Friday, August 23, 2013

TAKE IT OFF

Remember....
Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

con·se·crate  
/ˈkänsiˌkrāt/
Verb
1.      Make or declare (something, typically a church) sacred; dedicate formally to a religious or divine purpose.
2.      (in Christian belief) Make (bread or wine) into the body or blood of Christ.
Synonyms
dedicate - sanctify - devote - hallow - bless


LOVE FOR GOD CHANGES US--- WHEN WE ENCOUNTER THE LOVE OF GOD WE ARE NEVER THE SAME…and we must press on…PRESSING ON IS AN ACTIVE CHOICE.

Ephesians 4
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.




The Put Off Put On Principle:

The word “put” is in the active present tense
We don’t wake up with the mind of Christ. We don’t leave work with it.
We actively make choices to put it on…and further more we actively must take off the other….

BASICALLY WE GOTTA GET UNDRESSED!

I think a lot of times we find ourselves “failing” as good Christians because we forget that He gave us new clothes. We think He just wants us to take ours off and leave us naked. But that isn’t true. Look at Ez 36-clothed and adorned and 2 Pet 1:3- everything we need.
In Joshua 3…God was telling the people “completely undress yourself before me and let me redress you so that you are perfectly prepared for what I WANT to do.”
God has a work He wants to do… but we will MISS it with our SIN in the way.
(Read Ezekiel 36)


WRITE IT OUT!
Go through the following lists and translate them to your own life to specific situations. Do any of these words or phrases show up in your life, heart and mind? What do you need to put off and what can you replace it with? Get practical and use the WORD as your guide. Take TIME on this and be serious about it. Pray Psalm 51.

-former conversation the old man

-corruption

-deceitful lusts

- lying

- wrath

- stealing

- corrupt communication

- grieve not the holy Spirit of God


- bitterness

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