Mindset Pt. 8: Strippin’ For Change

The theme of this week’s declarations (blogs) has been change but the undertone is really about stripping away, taking off the old sinful, selfish, lustful desires as described in Ephesians 4:17-31 (NLT)

¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

 ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

• Remember, salvation was promised first to the Jews (Hebrews, Israelites) based upon God’s covenant with Abraham and then to the Gentiles – anyone that is not Jewish.  The Gentiles (Heathens) were confused about their relationship with God, the believed in idols, did whatever pleased them, adamantly refused to open their minds to the truth 
• They were led by their lusts because their warped belief yielded no shame for their actions so doing anything that felt good was acceptable to them 
• It’s the 21^st century and we’re repeating the same cycle right down do corrupt politicians, police officers, business men, etc.  The difference is that men were the only people who had rights.  Everyone else was considered property that could be bought, sold, even killed and they would be within their “manly” rights to murder their own blood

²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

• Now that you know better, you are expected to be better – on purpose 
• Throw off, get rid of, STRIP yourself of the old lifestyle because it’s full of corruption, lust and deception all of which are toxic 
• Instead allow, let the Spirit of God renew your mind.  How? Through the word of God – your manual for life which will result in a “true follower” of Christ living a prosperous successful life. 
• I usually decide what I’m gonna “put on” the night before because my clothes never jump out the closet and put themselves on me, just as the new nature won’t chase you down and jump on you.  You have to decide to put it on.  For example: you can decide to get on the Victory call; participate in the Victory room; give a blank stare v. cuss; purchase v. steal; plan a strategy to improve v. the one to “get over”; be nice v. nice nasty, be a regular person v. so super spiritual that people dodge you when they see you coming, calling or texting, etc.  IT’S A CHOICE. God made it simple for us to live according to his will, not easy. 

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.

• Be honest with the people in your world? 
• Did you know that Jesus went to church, saw entrepreneurs pimping the saints, started beating people with the whip he made on the spot, drove the sheep and animals out of the front lobby, scattered the money on the tables all over the floor and then flipped the tables over.  Would you say he was a little pissed off?  Why?  Because the Saints were being pimped, taken advantage of.  Not because of some baby momma drama, people mean mugging him or hatin’ on him.  John 2:13-17. Please don’t try this at home, you will most likely go to jail.  It’s not a sin to get angry, it is a problem if you hold onto it and allow it to fester.

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.

• This is relatively self-explanatory 
• If you lost every other book in the bible except Ephesians the 4^th chapter, I believe you could live a save and matured life just by following these instructions alone.

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.

• Grieve (Webster) to cause to feel great sorrow, to distress mentally.  Every single cotton pickin’ time that we do something contrary to the will of God (like any of the things mentioned above) we cause the Holy Spirit to feel great sorrow, to distress mentally.  Your self-motivated lustful choices don’t just affect you, they affect the Trinity, your children and their children, the people connected to you. 
• Take off, get rid of, strip ALL of the stuff that weight’s you down AND replace it with things that the opposite of the old lifestyle.  Not based on emotion but based on obedience.

In conclusion, I need you to hear my heart don’t hear it as judgment.  If you really understood, valued and respected the sacrifice that Jesus made in our place: the mental anguish of knowing he was about to die for every sin committed in the universe when he was guilty of nothing.  Enduring multiple beatings all night, the humiliation of being stripped naked and beaten with a whip plated with bone and steal until his back looked like bloody pulp, more humiliation as he walked to his own death while people hurled insults, rotten food, spit at him, finally suffering on the cross, shedding his precious blood as a sacrifice for us.  That blood is what makes us whole, heals us in every area of our lives.  Jesus didn’t wanna suffer, he didn’t wanna die, he even asked his father if there was an alternative, but he did it anyway.  Our problem is that we don’t want to suffer, we don’t want to die to our lusts because it will make us uncomfortable.

Dear heart, if I could take the knowledge out of my head and heart and deposit it into you, so you could get it and keep it I would do it in a heartbeat.  This is about life or death, bottom line.  You can play around with it and cheapen it if you want to, justifying why you choose to live a defeated life but I guarantee you one thing, you will lift up your eyes in hell because you refused to heed the word of God spoken through me.  Oh, but I thought God loves everybody.  He does, but that don’t make him a punk who lets people run all over him by ignoring the price he allowed his son to pay for you in advance especially when all you have to do is trust him and be obedient.  Plain and simple.

Sadly some of you listening (reading this blog) are going to let this information go in one ear and out the next.  You have already decided that this doesn’t apply to you and/or you are defeated and there is no help for you because your story/drama is different:  Like, your momma made you eat bologna, your daddy was at home too much, you couldn’t turn a cartwheel, you always got picked last for the football team, your friend could run faster than you, the boogey man was in the closet.  Wait, stop! Nothing I just said makes any sense.  EXACTLY, any excuse that you make for your inability to trust and obey God will sound just as ridiculous as the excuses above and they will only satisfy you.  So, you can stay right where you are, you never have to move, you never have to change, it’s OK, but you will be held accountable by God, whether you believe it or not.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya