Colossians 3:8-9 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

 

When we are Saved and born again, the Holy Spirit of God begins His Sanctifying Work within us. The old man in us died when Jesus was Crucified on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus did all the Work that was required by God to kill every old man on earth. However, it takes time to accomplish this in us. If God took away everything of the old man away from us immediately, there would be nothing left of us.

 

Therefore, Sanctification is a process; a life-long process that we must be willing to undergo. The Holy Spirit of God can strip us of every piece of the old man, but the question is, we are ready to immediately let go of everything.

 

The Apostle Paul wrote But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,(Colossians 3:8-9) He described the old man as a set of clothes that we wear. I suppose he did this because, in those days, a person’s garment was representative of their status in life. A beggar wore a beggar’s garment. A blind man wore a blind man’s garment. A King wore a King’s garment.

 

The fact is, prior to Salvation, we are all the old man and we wear the old man’s garment that is clearly visible. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying, robbing, cheating, addiction, etc. All these things are characteristic of the old man.

 

The Holy Spirit wants to take them all away from us and give us a new garment but we must be willing to let Him take them away from us. and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all. (Colossians 3:10-11)

 

God will not force us to do anything. He wants to give us a whole new spiritual wardrobe but we have to give up all our old dirty clothes first. Everything old must be laid on the Altar and we must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. This is what Paul meant when he wrote I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect Will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

 

If you are sick and tired of your old clothes, God has a whole new wardrobe waiting for you. Say yes to God! Put off the old clothes and take on the new!

 

God stands ready to………..turn the tide ……….in your life!

 

Loving my new clothes!         Doreen

 

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