Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Ephesians 4:22-24
‘Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.’
The New International Version says, ‘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; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’
In the last teaching we defined a Spirit-controlled, grace driven attitude of faith… attitude matters immensely! The attitudes that you allow, or choose will affect your world in every way… your attitude will either open doors of blessing, or close them. A Spirit-controlled, grace driven, attitude of faith creates the ‘ATMOSPHERE’ required for the NEW man to function… therefore it is one of the GREATEST aspects to walking in the Spirit as a new creature in Christ.
Being renewed in the ‘spirit of your mind’ (walking in, and embracing a renewed attitude) is key to putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
What was Paul the apostle saying to the church of Ephesus when he told them to be renewed in the spirit of their minds? The Greek word translated as ‘spirit’ in the New King James version and translated as ‘attitude’ in the New International Version is ‘pneûma’, literally meaning ‘wind, breath or blast of air’… wind is a driving force… I believe that Paul is referring to the attitudes as a driving force’… a driving force that inspires, and creates an atmosphere for the miracle-working power of God to give life to your thoughts and ideas.
Flesh-fueled attitudes give access to a spirit of death to kill anointed thoughts, and then to impart deceptive, deadly thoughts. A person who is inspired, influenced and driven by the flesh nature will have to contend with deceptive, deceitful desires, confusion and corruption…
Ephesians 4:17-24 says, “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles [Unbelievers] do, for they are hopelessly confused. 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. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, be made new in the attitude of your minds. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
When the driving force, the influence, the attitude and the inspiration behind our thinking changes from being driven by flesh that is yielded to spirits of darkness, to being influenced, empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit, our re-created spirits, and the Word of God, it will make room for our ‘new nature’ to flourish.
Sadly, a believer tries to change, and walk in newness of life, while continuing to be influenced and driven by an unrenewed attitude of the flesh, leading to deception, pride, serving the god of mammon, arrogance and fleshly desire, is like putting new wine into an old wineskin… the effervescent new wine will burst the old wineskin.
A renewed attitude creates the anointed atmosphere of a ‘new wineskin’ for the New creature in Christ to thrive in. As a new creature, you are an entirely different species of being to who you used to be… that new species of being lives and operates in the anointed atmosphere of a renewed attitude.
A tadpole can breathe and swim under the muddy, slimy, polluted waters of a mosquito infested swamp, but after it is TRANSFORMED into a frog, it needs fresh air to breath and to thrive. Just like the bullfrog, you have been born-again, and the recreated you can no longer survive in under the dark, slimy, polluted waters that are infested with spirits of darkness… the NEW YOU needs the fresh air and anointed atmosphere of a renewed, grace driven, faith filled attitude in order to thrive!
As you are renewed in the spirit of your mind you will put off the old deceived, deluded, confused self, and you will put on, and create the environment for the new man to thrive… the NEW YOU which has been created by to God, in true righteousness and holiness! ~ Selah
In His amazing Love, Nick
