"OLD SELF" " NEW SELF!"

Ephesians 4:20-24                       (ESV)
"20 But that is not the way you learned CHRIST!-
21 assuming that you have heard about HIM and were taught in HIM, as the truth is in JESUS,
22 to put off your "OLD SELF", which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through DECEITFUL DESIRES,
23 and to be RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS,
24 and to put on the "NEW SELF", created after the LIKENESS of GOD in TRUE righteousness and holiness."



On Sunday evening, January 08, 1978, I ceased resistance from the Spirit of GOD and began living for HIM.  Now don't get me wrong, my actions have not always glorified GOD, or properly reflected the life of JESUS, but that was the day I began my journey of living for GOD, and not for the "OLD SELF"!  When I consider all of the sinful actions driven by the "OLD SELF", I can't believe I was so blind, yet am grateful that GOD loves me so much that HE hasn't given up on me.  And yet, like the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15, the closer I get to CHRIST, the more I consider myself the "foremost" of sinners!

Our existence when we were our "OLD SELF" was literally doing the best we could, but our best is "but filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6 KJV) before a HOLY GOD, so the frustration and guilt was unbearable for me.  The DECEITFUL DESIRES that once was the driving force behind my actions still have to be battled, but the more battles the enemy loses, the stronger I become in my resistance.  We are on a continuous journey to GOD and HIS perfection, so don't let the enemy bog you down when you "fall short" of GOD's glory.  We are instructed to be RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS, not just once, but daily for HIM as we continue this journey through "this world"!

Nobody gets more frustrated with themselves than I do with my failures of living for JESUS CHRIST.  1 Timothy 1:15 reminds me that the closer I get to the LIGHT, the more dirt and filth I will be made aware of.  But we are to be reminded that our "OLD SELF" has been regenerated and replaced with the "NEW SELF", and even though we live in the same house, we are a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17)!  We are not constrained by our "OLD SELF", as the Spirit of the LIVING GOD (Romans 8:11) now lives in our mortal bodies accomplishing HIS will through our lives!

The fact that our "OLD SELF" formerly occupied the same dwelling place (physical body) as our "NEW SELF" can be easy to be misdiagnosed.  Even a trained medical professional tends to occasionally diagnose one thing, and the actual illness is something totally different.  Even though CHRIST came into my life on January 08, 1978, I didn't exhibit the blatant characteristics of being "infected" by HIS blood right away!  Continually serving HIM, even through my failures, has let "this world" know however that my "NEW SELF" has a blood transfusion that must be recognized!  The "OLD SELF" has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), and the "NEW SELF" is here to stay!!