Today, I’ve the perfect example of what I’m trying to say. Occasionally I have a dream that has always leaves me in a sinful attitude when I wake up. In the past, I’ve confessed my bad attitude to the Lord. At these times, and whenever I am thinking angry, sad, or any kind of negative or sinful thoughts, I pray these words: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). God is always faithful and rids me of my responses so I can go on with my day.
However, the last time I had that dream, I went farther than that. I asked God to dig deeply into my heart and show me what was there to cause me to respond to that dream (and its variations) with that attitude. Other verses come to mind for this prayer . . .
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)For the rest of that morning (a few months ago), God did show me the root of my problem with this dream. At first it seemed disconnected but after much digging, His Spirit and the Bible made me realize that I had a few things to confess. I did, and then repented (changed my mind) and asked the Lord to change the way I had been thinking. He did.
But last night, I had the dream again. Only this time, I woke up with no response at all. It was odd. I thought about the dream for several minutes. My thoughts remained objective and without any reaction at all. I was startled. I also realized that God had done what I asked. He changed my heart on this matter, and then proved it to me with a test. I passed.
All this says that holiness and true righteousness is more than externals. No one knows about those dreams of mine, and I could easily fake an appropriated attitude after having one, like “I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” But God looks at the heart. When He says “put on the new man” He means to be thoroughly living my life in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the responses of the newness of life given to me in Christ Jesus.
The context of today’s verse also shows that, only with a different example. After I read Ephesians 4:24, I noticed that it is followed by “therefore” . . .
Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:24-27)There are many ways that Paul tells Christians to behave in the power of their new life in Christ. In this case, “putting on” could be a bad choice of words for today’s culture. People so easily “put on” a certain face for certain occasions in order to look good on the surface. In these verses, God is talking about far more than externals.
Putting on the new man, or living by the power of Christ in the new life He gave me is not something that I do once, but something I must do every day, even every minute of every day. It is learning to see that my sinful responses and attitudes have deep roots. I can confess each incident of sin, but until I am willing to go deeper, I will keep doing those surface things.
Going deeper is hard work and often painful or humiliating. It requires total honesty and being vulnerable. It also requires the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
My devotional reading today also says that if I want to live correctly (and I do), I must expose myself to the Word of God. It is only God who can show me the sin that so easily tips me over. And it is only God who can expose the lies of Satan who tries to lure me into sin at my points of vulnerability and weakness, and even more so at the places where I think I am strong.
This dream caught me off guard; I was not expecting another test. Yet I am thankful. Because of His work in my heart, this time I passed it.
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