40 Day Daniel Fast Day 5

Ephesians 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

My wife watches a show at times about people who hoard. And not just the average hoarding, like basement stuff, old gym shirts from college, clothes you can't fit anymore, you know those clothes that are in a box labeled "the one day pile." But I mean, hoarding to where it's hard to get into the house, where this type of hoarding shows some serious issues, where the fire department would shut you down. It's amazing how they live and do not really recognize it is that bad! We see it from the outside and say this is dangerous, and how did they get like this? How can they live a healthy life like this? Here is the thing, this same thought comes up with some of our lives. We have old ways, old patterns, and thoughts that hoard in our minds and display in our lives.

Paul reminds the followers of Jesus to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life. Paul uses the Greek word "apotithemi" to lay aside and put away. What does Paul mean when he says the former way of life? Later in this chapter, Paul answers what he means:

• Put away falsehood.
• Speak the truth to one another in love.
• Be angry and sin not.
• Give no opportunity to the devil.

Paul reminds us we have to let go of things, not just once but continually.

To throw off that old nature will take a conscious, daily decision to remove anything that supports our deeds, the old self, and our desires. You see, if we are not careful, we can become behavior hoarders; we can allow passions to sit and not be addressed. We can enable speaking in falsehood with our brothers and sisters; we can allow anger to be a daily part of our lives, not really understanding that it's piling up and causing us to be unhealthy spiritually. Paul says to us, put off your old self; it all belongs to the former manner of life. It's not you anymore; you won't ever be able to fit those pants of anger, you won't ever want to wear that shirt of selfishness, you can't read books of bitterness! Saints, it's time to get rid of the old nature and all of its belongings.

Challenge
Journal today and come clean; are there old patterns and behaviors in your life that you need to put away? If so, what are they? What does God’s word say about them?

Read
Romans 6:6
James 1:21
1 Peter 2:1-2
Titus 3:3

Pray
Father, we know that you have saved us from this old nature, and we want to please you; we want to give you our best. Help us identify those areas in our lives that are not pleasing to You and cause us to become spiritually unhealthy. Help us put away these falsehoods and embrace our new nature.
In Jesus' name, Amen!