Putting on Our New Selves
God has sworn by an oath to give us a new heart, one that is inclined to obey. God promises us not only to give us this new heart, but to write his commands on our hearts. In other words, he promises to cause us to know him.
God told his people about this incredible work he would do in the Old Testament. He said, “Then I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7, NKJV), and “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
The Holy Spirit is the one who accomplishes this work in us. He teaches us about the Father’s nature and way; and in the process, he transforms us into Christ’s divine image. Our Lord promises, “No matter what I demand of you, I will supply you with all the power you need to accomplish it. I won’t ask anything of you for which I have not made provision.”
Today, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now abides in us. God’s own Spirit is alive in us, providing power over the enemy. As Paul said, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10). When the devil comes flooding into your soul, enticing you toward an old lust, call upon the Holy Ghost. Listen to his every whisper, and obey his every command. If you are prepared to do whatever he empowers you to do, he won’t withhold his word from you.
You can move out of the old life and into the new in a single leap. It happens when you see how impossible it is for you to overcome sin by your own human efforts. Our faithful God has sworn to give the Holy Ghost to all believers who ask, and he will accomplish in you what the Lord has promised by oath. Finally, abandon yourself totally to God and his promises. He will renew and transform you into his image.
