This video will give you practical steps to “take off” ungodly thoughts, desires, and sins and put on Christ - His character, His authority, and His victory over sin, self, and Satan. It’s as easy as taking off your old dirty clothes and putting on new, clean clothes – once you know how.
00:0 Surrounded
1:51 Desperate for Answers
2:41 God replaces our ungodly thoughts, attitudes, and desires with Himself
3:21 Desires Drive Us to Do What We Do
4:34 God made us with desires that only He can fill.
5:16 ACTIVATION: Take Off the Old You and Put On Christ
5:53 Step 1. Take off your filthy old rags.
6:53 Step 2. Wash in the Water of the Word of God.
7:46 Step 3. Put on Christ.
God’s ways of changing our thoughts, our attitudes, and our desires is to replace them – with Himself. My obsession with alcohol was replaced by my fascination with Jesus. God’s Word took the place of my desire to drink. There, I found the peace and fulfillment that I was seeking. Holy Spirit led me from one powerful truth to another. And I actually began to feel God’s love – His acceptance. And I became stronger, more able to resist temptation and the ungodly thoughts I struggled with.
Jesus filled the emptiness in my heart that I used to try to fill with alcohol. And He wants to fill the emptiness in your heart too.
Desires Drive Us to Do What We Do
Romans 13:14 ESV
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Desires are what drive us. All conscious human behavior is driven by desires. God made each of us with the same basic human desires. Everyone wants Approval, belonging, freedom, joy, justice, love, significance, recognition, justice, security, peace, etc.
Philippians 2:13 NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
God give us desires, then gives us the ability to fulfill them through relationship with Him.
Psalm 37:4 ESV
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
God loves to give us our heart’s desires.
See Romans 8:32 and Philippians 4:19 NIV
God made us with desires that only he can fill. When we try to fill these desires ourselves, we get away from God and quickly get in trouble.
ACTIVATION: Take Off the Old You and Put On Christ
Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Taking off and putting on is a pattern taught throughout the New Testament. How do we do that?
---Step 1. Take off your filthy old rags.
*Your filthy rags are the ungodly thoughts, attitudes, desires and sin you have allowed into your life. You have a new nature and are a new creation in Christ, but the past still calls out to you. It tries to lure you back into your old ways of thinking and doing things. See Isaiah 64:6 NIV
*Ask Holy Spirit to show you the filthy rags you are wearing. Holy Spirit is in you to lead you into the truth about God and about yourself. (See John 14:17 and John 16:13) He will reveal the thoughts, attitudes, desires, and sins you need to take off.
*Repent. Ask God’s forgiveness if you have sinned and ask God to help you remove those thoughts, attitudes, & desires that keep coming into your mind.
---Step 2. Wash in the Water of the Word of God.
The Word of God is more powerful than we can grasp or even imagine. It cleanses us. It makes us Holy.
Jesus told His disciples: “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” John 15:3 NIV
Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV
…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Find scripture that deal with the ungodly thoughts, attitudes, desires and sin that you are struggling with. Find God’s answer.
Read these several times. Meditate on them. Let them wash over you. Let them cleanse you.
---Step 3. Put on Christ.
Put on the character and power of Jesus by putting on His thoughts, His attitudes, His desires, and His actions.
*Declare scripture (God’s answer to your problem) out loud.
*Write it down and Memorize it so you will have it when the thoughts, attitudes or desires to sin attack. God’s Word will be your defense and your victory.
James 1:21, NLT So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
*Take action steps to activate the Word in your everyday life.
James 1:22, NLT But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves