ages. You call us up and out in firm and loving ways to direct us to your ways of true righteousness and holiness. Let us take steps today towards who you are calling us to be; show us where we need to work to reach your truths.

This section of our chapter in Ephesians really boils down to one central message: “Put off your old self...and to put on the new self” (verses 22-24). I want to take our time today to dive deeper into this because it’s something I’ve been working through as an integral part of growing in spiritual maturity.

Let’s start with describing our “old self.” Your old self is the flesh-driven part of you that is arrogant, lazy, angry, ok with lying or cheating, gossiping, lustful and generally selfish. I’m not saying you’re all of these things or any of these to such high degrees that you’re what the world considers a “bad person.” The point is, these are tendencies inside even the best of us that underlay and skew some of our good intentions. These are all our sinful tendencies we’d really rather not admit or deal with.

And yet we must.

We’re clearly told that we must not live that way anymore (vs 17). These tendencies keep us from closeness with God because He cannot be around sin. When we give in to our fleshly desires, we experience a hardening of our hearts and sad separation from God. We start to wonder where he went and why he’s letting bad things happen to us.

But maybe it’s our own doing as we turn from Him to pursue our old fleshly habits. God never leaves us, but he won’t support your sinful choices.

So how do we put off the “old self” so we can embrace the new spirit inside of us? Let’s get practical about it.

I suggest we fill our heads and our hearts with God. We can do that by: 1 – Listening to faith-based music, podcasts, audio books, etc. 2 – Prioritizing time each day to connect with God through the Bible. Every little bit helps. 3 – Spending time in community with other believers and opening up about our struggles; asking for help and guidance when we’re confused and conflicted. 4 – Attend corporate expressions of faith such as church, bible studies, and nights of worship. 5 – Serve your community, connect with a group taking care of all those in need.

When we fill ourselves with God and things He cares about, our flesh side shrinks away and His spirit inside grows from the love God pours into us. That love becomes an outpouring to those around us and generates a desire for more. Being around God and truly connecting with Him, allowing Him to change us, will always have a profound effect. It is one way we are His servants, using that love to powerfully impact those around us. In truth, it’s not that complicated, but we make it that way. We make it confusing and complex and difficult. That’s one of the key reasons we need our trusted community of believers around to call us out when we’re getting in our head and making things harder than they need to be.

I just recently had a few friends tell me that I was so focused on these little things that I was wrongly condemning myself. Because of one small incorrect motive, I suddenly suspected everything I did to be of wrong motive. I was making something worse than it needed to be.

I was believing so many lies! It was so neatly packaged to look like a truth, that I forgot that I truly am a new creation in Christ and every part of me wasn’t suddenly doing things for doing things with impure intentions. Sure, I have my moments of poor decision making, but it didn’t mean I was now living entirely in my flesh side. My trusted group of faith-filled friends reminded me that we are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1) as new creations in Christ because he already forgave us of all these sinful, fleshly choices we make. So instead of beating yourself up like I did when faced with this, simply stop, and pivot to the spirit-filled choice.

Of course, there are bound to be times when our words and actions truly do not reflect God. When that's the case, stop and repent. Strive to notice that situation if it arises again and ask God to lead you in the right direction. Then move on.

Sing your praise to God. Serve your community and show up at Bible study. Read your Bible and, above all else, love God with everything you have.

Make that choice every day and you’ll be well on your way to putting off the old and putting on the “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (vs. 24)

Rooting for you friends, Marcie D.